Today's Friday sermon was based on observations of Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) which directly or indirectly illustrated guidance of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) always felt most fervently about Tabligh. He would think of all kinds of wondrous ways and means to carry out Tabligh that would take his message to the ends of the earth. He once suggested that people of the community should have special clothing which would distinguish them from the rest. Indeed his wish would have been for Ahmadis to be mindful of their practice and their belief when wearing specific clothes. We need to instil this even today that while specific clothing is not the main issue but people should be able to distinguish us as Ahmadis through our practice and our belief. Ahmadi missionaries should have a demeanour of a true believer. Khuddam should focus that their outward appearance is in line with Islam. Indeed, Islam enjoins wearing of clean clothes but too much formality in clothes is not allowed. People would present fine clothes to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and he would use them but he did not give too much attention to the appearance of his clothes. It is of course all right to use clothes brush on one's garments but too much fuss over such matters is not liked. Some people feel forlorn if they do not have specific kind of attire to wear to specific occasions. One should wear whatever one has with confidence. This advice is particularly important for Ahmadi missionaries and is also in general for all Ahmadis. Everything should be done in moderation.
During his childhood Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) was once questioned by a relative about what clamour had his father created. Although young at the time he did not get perturbed and replied that his father had only declared that Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) had passed away and the Messiah to come would be from the Muslims. He also related to the relative the Quranic verses which explain the subject of death of Jesus (on whom be peace).
One of the devout companions of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) called Sher Muhammad Sahib was uneducated and drove a carriage. He subscribed to Al Hakm journal. When taking his customers around he would chat with them and after determining if they could read he would give them his copy of Al Hakm and ask them to read it to him. Customers would take him on to pass their time. Sher Sahib would then cross-examine the reader in a manner that the reader had to think carefully and understand what he had read before responding. Sher Sahib converted about twelve people to Ahmadiyyat in this manner. He lived a long age and it is not known how many more he converted later on. Such was his spirit to spread the message that although he was not educated he found a way.
Although now with Jamias around the world we have many missionaries but there is always need for scholars as attaining religious knowledge takes a very long period of time. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that Islam is a religion of ease. It is not essential to hold great big seminars to call people to God. We should make arrangements according to our situation.
Nizam Din Sahib, a very cheerful person was on friendly terms with both the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) as well as his opponent Maulawi Muhammad Hussain Batalwi. Nizam Din Sahib was unhappy after the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) claimed to be the Messiah and Maulawi Muhammad Hussain passed an edict of disbelief on him. He would argue with the Promised Messiah's opponents should first go and see his piety in person. He also maintained that if anyone explained a matter to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) with reference to the Holy Qur'an he always accepted it. He said when he would deal with the matter in this way and prove to the Promised Messiah that Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) was alive, the Promised Messiah would repent making his claim.
When Nizam Din Sahib met the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) he asked him if he had given up Islam and did not accept the Holy Qur'an anymore. How can that be, the Promised Messiah told him. Nizam Din said if he could cite hundreds of verses of the Holy Qur'an to prove Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) was alive, would he accept? The Promised Messiah told him he only had to present one verse to convince him. He said, maybe not 100 but I could present 50 verses to prove that Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) is alive. The Promised Messiah once again told him he only had to present one verse. Nizam Din Sahib became suspicious that perhaps there were not so many verses in the Qur'an that proved Hazrat Isa was alive, so he asked if he would accept if only 10 verses were presented. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) laughed and repeated that he only asked for one verse.
During those day Hazrat Maulana Nur ud Din (may Allah be pleased with him) and Maulawi Muhammad Hussain were negotiating to hold debate between the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and Maulawi Muhammad Hussain. While the Maulawi argued to base the debate on hadith Maulana Nur ud Din (may Allah be pleased with him) argued to base it on the Holy Qur'an. This became so protracted that Maulana Nur ud Din started giving in to the Maulawi somewhat so that at least the debate could take place. Meanwhile Nizam Din Sahib arrived on the scene and announced that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was prepared to repent and he had taken a promise that if he could present 10 verses of the Holy Qur'an proving Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) was alive, the Promised Messiah would accept. Maulawi Muhammad Hussain was very angry when he heard this and said all his efforts had been ruined. There he was endeavouring to bring the debate towards hadith and Nizam Din Sahib had gone and taken it towards the Qur'an yet again. This episode showed the light to Nizam Din Sahib and he accepted Ahmadiyyat.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had firm belief that since he was on the truth the Holy Qur'an would validate what he said. He used to say that if any claim he made was not in accordance with the Qur'an he was prepared to dismiss it. This was because he was convinced the Holy Qur'an would verify what he said.
