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Accusations Answered Section > Was Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Sahib
of Qadian the Mujaddid (Renovator or Reformer) of the 14th Century?
Was Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Sahib of Qadian the Mujaddid (Renovator or Reformer) of the 14th
Century?:
Mujaddid (Renovator,
Reformer):
As it is accepted by Muslims that
prophethood has come to an end with the advent of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad, it is also agreed that mujaddids will be raised after him
from time to time for the reformation and regeneration of Muslim
Nation (Ummah). Abu Da'ud, regarded to be the most authentic
work of traditions from among ‘Sihah Sitta’ after
‘Bukhari’ and ‘Muslim’, mentions the following
report from the Holy Prophet:
"... Most surely Allah will raise from this Ummah at the commencement of every century one who will bring about the revival of their religion."
Such a person is known as a mujaddid. ‘Tajdid’ (renovation) signifies purging Islam of all alien conceptions that have entered into it with the passage of time, and resetting the picture of Islam in its original splendour. Time affects everything. It does not spare even religion. Interested persons do associate such practices and doctrines with religion as are detrimental to its cause. Islam had suffered the same fate. The task of a mujaddid, under these circumstances, is to revive and reveal the real beauty of the face of Islam to the world.
Mujaddid is Appointed by
God:
It must also be borne in mind that the
term (God will raise or appoint) has occurred in tradition for the
advent of a mujaddid, and appointment of anybody from human beings
signifies only his appointment from God. The same term has been used
in the Holy Qur'an for appointing messengers. This means that
the appointment of a mujaddid indicates the raising of a particular
person who has been bestowed with the gift of Divine revelation and
communication for a special purpose. Ulama and leaders, no doubt,
have always been present among Muslims and they too serve Islam in
their own way but a mujaddid is a servant of Islam with whom Almighty
God communicates and whom He appoints for a specific purpose, i.e.,
for the eradication of errors in religion that have weakened and
distorted the original form of Islam. Such mujaddids have been
appearing at the head of every century.
Authenticity of the Hadith of
Mujaddid:
Imam Sayuti writes in
‘Mirqat al-Sa'ud’ that all the preservers of Hadith
agree on the authenticity of this tradition, and fore-runners like
Hakim and Baihaqui and their successors like Abdul Fazal Iraqi and
Ibn-Hajar all approve of its genuineness. Ibni-Asakir too, after
accepting the truth of this tradition writes that this proves the
coming of mujaddid at the beginning of every century. Shah Wali Ullah
of Delhi in his book ‘Izalat al-Khifa’ and
‘Tafhimat-i-Ilahiyya’ also admits the authenticity
of this report.
Another argument for its genuineness is that other authentic traditions collaborate with it. In fact the basis of this tradition lies in the Holy Qur'an. The fundamental principle is that in spite of bringing prophethood to an end God will continue to communicate with the sages of this ummah for the eradication of errors that may find place in Islam from time to time. He would himself guide this nation, by raising mujaddids at different intervals. Free Communication of God with non-prophets has been mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. The mother of Moses, for instance, was not a prophetess, but the Holy Qur'an clearly says:
"And We revealed to the mother of Moses" (XXVIII:7).
At another place we observe:
"When We revealed to your mother what was revealed" (XX:38).
In both these verses Moses' mother has been referred to as the recipient of Divine revelation and this revelation was positive to such an extent that she put her son Moses in the river without any fear. Mother of Jesus was also spoken to by angels and she too was not a prophetess. Companions of Jesus were also not prophets, but the Holy Qur'an says:
"And when I revealed to the disciples" (V:111). About the saints of this 'ummah' we find:"Angels descend upon them" (XI. 30).
And again:
"They shall have good news in this world's life." (X : 64).
These ‘mubasharat’ in authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet have been called a part of prophethood:
"Nothing is left of prophethood except ‘mubashsharat’."
Moreover, in reports that have been agreed upon by all it has been mentioned that "as God spoke with non-prophets from among other nations, so shall He address to persons of this ‘Ummah’. Umar the Great was one of them." (Bukhari).
Thus if Divine communication is indispensable to a ‘mujaddid’ both the Qur'an and the genuine tradition confirm that God shall always communicate with such persons in this nation.
Claims of other
Mujaddids:
Another strong argument in favour of
the authenticity of this tradition is that many renowned Muslim
saints like Jalal-ud-Din Sayuti, Shah Wali Ullah of Delhi, Mujaddid
Alif Thani have openly declared themselves, in accordance with the
report, to be ‘mujaddids’ of respective centuries. To quote
one example I refer to Shaikh Ahmad of Sirhind who is very well-known
with the title of Mujaddid Alif Thani (Mujaddid of the second
thousand), and he is referred to as ‘Mujaddid Sahib’ among
common people. His claim can be found in the following words in one
of his letters:
"This knowledge has been derived from illumination of the lamp of prophethood... and the possessor of this knowledge and wisdom is the mujaddid of this thousand years... and it must be remembered that a ‘mujaddid’ has passed at the head of each century but the ‘mujaddid’ of a thousand years is different from the ‘mujaddid’ of the century."
