The
Ahmadiyya
branch in
Islam
has relationships with a number of other religions.
Ahmadiyya consider themselves to be Muslim, but are not regarded as Muslim by mainstream Islam. Mainstream Muslim branches refer to the Ahmadiyya branch by the religious slur
Qadiani
, and to their beliefs as
Qadianism
[1]
a name based on
Qadian
, the small town in India's
Punjab region
where the founder of Ahmadiyya,
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
was born.
Christianity
[
edit
]
See also
:
Dajjal in Ahmadiyya Islam
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
, the founder of the Ahmadiyya branch, engaged in debates,
prayer duels
and written arguments with
Christian
missionaries. The Ahmadi teaching that
Jesus survived crucifixion
, traveled east in order to preach to the
Lost Tribes of Israel
and died naturally, as promoted by Ghulam Ahmad, continues to be a source of friction with Christianity, in which
vicarious atonement
and the
resurrection of Jesus
are central tenets.
[2]
The historian
Francis Robinson
states:
At their most extreme religious strategies for dealing with the Christian presence might involve attacking Christian revelation at its heart, as did the Punjabi Muslim, Ghulam Ahmad (d. 1908), who founded the Ahmadiyya missionary sect.
[
citation needed
]
Ahmadiyya teachings also identify the emergence of the
Antichrist
(
Al-Masih ad-Dajjal
) as foretold in
Islamic eschatology
with the missionary expansion and colonial dominance of
European Christianity
.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
Ghulam Ahmad, who wrote extensively on this topic, identified the Antichrist principally with
colonial missionaries
who, according to him, were to be countered through argumentation rather than by physical warfare.
[7]
[8]
While the term
Dajj?l
is taken as a reference to the forces of falsehood in matters of ideology and religious belief, prophecies concerning
Gog and Magog
(or
Ya?j?j Ma?j?j
) are taken as relating to the duplicity in the realm of politics and the shattering of world peace by the same forces ? whose ancestors are thought to be the
Slavic
and
Teutonic
peoples ? and are seen as embodied by the political (as opposed to religious) dominance of European powers.
[9]
[10]
[11]
The conflict between
Russia
and the
United States
as two superpowers, or the militant rivalry between the
communist
and
capitalist
systems and their impact over the nations of the world, are thus seen as having occurred in accordance with prophecies concerning Gog and Magog.
[12]
[13]
These views, too, have proven controversial with some Christians.
[
citation needed
]
Sikhism
[
edit
]
Ahmadis have recognised
Guru Nanak
, the founder of
Sikhism
, as a holy man since Ghul?m Ahmad carried out a detailed study of him and the history of Sikhism. Ahmadis believe that historically, Sikhism was a
Sufi
sect of Islam, a view strongly opposed by modern Sikhs.
[14]
Hinduism
[
edit
]
Ghul?m Ahmad was involved in debates with leaders of the
Arya Samaj
movement of
Hinduism
and wrote several texts on the subject.
Ahmadis, like other Muslims, believe that the last, perfect message from God was brought to
Muhammad
. However, unlike mainstream Muslims, Ahmadis believe that many founders or significant figures of various faiths, including
Krishna
and
Buddha
, have brought messages from God. Ghul?m Ahmad claimed to be the
Kalki Avatar
, the last avatar of
Vishnu
, whom Hindus were waiting for. However, he did not agree with the Hindu concept of incarnations of God. He considered
Krishna
and
Rama
human prophets who preached to others about the One God, and he believed that Hindus had distorted this view into
polytheism
over many thousands of years.
[15]
Judaism
[
edit
]
Ahmadiyya Muslims are on good terms with the Jews, unlike most other Islam branches.
Ahmadis
believe that the creation of the State of Israel accords with Biblical prophecies.
[16]
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
[
edit
]
The
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
does not see Ghul?m Ahmad as a prophet. Ahmadis claim this is a result of misinterpreting his statements on his coming "in the spirit of Muhammad"
[17]
(similar to
John the Baptist
coming in the spirit and power of
Elijah
).