When an Ahmadi would tell the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that they faced a lot of opposition in their area, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) always said that this was a sign of progress for the area. Through opposition people who do not know about us find out who we are and when they read our books the truth captures their heart. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) once asked someone taking bai'at who had done Tabligh to him. He said Maulawi Sana Ullah. Astonished, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) asked, how so? The person said he used to read the writings of Maulawi Sana Ullah which were severely against the Jama'at. This led him to read books of the Jama'at for himself and this opened up his heart and he was prepared to take bai'at.
A person who was a sweeper by profession accepted the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and hundreds of his followers followed suit. These people were looked down on socially and although they were uninformed at the time when they were asked why they were with Mirza Sahib (the Promised Messiah) by one of the non-Ahmadi relatives of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) they replied we do not know much but we realise this much that people used to call us chooray (derogatory term for sweepers) but now they call us Mirzai. However, you used to be a Mirza but in your opposition [of the Promised Messiah] you have become chooray. Once people accept Ahmadiyyat their perception sharpens. Every Ahmadi will be sharper than any Christian or non-Ahmadi Muslim in his sphere.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) recalled people from the town of Sialkot and the district of Gujrat visiting the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). In their sincerity they would walk the distance to see the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wishing to fulfil one of his revelations: 'People will come to you by every distant track.' During Jalsa days some people from district Gujrat came from one direction while others walked from the opposite direction. When both the groups met they wept. They explained that one group was of people who had accepted the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in the beginning. The other group severely persecuted them for this and harassed them so much that they left the village and were not heard of. After some time the persecuting group also saw the light and accepted the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). And they were overwhelmed as they met when converged to see the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).
Maulawis had given people the wrong impression that Hazrat Isa used to make birds and infuse life in them. This stems/stemmed from lack of understanding of the words of the Holy Qur'an. The significance of this is that Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) used to train people with spiritual prowess so well that they soared towards God. At one occasion the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) asked a Maulawi that according to him Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) made birds which meant that some of the birds in the world now were those created by Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) while some were those created by God. How could the distinction between the two be made? The Maulawi replied in the vernacular that this was a bit difficult as the two species/types had now mixed.
Sometimes when a matter exceeds limits it needs to be responded to. Through the ages Christians have always attacked the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and because Muslims could not respond Christians always assumed that the founder of Islam was, God forbid, full of flaws. Thus, days, months, years and centuries passed and Christians sullied the name of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and Muslims kept pardoning them. Ultimately God allowed the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to show his prowess and the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote addressing the fictitious Jesus. The entire Christian world raised a clamour. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said he had indeed said before that criticising holy persons was not a good way and now that the Christians were on the receiving end, they too were saying it was not a good way!
When Hazrat Shuaib (on whom be peace) told his people not to usurp others and not to spend their own wealth in wrong ways they said that Shuaib had gone mad. In this age when the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) presented the concept of death of Jesus to Muslims they too said that, God forbid, the Promised Messiah had gone mad. Owing to the creed that had been prevalent for 1300 years Muslims could not believe that Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) had indeed died. A renowned physician called Hakeem Allah Din had great reverence for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). A sincere Ahmadi called Maulawi Fazl Din Dehlvi met with him and did some Tabligh to him. Hakeem Sahib said that Dehlvi Sahib had no idea how much reverence he had for Mirza Sahib and that his reverence was no match for what Hakeem Sahib felt. Dehlvi Sahib thought perhaps Hakeem Sahib was an Ahmadi at heart, so he asked him what his thoughts were on the mission of the Promised Messiah. Hakeem Sahib told off Dahlvi Sahib for explaining the concept of death of Jesus to him while having no clue of the wisdom behind the Promised Messiah's (on whom be peace) assertion about death of Jesus. He then said that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had written a peerless, magnificent book 'Baraheen e Ahmadiyya' which was a staunch defence of Islam. The Maulawis were foolish and rather than honouring him they passed edicts of disbelief against him. Mirza Sahib was angry at this. He told the Maulawis you assume to be scholars and in your assumption and you do not know that the concept of Jesus being alive was so clearly and categorically proven from the Holy Qur'an that it was not possible to refute it. But I will prove death of Jesus from the Qur'an and if you have the capacity, you may refute it. Therefore, in order to prove the foolishness of the Maulawis he presented the concept of death of Jesus from the Holy Qur'an. Now all the Maulawis of India may join forces and try their utmost they cannot contend with Mirza Sahib. He has caught them out in such a way that they dare not raise they heads. There is only one way out and that is for all the Maulawis to apologise to Mirza Sahib about their edicts of disbelief and then watch how Mirza Sahib will indeed prove from the Holy Qur'an the concept of Jesus being alive!
