Divine Revelations of the Khalifatullah

Revelations as Divine Mercy

"It is not granted to any mortal that God should speak to him except through revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger to reveal by His command what He will: He is exalted and wise. So we have revealed a spirit to you by Our command: you knew neither the Scripture nor the faith, but We made it a light, guiding with it whoever We Will of Our servants. You give guidance to the straight path, the path of God, to whom belongs all that is in the heavens and earth: truly everything will return to God.” (42: 52-54)

Say that the “Roohul Quds” (Holy Spirit) has brought the Revelation with the Truth step by step from your Lord, to strengthen the believers and as guidance and good news to the devout Muslims” (16: 103). 

A recipient of Divine revelations and other inspirations and spiritual visions bring with him, with the help of the Roohul Quds,  an abundance of Divine communications and spiritual messages. Such messages from the Unseen may contain glad tidings foretelling the brilliant destiny awaiting a people. It can also include clear warnings about the potential dangers ahead in their collective lives, both mundane and spiritual. That is why devout Muslims- those who wholeheartedly submit to the Will and Decree of the Almighty Allah, at all times- consider revelations and inspirations as a great bounty and special blessings of the Almighty. These fortunate believers, whose hearts open up to recognize, accept the Divine Message of the times, walk along, in the narrow and straight path of the Divine, being guided and hand held by that servant of Allah the Most High, in their spiritual journey of a lifetime. Hence, the presence of a recipient of Divine revelations is the very embodiment of Divine mercy for the community of believers.

Consider the experience of the Divinely-raised Muhyi-ud-Din Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius, the servant of Allah in our times. As we have noted in previous articles in the Blog, Hadhrat Sahib is a born-soldier of Islam, having had with him from a relatively very young age of his blessed life, an abiding interest in religious matters and an intuitive understanding of effective preaching and an exceptional drive to spread further and further the true message of Islam for all of humanity. Years before the Divine Call, as a devout Daai-e-Ilallah, Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib was the ambassador of the Promised Massih (as) to the several communities and peoples of the Indian Ocean island-states, including Reunion Island (1990), Mayotte (1997) and Seychelles (2000), helping to establish the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya in these distant lands. Through his fervent prayers and the Divine Grace over his ardent preaching efforts,  hundreds of people in these lands got the opportunity to recognize the sublime path of true Islam.

Indeed, in the annals of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, the extraordinary services rendered by this humble servant of Islam to the mission of the Promised Massih (as) had been recorded by the Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahib himself. Even more importantly, Allah (twa) showed His deep appreciation and profound satisfaction for the sincere and earnest efforts, when Allah (swa) took him under His wing of Mercy and blessed him with an abundance of Divine communications and spiritual messages, to a level and scale unheard of in the history of Islam since the times of the Promised Massih (as). If the solitude of the Arabian desert provided the perfect setting for the revelation-centered, Divine mission of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), the waves of the Indian Ocean will forever bear witness to the preaching of this Divine Elect, Insha Allah. (For an account about the  family background and early life of Hadhrat Sahib, click here:  1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ).

Divine Revelations on a Purified Heart

For the benefit of our readers, we have assembled here, a few of the Divine revelations and other Divine Messages vouchsafed to the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib Sahib (atba) over the years. While the list of revelations and messages presented here are by no means exhaustive or even comprehensive, these are certainly illustrative of the Divine communications vouchsafed to Hadhrat Sahib (atba) in the last decade and beyond. We understand that many other messages are to be unveiled and these are awaiting to be codified together, in the fullness of time, Insha Allah, Aameen.  The revelations mentioned here are those that are available over the official website, one could read many of them in the archives of the Friday Sermons delivered over the last decade or so. 

La Maqsooda Illallah, meaning there is no destination but Allah.

La Mabooda bil Haqqe Iillallah - There is no one to worship in truth but Allah

“Laa Ghaliba Illallah”- The Victory of Allah

“Surely, true guidance is Allah's Guidance”

“And him whom Allah guides, there is none to lead him astray”

من عرف نفسه فقد عرف ربه    “Man arafa nafsahu faqad arafa rabbahu.”

That is to say: "He who knows his self knows his Lord".

رأيت ربي بعين ربي  “Ra’aytu rabbi bi ayni rabbi”  That is to say: “I saw my Lord through the (merciful) eye of my Lord.” 

