Islamic World

Q: Who are Qadiyanis?

A: Qadiyanis also known as Mirzai, Ahmadi, Lahori, etc. are a sect of people who do not believe that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last prophet. The founder of the sect Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835 - 1908) claimed to be the Messiah whose advent has been foretold by the Holy prophet of Islam and whose advent was awaited by Jews, Christians and Muslims. The mainstream muslims do not consider Qadiyanis muslims (see below).

Q: Where and how did this all begin?

A: Begun in India, inspired and actively supported by the British colonial power. In the mid nineteenth century the British thought that Islam as the Deen of Allah was dead, but the War of Independence of 1857 and the leading role of Muslims through the spirit of Jihad, scared the British. They actively sought an alternative to real Islam. Among the many things they did, one was the foundation of a new religion in the name of Islam by the hands of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani. The British gave Mirza full support and an outline; and he filled in the details.

Q: What is the background of Mirza Ghulam Qadiyani?

A: He said that his name was Ghulam Ahmad, son of Ghulam Murtaza, belonging to the caste of Mughal Barlas who came to India from Samarqand. Later he changed his origins and claimed to be a Persian. He again had a change of mind and claimed to belong to the progeny of Fatima bint Muhammad(S). He was born in 1839-40 in Qadiyan, District of Gordaspur, Punjab, India in a family who were subservient to the British and played a heroic role in defending the British in the War of 1857. Ghulam remained proud of his and his family's services to the British crown and advised his followers to remain loyal to the British Government and the West. Qadiyanis, the followers of Ghulam Ahmad, established good liaison with the State of Israel immediately after its establishment and Israel gave them full protection.

Q: When did he claim to be a Prophet?

A: The 1870s was a period of debates between Hindus against Muslims and Christians against Muslims. Muslims did not start those debates but Muslim scholars were winning all of them and winning the hearts of the Muslim masses. Ghulam saw an opening to gain popularity and taught himself the art of debating against Hindus and became popular by 1877. In 1880 he published his first book Baraheen-i-Ahmadiyyah and established himself as a writer. By 1884 he added three more volumes to the same book and in 1885 he claimed himself to be a Mujaddid, a revivalist of Islam. In 1891 he claimed himself to be the Promised Mehdi and a Promised Messiah. During this period he insisted that he was not a prophet declaring that such a claim would make him a kaafir and a liar. Well! In 1901 Ghulam declared, "by Allah in Whose grip is my soul it is He Who commissioned me and named me a prophet" and he declared that Allah gave him "three hundred thousand". Note that Allah's true messengers and prophets received their assignment suddenly not step-wise like Ghulam. By Ghulam's own declarations, now he became a Kaafir and a liar. (Abstract from QADIYANIAT, AN ANALYTICAL SURVEY, by Ehsan Ilahi Zaheer.)

Q: Why do mainstream Muslims not consider Qadiyanis muslims?

A: As seen in above question, according to Ghulam he was a Kafir. It is the same according to all muslims. Muslims consider that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last prophet and anybody else claiming otherewise is an imposter and a unbeliever. So by that standards, Qadiyanis are not muslims.

Q: Did prophet Muhammad (pbuh) say that he is the last prophet?

A: It has been said in the holy Quran and in hadiths that prophet Muhammed (pbuh) is the last prophet. Here are some of the references proving that.

"O people ! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but verily, he is the Apostle of God and the last in the line of Prophets. And God is Aware of everything." (Surah Al Ahzab: 40)

Here Allah tells us clearly that prophet Mohammad (pbuh) is the last prophet and there would be no one after him. Similarly the following hadiths say the same thing.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "The tribe of Israel was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed away, another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will come after me; only caliphs will succeed me." (Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).

The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) affirmed: "The chain of Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There shall be no Messenger nor Prophet after me." (Tirmidhi, Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un- Nubuwwa, Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas bin Malik)

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am Muhammad, I am Ahmad, I am the effacer and infidelity shall be erased through me; I am the assembler. People shall be assembled on Doomsday after my time. (In other words Doom is my only successor.) And I am the last in the sense that no prophet hall succeed me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab: Asmaun-Nabi; Tirmidhi, Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta', Kitab-u-Asma in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim, Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.)

'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported: "I heard Abdullah bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy Prophet (PBUH) came out of his house and joined our company. His manner gave us the impression as if he were leaving us.' He said, 'I am Muhammad, the unlettered prophet of Allah' and repeated this statement three times. Then he affirmed: "There will be no prophet after me'."(Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr ibn'-As.)