This account shows that in spite of deep reverence for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) the concept of Jesus being alive was so entrenched in him that Hakeem Sahib did not take bai'at. It should be remembered that the concept of death of Jesus is not merely an ideological concept. It is most important as regards upholding the Oneness/Unity of God. By establishing death of Jesus the Promised Messiah removed any hindrance to the concept of perfect Oneness of God. Once someone mentioned to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to ease off the concept of death of Jesus. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) reacted rather majestically and said this concept had caused great harm to Islam and it needed to be quelled.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) said that people go as far as وحدانیت Wahdaniyyat as regards belief in God but they do not reach احدیت Ahadiyyat. Having understood Ahadiyyat one realises that no doubt up to an extent man has the capacity to create and provide but the Being of God is separate from His creation. God is indeed Wahid as well as Ahad. Wahdaniyyat signifies His Uniqueness and Oneness of attributes and man can imbue Divine attributes on a human level. Indeed the most excellent example of this was the person of Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Ahad signifies Oneness of the Being of God and nothing can even be imagined in comparison to Ahad. True Oneness of God is established when the concept of Ahadiyyat is understood. May God enable us to fulfil the objectives of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and establish true Oneness of God.
أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ
أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔
اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔
At this time I will relate some statements made by Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) which are directly or indirectly related to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). From these, many instructive matters come to light which also provide guidance to determine our path even today.
The first account or the first statement concerns the zeal of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for preaching and how he wished to see the Community. Regarding the thoughts of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about the eagerness and compassion he had for preaching Islam, which he wished to see reflected in the members of his Community, he states: "The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had extraordinary ideas about preaching the Community, and he remained day and night thinking about how this message could reach every corner of the world. Once, he proposed that if our Community had a distinctive dress, then each person would themselves become a means of preaching. ... Various suggestions were made regarding this." (Taken from al-Fazl, Vol. 10, No. 1, p. 16) That is, so it could be recognized that this person is an Ahmadi. Now merely having a distinctive appearance is not enough. Certainly, your wish would have been that in this way, just as people would notice a distinctive dress and then see their practical and belief state, others' attention would be drawn, and likewise, they themselves would feel that they will be recognized as an Ahmadi. Therefore, I must also maintain my practical and belief state correctly.
So even today we need to develop the awareness that dress is not the point, but at least our condition should be such that everyone who sees us recognizes that this is an Ahmadi and that we are distinctive from others.
As we were discussing one’s dressing, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II stated how a preacher or one who works in the cause of faith should appear. He says: "For preaching, it is essential that the preacher's appearance be believer-like." Advising the Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, he stated: "So I draw the attention of Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya that their outward appearance should be in accordance with Islamic norms, and they should maintain simplicity in their beards, hair, and clothing. Islam does not prevent you from wearing clean and neat clothes. (Clean clothes, refinement. It does not prevent this.) Rather, it itself commands that you maintain cleanliness and stay away from filth, but affectation in dress is forbidden. Similarly (some people have the habit of constantly looking at their clothes.) After a little while, checking the collar of the coat to see if dust has settled on it. This is a vain matter. Some people used to bring fine clothes to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and he would use them, but he never paid such attention to dress that he was constantly having it brushed, nor did he have the thought in his heart that dust might not settle on his clothes. He says brushing clothes is not forbidden, but overstressing this, spending most of one's time on such matters cannot be considered desirable.... (He says,) some people have such a complex about dress that I have seen some people become sad on occasions of gathering because they do not have this type of coat or that type of clothing. Whatever type of dress a person has, he should go meet others with great confidence in that dress. The essential thing is to cover one's nakedness. (There is refinement, cleanliness, and neatness.) When the dress exists to cover nakedness and despite this someone deprives himself of meeting someone else because I do not have this type of coat or that type of shirt, then this is not faith but worldliness." (Taken from Address to Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya. Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 16, pp. 441, 442)
Therefore, for those who dedicate their lives, especially for preachers, and in general for the members of the Community as well, there is advice here not to pay so much attention to outward presentation that the real purpose gets left behind. Or there are some who do not even take care of cleanliness; they should also remember that cleanliness is part of faith. Therefore, in every matter there should be moderation. Do not lean to this side, nor to that side.