"If you become solely Mine, indeed the whole world shall come to be thine".

“Purify yourself of the attributes of the self in order to contemplate your own pure essence, and look in your own heart all the sciences of the prophets, without books, without teachers, without masters. The book of the true servant of Allah is not composed of ink and letters; it is nothing but a heart white as snow. The scholar is not the one to borrow knowledge from any book and who becomes ignorant when he forgets what he has learned. The true scholar is one who receives, when he wants, his knowledge from his Lord, without study or teaching.”

“It is Allah who silences it or makes it speak. It is He who veils it or unveils it. It is He who gives it and takes it back wherever and whenever He pleases because that light comes from Him. That is why He works within that Light as He wishes and wherever He pleases and in whom He pleases and according to His will.”

"O My Servant, Your Boss is a good payer, with the price of your labour, you shall receive eternity".

“O you Soul at peace! Return to your Lord well pleased (with Him) and He well pleased (with you). So enter among My servants, And enter My Paradise.” (HQ, 89: 28-31)

“The perfect mind comprehends not imperfection.

It derives pleasure from Source Divine

It shelters faith in the furthest compartment,

Willing the heart to be pleased with love anew;

From the start of the Swell of submission

The mind comprehends not the Purpose Divine.

Of the world it knows no other,

Except the one whom God makes him see through the wonders of his capabilities;

Islam is his ideal

Islam is his focus

Perfection over perfection!”

(Received on 22 June 2011)

On the spiritual Mission and Divine Mandate

“Fasbir sabran Jameela”, meaning, “Show beautiful patience”. (In the year, 2000).

"Even if the world leaves you tomorrow, but Allah is with you, ALL is with you, but if the world is with you, and Allah is not with you, nothing is with you."

“Stand up and warn, And your Lord do you magnify, And your clothes do you purify, And uncleanliness do you shun, And bestow not favours seeking to get more in return, And for the sake of your Lord, do you endure trials patiently”.

“Convey what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do it not, you have not conveyed His Message. And Allah will protect you from men”.

"You are the Mohyuddin of this era"

“O Mohyiuddin, arise and create a new world!

“You Are the New Orbit”

"O descendant of Deen-e-Islam each time that in some place in the Universe religion declines and irreligion advances, I send someone with the Rou-hil-Qoudouss".

O Munir Ahmad Azim, you are known as the Reviver of religion, you are the strength of this religion, O Mohyuddin

O Mohyuddin! My relation to you is above all relations. Your status is indeed high.

“O Khalifatullah, Muhyi-ud-Din, My beloved Munir Azim, arise and create a new world”.

 Ya Khalifathullah! Qul: “Annal Mujaddido” (O Khalifathullah! Tell them: ‘I am the Mujaddid’)

On the state of Ahmadi beliefs

“The teachings of the Promised Messiah have been trampled to dust”.

“The teachings of the Promised Messiah have been trampled to dust…. They give khilafat more importance than My divine words (Holy Quran), the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the teachings of the second Issa (the Promised Messiah)”.

“Diamond will cut Diamond”.

“I will humiliate he who tries to humiliate you”.

“We will punish them from where they expect not”.

“In the long run evil in the extreme will be the End of those who do evil; for that they rejected the Signs of God, and held them up to ridicule.” 

“Allah says that they are working very hard to deviate the followers especially the weak ones. They think that they possess the power of the world. When a prophet comes, what do these people do, they try to weaken his faith, so as to stop the propagation of one God. They ignore that Allah has chosen him and he is a Rassool-Allah, a prophet of God, a Khalifatullah and a Massih’ullah. When Allah sends His Rassool, do you think he will walk on red, velvet carpet? Will he live a comfortable and easy life? When he stands alone firmly, steadily to proclaim himself as the prophet of God, everybody is against him except very few believe in him. Allah says that whatever strategy they apply to humiliate My prophet, Allah will never support them. Allah challenges them that if ever they take all the people in this world with them, all stand against My prophet, saying that they are the possessor of power, Allah says that when I am with my prophet no man can weaken My power. Allah is the Most-Powerful. Allah is the inflictor of punishment. He can send His punishment at any time. No one can save them, neither their wealth nor their children. No one can save them from the anger of Allah. Their punishment will be double as they cannot hear the words of Allah (REVELATION).” (Extract of Friday Sermon 01 February 2008)

“...signs foretelling the death and destruction of those who stood in the way of My Khalifatullah will become increasingly manifest. The time of the destruction of the enemies of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam (as) and the Muhyi-ud-Din Khalifatullah of this era, will remain hidden so that when the Divine punishment overtook them all of a sudden, they will become completely non-plussed and will not know what to do.” (REVELATION 20 January 2010 @ 2.15pm 

On Adversaries and their challenges

‘Look how they strike for you comparisons; but they have strayed, so there is no way out for them”.

