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(This speech was delivered on 30th September 1929, in Jammu Kashmir, India)
Whilst returning from Kashmir on 30thSeptember, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Second Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, had to remain in Jammu due to a delay in transportation. Seizing this opportunity, members of the Community in Jammu made arrangements for His Holiness (ra) to deliver an address.
Translated by Sarmad Naveed. The Review of Religions translation team takes full responsibility for any errors in translation.
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After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness (ra) stated:
In accordance with Allah the Almighty’s desire and will, I’ve had to stay here for a day, despite my intention to depart yesterday. I had desired to visit this place, as the First Caliph and Imam of our Community, Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin (ra), lived here for some time, and it is common practice for one to visit the places associated with their beloved. I had been thinking about this for quite a while, but everything has an appointed time. When I had desired to visit, I was unable to do so, but now, when I had not even intended to stay, I have no choice but to remain. Our members here expressed their desire for me to say something for those who have not yet joined our Movement. Such is God’s wisdom; initially, I thought my time was being wasted, but now God has brought about this event. Perhaps those who desire to search for the truth may find something useful in what I say and benefit from it.
The Purpose of Religion
In my view, the purpose of religion is not to create evil and disorder; rather, religion serves to purify the hearts. Had disorder been the purpose of religion, then Satan could have very well accomplished it. However, this is certainly not the purpose of religion.
No intelligent person could think for a moment that the Holy Prophet (sa) who spent his youth striving for the betterment of his people, could stand for evil and disorder as he grew older. There is an incident about the Holy Prophet (sa) recorded in history which I am very fond of, although it has gone unnoticed by most historians. It is an incident from the Battle of Uhud when the Holy Prophet (sa) lost some of his teeth.[1] At that time, Abu Sufyan said, ‘Where is Muhammad (sa)? Where is Abu Bakr (ra)? Where is Umar (ra)?’ i.e., [he assumed that] they had all been killed. At that instance, Hazrat Umar (ra) started to respond, saying, ‘I am here, ready to kill you.’ However, the Holy Prophet (sa) stopped him and did not allow him to say anything in his [the Holy Prophet’s (sa)] defence. However, when Abu Sufyan said, أُعْلُ هُبَلْ أُعْلُ هُبَلْ [O Hubal, exalted be thy name], the Holy Prophet (sa) could not bear this, and he said, ‘Why do you not say: اللهُ أَعْلَی وَأَجَلُّ [Greatness and grandeur belong to Allah the Exalted alone.]’[2]
Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) did not wish to be recognised, nor did he wish to be glorified; rather, he always promoted the recognition of God. Thus, when such incidents exist, I cannot accept that the Holy Prophet (sa) came to this world in order to promote his own supremacy.
Therefore, after presenting this point, I wish to say to both Ahmadis and Muslims from other sects that rather than harbouring prejudice, they should reflect on the truth. As I prepared for my return journey by train, some people have posed questions. While it may not be possible to answer them all, there is one thing I will say that no religious person can deny: those who believe in God believe that there is no being more loving than Allah the Almighty. If God exists, He certainly loves us more than our parents, and no one is more concerned for our guidance than He is.
I read a book written by an American atheist regarding God Almighty, and in the introduction, he addresses Christians by saying:
‘Tell me this, if God exists, then no one can deny that He should love us more than our parents do. He created everything for us, so how could He not love us and worry about us more than our parents do?’
He continues, ‘If I were to eat poison, my parents and my friends would stop me; but if I go down the path of misguidance and darkness, then why doesn’t God take hold of my hand?’ He says, ‘I’ll be told that I’m impure and that God is upset with me, just as parents become upset with their foolish children. But I’ll respond saying, sure, I’m impure, but I don’t see God taking hold of any one of your hands to save you from the pits of misguidance and darkness. There must be someone from among the Christians who has a connection with God, and with whom God has a connection.’
I was greatly intrigued when I read this part of the book, because this is human nature speaking. I said of course Christianity won’t be able to satisfy him, but Islam can. God Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:
[3] وَالَّذِينَ جٰهَدُوْا فِينَا لَنَهۡدِيَنَّهُمۡ سُبُلَنَا
‘As for those who strive in Our path – We will surely guide them in Our ways.’
In the current era, there are so many sects that it is difficult to even count them. In such circumstances, a seeker of truth has no option but to prostrate before God to determine the correct path.
There is an incident recorded of a Sufi [spiritual saint] who had a student. When the student was about to leave after some time, the Sufi wished to give him some advice. He asked him, ‘Are you leaving? Tell me, if Satan confronts you, what will you do?’ The student replied, ‘I will stand up to him.’ The Sufi said, ‘Alright. But if he runs away and then returns to confront you once more, what will you do then?’ The Student replied, ‘I will stand up to him once again.’ The Sufi said, ‘In that case, all you’ll ever be doing is standing up to Satan. How will you make any progress?’ The student asked, ‘Then tell me, what should I do?’
