Freedom of Conscience: An Islamic Value

As a religion and spiritual order, the ideology of Islam is essentially an appeal to the human conscience and its inherent capacity to embrace the right and reject the wrong. Allah, the Most High has extended to all human beings the faculty of reasoning and the intellectual capability of judgement -Free Will- to choose his or her path in life. It is entirely up to a person’s conscience whether (s)he wants to profit from the spiritual guidance on offer in the form of divine revelations. And there shall be no compulsion in matters of faith. 

In his Friday Sermon of January 20, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius expounded on the principle of freedom of conscience in Islam.Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

“And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed - all of them entirely. Then, would you compel the people in order that they become believers?” (10: 100)

In essence, every religion possesses a missionary character. It starts with an individual and seeks to persuade and convince others of its truth and of the beneficent nature of the values it expounds. It must, therefore, stand for freedom of conscience, including the freedom to change one’s religion and the other freedoms which are conducive to the beneficent adjustment of human beings. The Holy Quran explains that it is only within the competence of God, the All-Knowing, the Almighty, to make a person believe, but even He does not force anyone to believe. He leaves everyone to exercise his or her reason and judgement.

Questions about Ahmadi Doctrines

[Janab R. Jamaluddin Raother, the respected Amir Sahib of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala (India) received a bunch of questions through e-mail from an Ahmadi brother who described himself as a “truth seeker”. 

These questions cover a number of issues that are pertinent to the central ideas underpinning the current Divine Manifestation in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. They include issues such as the continuity of divine revelations and the coming of Mujaddidin and other divinely raised souls in Islam, the historic trajectory of the current Divine Manifestation, especially the episode involving the establishment of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Muslimeen and the issues pertaining to our previous relations with (and present views on) Zafrullah Dumun Sahib, etc.

Reproduced below is the first installment of an edited transcript of the views shared by this humble writer in response to the questions raised by the brother who sought “clear cut one by one answer for (his) questions”. Some of the responses include added material as well.].       

1. I heard that Mr. Munir Azim (is) claming to be Mujaddid, Like that Mr. Nasir Ahmed Sultani, Abdul Gaffar Janba also claiming. All are denying each other. If so, what is the measurement to understand true one and fake one?

To understand and recognize the Imam of the Age, a truth seeker should ideally learn the nature and scope of the views being clearly articulated by the respective persons who says they have a Divinely ordained mission to fulfill. He should examine the claims in the light of the noble teachings of the Holy Qur’an, the path of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the explanations to these teachings given by the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as). Based on a careful study of the views being articulated by the claimants and by applying the spiritual logic to the issues involved, a truth seeker could reach his conclusion. To dispel doubts still remaining, if any, in his mind, he should invoke the ultimate solution of prayer to Allah as famously suggested by the Promised Massih (as).

2. Both this Respected Mr. Munir Ahmed Azim sahib and Mr. Zafarulla Domun were together before, why did they separate? Or (Do you) Still accept Zafarullah Domun as your Imam.

Zafrullah Domun Sahib was the first person to recognize and accept the Divine Manifestation in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba). He was the first person to take Bai’at at the hands of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib as well.

In the recently published Biographical Essay on the life of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib, one can read about an extraordinary event which throws searching light on the special spiritual relationship they shared in the past:    

“On 08 March 2003, the third night of the Safar Zikrullah, Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) supplicated Allah to honour his brother Zafrullah Domun Sahib along with him, and therefore he (Hazrat Munir) without receiving any revelation from Allah, humbly dedicated the title of Amir’ul Mumineen to Mokarram Zafrullah Domun Sahib in a special program with the Jamaat. On the spot, he received divine reprimand whereby Allah told him, who has given him permission to dedicate that title which Allah has given him to Mokarram Sahib?

Responsibilities of a Muslim

In his Friday Sermon of January 13, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) spoke about the distinctive characteristics of a real believer and the manifold responsibilities the membership of his Jamaat entails today. The Khalifatullah defines the basic framework of faith and good deeds expected from the believers who accepted (or seek to recognize) his divine office and become members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.

‘The distinctive characteristic of a member of Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam should be undivided and consummated attachment to Sahih al Islam; and this devotion should control his life to such an extent that the slightest deviation from God’s laws is abhorrent to him’, states the Khalifatullah.

Read the Summary of the Sermon:

“A member of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is a Muslim who believes in One God, Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and in the Khalifatullah and Muhyi-ud-Din raised by Allah in this era with Divine Revelation.

The Khalifatullah of this era (that is, this humble self) is a Messenger of God. I call upon all mankind to accept the truth of my divine office; but this is not all. Islam is a practical way of life which demands total resignation to the teachings of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). The attainment of this deal must be the resolve and goal of every member of Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in whose life the principles of Islam should be manifested in every manner of living. The real object of man’s life according to the Holy Quran is, therefore, a true knowledge and worship of God and a total resignation to His will that whatever is said or done is said or done for His sake only. What is the Sahih al Islam? It is the burning fire which consumes all low desires and, setting fire to false gods and it is the offering of our property and honour as a sacrifice before God. It is that sacred fire which burns all papers of trials to uncover the face of God Almighty in the true believer’s pure golden heart.

Nizaam-e-Jamaat: Evolving a Parallel ‘Culture’

‘‘Within a century after the departure of a Mujaddid, his followers lose their spiritual self. They become creatures of the earth, lusting after material riches and vain pursuits’. 

This prescient observation of the Promised Massih (as) is today staring the Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya in its face- the same Jamaat that he established to revive the faith of Islam more than a century back in India. 

While Ahmadis continue to delude themselves that they remain in the right path, a parallel ‘culture’ has developed within the Jamaat that has corroded and subverted its inner core of sublime spirituality. The empty shell of Khilafat as it exists today is virtually incapable of stopping the eroding ground beneath its feat. Forget about reversing the tide altogether! 

In his Friday Sermon of January 06, 2012 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius confirms what thoughtful Ahmadis have feared for years- the development of a parallel ‘culture’ within. The sermon contains a searing critique of the gross mismanagement and the resultant disarray within the rank and file of the Nizaam-e-Jamaat. It describes the apparent features of this parallel ‘culture’ that has eaten into the vitals of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya's value systems, corroded the ethics of its members and has come to define their ill-informed decisions and wrong choices today.

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

“The fifth Caliph is not taking care of the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (as) like the latter had established the management of the Jamaat. The Caliph is basing himself on false reports of his amirs and mullahs. It is his so-called mullahs and amirs who are leading the Jamaat astray and the caliph is not taking the right decisions for the cause of Allah and according to the precepts of Islam. It is those around him who are taking the major decisions, especially about whom the Ahmadis should greet salaam or not, and boycott.