“We verily know what they say grieve you. But really they do not believe that you are lying, but it is the revelations of Allah, (which) the unjust reject.” (~ November 25, 2011)

Those who argue concerning Allah after He has been responded to – their argument is invalid with their Lord, and upon them is (His) wrath, and for them is a severe punishment.

“Laa takhaf innaka antal-a’alaa” – Fear not, for you shall have the upper hand.

Falaa tahinuu wa tad-‘uuu ‘ilas-salmi wa ‘antumul-‘a’-lawna wallaahu ma-‘akum wa layy-yatirakum ‘a’-maalakum. 

(So do not weaken and call for peace while you are superior; and Allah is with you and will never deprive you of (the reward of) your deeds.) December 2011

“But they wonder that there has come to them a Warner from among themselves, and these people say, “This is an amazing thing.” Verily they denied the truth when it came to them, so they are in a confused condition. And the intoxication of death shall certainly bring forth the truth; that is specifically what they are trying to avoid (that is, death). And Allah says: Wa innaz-zaalimiina lahum azaabun aliim – Verily, the wrongdoers shall have a painful chastisement. (Insha-Allah)

In the Friday Sermon of 21 March 2014, it was announced by the Khalifatullah (atba): “In the capacity of Khalifatullah in this era, I would like to tell Abdul Ghaffar Janbah Sahib and his followers the following revelation which I have received from Allah:

Wa-adallaahul Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam huwal fawzul Aziim. 

Allah has promised the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam the Grand Victory.

Warnings about Calamities

“The state of the world is such that it shall witness all the more calamities, destructions which shall be a lesson for them for their disobedience to the divine commands. They have turned away from My worship. Haiti is in serious condition, and so will be other countries because these people have left My worship to grip the dirt of this world. Remember O Khalifatullah what I had told you so many times: Destructions, destructions, destructions – rivers of blood will follow, and widows shall weep and tears will be of no avail. No man in the power of man can stop Allah’s design. What Allah has decreed shall come. (Revelation; – in bold – reappeared 8 times at 12.05pm on 20 January 2010).

“How many a people have turned in their pride against the command of their Lord and His Messengers! We made them a stern reckoning, and punished them with a horrible punishment. So they tasted the mischief of their deed, and the end of their matter was loss. Allah has prepared a severe punishment for them. So those possessing understanding and who believe, fear Allah! Allah has sent this (the message) down for you as a reminder, (through) a messenger reciting to you the clear revelations of Allah as proof, so that he may bring forth those who believe and do good deeds from darkness into light. Whosoever believes in Allah and does good deeds He will admit him to gardens underneath which rivers flow where they shall live forever and ever. For those (people), Allah has made a nice provision.” (Mentioned in the Friday Sermon of March 25, 2011)

“And tell them Oh Muhyi-ud-Din: “Indeed, I have come to warn you clearly. Like this, We had sent warners to those who have cut (their scriptures) in pieces, and those who have made the Quran into portions. So by your Rab, We will surely question them all about what they used to do. Then declare what you are commanded and turn away from those who ascribe associates to Allah. Indeed, We are sufficient for you against those who mock, who put other god with Allah. This I promise you, soon they shall know.” (Revelation in Creole:  30 August 2012)

Advice for Believers

O Mohyuddin! Tell your people, be courageous; my disciple, be cheerful and sing in ecstasy. You are among the one who acknowledge this saying.

“For me, of course, all of you are my spiritual children, and my prayers are, accordingly, for all of you alike... So I warn you against your indulging yourselves in the worldly temptation so much as to forget your spiritual development altogether. If you really wish to share the blessings of Allah, through your accepting the manifestations and revelations, you will have also to hand over your entire selves and all your belongings to Allah and thus bring death to your temporary pleasures. 

1. The more is a man’s attachment to the world, the less is he likely to attain knowledge. The less his attachment to the world, the more is the probability of his gaining knowledge.

