Hudhur said there is a section of Muslims who follow the so-called religious leaders whose business is to create disorder. A Large majority are unconnected to religion and perhaps only offer Eid Salat or the odd Friday Salat. Others are wary of any kind of strictness in religion or are fearful of fatwas by religious leaders and thus remain silent. There are also a number of people who, in spite of having little knowledge of Islam, wish that objections raised by people outside Islam are responded to. They wish all the sects of Islam to act as one and face the enemies of Islam. This group of people includes Muslims from Pakistan, India and some Arab countries. Those among them, who wish Islam to be known only by the name of Islam, also raise the objection that the Ahmadiyya Community has also gone and made a separate sect. They tell us that if we are truly sympathetic to Islam, we should try and free it from sectarian divide.
Hudhur said firstly he would like to thank these people in the context that at least they consider us Muslim. Addressing them, Hudhur said that in His mercy for the Muslim Ummah, and in accordance with His promise and the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) God sent the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to eradicate sectarianism. When people from within Islam come into the fold of Ahmadiyya Islam, they depart from sectarianism and practice true Islam. With the grace of God they are given spiritual insight which enables them to accept true Islam and come into the Bai’at of the judge (Hakm) and arbiter (Adl) of the current age about whom the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had prophesised, so that they may leave behind the wrong teachings and harmful innovations which have found their way in different sects of Islam, and observe them in the true light of Islam and also practice them in the true light of Islam. It is a result of the teaching of the one sent by God that, in line with the instruction of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), the Ahmadiyya Community considers each person who utters the Kalima a Muslim. Ahadith prove that it is sufficient for a person to proclaim ‘There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Messenger’ and be a Muslim. Meanwhile, the rest of the Muslims continue to pass decrees of Takfeer (exclusion from faith).
Hudhur said it is a misunderstanding to consider that Ahmadiyya Community has created a new sect and thus started a new wave of disorder. Such thoughts are borne out of a lack of knowledge of the Qur’an and Ahadith. A study of the literature of any other sect of Islam shows piles of fatwas of Takfeer on each other whereas in Ahmadiyya Muslim literature one sees defence of Islam against the objections of those outside Islam, or one sees request to other Muslims to steer clear of sectarianism, or one sees what is it that needs to be done to pay the dues of God and the dues of mankind, or one sees what needs to be done to bring about peace and conciliation in the world, or one sees what was the station of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and his Companions, each one of them a brilliant star worthy to be followed. Contrary to this, as mentioned before, there are piles of fatwas of Takfeer for each other in the literature of other sects of Islam.
Hudhur selected the subject of the station of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) as stated in Ahmadiyya Muslim literature. Hudhur said Islam has two large sects; Sunni and Shia and they have both been unjust in that they have not even deterred from denouncing the Companions from their station. They give fatwas of Takfeer to each other and if one of them has presented the station of Hadhrat Ali and Hadhrat Hussein (may Allah be pleased with them) in an extraordinarily enhanced way and unjustly dropped the station of other Khulafa e Rashideen, the other has not done any less. Within these two groups are further sectarianism creating disorder, Islam is presented as a religion which God forbid, passes decrees and creates disorder. The objective of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is to present the beauty of Islam, therefore it is most unfair to consider Ahmadiyya Muslims like the rest.
We are going through the [Muslim] month of Muharram these days. In countries with large sections of Sunni and Shia people, both sides suffer loss of property and life in this month. Be it Pakistan, Iraq or another country, disorder ensues in Muharram, although now the disorderly state has become the norm. Hudhur said in his research he came across a lot of material where they have passed fatwas of Takfeer, but the fatwas and abuse is so extreme and wicked that Hudhur would not even present it as an example. Therefore, Hudhur said he would only present the wise and sagacious writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) regarding Khulafa e Rashideen and Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). These illustrate how he tried to eradicate the disorder and Hudhur has chosen just a few examples from among hundreds. Hudhur said these extracts would help those who are interested in Islam but to whose minds Ahmadiyya Islam also appears to be a sect. They will realise that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in fact came to unite everyone. God revealed to him that it was his task to gather all the people on one religion.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote: ‘I know that no person can be a Momin (true believer) and a Muslim unless characteristic like that of Abu Bakr, Umer, Usman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all) is not generated. They did not love the world; rather, they had dedicated their lives in the cause of Allah the Exalted.’