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) told Hadrat 'Ali, "You are related to me as Aaron was related to Moses(peace be upon him). But no Apostle will come after me." (Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il as-Sahaba)

Q: Still, is it not possible that Mirza Gulam Ahmad of Qadiyan is a prophet? Maybe god decided later that there needs to be another prophet?

A: No, it is not possible. Also god is not short sighted to have made changes in what he has decided. The traditions of the prophet (pbuh) clearly says:

Thauban reports: "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: And there will arise Thirty imposters in my Ummah and each one of them will pronounce to the world that he is a prophet, but I am the last in the line of the Prophets of God and no Apostle will come after me." (Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Fitan)

So prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did warn us against fake prophets and like Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian.

Q: There are group of Qadiyanis who do not consider Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet, who are they?

A: There is a group among Qadiyanis who call themselves "Ahmadis of Lahore" (or Lahoris) who claim that Ghulam Ahmad was not a prophet but "the Promised Messiah or Al-Masih Al-Maw'oud" but this is using a back door and deception. Ahmadis of Lahore say that Ghulam Ahmad was not a prophet but the Promised Messiah and take Mirza as the sole authority to explain and interpret the Qur'an and Hadith which gives him authority to abrogate certain laws of Islam and invent new laws. According to the Muslims the position of both, Qadiyanis (believers in the prophethood of Ghulam Ahmad) and Ahmadis of Lahore, are identical and both are heretics and blaspheme the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

Q: You call Qadiyanis as Hypocrites, what proof can you give?

A: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad declared that "Jihad", as an instrument of war (defensive or offensive), was forbidden by him. His followers, Qadiyanis, continue to present themselves to the West as pacifists, anti-war "Muslims". As recently as Summer, 1996 in their annual convention in Washington, D.C. area, they presented themselves as peaceful "Muslims" who did not believe in war. The national media in the U.S. took note of it and presented "Ahmadiya Muslims" as pacifists. The truth is that Qadiyanis entered the armed forces of Pakistan from the time of the formation of the country and rose to the highest ranks of officers corp in all branches, namely, army, air force and navy . With the blessings of their "Khalifah" they participated in wars against India. When the "Khalifah" was questioned he defended his position and reiterated that his father, Ghulam Qadiyani, the founder of the cult, was not a pacifist.

Q: The founder of Qadiyanis made a lot of prophecies, does it not make him a prophet?

A: The Quran, like earlier books (Torah, etc) believe that the most truthful evidence of prophethood are prophecies. Let us examine some of the prophecies made by the father of Qadyanis.

Rains and earthquakes: Ghulam Ahmad wrote, "God revealed to me that frequent rains will come down. Due to their frequency villages will be destroyed. After them will follow severe earthquakes". He did not specify where and when. If it was to be in India, there are some regions which receive a lot of rain and there are other areas which feel earthquakes. This is not a prophecy.

Abdullah Atham's death: A Christian, Abdullah Atham entered into a debate with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1893; neither succeeded in winning over the other. It was embarrassing to Ghulam Ahmad and feeling insulted, on June 5, 1883 he announced that he had been informed by God that Abdullah Atham would die within fifteen months, that is, September 5, 1894. Ghulam Ahmad supplicated to God for the death of Abdullah Atham by his announced date of death and he asked his followers to join him in praying for the curse to come true. The deadline came and went but Abdullah Atham lived and for a long time. Ghulam's invocations and supplications were of no use and Allah proved that he was not His prophet.

Multiple marriages: On February 20, 1886 Ghulam Ahmad declared that indeed Allah revealed to him that he shall marry blessed women and he shall have numerous children from these new wives. He was then 46 years old. The fact remains that he could not marry anyone after his declared revelation from Allah despite several efforts and a crush on Muhammadi Begum.

Marriage to Muhammadi Begum: Ghulam Ahmad at age 46 had a crush on a young lady by the name of Muhammadi Begum daughter of Ahmad Beg, one of his followers. Ghulam asked her father to marry her to himself which he refused. Ghulam Ahmad announced a prophecy that she will be married to him because Allah had married her to him and no one had power to turn away from that becoming true. He offered bribes of estate and wealth to Ahmad Beg. When it did not work he begged for his pity, brought family pressure and finally made threats. The first prophecy of marriage to Muhammadi Begum failed. Ahmad Beg did not budge from his position and married his daughter to an ordinary soldier. Ghulam Ahmad prophesied that the husband of Muhammadi Begum would die soon and she would be married to him since their marriage had taken place in the heavens. He fixed a three year period for the death of the soldier husband of his beloved lady. Twenty two years later Ghulam Ahmad died but the soldier lived for another forty years and she lived even longer. The second prophecy of marriage to Muhammadi Begum failed.

