What will make me a Muslim?

Questions to a non-Ahmadi Muslim friend

On 7 September 1974, the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan was passed, declaring members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community non-Muslims. This led to the systematic and continuous persecution of Ahmadis by fanatical Muslim groups and State actors. Over the past five decades, the relentless hounding of Ahmadis by the Sunni clergy in Pakistan has given rise to anti-Ahmadiyya hatred and violence in other countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Yet, to this day, none of the Sunni, Shi’ite or Sufi clerics who had joined hands against Ahmadis in 1974, nor any of their successors, has ever been able to produce evidence from the Quran or Hadith that Ahmadis are non-Muslims. The Second Amendment was simply a political move with a veneer of theology, but the masses remain ignorant of this reality. They continue to be duped by their Maulvis, Mullahs, politicians and media.

The following is a conversation between an Ahmadi Muslim and a non-Ahmadi Muslim. It illustrates the sheer absurdity of the Second Amendment and of the anti-Ahmadiyya mindset.

Friend, I am puzzled by your answers to my questions. Let me refresh your memory.

According to what you told me:

Does reciting the shahadah make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does praying salat make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does paying zakat make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does keeping fasts in Ramadan make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does performing hajj make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does turning to the Qiblah during Salat make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does eating Halal make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does reading the Quran make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does building mosques make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does calling their children by Muslim names make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does praying Tahajjud, Nawafil or Tarawih make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does giving Sadaqah make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does doing Qurbani of cattle make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does celebrating ‘aqiqah make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does celebrating the two ‘Eids make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does observing the Jumu’ah prayers make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does calling the Adhan make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.
Does believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, good and bad destiny, and the resurrection after death make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.

Does believing in Allah and in all His Names and Attributes, and accepting all His commandments and His Shariah make Ahmadis become Muslims? NO.

Allah is our Witness that all these things form part and parcel of our faith.

I asked you: Were any of the above-mentioned things, or all of them together, enough to make Ahmadis become Muslims?

You said: No, no, no that is not enough to make you a Muslim!

So what, I asked, will make Ahmadis become Muslims?

And you told me: If they believe that “Khatm al-Nubuwwah” means “no prophet of any kind can come after Muhammad (sa) except Jesus (as) the 2000-year-old Israelite prophet,” that will allow Ahmadis to become Muslims!

When I asked you: Which sect of Islam should I join? You told me: Muslims are more or less the same; they are only divided for political and social reasons.

Once again, your answer puzzled me. Are Muslims really more or less the same?

So, Muslims in Asia who pray to all manner of saints at their graves are more or less the same as Muslims in Saudi Arabia who beat people if they pray at the tomb of Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (sa) because they believe that is Shirk?

So Muslims who say their five daily prayers are more or less the same as Muslims who meditate with music and who think they no longer need to perform Salat?

So Muslims who believe that Prophet Muhammad (sa) is dead and cannot hear them are more or less the same as Muslims who believe he is HaaDir wa Naadhir, omnipresent and can see all?

Are these social differences? I am puzzled.

You told me that according to the judgment of the scholars of the Sunnis, Shi’ites and Sufis of Pakistan, all seventy two sects that they belong to have the right to call themselves Muslim.

But, you said, I do not have that right. So, I asked you again: What must I do to be accepted as a Muslim?

And you reiterated what you had said before: Believe that there is no prophet of any kind after Muhammad (sa) except the Israelite Jesus (as) who was taken up into heaven alive and who will come back down again. If you believe that, it is sufficient to make you Muslim in the eyes of the worldwide Ummah!

And I asked you: Even if I pray to Saints at their graves? You said: Yes, that won’t invalidate your being a Muslim.

Even if I believe in Jinn-possession? You replied: Yes, that won’t harm your claim to be Muslim.

Even if I do the Mut’a “marriage” for one hour? You said: That’s just a minor point. That won’t annul your right to call yourself a Muslim.

Even if I do dhikr instead of Salat, to the tune of music and with people dancing about like madmen? You said: Yes, no problem, you can do all that and we of the other sects will still say you have the right to call yourself Muslim…

But all this perplexes me, my friend. Compare what you said to the simple definition of a Muslim given by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). Neither you nor your leaders ever present his definition when you are asked to define what makes a person Muslim. The Prophet (sa) said:

عَنْ حُذَيْفَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ اكْتُبُوا لِي مَنْ تَلَفَّظَ بِالإِسْلاَمِ مِنَ النَّاسِ ‏”‏‏.

“Write down for me [the names of] all those from among the people who call themselves Muslim”.‏

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 56, 265

عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ “‏ مَنْ صَلَّى صَلاَتَنَا، وَاسْتَقْبَلَ قِبْلَتَنَا، وَأَكَلَ ذَبِيحَتَنَا، فَذَلِكَ الْمُسْلِمُ الَّذِي لَهُ ذِمَّةُ اللَّهِ وَذِمَّةُ رَسُولِهِ

“Whoever prays our Salat, faces our Qiblah, and eats what we slaughter is a Muslim under the protection of Allah and His Messenger.”

Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book 8, 43

Now you know, my friend, that we Ahmadis fulfil all these definitions given by the Prophet (sa).

My friend, I challenge you to bring a definition of a Muslim from the Quran or Sunnah where it is clearly stated that the defining factor is to believe that Jesus is alive bodily and will come back down, and failure to do so entails that one loses the right to call oneself Muslim.

