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In Badr of 21 November 1907, a letter by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is printed in connection with the receiving of dreams and revelations by ordinary people, and whether they can be considered to be inspired by God or not.

I have uploaded the original Urdu page to this blog in pdf format.

Please read by clicking here.

I hope to translate it into English later.

In Badr of 7th November 1907, under the title What is meant by progeny of God? Hazrat Mirza sahib is reported as saying the following:

Allah has said, addressing me, “You are to me in the place of My progeny”. He has not said here: “You are My progeny”, but said “in place of My progeny”, in other words, “like My progeny”. This is, in fact, a rejoinder to Christians who believe Jesus to be the son of God in the real sense, while God has no progeny.

God has not brushed away in totality the claim of the Jews that “we are the sons of God and His beloved ones” (the Quran, 5:18), but said that they do not deserve these titles. It is, in fact, a figure of speech whereby God uses such terms to honour his chosen ones. It is just as it is stated in hadith reports that God becomes the eyes or the hands of the man whom he loves, or that God says: “O My servant, I was thirsty and you did not give Me water. I was hungry and you did not feed Me”. Similarly it is written in the Torah that Jacob is the son of God, even his prince. All these are figurative expressions which are found generally in all the books of God and in Hadith.

God has used such words about me as well, as a rejoinder to Christians, because despite these words I never make such a claim that, God forbid, I am the son of God. In fact, I regard making such a claim as an act of heresy.

As regards such words which God has applied to the prophets, the most excellent and the highest ranking title has been given to the Holy Prophet Muhammad. For, God said to him: “Say: O My servants” (the Quran, 39:53). Now it is obvious that the people thus addressed were the servants of God, not servants of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. These words show how broad is the scope of application of such words by way of metaphor.

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Hazrat Mirza sahib here declares unequivocally that despite being called by God as “like My progeny”, he does not claim to be the son of God, as this title is only by way of metaphor. The same explanation applies to his being called “prophet” by God.

In Badr, 7th November 1907, the following conversation in the company of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is reported:

The new balloons to be used in wars were being mentioned and it was said that some Englishmen proposed to communicate with the inhabitants of Mars. Hazrat Mirza sahib said: Earlier prophecies about these people are being fulfilled, that they will shoot arrows towards the sky. God has given these people the power to do anything. Let us see what is the final consequence.

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1. The “balloons” would be an early form of aerial warfare.2. Hazrat Mirza’s statement here about a prophecy (presumably in Hadith) that these nations would shoot arrow towards the sky was made before the invention of rockets. The launching of rockets  for space travel resembles exactly the shooting of arrows towards the sky.

Khwaja Ghulam Farid of Chachran (Bahalwalpur state, now Pakistan) was a renowned Muslim saint, with a large following, in the time of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and passed away before the Promised Messiah in 1904. Much to the chagrin of the Promised Messiah’s opponent ulama, the Khwaja refused to denounce him and openly declared that he was a true and sincere servant of Islam. He was not, of course, an Ahmadi, yet the Promised Messiah declared him in a poem as “the peerless one of this age in truthfulness and purity”. In Badr of 10th October 1907 a news is printed about a disciple of the Khwaja as follows:

“Hazrat Khwaja Ghulam Farid, upon whom be mercy of Allah, had true love for the Promised Messiah. This is why his disciples, when expressing love and loyalty towards the Promised Messiah, mention that they are following their late leader, may Allah have mercy on him. Recently, an honourable sufi, Khalifa Muhammad Sadiq Ali, has entered into the bai`at of the holy Hazrat. We reproduce two of his letters which will be a source of guidance for our readers.”

The words of this note shows that Khwaja Ghulam Farid, while not being an Ahmadi, is nonetheless being regarded here as a great Muslim saint 

The first letter is translated below:

“O true Mahdi and true guide! assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. Today I saw the Review of Religions, which proved and showed me that the declarations against you which appear in newspapers are written by misguided people.  You are teaching us the Islam which we have forgotten. Far from being a denier and falsifier of the khatam-ur-rusul Muhammad, peace be upon him, you are one who supports and propagates his religion. You belong to that group regarding whom our Holy Messenger said that in his umma there will be ulama who will excel the prophets of the past. In a partial sense, messengership continues and will continue till the Day of Judgment. …

O true Mahdi who has been sent by God, I sincerely believe you to be true and God the Glorious is witness to it. …

O Mahdi sent by God, guide and mentor, I accept that the Holy Quran is the highest guide and teacher of Islam. However, to understand it, when knowledge and reason are not enough then a guide is required. So I take you as my guide. Teach me and show me the right path. …”

The words used by the letter writer, “You belong to that group regarding whom our Holy Messenger said that in his umma there will be ulama whom will excel the prophets of the past”, clearly show that he considers Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as one of the saints of Islam. That is the only group spoken of thus in Hadith. The next words, “In a partial sense, messengership continues and will continue till the Day of Judgment”, equally clearly refer to the concept of muhaddasiyya, since “partial messengership” is a recognised term for that concept (based on the hadith that the true visions of a believer are a part of prophethood).

