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Friday Khutba by Maulana Muhammad Ali, 4 February 1944, Lahore

Vain desires are the opposite of practical action

Mirza Mahmud Ahmad’s dream does not provide any basis for his claim

Every member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama‘at can be called Muslih Mau‘ud!

Mirza Mahmud Ahmad should show some practical achievement before making his claim

“It will not be in accordance with your vain desires nor the vain desires of the People of the Book. Whoever does evil, will be requited for it and will not find for himself besides Allah a friend or a helper. And whoever does good deeds, whether male or female, and is a believer, these will enter the Garden, and they will not be dealt with a whit unjustly.” The Holy Quran, 4:123–124

Law of God the Most High

In these two verses Allah the Most High has set out a general law of His, which applies to Muslims and unbelievers equally. “It will not be in accordance with your vain desires (amániy)”, there cannot be any outcome based on your mere desires; “nor the vain desires of the People of the Book” who deny this Quran, nothing will be earned according to their desires. The Divine law is that “whoever does evil” will meet its bad consequence and “whoever does good deeds, whether male or female” will receive the reward. This really is a deep point that was fully understood by the Muslims of the early times.

What are desires?

What are amániy or desires? These are the desires that keep on arising in a person’s heart. This is why false claims are also known as amániy, as the Holy Quran says in another place [in 2:111, regarding the respective claims of the Jews and the Christians to exclusive salvation]: “And they say: None shall enter the Garden except he who is a Jew or the Christians. These are their vain desires (amániy)” or false claims. This is why it then says: “Bring your proof if you are right”. As opposed to amániy there is practical action or ‘amal.

Early Muslims understood this

The early Muslims understood this point. Shunning vain desires, they showed an unparalleled example of the power of action, the like of which cannot be found anywhere else even though you search for it. Such was their power of action that whichever way they turned they were victorious and triumphant. If they went to the field of battle, then powerful, highly organised empires crumbled before them. If they turned to the field of knowledge, they expanded learning so widely that they spread it in the entire world, the light of their knowledge even illuminating Europe. In the field of righteousness and devotion to God, their falling in prayer before the Almighty and shedding tears at the Divine threshold will probably remain unequalled in human history forever. The like of it cannot be found among monks, ascetics or recluses.

Vain desires and practical action are the complete opposites of each other. Those who become involved in practical works do not indulge in vain desires, and those who go after vain desires lose their strength for action.

Lack of action by Muslims and the Imam of the present age

The condition of the Muslims today is that they utterly lack the faculty of strength of action. Vain desires and wishful thinking are running rampant. All these conferences that are held and the resolutions that are passed are nothing but amániy. In this age the Imam who was sent by Allah the Most High for the guidance of the Muslims came for the very purpose of creating the power of action. He created enormous power of action among his followers. His personal power of action was tremendous too. The whole world opposed him but he moved not from his position one inch; facing the most bitter opposition he did his work and left behind a strong community.

Qadiani Jama‘at in the grip of vain desires

It must be said with regret that today his followers in Qadian have bid farewell to action and fallen prey to the disease of vain desires. These days an out of season eid has come to Qadian. Telegrams of congratulation are being showered, schools and offices are closed for celebration, and public meetings are being held, all for a festival. And what is that festival? It too is a desire, which appeared as a dream. But what is being celebrated with joy is not in that dream. The celebration is that the Mian sahib (Mirza Mahmud Ahmad) has become the Muslih Mau‘ud (Promised Reformer). He was already the Muslih Mau‘ud in the eyes of his followers even before, but now he has said that God has informed him that he is the Muslih Mau‘ud.

The dream

I have said that this is a desire, so let me first make this point clear. The dream is very long. In these times dreams have become lengthy, just as the means of writing and propaganda have become extensive. This dream of the Mian sahib consists of three to four thousand words.

The basis of the dream is that the Mian sahib saw some people riding upon idols of stone that were floating in a lake. The Mian sahib too got on one of these floating idols in this lake and started to preach to the idol-worshippers.

Who is greater of the two?

The Mian sahib says that during this speech when he was preaching the messengership of the Holy Prophet Muhammad to the people:

“it seemed as if Allah had granted the Holy Prophet himself the privilege (taufiq) to speak from my tongue [original urdu: Rasulullah ko meri zobaan se bolne ki taufiq di hai], and he said: I am Muhammad, the servant and messenger of Allah.”

So the Holy Prophet Muhammad was granted taufiq to speak from the tongue of Mirza Mahmud Ahmad. Which of the two of them is the greater then?

The Promised Messiah speaks

After this the Promised Messiah came, and he too spoke from the mouth of the Mian sahib saying: I am the Promised Messiah.

Basis of claim of Mirza Mahmud Ahmad

After this, the third turn is that of the Mian sahib himself, perhaps because it is futile to believe in the Holy Prophet Muhammad and the Promised Messiah unless you also believe in the Mian sahib. The Mian sahib said [in the dream]: Ana al-Masih al-Mau‘ud, mathili-hi wa khalifa, meaning: “I too am the Promised Messiah, that is to say, his like and his khalifa”. This is the meaning he has himself given, that these words denote that he is the like of the Promised Messiah and his khalifa. It is on this basis that he has laid the foundation that God has told him that he is the Muslih Mau‘ud.

This is only his desire

In fact, this is only his desire. The word Mau‘ud (promised) is not found here, nor are the words Muslih Mau‘ud (Promised Reformer) or Pisr Mau‘ud (promised son) found here. As to khalifa, there can be hundreds of these. The Holy Prophet Muhammad had many khalifas. As to the ‘like of’, there can also be hundreds. Hazrat Mirza sahib has himself written that there can be thousands of ‘likes’ of the Messiah. But the promised one is only one. How can it be concluded from the above words that the Mian sahib is the promised one? It is asserted that in this dream he has been declared as Muslih Mau‘ud. But there is no mention of Muslih Mau‘ud in the dream. This is merely a desire in his heart. Why did it arise and how did it arise? The dream was only seen recently on the night between January 5th and 6th, 1944. There are earlier events which are its cause.

Three phases of this issue

There have been three phases that have passed over the Mian sahib. As soon as he ascended to the seat of headship [in 1914], an article by Pir Manzur Muhammad appeared in Mian sahib’s magazine Tashhiz-ul-Azhan to prove that he was the Muslih Mau‘ud. At that time when people asked him about it, the Mian sahib replied, and kept on saying for a long time, that he could not say whether he was Muslih Mau‘ud or not. This was one phase.

The second phase

Then came the second phase when he started saying that he was the Muslih Mau‘ud but that he was not making the claim. He said that he fulfilled the prophecy of being Muslih Mau‘ud even without directly claiming to be so.

The third phase

Now the third stage has arrived. He now says that God has informed him that he is the Muslih Mau‘ud. At this announcement Qadian has burst into celebration and telegrams of congratulations have started arriving from other places despite the fact that the entire Jama‘at already believed him to be Muslih Mau‘ud and he too had been saying that he was the Muslih Mau‘ud. What is new, then? He has made a claim which was not necessary to make.

What is the cause of rejoicing?

A man sees a dream and he makes himself the Muslih Mau‘ud. But the Qadiani Jama‘at already believed him to hold this position. What are they rejoicing about? It does not make me laugh, it makes me cry. Is there any previous instance that when God appointed someone to a position, celebrations of this kind were held? Hazrat Mirza sahib was made Promised Messiah in our time. Did his followers hold festivities that day? Even if someone became Muslih Mau‘ud, is this an occasion for celebration and messages of congratulations?

An element of trial

I believe that this prophecy has an element of a trial in it. Muslih Mau‘ud means one who brings about reform. A reformer is required at a time when there is some mischief or evil to be rectified.

Calling Muslims as kafir is a major evil

I believe that after the death of Hazrat Mirza sahib a major mischief arose, namely, that from Qadian the call was raised declaring Muslims as kafir and the kalima as being abrogated. If the Muslih Mau‘ud is to come to repel this mischief, then this can only light up our eyes and make our hearts happy. If, however, the Muslih Mau‘ud is to come to counter some other mischief then that mischief must have existed since before the Promised Messiah’s time, and the Qadianis will have to admit that the Promised Messiah failed to correct that msichief! The mischief of calling Muslims as kafir is indeed a very major evil created by Mirza Mahmud Ahmad.

Every member of Lahore Jama‘at is a Muslih Mau‘ud

If this evil requires to be corrected then I consider that each and every member of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama‘at is a Muslih Mau‘ud, and would be right in making that claim. God the Most High has Himself testified to this in the revelation of the Promised Messiah: “Our purified members are in Lahore”.

