by Shahid Aziz


The khutba was delivered by Mr Shahid Aziz. He commented on the recent developments in Indonesia where MUI, a board of traditional religious scholars, had demanded that the Qadiani jamaat should be banned for their heretical views. In response, the Qadiani jamaat had submitted a 12 point response to the Attorney General of Indonesia. Three of the 12 points were as follows:-

“Point 2:
“From Beginning, we Jemaat Indonesia, hold believe that Muhammad Rasulullah is Khatamun-Nabiyyin

“Point 3:
“From among of our believe, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is a teacher, murshid (spiritual leader), Good News and warning bearer and also Mubashshirat bearer, founder and leader of Jemaat Ahmadiyah for Islam’s propagation and seer promised by the Prophet Muhammad saw

“point 7:
“We, Jemaat Ahmadiyah, member never have and will never regard other Muslims non-Ahmadis as Kafir, by word or by action as well”

Mian Mahmud Ahmad, the founder of the Qadiani jamaat, in his book, The Truth About the Split, which he wrote to set out the reasons for the split of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat into Qadiani and Lahori, stated that he believed that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was really a prophet and that all those Muslims who did not accept him as such, even if they had not heard his name were heretics and outside the pale of Islam.
In 1953 when their were riots in Pakistan and the government set up a judicial inquiry to look into the causes of the riots and beliefs of the Qadiani jamaat, it’s then leader or khalifa, also denied believing the Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet or that they call no-Ahmadi Muslims to be heretics (kafirs). However, as soon as things calmed down, he declared that these statements were “the required by the circumstances”.
Interestingly, a branch of the Qadiani jamaat in the US, wrote a letter in response to the situation in Indonesia protesting at the situation in Indonesia but made no mention of non-Ahmadi Muslims being heretics.
We now have an odd situation where some Qadiani jamaats believe that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet and deniers of his claims heretics; others believe that he was a prophet but his deniers are not heretics and yet others believe that he was not a prophet and of course his deniers are not heretics.

It seems to us that the Qadiani jamaat is not sincere in these denials and just issue statements to get themselves out trouble. It is sad but a great fulfilment of a prophecy by Hazrat Maulana Muhammad Ali when he said that one day the Qadiani jamaat will have to chose whether they retain their so-called new-prophethood or give it up and rejoin the traditional Islamic beliefs.


The Role of Women in Islam

After Jummah prayers a dars was delivered by Dr M A Hami. He recited a hadith (saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him) which says that the best among the Muslims is the person who treats his wife well and that he, the Holy Prophet himself, was the best of them all.
Dr Hami pointed out that at the time of the Holy Prophet women could be divided into three categories. First, women belonging to the families of nobles and chieftains who had the same rights. In this respect he gave examples of Hazrat Khadija, the first wife of the Holy Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him, and Hind, wife of Islam’s deadliest enemy. Second, ordinary women who had no rights and were regard as chattels and on a man’s death divided up among his sons. Third, slave girls who were bought and sold without any regard for whether they had families and children.

He also pointed out that this saying should not be seen in the context of worldly comforts because the Holy Prophet had few possessions. In fact, the Holy Quran itself says to his wives that he, the Holy Prophet, cannot provide them with worldly comforts and if that is what is important to them they should look elsewhere. Dr Hami pointed out that the Holy Prophet was best in that he gave his wives full freedom to disagree and argue with him and give their opinion. He treated them as human beings in their own right with the right to take decisions. Wives of the companions of the Holy Prophet used to point to this to establish their own rights to disagree with their husbands. So, the hadith does not mean just provide your wives with worldly comforts but treat them as emotional and spiritual equals.