The Argument of Last Mujaddid

The coming of Prophets and other Elects of Allah for the guidance of mankind is a perennial theme in spiritual history. The Holy Qur’an says that such servants of Allah have always been raised among all communities and every people have had their own divinely-guided souls. “And for every people there is a Messenger” (10:48, 13:08; 16:37). A well known tradition from the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) indicates that hundreds of thousands of Messengers have passed away before his own advent.   

As the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) was himself a chain in the grand Divine scheme of guided souls leading common people in the path of Allah, he gave the glad tiding of the continuity of divine revelations and the coming of other Elects of Allah in future. That is why the Promised Messiah (as) wrote in his book Izala Auham that the door of coming of Messiahs will remain open and never close. He further said:

“I am the claimer of Promised Messiah, and this is not the only claim of mine, that only I am the one and the last Promised Messiah. Hence, according to me it is possible that after my age (time period) ten thousands (10,000) Promised Messiahs shall come. But for this age (time period) I am the Promised Messiah.”

He then, writes:

 “It is also evident that this view is not mine alone. The ‘mirror images’ of the Massih could be several persons’- This is also not just a personal opinion of mine. This is actually the essence of the great prophetic traditions in this regard. There could be around 30 Dajjals till the Day of Judgement. Thus 30 Dajjals might appear in the world. Based on the prophecy “Li Kulli Dajjalin Isa”, atleast 30 Massihs should come. Due to these descriptions, the other Massihs will make an appearance at some other time. All this is perfectly possible”.   (Izala Auham, pg.197)

Today, Ahmadis have completely moved away from the real spiritual path of Islam which anticipates the coming of Elects of Allah in every age. Forget about 10,000 Massihs or even the comparatively smaller figure 30 Massihs, mentioned by the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as), his own so-said Jamaat has discarded his teachings by the way side. They do not even expect a single Massih to come in their midst now as they feel they have an elected Khilafat system which is designed to last till the Day of Judgement in the fashion of the Christian Khilafat. Already, they have declared the Promised Massih (as) as the Last Mujaddid before the Day of Judgement. Such thinking is in line with the mentality of other peoples of the past who also thought that after their Prophet, no one will come in future!

Ahmadis: From 'Khalifa' To 'Khalifatullah'

Most Ahmadis today believe that their system of Ahmadiyya Khilafat is the embodiment of Divinely- appointed spiritual leadership, as prophesied for and among the Muslims of the Later Days.  

This 'doctrinal' understanding and inherited belief is essentially based on what they have been taught by their leaders and scholars from the early days of the Khilafat system, invented by the Community. As is mostly typical within the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Qadian, instead of individual Ahmadis thinking for themselves on religious matters, they are content with endorsing what they have inherited from their fathers. Almost every other Qadiani Ahmadi, unfortunately today, belong to this unthinking category of people, like the Qur'an speaks off: ‘We found our fathers following a certain course, and we are guided by their footsteps’ (43:23). So, the spiritual doctrines- their meaning, interpretations, nuances and implications- remain largely un-examined within the Community.

With the appearance of a new Reformer among the Ahmadis, with the grand mandate of being the Messenger of Allah of our times, in the person of Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius, the spiritual and intellectual landscape of Ahmadiyya theology is increasingly being redrawn.

Ahmadi youth have begun to question their inherited religious notions and hitherto un-examined understandings and common convictions in the light of the Divine Manifestation and the spiritual light that emanates from his teachings. It is in this backdrop that we should view the recent series of articles/ extracts from the speeches of the previous Khulafa etc. that are being published in the AL HAQ, the monthly organ of the Ahmadiyya youth wing Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Kerala. In recent months, the journal is on a campaign mode among Ahmadi youth. The campaign objective is to instill the Ahmadiyya concept of Khilafat among the youth.

