Post by Abu Idris on Sept 21, 2015 21:41:00 GMT
The following excerpt is a historical evidence exposing the reality of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiyani, the imposter. The passage is a debate which took place between Shah Sufi Sulayman Sahib ؒ, also known as Hazrat Sufi Sahib (d. 1343 AH / 1924 CE), and the imposter.
A biography of the Lajpuri Shaykh was written by Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Diwan ؒ (d. 1937 CE), the Shaykh’s maternal grandson; this biography is known by the name Baage Aarif (Urdu). This was, then, translated by Mawlana Qasim Abdullah Diwan[1] (hafizahullah), the biographer’s grandson, in 2009 CE, under the title Garden of the Devout. This humble student of Din was gifted the English translation by the translator’s son and my honourable classmate, Mawlana Ebrahim Diwan (zida majduh) in 1432 AH / 2011 CE.
Due to the English translation not being so widely popularised within the English-speaking world, I felt the need to provide a brief background to the authenticity of the work (and, by extension, the debate).
In the following passage, ‘Hazrat’ always refers to the late Shaykh, Shah Sufi Sulayman ؒ. Some spellings etc. have been edited in this post.
Hazrat once recounted his meeting with Mirza Qadiyani. He said that once he journeyed to Qadiyan. It was the rainy season. Mirza lived on the third floor of his house, and people had to go upstairs for Salah. Mirza’s main assistant and companion was Hakim Nur al-Din, who would read out Mirza’s Ilhamat (discourses) after every Salah. When I arrived there, he took me and introduced me to Mirza saying that I was a Dervish of the Naqshbandi order. I was dressed very simply in a robe and had no fine trappings, so Mirza only gave me a cursory glance.
During the gathering, he asked those present if any of them knew what the people of Ambala thought of him. One person said, that he had made Istikharah regarding Mirza and Tawakkul Shah Sahib, and found Mirza accepted and acclaimed, and Tawakkul Sahib denigrated. On hearing this, anger swept over me, because I had personally met Tawakkul Sahib and knew him to be a very noble and pious Buzrug of Punjab.
I was unable to curb myself and asked the person: “What kind of Istikharah did you make?”
He said: “I saw it in a book.”
I said: “What kind of Istikharah is that?” whereupon Mirza intervened and said, “These are ignorant folk. They think Fal (divining) is Istikharah.”
Before anything more could be said, a person announced that the majlis was over, and so the congregation dispersed downstairs.
I told Hakim Nur al-Din that I desired to meet Mirza in private, but he declined saying Mirza did not see anyone in private.
In one other majlis, Mirza said: “Bring me Bukhari Sharif, and bring me Maʿalim al-Tanzil. People have made Allah to be miserly, whereas Allah is generous, magnanimous. A man can reach any rank through his own efforts.”
The thought came to me that Mirza was hinting at his belief that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not the last or final prophet.
I said: “If you allow, may I say something?”
He said: “Speak.”
I said: “You know that the Faqirs of today are ignorant people. I am neither an ʿAlim nor a debater. I ask this for my own peace of mind. I have heard that in the levels of man, the first level is Muʾmin, then Dhakir, then ʿAbid, then Zahid, then Abdal, then Qutb, then Ghawth, then Fard al-Afrad, then Nabi, then Rasul, then Ulu ’l-ʿAzm. My question is can a person attain the level of a Nabi through his own efforts and power?”
Hearing my question, Mirza put his head in his lap and meditated for a long time. When he raised his head he said: “My talk was concerning the levels of saintliness. Prophethood has ended.”
I said: “Alhamdulillah! You have dispelled my misgivings. I understand that you accept the Muhammad ﷺ is the last and final prophet.”
Before he could reply, a person called, “the majlis is over.” Mirza got up and went into his private quarters, while the congregation trooped downstairs. This happened the next time too. An announcer announced that Mirza was unwell. People took their leave and went down, but I stayed seated. People asked me to leave but I did not move. Mirza looked at me and said, “let him sit.” He was silent for a while, and then looked at me.
So I said: “What news should I give the people about you?”
He said: “Tell the people that ʿIsa, the son of Maryam, died.”
I said: So what are you, his awtar? (apparition). Isn’t tanasukh batil? (isn’t reincarnation false?)”
He said: “That is not what I meant. What I mean is that God will take His work through my hand.”
I said: “ʿIsa (as) will slay Dajjal. Which Dajjal have you slain?”