Regarding preaching, he narrates an incident. He says that special emphasis should be placed on preaching. (When you went to Delhi, he says,) this time here in Delhi something surprising happened to me—that the people of Delhi have now abandoned useless argumentation. Otherwise, whenever I happened to come here before, people of all kinds used to come to meet me, and they would start the strangest kinds of arguments, and no one ever said anything reasonable. (He says) I remember I was quite small then. I came here and stayed with my relatives. A relative's brother from Hyderabad also came to visit our grandmother, who had Hazrat Amma Jan with her. He pointed towards me and asked (this relative's brother did) "Who is this boy?" The grandmother said he is so-and-so's son. That is, she mentioned the name of Hazrat Amma Jaan. Upon hearing Hazrat Amma Jaan's name, he said to me, "What commotion has your father caused? People say he speaks about many things against Islam." (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says,) At that time I was young, but instead of being frightened, since I knew the arguments about the death of Christ well, I started to discuss the death of Christ. I said that the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) simply says that Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) has passed away, and in this age, the promised Messiah and awaited Mahdi who is to come will be from this Community. (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says,) I remembered from the Qur'an the verse: یٰعِیْسٰٓی اِنِّیْ مُتَوَفِّیْکَ وَرَافِعُکَ اِلَیَّ (Al-'Imran: 56) which proves the death of Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him), so I explained the whole matter regarding this verse clearly and thoroughly, and he became very surprised and said, "Indeed, from this it is proven that Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) has passed away, but why do these theologians make such a fuss?" So I said to him, "Then ask these theologians about that." But what was our grandmother's reaction? He says our grandmother made a great fuss saying, "Repent, repent. This child's mind was already corrupted by hearing these things from before—you have now confirmed him in disbelief by corroborating it." (Taken from "All the World's Conquest is Our Responsibility." Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 18, pp. 453, 454)
Furthermore, regarding preaching, he describes the method of preaching of a Companion of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He says: "Mian Shir Muhammad Sahib was an illiterate man. He was among the old Companions of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He was of those who were absorbed in faith. He used to drive a cart. From Phulor (this is the name of a place), he would take passengers to Banga. His method was that he would seat passengers in the cart and drive along, then start conversing with them. He would get a copy of al-Hakam newspaper. He would pull out the newspaper from his pocket and ask the passengers, 'Is anyone among you educated?' If someone was educated, he would say, 'This newspaper has come in my name. Please read it to me.' The man sitting in the cart gets jolted and wants some distraction. He happily begins to read. When he starts reading the newspaper, he (that is, Mian Shir Muhammad Sahib himself) would start questioning: 'What is this written? What does it mean?' And he would question in such a way that the person's mind (that is, the reader's mind, who was not an Ahmadi) would have to think and answer, and the matter would be well-impressed in his mind. (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says that,) he told me this incident at a time when (simply by means of reading al-Fazl or al-Hakam) more than a dozen Ahmadis had been brought into the fold through him. After that, he lived for many more years. It is not known how many people entered Ahmadiyyat through him by this method.
In short, it is not necessary that for us to begin work we need big scholars. Rather, in those areas where no educated person can be found, if an illiterate Ahmadi can be found, send that illiterate person. He can be taught religious issues verbally. (There is a specific instruction for some small Communities, distant Communities, so that work may begin.) If we remain waiting for educated scholars, then who knows how much time will pass before they come? (Even now despite the fact that by Allah's grace a considerable number of educators are being produced in seminaries, the need cannot be fully met in the near future.) Because scholars must delve into the intricacies of faith, it takes them considerable time to acquire knowledge. However, despite the fact that there are subtleties in faith that take a long period to learn, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said regarding Islam: The faith is easy. (Taken from al-Fazl, Qadian, dated 7 November 1945, p. 3, Vol. 33, No. 261)
Therefore, for preaching to Allah, it is not necessary to rely on scholarly debates, grand seminars, and functions. Methods should be devised according to circumstances. Even in this age there are many Ahmadis who devise their own methods of preaching and by Allah's grace are very successful. Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II relates an interesting incident of a common friend of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi Sahib. "There is a fascinating incident from the time of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He had a friend who was also a friend of Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi. His name was Nizamuddin. He had performed seven pilgrimages. He was very cheerful and good-natured. Since he maintained friendly relations with both the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi, when the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made his claim and Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi issued a verdict of disbelief against him, his heart was greatly pained, because he had great confidence in the goodness of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him). He lived in Ludhiana, and whenever opponents said anything against the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he would quarrel with them and say, 'You first go and see the condition of Hazrat Mirza Sahib. He is a very virtuous man, and I have observed while being with him that if anyone explains something to him from the Qur'an (that is, to the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)), he immediately becomes ready to accept it. He never deceives. If it were explained to him from the Qur'an that his claim is wrong, I am confident he would immediately accept it.' He often quarreled with people over this matter and used to say, 'When I go to Qadian, I will see how he does not repent from his claim. (He used to say,) I will open the Qur'an before him (that is, before the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)), and whenever I point out to him from the Qur'an any verse about Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) ascending alive to heaven, he will immediately accept it. I know well that he does not say anything upon hearing the Qur'an's word.' Finally, one day he thought of it and came from Ludhiana to Qadian, and upon arriving he said to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), 'Have you abandoned Islam and rejected the Qur'an?' The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, 'How is this possible? I believe in the Qur'an and Islam is my faith.' He said, 'Alhamdulillah. I keep saying the same thing to people—he cannot abandon the Qur'an.' Then he said, 'Well, if I show you hundreds of verses from the Qur'an as evidence that Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) ascended alive to heaven, would you accept?' The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, 'You speak of hundreds of verses—if you show me just one verse, I will accept.' He said, 'Alhamdulillah. I have had these very debates with people—it is not difficult to convince Mirza Sahib. People are making a fuss for nothing.' Then he said, 'Very well, if not a hundred, then if I present fifty verses as evidence of the life of Christ, surely then you will accept?' You said, 'I have already said—if you show me just one verse, I am ready to accept. Just as Muslims must follow a hundred verses from the Qur'an, so too must they follow every single word of it. The question of one or a hundred verses does not arise.' He said, 'Very well, if not fifty, then if I present ten verses, surely then you will keep your word and abandon your statements.' The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) replied, 'I have already said you should just present one verse.' As the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) continued to express firmness on this matter, he began to suspect that perhaps there were not so many verses in the Qur'an. Finally he said, 'Very well, if I present just ten verses, surely then you will accept?' The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) laughed and said, 'I stand by my original statement. You just present one verse like that.' He said, 'Very well, I am leaving now. I will come back in four or five days and show you verses from the Qur'an like that.'
