A ‘Mujaddid’ in Islam Today

 

‘You are the best people raised for the good of mankind; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah. And if the People of the Book had believed, it would have surely been better for them. Some of them are believers, but most of them are disobedient.’ (Holy Quran, 3:111) 

Allah mentions in His divine scriptures that this Muslim community is the best community among all. However, whether the contemporary Muslim community is deserving of this distinction is, unfortunately, a bitter truth to the contrary.

 

This noble community, which is meant to guide other societies, is now under the influence of Mullahs who propagate misleading interpretations. Consequently, Islam, which is fundamentally a path of peace, is portrayed as a ruthless and violent ideology.

The Deceit of the Fifth Caliph

  

Can a Prophet or a Mujaddid still appear? Where does the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya (Qadian) stand today on the question of the appearance of a servant of God in this era? Can someone appear with Divine revelations in the presence of the Electoral Assembly-elected Khalifatul Massih system in the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya? These questions are of vital importance for spiritual seekers who worship only Allah (swt) and are eager to follow revealed guidance concerning His commandments. We are living in 1445 AH; the Fifteenth Century of the blessed Hijrah era; 45 years have gone by in the present Century of Islamic Calendar. Can a Mujaddid appear in the times of the elected Caliph in the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in this new era, a century after the death and departure of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian [1835-1908]?  

Many thoughtful Ahmadis today seek answers for the aforesaid questions in their own midst, despite being deeply aware of the limits of the current system of leadership in the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya to honestly and frankly address the same. On his part, instead of guiding people on the reality of Divine guidance,  the present Caliph, Khalifatul Massih V Mirza Masroor Ahmad Saheb, has been evading and avoiding this question for long through adopting evasive strategies; often ridiculing the intelligence of the questioners and attributing motives to truth seekers who raise this issue of Divine guidance. Against the lessons of history, and the manifest wisdom of Prophetic teachings on the advent of a Mujaddid in a new century of Islam, the Fifth Caliph has been challenging common sense- claiming that Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya is enough for spiritual guidance for the whole world of Islam even in the new century, and there is no need for a Divinely-inspired Mujaddid for the same!

Preaching ‘Anti-Qadianism’

   

The advent of the Promised Messiah and Al Imam Al Mahdi Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian (1835-1908) was a ground-breaking episode in the preaching of Islam in modern times. For, no one has introduced or presented Islamic perspectives on foundational questions of spiritual humanity in a more persuasive or intellectually- appealing way than what Hazrat Ahmad (as) accomplished through his writings and sublime discourses over a span of three decades at the head of the Fourteenth century of Islamic calendar. More than what the ideological partisans within the community would ever be willing to admit publicly, the rich and sparkling legacy of Hazrat Mirza (as) is in accord with the spiritual and intellectual consciousness of the Ummah. Moreover, powerful worldly events and material conditions in subsequent decades in the Islamic and wider world after his death have forced the religious orthodoxy to revisit and even abandon many of their previously held, wild theories which Hazrat Mirza Saheb opposed in his times (including on the improper application of “Jihad” as indiscriminate violence and killing of all those who disagree with the Muslims), and these circumstances have also allowed them to follow, as it were in the footsteps of this revered figure of Islam and his disciples- the Ahmadis (or the Qadianis) when it comes to peaceful preaching of Islam in the West.  

While Islamic tradition, history and contemporary events bear out the essential truthfulness and veracity of the claims of Hazrat Massih Maoud (as), as well as the spiritual and intellectual appeal of his arguments and perspectives on Islam, the religious orthodoxy continues with their preaching of hatred and violence against this trailblazer in the service of Islam in the modern world. Recently, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius- the spiritual son and disciple of Hazrat Massih Maoud (as) in this era- addressed the critics in the West, and spelt-out the choices available to those who unfairly reject the message of Ahmadiyyat in this era. 

Read the Extracts from the Response Below: 

'The Khalifa of Islam': Of Titles and Tasks

10 Years of the official proclamation as "Khalifatullah" 

In a special lecture delivered on 27 May 2018, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of his Divinely-inspired proclamation of 26 May 2008 as the Caliph of God-"Khalifatullah"- the foremost Islamic spiritual personality of this era Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius- Holy Founder of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- gives an illuminating discourse on the system of the advent of the Spiritual Heirs of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in every era of Islam, to rejuvenate the Faith and to be a practical exemplar of the Holy Tradition/ Islamic Practice in everyday life for the devout. 

The Islamic sacred tradition recognizes the devout savants of the Faith by conferring upon them grand titles: "Khalifa", "Imam", "Mujaddid", "Muhyi-ud-Din", "Sheikh-ul-Islam", "Hujjatul Islam", "Mahdi", "Massih","Ummati-Nabi", etc. Drawing on the Holy Prophet's teachings, and also keeping in view the additional explanations of the Promised Massih (as) in the previous era, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) in his discourse, succinctly summarizes the spiritual doctrine on the purpose of the advent of the Elects of God in every era. Moreover, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) reminds both his enemies and friends of the need to be critically aware of the "mistakes of the past" when peoples and communities have preferred the adulation of the powers that be and ignored perennial Divine teachings and thereby they let go of a precious heritage of sublime faith represented by the advent of a Divine servant among them. 

Alhamdulillah, the message is of immediate relevance to the Ahmadis of our times- in a context where their elected Khalifatul Massih Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Saheb has been bereft of Divine illumination. Many devout Ahmadis are now seeking to engage with the larger question of Divine Guidance and revelations with the advent of a Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah in this era in the person of Hadhrat Munir Azim Saheb of Mauritius (atba), Soumma Alhamdulillah.

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.