Javed Ahmad Ghamidi’s views on claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Submitted by Dil Sooz
Respected Javed Ahmad Ghamidi is a noted contemporary Islamic Scholar. He is known for objective analysis of issues. Recently, I came across this video of Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Sahib where he explains that respected Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was "Sufi" and did not claim to be Prophet as he is accused of. He also clarifies that founders of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement did not consider him to be a Prophet.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=647159602014434
I'm not a scholar of Mr Ghamidi stature, but I do want to humbly bring this to his kind attention that Respected Mirza Sahib claimed to be Mujadid or reformer of his team. So he was under naturally divine command to declare his mission Statement before the world and then get on with his works, despite immense opposition. In contrast " Sufi" has one to to one with Allah and is not required to have broad spectrum of audience. I think Mr Ghamidi should not mix and match two different Job descriptions meant for two different persons.
From ikram:
The path of a Sufi is path of Islam and of each and every Muslim. All prophets and reformers (Mujaddids) were Muslims. Thus, every Prophet was a Sufi and so was every Mujaddid, with the difference that the office of Prophethood that ended with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and after him that of the Mujaddids is a conferred position by Allah Himself.
Sufism is a term thrown around without much understanding and due to its vague connotation and misuse, it is one of the few terms that can be more clearly understood by clarifying as to what Sufism in not.
Sufism is often misattributed to practices, formalities, conventions and traditions such as:
Even the sources of Sufism are misconstrued:
Tasawwuf (the way of the Sufis, Sufism) is not outside of the pale of Shariat and Sunnah (the way of the Prophet Muhammad, PBUH) and the Book (Quran), for the mere fact that:
With negatives surrounding Sufism out of the way, the path of a Sufi, a Muslim, is vividly identified in Quran:
The various progressive stages of Sufism are outlined in the same verse 2:112:
Only the first stage of a Sufi is volitional, while the subsequent two are endowed:
The stage of liqa has examples in Quran. The liqa of the prophet is thus mentioned where he addresses his followers as O My servants[VII] with the voice of Allah:
The liqa stage was not limited to the Prophet alone. His companions shared a similar stage:
One of the Divine of our times, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Mujaddid, shares his epitome stage of liqa as manifested revelations:
To repeat what was stated at the beginning i.e. the path of a Sufi is path of Islam and of each and every Muslim. All prophets and reformers (Mujaddids) were Muslims. Thus, every Prophet was a Sufi and so was every Mujaddid, with the difference that the office of Prophethood that ended with Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and after him that of the Mujaddids is a conferred position by Allah Himself.
[Note: All verses of Quran are direct quote from original articles, except those identified with an ‘*’ which are taken from Translation of the Quran by Nooruddin]
[I] Urdu mullā, from Persian, from Arabic mawlā, master, friend; (http://www.dictionary.com). Nnot be confused with ordinary Mullah of a mosque
[II] Mysticism in Islam by Khwaja Kamaluddin, under the section: Introduction by Maulana Yakub Khan and Maulana Aftab-ud-din Ahmad, p. 18, pub: Aftab-ud-Din Ahmad Charitable Trust, 15 Brandreth Road, Lahore (Pakistan).
[III] Position of Sufi-ism (Tasawwuf) in Islam: by Dr. Basharat Ahmad, Compiled by Dr. Mohammad Ahmad (link: http://aaiil.org/text/books/others/basharatahmad/essaysislamicsufiism/essaysislamicsufiismpdf.shtml)
[IV] Philosophy of Sufi-ism (Tasawwuf) in Islam: by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, Compiled by Dr. Mohammad Ahmad (link: http://aaiil.org/text/books/others/basharatahmad/essaysislamicsufiism/essaysislamicsufiismpdf.shtml)
[V] ibid
[VI] ibid
[VII] Kitab al-Bariyya or An Account of Exoneration by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, translated by Dr. Zahid Aziz, p. 104, Nottingham, England, November 1999. (link: http://www.ahmadiyya.org/bookspdf/bar/conts.htm)
[VIII] Ibid, p. 99-101
From ikram:
While the true concept of Sufism is elucidated by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as quoted above (link), he does not leave reader with many unanswered questions therefrom. In his book ‘A Clarification (Tauzeeh-e-Maraam)’[i], he head on explains his own spiritual status in light of his claim of Promised Messiah. In doing so, he removes the misconception of Son-ship, Holy Spirit and Trinity for the Christians by explaining true spiritual meanings of these terms. He then goes on to fully expound the uniquely supreme spiritual status of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The relevant portion of the said book is excerpted below:
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The question may be asked, what is the nature of that particular quality and spiritual gift which is identical in Messiah, son of Mary, and my humble self? The answer to that would be that there is a common trait which has been specially placed in our spiritual abilities. It has a tree-like form which extends vertically in both directions. The base of this tree is the high quality of sympathy and tenderness for God's creatures which firmly links and establishes a strong bond between him who invites people to follow the path of God and his ardent disciples. It thereby causes the resplendent spiritual power reposed in the pure soul of the summoner to God to spread up to all his flowering branches. The top part of this tree represents that fine degree of love which, when associated with staunch faith, in the first instance takes root in the human heart through Divine Will, and then grows to a state where it attracts the love of the Most Powerful Creator. The function of these two loves is, in fact, very similar to that of the male and the female. They combine and form a strong union and a firm bond between the Creator and His creation. Like a blazing fire, God's love consumes the love of His creature as if it were fuel and a third substance is thereby created, called the 'holy spirit'. The spiritual birth of a man of such a rank takes place the moment Almighty God, by means of His special grace, places within that man that particular kind of love.