During those days, Maulvi Muhammad Husain Sahib Batalvi was in Lahore, and Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I was also there, and conditions for debate with Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi were being settled at that time. (That is, there was to be some discussion between the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and him, and its terms were being arranged between Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I and Maulvi Muhammad Husain.) There was also correspondence between them about this. The subject of the debate was the death of Christ. Maulvi Muhammad Husain Sahib Batalvi was saying that since the Hadith is the interpreter of the Qur'an, when something is proven from the Hadith, it will be understood as part of the Qur'an, therefore the debate on the death and life of Christ should be according to the Hadith. And Hazrat Maulvi Sahib (that is, Khalifatul-Masih I) was saying that the Qur'an is superior to the Hadith, therefore in any case, one must prove his claim from the Qur'an. The discussion continued for many days, and to shorten the debate and so that somehow a discussion with Maulvi Muhammad Husain Batalvi could take place, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I kept accepting many of his points. And Maulvi Muhammad Husain Sahib was very pleased that the conditions he wanted to impose were being accepted. During this time, Mian Nizamuddin Sahib arrived there and said, 'Stop all these discussions. I have just met with Hazrat Mirza Sahib and he is completely ready to repent. Since I am a friend of both of you and the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), this disagreement has caused me great pain. I also know that the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has goodness in his nature. Therefore I went to him and obtained his promise that if you show ten verses from the Qur'an regarding Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) ascending to heaven, he will accept the life of Christ (upon him be peace). Please tell me ten such verses.' Maulvi Muhammad Husain Sahib Batalvi had great anger in his nature. He was quick-tempered. He said, 'You wretch, you have ruined all my work. I have been debating for two months to bring him towards the Hadith, and now you have taken him back towards the Qur'an again.' Mian Nizamuddin Sahib said, 'So you do not even have ten verses in support of your position?' He said, 'You are an ignorant man. What do you know about what the Qur'an means? You have no standing to question me.' He said, 'Very well, then I am on the side where the Qur'an is.' Saying this, he came to Qadian and pledged allegiance to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
So you state: "Look, how much confidence the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had in the Qur'an and how confidently he would say that the Qur'an cannot be against you. This does not mean that the Qur'an has any special relationship with the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) or any special connection with the Ahmadi Community. The Qur'an will show the path of truth and support whichever side is on the truth. Since the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was confident that he was on the truth, the Qur'an was also with him. This is why the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to say: if any claim of mine is not in accordance with the Qur'an, I will throw it in the waste basket. This does not at all mean that the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had any doubt about his claim. Rather, the reason for saying this was that he was confident that the Qur'an would support him. It is this confidence that made him successful in the world." (Taken from Khutbat-i-Mahmud, Vol. 13, pp. 416-418, Friday Sermon delivered 8 April 1932)
So every Ahmadi should always remain confident that the Qur'an is with the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Ahmadi Community. And it is this support of the Qur'an that is increasing the Community's numbers every day by enlightening the hearts of pure-natured people.
Furthermore, while clarifying that opposition also becomes a cause of guidance, he states: "When opposition increases, the Community also progresses, and when opposition grows, Allah's miraculous support and help also multiply. This is why when a friend would mention to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that we face great opposition, he would say, 'This is a sign of your progress. Where there is opposition, the Community also grows, because as a result of opposition, many unaware people also become acquainted with the Community, and gradually the desire to read the Community's books is born in their hearts, and when they read those books, truth captures their hearts.' A friend once came to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and pledged allegiance to him. After taking the pledge, the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked him who had preached to him. He spontaneously replied, 'Maulvi Thana'ullah Sahib has preached to me.' The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked in surprise, 'How?' He said, 'I used to read Maulvi Sahib's newspapers and books, and I always saw that they contained fierce opposition to the Ahmadi Community. One day it occurred to me that I should also look at the Community's books to see what they contain. And when I started reading those books, my heart opened up and I became ready to pledge allegiance.' So the first benefit of opposition is that it brings progress to the divine Community and many people receive guidance." (Tafsir-i-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 487)
Even today, the opposition of opponents is opening people's hearts. Often, reports from preachers also mention this, and I receive many letters directly about how they became acquainted with the Community.
Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II, while explaining how Allah grants even an illiterate person intelligence after becoming an Ahmadi and how they become quick-witted, presents an incident. He says: "In the time of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there was a gentleman here from Ludhiana who had taken up preaching Islam among the lower classes. He used to preach among the cleaners (most of whom were also Christian), and hundreds of cleaners became his followers. He came to believe in the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and some of his followers would sometimes come here as well because they understood that Hazrat Mirza Sahib was their master. Here in our relative's family, there was an uncle who was merely out of opposition to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and to mock his claims, made himself famous as a leader of the cleaners. (And could do nothing else but make himself famous as the leader of the cleaners.) His claim was that I am Lal Baig, that is, the chief of the cleaners. Once some of those people who had become Muslims from among the cleaners came here. They had the habit of smoking a hookah. (In that gentleman's gathering, that is, in the gathering of this one who called himself the leader of the cleaners—these were Mughals. In that gentleman's gathering,) when they saw the hookah, they went to be near it for the sake of the hookah. (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says that our uncle began religious discussion with them and asked, 'Why have you come to Mirza Sahib? You are actually my followers. What has Mirza Sahib given you?' Those people were illiterate like cleaners usually are. (This is from that time when he is narrating. That too was seventy years ago. ) So he says: "Nowadays cleaners have become somewhat clever, but this is from forty years ago. (That is, from the time of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).) At that time these people were completely ignorant. But when our uncle asked them, 'What has Mirza Sahib given you?' they answered, 'We do not know anything else, but we can at least understand this much—people used to call us cleaners before, but because of our connection with Mirza Sahib, now they call us Mirzais. So we were cleaners; now we have become Mirzas through his grace. But you were a Mirza first, and because of your opposition to Mirza Sahib, you have become a cleaner.'
Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says: "Now these remarks appear to be witty on the surface, but within them lies the philosophy of knowledge. These illiterate people expressed in their own language the meaning that Allah Almighty destroys the opponents of Prophets and grants progress to the believers. So the true statement is that as soon as a person becomes an Ahmadi, his intellect becomes sharp in religious matters and he becomes a match for scholars. But disregarding this, is there any Ahmadi about whom it can be said that people of his class do not exist in the world? Rather, every Ahmadi in his intellect and understanding is at least more intelligent than every Christian, Hindu, Sikh, and non-Ahmadi of his class" (that is, in religious matters). (Khutbat-i-Mahmud, Vol. 16, pp. 796-798, Friday Sermon delivered 13 December 1935)
A unique way of the Ahmadis' sincerity and the desire to fulfill the revelation of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and then facing enmity because of Ahmadiyyat and that enmity turning into love because of Ahmadiyyat—Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II relates such an incident: "I remember from my childhood times the people of Gujrat district coming here (that is, to Qadian). At that time Sialkot and Gujrat were considered the centers of the Community. Gurdaspur was far behind, because it is a principle that a Prophet is not greatly honored in his own homeland. At that time Sialkot was in first place and Gujrat in second place. I still remember the faces of many people from Gujrat. I remember that many people, out of such sincerity so that they might become fulfillers of the revelation of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that: یَاْتِیْکَ مِنْ کُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِیْق—not because they were in financial hardship, used to walk on foot to Qadian from Sialkot and Gujrat. (Not because of financial difficulty but to fulfill the revelation, they would walk on foot from Sialkot and Gujrat to Qadian.) Among them were great devoted souls who had the proximity of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This too is an incident from the people of Gujrat district which the late Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib used to narrate, and I have also mentioned it before—during the annual gathering, one group was coming from one direction and another from another direction (walking on foot). Hafiz Sahib says I saw that both groups (the one coming from one direction and the one coming from another direction, both groups), when they met each other, began to weep. I asked why you were weeping? They said, 'One part of us is those who believed first. (One part of these two incoming groups was those who believed first,) and because of this, the other part has caused so much pain to them. (They were from the same area,) and inflicted such hardships that eventually they were forced to leave their village. Then we had no news of where they went. After some time, Allah Almighty spread the light of Ahmadiyyat in us too, and we who used to drive Ahmadis out of our homes (we were opponents) ourselves became Ahmadis. (After driving out those who pledged allegiance first, those who were opponents also became Ahmadis.) They say now, "When we arrived here, by Allah's wisdom, our brothers whom we had driven out of our homes appeared from another direction. When we saw them coming, our hearts filled with the emotion of regret because these people were guiding us towards guidance, yet we harbored enmity and hostility towards them to the point that we forced them to leave their homes. Today Allah has united us all by His grace.'" (Hardships on Allah's Path. Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 13, pp. 86, 87) So we were becoming emotional and weeping for this reason.