Mujaddid of the Last Millennium-II

As argued in the First Part, the idea that Hadhrat Ahmad (as) is the Last Mujaddid and that there can be no Mujaddid after him is a view that has no evidentiary basis in the perspective and belief of the Promised Massih (as) himself. Then, the question is: 

Why do Ahmadis hold such a view?As the Holy Qur'an asks: "Do their intellect and reason enjoin this upon them or are they a rebellious people?" [52: 33].

The only plausible answer is that they merely follow certain statements issued and opinions expressed by the Ahmadiyya Khulafa in the past. Out of deference for, and veneration of, the Khulafa, they simply endorse what they are told without thinking about their spiritual validity or examining their doctrinal content.  In short, they are just pursuing the path of the previous generations who preferred conjectures, instead of the certain knowledge encompassed in the Divine message of the day.

It is interesting to note that Ahmadis are making the same mistakes against which the Promised Massih (as) used to warn the Muslim leadership of the day: clinging to the apparent meaning of certain prophetic traditions that metaphorically prevented the raising of Prophets after the Holy Prophet (sa). Indeed even today, clinging to such literal phrases and spiritual metaphors, the Muslim world opposes the coming of Prophets after the Holy Prophet of Islam.Indeed, “the Promised Massih (as) said that at the time of arrival of Prophets, people generally adopt two types of attitudes in spiritual matters: They apply metaphors to spiritual Reality and interpret Reality as Metaphor” (Urdu- Malfuzat, Volume 1, Page 586).

The Promised Massih (as) repeatedly cited the Holy Qur’an to bulldoze all such resistance- including by way of Prophetic traditions- to the coming of Elects of Allah in the Ummah Muhammadiyya. Even the authentic statements of the Holy Prophet (sa) have to be interpreted in the light of the Holy Qur’an and they cannot be used as a pretext to oppose a Messenger of Allah. The Promised Massih (as) asked: "Why don’t they leave aside their false viewpoints? Do they have any contract with Allah that ‘He will do only what they desire’? Allah is Most Holy, the Exalted! "He cannot be questioned as to what He does, but they will be questioned". (HQ, 21:24)

Mujaddid of the Last Millennium

Ahmadis today believe that Mujaddidiyat or the advent of Divine Reformers appointed directly by Allah the Most High has come to an end with the departure of the Promised Massih (as). They think that there is no scope for any Mujaddid to come in the new century of Islam as Hadhrat Ahmad (as) has claimed to be the Mujaddid of the Last Millennium.

Out of the 91 Books that the Promised Massih (as) is reported to have written in his entire life, his claim of being the Mujaddid of the Last Millennium is mentioned only once, in a lecture delivered on November 02, 1904 at Sialkot. [Left: Title Page of the First Edition]. In Lecture Sialkot, the Promised Massih (as) postulated that the current millennium is the last and final one before the Day of Judgement. He then wrote:

“Since it is the last millennium, it was inevitable that the Imam of the latter days should be born at the turn of this millennium. After him, there is no Imam and no Messiah except the one who comes in his image, for in this millennium the world comes to an end as all the Prophets have testified. This Imam, whom God has designated as the Promised Massih, is the Mujaddid of this century as well as that of the last millennium”     [p. 9, Qadian: Nazarat Nashro Ishaat (2007)] 

Based on this sole statement, Ahmadis today conclude that no Mujaddid will come in the entire Millennium. Those who take a second look at the statement will find:  there is no Imam and no Messiah except the one who comes in his image”.

It means that others can come so long as they are “in his image”. The door for spiritual elevation in subsequent ages is closed only in the case of those who reject the Elect of Allah of the day- the Promised Massih (as) in his era. In other words, Allah will raise the spiritual progeny of the Promised Massih (as) to all the spiritual blessings that are promised in the Holy Qur’an (4:70).  The Promised Massih thus did not come to cancel the great Prophetic tradition about the coming of Mujaddidin in every century. Those who come after him will only confirm his truthfulness, they do not replace him. So while he remains the Mujaddid of the Last Millennium, others will come after him. This is how the Promised Massih (as) himself understood his claim, for he never claimed that Mujaddidin will not come after him.