Quoting from the Promised Messiah’s (on whom be peace) Arabic book ‘Sirrul Khalafa’, Hudhur said, ‘By God, these noble Khulafa are those people who did not even avoid risking death to help and support the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). They accepted to separate from their parents and their children for the sake of God. They took on fights with their friends and for the sake of Allah the Exalted; they sacrificed their persons and their property. In spite of this, they remained embarrassed that they did not reach the excellence of what was due of them.’ The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also wrote that the noble Khulafa did not seek comfort and sanctuary, how could it be then assumed that they were unfair and oppressive. He said it was proven about them that they were not materialistic people and remained bowed on the Divine threshold. They were people who had completed absorbed themselves in God.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote about Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): ‘He had complete spiritual knowledge, and was a holy, forbearing and kind natured person. He spent life in a state of humility and poverty and extended great forgiveness, affection and mercy. He was recognised from the light of his forehead. He had a deep connection with the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and his soul was connected to the soul of the ‘best in the world’ and was covered with the light which had covered his leader and the beloved of God and he was concealed under the light of the wisdom of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and under his great beneficences.’ The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) further wrote that Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was most eminent in the love of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and he left all worldly connections when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) received Divine revelations and imbibed the colour of his beloved and abandoned all other desires for God. His person was purified of worldly malice and was tinted in the colour of True God. He was completely devoted to the Lord of all the worlds. And when true love of God penetrated his very being, in the depth of his heart and in the particles of his being and all this became apparent in his words and his practices that is when he was given the title of Sadeeq (the truthful).
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote: ‘God alone knows best what excellences he possessed that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) gave Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) the title of Sadeeq. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) also said that the distinction of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was because of what was in his heart. If observed carefully, it is difficult to find an example of the truth that Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) demonstrated. Truth is, that it is essential for a person in any era, who wishes to attain the excellences of a Sadeeq, to endeavour as much as possible in order to generate Abu Bakr-like qualities and attributes in himself and later, pray as much as possible, until such time that he casts Abu Bakr-like nature on himself and is imbibed in the hue, the excellences of a Sadeeq cannot be attained.’
Explaining Abu Bakr-like nature, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) announced his Prophethood, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) had gone to Syria on a trade trip. On the way, he met someone from his country and asked what the news from back home was. The person told him that his friend, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had claimed to be a Prophet. Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied that if he had indeed made such a claim, it would certainly be a true claim. He said only that person would ask for a miracle who did not believe in the claimant. In short, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) believed while still travelling. When he reached Makkah, he made the inquiry in person and told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to be witness that he was his first verifier. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) writes, these were not mere words, Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) fulfilled this till his last breath.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) writes: ‘Once a few enemies found the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) by himself and seized him. They put a cloth around his neck and started twisting it. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was close to passing away when suddenly Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) happened to pass by. He set him free with great difficulty and the enemies beat Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) so badly that he fainted and fell to the ground.’
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also wrote: ‘Similarly, Hadhrat Abu Bakr’s (may Allah be pleased with him) reasoning of the verse: ‘…Muhammad is only a Messenger. Verily, all Messengers have passed away before him…’ [3:145] clearly supports that according to him Hadhrat Isa (on whom be peace) had passed away. In the instance if this verse is to mean that from the earlier Prophets, some passed away before the era of the Seal of all the Prophets (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) but some of them did not pass away up till the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him), the verse does not remain worthy of reasoning because an incomplete evidence which is not based on an established formula and does not encompass all past persons in its sphere, cannot be called evidence. And it makes the reasoning of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) idle. It should be remembered that no Companion is reported to have rejected the reasoning of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding the passing away of all past Prophets, although all Companions were present at the time and after hearing him they did not say anything. This proves that the Companions unanimously agreed upon this and the agreement of the Companions is proof which is never erroneous. Thus, from among the favours of Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) on the Ummah, one favour is that in order to avoid the mistake that was to take place in the future, he opened the door to verity and reality in the era of his truthful Khilafat. He thus put up a very strong barrier against the deluge of error that even if all Jinn were to join the maulwis of this age, they would not be able to break the barrier. We thus pray that may God bless Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) thousands-fold that having received holy revelation from Allah the Exalted, he reached the decision that Masih had passed away.’
