The Providence of W. Deen Muhammad

بسم الله الحمد لله و صلاة و سلام على سيجدنا محمد و على آله و سلم

In 2008, the American Muslim community wept as Wallace Deen Muhammad returned to Allah. I’ve met many famous people in my life, but amongst the most memorable was meeting W. Deen Muhammad. It was Fall 2003, and I was a beardless 19 year old sophomore in college. I took a trip to North Carolina with some older African-American Muslim gentlemen to meet and schedule him to deliver a talk for our Muslim Students Association (MSA). He had striking blue eyes and a glow of wisdom that only comes with experience written on his face. He was glad to meet a member of the MSA, even a skinny 19 year old, happy we were continuing the tradition, and briefly mentioned how they helped him when his community had expelled him.

…But who was W. Deen Muhammad and why am I writing this on a blog about Ahmadiyya?

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Four Short Encounters of Seeing Allah

بسم الله الحمد لله و صلاة و سلام على محمد و على آله و سلم

Incident #1

In Surah al-’Araaf verse 143, Musa عليه السلام asks to see Allah. Allah says, “You will never (لن) [be able to] see me”. Then the light of Allah shone upon a mountain which crumbled to dust. That alone caused Musa عليه السلام to faint. Allah cannot be seen.

Incident #2

Once, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani was traveling from one city to another when, to his amazement, the heavens opened up and a figure appeared sky. The figure said, “O ‘Abd al-Qadir! I am God. Because of your devotion to me, I removed the burden of prayer to me from you!”

Did Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir rejoice? Was he happy? No, he said to the figure, “Shut up you enemy of Allah!” Continue reading

‘Ulama, Murabbis and two extremely weak hadiths

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله وحده و الصلاة و السلام على من لا نبي بعده و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين

Some of the Ahmadiyya leaders try to stereotype contemporary Islamic scholarship as a whole using some narrations recorded in Hadith works.

Before talking of the status of scholars (‘ulama) in the House of Islam and especially their role with regards to the Ahamdiyya cult, let us first see the narrations that some Ahmadiyya leaders use and scrutinize them to check their authenticity.

Narration 1:

The following is the translation of one such narration as it appears on the AlIslam.org website:

The Prophet once said, “There will come a time upon the people when nothing will remain of Islam except its name and nothing will remain of the Quran except its words. Their mosques will be splendidly furnished but destitute of guidance. Their divines will be the worst people under the Heaven; strife will issue from them and avert to them.”

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Chanda: An Introduction to Financial Sacrifice

بسم الله الحمد لله و صلاة و سلام على رسول الله و على آله و سلم بسليما

Lets talk about Chanda! But first, a word from our sponsors:

اتَّبِعُوا مَن لَّا يَسْأَلُكُمْ أَجْرًا وَهُم مُّهْتَدُونَ
Follow those who do not ask of you [any] payment, and they are [rightly] guided.
Surah Yasin, Verse 21


The Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم directed us to pay 2.5% of one’s end of year savings. This is the absolute minimum Allah has commanded us to give, which is distributed directly to the poor, not even to the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم. While giving is good, and truly necessary in some circumstances, the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم never made a general mandate to give money except to the poor.

However, the Ahmadiyya faith has created a new law: Chanda. Often described as a “financial sacrifice”, Chanda is a fee paid by all Ahmadis merely for being Ahmadi. This fee, a tithe, is given directly to the religious authorities. Tithes were not a practice of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, and thus constitutes a new religious innovation – a new law created in the faith, despite the claim that Mirza Ghulam was a “non-law-bearing” prophet.
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Scholars on the meanings of “Khatam al-Nabiyyin”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله وحده و الصلاة و السلام على من لا نبي بعده و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين

In this post we see quotes from various scholars about the meaning of “khatam al-nabiyyin”. Many issues that are often a subject of discussion among the Muslims and Ahmadis are dealt with in these quotes.

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Who is following “True Islam”?

بسم الله الحمد لله و صلاة و سلام على محمد و على آله و سلم

Lets start with two simple questions:

Was the Islam that the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم was upon “True Islam”? Undoubtedly Yes.

Is the Islam practiced by Muslims today the “True Islam”? Muslims would argue Yes, and the Ahmadiyya would argue No.

Assuming that the Islam practiced by the Muslims today is no longer “True Islam”, that would imply that somewhere in the last 1432 years separating us from the Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم all Muslims spontaneously and simultaneously went astray in belief, hence the need for Mirza Ghulam to create the Ahmadiyya faith. This is the standard Ahmadiyya narrative and it seems to make sense.