2. If you must be mad, be it not for the things of the world. Be mad with the love of God.

3. That knowledge which purifies the mind and heart alone is true knowledge, all else is only a negation of knowledge. As soft clay easily takes an impression, but not hard stone, so also Divine Wisdom impresses itself on the heart of a devotee, but not on a bound soul.

4. He alone enters the kingdom of Heaven who is not a thief of his own thought. In other words, guilelessness and simple faith are the roads to that kingdom.” 

   -(Revelation ~ Received in English) ; (Extract of Friday Sermon 24 June 2011)

O Mohyiuddin, tell them: 

All praise to Allah and peace be upon His chosen servants. If I have chosen you, then you must listen to My Words and must do My works with love and full cooperation (with one another). Tell the: All praise be to Allah, to whom belongs all this there is on the heavens and the earth, and to whom all glory in the Hereafter. He is All-Wise, All- Aware”.

“Tell them that the Creator is well informed of what they do and then, He informs His servant and the servant of Allah gives the message to you all. Nobody must have the least arrogance in his heart, because arrogance shall destroy your faith. Show humility. And all of you work together with humility. Do not hurt people’s feelings, especially those who are working for My cause; make sure to forget your own selves for the love of Allah”. 

“O My servant, Khalifatullah, you are always with me; all those who are with Me, all those who have Taqwah (fear of Allah) in their hearts, shall be with Me and with you also. Accept the Divine Justice, it is in this way that you shall be in the ranks of the just ones (the pious and the righteous)”. (Creole language; mentioned in the Friday Sermon of 22 February 2013)

Special Prayers taught  

“Rabbi la tazar alal arzi minal Kafiriina dayyara” – O Allah, do not leave any infidels on earth.

(For other prayers, click here.)

On Trials and Rewards for the Believers

“…No worries for the believers who are sincere in the divine manifestation, whom you pray for day and night, who are treasures who shall be known tomorrow as the carrier of the divine light. You along with these people – not the hypocrites among them – shall prosper in this life and the life to come.

Say to them: “O my disciples, bear witness along with Allah’s Prophet. I have come for both your spiritual and physical welfare…”

O Khalifatullah, verily those who ask you to pray for them, Allah has blessed them with faith. They are those in your ranks for the betterment of the future of Islam. O Beloved One, your assembly is such that I your Lord am present to bless you along with My angels. This year shall bring in its wake many blessings from Allah for you and your people.

Say: “O Humanity, heed the message of Allah, for in it you shall find peace and betterment for both your worldly pursuits and that of the next world…”

"O Munir Ahmad Azim, Mohyuddin of this ERA. Your gathering is such that not only prophets but the Holy Prophet (s.a.w) himself is present. The status of your Holy Prophet (s.a.w) is boundless. You are the perfect illustration of this fact, O Azim. Many of your followers have achieved the supreme status of "Qutb" and "Abdaal"

"... Tell these people, you have not come for propaganda or publicity or gaining disciples or devotees. I AM YOURS AND YOU ARE MINE. Where then is the need for publicity? I give not lectures but mixtures for your mental health and moral invigoration. So take my words as medicines necessary for your health..."

“Ya Khalifatullah qul yaa Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam! Baqiyya-tullahi khayrul-lakum ‘in-kuntum-Muminiin!...”

(O Khalifatullah, say: “O Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam! What Allah has kept in store for you is better for you if you are believers…)

A Prayer under Divine Inspiration

O Allah! Give me success in my supplications,

And show me my days of joys.

O my Lord,

Be for me,

And O the Knower of my pain and sadness,

O the One whom the weak ones adore,

Purify me and adopt a lenient attitude towards me.

All the opponents have renounced me and have humiliated me in all sorts of ways,

I did not have any other alternative which presented to me,

Than to go in quest of Thy help and support.

O the One who fulfils prayers,

I have complete hope that Thou will give me back my days.

When my Sun is preparing itself to set and my heart has become tired with worry,

I take an oath on Thee O Allah that my supplications are not because I am behind fame and glory;

No! But instead it is for Islam which the enemies are attacking.

The sun has set on Islam and Ahmadiyyat and there is darkness everywhere.

O my Lord! Have Mercy upon us and accept my supplications.

