The True Succession: Founding of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
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The True Succession Founding of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Zahid Aziz Dedication This book is dedicated to all the pioneers who, with toil and sacrifice, helped to build and sustain the world-wide Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore on foundations so firm that it reached its centenary. “Hundreds of worthy people have spent their lives on constructing this building … Those people are countless who sacrificed their daily bread or sold their possessions to spend on this construction… Earnest pleas before the Almighty have come from the hearts, and tears shed during prayers which would fill a river… Hands luminous with Divine light laid the foundation, builders possessing the highest skills carried out the construction, and honest, sincere labourers working purely for Allah’s pleasure helped to build it.” — Maulana Muhammad Ali The True Succession Founding of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement Preserving the original Ahmadiyya Mission of reform, propagation of Islam, and inter-Muslim unity and tolerance by Zahid Aziz Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore Publications, U.K. 2014 A LAHORE AHMADIYYA PUBLICATION Published 2014 Copyright © 2014 by Ahmadiyya Anjuman Lahore Publications, U.K. 15 Stanley Avenue, Wembley, U.K., HA0 4JQ Websites: www.aaiil.org www.ahmadiyya.org e-mails: [email protected] [email protected] This book is available on the Internet at www.ahmadiyya.org. Cover photo: One of the minarets at the Ahmadiyya Buildings Mosque, Lahore, the location where the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore was founded in 1914. ISBN: 978-1-906109-30-1 Preface This book is an account of the founding, in 1914, of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam at Lahore (then in India, now Pakistan), and covers the background, the events and the issues in relation to the creation, objectives and work of this organi- zation. It aims to show that this body was created to save the mission of propagation of Islam started by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and to preserve his teachings and beliefs, in the face of the grave threat that arose within the Movement to undermine its true character. In this book, I have compiled material from existing Lahore Ahmadiyya publications, and have edited it as necessary and verified references within it by checking against the original sources. I have also added many further details by consulting the original sources directly, in particular Ahmadiyya Movement publications before and around the year 1914. Developments of much later times are also covered, particularly in chapter 7. This book is being published to mark the centenary of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore. Time has vindicated its interpretation of the teachings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in two ways. Firstly, today that interpretation is showing the light to the Muslim world as to how to resolve its intractable problems; but that topic is beyond the scope of this book. Sec- ondly, the Lahore Ahmadiyya view of his claims and beliefs has triumphed over the erroneous standpoint of the group which be- lieves him to be a prophet and treats all other Muslims as outside the fold of Islam. As we show in chapter 7, that group has been retreating from its un-Islamic doctrines of 1914 ever since. Zahid Aziz, Dr February 2014 i Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said: “Among the most sincere friends in our community is Maulvi Muhammad Ali, M.A. … I am sure that by the grace of God he will prove to be so firm in righteousness and love of religion that he will set an example worthy to be followed by his peers.” (1899) “I wish that such people could be produced who would do the kind of work that Maulvi Muhammad Ali sahib is doing. There is no certainty of life, and he is all alone. We cannot see anyone who can assist him or take his place.” (1905) Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din declared: “[Maulvi Muhammad Ali] is a friend of mine and my arm, at whose sinceri- ty I am amazed and I envy it also.” (1909) “The people of Lahore are sincere. They love Hazrat [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad] sahib. … the works which they have performed, you should also try to do the same.” (1912) “Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din does not work out of hypocrisy. He works only for Allah. This is my belief about him. Of course, he can make mistakes. I am happy with his works. There is blessing in them. Those who spread mistrust about him are the hypocrites. … He is engaged in a good work. None of you can compete with him. … Can any of you do the work which Kamal-ud-Din is doing?” (1913) ii Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................ 1 2. Fulfilling the aims of the Founder of the Movement ........... 7 Spreading knowledge of Islam in the West ......................... 7 Translations of the Holy Quran .......................................... 13 Book ‘The Religion of Islam’ ............................................ 15 Sunrise from the West prophecy.......................................... 16 3. Services during life of the Founder of the Movement ....... 26 Maulana Muhammad Ali joins Movement ......................... 26 Promised Messiah’s first assessments of the Maulana ........ 27 The magazine Review of Religions ...................................... 29 The plague incident.............................................................. 30 High estimation of Maulana’s knowledge and sacrifice...... 32 Appointed Secretary of Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya ............ 33 Gives pen to Maulana in dream ........................................... 34 Directs the Maulana to write book on Islam ....................... 35 The Maulana to be with Promised Messiah in after-life...... 36 Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din ........................................................ 37 Services during the 1904 court case hearings ..................... 39 Revelation husn-i bayan ..................................................... 40 Last month of life of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad............ 41 Lecture Paigham Sulh (‘Message of Peace’)....................... 43 4. Services during time of Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din....... 49 English translation of the Holy Quran ................................. 51 Starts work on translation ................................................... 52 Calcutta Convention of Religions........................................ 58 Debate at Rampur ............................................................... 60 iii iv CONTENTS Religious convention at Allahabad ..................................... 61 Devotion to cause even at wife’s death ............................... 67 Lectures in Bangalore ......................................................... 69 Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din goes to England.............................. 73 5. Events of the Split .................................................................. 84 Death of the Promised Messiah and bai‘at of Maulana Nur-ud-Din ......................................................................... 84 Questions about Anjuman versus khalifa............................. 85 Maulana Nur-ud-Din’s 1912 visit to Lahore — exonerates Lahore members ................................................ 90 Defends Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din in khutbas......................... 94 The scandal of calling Muslims as kafir and the establishment of the Ansarullah party ................................. 95 Maulana Muhammad Ali writes tracts to clarify beliefs...... 96 Maulana Nur-ud-Din’s death and subsequent events........... 97 Maulana Muhammad Ali’s emigration from Qadian ........ 100 6. Founding of Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam Lahore 103 Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya................................................. 106 Fate of Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya in Qadiani Jama‘at..... 111 Khilafat .............................................................................. 115 7. Retraction of beliefs by the Qadiani Jama‘at .................... 119 Who is ‘Ahmad’ in Jesus’s prophecy in the Quran?.......... 120 The final retraction on this prophecy................................. 123 Declaring other Muslims as kafir and its reversal ............. 123 Retraction by Mirza Nasir Ahmad, 3rd Khalifa................. 126 Definition of ‘Muslim’ submitted to National Assembly .. 127 Belief in Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophet ........... 128 Meaning of al-akhira in the Quran, 2:4 ............................ 135 Conclusion ....................................................................... 136 8. Summary ............................................................................. 139 Bibliography ........................................................................... 142 Index ....................................................................................... 144 1. Introduction The name Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam means ‘The Ah- madiyya Association for the Propagation of Islam’.* The terms Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement and Jama‘at Ahmadiyya Lahore are often used to refer to it, and its members are also generally known as ‘Lahori Ahmadis’. The term Qadiani Jama‘at is often used, as in this book, to refer to the section of the Ahmadiyya Movement which remained based in Qadian, later shifting its base to Rabwah in Pakistan, and has been headed by a series of khalifas who, since 1984, live in the U.K. As to the reason for the creation of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha‘at Islam at Lahore, Maulana Muhammad Ali has explained it in the preface to his English booklet, The Ahmadiyya Move- ment — IV: The Split, published in 1918, as follows: “…a great misconception prevails as to the true reasons of the split which is due, not to a desire