Pre-1974 Scholars who considered Ahmadis Muslims
It is actually a misconception that no Non-Ahmadi Scholar of high repute has considered Ahmadis Muslim. Pre-1974 Ahmadi Muslims weren’t seen the same way that they are seen today by the wider ummah. Although we do not need a certificate of being Muslimness, as a point of order to blast the misconceptions we cite the following references.
Maulvi Abdul Wafa Sanaullah Amritsari’s View
ثناء اللہ امرتسری مرزائیوں کو اسلامی فرقوں میں شامل کرتے ہوئے لکھتے ہیں کہ ”
‘اسلامی فرقوں میں خواہ کتنا ہی اختلاف ہو مگر آخرکار نقطہ محمدیت پر جو درجہ ہے والذین معہ کا سب شریک ہیں۔۔۔۔۔مرزائیوں کا سب سے زیادہ مخالف میں ہوں مگر نقطہ محمدیت کی وجہ سے میں ان کو بھی اس میں شامل جانتا ہوں۔ (بحوالہ ؛ اخبار اہلحدیث امرتسر ص ۳۔ ۱۶ اپریل ۱۹۱۵)
ثناء اللہ امرتسری کے نزدیک مرزائی اور شیعہ سب کے پیچھے نماز جائز ہے
ہفت روزہ اہلحدیث،2 اپریل 1915
Unlike Ahmad Raza Khan who said that anyone who doesn’t call Qadiyanis kafir is kafir too, Ahlul Hadith’s “Shaykh ul Islam” Sanuallah Amritsari said that calling a person who doesn’t call Ahmadis kaffir, a kaffir is unecessary.
Ahle Hadees alim(Shamull Haq) admitted that Sanaullah Amritsari said that it is allowed to pray behind an Ahmadi and
ثناء اللہ امرتسری نے قادیانیوں کے پیچھے نماز جائز ہونے کا فتوی دیا! غیر مقلد شمس الحق عظیم آبادی کا اعتراف اور بٹالوی کو خط
غیر مقلد عالم ثناء اللہ امرتسری نے اپنے رسالہ اہلحدیث میں قادیانیوں کے پیچھے نماز جائز ہونے کا فتوی دیا تھا جس کے آجکل کے غیر مقلد بن منکر ہیں۔ غیر مقلدین کے عالم شمس الحق عظیم آبادی نے اعتراف کیا کہ ثناء اللہ امرتسری نے یہ غلط فتوی دیا تھا اور شمس الحق عظیم آبادی نے محمد حسین بٹالوی کو خط لکھا جس میں شاء اللہ امرتسری کے فتوی کار د کیا گیا اور اس کو گمراہ کہا گیا۔ اس کے ساتھ ساتھ شمس الحق عظیم آبادی نے تسلیم کیا کہ ثناء اللہ امرتسری نے اپنے غلطیوں کو تسلیم نہیں کیا تھا۔ (حیات شمس الحق عظیم آبادی ، صفحہ 129-130)
غیر مقلد و! لگاؤ فتوی اپنے شیخ الاسلام ثناء اللہ امر تسری پہ جو قادیانیوں کے پیچھے نماز کو جائز کہتا تھا۔
ہم کو اس مسئلہ امامت و اقتدا میں جس کو مولوی ثناء اللہ صاحب نے شائع کیا ہے، اور
قادیانی کے اقتدا کے وہ مجوز میں سخت خلاف ہے ۔اب جب یہ حالت پر چہ اہل حدیث کی رفتار کی
ہے کہ قادیانی کو جائز کہ دیا، اور قبل اس کے چند مسائل منکر و شائع کیا ہے، تو اب آ ئند واندیشہ اس کا
ہے کہ نہ معلوم اب کیا مسائل اس میں شائع ہو ۔اب اس کو پر چہ اہل حدیث‘ کہنا خطا ہے۔ یہ سب
اتفاق ہے ۔ بلکہ ہم تو بالا علان اس کو بھی کہتے ہیں کہ مولوی ثناء اللہ صاحب نے اپنے اغلاط کو مکابرین
تسلیم نہیں کیا با وجود ثابت ہو نے براہین قاطعہ علی الاغلاط کے ۔ بلکہ اشاعتہ السنہ کو اشاعتہ المنازعة اس
لئے لکھا تھا کہ آپ نے ہر شخص کو اپنا فریق بنا کر سخت کلامی شروع کر دی، اور سب کو جماعت اہل حدیث سے نکال کر صرف اپنی ذات کو اس کا ایک فردقرار دیا ہے۔ وهل هذا الا دعوى باطلة۔
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What fatwa will the Ahle Hadith put on their “Shaykh ul Islam” Abdul Wafa Sanaullah Amritsari for not only consideirng Ahmadis Muslims but also considering it valid to pray behind them!