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has also written about how Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) averted a great evil. Musaylimah had a following when Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) became the Khalifa. One can imagine how many difficulties must have come to pass. Had he not had the strong heart that he did and had he not had the tenor of the belief of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in his belief , there would have been great difficulty and he would have been perturbed. But he was under the influence and shelter of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) whose high morals had influenced him and his heart was filled with perfect belief. This is why the courage and resolve he demonstrated is difficult to equal after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). His life was the life of Islam. There is no need for any lengthy argument on this matter. The events of that time give a good indication of the service Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) gave Islam. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that he considered Hadhrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) Adam II for Islam and that he believed that if after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) there had been no Abu Bakr, there would have been no Islam either. It is his great favour that he re-established Islam and punished the treacherous with his conviction of faith and established peace.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) writes about Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) that once he went to the house of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and: ‘…he saw that there was not much in the house and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) laid on a mat and the mat had left marks on his back. Seeing this, Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) wept. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said, ‘O Umer, why do you weep?’ Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) said, ‘I have overcome to see your difficulties. Caesar and Chosroes are disbelievers and are living life of comfort and you are going through these difficulties.’ The Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him) replied, ‘I have nothing to do with this world! My example is of a rider who is riding on camel back in intense heat and when the intensity of the afternoon troubles him, he sits under the shade of tree to rest while still mounted and only after a few minutes resumes the journey.’
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also wrote that the station of Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) was so elevated that sometimes Quran was revealed in accordance to his view. A Hadith relates that Satan runs away from the shadow of Umer. Another Hadith relates: ‘If there was to be a Prophet after me, it would have been Umer.’ The third Hadith relates: ‘Just as people from earlier religions were Muhaddath (a recipient of Divine revelation), if there is any Muhaddath in this [Muslim] Ummah, it is Umer.’
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that some prophecies that are hoped to be fulfilled just once may be fulfilled gradually or fulfilled in another person. A prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said that the keys to the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes were placed in his hand, although it is evident that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had passed away before the fulfilment of the prophecy and neither did he see the treasures of Caesar and Chosroes nor did he see the keys. But it was destined that they keys were to be given to Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him), whose being was the being of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in a shadow-like manner.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) further wrote that due to his proximity to the spiritual light of Prophethood, one of the scribes of the Holy Qur’an, sometimes received revelations at the time when the Prophet wanted to dictate the verse. Once day a thought crossed his mind that since he too received revelations, there was no difference between him and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). He was destroyed because of this thought. On the other hand, Hadhrat Umer (may Allah be pleased with him) also received revelations but he considered himself nothing and did not wish to be parallel to the truthful Imamat that God had established. Rather, he considered himself a humble servant and that is why with God’s grace, he became a deputy of the truthful Imamat.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that God had revealed to him that Hadhrat Abu Bakr, Umer and Usman (may Allah be pleased them all) were exceptionally faithful and filled with righteous guidance. They were among those whom God grants distinction. A large majority of holy people is witness to their excellences. They left their homeland merely for the pleasure of God and entered each expedition without hesitation. They neither cared for intense heat nor extreme cold, rather they kept moving onwards in the cause of faith. For the sake of the Lord of all the worlds, they forgot all else. Their blessed practices are a fragrant model for us.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said it is important to believe that Hadhart Abu Bakr, Umer, Usman and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all) were all trustees of faith in the true sense. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was Adam II for Islam, similarly, if Hadhrat Umer and Usman (may Allah be pleased with him) were not true trustees of faith, it would have been difficult for us today to say that any verse of the Qur’an was from God.
The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) writes about Hadhrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) that he was extremely righteous and pure and was from among those who are most beloved of the Gracious God. He was a lion of God, was very generous and pure-hearted. He was that unique valiant who did not move away from the epicentre of the battle ground even if there was an army of the enemy opposite him. He lived a life of destitution and attained excellence in temperance. He would be the foremost to distribute wealth, alleviate pain and suffering of others and care for orphans, the destitute and neighbours. He displayed wondrous feats with sword and spear and alongside this he was elegant in speech and was eloquent. His words would stir the depths of hearts and through this way he would clean rusty minds and enlighten them with the light of reasoning. Articulate people were charmed by him and whosoever denied his excellences, as if he embarked on vulgarity.