[18]
Ahmadi Muslims believe Ghul?m Ahmad to be the
Mahdi
, Islam's prophesied
messianic
figure. Mainstream Muslims, however, say that he did not fulfill the prophecies of the Mahdi and that the title of Messiah was given only to Jesus. Thus, they consider him a false prophet. Because the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement’s view of Ghul?m Ahmad is closer to current mainstream Islamic thought than the view held by Ahmadis, its literature has found greater acceptance among the Muslim intelligentsia.
[19]
[20]
[21]
The government of
Pakistan
views members of both Ahmadi movements as non-Muslims, and this is recorded on their travel documents. But Ahmadi citizens from Western countries and some Muslim nations perform the
Hajj
and
Umrah
, as the
Saudi
government is not made aware that they are Ahmadis when they apply for a visa. A 1970
[22]
court decision in India upheld the right of Ahmadis to identify themselves as Muslims.
[23]
The term
Qadiani
which is used to refer to Ahmadiyyas is pejorative to both Ahmadi sects the original Ahmadiyya and the Lahori Ahmadiyyas.
In the past, there has been widespread
persecution of Ahmadis
by other Muslims in India and Pakistan. Sporadic violence, as well as subtler persecution, continues today.
[24]
Fulfillment of prophecy
[
edit
]
Ahmadis believe that the founders of all the major world religions were working towards the establishment of Islam in its broadest sense, as part of the divine scheme of the development of religion.
[25]
They say that the completion and consummation of this development occurred with the coming of Muhammad, and that the "manifestation" of Muhammad’s prophethood and message was destined to be perfected with the coming of the Mahdi.
[26]
Because they regard Ghul?m Ahmad as the Mahdi, they believe he is the "Promised One" of all religions, fulfilling eschatological prophecies found in the scriptures of the
Abrahamic religions
,
Zoroastrianism
,
Indian religions
,
Native American traditions
and others.
[27]
Christianity
[
edit
]
Ahmadis believe that many verses of the
Old Testament
and
New Testament
?such as those in the
Book of Revelation
, and those about the
Second Coming of Christ
in the 24th chapter of
Matthew
?were prophecies regarding the Messiah of the end times, and that they were fulfilled through the appearance of Ghul?m Ahmad.
[28]
Ahmadis also cite a passage in Chapter 12 of the
Book of Daniel
:
[29]
And from the time
that
the daily
sacrifice
shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up,
there shall be
a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
?
Daniel, 12:11
"The time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away" is interpreted by Ahmadis to mean the supersession of Judaic law by Islamic law, and "the abomination that maketh desolate" to mean the banning of
idol worship
brought about with the founding of Islam. Based on these interpretations and the
day-year principle
, Ahmadis believe that the "thousand two hundred and ninety days" are actually 1,290 years of the
Islamic calendar
, ending in 1875, when, according to Ahmadi belief, Ghul?m Ahmad began to receive divine revelations with continuity.
[30]
Ahmadis maintain that, as per
Judeo-Christian
prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah and the Second Coming of Christ, Ghul?m Ahmad appeared at the end of the 6,000th year from the time of
Adam
, and that with him, the final, 7th epoch of 1000 years began.
[31]
It is also important to note that Ahmadis don't believe that the world is 6000 years old, but only the approximate time since the first prophet being 6000 years.
Islam
[
edit
]
Ahmadis cite numerous passages from the
Qur'an
,
tafsir
and
hadith
in support of their views. They believe that the Messiah,
Isa
(i.e., Jesus), and the Mahdi whose comings are prophesied in Islam are, in fact, two titles or roles for the same person. According to Ahmadi thought, the promised redeemer is called "Isa" or "Masih" (Messiah) in relation to his task of refuting what they perceive as the erroneous doctrines of Christianity, and "Mahdi" in relation to his task of reforming and guiding Muslims. His advent is seen as a continuation of the prophethood of Muhammad.