A spark of the light of God: A son was born to Ghulam Ahmad on June 14, 1899 when he was 59 years old. He gave him the name, Mubarak Ahmad and declared, "this lad is indeed a spark of the light of God, the promised reformer, the owner of greatness and authority, possessor of healing breath like the Messiah, curer of diseases, a word of God and lucky. He will become famous in the four corners of the world, he will set prisoners free and through him all nations will be blessed." Allah had His plan to prove once again that Ghulam Ahmad was neither a prophet nor "the Promised Messiah" by showing that He did not reveal anything to him nor inspired him with anything nor chose him a prophet nor divinely guided him (Mehdi). Mubarak Ahmad died of natural causes at age 8 in 1907, less than a year before the death of the false prophet and the false messiah.

The birth of another son: When Ghulam Ahmad's wife became pregnant, he announced on January 1, 1903, "Praise be to Allah Who bestowed upon me in spite of old age four sons and has given me good news of a fifth". On January 28, 1903 his wife delivered a daughter who died in infancy. This was first failed prophecy of a son. His wife became pregnant again and he prophesied that she will deliver a son about whom he said, "the son of nobility will be born - a lad goodly-shaped and handsome." She delivered a baby girl on June 24, 1904. This was the second failed prophecy of a son.

Again a son: After two disappointments and proving himself to be a false prophet, he announced again that Allah had given him the news, "Verily, We give you tidings of a meek boy." He announced the date of the birth of the boy to be September 16, 1907 which was never fulfilled. This was the third false prophecy of a son. In October 1907 he pronounced yet another revelation from Allah, "I shall soon bestow upon you a righteous boy" and his name was announced to be Yahya. Alas, the prophesied son never came and the false prophet Ghulam Ahmad himself died on May 26, 1908. This was the fourth false prophecy of a son.

A son to one of his followers: Manzoor Muhammad, one of his followers, informed him that his wife was pregnant. Ghulam Ahmad prophesied cautiously in stages that Manzoor's wife will deliver a boy from this pregnancy or from a later pregnancy and child's name will be "Bashir-ud-Dawla". After such safeguards in his prophecy he emphasized, "Manzoor Muhammad's wife shall not die unless she gives birth to this noble son and until his prophecy is fulfilled." Manzoor Muhammad's wife delivered a baby girl and afterwards she never conceived and died without giving a boy. Doesn't it look like Ghulam Ahmad was working against Allah's Will?

The plague: Ghulam Ahmad feared plague very much and declared it to be one of his signs. He prophesied that the epidemic then ravaging in the Indian Province of Punjab will not enter his town of Qadiyan because it was the dwelling place of "God's prophet." God proved him a liar again. Plague spread in Qadiyan and in Ghulam Ahmad's own house; his maid and a few of his followers died of plague

The death of Dr. Abdul Hakim: Dr. Abdul Hakim entered into a discussion with Ghulam Ahmad, challenged him to an open debate and called him a liar. Ghulam Ahmad did not take it very well and prophesied, "Abdul Hakim will die during my life-time as he insults and disgraces me." On May 4, 1907 Dr. Abdul Hakim responded with his own prediction that Ghulam Ahmad will die within fifteen months, that was by August 4, 1908. Ghulam Ahmad responded to Dr. Abdul Hakim's prediction by adding to his own prophecies:

(a) Dr. Abdul Hakim will die during the life-time of Ghulam Ahmad, and,

(b) Ghulam Ahmad will live to be eighty years of age, which was to be 1920 or later.

Ghulam Ahmad died within a year on May 26, 1908, at age 68 and Dr. Abdul Hakim lived for many more years to become an old man.

So you see, everytime he made any prophecies Allah proved it false so that people can see the liars true face.

Q: Interesting! Are there other famous so called muslims recently who claimed to be prophets?

A: Yes there are. As Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) prophesised that there would be thirty imposters before the last day (see above) there have been some in recent years as well. One of the most famous is Elijah Muhammad, founder of the sect called Nation of Islam and other most famous is Rashid Khalifa who founded the Submitters sect.