He said: “These Christians, whose one eye is blind to the truth. They are like Dajjal. To uproot their beliefs is similar to slaying Dajjal.”
I said: “How do you come to have knowledge that ʿIsa (as) is dead?”
He said: “It is stated in the Qurʾan, ‘Falamma tawaffaytani...’”
I said: “Then what does the verse, ‘wa ma qataltuhu wa ma salabuhu...’ mean?”
He became silent and went into meditation for quite a while, then said, “Ya Ahmad inni mubashshiruka.” (Oh Ahmad I give you glad tidings.)
I said: “What is the difference between Wahy and Ilham?”
He said: “There is no difference.”
I said: “I have heard that in Wahy an angel comes face to face, whereas in Ilham there is just an unseen voice. That is why there can be no error in Wahy while error is possible in Ilham.”
He said: “Hearsay has no value.”
I said: “Can Ilham be Rahmani (from God) and Shaytani (from evil)?”
He said: “Yes, it can be both.”
I said: “Then error is possible in Ilham.”
He said: “The people of God have a measure, by which they can judge between True and False.”
I said: “What kind of Measure?”
He said: “Like a scale and balance.”
I said: “A scale can be misbalanced, then how could it show Right from Wrong??
He again bowed his head in meditation, and then said: “People of God will be able to determine the difference.”
I said: “How was the Kashf of Shaykh Muhy al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi?”
He said: “It was correct.”
I said: “Well, he states that he has Ilham that ʿIsa (as) and Hazrat Khidr (as) are alive.”
He again bent meditating, and then said: “The Qurʾan says, ‘Falamma tawaffaytani...’ In front of the Qurʾan, everyone’s Ilham is invalid.”
I said: “How is the meaning of death proven in the verse, when there is a verse categorically stating he did not die?”
He said: “In Bukhari Hazrat Ibn ʾAbbas ؓ has commented on it as ‘tumituni...’ (died).”[2]
I said: “Bukhari has formed a whole chapter on ʿIsa’s (as) descent from the Heavens to Damascus. There is no mention of your Qadiyan in there.”
Again, he was silent but fuming inside. In anger he began chanting, “ʿIsa, the son of Maryam, is dead, is dead.”[3]
Hazrat Sufi Sahib says: “I also became emotional and spurred. I challenged: ‘Oh Mirza! Let us settle this here and now. Either you take me up to ʿIsa (as) or I will take you to the Heavens to ʿIsa (as) and we will ask him face to face, ‘are you alive or are you dead.’’”
Hearing this, he collapsed like a deflated balloon.
I said: “Have you no fear of death, of dying without Iman?”
He said: “Everyone fears death and reckoning.”
I said: “Then pray that Allah gives you and me death with Iman.”
After this long discourse, Mirza sent me down with a note, stating I was to be given so-and-so books and telling me to read them.
I said: “I have met you in person; that is sufficient. What more am I to gain from reading your books? I am a wayfarer; where am I going to lug them around with me?”
When I came down, I was still emotional. People had gathered around wondering what had taken place upstairs. I met Hakim Nur al-Din and said to him: “What pedestal have you gone and put Mirza on? If you had made him a Ghawth or Qutb (saint), people may have accepted it. However, you have gone and titled him as a Prophet?”
He gave me a book and said to me: “Read these books of Mirza.”
I said: “I have heard that you are in fact the actual author of these.”
Hazrat said that there were many ghayr muqallids there who had become Qadiyanis, and he would say: “Whoever leaves Taqlid, would end up as either a Mirzai or an apostate or become a Christian.”
Hazrat related that, once, a person became a Mirzai. He began receiving a salary from the Qadiyani institution to give lectures. His mother was an old but pious woman and became concerned about her son’s activities. She came to Hazrat and told him her worries. Hazrat learned that the person was coming to Bombay soon to give lectures. Hazrat went to meet him, called him and made him sit in front of him. Hazrat then cast such a glance over him that he became feverish and began shaking. Hazrat said, “lay him down to sleep.” When the person woke up, he immediately became repentant, and left his post[4] and then became a firm disciple of Hazrat himself.[5]
[1] Although the name is spelt as Muhammad Kassim Abdullah Diwan on the back cover of the book, the spelling Qasim was taken from the foreword of the book on page 4.