However, those who have created the evil of calling Muslims as kafir cannot claim to be Muslih Mau‘ud. When we call them to debate on their beliefs of declaring Muslims as kafir or abrogating the kalima, they reply that we are trying to humiliate them in front of the Muslims. But why have they adopted a belief which they are too embarrassed to mention in public? As to when the Muslih Mau‘ud will come, Allah knows best, but if a promised mischief-maker had to come then certainly the Mian sahib can make this claim.

Two arguments out of four are wrong

Apart from this dream, if you look at his proofs they are even more bewildering. It is a long story and I cannot discuss the prophecy of the Promised Messiah in detail within a Friday khutba, but this prophecy contains the sign that he will “turn three into four”. The Mian sahib has laid much stress on this sign and given some proofs of it, but he has himself declared one of the proofs to be wrong.

Look at another proof. He says that the prophecy was made in 1886, and after the passage of the three years 1886, 1887 and 1888, he was born in 1889. So he says he turned three into four. I need not say how ridiculous is this proof. But the strange thing is that in their own original article in Tashhiz-ul-Azhan they wrote that Hazrat Mirza sahib made this prophecy two years before 1886, that is in 1884. So five years passed and the Mian sahib was born in the sixth year. Hazrat Mirza sahib has himself also written that this prophecy really belongs to 1884. So this argument is also wrong. Will the Mian sahib admit that two out of his four proofs are clearly in error?

If the Mian sahib asked for my advice, I would tell him to put forward the argument that there are already three claimants to the title of Muslih Mau‘ud and he is the one who makes these three into four.

Mockery of religion

I assure you that this is a mockery being made of religion. There are many signs of the Muslih Mau‘ud: many nations will find guidance through him, a large number of people will embrace Islam, and Hazrat Mirza sahib writes in Al-Wasiyya that God will distinguish him with His revelation and nearness. If nations are to find guidance in the way in which the Mian sahib saw in his dream that idol-worshippers became Muslims, then this is simply a vain desire.

Show something practical

If you are going to do something then show it by doing it. If you say that whatever will be achieved after the time of the Mian sahib will also be ascribed to him, then I say that whatever will be achieved in the future it will be regarded as the doing of the Promised Messiah, not of Mahmud or Nur-ud-Din, or of Muhammad Ali.

People will laugh

Besides this, the Mian sahib also says in this dream: “I am the one for whom virgins have been waiting for 19 centuries on the shore of this sea”. Then he says: “Virgins came running and greeted me, and ran their hands over my garments”. To put forward such things is to make people laugh. I regret that this will make people laugh at the Promised Messiah.

Refuting an absurd claim

I have told you all this because there are many people who are easily impressed by hearing the word ‘claim’. I have seen quite well-educated people who say that if such and such a man has made a claim, we must not oppose him in the slightest. But it is an act of courage to contradict those who make absurd claims. If the Muslih Mau‘ud was to be the kind of person that he has claimed to be, then religion would be a game.

Status of the Promised Messiah

How far above these people was the rank of the Promised Messiah! In his time the Muslims were thoroughly despondent. Their political power had become decrepit and their civilisation was facing its worst decline. Even their greatest leaders could not imagine that the Western rulers could become Muslims. It was only the Mirza to whom the idea occurred that these nations shall accept Islam.

His claim and basis of work

As soon as he claimed to be the Promised Messiah he laid the foundations of the propagation of Islam in the West. He wrote that the Western countries which had, since antiquity, been engrossed in the darkness of unbelief and error shall be illuminated with the sun of truth, and will receive their share of Islam. Then he also wrote in Izala Auham that translations and commentaries of the Holy Quran and other Islamic literature should be taken to these nations.

Don’t rely on dreams

Those who make claims should show practical work. Dreams can be true, sometimes desires take the form of dreams, and sometimes dreams are also from the devil. Do not take dreams as your basis but rest your foundations on the Holy Quran.

Religion and the power of action

Religion comes to create in humans a strong power of action. If you cannot display an example of this power of action then it is futile to make claims. Remember it well, that a true religion creates within you the power to act; remember that each one of you has that power. Put that power to work and see how a great transformation takes place in the world.

Khutbas in this series:
4 Feb. 1944
18 Feb. 1944
3 March 1944