Therefore, these are the blessings of Ahmadiyyat—that it unites the separated. Satan creates rifts among people, and by Allah's grace, Ahmadiyyat reunites them, and Allah willing, there will still be such scenes.
The theologians have given the common Muslims a false impression that Hazrat Christ used to make birds from clay and then breathe life into them, and they would fly away like ordinary birds. This is due to a misunderstanding of the Qur'an. It simply means that he would train people with spiritual capacity to such a degree that they would be able to soar spiritually towards Allah Almighty. In any case, a theologian holding such a notion was in conversation with the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). So Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II writes that the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) once asked a theologian, 'If what you say is true—that Hazrat Christ used to create birds—then some of the birds we see in the world must be created by God and some by Christ. Can you point out some distinguishing features between the two so we can tell which ones are created by God and which are created by Christ?' Upon this, the theologian spoke in Punjabi, saying, 'That is difficult now because the birds created by God and those created by Christ have mixed with each other. Now it is difficult to distinguish between the two.'" (Tafsir-i-Kabir, Vol. 6, p. 96)
Furthermore, while explaining that it is said regarding the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that he used harsh language against Christians, whereas if one looks carefully, the reality is somewhat different. He never took the initiative himself. Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II states: "Sometimes when matters exceed limits, then to some extent one must also respond to those matters. Christians were always attacking the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and Muslims, since they did not respond to their attacks, the Christians thought that the founder of Islam was full of defects. If anyone is without defects, it is Jesus himself. They misunderstood Muslim magnanimity. They thought: since we throw mud and they do not, it must be that their leader indeed has these defects." Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II states: "Days passed after days, weeks after weeks, years after years, and centuries after centuries. For seven or eight hundred years Christians kept throwing mud (at Muslims or at the person of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)), and Muslims kept forgiving them. Finally, Allah Almighty gave permission to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to now show a little strength and tell them whether we see any defect in you or not. Accordingly, the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) started writing things to Jesus (addressing him) which the Jews used to say about him or which were written in Christian books themselves. The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had written only two or three books of this kind when the entire Christian world created an uproar saying this method is not good. The Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 'We told you your method is not good, but you did not understand our words. Finally, when the blow fell upon you, you came to your senses and started saying this method is not correct.'" (al-Fazl, Qadian, dated 8 December 1938, pp. 6, 7, Vol. 26, No. 283) Sometimes the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used harsh language, but in response, not as an initiator.
While mentioning a renowned physician of Punjab whom Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I also greatly respected, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II states that this physician had great devotion to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) but despite this devotion, he did not accept his claims. There is an interesting incident about him. In the physician's opinion, the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)'s announcement regarding the death of Christ had some other reason. In any case, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II began by saying that when Hazrat Shu'aib told people not to rob others' property and not to spend their wealth on unlawful things, his people were amazed by his words and said Shu'aib has gone mad and speaks like a lunatic. (He says,) in this age too we see that people called the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (God forbid) mad. When he presented the issue of the death of Christ to the world, Muslims could not understand—if this issue has been presented by the great scholars of the Muslim Community for thirteen hundred years, saying that Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him) is alive in heaven, how could he have died? The confidence and certainty people had regarding this issue is evident from this one incident. (Narrating the incident of the physician.) How much confidence and certainty there was that it could never be that Hazrat 'Isa had died. He says that there was a renowned physician of Punjab whose medical eminence was affirmed even by physicians like Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him), and whose name was Hakim Allah Din. He was from Bhera. Once Maulvi Fadl Din Sahib Bhairvi, who was a close friend of Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him) and a very devoted Ahmadi, went to him and did some preaching. Upon hearing the words, the physician said, 'Mian, what are you preaching to me? How much do you know, and what can you teach me? The devotion I have for Mirza Sahib is not even a tenth or twentieth of what you have for him.' Maulvi Fadl Din Sahib was very pleased upon hearing this and thought that perhaps this person is an Ahmadi at heart. Therefore, he said, 'I am very pleased to hear that you have devotion for Hazrat Mirza Sahib, and I would be happy if you would share some more of your thoughts about the Community with me.' He said, 'The ignorant youth of today do not get to the depth of matters and just rush about preaching. Now you have come to me to explain the issue of the death of Christ, whereas do you know what the wisdom of Mirza Sahib in presenting this issue is?' He said, 'Please tell me.' He said, 'Listen! The real matter is that Mirza Sahib wrote the Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya. In thirteen hundred years, was there any Muslim child who wrote such a book? Mirza Sahib filled it with such knowledge that no Muslim book can match it. It was a wall for Islam that protected it from the attacks of other