[2] The original English translation transliterated this word as ‘tamaytani’; however, this is not an Arabic word, at all. Resorting back to the Urdu text, we have edited the text accordingly. Not only that; we were unable to locate the quoted interpretation in neither Sahih al-Bukhari nor Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Allah knows best.
[3] The repetition is how we have found in the English text.
[4] Perhaps this word ought to read ‘past’. Allah knows best.
[5] Baage-Aarif – Garden of the Devout, pp. 23-28.
A biography of the Lajpuri Shaykh was written by Mawlana Muhammad Yusuf Diwan ؒ (d. 1937 CE), the Shaykh’s maternal grandson; this biography is known by the name Baage Aarif (Urdu). This was, then, translated by Mawlana Qasim Abdullah Diwan[1] (hafizahullah), the biographer’s grandson, in 2009 CE, under the title Garden of the Devout. This humble student of Din was gifted the English translation by the translator’s son and my honourable classmate, Mawlana Ebrahim Diwan (zida majduh) in 1432 AH / 2011 CE.
Due to the English translation not being so widely popularised within the English-speaking world, I felt the need to provide a brief background to the authenticity of the work (and, by extension, the debate).
In the following passage, ‘Hazrat’ always refers to the late Shaykh, Shah Sufi Sulayman ؒ. Some spellings etc. have been edited in this post.
Meeting with Mirza Qadiyani and Hazrat’s debate with him
During the gathering, he asked those present if any of them knew what the people of Ambala thought of him. One person said, that he had made Istikharah regarding Mirza and Tawakkul Shah Sahib, and found Mirza accepted and acclaimed, and Tawakkul Sahib denigrated. On hearing this, anger swept over me, because I had personally met Tawakkul Sahib and knew him to be a very noble and pious Buzrug of Punjab.
I was unable to curb myself and asked the person: “What kind of Istikharah did you make?”
He said: “I saw it in a book.”
I said: “What kind of Istikharah is that?” whereupon Mirza intervened and said, “These are ignorant folk. They think Fal (divining) is Istikharah.”
Before anything more could be said, a person announced that the majlis was over, and so the congregation dispersed downstairs.
I told Hakim Nur al-Din that I desired to meet Mirza in private, but he declined saying Mirza did not see anyone in private.
In one other majlis, Mirza said: “Bring me Bukhari Sharif, and bring me Maʿalim al-Tanzil. People have made Allah to be miserly, whereas Allah is generous, magnanimous. A man can reach any rank through his own efforts.”
The thought came to me that Mirza was hinting at his belief that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is not the last or final prophet.
I said: “If you allow, may I say something?”
He said: “Speak.”
I said: “You know that the Faqirs of today are ignorant people. I am neither an ʿAlim nor a debater. I ask this for my own peace of mind. I have heard that in the levels of man, the first level is Muʾmin, then Dhakir, then ʿAbid, then Zahid, then Abdal, then Qutb, then Ghawth, then Fard al-Afrad, then Nabi, then Rasul, then Ulu ’l-ʿAzm. My question is can a person attain the level of a Nabi through his own efforts and power?”
Hearing my question, Mirza put his head in his lap and meditated for a long time. When he raised his head he said: “My talk was concerning the levels of saintliness. Prophethood has ended.”
I said: “Alhamdulillah! You have dispelled my misgivings. I understand that you accept the Muhammad ﷺ is the last and final prophet.”
Before he could reply, a person called, “the majlis is over.” Mirza got up and went into his private quarters, while the congregation trooped downstairs. This happened the next time too. An announcer announced that Mirza was unwell. People took their leave and went down, but I stayed seated. People asked me to leave but I did not move. Mirza looked at me and said, “let him sit.” He was silent for a while, and then looked at me.
So I said: “What news should I give the people about you?”
He said: “Tell the people that ʿIsa, the son of Maryam, died.”
I said: So what are you, his awtar? (apparition). Isn’t tanasukh batil? (isn’t reincarnation false?)”
He said: “That is not what I meant. What I mean is that God will take His work through my hand.”
I said: “ʿIsa (as) will slay Dajjal. Which Dajjal have you slain?”
He said: “These Christians, whose one eye is blind to the truth. They are like Dajjal. To uproot their beliefs is similar to slaying Dajjal.”
I said: “How do you come to have knowledge that ʿIsa (as) is dead?”
He said: “It is stated in the Qurʾan, ‘Falamma tawaffaytani...’”
I said: “Then what does the verse, ‘wa ma qataltuhu wa ma salabuhu...’ mean?”