This statement is true as the popularity of Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad in this part of the world has excelled all other previous ‘mujaddids’.
THE MUJADDID OF THE 14th
CENTURY:
Thus when it has been
established from the Holy Qur'an, traditions, sayings and claims of
other ‘mujaddids’ that the coming of a ‘mujaddid’
at the beginning of each century is essential, then exactly at the
head of the 14th century Hijrah the claim of being
a ‘mujaddid’ by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian was just in
accordance with the spirit and tradition of Islam. Quite obviously,
appearance of a ‘mujaddid’ at the beginning of each century
has been made essential; and if no ‘mujaddid’ had appeared
at the head of the 14th century not only the Hadith
had to be falsified but also the principle of the Holy Qur'an.
Moreover, the truth of the claims of Muslim saints must have also
become doubtful. Strangely enough more than one ‘mujaddid’
had appeared during the past centuries, but off the head of the
14th century nobody claimed to be a
‘mujaddid’ except Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
If we ponder a little deeply his position as a renovator becomes more established. He was gifted with Divine communication even fourteen or fifteen years before his claims. He was then a champion of the cause of Islam; a great defender of Islam against the onslaughts of other religions. He not only dealt with the old religions like Christianity and Hinduism with all the argumentative force at his command but also made a thorough analysis of the new movements in India like Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj. The example of no one else can be cited, who stood so firm to defend Islam at such a critical moment, and the Muslim world fully realised this fact. Years before his actual claim, his piety, righteousness and devotion to God were very well known to his intimate friends and relatives. His scholarship was also admitted on all hands.
While paying homage to a book by Hazrat Mirza Sahib a person who turned to be the greatest opponent of Ahmadiyya Movement said, "The like of it has not appeared in Islam before." This is a very strong evidence for truth-seekers. Even before his claim he was doing such a splendid service to Islam that it could only be compared with the activities of the mujaddids of the past. After proclaiming his mission his work gathered strength, so much so that the seed which was sown by him grew up into a huge tree whose branches now spread in the East and West.
Who Else is the
Mujaddid?
Every Muslim, every lover of the Qur'an
and Traditions [Hadith], and every lover of the Saints of
this nation must consider seriously that if Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is not
the mujaddid, who else is the mujaddid of the
14th Century Hijrah. The basic principle of
the Holy Quran cannot be untrue, the Hadith of mujaddid cannot
be a mere fabrication, those who had already claimed to be
mujaddids according to this tradition cannot be regarded as
mere impostors. If all this is true, the truth also is the fact that
a mujaddid must have been raised at the head of this century
and who is that person except Mirza Ghulam Ahmad? History to which we
are ourselves witnesses does not mention the name of a single person
except Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who claimed to be the mujaddid of
this century. The name of this or that person may be cited in haste
by some of us, but the point to be considered is whether these
persons declared it themselves that they had been appointed by God as
mujaddids of this century. Again, is there any person other
than the Great Mirza, who at the end of the
13th century and the beginning of the
14th century did such a yeoman service to the cause
of Islam? Service to Islam does not mean publication of a few books
and stirring the Muslims for some mundane and political objects, but
the real point is that who was the person who staked his all for the
glory of Islam in its grievous struggle against other religions? Who
was the person who shielded Islam against the assaults of hostile
forces? Who was he who fought day and night to establish the
superiority of Islam over other faiths? Who put forth before the
world the real picture of Islam? Who stirred the religious
consciousness of general Muslims and created such a strong movement
among his followers that they became the torch-bearers of Islam to
different nations of the world? Who gave the message of hope to the
tottering world of today?
On the one hand nobody has claimed to be a mujaddid of this age, on the other we observe that no one else has accomplished such a great task purely for the cause of Islam, and it is only Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who stands above all in his claims and mission. Therefore, anybody who rejects him in fact rejects the clear saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad about the raising of mujaddids at the commencement of each century.
Muslims must Co-operate with the
Mujaddid:
As there is no way out except to regard
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the mujaddid of the
14th century, it is also incumbent on us to join
hands with him in the struggle for Islam. To adopt an attitude of
indifference is in fact despising the Divine Commandments and
traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]. This should
mean that according to the will of God a mujaddid was raised
for the defence and support of Islam, but we do not recognise this
need. Besides this there is a clear direction of God in the Holy
Qur'an.
"O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah and be with the true ones" (IX:119).
Here special reference to the true ones is not for those who do not tell lies, as every Muslim is expected to abstain from it and in every country thousands of Muslims are found who speak truth, but the truthful ones are those who manifest the truth, in their actions. They are the persons who stand firm, and face all tribulations for the cause of the greatest truth in the world, i.e., Islam. Obviously there is no better person than a mujaddid to whom these words can apply.
Again we find in a tradition:
"He who dies in a condition that he has not recognised the lmam of his age, dies a death of ignorance."
Here ignorance does not mean kufr (infidelity) which results form denouncing a Prophet, but the ignorance of wisdom and learning of the lmam. The mujaddid is certainly the lmam of his age. He is interested in religious reformation and renovation and for this job he is especially enlightened by God and favourable circumstances are created by God for the success of his mission. Thus indifference to the mujaddid and practical negligence to his mission is in fact doing great harm to the cause of Islam. This is just putting obstacles in the way of Divine Will.
