A message was received at one of our websites on 5 December 2018 from a Muslim brother in Portugal, which we reproduce below with his permission.
I am a Twelver Shia Sufi Muslim. I am also an Islamic scholar and researcher of Islam and its sciences. I am also a researcher of Christianity, Hinduism, world history, international politics, and Neoplatonic Philosophy.
But I am first and foremost a Muslim, a true monotheist, and I do not ascribe partners to Allah Ta’ala.
And my sole authority is the Holy Quran, though I accept those Hadeeth attributed to Prophet Muhammad that match with the Book of Allah, Subhana-hu wa Ta’ala.
Now, the purpose of this letter is just to salute you and commend you. I consider you as 100% Muslims and it would be an honour to perform Salah behind an Imam of yours and to eat meat slaughtered by you.
I know with some degree of certainty the differences between your Movement, the Lahore Ahmadiyyah Movement (LAM), and the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Community (AMC).
You believe, like the Sunnis and the Shias, that Muhammad (saw) is the last Prophet sent by Allah Tabarak wa Ta’ala to all Mankind and so you belong to Mainstream Islam.
Regarding the AMC, they believe that Muhammad (saw) is the final Law-giving Prophet, the final major Prophet and the final Messenger. But they believe in the possibility of very small prophets belonging from the Muslim Ummah, who are totally submitted to the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. These very small prophets they call “Ummati Nabi”.
Though I reject the AMC’s concept of “Ummati Nabi”, I also consider them as Muslims, and I would have no problem to pray behind them and to eat the meat they slaughter.
My justification for accepting the AMC as Muslims is the following:
If we were to consider the AMC as non-Muslims because they believe in the false concept of “Ummati Nabi”, then we would have to consider the Wahhabis as apostates and mushrik because they wrongly ascribe to Almighty Allah, hands, feet, face, and so on, while Allah is neither matter nor spirit, being totally transcendent, transcending even His Holy Names.
But I consider the Wahhabis as Muslims and I even pray behind them and eat the meat they slaughter, although here in Portugal the Wahhabi Community is almost non-existent.
The problem of nowadays Muslims is that they do not respect the minor differences each Muslim group has! Respecting these minor differences does not mean that one has to agree with these differences! One may disagree with them but we must respect them. And this has to be done peacefully.
I have some beliefs that are shared with you, and I have some beliefs which you may not share with me. These are:
— The correct punishment for Zina is 100 lashes, as prescribed by Surah An-Nur. In Islam, there was not, there is not, and there will never be, stoning to death.
— The Arabic Quran we have, including the zabar, zer, pesh, is the same Arabic Quran Prophet Muhammad left. This is clearly stated in Surah 75. Rasul-ullah (saw) left the Arabic Quran we have now, in written form, many months before his demise. So I dismiss completely those false theories that say that it was first Abu Bakr and then Uthman who collected the Quran! Prophet Muhammad wrote himself the Arabic Quran we have now under the guidance of Angel Gabriel (as), and he had a committee of scribes who, under the Prophet’s instructions, also wrote the Quran. Whenever Gabriel (as) brought a new revelation, he (as) would tell the Prophet (saw) where should it be placed in the written Quran. And when the revelation of the Quran ended, Gabriel (as) taught Muhammad (saw) the proper compilation of the Quran. So, one or two years before the demise of Muhammad (saw), the Arabic Quran was already in official written form. Narrations tell us that Prophet Muhammad placed one copy of the written Quran in his Masjid, so every Muslim could copy from it.
— The Holy Quran was revealed in the Arabic Language. Allah Tabarak wa Ta’ala explained in detail in the Holy Quran why He, the Only Reality, revealed His Book in Arabic. Our Master Muhammad (saw) knew only this language, and prior to the revelation, he could neither read nor write. But the purpose of the Holy Quran is for It to be properly translated into the languages of the world, so both Arabs and non-Arabs can have equal access to the Book of Allah Ta’ala. One who reads the Arabic Quran, without understanding Arabic, is performing a very good deed because he is reading the Word of Allah Ta’ala. But one who reads a good translation of the Holy Quran in one’s mother tongue is performing by far a more valuable deed than the one who reads in Arabic without understanding it. Because the purpose of the Quran is to be a message to all Mankind and Jinn. And in order for the Quran to reach all Mankind, it has to be properly translated. Muhammad (saw) himself gave the example when, after the Quran was complete, he ordered Salman Farsi to translate the whole Quran to Persian. Salman did so and Rasul-ullah (saw) approved his translation. During Islamic history, many Awliya-allah supported the reading of the translation of the Quran in one’s mother tongue. Some of them are Rumi, Shah Waliullah Dehlavi and Allama Iqbal.
Now, I would like to know what is your view on Tasawwuf and on Wahdatal Wujud.
I end this letter by saying that this is a letter of support for your group even though we have minor differences of opinion.
Sufi Riaz Ali Carmali.