But lets take a closer look….turn back the clock 1300 years.
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It Would Have Been Abu Bakr

بسم الله الحد لله و صلاة و سلام على رسول الله و على آله و سلم

Amongst the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was that he was so close to the Prophet Muhammad صلى لله عليه و سلم that he became the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم. He wrote, “In short, my Prophethood and messengership is only by virtue of my being Muhammad and Ahmad, and not in my own right; and I have been given this name because of my complete devotion to the Holy Prophet.”

For those who might not know, this is loosely based on the Sufi concept of Fana’ (obliteration of the self in the personality of another), taken literally. In other words, Mirza Ghulam said that he was so much like the Prophet Muhammad صلى لله عليه و سلم that “no degree of estrangement” existed between the two.

But lets take a step back for a moment. What about Abu Bakr? Did he obliterate himself in the Prophet Muhammad صلى لله عليه و سلم? If so, why did he not “become” Muhammad صلى لله عليه و سلم, even more so than Mirza? Lets compare Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه to Mirza Ghulam.
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Attacking the fundamentals of Islam to defend Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم الحمد لله وحده و الصلاة و السلام على من لا نبي بعده و على آله و أصحابه أجمعين

In one of his works, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani attributes a hadith to Imam al-Bukhari’s collection which does not exist in it. See Rohani Khazain vol.6 p.337 (هذا خليفة الله المهدى)

In their bid to defend Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, his followers take a lot of pain. Malik Abdul Rahman, author of the much celebrated Ahmadiyya Pocket Book, not only clutches at straws but goes even further to put doubt to the very fundamentals of Islam to justify the gimmicks of the false claimant of prophethood.

In the Ahmadiyya Pocket Book, pages 517-518, he comes up with various arguments to dilute the issue and presents the worst possible alternatives.

He alludes to two Ahadith of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم:

Narrations about the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم erring about the number of raka’ahs:

Firstly, there is a narration in which the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم mistakenly said the final salaam of ritual prayers (salaah) at the end of two raka’ahs instead of four raka’ahs..

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True vs Fake Spirituality

Earlier this week, a friend of mine was in a car accident. I did not think much of it until this Jumu’ah when I learned the extent of the accident. A truck hit him from behind, causing his car to spin out of control into oncoming traffic, where he hit another truck. His mother, who was in the passenger seat, came out without a scratch. But it took three hours for the paramedics to pull him from the wreckage. His spinal cord endured severe compression. In an instant, he became paralyzed from the neck down: Quadriplegic.

We’re driving to see him tomorrow in Pennsylvania. May Allah make it easy on him, give him the patience of Ayub and Yusuf and certainty in the plan of his Lord. Please make a du’a for him. Ameen.

In our modern times, spirituality has been cheapened to merely singing poetry or abstractions of being “close to Allah” without any tangible effects. I am certainly not condemning either expression of love of Allah and his prophet صلى الله عليه و سلم, both are important. My contention is with skin-deep manifestations of spirituality.

Your average person very likely has some difficulty, pain or stress in his life. This can come in many forms, from an alcoholic struggling to quit, to cancer patient dying in solitude, to someone addicted to pornography. The challenge is to endure the test and do that which Allah wills, despite the difficulty. This intense struggle for Allah is spirituality. There is nothing more spiritual than being in a broken, destitute state, yet calling out the name of God with full conviction. It is not always rosey or romantic, but it constitutes a more complete form of submission and worship to Allah. And that is our ultimately purpose in life.

Some Sufis speak of Fana’, the obliteration of the self. They say that when one is able to seek Allah despite the many impediments in his way, rid himself of the diseases in his heart, and follow the will of Allah, it is as if he is destroying his sense of self-being and replacing it with Allah’s. This self-obliteration happens to such a degree that we are replaced with the will of Allah and the Prophet صلى لله عليه و سلم and “become the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم”. Needless to say, this language is purely metaphorical, was not meant for the masses to be read and interpreted without a teacher, and was never meant to be taken literally in any capacity.

But, Mirza Ghulam’s claim to have become Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم lays in the crack between the literal and metaphorical. He takes the notion of Fana’ literally, and claimed that this is how he became the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, in “A Misconception Removed”.