Mujaddid's
Task:
Removal of vices that have found
place in the Muslim nation is the first task of a mujaddid.
The greatest of evils, which came in trail of the materialistic
civilisation and education of Europe was the negligence of Muslims
towards Islam. This resulted in a total denial of Divine Revelation
which shook the very foundation of religion. Communication of God
with man is the real basis of religion. This engenders complete faith
in the existence of God. This inspires faith in Divine
knowledge. On this is based the relation of man with God. But what
was the effect of modern education on Muslim mind. Most of them
denied the existence of Divine Revelation. The task before the
mujaddid, therefore, was to prove the authenticity of
prophetic order for the guidance of mankind and to show that God has
been communicating with his humble servants during all these ages.
This could not be proved unless special emphasis was laid on the
attribute of Divine communication with human beings which is just
like His other attributes of listening, seeing and knowing. That is
why in his book Barahin Ahmadiyya, which is the first and his
largest book, the Founder has laid great stress on this aspect of the
question. The continuity of Divine revelation has been proved not
only by forceful arguments deduced from Islamic Shariah, but
also by the evidence of his own personal experience. No doubt the
mujaddid of past centuries claimed to have Divine
communication but the emphasis on this point found in the works of
the mujaddid of the 14th century cannot be traced
in their writings. This is only because the greatest evil of the
present time was this negation of Divine communication. The rejection
was sometimes made in the form that Almighty God spoke with His
servants in the past but has ceased doing so now, and sometimes in
the form that Revelation from God was simply a subjective experience
and it did not descend on man's heart from outside. The foundation of
religion was shaken both ways. If Almighty God used to speak before,
why should He be deprived of this attribute now? If He spoke before
He must speak now. And if Revelation is considered just an inner
voice, then the existence of God, faith in Him and His knowledge are
nothing but mere tales and the whole prophetic order reduces itself
to nought. To institute the truth of prophetic order it was however
essential that a true faith in the existence of God be established
and this could not be achieved unless Divine communion with God was
properly substantiated. To clarify this point the Founder put forth
his own visions and inspirations in which future events were foretold
and he mentioned his own evidence for their verification. These
prophecies were in fact advanced by him just to establish, in a way,
the veracity of prophethood, and for this reason alone the word
‘prophet’ too was used by him. The literal meaning of his
word is one who informs of the unseen matters or one who makes
prophecies. The real object of the use of this word in its dictionary
sense (and not in the terminology of shariah) was, to make
people know that the faith in the Holy Prophet Muhammad and other
prophets could not be maintained unless communication with God was
definitely proved. If continuity of Divine communication is rejected,
all matters relating to prophethood become dubious. The real faith in
the existence of God too depends on this great fact of Revelation.
Influence of the materialistic education of the West had shaken such
a belief to its core. The first object before the Mujaddid of
this age, therefore, was to create a real faith in God so that man
may develop a genuine association with his Creator. The result of
religious outlook on life is a complete and living faith in God.
This could not be revived unless the phenomenon of Divine Revelation
was established as a living reality.
His Second
Task:
The second great mistake in which most
of the Muslims were involved was about the right place of the Holy
Qur'an in their life. It was the real strength of the Holy Qur'an
that had made them once a powerful nation in the world. The Holy
Qur'an was the fountain-head of Islamic Shariah. Through the
Qur'an and the practice of the Holy Prophet, Muslim leaders of
Ijtihad derived the solution of existing problems. But,
unfortunately, the knowledge of the Holy Qur'an among Muslims had
dwindled away gradually. In Islamic institutions all sorts of lessons
were taught, but the Holy Qur'an was relegated to a backward
position. Muslim Ulama and masses read commentaries of the
Holy Qur'an for grammatical knowledge of orthography, etymology,
syntax, etc., and Muslims in general recited it for future reward
(thawab). The indifference of Muslims towards properly
educating themselves in the Holy Qur'an made them lethargic in all
spheres of life. One prominent aspect of the life of the Mujaddid
of the 14th century was his deep knowledge and
love of the Holy Qur'an. Whatever time he could spare, even when he
was engaged in worldly pursuits in fulfilment of his father's wishes,
he spent it in reading and pondering over the pages of the Holy
Qur'an. During his stay at Sialkot and later at Qadian the Holy
Qur'an was always his guide and companion in solitary moments. What
was after all the object of his book Barahin-i-Ahmadiyya? Its
very name i.e., "Arguments in support of the reality of the Holy
Qur'an and the prophethood of Muhammad" suggests that it was full of
conclusive proofs for the truth of the Holy Qur'an. It was his habit
to go through the whole of the Qur'an when writing on any
important subject. He held this Book above everything else. The three
sources of Islamic Shariah were put by him in the following
order:
(1) Holy Qur'an, (2) Sunnah (3) Hadith, and (4) Fiqh (Jurisprudence).
This page was printed from the 'Official Website of the Ahmadiyya
Anjuman Isha'at-e-Islam Lahore (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for
the Propagation of Islam)'
located at http://aaiil.org
or http://www.aaiil.org