In Badr, 26th September 1907, a letter written by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad inviting a person to accept him is published, under the caption An old letter of Hazrat Aqdas. The date of the letter is 1317 A.H., and as the date on this issue of Badr is 1325 A.H., it means that the letter is from 1899. Its publication is one of many examples of pre-1901 writings of the Promised Messiah being published long after 1901. The letter is translated below. After the formal greetings, he writes:

 "I am appointed (mamur) in order to inform every right-minded, noble person of my mission, namely, that God the Most High has sent me at the head of this 14th century for renewal work (tajdid) to defeat through me the two troubles: the mischief of Christianity whose attacks from the outside have greatly weakened Islam, and the internal mischief that the condition of the Muslim themselves, in terms of faith, deeds and belief, has greatly declined. Accordingly, corresponding to the external reform work relating to breaking the cross, the Wise One has given me the name Promised Messiah, and corresponding to removing the internal trouble and establishing Muslims on true guidance He has given me the name Mahdi.

For, the man by whose hand the mischief of the cross is removed, and the distorted form of Christianity meets its fall, he is that Mujaddid whose name in heaven is Messiah. And the man who appears at a time when most Muslims have lost the true substance and essence of Islam, and he is sent to breathe into them again the spirit of true guidance and faith, he is that Mujaddid whose name is Mahdi, as the hadith says: 'There is no Mahdi except Jesus'. …

It is the condition of the present time that demanded that the Mujaddid of this century be called by the names Promised Messiah and Mahdi. … Is it not true that the heaven is calling out and the earth is pleading that, according to the prevailing circumstances and the internal and external troubles that are being witnessed, the name of the Mujaddid of this century should be Messiah and Mahdi?

If the prevailing circumstances themselves do not by their nature bestow upon me these two titles then I am a liar. But if they do, then it is obligatory and essential for every God-fearing person to join my helpers. On this basis, I write this letter to you, as I entertain a favourable view about you, and wish that you, having fear of the day when any deviation and laxity in the way of God will nullify one's deeds, should become my helper…

Ask God to show you light in my affair, so that you do not join those who, having found the Messiah sent by God, did not pay the least attention to him."

This is a very clear explanation of his claim written some eight years after first making it. And it is republished in Badr a further eight years later. Thus the Promised Messiah is the title of the Mujaddid of the fourteenth century.

In Badr, 19 September 1907, a letter is printed entitled Why I became an Ahmadi by one Baqa Muhammad. He writes in the article that after he became an Ahmadi he received a letter from a Maulvi friend expressing surprise at this. After quoting the letter from his Maulvi friend, he then quotes the reply that he sent him. We translate below just some extracts from his lengthy reply:

“Since the beginning of time, when a prophet died and his book was altered and there was a denial of the signs of God, then God appointed another prophet to spread the doctrine of His oneness who verified the earlier prophets. It is obvious that the prophets before the Holy Prophet Muhammad came for only their own nations, while our Holy Prophet came for the whole world. No prophet will come after him who will be commanded to follow laws other than the commandments of the Holy Quran. Certainly not. Instead, for the propagation of the same Islam, which attained completion with the Holy Prophet Muhammad, mujaddids or imams have been coming, as there has always been a mujaddid at the turn of every century. Because there was a need these days for an imam and mujaddid, God out of His grace and mercy appointed the Imam of the time who had been promised. He came with clear arguments and signs because this is an age in which Muslims have become divided into many sects, each considering itself to be destined for heaven and the others for hell. …

Jesus can only come holding one of two positions: (1) as a rasul, (2) having been removed from risalat as an ummati. In the first case the Holy Prophet Muhammad would not remain khatam-un-nabiyyin, but one would have to accept Jesus as the khatam. In the second case, to consider a rasul as an ummati is very much against the basics of faith, and is heresy because we believe in the prophethood of all prophets.”

This shows that:

1. After the Holy Prophet Muhammad, those who are sent by God among Muslims are mujaddids and imams.
2. Khatam-un-nabiyyin means Last of the Prophets because if Jesus came after the Holy Prophet Muhammad he would become Khatam-un-nabiyyin. Note that if khatam here meant ‘best’ or ‘greatest’ then even in the event of Jesus coming back as prophet, the Holy Prophet could still remain Khatam-un-nabiyyin.
3. If it applies to Jesus that a prophet cannot be an ummati, then in case of Hazrat Mirza sahib too he being an ummati cannot be a prophet.

In Al-Hakam of 17 September 1907, the importance of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya is again highlighted by the editor. We quote from it below:

“The time of the coming of the appointed ones of God (mamooreen) is the time for the making and unmaking of communities. At this time too God has sent an appointed one (maamoor) and, as he has himself made known, it is in a state of the utmost powerlessness and humility that he is working for the reform of people. He wants to create a community. It will certainly be created, and blessed will be those who join it. …

To create a living structure for the community the holy Hazrat has laid the foundation of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya. Now the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya is anxious to create branches of Ahmadi anjumans subordinate to it in different places. Announcements have been published, articles written, letters sent, and much has been done and much still needs to be done. By the grace of God, good results are being obtained by all these plans and efforts. Ahmadi anjumans are being set up. Now that this process has started, it is my duty to make my brethren aware of the problem and tribulation that arises when such anjumans are established. May God safeguard our anjumans from these.