‘Shaqqul Qamar’: Miracle of Islam

'The Hour draws near; the Moon is split. Yet whenever the disbelievers see a sign, they turn away and say, ‘Same old sorcery!’  (Surah Qamar, 54: 2-3)

In the Islamic sacred tradition, this verse of the Qur’an is generally associated with a special miracle of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), known widely as the event of “Shaqqul Qamar”, or the ‘splitting’ of the Moon. There are several Ahadith that confirms the miracle. The authenticity of these traditions are beyond reproach as the transmission chains and channels pertaining to them go all the way to the great companions of the Holy Prophet (sa), such as Ibn Abbas, Anas bin Malik, Abdullah bin Masud and others. The traditions on the subject can be seen in all the major collections of Ahadith: Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, etc. 

For instance, in Sahih Al Bukhari, one can read several traditions being reported on Shaqqul Qamar:

1.  Narrated Abdullah bin Masud: "During the lifetime of the Prophet the moon was split into two parts and on that the Prophet said, 'Bear witness (to thus).'"

2.  Narrated Anas:  "That the Meccan people requested Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle, and so he showed them the splitting of the moon."

3. Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: "The moon was split into two parts during the lifetime of the Prophet." (Volume 4, Book No:56,  Traditions: 830-832)

4. Narrated Anas bin Malik: "The people of Mecca asked Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiram' mountain."

5. Narrated 'Abdullah: "The moon was split ( into two pieces ) while we were with the Prophet in Mina. He said, "Be witnesses." Then, a Piece of the moon went towards the mountain."

6. Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: "During the lifetime of Allah's Apostle the moon was split (into two places)."

7.  Narrated 'Abdullah: "The moon was split (into two pieces)."  (Volume 5, Book No:58,  Traditions: 208-211)

Hadhrat Ali (ra) is reported to have affirmed to have heard the account from several persons that once a number of polytheists came to the Prophet Muhammed (sa), and said, 'If you claim to be a prophet, split the moon which is now in the sky into two parts.'

Gambling and other Betting Games

Nowadays gambling has taken extraordinary dimensions and is setting to destroy all in its path. It does not differentiate between nations and religions. Nowadays, those who proclaim to be Muslims are also not spared from this affliction, this satanic attraction. Therefore, stop with gambling habits before calamities from Allah strikes you.

Islam is a religion which seeks to make you follow the established divine commandments, such commandments which are addressed not only to the believers but also to whole humanity. Allah has established the need for you to seek your daily bread (food) and that you obtain money through licit means. As for gambling, hazard games like lotteries, horse betting, “household baskets”, card games, casinos, and lotto etc., all these force people to depend on chance, and give them a false hope to get easy money, such money which if obtained are without making any efforts and through illicit means. Those who fall prey to this do not respect the divine principles to seek one’s living. Islam is a religion which works beautifully. It has established each thing in its own place, and thus established that the riches of others are not licit for us.

It is not allowed for one to take something except through licit means and seeking the permission and consent of the proprietor. Gambling means taking other’s money through the garb of falsehood, through dishonest means. Allah has forbidden this in His Holy Book (the Quran):

“And do not consume one another’s wealth unjustly or send it (in bribery) to the rulers in order that (they might aid) you (to) consume a portion of the wealth of the people in sin, while you know (it is unlawful).” (2: 189)

Eclipses in Ramadan: A Great Sign

‘When eyes are dazzled;

And the moon eclipsed;

when the sun and the moon

are brought together’.

       - The Holy Qur'an, 75: 8-10 

One of the greatest signs in favour of the claims of Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius as the Divinely-raised Reformer (Muhyi-ud-Din/Mujaddid) of this age is the total eclipse of the Sun and the Moon in the same Holy Month of Ramadan 1424, in November 2003.

According to the available scientific information on both total and partial eclipses over the millennium, the total eclipses of November 2003 are such a rare heavenly sign.  In the last 1400 years of the Islamic history, the total eclipses of the Sun and the Moon in the same Ramadan has occurred only very few occasions that they can be counted on our human fingers. In November 2003 when the total eclipses took place, it was occurring only the seventh time in 1400 years of Islamic history! And the next occasion is so distant that no one alive on the face of earth today will be around to witness the same astronomical phenomenon, when it occurs again in the second half of the next century!

