Belief of Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as)

The main thrust of the opposition to the claim of Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad has been, and continues to be, that he claimed to be a Prophet in contradiction of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] being the Seal of the Prophets as mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.1 This objection derives from deliberate misrepresentation of his claim. His opponents first wrongly defined Prophethood as confined to law-bearing Prophets and then turned around and condemned him on the ground that he virtually claimed to be such a Prophet, and this in the face of his repeated and emphatic denial of such a claim. Innumerable times he affirmed that he  believed that the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] was the Seal of the Prophets in its highest and widest meaning and that his own claim of Prophethood meant only that he was favoured with frequent converse with God; that he had brought no new law, was completely subject to the Holy Qur’an and that he had been favoured with frequent converse by God on account of his utter devotion to the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and as his perfect reflection. This is put beyond doubt by the following extracts from his writings.

From amongst the lovers of the Holy Qur’

an and of the Holy Prophet are we;This is the path by which we came and which we shall always follow.

The summary and essence of our faith is that:

There is no one worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is

the Messenger of Allah.

Our belief that we profess in this life and with which, through the favour of God Almighty, we shall pass on to

the next life, is that our lord and master, Muhammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] is the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of Messengers, at whose hands the faith was perfected and the bounty was completed through which, by treading the straight path, a person can reach God Almighty. We believe with absolute certainty that the Holy Qur’an is the last of the heavenly books and that not a word or vowel point of its laws and limits and commandments can be added to or subtracted from. No revelation can now be received from God, which can have the effect of modifying or abrogating the commandments of the Holy Qur’an, or of changing any single one of its directions. Anyone who thinks otherwise is, according to us, not believer, and is a heretic and kafir. We also believe that even the lowest stage of the straight path cannot become available to a person without following the Holy Prophet  [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] let alone the higher stages of that path. We cannot attain to any stage of honour and perfection or of nearness to God except through the true and perfect following of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Whatever is bestowed upon us is by way of reflection and through the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

[Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 3, pp. 169-170]

The five pillars on which Islam is based are part of our faith. We hold fast to the Word of God, the Holy Qur’an, to which we are commanded to hold fast. Like Faruq (may Allah be pleased with him), we announce that the Book of Allah suffices us, and like ‘Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her), when there is a difference between the Qur’an and Hadith, we give priority to the Qur’an. We believe that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah and that our lord and master, Muhammad, the chosen one [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] is His Messenger and is Khatam-ul-Anbiya’. We believe in angels, the true nature of resurrection (spiritual resurrection) of the bodies, the Day of Judgement, Heaven and Hell. We believe that whatever the Glorious and Majestic God has stated in the Holy Qur’an and whatever the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] has said, is true. We believe that whoever subtracts the smallest particle from the law of Islam or adds to it, or lays the foundation of neglecting obligations and of indifference towards them, is without faith and is turned away from Islam.

I admonish the members of my Community that they should have true faith in the credo that:

There is no one worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is

the Messenger of Allah.

and that they should die in this faith. They should believe in all Prophets and all books, the truth of which is affirmed by the Holy Qur’an. They should observe the fast and perform the Salat and pay the Zakat and perform the pilgrimage and carry out all that God Almighty and His Messenger have prescribed and should abstain from all that they have forbidden and thus conform in every respect to Islamic commandments. We consider it our duty to accept all that is supported by the consensus of the righteous ones who have passed away and all that is considered as part of Islam by the consensus of the Ahl-i- Sunnat. We call to witness the heaven and the earth that this is our faith.

[Ayyam-us-Sulah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 14, p. 323]

I call Allah the Exalted to witness that I am not a nonbeliever. I believe that:

There is no one worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is

the Messenger of Allah.

I believe about the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] that:

.... but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets.’—

al-Ahzab, 33:41

I make declarations on the truthfulness of this statement of mine equal to the names of Almighty Allah, and the number of words in the Holy Qur’an, and in accordance with the perfections attained by the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] in the determination of Allah. No part of my doctrine is contrary to the commandments of Allah and His Messenger. If anyone thinks so, it must be due to his misunderstanding. Anyone who still considers me a kafir, and does not desist from calling me one, should remember that he will be called to account for it after his death. I call God, the Glorious, to witness that I have such firm faith in God and His Messenger that if the faith of all the people of this age were placed on one side of the scale and my faith is placed on the other side, then, by Allah's grace, my faith would prove to be the heavier.