That tribulation and disaster is self interest and selfishness. The creation of the Ahmadi anjumans is not for the sake of any one individual, but is for the benefit of the entire community. So if a person, merely because his proposal or opinion at some meeting is not followed or is opposed, is offended and obstructs the work, then remember that he is guilty of a severe sin in the eyes of God. He wishes to damage the whole community.

What are we individuals worth, and what worth are our opinions? In our work we should show sincerity and seek the pleasure of God. Whoever is made the president or secretary of the assembly should realise that he carries an immense responsibility. In discharging his duties he must bear in mind the principle that the leader of a people is their servant. Those who have elected him president or secretary must make it their rule to obey him in good matters. There must be no dispute among us as to why someone was not given a certain office. Such disputes divide the community, and the community in which these happen deviates far from its real object.” (The bold text here is in bold in the original.)

Again, this shows that the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya was created as the supreme executive in the Ahmadiyya Movement. No article such as the above mention anything about a khilafat to rule the Movement.

In Al-Hakam of 10th September 1907 there is an article on the front page which shows the important position held by the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya as created by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. It is written by the Editor, Shaikh Yaqub Ali Turab, later a staunch supporter of Mirza Mahmud Ahmad. I quote most of it below:

“Today, not for the first time, but for several years I have been urging that the organised Ahmadi community, just as it is bound in a spiritual relationship, should also be united in a physical sense. It was not me who felt this need but it was felt by the Promised Messiah the very day he announced the arrangements of taking the bai`at by the order of Allah. For the attainment of the benefits that God intends should come through the founding of this Movement, it is necessary to have an organised system.  Many a time, moves were proposed for this, and they had some effect. Ultimately, this tree was planted in the form of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya by order of the Promised Messiah.

By its nature, the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya requires that there should be associated with it other Anjumans as its subordinates. For this the Secretary of the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya [Note:  This was Maulana Muhammad Ali] has made regular proposals, and done so several times. To fulfil the needs of the community, and to attain the aims and objectives which God has connected with the establishment of this community, it is essential that there must be Ahmadiyya Anjumans in various places and a proper register of members of the Movement. The Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya has prepared and printed the necessary rules and regulations for Ahmadiyya Anjumans, and sent copies of these to various places. Those who need more of them should apply to the office of the Secretary, Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya, and obtain them, and very soon inform that they have created Anjumans under these rules.

When organised Anjumans are established, those problems and difficulties that arise daily will not arise again because the community as a whole will be aware of those problems and will have the opportunity to devise and act on proposals to meet the arising needs.”

As the Promised Messiah’s book Haqiqat-ul-Wahy was published in May 1907, mention of it is found in the Ahmadiyya newspapers around that date. In Badr, 8 August 1907, a letter by Dr Basharat Ahmad to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is printed under the title Haqiqat-ul-Wahy. The letters runs as follows:

“Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu-hu!

This servant has been busy in reading Haqiqat-ul-Wahy in recent days and finished it in 15 to 20 days, reading it very carefully by the grace of God. I read the most wonderful secrets of knowledge and my faith was refreshed by ever newer signs. You, sir, have conclusively proved the arguments to the opponents to the highest degree. If they don’t accept them even now, then they are like the bat which does not see the sun on a bright day. You, sir, have made the sun of clear evidences and irrefutable arguments to rise. Now the opponent Maulvis have nothing left but obduracy and prejudice. Signs are pouring down like rain. If a man has the least spiritual taste and faith, he will find an ocean of Divine signs flowing by your hand, sir. But the fact is that the inner nature of these opponent Maulvis has become distorted due to their vehemence, prejudice and ignorance. Otherwise, for men of spiritual taste and faith there are more than enough signs.”

In a talk reported in Badr, 8th August 1907, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad answered an objection of the opponent Ulama that he had not gone to perform the Hajj. He said:

“It is with evil intent that these people raise this objection. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him, lived in Madina for ten years. It was only a couple of days’ journey from Makka, but he did not perform the Hajj in those years. He was in a position to make arrangements for transport etc. However, the condition for performing the Hajj is not only that you should have enough resources. It is also necessary that there should be no danger of any trouble and there should exist the means for reaching there and performing the Hajj in security.

Considering that the savage-minded Ulama are even in this country issuing verdicts that I deserved to be killed, and showing no fear of the authorities, there is nothing they would not do there. But why are they concerned that I have not performed the Hajj? If I were to perform the Hajj, will they consider me a Muslim? Will they join my Movement? If all these Ulama give a sworn affirmation that if I perform the Hajj they will all repent on my hand and join my Movement and be my followers, then I will go and perform the Hajj. God the Most High will create the means for us which facilitate it, so that the mischief of the Maulvis is removed.

It is not good to raise objections unjustly with evil intent. This objection of theirs applies even to the Holy Prophet because he only performed the Hajj in his last year.”