The Cult of Ahmadiyya

"In My Ummah, there shall be born Thirty Grand Liars (Dajjals),
each of whom will claim to be a prophet,
But I am the Last Prophet; there is No Prophet after Me."

By the 19^th century India was firmly under the control of the British Empire. The east India Company had laid the foundations of British rule and for the first half of the 19^th century controlled most of India with it’s own private army. The Muslims of North West India were feeling the crunch. Not only were they being pressed by Christian Missionaries but by the aggressive missionary activities of the Hindu movement, Arya Samaj, Ordinary Muslims also felt a sense of betrayal by many of their leaders. In order to curry favor with the British and advance political stature many of the leaders were advocating a complete surrender to British authority. The Muhaddith of Delhi declared; “'Having examined all the monarchies surrounding India, including those of Burma, Nepal, Afghanistan and also Persia, Egypt and Arabia, and having searched from one end of the world to another, I could not find one emperor who was worth of being the monarch of India. There is not one amongst these prospective candidates who deserves to be the emperor of this country. It is my conclusions that the British alone deserve, nay, have the right to rule India and may they continue to rule the domain.”

Unable to stomach any more capitulation, in 1857 the Muslims of Northern India rebelled beginning with the Bengali soldiers employed by the East India Company. The rebellion spread and has become known as the India’s first war of independence. After the rebellion was crushed the East India Company was dissolved and India came under direct control of the Empire. The British Raj had arrived.

Fearful of further uprisings the British sent a Parliamentary Commission of inquiry consisting of; Members of Parliament, Journalists and Church officials, to find a solution to the spirit of Jihad. In 1870 they presented their report to Parliament entitled “The arrival of the British Empire in India” their recommendation was;

"THE MENTALITY OF INDIAN MUSLIMS IS SUCH THAT IF THEY ACCEPT SOMEBODY AS THEIR RELIGIOUS LEADER, THEN THEY FOLLOW THEM BLINDLY. IF WE CAN FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN CLAIM TO BE AN APOSTOLIC PROPHET, OUR TARGET CAN BE ACHIEVED."

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born in the Punjab town of Qadian, February 13^th 1835. His father was Mirza Ghulam Murtaza, a physician. His father, wishing to prove his loyalty to the British had donated 50 armed horsemen to fight for the British in the 1857 war. Under his father’s guidance he became a clerk in Sialkot. It was near Sialkot, in the war of independence, that his older brother, Mirza Ghulam Qadir, serving in the 46^th Division of the British army under General Nicholson was credited with having killed a number of Muslim revolutionaries. There he came in contact with Christian missionaries and engaged them in discussions. It is held by his detractors that it was these Christians who put his name forward to be the seedling of the British Raj. In 1868 Mirza returned to Qadian. After some time he became known as a debater, defending Islam against Christian and Hindu clerics.

By 1882 he declared himself the Mujaddid, the reformer of Islam. Mohammed had prophesied that from time to time Islam would drift from the truth and so Allah would send someone to guide the people back to the true faith. Though many were skeptical of this claim, he wasn't the only one to make such claim,s nevertheless it was in keeping with Muslim theology and many began to believe him based on his debating and speaking skills.

 In 1888 he declared a divine appointment and required his followers to enter into a Bay’ah. This word literally means “To sell” so his followers are literally selling their soul to him. It is commonly presented as an oath of allegiance. This Bay’at required a pledge to 10 principles that must be adhered to for the rest of the follower’s life;

1. That till the last day of his life, he shall abstain from shirk (associating any partners with Allah).
2. That he shall keep away from falsehood, cruelty, adultery, dishonesty, disorder, rebellion and every kind of evil.
3. That he shall offer prayers (Salat) five times daily.
4. That he shall not inflict injury on any of Allah’s creatures.
5. That he would bear every hardship for the sake of Allah.
6. That he shall not follow vulgar customs and guard against evil inclinations.
7. That he shall discard pride and haughtiness, live in humility & meekness
8. That he shall hold his faith, dignity, and the welfare of Islam dearer than his own life, wealth and children.
9. That he shall have sympathy for all of God’s creatures, and devote his talents to their welfare.
10. That he shall establish brotherhood with me (i.e.Ahmad), obeying me in all good things, and firmly adhere to these rules until the last breadth of his life.

The one to particularly notice is #10, obedience to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

As time went on his claims became even more grandiose, On march 23^rd 1889 he founded Ahmadiyya Muslim Jaama’at (Community) He went on to declare himself the Mahdi the messiah of Islam and that he embodied the promised second coming of Jesus He also declared himself the last  Avatar of Krishna, an incarnation of the Hindu God. He declared that Guru Nanak, the first Sikh Guru was a Moslem. The Buddhists were not to be left out either for he declared he was the Maitreya, the return of Buddha and fulfilled all prophesies of all religions. All these claims were made in a book of several volumes that was continually being added to called, Barahin Ahmidayya. It should be noted though that Ahmadis only propagate Islam. Though their founder was supposed to be the incarnation of all religious founders, only Islam is proselytized.

This caused great controversy, not least in the Islamic community because he had come out of the Sunni sect. Moslems believe that at the time of the crucifixion Jesus ascended body and soul into Heaven and would return to herald in the last days of this world. Christians too believe that Christ would return in the flesh and not be reborn as was Ahmad. Contrary to these accepted beliefs, Ahmad stated that Jesus had fainted while on the cross and had been removed by his followers. He was later revived and journeyed to India in search of the lost tribes. Ahmed said he died of natural causes in his old age and lies buried in Kashmir. Throughout his life he argued strongly against Jihad and the use of force against the British. The Islamic community declared he was starting a new religion, heresy in their eyes and he was declared a Khafir an unbeliever.

