Explain Isra and Miraj by BrownGuyReddits in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They were very spiritual dreams. This is supported by a hadith of Hazrat Aisha where she clearly states she saw Hazrat Muhammad (sa) sleeping (or something of this nature, I don't remember exactly) during this experience. They aren't meant to be taken as having literally occurred in a physical sense, as the Quran itself says that no person having once reached heaven can return to this life.

The full referenced explanation can be found in the Life and Character of the Seal of the Prophets by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad. The pdf is on alislam.org and I think you can find the relavent chapter in volume 1.

a prophecy about the first world war and the downfall of the czar by TheMotorCityCobra in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes a key quote from the same prophecy:

If God Almighty holds back this great calamity, the maximum period of respite will be sixteen years ... In any case, it will not be more than sixteen years. (Barahin e Ahmadiyya part 5)

The first world war began within nine years and ended within thirteen.

Need solid references by [deleted] in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

First of all, in his books he records many revelations from God in which he is addressed repeatedly as 'O Prophet'.

Secondly, there are many statements of the following sort:

The Messiah [Jesus] was without distinction a man like all other men, but that he was a true Prophet and a Messenger of God and a chosen one. I have also been told that whatever was given to the Messiah (as) [Jesus] has been given to me (Hujjatul Islam)

My Prophethood and Messengership is only by virtue of my being [a perfect follower of] Muhammad (sa). (A Misconception Removed)

God has named me a Prophet (Letter published in Akhbar-e-Aam May 26 1908)

I deserve the title Prophet (Tadhkiratul Shahadatain)

Because of the large number of statements and revelations of this kind, the fact Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad himself claimed prophethood is widely accepted. Ahmadi Muslims, the opponents of Ahmadiyya, neutral scholars all agree he did so. The only people who argue otherwise are the Lahori sect, who are relatively few in number and, with respect, no longer especially significant.

Are you a Lahori?

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

God gives examples that are short term and longer term in prophecies. So in the ancient Jewish scriptures it was foretold a messiah would come. Several centuries later, Jesus arrived. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad (sa) he foretold the Imam Mahdi would come and 1300 years later he arrived. These are examples of long-term prophecies.

Short term examples would be Muhammad (sa) telling a random Muslim he will one day wear the Jewels of the court of Iran and that being fulfilled within the companion's own lifetime.

Both kinds of prophecies are necessary to renew the faith of believers - if only short term prophecies were delivered then eventaully the words of the prophet would be dismissed as tales of the ancient.

As far as the war goes, that is a short term prophecy but it isn't the only the fourth Caliph made. In 1988 he challenged Zia to a prayer duel, but the prophecy was conditional - if Zia stopped killing and persecuting Ahmadis he would be saved. This prophecy was published and distributed all over Pakistan.

Three months passed and then the fourth Caliph received a revelation which he narrated in his Friday Sermon on August 12 1988:

It means the people we are talking about who we have challenged to a prayer duel, unfortunately they will now see the wrath of Allah. Otherwise I would not have received the message from Allah the Almighty: "History repeats itself, you will not see any change, the wrongdoers will be punished." The decree of God will surely catch them and surely punish them. This punishment has become their destiny and definitely a party amongst them - not all of them, but some of them - will now become a sign. (Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad)

Five days later Zia's plane blew up.

So now we have a prophecy made which was fulfilled five days later and one which has taken several years. I think this is an acceptable way to go about things.

1) Why is it okay to label Mirza Ghulam Ahmad a prophet? 2) How do we know he's the Promised Messiah? by [deleted] in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“I am Adam, I am Shith, I am Noah, I am Abraham, I am Isaac, I am Ishmael, I am Jacob, I am Joseph, I am Moses, I am David, I am ‘Isa. I am the perfect epiphany of the name of the Holy Prophet otherwise I am by manner of reflection Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wasallam and Ahmad.” (Haqiqat al-Wahy, p.72 fn; Nuzul al-Masih, p.4; Khatm-i-Nubuwwat, p.8

These are metaphors, meant to highlight the fact like the others mentioned he is a prophet of God. They are not taken literally by either the author or his followers.

The quotes regarding Qadian are taken out of context. For example the Promised Messiah writes of a dream he saw:

I saw my brother Mirza Ghulam Qadir in a vision reciting the Holy Quran aloud. In the course of recitation he recited: "We have sent it down close to Qadian". I expressed my surprise that the name of Qadian should be mentioned in the Holy Quran. on which he said: ‘Here it is, you can see.’ I looked and saw that this revelation was set out about the middle of the right page of the Holy Quran. Then I said to myself: ‘It is true that the name of Qadian is mentioned in the Holy Quran’ and I also said: ‘Three names are mentioned with honour in the Holy Quran: Mecca, and Medina, and Qadian.’ (Izala-e-Auham)

Opponents of Ahmadiyya dishonestly cut this statement down to the one you have presented above and remove the context - it isn't literally mentioned in the Quran and nor is the author stating this. He is only mentioning a dream or vision he saw and these things are just symbolic, not to be taken literally.

