Did Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) die on the toilet?

Introduction

When faced with the challenge of responding to Ahmadi Muslims based on the teachings of the Holy Quran and Ahadith, opponents of the Ahmadiyya community resort to deceitful tactics, revealing their true character. One such tactic involves spreading falsehoods about the honorable passing of the Promised Messiah (AS). They falsely claim that he died in the restroom, using this as an argument to discredit his status as a true prophet of Allah. However, these allegations lack any credible source and are simply part of the fabricated narratives propagated by their own scholars.

In this article, we aim to objectively examine the primary and earliest sources that provide accounts of the final moments of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS). The factual evidence establishes that he passed away on his deathbed, surrounded by his family, while in a state of remembrance of Allah. One of his last utterances was a heartfelt invocation, “O my beloved Allah.”

Moreover, his death is strikingly similar to the blessed death of the Prophet (SAW)

Explanation

1) Al Badr, 2 June 1908

In Al Badr, a newspaper of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, a letter from Dr. Syed Muhammad Hussain, the doctor of the Promised Messiah (as), was printed on 2^nd June 1908. This was published within the first week of his death, making it the earliest source reporting the events that occurred in his final moments. This account is a continuation of the events already mentioned in Seeratul Mahdi book.

To provide some context, on the 26th of May, the Promised Messiah (AS) finished his last book, Message of Peace.

It was a well-known fact that Ahmad (as) would get really weak and have migraines due to intense hard work and stress, especially when he was writing his books. Naturally, when his health deteriorated that night, it was assumed to be the same issue. Hence, the doctor simply asked him to sleep and hope that he will get better soon.

We can see what happens next from the letter itself:

“Around 2-3 am, Promised Messiah (AS) got loose motion and due to which his pulse could not be felt and I was called with Maulvi Hakeem Noorudin (RA), Khawaja Kamaludin and Doctor Mirza Yaqub Baig. When Mirza Yaqub arrived, Masih Maud (AS) called him and told him of the situation and asked him to recommend medicine and said in reality the medicine is in the heavens. He said you should try to heal and pray for me.

His treatment started and was going successfully while we were standing there. But the pulse was not felt so much so that around 10 am in the morning is when Hazrat Aqdas (AS) soul met with his truest love i.e god. (“Verily we belong to allah, and verily to him do we return.”)

During this period, Promised Messiah (AS) kept saying this in an extremely loving tone,

“O my beloved, O my beloved”.

And when he heard the azan for the fair prayer, he asked whether it was time to pray. And even with extreme weakness, he made intention and prayed salat.

During this moment, mother of the faithful, Amma Jan (RA) (wife of the Promised Messiah AS) showed an exemplary character. She was sitting with her burqa on and she would sometimes fall in prostration while repeating these words,

“O Living God, O my Beloved God, O Knower of all, O Resurrectors of the dead, help us. O my only God, forgive my sins, I am a sinner. O my Allah, give my life to him (Promised Messiah AS)”

[Al Badr, 2 June 1908, pg. 4]

As we can see, Promised Messiah (AS) began to get sick after dinner, called for doctors around 2-3 am, prayed Fajr in the morning, and eventually passed away at 10 am in the morning.

2) Silsilae Ahmadiyyat

This account of his death from Doctor Sahib is also corroborated by all the other sources. The following is the eyewitness account from his son, Mirza Bashir Ahmad (RA) where he says exactly the same. We will only translate the relevant portions:

Due to his weakness, Ahmad (as) was also having trouble speaking. The only words that could be heard from him were

‘O Allah, my beloved Allah’.

I (Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad) was standing by him at the time of Fajr prayer. After inquiring whether it was time for prayer, he performed Tayammum and tried to offer his prayer in bed. But he fell unconscious. After regaining consciousness, he again inquired about Fajr prayer and offered his prayer while lying down in his bed. He was becoming weaker by the moment and all you could hear were the words,

‘O Allah, my beloved Allah!’

At last, at about 10:30am, with his family by his side, he breathed his last, and his soul departed from this world towards Allah.”

[Silsilae Ahmadiyyat, vol. 1, pg. 176-177]

3) Hadhrat Ahmad

Similarly, another eyewitness is his other son, Mirza Basheerudin Mahmud Ahmad (RA). He too describes the events exactly the same as the doctor sahib and his brother.

The following night the diarrhea increased and he became very weak. He roused my mother. When she came, he was prostrate. In her anxiety she enquired what was the matter with him. The reply was, ‘The same that I have told you about’ (meaning death). After this he had another motion and he became weaker. ‘Send for Maulvi Noor-ud-Din,’ he said: and then, ‘Wake up Mahmood (the present writer) and Mir Sahib (his father-in-law).” I slept in a lower room at a slight distance from him. I was called up.

I found him very restless. The doctor had already come and given what help he could. But he did not rally. At last an injection was given. Then he fell asleep. When it was dawn he woke up and performed his morning prayers. His throat was completely hoarse. He tried to speak but could utter no sound. He called for pen and ink, but could not write. The pen dropped from his hand.

He then lay down. Soon a drowsiness came upon him. At about half past ten, his holy spirit passed away to the presence of the August Sovereign, to the service of whose religion he had devoted the whole of his life. To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. All through there was one word upon his lips and that word was ‘Allah’.

[Hadhrat Ahmad, pg. 58-59]

4) Seeratul Mahdi

Eyewitness account of Amma Jan (RA), wife of Promised Messiah (AS) but it is being narrated by Mirza Bashir Ahmad (RA) in Seeratul Mahdi (Life of Mahdi).

The main point to note is the part where Promised Messiah (AS) falls on his bed. Anti-Ahmadis take that line and claim he fell in the toilet, God forbid, and died. Rather, this happened before the doctors were called at 2 am, which is described in detail in the Al Badr reference. And Promised Messiah (AS) died at 10:30 am, which is more than 8 hours after this event.

Mother(Amma Jaan RA) said that Promised Messiah (AS) got his first loose motion after eating food but for sometime after, we stayed and kept massaging his foot and he slept. And I slept too but after sometime he again wanted to go to the bathroom and he might have gone to the bathroom one or two times. He felt more weakness after this and woke me up. 

I woke up and he layed down on the same bed as me and I kept massaging his foot until he told me to stop but I insisted. In this time, he got another motion but this time he was so weak and could not go to the bathroom so I made arrangements for it near his bed. He relieved himself and laid down while I kept massaging his foot.

But he got even weaker and he vomited. So while lying down, he fell on his back on the bed due to weakness and hit his head on the bed frame. I got worried and said ‘O Allah what is happening?, Promised Messiah AS replied, this is what I used to say (referring to his earlier revelations about his death)”

I asked if we should call Molvi sahib [Mawlana Noorudin RA]? He replied, yes, call him.

[Seeratul Mahdi, vol.1, pg. 10-11]

5) Hayat-e-Nasir

This is another eyewitness account of Mir Nasir Nawab RA, father-in-law of Promised Messiah (AS). He also mentions the same time of his death.

He passed away after 10 am.

[Hayat-e-Nasir, pg. 13-14]

Refutation of Anti-Ahmadis

A few Anti-Ahmadis use a snippet from a newspaper called Paigham-e-Sulh as a source for their allegation. Paigham-e-Sulh is a newspaper run by the Lahori Ahmadiyya movement. On 26th May 1923, they published an essay describing the life of Promised Messiah (AS). One of the sections is where Dr. Muhammad Hussain summarizes the events on the night of the death of Promised Messiah (AS):

At that time, I used to live in the city [Lahore]. It was 2 am at night when Mirza sahib called for me in this illness. When I arrived, he was sitting on a choki [toliet]. In this circumstance, he said “Mirza sahib recommend a medicine for me” And said “Pray as well” and also said “In reality, medicine is in the heavens”.
His last words were “O my beloved Allah – O my beloved Allah” i.e he would remember his Creator,

[Paigham-e-Sulh, 26th May 1923]

Dr. Muhammad Hussain, the person who wrote the account in the Al Badr reference, witnessed the events firsthand and his account is the earliest one. It was published shortly after the Promised Messiah (AS) passed away.

So, it’s clear that the Paigham-e-Sulh reference is just a summary of Dr. Muhammad Hussain’s account. It doesn’t prove anything for the Anti-Ahmadis. Instead, it supports what many other eyewitnesses have already said.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Promised Messiah (AS) peacefully passed away on his deathbed, at 10:30 am, surrounded by his family, while deeply engrossed in the remembrance of Allah. One of his final expressions was a heartfelt invocation, “O my beloved Allah.” It is important to highlight that the accusation made by Anti-Ahmadis regarding his demise is a baseless falsehood devoid of any credible source.

Furthermore, it is noteworthy that the manner in which the Promised Messiah (AS) departed from this world bears a striking resemblance to the last moments of our beloved Prophet (SAW). Therefore, this unfounded allegation not only amounts to a clear act of fabrication but also represents a blasphemous and disrespectful insinuation against the noble Prophet (SAW) himself. May Allah guide those who engage in this blasphemy.