Why did the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) not add your scholars’ belief in Jesus (as) coming back bodily, as being the defining characteristic of a Muslim? Was he less wise than the scholars of Islam?

To add to my confusion, you also told me: As long as you are a person who believes that Khatm al-Nubuwwah means that after Muhammad al-Mustafa (sa), prophethood (even one without any new Shariah) cannot come but a 2000-year-old prophethood can come, then:

If you also believe that the Quran contains 5 or 10 or 50 or 500 verses that have been abrogated, you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe that you can swear at the first three Caliphs and the holy wives of the Prophet (sa), may Allah be pleased with them, you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe that the Imam Mahdi already appeared hundreds of years ago and has gone into hiding, you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe that the Quran is true when it makes Muhammad (sa) say that he cannot go up to heaven and come back down again because he is only a man and a Messenger (Quran, 17:93); but then simultaneously believe that he did go to heaven physically during his Miraj and later came back down again, you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe ‘Ali (ra) shared prophethood with Muhammad (sa), you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe in following Imams who swear, curse and do takfir on other Muslims of different sects, you are still a Muslim; or if you also believe that you should raise your hands in du’aa after every Salat, celebrate Milad al-Nabi or Ta’ziyeh (Matam) even though the Prophet (sa) did not have this practice, you are still a Muslim…

So I am puzzled, my friend. You told me that we Ahmadis can enter any group of Islam, however strange their beliefs and practices, just so long as we cease to believe in a non-lawbearing prophet after Muhammad (sa).

And to reinforce your statement, you quoted the Nawa-i-Waqt newspaper published on 6th October 1974, where it declared, regarding the decision of excommunication of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at from Islam, that…

’’اسلام کی تاریخ میں اس قدر پورے طور پر کسی اہم مسئلہ پر کبھی اجماع امت نہیں ہوا۔ اجماع امت میں ملک کے سب بڑے بڑے علمائے دین اور حاملان شرع متین کے علاوہ تمام سیاسی لیڈر اور ہر گروپ کے سیاسی راہنما کما حقہ متفق ہوئے ہیں اور صوفیائے کرام اور عارفین باللہ، برگزیدگان تصوف و طریقت کو بھی پورا پورا اتفاق ہوا ہے۔ قادیانی فرقہ کو چھوڑ کر جو بھی ۷۲ فرقے مسلمانوں کے بتائے جاتے ہیں سب کے سب اس مسئلہ کے اس حل پر متفق اور خوش ہیں‘‘ (نوائے وقت۶ ،اکتوبر ۱۹۷۴ء۔ صفحہ۴)

“Throughout the history of Islam, such an overwhelmingly complete consensus has never been reached on any important topic. Other than the great religious scholars, holders of Shara’, all the political leaders and political leaders of each group have agreed on this consensus of the Ummah. Other than these, all noble Sufis, ‘Aarifeen Billah, and the leaders of Tassawuf and such practices had complete agreement. Excluding Qadianis, all the rest of the 72 sects that are considered to be of Muslims, agreed and are happy on the solution of this affair.”

Nawa-i-waqt, Pg 4, 6 October 1974

…meaning that all of them agreed, that all other sects – whatever their despicable beliefs and practices – have every right to consider themselves as Muslims. However, because Ahmadis believe that the Messiah was born as a Muslim, Ahmadis can no longer remain as Muslim.

So, my friend, you told me to say: No prophet can ever come except the Israelite Jesus (as).

That one single belief will win me the tolerance of today’s Muslims for any unspeakable beliefs, superstitions, idolatry and evil practices I choose to follow, and I shall rightfully be able to call myself a Muslim and all others will rightfully call me a Muslim too!

My friend, to me, this is how you and your people close your eyes on all manner of sin and heinous transgression in your mad, enraged vendetta against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

The Holy Prophet (sa) said: Of the 73 sects, 72 will be in the fire and only one will be saved:

عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏”‏ افْتَرَقَتِ الْيَهُودُ عَلَى إِحْدَى وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً فَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَافْتَرَقَتِ النَّصَارَى عَلَى ثِنْتَيْنِ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً فَإِحْدَى وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ وَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسُ مُحَمَّدٍ بِيَدِهِ لَتَفْتَرِقَنَّ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ثَلاَثٍ وَسَبْعِينَ فِرْقَةً فَوَاحِدَةٌ فِي الْجَنَّةِ وَثِنْتَانِ وَسَبْعُونَ فِي النَّارِ ‏”‏ ‏.‏ قِيلَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَنْ هُمْ قَالَ ‏”‏ الْجَمَاعَةُ ‏”‏ ‏.

‏‘Awf bin Malik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (sa) said:

“The Jews split into seventy-one sects, one of which will be in Paradise and seventy in Hell.

The Christians split into seventy-two sects, seventy-one of which will be in Hell and one in Paradise.

I swear by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Muhammad, my nation will split into seventy-three sects, one of which will be in Paradise and seventy-two in Hell.” It was said: “O Messenger of Allah, who are they?” He said: “The Jama’at.”

Ibn Majah, Book 36, hadith 67

The prophecy has been fulfilled: 72 have aligned themselves together on one side, and one has been kicked to the other side.

Now show me when the Ahmadiyya Jama’at has ever aligned itself with 71 other sects claiming to be of Islam, to form a group of 72 sects against any one sect also claiming to be of Islam.

If it has, I will leave it.

For I fear the prophecy made by the Chief of the Prophets, the Best of Messengers, more exalted than all the Messengers, and the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

Do you?