On the other hand, partial eclipses of the Moon and the Sun can occur together in the same Holy Month at an interval of every 22 or 23 years, a fact confirmed by the great Ahmadi astronomer Dr. Saleh Muhammad Allahdin Sahib as well.  Leaving the whole millennium of Islam, in the 19th century itself, the partial eclipses of the Sun and the Moon have occurred together in the same Ramadan 9 times. It was one of such occurrences in 1894 that formed the backdrop of the claim of the Promised Massih Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. The ‘rarity’ in that case was that there was a Divine claimant at that point of time and that such a heavenly phenomenon was visible from Qadian after many centuries. Regarding the significance of the Heavenly Signs in support of the claims of a Divine Reformer, the Promised Massih (as) was very clear about the scope and limits of the Prophecy of double eclipses in the same Ramadan and he states:

‘We are not concerned with how often solar and lunar eclipses have occurred in the month of Ramazan from the beginning of the world till today. Our aim is only to mention that from the time man has appeared in this world, solar and lunar eclipses have occurred as Signs only in my age for me. Prior to me, no one had this circumstances that on one hand he claimed to be Mahdi Maoud (The Promised Reformer) and on the other, in the month of Ramazan, on the appointed dates, lunar and solar eclipses occurred and he declared the eclipses as signs in his favour.

State of the World: Divine Signs

Divine Mission in an Age of Raw Passion

 

By the grace of Allah, throughout the years in which God dipped me in the fountain of His Divine Manifestation, He has taught me lots of things of which I never knew before. He taught me the languages of the birds and also of His beautiful creations of earth. All through the years, through His eyes, I have felt cherished in a special cocoon: Divine Love. He made me into an Adam (as) to reach out to people and make them understand the philosophy of life and living for a special purpose: the worship of one God.

 

Among the things He showed me is the need for peace, not only at our inner level, but also at world level. Through the inspirations He vouchsafed me, He taught me that the real cause of human strife and wars is due to selfishness, on one hand and the sacrilege of God’s remembrance and association to God in His Pure and Only Divinity, on the other. When people let go of the thread of unity, of sincerity and spirituality and preferred to indulge in self-interest, and when he forgot to act according to the divine laws, and forget to respect the rights of others, in the same go, he showed to himself the way down to hell; a hell of his very own creation. 

Gone are the harmony and concord he should have gotten had he held fast to the commandments of God and act decently in the best interest of one and all. The respect he should have had for his neighbours, friends, surroundings, and his very own family, had he acted upon this respect and defended the spiritual values bestowed to him since the creation of the heavens and earth, he should have been successful in opening the secret door leading him to God.

Ilham: “Diamond will cut diamond”

Future: Riches and people

In his testamentary will, known among the Ahmadis simply as the Al Wassiyat, the Promised Massih (as) indicated in profoundly subtle language, the future trajectories, his Jamaat, and especially the administrative mandarins within it, shall pass through in the ebb and flow of time when he wrote about the larger challenge awaiting it in the time of riches:  

“Where will the money come from? And how will such a community be born- a community of people willing to perform heroic feats for their faith? These are not the questions that worry me. I am more concerned that people coming after me may stumble when entrusted with such large amounts of wealth and that they may take to the love of this world”.  

     

  -Hadhrat Ahmad (as) [ Al Wassiyat,  p.28, Qadian: Nazarat Nashro Ishaat, (2003) ]

The Conditional Continuity

In 1939, the establishment of the Jamaat e-Ahmadiyya completed its 50^th anniversary, since the first Bai’at was initiated by the Promised Massih (as) in March 1889. Speaking at the Annual Jalsa at Qadian that year, Hadhrat Khalifa Sani (ra) famously observed:

“…O Community of believers, and O workers of righteousness, I say to you that Khilafat is a great bounty of God Almighty. Value it as such. So long as the majority of you continue established in faith and righteous conduct, God will continue to bestow this bounty upon you. But should a majority of you be deprived of faith and righteous conduct, then, it will be for the Divine will to determine whether to continue this bounty or to withdraw it. Thus, there is no question of the Khalifa going wrong. You will be deprived of the Khilafat when you yourselves become corrupt.”

[1939 Dec 28-29-Proceedings of the Annual Conference at Qadian, quoted in “Fazl-e Umar”: The Life of Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Khalifatul Masih II , p. 234, by Mujeebur Rahman, London: Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, UK (2012).

The ‘Deconstruction’ of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya

The noted French philosopher Professor Jacques Derrida (1930-2004) famously argued that every philosophical, religious and social institution, no matter how framed and secure it seems, is never fully complete and self-sufficient by itself. Instead the system depends on non-systematisable elements that produce and sustain the system's very possibility. If we are to understand the true nature of power and authority being exercised by the institutional elites through privileged interpreations, the demystification and deconstruction of the ideas, values and meanings that are embedded in the system is inevitable and unavoidable.     

