What is Qadiyanism or Ahmadiya? How is it different from Islam?
Qadiyanism is a movement started in a town called Qadiyan in India by a man called Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. It later split into two factions, one of which called itself after the founder, hence the name Ahmadiya. Both, however, share the same deviant beliefs which ascribe the status of Prophethood to their man. It is well known that Qur'an makes it clear that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is the last in the line of prophets. This is stated clearly in Verse 40 of Surah 33, entitled Al-Ahzab or the Confederates [or the Clan]. In this verse God describes Muhammad as "God's messenger and the last of all prophets."
The Ahmadis and Qadiyanis claim to be Muslims, alleging that their movement is the second mission of the message of Islam and their man, Ghulam Ahmad, is God's messenger.
They try to reconcile this with the above quoted Qur'anic verse by saying that the Arabic word denoting 'last,' in the above verse means 'seal,' which means that Muhammad serves as the seal which endorses every new message. This is twisted logic, by a person who has tried to justify his false claims by giving a special meaning to the words of a language he did not speak. The Arabic word does have the connotations of a 'seal' but in the sense of 'putting an end to something, or bringing it to completeness that admits of no additions.' It is like a letter that has been signed and put in an envelope which is then sealed. You cannot add anything to that letter unless you break its seal.
The origins of the Ahmadiya go back to the day of the British rule in India, when the British colonial power sought to counter the notion of jihad among Muslims. This is the basic difference that the Ahmadiya brought.
The assigning of Prophethood to Mirza and the removal of the notion of jihad, which is a basic principle of the faith of Islam, takes them out of Islam altogether. They are not considered Muslims by any Muslim country or any Islamic authority. However, they are very active in preaching their falsehood and they have followers in different countries, particularly in Africa. They have gathered a momentum of their own and they are dedicated to their falsehood in a way which makes one sorry for them. Had they shown similar dedication in promoting the message of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, without trying to alter or distort it, they should have achieved much. In their misguided enthusiasm, they only turn people away from the truth and they earn God's displeasure.
• Qiblah — why Jerusalem and then Makkah
A Christian friend of mine argues that the city of Jerusalem is to be preferred to Makkah, even by Muslims for two reasons: the fact that it was the first qiblah (direction of prayer) and that it was the place from where the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, ascended to heaven. In reply I mentioned several points including the fact that the Ka’aba in Makkah was the first sanctuary ever to be dedicated to Allah and that Allah has guaranteed to protect Makkah against His enemies. Moreover, it was at the Ka’aba that the angel Gabriel taught the Prophet how to offer his prayers. May I ask, however, why were the Muslims required at first to pray toward Jerusalem? Is there any historical background to that? May I also ask: Who decided the direction of prayer when the Prophet was first commanded to pray? Please comment.
As you realize, Jerusalem was for quite a long time center of the divine faith as it witnessed the efforts of Prophet Abraham and his descendants to establish Allah's message as the constitution which people were required to follow. However, it was at Makkah that Allah had commanded Prophet Abraham to build the first temple to be dedicated to Allah's worship. Abraham's grandson, Prophet Jacob, was the one to build the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The preference between the two cities should not be of any great concern to us, because it is Allah alone who decides whether a certain place has any special value. It is He who has chosen that those who believe in Him must face the Ka’aba in Makkah when they pray. It is He who has decided to reward His servants for each prayer they offer in Haram in Makkah what He normally gives a reward for one hundred thousand prayers. Nevertheless, the Prophet says, "The sanctity of a believer is far greater in Allah's sight than the sanctity of the Ka’aba itself."
It was Allah who decided that the Muslims should first turn toward Jerusalem when they pray. He later changed that direction and commanded them to pray towards the Ka’aba. The reason for that was the fact that the Arabs, in their days of ignorance when they were worshipping idols, attached great importance to the sanctity of the Ka’aba. To them, it was a symbol of national pride. By removing that attachment temporarily from the minds of the Muslims, Allah wanted them to dedicate themselves toward Him. There must be no confusion in their minds that their submission is to Allah alone and that they would hold as valid only that which He tells them to be valid. Therefore, they prayed toward Jerusalem, knowing that 'that' was Allah's will and that they had to abide by His orders. When they had demonstrated their total dedication and that they did not have any lingering national preferences or loyalties, He put them back on the track that He had chosen for them. They now faced the Ka’aba, knowing that it was Allah's orders to do so. That gesture had no historical or national overtones. To them, now the Ka’aba was the house Abraham built, not the one held sacred for centuries by the Arabs. It was the symbol of faith in the Oneness of Allah, not the symbol of historical sanctity. This is a very important factor and it was achieved through the decision by Allah to order Muslims to turn in their prayer away from the Ka’aba toward Jerusalem, until their hearts had been purged of any national or tribal loyalty.
You often use the expression in your replies such as "Allah says" or "Allah says in a Qudsi Hadith". Are these sayings a deduction by the Prophet from the Qur'anic injunctions? Please explain.
The Prophet has attributed certain statements to Allah, although these are not included in the Qur'an. These statements are given the title of a Qudsi Hadith. These always begin with the Prophet stating that: "Allah has said," or "Allah says." This is a clear indication that the statement that follows such a phrase is not made by the Prophet himself, but by Allah.
Such a Hadith attributed to Allah takes a position in between the Qur'an and ordinary Hadith which is a statement by the Prophet, expressing in his own words a thought or an idea that has been revealed to him by Allah. In other words, a Hadith is revealed in meaning, stated in the Prophet's own words. A Qudsi Hadith, on the other hand, is revealed in words and meaning. That is, the precise statement is made by Allah to express His own meaning. It is different from the Qur'an in the sense that it may not be recited in prayer and its transmission is in the form of a chain of single reporters. When the authenticity of a Qudsi Hadith has been established, it must be taken as correct and acted upon. The number of Qudsi Hadiths exceed 100. One of the most important statements that the Prophet, peace be upon him, related from his Lord is that Allah has said:
"My servants, I have forbidden oppression for Myself and have made it forbidden for you, so do not oppress one another. My servants, all of you are astray except for those I have guided, so seek guidance from Me and I shall guide you. My servants, all of you are hungry except for those I have fed, so seek food from Me and I shall feed you. My servants, all of you are naked except for those I have clothed, so seek clothing of Me and I shall clothe you. My servants, you sin by night and by day, and I forgive all sins, so seek forgiveness of Me and I shall forgive you. My servants, you will not attain harming Me so as to harm Me, and you will not attain benefiting Me so as to benefit Me. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you or the jinn of you to be as pious as the most pious heart of any one man of you, that would not increase My kingdom in anything. My servants, were the first of you and the last of you, the human of you and the jinn of you to rise in one place and make a request of Me, and were I to give everyone what he requested, that would not decrease what I have, any more than a needle decreases the sea if you put into it. My servants, it is but your deeds that I reckon up for you and then compensate you for, so let him who finds good praise Allah and let him who finds other than that blame no one but himself." (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim).