Full Refutation: Did Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) Belittle Imam Hussain (RA) and the Tragedy of Karbala?

Introduction

Some anti-Ahmadi Muslims allege that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) mocked or belittled the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (RA). Because of this allegation, some Shias cite the following Persian couplet from the Promised Messiah (AS) to claim that he undermined the tragedy of Karbala:

کر بلائے سنت سیر ہر آنم صد حسین است در گریبانم

Transliteration: Karbalā’ī ast sayr-e har ān-am, sad Husayn ast dar garībān-am.
Translation: Every moment of my life is a spectacle of Karbala, A hundred Hussains reside within my collar (bosom).
_{[Nuzulul Masih, Rūhānī Khazā’in Vol 18, page 477]}

This allegation is completely baseless and rests on a misunderstanding of the Promised Messiah’s (AS) words. He was not belittling the sacrifice of Imam Hussain (RA); rather, he was using the tragedy of Karbala as a metaphor to describe the relentless persecution he himself endured for the sake of Islam. Anyone familiar with the writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) knows that he had profound love and reverence for the Ahlul Bayt.

Explanation of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (RA)

This very objection was once raised during the lifetime of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I – Hazrat Maulvi Nooruddin (RA). On one occasion, a Shia became upset after reading this couplet, believing that Ahmad (AS) had disrespected Imam Hussain (RA) and the suffering he endured at Karbala. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (RA) responded with a beautiful explanation. The narration of the event is as follows:

ایک شیعہ حضرت صاحب کے اس شعر پر بڑا جوش میں آرہا تھا۔

کر بلائے ست سیر ہر آنم
صد حسین است در گریبانم

میں نے اسے کہا اس کے یہ معنے ہیں کہ امام حسین کی کربلا اور تکالیف کا صبح سے ظہر تک فیصلہ ہو گیا مگر ( مرزا صاحب فرماتے ہیں ) میں ایسا مظلوم ہوں کہ ہر وقت میرے لئے کر بلا کا میدان ہے۔ وہاں تو ایک دو گھنٹہ میں فیصلہ ہو گیا تھا اور یہاں سینکڑوں دن گزر گئے ہیں روز مجھے ذبح کرتے ہیں کیا کوئی سوحسین میرے گر بیان میں پنہاں تھا۔ بے اختیار اس نے کہا یہ تو سچ کہا آپ نے۔

Translation: A Shia was getting very passionate/excited over this couplet of Hazrat Sahab.

Every moment of my life is a spectacle of Karbala,
A hundred Hussains reside within my collar (bosom).

I told him that the meaning of this is: the Karbala and sufferings of Imam Hussain (RA) were decided from morning until noon, but (as Mirza Sahab states) I am such an oppressed one that every moment is a battlefield of Karbala for me. There, the matter was decided in one or two hours, whereas here, hundreds of days have passed and they slaughter me daily; was there any hundred Hussains hidden in my collar? Involuntarily, he (the Shia) said, “You have spoken the truth.”

_{[Irshadat-e-Noor, Vol. 2, p.99]}

This narration makes the intended meaning behind the Persian couplet abundantly clear. Ahmad (AS) by no means was comparing himself to Imam Hussain (RA) in rank, nor diminishing the tragedy of Karbala. Rather, he was using the unparalleled sacrifice of Imam Hussain (RA) as a powerful metaphor to express the continuous persecution, slander, and suffering that he faced in the service of Islam.

The fact that even the Shia accepted this explanation shows that there was no disrespect intended. Anti-Ahmadis raise this allegation because they isolate the couplet and interpret it without context.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) Love for Ahlul Bayt

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) deeply loved and respected Ahlul Bayt. His writings are filled with praise, admire and respect for the family of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). A beautiful and heartwarming example of his love for Imam Hussain (RA) can be seen below:

“But Husain (may Allah be pleased with him) was undoubtedly pure and manifestly righteous, and without question he was among those chosen ones whom God Himself purifies with His own hand and fills with His love. Without a doubt, he is from the chieftains of paradise, and harboring even an iota’s worth of rancour against him is a means of being deprived of faith. And this Imam’s righteousness, love for God, patience, steadfastness, devotion and worship is a perfect example (uswa hasana) for us. We are followers of the guidance granted to this innocent Imam. Perished is the heart that bears enmity towards him, and truly successful is the heart that demonstrates love for him in practice and reflects, through complete devotion, all the marks of his faith, character, courage, piety, steadfastness, and love of God; just as the image of a beautiful person is perfectly reflected in a clear mirror.”

_{[Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 3, p. 375]}

His love for the Ahlul Bayt can be further seen by the way he frequently opened his books with salutations upon the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), his progeny, and his Companions. For example, he begins Haqiqatul-Wahi with the following prayer:

[In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. And blessings and peace be upon the Best of His Messengers, Muhammad, and upon his progeny and all of his Companions.]

_{[Haqiqatul-Wahi (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation), p.5]}

Likewise, in one of his Persian poems contained in Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, written in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he likens the Prophet’s (SAW) progeny to blooming red roses:

نهالیست از باغ قدس و کمال

همه آل او بیچو گل ہائے آل

He is a flourishing and productive tree of the garden of purity and perfection,
And all his progeny are like red roses.

_{[Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Parts I & II, p. 128]}

There are countless examples like these throughout the writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), and compiling all of them here would take far more than a single article.

The point, however, is very clear: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) consistently expressed his deep love and respect for the Ahlul Bayt. Any allegation suggesting otherwise is completely false and based on taking his words out of context.