Writing about all the Khulafa e Rashideen the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that by following the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) they demonstrated through their practices, they had seen the Unseen God with their eyes; indeed had seen Him with their eyes. Otherwise, what else was it that they did not care one bit about leaving their own people, their homeland, their property and were separated from friends and family? Indeed, it was merely trust in God. By putting their trust and reliance in One God, they demonstrated astonishing feats. It was belief and only belief and nothing else. On the other hand, were the worldly people with their schemes and but they could not succeed. They were greater in number and had greater wealth but they did not have belief and for this reason alone, they were destroyed. On the contrary, the Companions won over everyone with the strength of their belief. They heard the call of one un-lettered, but truthful person who said he was from God, and they joined him and then followed him most passionately. It was indeed just one aspect which turned them so and that was belief. Belief in God is a great matter.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) further wrote that it is part of our faith to revere holy people and observance of ranks is significant. One should not exceed limits and be sinful lest the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) or other Prophets are slighted. One who says that all the Prophets (peace be on them all) even the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) will have salvation through the intercession of Hadhrat Imam Hussein transgresses.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that he had compatibility with Hadhrat Ali and Hadhrat Hussein (may Allah be pleased with them both). He said no one but the Lord of the East and the West knows this secret. He said he loved Hadhrat Ali and both his sons and whoever had enmity with them, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had enmity with him. He further wrote that in Islam too, people with Jewish attributes persecuted God’s holy people in every age. For example, thousands of foolish people left Hadhrat Imam Hussein and joined Yazid and persecuted the innocent Imam verbally and physically and ultimately took his life. Time and again, they harassed the Mujaddads, Imams and truthful among the Ummah and gave them abusive epithets. Thousands of truthful were harassed by them. Not only did they call them ‘disbelievers’, they did not desist from imprisoning and killing them. Until the time of the Promised Messiah came. People had been preaching that the Imam Mahdi would come in the fourteenth century or at the very least a great Mujaddad will be born. However, when, at the top of the fourteenth century that Mujaddad was born and not only did God’s revelation name him the Promised Messiah, but the evils prevalent at the time as if cried out that his name should have been the Promised Messiah, they strongly accused him of being false. They persecuted him through all manner of ploys and tried to eliminate him.
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wrote that Momins are those people whose practices bear witness to their faith. Whose hearts have faith inscribed on them and who give precedence to their God ‘s pleasure over everything else and adopt the intricate paths of Taqwa for the sake of God. They avoid and shun anything that takes one away from God. Unfortunate Yazid did not have this. The love of the world had blinded him. Whereas Hussein was pure and wholesome, without doubt he was among those holy people who are purified by God’s own hands. And without doubt he is from among the leaders of Paradise and to have the slightest of malice towards him is a source of impairing one’s faith. The Taqwa, love of God, steadfastness, resolve, worship and devoutness of this Imam is a blessed model for us. Destroyed is the heart that has enmity for him and successful is that heart which demonstrates his love in practical ways and in following him completely, adopts his faith, morals, courage, Taqwa and steadfastness and all features of love of God in a reflective manner. Such people are concealed from the eyes of the world. None knows their value but those who are from among them. The eye of the world cannot recognise them because they are very far from the world. This was the reason of the martyrdom of Hussein, because he was not recognised. It is tremendous dishonesty to scorn Hadhrat Hussein (may Allah be pleased with him) and a person who does this or utters any negative word about him, wastes his faith, for God becomes the enemy of those who are the enemy of His beloved people.
Hudhur said this is the beautiful and fair teaching which aims to unite Muslims on one hand and eliminate sectarianism, which was given to us by the one sent by God. Who, in this age came as the true and ardent devotee of the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) with the message of peace and conciliation. May God make the Muslim Ummah understand this message so that Islam illumines the ends of the earth with renewed glory. May the month of Muharram pass with peace and safety everywhere, may every Muslim keep other Muslims safe with his speech and his hand. Hudhur said prayers should be made for the general state of Muslim countries and for protection against disorder. Most countries are going through very bad times. May God keep Islam and Muslims safe from every kind of evil. Rather than progress, Muslim countries are fast regressing. The general economic condition of the world is also creating anxiety and its affects are far-reaching. The third critical state of affairs that appears to be developing is that the world is fast moving towards a world war. May God have mercy on humanity and grant them sense. Hudhur said we should pray a lot these days and should also make all kinds of precautionary measures. May God help us.