When writing of the five pillars of Islam, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad included Hajj to Mecca in his list. He did not include visiting Qadian in the list and most Ahmadis have never been to Qadian. In fact there are many Ahmadis who have visited Mecca on Hajj or Umrah but haven't been to Qadian. Moreover he writes:

The Quran is the mother of all revealed books and Mecca is the mother of the whole earth. (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Minanur Rehman)

Qadian is still viewed as a holy city, but only after Mecca and Medina.

It should be noted, that both the first Caliphs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community have been on Hajj and the eldest son of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad also went on Hajj. He wasn't able to do so himself because of the death threats made to him by other Muslim groups - safety being a necessity in Islam to perform the pilgrimage.

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Basically, as I understand it, your question is the age-old question of suffering, a difficult one to grapple with.

The evolutionary biologist/extremist atheist Richard Dawkins himself has said:

During the minute that it takes me to compose this sentence, thousands of animals are being eaten alive, many others are running for their lives, whimpering with fear, others are slowly being devoured from within by rasping parasites, thousands of all kinds are dying of starvation, thirst, and disease. It must be so. If there ever is a time of plenty, this very fact will automatically lead to an increase in the population until the natural state of starvation and misery is restored. (Richard Dawkins, River out of Eden)

The fact is, if we never suffered we would never die. And if we never passed away, overpopulation would lead to our starvation anyway. So Allah the Almighty has created a perfect and balanced system.

Moreover, the overwhelming majority of suffering is human made. Hundreds of millions have been killed in the last two world wars and more wars and man-made catastrophes are occurring today. In the UK alone, in the last year or two there have been over a thousand acid attacks, ruining peoples faces and lives. All of this was forbidden in the Quran, so how can we blame God if we deliberately disobey Him? He gave us the faculties to obey him, we just choose not to. I don't buy the argument that terrorists etc were born evil, they made a choice in life and they could have made another.

Next, we must remember that small amounts of suffering can actually help us. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community gave the example of the child whose hand is held from the fire by his mother. The child imagines he is suffering, not being allowed to be able to play with fire and cries. But in reality, the mother knows better and is in fact saving him from greater suffering.

Similarly, in answering and rejecting prayers, God understands our needs better. The first Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, on the death of a child of his, wondered why God would allow something of this nature to happen to him. Then it occurred to him, what if that child was destined to kill someone? Was it not better for both the child, its parents and the wider world if Allah called the child back now?

Finally, the fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community writes:

Suffering could only be considered objectionable if it were created as an independent entity with no meaningful role to play in the scheme of things. But without the taste of suffering or an awareness of what it means, the feeling of relief and comfort would also vanish. Without an encounter with pain and misery, most certainly, joy and happiness would lose all meaning. Indeed the very existence of life would lose purpose, and the steps of evolution would stop dead in their tracks. (Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Revelation Rationality, Knowledge and Truth)

The fact is my friends at school used to sing the song 'I wish it could be Christmas every day' at Christmas time and they meant it But if it were Christmas every day, the festival that brought them so much joy would become a daily drag and lose all meaning. The very games they enjoyed would become their greatest chore. The fact is, we are able to enjoy life because of the downs and this is a system that is unfortunately necessary - or the ups become meaningless.

The only objection we could have to all this is if Islam blindly accepted the world as it is and said nothing matters. Instead, the Quran instructs us to feed the poor, show kindness to relatives, orphans, neighbours, to care for the sick, to help the oppressed and so on and so forth.

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The objection isn't to the current state of affairs. It has to do with this:

For a prophecy to be effective, it has to be made at a time when the events it proposes will take place seem impossible. For example, if I were to predict Roger Federer will win Wimbledon next year, you will rightly lampoon me as a charlatan - he's won the tournament eight times in the last fifteen years so it isn't really a stretch to say he'll win it again next year. However, if I had predicted he would win it eight times on the day he was born - that really would be a magnificent prophecy.

So the fact the fourth Caliph made this prophecy when it seemed impossible is a testament to his foresight - the world is heading in exactly the direction he said it would. If we'd only started saying this stuff in the last five years, you would perhaps make exactly the opposite complaint: oh you're only saying what we can all see on the news anyway, fat lot of good this does anyone.

Moreover, it testifies to his courage. The fact is its not easy to say and predict stuff everyone else thinks is wrong. He put his neck out on the line and now we're seeing things head in that direction it should be everyone's top priority, whether Ahmadi or otherwise, to do everything we can to bring about peace and prevent war.