[32]
Hinduism
[
edit
]
Ahmadis regard
Krishna
as a prophet of God,
[33]
citing the hadith and Qur'an.
[34]
Ghul?m Ahmad stated that the terms "avatar" and "prophet" were synonymous, and that the Avatar was equivalent to the Qur'anic Messenger.
[35]
Buddhism
[
edit
]
Members of the Ahmadiyya community believe that Ghul?m Ahmad was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the
Maitreya
, a future
Buddha
said to usher in an age of peace and security.
[36]
Ghul?m Ahmad himself wrote in his book
Jesus in India
that the Maitreya was actually Jesus, and that Jesus travelled to India,
Kashmir
and
Tibet
(predominantly Buddhist regions at the time) to preach to Jews who had migrated there and converted to other religions.
[37]
Ghul?m Ahmad called himself the "reflection of all prophets", and regarded
Gautama Buddha
as a prophet. According to him, Jesus was both the Jewish Messiah and the Maitreya. Thus, Ghul?m Ahmad claimed to have fulfilled the prophecy of the Second Coming of Jesus and, in turn, the prophecy of the Second Coming of the Maitreya as well.
"Reflection of All Prophets"
[
edit
]
Ghul?m Ahmad claimed that he had been bestowed with the attributes of all biblical and non-biblical prophets, in accordance with a verse of the Qur'an that says all prophets will converge into one person in the future. He said he had received a revelation in which God called him "the Champion of Allah in the mantle of Prophets"
.
[38]
The biblical prophets include
Abraham
,
Isaac
,
Jacob
,
Ishmael
,
Moses
,
David
,
Solomon
and Jesus.
[39]
He also likened his role to that of Adam, as the initiator of a new age. In various writings, he stated that he and Adam were born twins on a Friday and that, just as Adam was born in the final hours of the sixth day of the week, he was born in the final years of the sixth millennium: As per the Qur'an and the Bible, a day in the estimation of God is a thousand years.
[40]
Ahmadis also believe that Ghul?m Ahmad was the Second Coming of Noah, citing the prophecy made by Jesus in
Matthew 24:37?38
.
Ghul?m Ahmad further compared himself to the Qur'anic figure
Dhul-Qarnayn
, who is often equated with
Cyrus the Great
.
[41]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Lies and the Liar who told them!"
, inter-islam.org
- ^
The British Empire and the Muslim World
Archived
2007-09-28 at the
Wayback Machine
, Francis Robinson, page 21.
- ^
Glasse, Cyril; Smith, Huston (2003).
The New Encyclopedia of Islam
. Altamira Press. p. 33.
ISBN
0-7591-0190-6
.
- ^
Jonker, Gerdien (2015).
The Ahmadiyya Quest for Religious Progress: Missionizing Europe 1900-1965
. Brill Publishers. p. 77.
ISBN
978-90-04-30529-8
.
- ^
Muhammad Ali. (1992)
The Antichrist and Gog and Magog
Archived
2018-07-01 at the
Wayback Machine
, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman-i Ish??at-i Isl?m
- ^
Malik Ghulam Farid, et al. (1988)
Al-Kahf,
The Holy Quran with English Translation and Commentary
Vol. III, p.1479, Tilford: Islam International
- ^
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, (2005),
The Essence of Islam
, Vol. III
, Tilford: Islam International, p.279
- ^
Muhammad Ali. (1992)
The Antichrist and Gog and Magog
Archived
2018-07-01 at the
Wayback Machine
, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman-i Ish??at-i Isl?m
- ^
Wessels, Anton (2013).
The Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur'an: Three Books, Two Cities, One Tale
. Wm. B. Eerdmans. pp. 214?15.
ISBN
978-0-8028-6908-1
.
- ^
"Review of Religions"
(PDF)
.
Review of Religions
.
101
(4). April 2006. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2015-09-24.