The distinct Amidayya beliefs are;

• That the prophecies concerning the second coming of Jesus were metaphorical in nature and not literal, and that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad fulfilled in his person these prophecies and the second advent of Jesus, that he was the promised Mahdi and Messiah.
• The continuation of divine revelation. Although the Qur'an is the final message of God for mankind, He continues to communicate with his chosen individuals in the same way he is believed to have done in the past. All of God's attributes are eternal.
• That Jesus, contrary to manistrem Islamic belief, was crucified and survived the four hours on the cross. He was later revived from a swoon in the tomb. Ahmadis believe that Jesus died in Kashmir of old age whilst seeking the Lost Tribes of Israel. Jesus’ remains are believed to be entombed in Kashmir under the name Yuz Asaf. 
• Ahmadis believe that Jesus foretold the coming of Muhammad after him, which Christians have misinterpreted.
• That Jesus Christ did not bring a new religion or law, i.e., that he was not a law-bearing prophet, but was last in the line of Israelite prophets who appeared within the dispensation of Moses akin to that of David, Solomon, Jeremiah, Isaiah, etc.
• That the “Messiah” and the “Imam Mahdi” are the same person, and that it is through his teachings, influence, his prayers and those of his followers that Islam will defeat the Anti-Christ or Dajjal in a period similar to the period of time it took for nascent Christianity to rise and that the Dajjal's power will slowly melt away like the melting of snow, heralding the final victory of Islam and the age of peace.
• That the history of religion is cyclic and is renewed every seven millennia. The present cycle from the time of the Biblical Adam is split into seven epochs or ages, parallel to the seven days of the week, with periods for light and darkness. That Mirza Ghulam Ahmad appeared as the Promised Messiah at the sixth epoch heralding the seventh and final age of mankind, as a day in the estimation of God is like a thousand years of man's reckoning According to Ghulam Ahmad, just as the sixth day of the week is reserved for Jumuh'ah (congregational prayers), likewise his age is destined for a global assembling of mankind in which the world is to unite under one universal religion: Islam.

Amongst Muslims members of the cult are referred to as Qadianis; in April 1974 the World Muslim League, meeting in Mecca, issued the following declaration;

Qadianism or Ahmadiyyat: It is a subversive movement against Islam and the Muslim world, which falsely and deceitfully claims to be an Islamic sect; who under the guise of Islam and for the sake of mundane interests contrives and plans to damage the very foundations of Islam. Its eminent deviations from the basic Islamic principles are as follows:

1. Its founder claimed that he was a Prophet.

2. They deliberately distort the meanings of the verses of the Holy Quran.

3. They declared that Jihad has been abolished.

Qadianism was originally fostered by the British imperialism. Hence it has been flourishing under her flag. This movement has completely been disloyal to and dishonest in affairs of the Muslim Ummah. Rather, it has been loyal to Imperialism and Zionism. It has deep associations and cooperation with the anti Islamic forces and teachings especially through the following nefarious methods:

1. Construction of mosques with the assistance of the anti Islamic forces wherein the misleading Qadiani thoughts are imparted to the people.
2. Opening of schools institutions and orphanages wherein the people are taught and trained as to how they can be more anti Islamic in their activities. They also published the corrupted versions of the Holy Quran in different local and international languages.

      In order to combat these dangers, the Conference recommends the following measures:

1. All the Muslim organization in the world must keep a vigilant eye on all the activities of Qadianis in their respective countries; to confine them all strictly to their schools, institutions and orphanages only. Moreover the Muslims of the world be shown the true picture of Qadianism and be briefed of their various tactics so that the Muslims of the world be saved from their designs.
2. They must be declared non Muslims and ousted form the fold of Islam. And be barred to enter the Holy lands.
3. There must be no dealings with the Qadianis. They must be boycotted socially, economically and culturally nor they be married with or to nor they be allowed to be buried in the Muslims graveyards. And they be treated like other non Muslims.
4. All the Muslim countries must impose restrictions on the activities of the claimant of Prophet hood Mirza Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani’s followers; must declare them a non Muslim minority must not entrust them with any post of responsibility in any Muslim country.
5. The alterations effected by them in the Holy Quran must be made public and the people be briefed of them and all these be prohibited for further publication.

Molvi Sanaullah Amratsari (1868-15th March 1948), an Imam, had been challenging him for years. Finally, Ahmad wrote to him that whoever was telling lies should die in the lifetime of the other of plague or cholera. On 26 May 1908, a year after he said this, Ahmad died in Lahore (Pakistan). His body was carried to, and buried at Qadian, where he was born.

So ended the life of a highly controversial man though his story is far from over. Many Qadianis moved to England to escape persecution from the Moslem Community and they have a large Mosque in London. They declare themselves Moslem but the Islamic world denounces them as heretics. They denounce the Jihad but their detractors say this is because their founder was a British agent. For those outside the broad Islamic community, the Ummah, contact with the Qadianis comes from annoying and persistent missionary endeavors. Usually of the kind that do nothing to inform or edify. The adherents of this cult have endured a great deal of persecution, the Pakistani constitution forbids them calling themselves “Moslem” and has a number of strict injunctions against them. An Ahmadiyyat is not allowed to make the pilgrimage to Mecca and they have faced death at the hands of militants. Only in the western democracies are they free to preach openly and declare themselves Moslem, only time will tell whether or not they will be taken seriously.

In recent years attempts have been made to modify the original pronouncements of Ahmad and to make the doctrines come more in line with orthodox Moslem belief. Though the present day doctrine has undergone significant transformation, the fact that Ahmad was such a prolific writer makes such attempts at obfuscation appear dishonest. His claim to be a prophet like Mohammed and the second coming of the Christian Messiah are documented and refute the modern day attempts to say they were only "Metaphorical."