For such sublime love at such a stage, it will not be incorrect to say that, metaphorically, a spirit containing Divine Love enters the human spirit which, according to Divine Intention has been saturated with love, and gives it a new birth. Therefore a human spirit full of that love is entwined with the Divine Spirit which is the real source of love. And because the 'holy spirit' is born of the union of these two loves in the human heart, therefore it can be said that this 'holy spirit' is like a son in relation to the two loves. This is the 'holy trinity' which forms a necessary part of the phenomenon of such love. Impure minds have accepted this process polytheistically and have placed a matter of remote possibility, an element destructive to the soul and devoid of reality, on an equal footing to the Self-Existent and Most High God.
At this point the question may be raised that if such a stature is accepted for the Messiah and my humble self, then what position is left for our leader, our master, leader of all leaders, the most excellent of messengers, the seal of Prophets, Muhammad, the chosen one, on whom be the peace and blessings of God. So may it be known that the Prophet's status is such an elevated and superior one that it was only given to that person of perfect qualities; it is not possible for anyone else to reach that condition and status.
The Stages of Spiritual Progress
Now, for a description of the sublime dignity that the Prophet holds, it is necessary to mention that the stations of divine love and affinity can be classified into three groups, according to their spiritual states. The lowest of these stations, which is none the less important, is the one in which the fire of Divine love warms the human heart, sometimes to such a degree that the human soul can perform some of the functions of the Divine fire; but the result in such cases lacks the glow of the fire itself. When a spark of Divine love appears in this state of spiritual love, the warmth generated by such a spark, in ordinary usage, is called tranquility, contentment, and sometimes even an angelic state.
The second form of Divine love is the one which we have mentioned above but, when both the loves (Divine and human) meet, the fire of Divine love warms the human soul to such an extent that it acquires a fire-like glow. In such an illumination there is no blaze or fury. It simply has a brilliance which is usually called the 'holy spirit.'
In the third state of spiritual love, a well ignited flame of Divine love falls on human love, as if it were a ready fuse, and ignites it; it influences every particle, vein and fiber of the human soul and changes it into a perfect and complete manifestation of itself (Divine love). In this condition, Divine love not only gives a glow to the human soul, but, simultaneously with its brilliance, the whole being is set alight; its conflagration and flames brighten everything around it as if it were daylight and no darkness remains. In all perfection and with every thoroughness, the whole being completely changes into a mass of fire. This condition which is caused by the union of these two (Divine and human) loves and results in a conflagrant fire is called the 'guardian spirit' because it provides safety from every darkness and is free from sloth. It is also called 'most powerful' because it is the most excellent form of revelation, no better kind of revelation can be imagined. It is called du al-aufaq al-ala (possessor of most extensive horizons) because it is the most excellent manifestation of Divine revelation. It is also called 'that which is beyond comprehension' because it is impossible for any of God's creatures to imagine or comprehend that state. To one person only in this world has that vision and comprehension been granted: to him who is the most perfect man, to him in whom revelation reached its height, to him in whom human faculties achieved perfection. Imagine the whole of God's creation as a vertical straight line; Muhammad (may the peace of God be upon him) forms the topmost point of that line. The hands of Divine Wisdom first shaped the lesser and humble creatures, then so developed them by the processes of evolution that the glorious person of Muhammad emerged as the most perfect creation. The name Muhammad means 'one who is most praised' or one in whom the most perfect qualities are exhibited. Thus, just as in the process of evolution Muhammad held the most elevated and sublime position, outwardly he received the best and the most excellent form of wahy, and also the most sublime and refined form of Divine love. The position of Muhammad is so exalted that neither the Messiah nor I can reach that height, which is known as the 'position of union' and