Remembering our beloved Imam

PROMISED MESSIAH DAY

As you very well know, the 23^rd day of March commemorates for all Ahmadi Muslims worldwide an exceptional day in the history of mankind when a devout and highly spiritual soul, i.e. the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) took from his companions the oath of allegiance. This major event happened in the year 1889 after the Promised Messiah (as) had received repeated revelations from Allah to do so.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (as) thus founded Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and went on throughout his life on earth to devote his time and energy to calling people to Allah and to share with them all the blessed revelations he used to received from Allah.

THE FAMILY BACKGROUND OF THE PROMISED MESSIAH (AS)

The Promised Messiah (as) Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) belonged to the well-known Persian clan by the name of Barlas. In the year 1530 A.D., one of his ancestors, Mirza Hadi Baig migrated from his hometown Samarkand (in the province of Khurasan in the present day Uzbekistan) to India, along with two hundred of his companions that included his relatives and staff. He was a noble man and a scholar and a saintly figure. India was then under the rule of the Mogul emperor Babar.

Mirza Hadi Baig was granted a large extent of land by the emperor and he thus selected an unpopulated area thereof, some seventy miles northeast of Lahore, to settled down with his clan. He founded the town which he named Islampur and became its overall Chief and Qazi (Islamic Magistrate). With the passage of time, the name Islampur went through a series of changes and came to be called Islampur Qadi, and then Qadi, and finally it became known as Qadian, it's  present day appellation.

The Meaning of 'Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen'

The Dogma of 'Khatme Nabuwwat'

On Saturday 26 March 2016 after Salat-ul-Zuhr, a non-Ahmadi Muslim friend gave me a Muslim newspaper (STAR ​​No. 1625) dated 21 to 27 February 2016 wherein was written an article at page 30 on the Seal of Prophethood (part 4). An Imam spoke of the agreement by all the Ulema of the Ummah on the issue. When we look at this clause, we see that from the first century until today, in each successive generation, in the entire Muslim world, in every country, theologians are unanimous on this point that after the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) no one can be a prophet, and if someone claim the right to this post/ status or one who believes in such claimant, is a Kafir (infidel) and out of the pale of Islam. 

Then, the Imam in question reproduced the following evidence, namely the views of these theologians:

1.   Hazrat Imam-e-Azam Abu Hanifa (ra) [80-150 AH] said (like I told you last Friday): “La Nabi Ba’adi” (No prophet after me). [Manaqib-ul-Imamul Azam Abu-Hanifa, Labin-e-Ahmedul-Makki, Vol.1, Pg. 161].

2.     Allama Ibn Jarir-Tabri (ra) [224-310 AH] commented on the verse of the Holy Quran “Walakir-Rasulullah, wa Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen” and explained that he is one who had shut the door of prophecy and has applied thereon a seal. [Tafsir Ibn Jarir, Vol.22, p. 12].

3.      Allama Ibn Hazam (ra) Andalusi [384-456 AH] wrote: “Without a doubt, the continuation of revelation ceased after the death of Rasulullah (pbuh). The proof is that the revelation is bestowed to a prophet and (he is) the last of the prophets.” [Al-Muhalla, Vol.1 p. 26].

4.    Hazrat Imam Ghazali (ra) [450-505 AH] wrote in his book ‘Iqtisaad’: “No doubt the Ummah has reached a consensus that through the words’ Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen’ ‘the Nabiya Badi’, there will be no Messenger and no Prophet until eternity.”

And then the Imam quoted others also and pronounced that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) is the last prophet and said that those who pretend to receive a divine revelation or claim to be a prophet, will be declared infidel (Kafir) and has mentioned that in every Muslim country, the great scholars, ‘Fuqaha’, the ‘Muhadditheen’ and ‘Mufassireen’ have all expressed the same opinion about “Khatme Nabuwwat”.

The meaning of “Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen”

Now I make a small comment on the meaning of “Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen” and also put forward the writings of prominent Muslim scholars.

As you know, the term Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen appears in the Quran in Surah Al-Ahzab. This verse says:

“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah, and the Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen (Seal of the Prophets); and Allah has full knowledge of all things.” (33: 41)

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “I was the Khatam-an-Nabiyyeen before the birth of Prophet Adam.” (Tafsir ibn Kathir, on the authority of Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal).

When his son died, he (pbuh) said: “Had Ibrahim lived he would have become a prophet.” (Ibn Majah, Vol.1 Kitabul-Janaiz).

These very significant words agree with the text of the Holy Quran. They mean that the word Khatam does not mean ‘the last’ in respect to the time factor.

Renewal of Islam: Ulema and Divine Guidance

According to Abu Dharr, the Prophet (may God give him blessings and peace) said, reporting the words of God, ever praised and exalted is He:

“O My servants, I have forbidden injustice to Myself and I have made it forbidden amongst you. So be not unjust to one another.

“O My servants, all of you go astray except the one whom I guide. Ask guidance of Me, and I shall guide you…”

[Part I, Hadith No. 1; Muhyi-ud-din Ibn Arabi, Mishkåt al-Anwar: 101 Hadith Qudsi, written in 1202-03; Oxford: Anqa Publishing (2008); p.18.

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Renewal of Faith is through Divine Revelations

You must know that whenever a religious society became corrupted, then it was without fail, that a person came from Allah who revived the message and started a movement of great sacrifice for the sake of religion. Not taking other people’s lives but offering their own lives. Not destroying other people’s property but putting themselves in a precarious position where their property were destroyed and looted by others. So following through this hard path of sacrifice, religion was revived whereby you find these phenomena come one after the other (after religion has been trampled by stupid high priests/Mullahs who destroy the essence of religion). Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is thus the most dependable source of light for us (Muslims).

In fact after every other prophet and his religion became a thing of the past, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is the only source of light available to us. How did he revive religious values? It is through walking in the streets of Mecca and being stoned and being abused and being maltreated in the worst possible manner, by the sacrifices of his followers when they being dragged in the hard stony streets of Mecca and them being beaten almost to death and sometimes to death just for the sake of the true faith upon which they held firm till they tasted death or till they witnessed the victory of Islam.

The atrocities committed against them are enormous and yet as they walked through the path of blood and fears and toil, they were purified at the same time, they were spreading instead of decreasing in number. They were not conquered in reality but they were turning into victors because they were winning other hearts, other souls, other people joined this procession of those who offered sacrifices, and in that process they were purified.

Islam is designed like this. There is no short-cut to glory and victory and that is done always through the Messengers of Allah. If they came in the past, is present in this era, likewise Messengers of Allah will always come till the Day of Judgement in the light of perfection of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). When the religious leadership becomes corrupt, Allah takes the leadership in His Own Hands, that is the phenomena of “Nabuwwah”.