BELIEF: A BASIC INTRODUCTION TO SOME AHMADIYYA BELIEFS PART I

Pakistanis protesting against Shia genocide, while in the background a banner promotes the persecution of Ahmadis. 

Many months ago, an Ahmadi Muslim writer called 'Lightning Flash' wrote an article in which he told the story of why, after the activities of anti-Ahmadis almost lead to his losting faith, he returned to the fold of Ahmadiyya. Since then, Flash has researched and written a long paper for his non-Ahmadi friends in which he explains why Ahmadis are Muslims and then introduces some basic points about Ahmadiyya. He has kindly emailed us the paper and it has been adapted into a series of articles, the first of which is published below:

And who so obeys Allah and His Messenger shall be among those on whom Allah has bestowed His blessings--the Prophets, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Righteous. And an excellent company they are. This grace is from Allah and Allah suffices as One Who is All Knowing. (Quran, 4:70/71)

Why Ahmadis are also Muslims

The intention of this short paper is not to prove that Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the Imam Mahdi and Messiah, rather it is to share vital information with non-Ahmadi Muslims regarding their common claim that the Ahmadiyya is outside the fold of Islam. I must also admit that I never was and am not in any way shape or form a scholar, nor do I represent the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in any formal sense. However, the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w said in regards to calling a Muslim a non-believer:

Whenever someone calls his brother Muslim a kafir, one of them must be a kafir [either the one being accurately being called a kafir, or the one who falls into kufr, by inaccurately accusing his brother of being a kafir]. (Saying of Muhammad s.a.w.)

Imam Abu Hanifa is quoted as saying: 

To deem a thousand disbelievers Muslim is safer with God than to deem one Muslim a disbeliever. (Imam Abu Hanifah)

Thus I humbly advise that we tread extremely carefully when labeling a group of people who profess the shahada as non-Muslims.

For those who are unaware, the Ahmadiyya follow and believe fully in the 5 pillars of Islam, 6 articles of faith, and in the caliphate of Abu Bakr r.a, Umar r.a, Uthman r.a, and Ali r.a. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans over 200 countries, are among the fastest growing sect of any religion in the world (per this study), number exceeding the tens of millions and are currently lead by their Khalifa, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, who is based in London. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian in 1889, who claimed to be the same Imam Mahdi and Promised messiah prophesized by the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. to appear in the latter days. 

The Ahmadiyya Community is heavily persecuted throughout the Muslim world and are considered non-Muslims by large portions of the Muslim Ummah. This is not just a problem in the East as prominent western scholars such as Yusuf Estes, Hamza Tzortis, Nouman Ali Khan, and Hamza Yusuf are amongst the many other apparent fair and open-minded scholars who have taken such hard stances against the Ahmadiyya. Most of this stems from the perpetuation of falsehood (whether knowingly or unknowingly) and incorrect/misrepresented Ahmadiyya doctrine. Rarely, if ever is the correct Ahmadiyya understanding presented. 

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate what the Ahmadiyya beliefs are (“the most controversial ones”), and why they are not innovative or worthy of being stamped with the seal of disbelief.