Was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) a Shepherd? | Full Answer

Introduction

When Anti-Ahmadis fail to respond to actual arguments from Quran and Hadith, they resort to silly criteria to reject Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) and label him as a false prophet. One of these silly allegations include that the Promised Messiah (AS) did not fulfill the prophetic criteria of tending to sheep before claiming to be a prophet. To prove this, they quote the following hadith:

حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْمَكِّيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ يَحْيَى، عَنْ جَدِّهِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏”‏ مَا بَعَثَ اللَّهُ نَبِيًّا إِلاَّ رَعَى الْغَنَمَ ‏”‏‏.‏ فَقَالَ أَصْحَابُهُ وَأَنْتَ فَقَالَ ‏”‏ نَعَمْ كُنْتُ أَرْعَاهَا عَلَى قَرَارِيطَ لأَهْلِ مَكَّةَ ‏”‏‏.‏
Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah did not send any prophet but that he shepherded sheep.” His companions asked him, “Did you do the same?” The Prophet (ﷺ) replied, “Yes, I used to shepherd the sheep of the people of Mecca for some Qirats.”

_{[Sahih al-Bukhari 2262]}

The word translated as “sheep” in the hadith is al-ghanam (الغنم), an Arabic term that refers broadly to sheep and goats collectively. The term is not restricted only to sheep; as with the definite article “Al-” (الـ), it translates as “the sheep” or “the livestock,” referring to small livestock in general. Therefore, a prophet who tends to small livestock, such as goats, would also fulfill this prophetic tradition, as al-ghanam (الغنم) is not limited only to sheep.

Did Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) Tend Sheep?

In His wisdom, Allah Ta’ala ensured that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) also fulfilled this prophetic tradition, leaving no room for such baseless objections. The following narrations demonstrate that he tended goats during his youth.

Narration of Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (RA)

Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (RA), son of the Promised Messiah (AS), records an incident regarding the life of Ahmad (AS) that a companion told him. The companion asked the Promised Messiah (AS) whether he had ever tended goats in light of the hadith that all prophets herded goats. The Promised Messiah (AS) replied:

بیان کیا مجھ سے قاضی امیر حسین صاحب نے کہ ایک دفعہ ہم نے حضرت صاحب سے دریافت کیا کہ حضور حدیث میں آتا ہے کہ سب نبیوں نے بکریاں چرائی ہیں کیا کبھی حضور نے بھی چرائی ہیں؟ آپ نے فرمایا کہ ہاں میں ایک دفعہ باہر کھیتوں میں گیا وہاں ایک شخص بکریاں چرا رہا تھا اس نے کہا کہ

میں ذرا ایک کام جاتا ہوں آپ میری بکریوں کا خیال رکھیں مگر وہ ایسا گیا کہ بس شام کو واپس آیا اور اس کے آنے تک ہمیں اس کی بکریاں چرانی پڑیں۔

“Qazi Amir Hussain Sahib narrated to me that he once asked Hazrat Sahib [Mirza Ghulam Ahmad] regarding the Hadith stating that all prophets herded goats: “Did the Holy Prophet [Muhammad] also herd goats?” He replied, “Yes, once I went out into the fields, and there was a man herding goats. He said to me, ‘I am going away for a short errand, please watch over my goats.’ However, he left in such a way that he only returned in the evening, and until his arrival, I had to herd his goats.“

_{[Seerat-ul-Mahdi, Vol 1, p.88]}

Narration of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad (RA), Khalifatul Masih II

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (RA), also the son of the Promised Messiah (AS), narrates this incident from his childhood in which he tended goats and looked after them in the absence of their shepherd:

