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Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IV, cycling in Pakistan |
- Allegation the Ahmadi Khulafa are all from one family
- Allegation obedience/loyalty to khalifa's advice is unnecessary
- Allegation different khulafa change administrative rules
- Allegation the lifestyle of the khulafa are not simple
- Allegation Ahmadis believe khulafa cannot make even minor human errors
- Allegation the khulafa's Arabic pronunciation and oratory is not traditional
- Allegation there is a need for a mujaddid
1- Allegation the Ahmadi Khulafa are from the family of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
The first Khalifa, Hazrat Nooruddin, was not from the family of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Further, each time a khalifa passes away his successor is voted in by the electoral college, the vast majority of whom are the worldwide imams and leaders of the Ahmadiyya community and are not from Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's family. The election is not open to any kind of canvassing and therefore impossible to manipulate.
Four of the khulafa have been from Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's family. However this is not unique; of the four 'rightly guided' khulafa of Muhammadsa, two were his father-in-laws (Abu Bakr and Umar), one his son-in-law (Uthman) and one his cousin (Ali). The Quran and the Bible repeatedly state prophets and holy people are often chosen from the same family. For instance:
Allah chose Adam and Noah and the family of Abraham and the family of Imran above all peoples of the time (Quran 3:33-34)
Thy Lord shall choose thee and teach thee the interpretations of things divine and perfect His favour upon thee and upon the family of Jacob as He perfected it upon thy two forefathers - Abraham and Isaac (Quran 12:6-7)
The sign of his sovereignty is that there shall be given you a heart wherein there will be tranquility from your Lord and a legacy of good left by the family of Moses and the family of Aaron. (Quran 2:248-249)
The present khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, has repeatedly stated the khalifa can be chosen from any family and that family background is no guarantee of spiritual success:
The leader, or the Khalifa, is elected by the members of the community and there is an electoral college for it and among the electoral college there are the national heads of the community from all across the world and some missionaries and some other officials as well. So they elect the Khalifa or the leader of the community and there is no restriction that Khalifa must be elected from Pakistani Ahmadi members. A time may come that a Khalifa may be from Africa, any African or any European or anybody else. It is up to the wish of Allah who, according to our belief, puts into the hearts of the members of the electoral college whom they should vote for.
(Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, June 2012)
This boy is the great grandson of the second Khalifa and in the same way the girl is the great grandaughter of the second Khalifa also (ie. the couple getting married are cousins). They should remember that The Holy Prophet s.a.w. once told his daughter Fatima that nobody attains paradise because of who their ancestors are, but through their own actions. May this couple always be spiritually inclined and do good works.
(Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, wedding ceremony 10th September 2012)
2- Allegation obedience/loyalty to khalifa's advice is unnecessary
The Quran repeatedly demands believers obey those in authority:
O ye who believe! obey Allah and obey His Messenger and those who are in authority among you. (Quran 4:59/60)
Obey Allah and His Messenger and dispute not with one another, lest you falter and your strength depart from you. (Quran, 8:46/47)
Muhammad S.A.W elaborated on similar themes:
Narrated 'Ubaid-ullah bin 'Adi bin Al-Khiyar: "Uthman said: 'Allah sent Muhammad with the truth and I was among those who followed Allah and His Apostle and I believed in what ever he was sent with, and participated in two migrations and I enjoyed the company of Allah's Apostle and gave the pledge of allegiance him. By Allah! I never disobeyed him, nor did I cheat him till Allah took him unto Him. Then I treated Abu Bakr and then 'Umar similarly and then I was made Khalifa. So, don't I have rights similar to theirs?' I said: 'Yes.'" (Bukhari)
If a person experiences something unpleasant at the hands of a ruler he should bear it with equanimity, for he who departs from obedience a hand’s breadth dies in error. (Bukhari)
Listen and obey even if an Ethiopian whose head is like a raisin were made your chief. (Bukhari)
3- Allegation different khulafa change administrative rules
While the Islamic laws always remain the same and must be followed, the administrative organisation of the community can change. The reason for these changes is:
At a particular period of time, and in certain contexts, a policy of strictness can create or achieve those objectives. Later on, when other things have changed, you have to change the policy in order to achieve the same objectives. (Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, A Man of God)
4- Allegation the lifestyle of the khulafa are not simple
Between 1984 and the present day (2014), the khalifa has lived in a one-bedroom brick flat beside the London mosque. He wears a simple white cloth at all times, with a white turban and black shoes. This allegation is therefore untrue, but even if the khalifa lived in a palace it would have no bearing on his truthfulness:
It was said to her: "Enter the palace," and when she saw it, she thought it to be a great expanse of water and she bared her shanks. Solomon said: "It is a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." (Quran 27:44-45)
The Quran confirms the prophet Solomon lived in a luxurious palace, yet remained a beloved prophet of Allah.
5- Allegation Ahmadi Muslims believe khulafa cannot make even minor human errors
Khalifas, the deputies of prophets, they're not infallible. They can make mistakes. Even when they make mistakes, because they are truthful when it is pointed out to them they are brave enough and they love truth enough to accept their mistake.
(Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, question and answer session)
6- Allegation the khulafa's Arabic pronunciation and oratory is not traditional
As the khulafa have resided on the Indo-Pakistani subcontinent, the allegation has been made that their accents when pronouncing Arabic words are Indian rather than Arab and therefore incorrect. We should consider the example of Bilal, the companion of Muhammad S.A.W. He was not an Arab, but an Abyssinian and incorrectly pronounced the letter sheen as seen. Yet, Muhammad S.A.W chose him to be the first Muslim to lead the Adhan (Islamic call to prayer), saying:
Bilal's seen reaches Allah as sheen. (Muhammad S.A.W, hadith)
Further, the Quran does not require oratory skills as a standard of righteousness. Both the Quran and Bible confirm the prophet Moses was not a fluent speaker - even in his native language, which was Hebrew rather than Arabic - but this did not prevent Allah from appointing him a prophet and revealing the Hebrew Bible to him:
[Moses said:] My tongue is not fluent, so send word to Aaron also. (Quran 26:13-14)
Moses said: 'My brother Aaron - he is more eloquent in speech than I - send him, therefore, with me as a helper that he may bear witness to my truth.' (Quran 28:33-35)
Moses said: "My Lord, expand for me my breast and make my task easy for me and loosen the knot from my tongue, that they may understand my speech. (Quran 20:25-29)
Moses said to the Lord: 'Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.' (Bible, Exodus 4:10)
7- Allegation there is a need for a mujaddid
The allegation is made that Islam needs a mujaddid (reformer) every century. It should be remembered the concept of khilafat is mentioned in the Quran whereas the concept of mujaddidiya is not. Therefore, while there is a khalifa present there is no need for a mujaddid, as khilafat has a higher status. In fact, it is the khalifa of the time himself who takes on the responsibility of spiritual reformation among the Muslims.
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