[Karamat-us-Sadiqin, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 7, p. 67]

The purport of my teaching is: Believe in God as One without associate, and have sympathy with God's creatures and be of good conduct and think no ill. Be such that no disorderliness or mischief should approach your heart. Utter no falsehood, invent no lies and cause no hurt to anyone whether by your tongue or your hands. Avoid all manner of sin and restrain your passions. Try to become pure hearted, without vice. It should be your principle to have sympathy for all human beings. Safeguard your hands, your tongues and your thoughts against all impure objects and disorderly ways and all kinds of deceit. Fear God and worship Him with pure hearts. Refrain from committing wrong, trespass, embezzlement, taking bribes or unfair partisanship and keep away from evil companions. Safeguard your eyes against treachery and your ears against listening to backbiting. Entertain no ill designs against the members of any religion or any tribe or group. Be sincere counsellors for everyone. Let no mischief-maker or one given to bad behavior ever be of your company. Shun every vice and try to acquire every virtue. Your hearts should be free from deceit, your hands should be innocent of wrong and your eyes should be free from impurity. Take no part in any evil or transgression. Put forth your utmost efforts to recognize God, finding Whom is salvation and meeting Whom is deliverance. He manifests Himself to him who seeks Him with love and sincerity of heart, and He reveals Himself to him who becomes truly His. Pure hearts are His thrones, and tongues that are free from falsehood, abuse and vain talk are the places of His revelation. He who loses himself in seeking His pleasure becomes a manifestation of His miraculous power.

[Kashf-ul-Ghita’, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 14, pp. 187-188]

Bear in mind that it is our faith that the last book and last law is the Holy Qur’an and that thereafter till the Day of Judgement, there is no law-bearing Prophet nor any recipient of revelation who is not a follower of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. This door is closed till the Day of Judgement, but the door of revelation through following the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] is ever open. Such revelation will never be cut off, but law-bearing Prophethood or independent Prophethood have been put to an end and will not be opened till the Day of Judgement. He who says he is not a follower of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] and claims that he is a law-bearing Prophet, or is a Prophet without bearing a law, is like one who has been carried away by a fierce flood and is thrown aside and cannot recover himself till he dies.

[Review bar Mubahatha Batalwi and Chakralvi, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 19, p. 213]

It is an attractive principle that promotes peace and lays down the foundations of good accord and helps moral conditions that we should accept as true all the Prophets, whether they appeared in India or Persia or China or in any other country, and God established their honour and greatness in millions of hearts and made firm the roots of their religions and let them flourish for centuries. This is the principle that the Qur’an has taught us and according to this principle, we honour the founder of every religion, which has become well established, whether of the Hindus or of the Persians or of the Chinese or of the Jews or of the Christians.

[Tohfah Qaisariyyah, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 12, pp. 259]

The truth of a Prophet might be known in three ways:

First, through reason. It needs to be considered whether reason affirms that a Prophet or reformer should appear at the time when a Prophet or a Messenger claims to have come, and whether the condition of mankind demands such a reformer.

Secondly, the prophecies of previous Prophets should be studied whether any of them had prophesied concerning his appearance or concerning the appearance of a Prophet at the time of his advent.

Thirdly, it should be considered whether there is Divine help or heavenly support for his claim.

These three conditions have been laid down from ancient times for testing the claim of a true commissioned one of God.

God has had mercy upon you and has established all three conditions in my support and it is up to you to accept me or not.

[Lecture Sialkot, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 20, p. 241]

From the beginning, I have been of the view that no one becomes kafir or dajjal by rejecting my claim. Such a one would certainly be in error and astray from the right path. I do not call him faithless but he who rejects the truth that God Almighty has disclosed to me would be in error and astray from the straight path. I do not designate anyone who believes in the Kalimah as a kafir, unless by rejecting me and calling me a kafir, he himself becomes a kafir. In this matter, my opponents have always taken the lead. They called me kafir and prepared edicts against me. I did not take the lead in preparing edicts against them. They would be prepared to confess that if I am a Muslim in the estimation of God Almighty, then by calling me kafir they themselves become kafirs according to the edict of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. Thus, I do not call them kafir; they themselves fall within the purview of the edict of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him].

[Tiryaq-ul-Qulub, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 15, pp. 432-433]