Death in Mecca or Medina – A Failed Prophecy?

Introduction

An allegation that has been raised against the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (AS), is that he had made a false prophecy in regard to the location where he will die. Opponents allege that he stated he would die in either Makkah or Madinah, however, he actually passed away in Lahore. As we shall see, this is a grave misrepresentation of the prophecy that would bring many people to shame once they realise the manner in which this has been cunningly done.

Revelation

January 14, 1906
“[Arabic] Allah has decreed since eternity that He and His Messengers shall prevail. (2) [Arabic] God, the Merciful, says that there is peace, meaning that ‘you will not die in disappointment or defeat.’ (3) [Urdu] I shall die in Mecca or in Medina”

[[Tadhkirah p. 814 | Badr, vol. 2, no. 3, January19, 1906, p. 2; al-Hakam, vol. 10, no. 2, January 17, 1906, p. 3]

The opponents say that since the Promised Messiah (AS) died in Lahore, this is a failed prophecy. However, as we shall see they could not be further from the truth.

Explanation

Right under this revelation, the Promised Messiah (AS) explains what it means. Since he is the one who received it, he is within his right to explain it.

January 14, 1906
“This sentence ‘I shall die in Mecca or in Medina’ means that before my death I shall be bestowed a victory like that of Mecca. That is to say that as the Holy Prophet had vanquished his enemies through the manifestation of the majestic Signs of Allah, so will it happen now. The second meaning is that before my death, I shall be bestowed a victory like that of Medina which means that people’s hearts will, on their own, be inclined towards me.”

[Tadhkirah p. 814]

As we can see, the meaning of dying in Makkah or Madinah is that he will be bestowed a victory through the manifestation signs and people’s hearts will be inclined towards him.

If it is said that the victory of Makkah was a military one so we should expect the Promised Messiah (as) to have such a victory then as it can be seen, that was not the aspect that was brought in order to make a parallel. The aspect was majestic signs (an aspect which the Promised Messiah (as) did indeed possess).

Was the Explanation A Later Addition?

Some anti-Ahmadis allege that this interpretation of the Promised Messiah (AS) is a later addition. This is also a shameless lie.

The following is the Al Hakam newspaper scan where the explanation of Ahmad (AS) is provided next to the published revelation.

January 14, 1906
“This sentence ‘I shall die in Mecca or in Medina’ means that before my death I shall be bestowed a victory like that of Mecca. That is to say that as the Holy Prophet had vanquished his enemies through the manifestation of the majestic Signs of Allah, so will it happen now. The second meaning is that before my death, I shall be bestowed a victory like that of Medina which means that people’s hearts will, on their own, be inclined towards me.”

_{[Badr, vol. 2, no. 3, January19, 1906, p. 2; al-Hakam, vol. 10, no. 2, January 17, 1906, p. 3]}

Usool of Prophecies

There is an important Usool (principle) that must be remembered in light of objections that opponents could raise. Someone might ask: how do the words “die in Mecca or in Medina” relate to victories that were achieved in both of the cities as opposed to the apparent import of the statement? The answer is that a Prophet is in the best place to give the correct interpretation of his revelations. This can be supported with examples from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (saw).

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abbas: Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, “While I was sleeping, two golden bangles were put in my two hands, so I got scared (frightened) and disliked it, but I was given permission to blow them off, and they flew away. I interpret it as a symbol of two liars who will appear.” ‘Ubaidullah said, “One of them was Al-`Ansi who was killed by Fairuz at Yemen and the other was Musailama (at Najd).”

[Sahih al-Bukhari 7034]

As we can see, the Prophet (saw) understood two golden bangles to mean two liars. There are several other Ahadith similar to this where the Prophet (saw) had to interpret his visions and dreams to understand their true meaning. Are we then out of obstinacy to ask what is the relationship between bangles and liars? Such is the dire condition of those who attempt to create their own restrictions for what a Prophet of God can or cannot do.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) Explains Further

The Promised Messiah (AS) gives several examples of the prophecies of the Prophet (saw) which required interpretations. He once again highlights that the presence of metaphor in the words of the prophets is not a rare occurrence – it is in fact very common.

“The metaphors found in the visions and dreams of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ are not hidden or concealed from those who read the hadiths. Sometimes, in a visionary experience, the Prophet ﷺ saw himself wearing two golden bracelets, which symbolized two impostors who falsely claimed prophethood. At other times, he saw in his dreams and visions cows being slaughtered, which referred to the companions who were martyred in the Battle of Uhud. On one occasion, the Prophet ﷺ saw in a vision that a heavenly cluster of grapes was given to him for a person named Abu Jahl, but ultimately it referred to Ikrimah. Many such examples can be found in the visions of other prophets, where the apparent form presented to them was actually meant to signify something else. Thus, the presence of metaphor and allegory in the words of the prophets is not a rare occurrence.”

_{[Izala Auham, Ruhani Khizain, Vol.3, p. 133]}

Conclusion:

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) never claimed he would die in Mecca or Medina. This was mentioned in a divine revelation, which he interpreted as non-literal and not meant to actually happen.

The prophecy regarding dying in Makkah and Madinah was explained by the Promised Messiah (as) himself (the one who received it) to mean that he will vanquish people through majestic signs and people’s hearts will be inclined towards him. It is an accepted Usool that a Prophet will interpret his own revelations and so we shall extend this Usool in the case of the Promised Messiah (as) out of consistency.

Instagram Post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DR8I7_9Ejmg/?igsh=NzQyYnU3NWs5bjdr