A 'Waliullah' In Our Times

In the Friday Sermon of 23 November 2018 (14 Rabi’ul Awwal 1440 AH) delivered at Tenkasi during his recently concluded tour of Tamil Nadu and Kerala (South India); Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius provides an illuminating discourse on the concept of Waliullah in the Islamic spiritual tradition. 

All through history, the world of Islam witnessed the appearance of several great savants; Divinely-imbued souls as the Pole Stars of the Religion and the Way; the Luminous Moons of the Faith- people whom devout Muslims over the millennium revere as no less than the spiritual heirs of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). These perfect followers of the Holy Prophet (sa) had been blessed with the direct descent of Divine Knowledge, Divine Revelations, and Divine Words on their persons, and their supplications were almost always accepted. Indeed, such followers of the Muhammadan Light in the Spiritual Path, imbued as they are with divine qualities; they aspire to cultivate a direct relationship with one’s Maker and live secluded behind the curtain of Divine intimacy. Like the Qur’an says: “Verily, My Protecting Friend is Allah, Who has revealed this perfect Book and He takes into (His) protection all the righteous.” (7:197) 

A Hadith-e-Qudusi recorded in Sahih Al Bukhari reads as follows: “My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And once I love him, I become his hearing, with which he hears, his sight, with which he sees, his hand, with which he seizes, and his foot, with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him.” 

Those individuals with whom Allah converses more directly and frequently than with other believers belong to the class of Friends of Allah (Auliya). In the spiritual terminology, such persons are described under different ranks and stations- Wali, Muhaddith, Mujaddid, etc. - all of whom receive their light from the Divine Light and thereby revive the knowledge, wisdom and blessings of the Prophets and Messengers of the previous era. The Light of Allah emanating from theses spiritual lamps illuminate the path of the Divine seekers in Islam.

The present discourse by Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) is indeed an important reminder to all Ahmadis- people who revere the legacy of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian- about the forgotten teachings of the Promised Massih (as) regarding the spiritual phenomenon of Wilayat, and the continued vitality of these teachings in every era till the Day of Judgement. Drawing specifically from the Divine revelations and additional explanations given by the Promised Massih (as) in the previous era, especially in his Revealed Sermon- Khutba Ilhaamiya; and also the Divine revelations that were vouchsafed to his humble self in the last two decades, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) points to the significance of the advent of a 'Waliullah'- a special Friend of God, who speaks with the help of Roohul Qudus to illuminate the reasoning and intelligence of people in the appreciation of subtle and profound matters of Divine knowledge and to guide them in the Spiritual Way in our bewildering times.

The Enduring Blessings of Islam

Most Ahmadis today somehow believe that Allah has abolished the Divine Scheme of sending Mujaddidin in every century to revive the Muslims and to renew their Faith. They consider that sincere believers have to be content with the man-elected Khulafa in the Ahmadiyya Community for all practical purposes and that for the purpose of Divine guidance in future, if any, only an Ahmadiyya can elevated with Divine revelations by Allah (twa). The Divine Prerogative of choosing and selection whoever He wills has come tom an end with the establishment of Ahmadiyya Khilafat- at least, that is what the leaders and the priests within would like common Ahmadis to believe as religious doctirne.

On the other hand, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian presented Islam as a living faith that produced through the centuries of its existence, countless saints and godly people. More importantly, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) firmly believed that these blessings will certainly continue till the Day of Judgement amongst sincere believers who followed the fundamental teachings of Islam. We are presenting below certain extracts from the writings of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) that affirms the enduring blessings of Islam and points out the mistaken notions of the Shia Muslims in this regard. Reflective Ahmadis will find remarkable lessons in the episode:  

“It must be clear to you that when a true seeker lives Islam obediently and completely and each of his faculty truly and automatically follows God’s commands then the overall results of his efforts is that Allah sends signs of guidance to him on a larger scale without any intermediary veils. That is to say that this person will directly experience Allah on a higher level. Many kinds of blessings fall on this person. These commands were accepted due to his faith and because it was obligatory on him.