religions. But the theologians turned out to be so foolish and stupid that instead of thanking him and bending the knee in humility and saying that henceforth we will use the arguments you have shown us, they instead issued a verdict of disbelief against him, and despite seeing such a magnificent service to Islam, which no one else has done in thirteen hundred years after the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), these theologians started issuing verdicts of disbelief against you and showed off their learning and thought themselves great men. Upon this, Mirza Sahib should have been angry, and he was. (The physician is saying this. Now from here the physician begins his argument.) Accordingly, he said to the theologians, 'Very well, you strut about as great scholars. If you have such pride in your learning, then consider—the belief in the life of Christ is proven from the Qur'an so much, so much, that proving the death of Hazrat Christ against it seems impossible, yet I will prove the death of Christ from the Qur'an itself. If you have the courage, refute it.' Accordingly, he presented the issue of the death of Christ to show the theologians their foolishness and began to provide proof for it from the Qur'an. (The physician says) Now even if all the theologians strain themselves, even if their tongues wear away and their pens break, all the theologians of India together cannot match Mirza Sahib's arguments. Mirza Sahib has caught them so that they do not have the strength to raise their heads anymore. (The physician says) Now there is only one remedy for this. (As for the issue of the death of Christ itself—no one denies it. The life of Christ remains established, but to settle this issue and this quarrel, there is only one remedy,) and that is that all the theologians together in the form of a delegation go to Hazrat Mirza Sahib and tell him that we have committed rudeness towards you by issuing a verdict of disbelief against you. Please forgive us. Then see whether Mirza Sahib proves the life of Christ from the Qur'an itself or not." (Tafsir-i-Kabir, Vol. 7, pp. 107, 108)
He too has given an excellent interpretation of this. Now see that despite having devotion, he had such a strong belief in the life of Christ that he could not come to pledge allegiance to the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but he did have devotion. So it is Allah's grace on whom he bestows—that they also receive the grace of truly accepting the Imam of the age. We should always remember that the issue of the death of Christ is not merely an ideological issue but is absolutely necessary for the establishment of true monotheism, and the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had to come and establish Allah's monotheism. Accordingly, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II states: "By proving the death of Hazrat 'Isa (Peace be upon him), the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) removed the obstruction in the path of complete monotheism. This is why he emphasized this issue greatly. Day and night he kept mentioning this. (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says,) I remember once someone said to the Master that leave off this issue now. The Master became stern and said, 'Sometimes I feel such passion about this matter that I fear I might go mad. This issue has caused great harm to Islam, and we cannot rest until we crush it completely. Even now some people say: what is this issue? But this is an obstruction in the path of monotheism, which the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had such eagerness to remove. And it was this passion that drew down Allah's grace and established the foundation for truth. And every Ahmadi who loves Islam can understand that this is merely a spark of that fire which burned in the heart of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). If anyone feels in their heart the love of Allah Almighty and the passion to spread Islam, they can understand that this is merely a spark of that fire which burned in the Master's heart. Therefore, all our efforts should revolve around this point and should be confined to it. But if we cannot understand this, then whatever work we do, though it may appear to be monotheism outwardly, in reality it will be a prelude to polytheism." (al-Fazl, Qadian, dated 18 May 1943, p. 3, Vol. 31, No. 177)
Monotheism, yet also a prelude to polytheism—how is this possible? While clarifying this, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II presented an incident. He says: "In the time of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), there was a gentleman here who used to study. He would daily argue that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was All-Knowing of the unseen. He was wearing a Roman hat. One day someone called him and asked, 'Can you understand that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had knowledge of this?' That person, without feeling any shame, said, 'Yes, certainly he did.' (Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II says,) The reason for this is that people reach monotheism but do not reach true and complete monotheism. (Now there are two things to understand—monotheism and true monotheism—that they reach monotheism but do not reach true monotheism.) When reached, it becomes evident that indeed a human being too is a creator to some extent, a sustainer, yet God Almighty is distinct, and the creation is distinct. There is no substantial union whatsoever between the two." Nor can there be. (al-Fazl, Qadian, dated 18 May 1943, p. 3, Vol. 31, No. 177)
I will provide a brief explanation of the terminology of Wahid (One) and Ahad (Unique) so that understanding becomes easier. Allah Almighty is both Wahid and Ahad. Wahdaniyyat (unity in attributes) means He is One in attributes, and Allah's attributes can to some extent have a reflection in a human being, and the highest example of this that can appear in any human being is the person of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). But perfection in attributes belongs to Allah Almighty alone and only.
And Ahadiyyat (uniqueness) means Allah Almighty's being alone, and in contrast to Ahad, the conception of any other thing cannot even be imagined. Therefore, as Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih II said, true monotheism will be established only when we understand the reality of Ahadiyyat. May Allah Almighty grant us the grace to fulfill the objectives of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and become those who establish true monotheism.
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