The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds; and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger, Muhammad, and upon all his companions and progeny. Since God Almighty has informed me, through re c u r re n t revelations, that the time of my demise is near, and since these revelations have been of such force as to shake me to the very core of my being – rendering my heart cold to this life – I have deemed it appropriate to write a few words of admonition and advice for my friends and such other persons as may derive benefit from my w o rd s . To begin with I commit to writing the revelation that informed me of my impending demise and thus motivated me to undertake this task. The revelation, which was received in the Arabic language, is as follows: 6 The Review of Religions – April 2003 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community An extract from The Will by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam ‘Your departure from this world is imminent and We shall leave no trace or sign of any matter that may be a cause of ignominy or infamy for you. Very little time remains of the ordained limit set for you by God and We shall dispel all objections and will leave nothing behind that may be used to bring your name into disrepute. We possess the power to either show you something of the prophecies We made concerning your opponents or to cause you to die. You will die in such a state that I will be totally pleased with you. Your time has come but clear and distinct signs of your endorsement will remain manifest forever. What has been promised to you is near. Describe to others the blessings that your God has bestowed on you. One who adopts the fear of Allah and remains patient, Allah does not waste the reward of such devout people.’ It should be remembered that the Almighty God says here that He will not leave behind any such criticisms of my person as should prove a source of disgrace to me. This has two meanings: 1. All objections published by my opponents for the sole purpose of bringing me into disrepute shall be refuted and brought to naught. 2. All those who do not refrain from their mischief and who do not refrain from speaking ill of me, shall be wiped out of existence and along with them their foul objections shall be annihilated. Then Allah gave me the following tidings in Urdu about my demise: 7 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003 ‘Very few days remain. On that day a great melancholy will descend upon all. This shall happen; this shall happen; this shall happen; then after this your incident will come to pass. Once all the tribulations and all the miracles of nature have been shown, then shall occur your event.’ The knowledge that I have been given about the ‘tribulations’ refers to the fact that death will grip the Earth on all fronts. All around, earthquakes of such calamity will occur as to provide a foretaste of the Last Day. The land will be turned upside down and the lives of many will become harsh. Then, those who repent and forsake sin – to them Allah will show mercy. Every Prophet has given tidings of this Day; it is, therefore, incumbent that all this should come to pass. But those who set their hearts aright, betaking themselves to the paths that are pleasing to God, they will have no occasion for fear or grief. Addressing me God Almighty has said: ‘Thou art a Warner from Myself. Indeed I sent you so that the sinners may be separated from the righteous.’ He said: ‘A Warner came to this world and the world did not accept him. But God will accept him and God will establish the truth of his claims with mighty onslaughts.1 And I shall bless you to the extent that Kings will seek blessings from your garments.’ God informed me of another pending earthquake which will be of utmost severity. He said: ‘Again, the spring came and once again the word of God was fulfilled.’ This means that another tremendous earthquake will occur, but the righteous will be protected from it. Become righteous, therefore, and fear God so that you may be saved. Fear God today that you may remain in peace on that Day. Indeed the Heavens and the Earth will each bring forth their signs. But the ones who fear the Lord will be saved. 8 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003 God has told me that many misfortunes will occur; many disasters will strike the earth, some during my lifetime and some after I have gone. He will bless this Movement with prosperity, some at my own hand and some after my departure. It has always been the way of God, a way He has demonstrated since the day He created mankind, that He comes to the aid of His Apostle and Messengers and grants them predominance. He has stated in the Holy Qur’an: Allah has decreed: ‘Most surely I will prevail, I and my Messengers. (Surah Al-Mujadilah Ch. 58:v 22) ‘Prevalence’ or ‘dominance’ in this context can be explained as follows: It is the fervent desire of all Prophets that arguments in favour of God become firmly established on the Earth in such a manner that none should be able to refute them. So, with mighty signs, God makes manifest their truth and at their hands He sows the seed of righteousness they wish to spread. However, He does not complete this mission at their hands. Instead He causes them to die in such circumstances and at such a time when it would seem as if they had failed in their mission. This gives the opponents the opportunity to heap ridicule on them. But once these people have had their laugh, He shows another manifestation of His power and creates a set of circumstances that eventually lead to the fulfilment of those partially achieved aims. In short, His power is manifested twice: 1.During the lifetime of His Apostles and through their works, He shows the power of His Hand. 2.After the demise of His Apostles, when their followers are 