The Sufi explained, ‘Suppose you go to meet a friend and his dog confronts you, what would you do?’ The student replied, ‘I would move the dog out of the way.’ The Sufi said, ‘What if the dog doesn’t move and stops you from entering, what would you do then?’ The student replied, ‘I would call out to my friend and tell him to restrain his dog, because I want to come inside.’ The Sufi said, ‘The same method applies when it comes to meeting God; when Satan continues to come after you, then one should turn to God and call out to Him, saying, “Only You can remove him.”’
In my view, the best method of searching for God is to turn to Him and say, ‘I will not accept a religion just because my parents believed in it; rather, I want to believe in a religion on its merits. So, show me which is the true religion.’ When one adopts this approach, God will certainly guide them – this is my personal experience. In fact, I am not alone in this experience; many non-Muslims have followed this method, and they have found success. Hence, if a person hasn’t achieved guidance through arguments, then they should use this method, and then God Almighty will certainly guide them.
I recited Surah al-Fatihah which contains a prayer that is not specific to Muslims. Both Muslims and non-Muslims can find success through it. It teaches that one should pray, ‘O God! Show us the path of guidance – the path of those before us who were granted blessings. Do not show us the path of those who have incurred Your displeasure or those who have gone astray.’
In my view, a person who is searching for the truth should put aside all prejudice and outside the confines of any religion, pray to God: ‘O God! You created me, You are the Fountainhead of Truth, You alone are the True Guide; show me the true path.’ I believe that if a person prays in this manner for 40 days, Allah the Almighty will surely provide the means for their guidance. This is a method from which anyone can benefit, regardless of their religious background.
Even if I were to present arguments and you were convinced by them, it is possible that someone else might come along, deem those arguments to be false, and present counter-arguments which convince you otherwise. For this reason, I propose a method by which one can be guided by God Himself. If I were seeking guidance, this is the method I would personally choose. However, since some people prefer arguments and wish to hear them, I will briefly present a few points for their consideration.
We claim that by this time, the condition of Muslims had greatly deteriorated, and they were completely devoid of spirituality. Islam remained only in name, and practical adherence to the Holy Qur’an had completely vanished. What remained was mere adherence to traditions. As a result, according to God’s established practice, the advent of an appointed messenger was necessary to improve the condition of the Muslims, to re-establish [the teachings of] Islam and to ensure adherence to the commands of the Qur’an.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) claimed that God had commissioned him for this very purpose – that he was the Promised Messiah and an appointed messenger of God. His mission was to establish Islam throughout the world, to protect the religion from the attacks of atheists, to uproot allegations and to present the true Islam. Through him, the age-old allegation made by opponents against the Holy Prophet (sa) that Islam was spread to the world through the sword was dispelled. He demonstrated that the real cause of Islam’s spread was the Holy Prophet’s (sa) spiritual influence, by which even the most hardened hearts were transformed. This was how the Holy Prophet (sa) captivated hundreds of thousands of souls.
In this era too, God sent the Promised Messiah (as) as the Holy Prophet’s (sa) true servant, so that this servant of his may spread Islam throughout the world without the use of the sword, thus demonstrating that if the student could achieve this, why couldn’t the master?
The Holy Prophet (sa) was our master, and we believe that by following him, one can attain the highest levels of excellence. Consider what defines a good teacher. Is it to say that a teacher is so good that none of his students go beyond the primary level? Or is it to say that the teacher is so excellent that his students have achieved their bachelor’s and master’s degrees?
We believe that prophethood can be attained through devotion to the Holy Prophet (sa). The words, أَنۡعَمۡتَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ [those upon whom You have bestowed Your blessings] which appear in the opening chapter (Surah al-Fatihah) of the Holy Qur’an are further explained in another part of the Holy Qur’an where it is stated:
وَمَن يُطِعِ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ مَعَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنۡعَمَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَيۡهِم مِّنَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ وَٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ وَٱلشُّهَدَآءِ وَٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ ۚ وَحَسُنَ أُوْلَـٰٓئِكَ رَفِيقٗا
[‘And whoso obeys Allah and this Messenger of His shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings, namely, the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And excellent companions are these.’][4]
In this verse, four stages are mentioned for those who are bestowed with blessings: the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. In other words, by obeying Allah the Almighty and the Holy Prophet (sa), one can attain these four ranks. Among the distinctions between the Holy Prophet (sa) and other prophets is that the followers of previous prophets could not attain the rank of prophethood by simply following their respective prophets; they could only attain the rank of the Truthful or the Martyrs. However, the Holy Prophet (sa) had such eminence that, through devotion to him, one could attain the rank of prophethood.
