بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Friday Sermon
HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN
AL KHALIFATULLAH
Munir Ahmad Azim
20th March 2009
(Summary of Friday Sermon)
After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and afterwards he said:
Given that the Jamaat Ahmadiyya will be celebrating the Massih Maoud Day on Monday the 23 March 2009, my sermon will be focused today on the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace), the Promised Messiah. We, in the Jamaat Sahih Ul Islam have the strong belief that the Messiah, Krishna, Jesus or any other persons expected by practitioners of different religions are found in the person of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace), the Promised Messiah.
All predictions about the advent of this reformer of the last days, found in the various scriptures, including the Bible, the Vedas and the Quran have been realised in the time of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) and also in our time.
That each religion would have a reformer who would proclaim that his people will prevail is unthinkable. This would create a state of indescribable chaos. It is imperative that it be a single person who, helped and guided by God comes to rally the whole world under one same banner (the banner of the unicity of Allah). We believe that this person is Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) from Qadian. All the signs mentioned in the sacred books, manifested themselves to testify in his favour and prove his veracity.
He is the only of his time to claim to receive divine revelations in which God told him that he was chosen to reform the world and bring it back to its Creator, Allah the Almighty. No one has the right to ignore such a claim.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) was chosen by Allah as a reformer at the end of the thirteenth century of the Hegira and the spread of Islam or rather the revival of Islam began in the early fourteenth century. In 1889, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) founded the Ahmadiyya movement thus establishing the foundation of a spiritual revolution in the world.
According to me, with the profound study of the Holy Quran and Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), the order of prophets which ended with the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) is only the Law-bearing one.
Therefore, there can never be other laws which will override those of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), according to which: “Apostolate and the order of the Prophet was terminated” and “there will be no apostle or prophet after me”; Which means “that there would be no prophet after me who could follow a law other than mine, but there may be a prophet, who must necessarily be under the orders of my Shariah.” And “there will be no apostle” means that no law-bearer will come to draw man towards a Shariah of his own. It is this kind of order of prophets which ended!
Otherwise the door of this great blessing is not definitively closed and there will be prophets who will come in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). The second point is that “the words of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) that there will be no prophet after him” means that there will be no prophet with a new Shariah (Law).
The third point is that “those who are endowed with understanding” will realize that there is no virtue in being first or last in the context of time. How, then, the phrase, “but he is only an apostle of God and Khataman Nabiyyeen” (Seal of the Prophets) may be laudable in the chronological sense?
Fourth point, “even if a prophet appears after the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him),” the finality of the latter could never be in any way endangered.
Consider this Hadith in which Hazrat Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) said: “Say that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is ‘Khataman Nabiyyeen’, never say that there will be no prophet after him”. (Durr-Mansoor Vol.5 pg. 204)
When you study in depth the Holy Quran and authentic Hadiths you will see that Hazrat Mohammad (peace be upon him) is not the last prophet, and finally there is no chronological sense if a person thinks otherwise.
On the contrary, according to the prophecies of our beloved Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him), the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) must appear at the end of the thirteenth century or the beginning of the fourteenth century, and it is Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) who is the Promised Messiah whom everyone and all religions are waiting. I quote some extracts (of the books) of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) concerning his claim as a prophet of God.
It is a fact that there are always two kinds of prophets. There were those who were law-bearers and those who came to propagate and protect the laws already existing.
With the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) has terminated the first order of the Prophet, i.e. the law-bearing ones.
Now begins a different order of prophets who will necessarily be Ummati (disciples) of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) who is the ‘Khataman Nabiyyine’ i.e., the Seal of the Prophets.
The writings are very clear about this. In his book “Ek Ghalati Ka Izala” the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) says: “Where I refused to be called a prophet or apostle I have done it in the sense that I am not the bearer of a new and independent Shariah (law) and that I am not an independent prophet.
However having received spiritual blessings from the Apostle whom I am the disciple, having been nominated after him, and knowledge of the invisible world has been given to me by God as proof of His grace, I claim to be a prophet and an apostle but without a new Shariah (Law). I never renounced the title of prophet in this sense. God called me prophet and apostle in this way. Thus, I can never deny being a prophet.”
As regards the basis of his claims:
1) The Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) says: “I swear by God who holds my life in His hands, that it is He who sent me, and has called me prophet.” (Haqiqatul Wahi, pg 68).
2) “I declare that from a point of view I am an Ummati (disciple) and on another, I am a prophet; the title of prophet is the highest recognition granted to an Ummati by the beneficent influence of the blessed Prophet (peace be upon him).” (Al Hakam No.17 - 1947)
3) “I was clearly called prophet” (Haqiqatul Wahi pg 150)
4) “I am a prophet according to the commandment of God. If I deny it, I am guilty of sin. And when God calls me a prophet, who am I to refuse?” (The last letter published in Akbar-i-Aam - 26 May 1908)
5) “I claim to be a prophet. The controversy is altogether literal. Prophet is the one with whom God has relations which are superior in number and in quality to those maintained with others. And these relationships often contain great prophecies. And as this definition applies to me, I am a prophet.” (Badr - March 5, 1908).
6) “I am the Promised Messiah and the same who was called Prophet by the Chief of the Prophets (peace be upon him).” (Nazoolul Massih pg 48)
7) “Among the difficulties of my mission is my claim to be Prophet, to receive divine revelations and to be the Promised Messiah.” (Brahin-i-Ahmadiyya pg 53)
About the essential qualities of a prophet, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) says: “In the language of God, is called a prophet, the one with whom God has frequent relations and gives him the knowledge of the invisible world.” (Chasma-i-Maarifat pg. 325)
Finally, due to lack of time, I would say what the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) said: “Although I have always prayed that I, like Jesus Son of Mary, not be taken as an instrument to promote polytheistic ideas, and I am confident that God will not let that be, but He has repeated several times to me that, He will give me grandeur, He will inspire the hearts of men, to love me and He will spread my movement across the globe.”
The movement progressed apace. The opponents of the Promised Messiah (on him be peace) used to intensify their insidious propaganda. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) realized that to refute the malicious allegations against him and against Islam, it was imperative to have his own newspaper. And “Al Hakam” was born. The first issue appeared October 8 in 1897 at Amritsar.
The first issue of the second volume is dated 20 February 1898 and was printed by the Qadian “Anwar Ahmadiyya Press”.
The Al Hakam newspaper got the honour to be the first Ahmadiyya newspaper published. We will never stop talking about the works of the Promised Messiah (on him be peace). We will continue to talk about it from one century to another.
May Allah guide us always on the right path, the path of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and repaired by the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace). Ameen.