9 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003 subjected to various hardships. The enemy gains force and begins to think that the mission of the Prophet has been fatally wounded. They even begin to believe that the community of his followers will be destroyed. Even some of these followers fall p rey to doubt (as if their backs had been broken.) Some unfortunate ones take to the path of apostasy. Then, once again, God shows His Power and His Might and He saves the faltering community. So, he who is steadfast to the last witnesses this miracle of God Almighty. This is similar to what happened at the time of Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra). The death of the Holy Prophet(sa) was considered untimely and many ignorant Bedouin turned apostate. The companions of the Holy Prophet(sa) were consumed with grief. At that critical hour, Allah made Hadhrat Abu Bakr(ra) stand firm and, through him, He once again showed a manifestation of His Power. Islam was thus saved from annihilation and His following promise was fulfilled, which said: And that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear. (Surah Al-Nur Ch.24: v 56) This is what happened at the time of Moses(as). Moses (as) died en- route from Egypt to Canaan and so did not reach his promised destination. The Israelites were grief stricken. It is recorded in the Torah that they mourned for forty days at this appare n t l y untimely death and at their unexpected separation from Moses(as). The same happened at the time of Jesus(as); after the crucifixion, all his disciples dispersed and one even turned apostate. So dear friends! It has always been the way of God Almighty to show two manifestations of His Power. He thereby demolishes 10 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003 two false joys of the opponents. It is impossible that He should now change this long established Divine practice. Grieve not, therefore, at what I am telling you. Nor should you be heartbroken as you are destined to witness the second manifestation of His Power. This second manifestation will be better for you as it is everlasting and will remain unbroken until the Day of Judgement. The second manifestation cannot occur until after I am gone. But once I have departed, God will bring about for you the second manifestation of His Power and it will remain with you forever. This is as promised by God and recorded in Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya, a promise not for me personally, but for you. For God has said that His followers will be vouchsafed prevalence over others until the Day of Judgement. It is essential that the day of my separation from you should approach so that the day of God’s everlasting promise may arrive. Our God is true to His Word; He is sincere and He is true. He will show you all that He has promised. Albeit, these are the last days of the world, and many disasters are destined to occur, yet it is inevitable that the world will remain in existence until God’s decree is fulfilled. I came from God as a manifestation of His Power. So gather together in prayer and await the second manifestation. Righteous communities in every land should gather together and busy themselves in prayer so that the second manifestation of power should descend from the Heavens and show you how mighty is your Lord. Consider your death to be near, for you do not know when its hour will approach. After me, let the pure and righteous souls of the community accept Bai’at (oath of allegiance) in my name.2 I came from God as a manifestation of His Power. It is God’s wish 11 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003 that all people of pious nature living in various parts of the world – regardless of whether they belong to Europe or Asia – be brought together under the banner of Tawheed (the Unity of God). It is His intention that all His servants be gathered into one religion and it is for the fulfilment of that goal that I have been sent into this world. So strive for that goal, but always with gentleness, high morals and with prayers. Until such a time when one should stand up from among you with the Holy Spirit from the Lord, you should work together and co-operate with one another. (pp 5-12 from The Will, by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Urdu edition published 20 December 1905. English translation, Islam International Publications 1997, ISBN 1 85372 602 8). FOOTNOTES: 1. Had the world opened its eyes, it would have seen that I appeared at the beginning of a century. Nearly one quarter of the fourteenth century has elapsed. In accordance with what has been written in the Ahadith (Traditions of the Holy Prophet peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), after I made my claim, a solar and lunar eclipse occurred during the same month of Ramadan. A plague has ravaged the land; many earthquakes have struck and there are many more to follow. Alas! Those who endeared this world to their hearts refused to accept me. 2 Such persons will be selected by consensus of opinion among the believers. If forty believers agree on a particular individual then he becomes entitled to accept Bai’at in my name. Such a person should be an exemplar to others. God has informed me that a person from my progeny will lead my followers. He will be granted distinction through Divine revelation and nearness to God. Through him, the truth will spread and many will accept it. So wait for those days. Remember such a one can only be recognised in the fullness of time. Before that time, he may appear to be an insignificant person. Or, on the basis of a misunderstanding, he may even seem objectionable, as indeed the most perfect man is at one time a mere seed or clot of blood in his mother’s womb. 12 The Beginning of Khilafa in the Ahmadiyya Community The Review of Religions – April 2003