If one could “become” Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم in any capacity, it would have been Saydina Abu Bakr رضى الله عنه. Abu Bakr knew the Prophet before Islam, he was the first adult male to accept Islam, he married his daughter to the Prophet, he suffered for 13 years in Makkah with the Prophet, then fought for 10 years while living in Madinah, he was chosen to spend 11 days alone with the Prophet during the hijrah, there are at least two ayaat implicitly referencing him, he fought in many battles with him, ate with him, looked upon the blessed face of the Prophet, became the first Khalifa, etc. He even died at the same age as the Prophet, and was buried next to him! Abu Bakr had the most right to claim to have obliterated himself in the Prophet than any soul to ever exist, yet he never made such a claim. But Mirza Ghulam had the gaul to claim to have completely become Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, in effect placing himself above Abu Bakr. This, from a man whose followers must posit excuses for why he never once performed Hajj.

Spirituality does not lead to arrogance and self-aggrandizement, such as claiming to be the “second coming” of anyone. In fact, it often makes one more aware of his own short-comings. For example, ’Umar bin al-Khattab, the second Khalifah, was terrified that he was written as a munafiq (hypocrite). Abu Hurayrah, the most prolific narrator of Hadith, was once asked about his status and responded that he is just another nameless Muslim among many. True spirituality does not lead to “Look how spiritual I am, I have become Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم”. It leads to humility and deep concern for one’s final abode.

What my friend has endured is a severe test. Through it, may he increase in his degrees and ranks with Allah. This is spirituality, not mere fancy language and poetry. Imam al-Ghazali warned of people who have merely learned some of the terminology of the Sufis, yet know nothing of its reality. May Allah guide us all to what is true, and keep us safe from Falsehood.

And please make Du’a for my friend.

و صلى الله عليه سيدنا محمد و على آله و سلم

Comments on “Ameer UK’s Jamaat Office and the Mysterious Disappearance (ahem ahem theft) of £400,000!”

بسم الله الحمد لله و صلاة و سلام على رسول الله و على آله و سلم

Recently, Sr. “Findings” released a secret internal document regarding the theft of £400,000 ($624,840) and the subsequent cover-up. Her blog post is here: Confessions of a Cult Girl.

£400,000 is a big deal, I am not denying it. But this itself does not make the Ahmadiyya faith false, nor is this unique to Ahmadiyya. Instead, this draws into question Chanda, a law invented by Mirza Ghulam mandating payments to the religious leadership.

Allow me to paint a scenario: Lets say you believe Mirza Ghulam was Imam Mahdi, metaphorically Maryam عليها السلام, the “second” Messiah عليه السلام, Krishna for the Hindus, a complete manifestation of Muhammad صلى الله عليه و سلم, et al in one. However, due to its mismanagement, dishonesty and its agenda, you lost trust in the people who run the Nizaam. To you, it has gone astray from the true path of Mirza.

[Some Ahmadis]

live under this false notion of “The leaders of Ahmadiyya are men of God, they do no evil”. I guarantee you the governors of ‘Umar [bin Al-Khattab] were closer to Allah and yet were more open to public scrutiny.

But there’s a lingering question. What about Chanda? Can you refuse to pay? Or are you still obligated to pay no matter what? Can you refuse to pay until certian demands are met?

You are not in a position to organize a consciousnesses objection against Chanda until the practice of, say, public humiliations are ended. Why? Because payments are mandatory specifically to the Nizaam! So can you do anything?

There are a few main charities that I contribute to. I researched them to make sure there was no wide-scale abuse, etc. If I felt that one of them was mismanaging its funds through whatever means (ie, large overhead costs), I would simply refuse to donate to it. And I have exercised this right. Allah has made the practice of giving money a highly praised act, but he did not specify one specific organization, perhaps precisely for this reason!

‘Umar bin al-Khattab رضى الله عنه wanted his governors to live extremely austere lives. He used to take an account of his governor’s savings before and after they took office. Any additional savings were confiscated and redistributed to the treasury of the Muslims. He did not automatically assume that they were all righteous men (even though they were). This is the second khalifah being hard on the Sahaba! So how can some Ahmadis live under this false notion of “The leaders of Ahmadiyya are men of God, they do no evil”. I guarantee you the governors of ‘Umar were closer to Allah and yet were more open to public scrutiny.

If the Nizaam is corrupt, yet you are still required to fund its corruption, something is wrong. Seriously wrong. And as a low-ranking Ahmadi, there seems to be no way distance yourself and your money.

My solution: Chanda is said to also be given to help humanitarian causes around the world. If I was in your shoes, I would withhold my Chanda, cut out the middle man, and give directly to a cause I felt was best. But that’s just me. Then again, I believe Chanda is a Bid’ah.

May Allah guide us all to what is true.

و صلى الله على سيدنا محمد و على آله و سلم