حضرت مسیح موعود علیہ الصلوۃ و السلام کے بچپن کا واقعہ ہے۔ ایک غیر احمدی جواب فوت ہو چکا ہے اس نے سنایا کہ حضرت صاحب جب بچہ تھے گاؤں سے باہر شکار کے لئے گئے اور شکار کے لئے پھندا تیار کرنے لگے، پھر اس خیال سے کہ کھانا کھانے کے لئے گھر نہیں جا سکیں گے ایک دھیلہ ایک بکری چرانے والے کو دیا کہ جا کر چنے بھنوالا ؤ ( اس زمانہ میں روپیہ کی بہت قیمت تھی اور کوڑیوں سے بھی خرید و فروخت ہوا کرتی تھی) اور اس سے وعدہ کیا کہ میں اتنی ویر تمہاری بکریوں کا خیال رکھوں گا۔ وہ شخص جا کر کسی کام میں لگ گیا اور وہ واپس نہ آیا۔ ایک دوسرے شخص نے دیکھ کر کہا کہ آپ اس قدر دیر سے انتظار کر رہے ہیں۔ میں جا کر اسے بھیجوں اور یہ شخص جا کر اس لڑکے کو تلاش کرتا رہا اور کہیں شام کے قریب اسے جا ڈھونڈا اور آپ شام تک بکریاں چرایا کئے اور اپنے وعدہ پر قائم رہے۔ جب وہ آیا تو آپ اس پر ناراض بھی نہ ہوئے۔ یہ اخلاق ہیں جو جیتنے والوں میں ہوتے ہیں نہ یہ کہ عمر آخر ہونے کو آئی ہے اور ہر کام میں ستی ، ہر کام میں غفلت ، کوئی ہوشیار کرے تو ہوشیار ہوں ورنہ پھر غفلت کی حالت میں چلے جائیں-

“This is an incident from the childhood of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him. A non-Ahmadi—who has now passed away—narrated that when the Hazrat Sahib (the Promised Messiah) was a child, some boys from outside went out of the village to hunt and began preparing a trap for hunting. Then, thinking that if they went home to eat they would not be able to return, they found a solution: they gave a rupee to a goat herder (in those days, a rupee had great value and transactions were also made with cowrie shells) and made a promise with him, saying, “I will take care of your goats for this long.”

That man left to do some work and did not return. Another person saw this and said, “You have been waiting for so long. Let me go and send him.” That person went and kept searching for the boy, and somewhere close to evening, he found him and said, “You may leave now.” You (the Promised Messiah) grazed the goats until evening and stood by your promise. When that man returned, you did not even get angry with him.”

_{[Tazkar-e-Mahdi, Narrations of Syedna Mahmood (RA), p.43] | [Khutbat-e-Mahmood, Volume 15, Page 368]}

Narration from Hayat-e-Tayyiba

This incident is also recorded in Hayat-e-Tayyiba, a biography of the Promised Messiah (AS) written by a scholar of the Jama’at:

آپ کو ایک دفعہ اپنے عہد طفولیت میں سنت انبیاء کے مطابق کچھ وقت بکریاں چرانے کا بھی موقعہ ملا۔ اور یہ تقریب اس طرح پیدا ہوئی کہ ایک مرتبہ آپ گاؤں سے باہر ایک کنوئیں پر بیٹھے ہوئے تھے کہ آر ھے ہوئے تھے کہ آپ کو گھر سے کسی چیز کے منگوانے کی ضرورت محسوس ہوئی آپ نے ایک شخص کو جو قریب ہی بکریاں چرا رہا تھا۔ فرمایا کہ مجھے گھر سے یہ چیز لا دو۔ اس نے کہا۔ میاں ! میری بکریوں کی نگہداشت کون کرے گا ؟ آپ نے فرمایا تم جاؤ! میں ان کی حفاظت کروں گا۔ چنانچہ آپ نے اس کی بکریوں کی نگرانی کی۔ اور اس طرح سے خدا تعالیٰ نے ایک رنگ میں آپ سے سنت انبیاء پوری کروادی

“Once in your childhood, according to the Sunnah (tradition) of the Prophets, you also got an opportunity to graze goats for some time. And this occasion arose in such a way that once you were sitting outside the village on a well, when you felt the need to call for something from home. You asked a person who was grazing goats nearby, “Bring me this thing from home.” He said, “Sir! Who will look after my goats?” You said, “You go! I will protect them.” Consequently, you watched over his goats. And in this manner, God Almighty made you fulfill the Sunnah of the Prophets in a unique way.”

_{[Hayat-e-Tayyiba, p.10]}

As shown above, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) fulfilled this prophetic tradition as well. The incident is supported by multiple narrations, including one from a companion and others recorded by both sons of the Promised Messiah (AS). Anti-Ahmadis cannot simply brush aside these narrations as fabricated.

Conclusion

Many scholars have noted that the wisdom behind prophets practicing herding sheep is that they are trained to develop qualities needed for leading, guiding, and serving their communities in the future. Through this experience, they cultivate qualities such as patience, responsibility, humility, and leadership – traits that fit those entrusted with nurturing souls and guiding humanity. It also reflects the simple and humble lives that prophets lived before their prophethood.

While this wisdom is often mentioned, the objection raised by anti-Ahmadis is based on a literal understanding of the tradition. Therefore, we have answered it on a literal level as well: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) did tend goats during his youth and fulfilled this prophetic tradition.