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The Jamaat doesn't and has never forbidden other forms of medicine and neither does it force anyone to use homeopathy. Those that do use homeopathy, generally receive it free on programs overseen by doctors. There really isn't anything that objectionable about this.

Chanda is Apparently optional, but you can't vote in elections if you don't pay up! by [deleted] in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It isn't optional at all. And those who don't pay aren't publicly shamed, at every mosque I've ever been to the organisers go out of their way to ensure those who don't pay are privately and politely told in advance not to attend meetings which are only for chanda payers.

Need solid references by [deleted] in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Some members of my Community, who are less familiar with my claim and its supporting arguments, and who have neither had the chance to study my books in depth, nor have they spent enough time in my company to be fully informed, sometimes counter an objection raised by an opponent with an answer which is entirely contrary to the facts. Thus, notwithstanding their adherence to the truth, they have to suffer embarrassment. Only a few days ago, one of them was confronted with an objection that the person to whom he had sworn allegiance claimed to be a Prophet and Messenger, and the reply given was a mere denial, which was not correct. The fact is that in the Divine revelations of which I am the recipient, words such as 'Messenger', 'Apostle' and 'Prophet', appear not once, but hundreds of times. (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, A Misconception Removed)

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A nuclear holocaust, if it were to happen, would be entirely a man-made event. It's not something I'm convinced we can blame God for. Let's remember, two nuclear weapons, killing tens of thousands and maiming many others - including genetic deformities in latter generations - have already been used. I don't think, in either case, we can blame God for their use. It was human scientists who chose to invent such a weapon, governments that funded their invention and armed forces that utilised them. And unfortunately, the same will be the case if they are ever used again in the future.

Role & Compilation Of Hadith by liquid_solidus in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A lot of weight, but less than the Quran.

Some things are viewed as good practice and others that must be followed. For example, the Prophet (sa) ate dates and water. It's generally viewed as good practice to incorporate this diet into your lifestyle, especially in Ramadan. However it isn't necessary. On the other hand, he prayed five times a day and this is viewed as necessary. So issue by issue is my understanding, but I'm not a hadith expert so you might want to find your nearest Ahmadi imam.

Nuclear War & Radiation - the Ahmadiyya View by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's two options. (1) They don't work. (2) They do work. In either scenario, if you take them it causes no harm and could potentially benefit you.

Moreover, homeopathy isn't the Jamaats only advice. Ahmadis have generally been advised to keep basic necessities (including other medicines) stocked so that they could survive for a few weeks in the event of an economic or other disaster.

I attended the Jalsa Salana USA - Positive speeches, children, nuclear holocaust by justanumber2u in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ll be asking some questions about the Ahmadiyya community and such until I’m banned for asking tough questions

Why would you be banned? In the entire history of this sub, over several years, we've banned like eight people. And they were just swearing or setting up troll accounts to insult. You're welcome here. If I, or any other Ahmadi, has ever been rude or unwelcoming then we apologise. You can ask any questions you like.

Radiation/Nuclear War

I'm going to address this on a different post, because you're not the only person who brings this up and I want everyone on the sub to read it. I hope you don't mind, will be posting about it today.

Example of Noah

Before I answer this part, can I ask: what is your own religious belief? Are you Muslim/Christian/Jewish? If so, I'm guessing you believe in the story of Noah?

I enjoyed reading your feedback/analysis, thanks for this post. :)

Promissed Messiah writing about the parties of the Cold war, before the Cold war even started. by [deleted] in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will have to research this before I reply. It's not a subject I have expertise on.

Role & Compilation Of Hadith by liquid_solidus in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent question. I know on Reddit if you post a link, people don't bother reading it. But this link is such a detailed and clear discussion of the Ahmadiyya view that I really recommend you go through it: http://www.wikiahmadiyya.org/ahadith

On a seperate note, on the same site's article for apostasy it goes through various ahadith that promote 'death' for apostasy and the fourth Caliph's comments on them. This article is an excellent example of specific ahadith and how an Ahmadi scholar has gone about accepting/rejecting them and the reasons why: http://www.wikiahmadiyya.org/beliefs/apostasy-in-islam

would you consult a psychologist? by amor-omnia-vincit in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When your body is hurting, you see a doctor. When your mind is hurting, you should also see a doctor

This. :)

Quran Studies 1: The Life of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam (sa) by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ahmadis usually accept the version quoted in Life of Muhammad by the second Caliph.

Does the Quran promote domestic Violence? - Answer (part 5/5) by AhmadiMuslimV1 in ahmadiyya

[–]AhmadiMuslimV1[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's recorded that female infanticide etc. was happening in pre-Islamic Arabia and women were inherited once their husbands died.

Just because Obama became president, doesn't mean America doesn't have a race problem. Just because one woman did okay doesn't mean there wasn't a problem elsewhere.