Some people ignorantly claim that since the word مَع (ma‘a) is used in this verse, it implies that people will not become prophets themselves; rather, they will only be with the prophets. However, they should realise that the word مَع here is not used exclusively with reference to the Prophets; it also applies to the Truthful, the Martyrs and the Righteous. If their interpretation was correct, it would mean that people would not become Prophets but only be with the Prophets; they would not become Truthful but only be with the Truthful; they would not become Martyrs but only be with the Martyrs; and they would not become Righteous but only be with the Righteous.
A closer analysis reveals that, according to such an interpretation, nothing would remain of this ummah.
Here, مَع is used in the sense of مِنْ (min), meaning ‘from’. This usage is established in the Holy Qur’an. For example, in the verse,
تَوَفَّنَا مَعَ الۡاَبۡرَارِ
which means, ‘In death, count us from among the righteous.’[5] It does not mean that whenever a righteous person is about to die, we should also pass away with them.
Hence, it is proven through the Holy Qur’an that the rank of prophethood can also be attained by following the Holy Prophet (sa). It should be noted that whoever receives the prophethood attained through devotion to the Holy Prophet (sa) is equivalent in status to that of other prophets; however, owing to his complete subservience to the Holy Prophet (sa), he is an Ummati Prophet [i.e., from within the ummah of the Holy Prophet (sa)]. Attaining this type of prophethood does not diminish the honour of the Holy Prophet (sa) in the slightest. It is recorded in the hadith:
لَوْ كَانَ مُوْسَى وَعِيْسَى حَيَّيْنِ لَمَا وَسِعَهُمَا إِلَّا اتِّبَاعِیْ
‘If Moses (as) and Jesus (as) were alive, they would have no choice but to follow me.’[6]
If being a follower of another prophet diminished his [the follower’s] honour, then the Holy Prophet (sa) would not have made such a statement. Despite claiming prophethood, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) took pride in being a follower of the Holy Prophet (sa) and found honour in expressing his servitude to him. One of his famous couplets is as follows:
کرامت گرچہ بے نام و نشان است
بیابنگر ز غلمانِ محمدؐ
[‘Though miracles are nowhere else to be found,
Come and behold them among the servants of Muhammad (sa).’]
Similarly, the Promised Messiah (as) writes in a revealed Persian poem:
بعد از خدا بعشق محمد مخّمرم
گر کفر ایں بود بخدا سخت کافرم
‘After God, I am intoxicated in the love of Muhammad (sa),
If this is “disbelief”, then by God! I am a staunch disbeliever.’
The poems written by the Promised Messiah (as) in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa) are unparalleled by any written before him. Prior to the Promised Messiah (as), poems in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa) focused on his physical appearance or mentioned things such as the belief that the Holy Prophet (sa) did not possess a shadow. However, the poetry of the Promised Messiah (as) in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa) highlighted his excellence and perfection. The true magnitude of these poems can only be appreciated by studying them.
I was deeply saddened when someone once told me that all the poems he had seen in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa) merely described his physical appearance and did not mention his perfection or excellence. I responded by advising him to read the poetry of the Promised Messiah (as) in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa).
The Promised Messiah’s (as) poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet (sa) clearly exhibits his profound love for Islam. Anyone who reads these poems would never believe that such a person could make a claim that would diminish the honour of the Holy Prophet (sa). How could it be possible for the Promised Messiah (as) to degrade the Holy Prophet’s (sa) honour, yet compose poetry about the Holy Prophet (sa) that establishes his greatness and esteem?
In the end, I urge you to seek guidance from God Almighty and use prayer as a means for that purpose. May Allah the Almighty enable me and you to walk the right path and attain His pleasure.
(Al Fazl, 3 December 1929)
(Anwar-ul-‘Ulum, Vol. 11, pp. 15-23)
ENDNOTES
1. The Holy Prophet (sa) sustained several injuries during this battle and as a result lost one or two of his teeth. [Publisher]
2. Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Maghazi, Bab Ghazwah Uhud. Sirat Ibn Hisham (Arabic), Vol. 2, p. 140, Maktabah Faruqiyyah Press, Multan 1977.
3. The Holy Qur’an, 29:70.
4. The Holy Qur’an, 4:70.
5. The Holy Qur’an, 3:194.
6. Al-Imam Sha’rani, Al-Yawaqit wa al-Jawahir, Vol. 2, p. 20.
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