Maulvi Abu Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Batalvi’s Change of Heart
Firstly, lets turn to Tadhkirah:
1893
I saw that this man [Maulavi Muhammad Husain] will acknowledge my being a believer before his death and I saw that he had given up calling me Kafir [disbeliever] and had repented of this position. I saw all this in a dream and I am hoping that my Lord will make it come true *356 . [Hujjatul-Islam, p. 19, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 6, p. 59]
![[Hujjatul-Islam, p. 19, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 6, p. 59]](https://whiteminaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Hujjatul-Islamp.19RuhaniKhazainvol.6p.59.png){kind=link}
- 356 Note by Hadrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad(ra): In 1914, twenty years after this prophecy, Maulavi Muhammad Husain had the following testimony recorded in the court of Magistrate Grade 1, in the District of Gujranwala, with reference to different sects of Islam:
All these sects believe the Holy Qur’an to be the Word of God. Like the Qur’an, all these sects also believe in hadith. A new sect, Ahmadi, started a short time ago ever since Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian made his claim to be the Massiah and Mahdi. This sect also believes equally in the Qur’an and hadith.… My sect certainly does not consider any of the above mentioned sects to be kafir [disbelievers].
[For details see al-Fadl, vol. 1, no. 35, February 11, 1914, p. 3]
![[Tadhkirah, pg.305]](https://whiteminaret.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tadhkirahpg.305.png){kind=link}
More Explanation is given in the book the Great Reformer:
Some people at the time interpreted the prophecy to mean that Maulvi Batalvi would openly become a disciple of Hazrat Mirza. This, however, was an erroneous interpretation because the second part of the prophecy qualified what was stated in the first part. The words “as if” clearly indicated that Maulvi Batalvi’s reassessment of Hazrat Mirza as a believer would be in the form of a cessation of accusatory charges of infidelity and a halt to all such future actions. The prophecy was fulfilled precisely in this manner. After the death of Hazrat Mirza and during the period of Maulana Nur-ud-Din’s leadership, Maulvi Batalvi gave a sworn statement in the court of Judge Lala Devki Nandan of Gujranwala District that the followers of Hazrat Mirza were Muslims. This clearly showed that he had recanted his former position of calling Hazrat Mirza’s followers unbelievers. [The Great Reformer, Vol. 1, pg 456]
Everyone was astonished to read this announcement, including Hazrat Mirza’s own disciples. Was it ever possible that such a dangerous and hardened enemy, who was the architect of the entire opposition, would ever abandon calling Hazrat Mirza an infidel, retract his decree of heresy and consider him a believer? Maulvi Batalvi, too, laughed at the absurdity of this announcement, which only spurred him on to greater opposition. He intensified feeding misinformation to the government and resorted to all means possible to oppose Hazrat Mirza even to the extent of secretly participating in assassination plans. However, Hazrat Mirza repeatedly stated that one day, Maulvi Batalvi would abandon the charge of heresy. This led some of Hazrat Mirza’s disciples to ask him: “Then should we consider him our friend and not our opponent?” Hazrat Mirza replied: “Dealings with a person are conducted according to the current position. What will happen in the future should be left to God.”8
8 Once the prophecy about Maulvi Batalvi was under discussion and Hazrat Mirza said, “There is no doubt that I have forcefully claimed that he will return (to the right course) and Allah has fated it as such. Actually, Muhammad Hussain was a shrewed person but I could see from the beginning that he was self-conceited. Hence, Allah desired to purge him in this way; this is an emetic for him…” Hazrat Mirza further stated, “Allah knows best but he has at least done one (good) thing; he wrote the review of Barahin Ahmadiyya with great sincerity because at the time, his condition was such that he would sometimes pick up my shoes, dust them and put them in front of me. Once he took me inside his house so that it may be blessed and once he insisted on pouring water for my ablution. In short, he used to show great sincerity. Several times he expressed the intention to come and live in Qadian but I advised him that this was not the right time. Then he faced this trial. It would not be strange if God brings him to a good end because of this sincerity.” A brother asked, “What should we consider him now?” He replied, “The present decisions have to be made on the current situation. He is an enemy of this Movement. See, as long as a life-germ stays as such, it is called a life-germ although it can become a person. As it changes states, its name also changes and it becomes a clot (alaqa), a lump of flesh (mudghah) etc. and finally becomes a person at the appointed time. The same applies to him. At present he is an opponent and an enemy of this Movement, and this is how he should be considered.” – Al Hakam, January 17, 1903.
