Fourth Khalifa on Mujaddidiyat-II

In the first part of the essay, published here on May 05, 2011, we have noted an important statement of the Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahib on the question of the coming of Mujaddidin in the new century, just as it used to be in all the centuries before in Islam. In our analysis, we have clearly shown how mistaken the Khalifa was in thinking that the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) shared his perspective. The emphatic statement of the Fourth Khalifa clearly shows that knowingly or unknowingly, there has come to be a radical disconnect between the original teachings of Islam as well as the explanatory commentary of the same by the Promised Massih (as) on the one hand and the current beliefs in the Ahmadiyya Community on the other. For the essay, click here.

It is remarkable to note that the statement of the Fourth Khalifa came in 1993, exactly 84 years after the death of the Promised Massih (as). What is the significance of 84 years in Islamic spirituality? A thousand months constitute 84 years and stand for a century in the spiritual realm. Thus, the Holy Qur’an states:

“The Night of Destiny (Decree) is better than a thousand months. Therein descend angels and the Spirit with their Lord’s decree concerning everything”. (97:4-5)

Both the Promised Massih (as) and Hadhrat Musleh Maoud (ra) have written that the period referred to in the Holy Qur’an is linked to the advent of a Mujaddid.

Fourth Khalifa on Khilafat and Mujaddidiyat

One of the most unfortunate statements ever made by the Fourth Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahib was in the course of a Friday Sermon of August 27, 1993. He stated:

"Since the imamat [i.e. Ahmadiyya Khilafat] is in existence, there is no need for the coming of a Mujaddid. The supporting testimony of God has crushed this evil [fitna] for all time. The imamat shall not end till the Day of Judgment, so there is no need for a Mujaddid till the Day of Judgment. . . . Only those can deny this fact whose hearts are devoid of the fear of God. . . . As God has indeed spoken the truth, and the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement has indeed spoken the truth, so those people are false who believe that imamat will now come to an end and now that the new century [Hijra] has started they must wait for a Mujaddid. Thirteen years have already passed since the beginning of the fifteenth century and in this period no Mujaddid has arisen outside the imamat of the Ahmadiyya Movement. This has exposed this false propaganda. Even if God makes them live for a hundred years they will not see another Mujaddid." - Al-Fazl, 30 September 1993.

Why the Statement is unfortunate?

1. Because it was made by a man elected by people and was given the position of Khalifa of the Promised Massih (as) to lead them in the path of Sahih Al Islam

2. Because he thought that by saying what he did, he was following in the footsteps of the Promised Massih (as) and defending the larger cause of the Jamaat and Islam for the future.

3. Because the best of intentions may not be sufficient at times- People can be wrong even when they fervently believe something to be true and correct.

Zaki Ghulam: Open Challenge to Janbah Sahib

In articles published here on May 02-03, 2011, we have dismantled Abdul Gaffer Janbah Sahib’s theory that Khalifa Sani met with divine punishment for false claimants of revelation. We concluded that by all rational considerations, the case of Khalifa Sani cannot be included in that category. The analysis clearly showed that Janbah Sahib has failed to understand the real importance and objective of the Qur’anic verses on divine punishment for fake claimants in spite of claiming to be the Imam of the Age.

In his Friday sermon of March 25, 2011, Hadhrat Khalifathullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib once again explained the fallacies in the argument of Janbah Sahib and his disciple Mansoor Ahmad Sahib who wrote the essay "Lion of God". Hadhrat Khalifathullah then publicly challenged Abdul Ghaffer Janbah Sahib who claims to be the Mujaddid of the Age to show the courage of conviction and come out in the open and enter “the battlefield” and categorically stated that “we shall see whom Allah shall support and help”.