In the Islamic religious order, the idea of Divine revelations and the possibility of Divine Reformers appearing in every century is central to any discussion on the continuing vitality of Islam as an ethical way of living and being for individual believers. Against this backdrop, the description of the Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya as a complete way of institutional life for all times to come hangs on a precarious hope. The idea that the man-elected Khalifa will remain immune from injustice and that the Ahmadis may not stumble in course of time and that they will protect themselves against the onslaught of moral corruption had been belied by the experience of history and the incidents of our own times.   

The Restatement of Islam for Our Times

Angels and Divine Revelations

Angels are a part of Allah’s creation, they do what they are commanded, they depend on Allah in the same way as men or His other creatures. Allah is not dependent on them for the manifestation of His power. Had He willed, He would have created the universe without angels, but His perfect wisdom willed their creation. So angels came into being. Allah created light for the eye and bread for hunger. He created light and bread not because He was in need of them but because man was in need of them. The angels only manifest the will and wisdom of Allah. 

Divine Revelations are words and instructions from Allah and Allah speaks to His chosen servants and reveals to them His purpose. The recipient provides neither the meaning nor the words of revelation. Both come from Allah. Revelation provides real sustenance for man. Man lives by it and through it, man comes to have contact with Allah. The words, which embody a revelation of God, are unique in their power and majesty. No man can coin such words. They carry treasures of knowledge and wisdom, and they are very deep in meaning. They are like a mine the stone of which is the more valuable the deeper you dig. Indeed, a mine is nothing compared with divine revelation. A mine can be exhausted, but not the wisdom of divine revelation.

Divine Revelation is like a sea with a scented surface and a bed strewn with the most precious pearls. Those, who turn to the surface, enjoy the fragrance of the surface, and those, who dive deep, find the pearls below. Revelation is of many kinds, sometimes it consists of ordinances and laws, sometimes of exhortations. Sometimes it brings knowledge of the unseen, sometimes knowledge of spiritual truths. Sometimes it conveys the goodwill and approval of Allah, sometimes His disapproval and displeasure, sometimes His love and regard, sometimes warnings and rebukes. Sometimes it teaches points in morals, sometimes His insight into secret evils. In short, our belief is that God communicates His will to His servants. These communications vary with circumstance and the spiritual status of the recipient.

Spiritual Darkness and the Mahdis (the Guided Ones)

When darkness prevails in the world and human beings sink deep in sin and evil, when without the help of God it becomes difficult for them to release themselves from the hold of Satan, then out of His mercy and beneficence, Allah chooses from out of His own loving and loyal servants, those whom He charges with the duty to guide the world.

Sexual Allegations on Khalifa Sani

Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra) (1889-1965), as the second Khalifa of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya, had a long period of service at the helm of affairs. It was at the death of the first Khalifa Hadhrat Hakkim Nur-ud-Din Sahib (ra) (b.1841; k. 1908-1914), that he was elected as the head of the spiritual community. It was a difficult historical moment, especially with the Great Split of 1914, leading to the separation of the LAM and the shaking it entailed for the entire community. As the young Khalifa was uniquely positioned to provide the interpretive guidance so necessary for the spiritual community, in the course of several decades, he played a significant role in shaping and defining the ideological and administrative contours of the Community in the last century or so.

The uniqueness of his special authority emerged not just from the fact that he was elected by the companions of the Promised Massih (as). For the common members as well, the second Khalifa was the pious, biological son of the Founder of the community. Given the fact that the prophecies of the Promised Massih (as) included the prophecy Musleh Maoud- regarding the arrival of a righteous progeny for the service of Islam, for many of the companions of the Promised Massih (as) and others, he represented the hope and expectation of a bright future of the Jamaat. For them, he was the personality in whom and through whose times, many of the Divine revelations and sacred prophecies were to be redeemed in the fullness of time.