[The Great Reformer Vol 1. pg 799-800]
More information was also presented on what Muhammad Husain Batalvi said in court:
Towards the end of Hazrat Mirza Sahib’s life, Maulvi Batalvi softened somewhat, and the intensity of his opposition declined. Some people thought he was tired but, in fact, he was having a change of heart. He had seen that despite his best efforts to oppose Hazrat Mirza Sahib, God was granting Hazrat Mirza Sahib success and his Movement was growing continuously. Maulvi Batalvi, on the other hand, was facing failure and disappointment on all sides. Hazrat Mirz Sahiba’s reputation was growing exponentially while Maulvi Batalvi’s considerable reputation at the start of his campaign against Hazrat MirzaSahib had totally eroded, and disgrace and humiliation had embraced him on all sides. The final act of this change of heart came in the year 1913, after Hazrat Mirza had passed away and Maulana Nur-udDin was the head of the movement.
A lawsuit was filed in the court of Lala Devki Nandan, Civil Judge First Class, Gujranwala in 1913, which was identified as case #300, Ms. Kareem Bibi daughter of Muhammad-ud-Din Lohar (Plaintiff), versus Rahmat Ullah, son of Abdullah, caste Lohar, resident of Nizamabad (Respondent). Maulvi Batalvi appeared as an expert witness and gave a statement on oath in which he declared members of the Ahmadiyya sect as Muslims and affirmed openly that they were not infidels. A portion of his statement is reproduced below. Giving evidence about the creed of his sect Ahl-e Hadith, Maulvi Batalvi said:
The first sect was Hanafi; it was followed shortly thereafter by the Maliki sect that is attributed to Imam Malik; after that was the Shafai sect and after that was the Hanbali sect that is attributed to Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal. In the beginning, all the followers of Islam had the same religion and it was an era of peace with no internal contentions. There was peace in the period of the Messenger of Allah because of his presence, and after him peace prevailed because of the presence of his Companions and those who followed them. There were no major disputes to cause mutual recrimination or opposition. This period gave way to an era of selfishness and innovations and people began turning to the Imam they loved and in whom they had faith. They became his followers and the sects were established. All these sects consider the Quran to be the word of God, and like the Quran, these sects accept the Hadith.
One sect, the Ahmadiyya has been born recently since Mirza Ghulam Ahmad sahib of Qadian claimed to be the Messiah and Mahdi. This sect too accepts the Quran and the Hadith alike…our sect does not consider any of the sects mentioned above as entirely heretical.
The court’s understanding of this statement, which was reflected in the judgment, was as follows:
And likewise in the opinion of Maulvi Abdul Hakim sahib, witness for the plaintiff, members of the Ahmadiyya sect, who are followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, are infidels although in the opinion of the witness Maulvi Muhammad Hussain they are not infidels.
Once during the period of Maulana Nur-ud-Din sahib, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain sahib came to Simla for fundraising and asked for donations from our Ahmadiyya branch in Simla. When we refused to give him any donations, Maulvi sahib said, “Even Maulana Nur-ud-Din has given me a donation for this religious work and this work is for the welfare of the Muslims generally.”
We then inquired from Qadian and Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din wrote back, “The donations should not be given individually; a collective donation from the party may be given.”
Even the Hanafis acknolwedged that this indeed happened in the book Wahabiyyat Aur Mirzayyat.
Maulvi Abu Syed Muhammad Husayn Batalvi goes against the view of Maulvi Nawab Sideeq Hasan Khan and says that Mahdi will not fight wars but rather
(امام مهدی)
بھی حضرت مسیح موعود کی طرح اپنے مشن میں سیفی جنگ و تلوار و تفنگ سے کام نہ لیں گے بلکہ صرف آسمانی نشانات اور روحانی برکات سے دنیا میں دین اسلام کی اشاعت کریں گے “
(Imam Mahdi)
Like the Promised Messiah, he will not use swords and guns in his mission, but will spread the religion of Islam in the world with heavenly signs and spiritual blessings.
Ishatus-Sunnah Volume 22 , Number 4, page 113 1909
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