Did Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) lie? | Khalifa of Allah Mahdi Hadith in Sahih Bukhari

Introduction

Some Muslims allege that since Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani (AS) lied that the following hadith exists in Bukhari, he cannot be a Messiah sent by Allah.

…those ahadith of Şahih al-Bukhāri foretelling the appearance of Khulafa’ in the Latter Days, especially that khalifah about whom it is recorded in Şahih al-Bukhari that, for him, a voice will descend from heaven: هذا خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِي [This is God’s Khalifah, the Guided One]. Now consider the status and credibility of this hadith-which is recorded in the most authentic of books after the Book of Allah. On the other hand, the hadith that has been presented by the critic has been criticized by the ulema on many grounds and its authenticity has been questioned.

[Testimony of the Holy Quran, pg. 66]

In this article, we will show how this argument declares all the prophets of Allah as false.

Refutation

Can Prophets make mistakes?

Anti-Ahmadis showcase their ignorance of basic Islamic principles with these allegations. This allegation on Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) is actually an allegation on the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as he too made humanly mistakes in day to day matters. If an accidental misquoting of a hadith to a different book makes one a false Messiah, then same must be said about the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), and other Prophets of Allah.

Adam (AS)

وَلَقَدۡ عَہِدۡنَاۤ اِلٰۤی اٰدَمَ مِنۡ قَبۡلُ فَنَسِیَ وَلَمۡ نَجِدۡ لَہٗ عَزۡمًا

And verily, We had made a covenant with Adam beforehand, but he forgot, and We found in him no determination to disobey.

[Quran 20:115]

Muhammad (SAW)

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ ، عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، عَنْ عَلْقَمَةَ ، قَالَ : قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ : صَلَّى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ : لَا أَدْرِي زَادَ أَوْ نَقَصَ ، فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ ، قِيلَ لَهُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَحَدَثَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ شَيْءٌ ، قَالَ : وَمَا ذَاكَ ؟ قَالُوا : صَلَّيْتَ كَذَا وَكَذَا ، فَثَنَى رِجْلَيْهِ وَاسْتَقْبَلَ الْقِبْلَةَ وَسَجَدَ سَجْدَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ سَلَّمَ ، فَلَمَّا أَقْبَلَ عَلَيْنَا بِوَجْهِهِ ، قَالَ : إِنَّهُ لَوْ حَدَثَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ شَيْءٌ لَنَبَّأْتُكُمْ بِهِ ، وَلَكِنْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ أَنْسَى كَمَا تَنْسَوْنَ ، فَإِذَا نَسِيتُ فَذَكِّرُونِي ، وَإِذَا شَكَّ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلَاتِهِ فَلْيَتَحَرَّى الصَّوَابَ ، فَلْيُتِمَّ عَلَيْهِ ، ثُمَّ يُسَلِّمْ ، ثُمَّ يَسْجُدُ سَجْدَتَيْنِ .

Narrated `Abdullah: The Prophet prayed (and the sub-narrator Ibrahim said, I do not know whether he prayed more or less than usual ), and when he had finished the prayers he was asked, O Allah’s Apostle! Has there been any change in the prayers? He said, What is it?’ The people said, You have prayed so much and so much. So the Prophet bent his legs, faced the Qibla and performed two prostration’s (of Sahu) and finished his prayers with Taslim (by turning his face to right and left saying: ‘As-Salamu `Alaikum- Warahmat-ullah’). When he turned his face to us he said, If there had been anything changed in the prayer, surely I would have informed you but I am a human being like you and liable to forget like you. So if I forget remind me and if anyone of you is doubtful about his prayer, he should follow what he thinks to be correct and complete his prayer accordingly and finish it and do two prostrations (of Sahu).

[Sahih al-Bukhari 401]

Ahmad (AS): No Mahdi in Bukhari

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) has already mentioned in multiple books that Mahdi is not mentioned in Bukhari and Muslim.

• Izala Auham (1891): No Mahdi ❌
• Testimony of the Holy Quran (1893): “This is God’s Khalifah, the Guided One” ✔️
• Haqiqatul Mahdi (1899): No Mahdi ❌

This clearly shows that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) has mistakenly attributed the hadith to Bukhari and such humanly mistakes are normal for even the prophets to do.

Sunni Scholars attribute the same narration to Bukhari

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) mistakenly attributed the hadith to Bukhari, just like many other scholars of Islam had done the same. It is possible that all of them quoted this hadith from Kanzul Ummal or another scholarly book which had a similar mistake.