- ^
Muhammad Ali. (1992)
The Antichrist and Gog and Magog
Archived
2018-07-01 at the
Wayback Machine
, Ohio: Ahmadiyya Anjuman-i Ish??at-i Isl?m
- ^
Malik Ghulam Farid, et al.
(1988)
Al-Anbiya,
The Holy Quran with English Translation and Commentary
Vol. IV, pp.1718?20, Tilford: Islam International
- ^
Islam and Communism
- ^
Ian Adamson.
Ahmad the Guided One
. Islam International Publications Ltd. pp. 207?208.
ISBN
1-85372-597-8
.
- ^
Modern religious movements in India
,
John Nicol Farquhar
, Munshiram Manoharlal, 1967, p. 138
- ^
Bible, Ezekiel, 37:21-24 (1808)
- ^
Chaudhry, Aziz Ahmad.
The Question of Finality of Prophethood, The Promised Messiha and Mehdi
, Islam International Publications Limited.
- ^
"In what way can we harmonize John the Baptist's claim that he was not Elijah with the statement of the Lord that he was?"
, Tony Capoccia, Bible Bulletin Board.
- ^
"Al-Azhar endorses publications by Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement"
. muslim.org.
- ^
"Marmaduke Pickthall's (famous British Muslim and a translator of the Quran into English) comments on Lahore Ahmadiyya Literature"
. muslim.org.
- ^
"Tributes to Maulana Muhammad Ali and The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement"
. aaiil.org. Archived from
the original
on 2007-02-22
. Retrieved
2014-09-09
.
- ^
Nabeel Qureshi (8 March 2016).
Answering Jihad and Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Collection
. Zondervan. pp. 94?.
ISBN
978-0-310-53169-2
.
- ^
Hoque, Ridwanul.
On right to freedom of religion and the plight of Ahmadiyas
.
The Daily Star
, 21 March 2004. Bangladesh. Retrieved on 10 April 2007.
- ^
"Pakistan: Killing of Ahmadis continues amid impunity"
Archived
2007-10-14 at the
Wayback Machine
, Amnesty International, Public Statement, AI Index: ASA 33/028/2005 (Public), News Service No: 271, 11 October 2005.
- ^
"The Promised Messiah - Prophecies Fulfilled"
. Alislam.org.
Archived
from the original on 25 July 2011
. Retrieved
2011-08-13
.
- ^
"The Holy Quran"
. Alislam.org.
Archived
from the original on 25 July 2011
. Retrieved
2011-08-13
.
- ^
Invitation to Ahmadiyyat by Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad Part II, Argument 4, Chapter "Promised Messiah, Promised One of All Religions"
- ^
Essence of Islam Vol. V, pg. 82
- ^
"Daniel 12. The Holy Bible: King James Version"
. Bartleby.com.
Archived
from the original on 29 June 2011
. Retrieved
2011-08-13
.
- ^
"Age of the Promised Messiah(as)"
(PDF)
.
Alislam.org
. Retrieved
2016-09-16
.
- ^
"Microsoft Word - Chasma Masih Rev 071017.doc"
(PDF)
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 25 July 2011
. Retrieved
2011-08-13
.
- ^
"The British Government and Jihad"
(PDF)
.
Alislam.org
. Retrieved
2016-09-16
.
- ^
Essence of Islam Vol. IV, pg. 83
- ^
"Prophets"
. Alislam.org
. Retrieved
2012-06-18
.
- ^
Essence of Islam Vol. IV, pg. 84
- ^
Review of Religions March 2002, Vol. 97, No. 3, pg. 24
- ^
Jesus in India, pgs. 87 and 93
- ^
"Tadhkirah"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
2012-06-18
.
- ^
Essence of Islam Vol. IV, pgs. 81-82
- ^
"Lecture Sialkot by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad"
(PDF)
.
Alislam.org
. p. 9
. Retrieved
2016-09-16
.
]
- ^
"Essence of Islam", vol. IV pgs. 81-82