The prophecy Musleh Maoud

Consider this instance from the first Khilafat. An old, venerable Companion of the Promised Messiah, Pir Manzur Muhammad Sahib, made a study of the works of the Promised Messiah. It led him to the conclusion that Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad combined in himself all qualities and circumstances which marked him out, very clearly, as the Muslih Mau'ud. Pir Manzur Muhammad, wrote a paper on this prophecy. He deduced 14 points, and applied the Prophecy to Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, and he put it before Hazrat Maulvi Nurruddin Khalifatul Masih I whose reaction was: "I have known it for a long time. Have you never noticed that in my attitude towards him, on a personal level, there is an inner shade of deference." 

Pir Manzur Mohammad, then, wrote the gist of this talk and put it before Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, requesting his signature in confirmation. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih wrote the following on that Paper, and signed it:

"We have known this for a long time. Haven't you noticed that in our personal attitude towards him there is a deep inner shade of deference? I confirm that I said this in the course of a talk with brother Pir Manzur Muhammad."

(Signature bears the date December 10)  (Tashhizul Azhan, 1914, and Tarikh-i-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. IV, page 369)  which carries a photographic reproduction of the original. (quoted in “Truth Prevails” by Qazi Muhammad Nazir, p.90-91)

Khalifa Sani and the limits of Social Boycott

In a previous article in the Blog we have noted some of the outstanding allegations against Hadhrat Khalifa Sani (ra) (click here) from his critics– including the imposition of social boycott against rebels in Qadian and even a murder case involving  an Ahmadi alleged to have been “ordered” by the second Khalifa. From our examination of some of the public records and court judgements, what is apparent is that there was a religious, social and political context in which the unfortunate events have occurred in the 1930’s in Qadian under Hadhrat Khalifa Sani (ra).

As we have shown in the article, while the towering Majlis-i-Ahrar leader Maulana Ataullah Shah Bukhari was prosecuted and punished by the Lahore High Court for his hate speech and incitement to violence against the Ahmadis in a single public sermon in Qadian, the same High Court in the same period absolved the second Khalifa of the allegation of incitement to murder his “Muslim” enemies/ Ahmadi rebels, even after examining several of his speeches printed and published in the Ahmadi Press, including the “AL FAZL” of the 1930’s. The Hon’ble High Court had before it those very sermons and it reached its conclusions after forensically analysing the contents thereof and that too in the context of a murder case which took place in Qadian itself.

Flawed Perception of a Complex Legacy

Let truth be told. It is not just the Lahori-fellow travellers who are guilty of a flawed perception of a complex legacy of the past. Put differently, members of both the mainstream Jamaats- Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Qadian and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement are wrong in their ‘blames’ and ‘accusations’ against Hadhrat Khalifa Sani (ra). If there is visceral hatred on the part of the enemies of Hadhrat Khalifa Sani (ra) to implicate and consider that he “ordered” murders and violence against his opponents, the people who claim they are his followers in the “mainstream” Jamaat are equally guilty of the sin of deification, unexamined adulation and uncritical implementation of his policies even for a new age.

'Muhyi-ud-Din': Testimonial of Time and History

Rebellion against the Divine Manifestation

At such a critical time, in this era, Allah (swt) had enabled one of the believers of Hazrat Muhammad (saw) and Hazrat Massih Ma’ud (as) to be raised with such a Jamaat, Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam to defend Islam, fight injustice and answer satisfactory the questions of the non-Muslims I come across concerning my claim as Muhyi-ud-Din, Khalifatullah etc. My enemies and the hypocrites got furious and in their rage which was quite out of proportion, they hurled abuses on me and dubbed me a drug addict, sorcerer, mischief-maker, dog, pig, liar and all sorts of names. My enemies even prepared a fatwa (religious decree to declare me a Kafir and false prophet). Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

I do not see anything strange in it because that is what has always been done to godly people. It is only after some time has passed that their true position is recognized. I do not mind the fatwas of kufr and all sorts of names that are being issued against me, because through all these kinds of hardships, the people are only wronging their own souls, not the elect of Allah. The more they try to afflict me with their evil intents and deeds, the more Allah (swt) uses me to serve His religion and through this humble self He is able to establish the excellence of the Holy Prophet (saw), the Promised Messiah (as), and that of the Holy Quran.

I am of course only a like recipient in the hands of Allah. He does whatever He likes with this humble self, for when Allah chooses someone for His mission, then that being is wholly for Allah, and acts as per the will of Allah and everything that he does is through the permission and instruction of Allah. Everything has its measure with Allah. Every being has certain specific works to accomplish, as with the human messengers of Allah and also the angel messengers of Allah.

How to become good Muslims?