the 'state of perfect unity with God'. The indications and signs given by previous prophets regarding the advent of the Prophet Muhammad all point toward that very status and position. Just as the position held by the Messiah and myself can allegorically be called one of son-ship, the position of Muhammad is so exalted that previous prophets have metaphorically said that the person who reaches that summit is a manifestation of God Himself: and his advent has been considered as the appearance of Almighty God. The Messiah has expressed this in a parable in which he said that to gather the fruit from the vineyard, the owner of the garden (God) first sent His servants, that is, those who are in the first stage of nearness to Him, which includes all those saints who lived at the time of the Messiah or those who lived in that century but a little before the time of the Messiah. When the gardeners refused to hand over the fruit, the owner of the garden, then sent his son as a means of confirmation, so the gardeners would , listen to the son and hand over the fruit to him. In this context the term 'son,' refers to the Messiah who was in the second stage of nearness to God's love, but the vine-yard-keepers even refused to give the fruit to the son, and in their pride they even killed him. The Messiah says that after this the owner of the vineyard will come himself, that is, God Himself will appear so that after killing the gardeners, He can give the orchard to such people as will hand over the fruit on time. In this parable the appearance of Almighty God in fact means the advent of Muhammad, the chosen one (may the peace of God be upon him) who was in the third stage of nearness to God[viii].
All these stages are levels of spiritual attainment which have been referred to in simile according to each individual position; they do not signify real son-ship or actual divinity.
FOOTNOTES:
[i] A Clarification (Tauzeeh-e-Maraam): by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, English Translation by Iqbal Ahmad, p. 19-25. Link.
Note: Emphasis has been added by this writer variably by italics, underline and bold font.
[ii] One of the names by which the Prophet was known.
[iii] If 'm' is dropped from 'Ahmad', the remaining word is 'ahad', which in Arabic means 'the one God'. This symbolically expresses the Prophet's nearness to God.
[iv] refers to Muhammad (pbuh).
[v] ibid
[vi] ibid
[vii] Literally means 'spokesman'. As a theological term in Islam it means one who conveys Divine communications. Here it refers to the Prophet who was favoured with Divine revelation.
[viii] Jesus Christ is not the only Prophet who stated that the advent of our revered leader, master and the last of the prophets is in fact the manifestation of God. Such statements are also to be found in the prophecies of other prophets regarding the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of God be upon him). The advent of the Prophet has metaphorically been referred to as the manifestation of God. At times the Prophet, being a perfect manifestation of God, has metaphorically been called 'God'. Thus we find in the Psalms of David:
One should bear in mind that the words of the Psalms : "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever. Your royal sceptre is a sceptre of equity'', are metaphorical expressions and their purpose is to describe the spiritual grandeur of the Prophet. Similar passages are to be found in the Book of Isaiah:
From Regis:
I've no idea what Ghamidi sahib is saying but around the same time as Mirza sahib there were two Qadiri shuyukh in Turkey, Hz. Mehmet Ali Özkardeş (1895–1980), and his shaykh Hz. Ahmet Süreyya Emin (1848–1923).
I wonder if they faced the kind of opposition that Mirza sahib faced? It doesn't seem like it. The venom towards Mirza sahib and his followers is very disconcerting. Multiple fatawa of takfir, lectures, websites, bombings, grave desecration, and criminal sanctions are all used against his followers. So I'm glad that someone of Ghamidi's stature and influence is willing to challenge the climate of fear and insha Allah move away from this oppressive, social fascism which prevents spiritual exploration.
From Zahid Aziz:
Several Muslim saints long before the time of Hazrat Mirza sahib claimed to be Messiahs like Jesus, or they wrote that Messiah-like figures can arise in islam. Please see: http://www.ahmadiyya.org/sa-case/evidence/s12.htm
The opposition to Hazrat Mirza sahib came when he declared that Jesus had died and that therefore he would not be returning in person, and that he himself (i.e. Hazrat Mirza sahib) was the Messiah promised in Hadith reports as coming among Muslims. It was this claim to be the Promised Messiah which provoked the opposition.