Fifth Khalifa and the Age of Ignorance

“He who dies without [recognizing] the Imam dies the death of ignorance”.

This is one of the authentic Hadiths recorded and reported by several distinguished Hadith scholars, including Musnad Ahmad, Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Ibn-e-Khuzaimah and Ibn-e- Habban.

According to the Promised Massih (as):  “This Hadith is enough to make the heart of a righteous man seek after the Imam of the age, for to die in ignorance is such a great misfortune that no evil or ill- luck lies outside its scope. Therefore, in keeping with this testament of the Holy Prophet (sa), it becomes incumbent upon every seeker after truth to persist in his quest for the true Imam”. [Darurat-ul-Imam, p. 2, Qadian: Nazarat Nashro Isha’at, (2007)]

In the same book, the Promised Massih (as) clearly identified the distinguishing qualities of the Imam and pointed out that Prophets, Messengers, Muhaddithin and Mujaddidin- all of whom invariably enjoyed divine converse-  are the Imam of the Age in their times (p.39).   By way of more clarity, the Promised Massih (as) further added: “But those who are not appointed by God to educate and guide God’s creatures, nor have they been vouchsafed such excellences, regardless of their being saints or seers, cannot be called the Imam of the Age” (p. 39). This is the express guidance left behind by the Promised Massih (as) through his eloquent commentary on the importance of accepting the Imam of the Age.

Yet, today Ahmadis have fallen into ignorant ways.  None other than the Fifth Khalifa Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib presides over this Age of Ignorance in the annals of Ahmadiyya Islam. Misguided ideas have come to be their theological doctrines and they virtually follow their fancies, instead of the teachings of the Promised Massih (as)

Look at this example. Today, Ahmadis offer an interesting excuse to reject an authentic Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the guidance of the Promised Massih (as) regarding the raising of an Imam in every Age. In his blinkered spin, the Khalifa himself is suggesting that he is the Mujaddid of the Age without ever claiming that he is a recipient of divine revelations or that Allah has appointed him to this position. He also feels that every righteous person helping the work of the “Jamaat” is a “Mujaddid” in his own right!

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.