He became silent and went into meditation for quite a while, then said, “Ya Ahmad inni mubashshiruka.” (Oh Ahmad I give you glad tidings.)
I said: “What is the difference between Wahy and Ilham?”
He said: “There is no difference.”
I said: “I have heard that in Wahy an angel comes face to face, whereas in Ilham there is just an unseen voice. That is why there can be no error in Wahy while error is possible in Ilham.”
He said: “Hearsay has no value.”
I said: “Can Ilham be Rahmani (from God) and Shaytani (from evil)?”
He said: “Yes, it can be both.”
I said: “Then error is possible in Ilham.”
He said: “The people of God have a measure, by which they can judge between True and False.”
I said: “What kind of Measure?”
He said: “Like a scale and balance.”
I said: “A scale can be misbalanced, then how could it show Right from Wrong??
He again bowed his head in meditation, and then said: “People of God will be able to determine the difference.”
I said: “How was the Kashf of Shaykh Muhy al-Din Ibn al-ʿArabi?”
He said: “It was correct.”
I said: “Well, he states that he has Ilham that ʿIsa (as) and Hazrat Khidr (as) are alive.”
He again bent meditating, and then said: “The Qurʾan says, ‘Falamma tawaffaytani...’ In front of the Qurʾan, everyone’s Ilham is invalid.”
I said: “How is the meaning of death proven in the verse, when there is a verse categorically stating he did not die?”
He said: “In Bukhari Hazrat Ibn ʾAbbas ؓ has commented on it as ‘tumituni...’ (died).”[2]
I said: “Bukhari has formed a whole chapter on ʿIsa’s (as) descent from the Heavens to Damascus. There is no mention of your Qadiyan in there.”
Again, he was silent but fuming inside. In anger he began chanting, “ʿIsa, the son of Maryam, is dead, is dead.”[3]
Hazrat Sufi Sahib says: “I also became emotional and spurred. I challenged: ‘Oh Mirza! Let us settle this here and now. Either you take me up to ʿIsa (as) or I will take you to the Heavens to ʿIsa (as) and we will ask him face to face, ‘are you alive or are you dead.’’”
Hearing this, he collapsed like a deflated balloon.
I said: “Have you no fear of death, of dying without Iman?”
He said: “Everyone fears death and reckoning.”
I said: “Then pray that Allah gives you and me death with Iman.”
After this long discourse, Mirza sent me down with a note, stating I was to be given so-and-so books and telling me to read them.
I said: “I have met you in person; that is sufficient. What more am I to gain from reading your books? I am a wayfarer; where am I going to lug them around with me?”
When I came down, I was still emotional. People had gathered around wondering what had taken place upstairs. I met Hakim Nur al-Din and said to him: “What pedestal have you gone and put Mirza on? If you had made him a Ghawth or Qutb (saint), people may have accepted it. However, you have gone and titled him as a Prophet?”
He gave me a book and said to me: “Read these books of Mirza.”
I said: “I have heard that you are in fact the actual author of these.”
Hazrat said that there were many ghayr muqallids there who had become Qadiyanis, and he would say: “Whoever leaves Taqlid, would end up as either a Mirzai or an apostate or become a Christian.”
Hazrat related that, once, a person became a Mirzai. He began receiving a salary from the Qadiyani institution to give lectures. His mother was an old but pious woman and became concerned about her son’s activities. She came to Hazrat and told him her worries. Hazrat learned that the person was coming to Bombay soon to give lectures. Hazrat went to meet him, called him and made him sit in front of him. Hazrat then cast such a glance over him that he became feverish and began shaking. Hazrat said, “lay him down to sleep.” When the person woke up, he immediately became repentant, and left his post[4] and then became a firm disciple of Hazrat himself.[5]
[1] Although the name is spelt as Muhammad Kassim Abdullah Diwan on the back cover of the book, the spelling Qasim was taken from the foreword of the book on page 4.
[2] The original English translation transliterated this word as ‘tamaytani’; however, this is not an Arabic word, at all. Resorting back to the Urdu text, we have edited the text accordingly. Not only that; we were unable to locate the quoted interpretation in neither Sahih al-Bukhari nor Tafsir Ibn Kathir. Allah knows best.
[3] The repetition is how we have found in the English text.
[4] Perhaps this word ought to read ‘past’. Allah knows best.
[5] Baage-Aarif – Garden of the Devout, pp. 23-28.