Qari Muhammad Tayyab, son of Qasim Nanotvi, who is the founder of the Deobandi sect says:

مہدی علیہ السلام کے بارے میں کچھ علامتیں آئی ہیں ۔ مثلاً یہ کہ مہدی علیہ السلام کا مکہ مکرمہ میں ظہور ہو گا۔ اور یہ حدیث صحیح بخاری شریف میں موجود ہے کہ غیب سے آواز آئے گی اور وہ آواز یہ ہوگی ۔ هَذَا خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِي فَاتَّبِعُوهُ وَأَطِيعُوهُ ۔ یعنی یہ اللہ کے خلیفہ مہدی ہیں ان کی بات مانو اور ان کی اطاعت کرو ۔

There are some signs regarding the Mahdi, peace be upon him. For example, that the Mahdi, peace be upon him, will appear in Mecca. And this hadith is present in Sahih Bukhari Sharif that a voice will come from the unseen, and that voice will be: ‘This is Allah’s Caliph, the Mahdi, so follow him and obey him.‘ Meaning, this is Allah’s Caliph, the Mahdi – listen to him and obey him.

[Majalis i Hakeem ul Islam]

What is the source of this Hadith?

Lastly, this hadith is a famous narration found in multiple ahadith book. It is not made up by the Promised Messiah (AS).

أَخْبَرَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ بْنِ يُوسُفَ الْعَدْلُ، ثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، ثَنَا عَبْدُ الْوَهَّابِ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ، أَنْبَأَ خَالِدٌ الْحَذَّاءُ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَسْمَاءَ، عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: «إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الرَّايَاتِ السُّودَ خَرَجَتْ مِنْ قِبَلِ خُرَاسَانَ فَأْتُوهَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا، فَإِنَّ فِيهَا خَلِيفَةَ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيَّ» هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ، وَلَمْ يُخْرِجَاهُ “

Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When you see that an army carrying black flags has emerged from the direction of Khorasan, then you must join them because in that army is the Caliph of Allah, Mahdi.

** This Hadith is Sahih (authentic) according to the criteria of Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) and Imam Muslim (may Allah have mercy on him), but the two Sheikhs (may Allah have mercy on them) did not narrate it.

[Mustadrak Al Hakim 8531]

أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الصَّفَّارُ، ثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ أَرُومَةَ، ثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ حَفْصٍ، ثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ خَالِدٍ الْحَذَّاءِ، عَنْ أَبِي قِلَابَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي أَسْمَاءَ، عَنْ ثَوْبَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَقْتَتِلُ عِنْدَ كَنْزِكُمْ ثَلَاثَةٌ كُلُّهُمُ ابْنُ خَلِيفَةَ، ثُمَّ لَا يَصِيرُ إِلَى وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ، ثُمَّ تَطْلُعُ الرَّايَاتُ السُّودُ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْمَشْرِقِ فَيُقَاتِلُونَكُمْ قِتَالًا لَمْ يُقَاتِلْهُ قَوْمٌ – ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ شَيْئًا فَقَالَ – إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُوهُ فَبَايِعُوهُ وَلَوْ حَبْوًا عَلَى الثَّلْجِ، فَإِنَّهُ خَلِيفَةُ اللَّهِ الْمَهْدِيُّ» هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ عَلَى شَرْطِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ “” [التعليق – من تلخيص الذهبي] 8432 – على شرط البخاري ومسلم

Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Three people, all of them sons of Caliphs, will fight over your treasure, but none of them will acquire it. Then, black banners will emerge from the east, and they will fight you in a way that no nation has ever fought before.” He (the Prophet) mentioned some other things then said: “When you see him (the one with the black banners), pledge allegiance to him, even if you have to crawl over ice on your buttocks, for he is the Mahdi, the Caliph of Allah.“

**This hadith is sahih (authentic) according to the criteria of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, but the two Sheikhs (Abu Bakr and Umar) did not narrate it.**

[Mustadrak Al Hakim 8432]

Conclusion

• The hadith was misattributed to Sahih Bukhari by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS).
• Such mistakes are not uncommon for even the Prophets of Allah. Muhammad (SAW), and other prophets also made humanly mistakes in their life
• If such mistakes prove that Ahmad (AS) is a false Messiah, then one has to declare all prophets of Allah as false too. Nauzubillah.
• The hadith exists in many books of ahadith and graded as authentic by numerous scholars (Ibn Kathir etc)
• A few other Muslim scholars have misattributed this hadith to Bukhari as well