Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Qadiyanis
by Zakir Ghadially

Q: Who are Qadiyanis?


A: Qadiyanis also known as Mirzai, Ahmadi, Lahori,
etc. are a sect of people who do not believe that
prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last prophet. The
founder of the sect Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835 - 1908)
claimed to be the Messiah whose advent has been
foretold by the Holy prophet of Islam and whose advent
was awaited by Jews, Christians and Muslims. The
mainstream muslims do not consider Qadiyanis muslims
(see below).


Q: Where and how did this all begin?

A: Begun in India, inspired and actively supported by
the British colonial power. In the mid nineteenth
century the British thought that Islam as the Deen of
Allah was dead, but the War of Independence of 1857
and the leading role of Muslims through the spirit of
Jihad, scared the British. They actively sought an
alternative to real Islam. Among the many things they
did, one was the foundation of a new religion in the
name of Islam by the hands of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Qadiyani. The British gave Mirza full support and an
outline; and he filled in the details.

Q: What is the background of Mirza Ghulam Qadiyani?

A: He said that his name was Ghulam Ahmad, son of
Ghulam Murtaza, belonging to the caste of Mughal
Barlas who came to India from Samarqand. Later he
changed his origins and claimed to be a Persian. He
again had a change of mind and claimed to belong to
the progeny of Fatima bint Muhammad(S). He was born in
1839-40 in Qadiyan, District of Gordaspur, Punjab,
India in a family who were subservient to the British
and played a heroic role in defending the British in
the War of 1857. Ghulam remained proud of his and his
family's services to the British crown and advised his
followers to remain loyal to the British Government
and the West. Qadiyanis, the followers of Ghulam
Ahmad, established good liaison with the State of
Israel immediately after its establishment and Israel
gave them full protection.

Q: When did he claim to be a Prophet?

A: The 1870s was a period of debates between Hindus
against Muslims and Christians against Muslims.
Muslims did not start those debates but Muslim
scholars were winning all of them and winning the
hearts of the Muslim masses. Ghulam saw an opening to
gain popularity and taught himself the art of debating
against Hindus and became popular by 1877. In 1880 he
published his first book Baraheen-i-Ahmadiyyah and
established himself as a writer. By 1884 he added
three more volumes to the same book and in 1885 he
claimed himself to be a Mujaddid, a revivalist of
Islam. In 1891 he claimed himself to be the Promised
Mehdi and a Promised Messiah. During this period he
insisted that he was not a prophet declaring that such
a claim would make him a kaafir and a liar. Well! In
1901 Ghulam declared, "by Allah in Whose grip is my
soul it is He Who commissioned me and named me a
prophet" and he declared that Allah gave him "three
hundred thousand". Note that Allah's true messengers
and prophets received their assignment suddenly not
step-wise like Ghulam. By Ghulam's own declarations,
now he became a Kaafir and a liar. (Abstract from
QADIYANIAT, AN ANALYTICAL SURVEY, by Ehsan Ilahi
Zaheer.)

Q: Why do mainstream Muslims not consider Qadiyanis
muslims?

A: As seen in above question, according to Ghulam he
was a Kafir. It is the same according to all muslims.
Muslims consider that prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the
last prophet and anybody else claiming otherewise is
an imposter and a unbeliever. So by that standards,
Qadiyanis are not muslims.

Q: Did prophet Muhammad (pbuh) say that he is the last
prophet?

A: It has been said in the holy Quran and in hadiths
that prophet Muhammed (pbuh) is the last prophet. Here
are some of the references proving that.

"O people ! Muhammad has no sons among ye men, but
verily, he is the Apostle of God and the last in the
line of Prophets. And God is Aware of everything."
(Surah Al Ahzab: 40)

Here Allah tells us clearly that prophet Mohammad
(pbuh) is the last prophet and there would be no one
after him. Similarly the following hadiths say the
same thing.

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "The tribe of Israel
was guided by prophets. When a prophet passed away,
another prophet succeeded him. But no prophet will
come after me; only caliphs will succeed me."
(Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Manaqib).

The Prophet of Allah (PBUH) affirmed: "The chain of
Messengers and Prophets has come to an end. There
shall be no Messenger nor Prophet after me."
(Tirmidhi, Kitab-ur-Rouya Babu Zahab-un- Nubuwwa,
Musnad Ahmad, Marwiyat-Anas bin Malik)

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed: "I am Muhammad, I am
Ahmad, I am the effacer and infidelity shall be erased
through me; I am the assembler. People shall be
assembled on Doomsday after my time. (In other words
Doom is my only successor.) And I am the last in the
sense that no prophet hall succeed me." (Bukhari and
Muslim, Kitab-ul-Fada'il, Bab: Asmaun-Nabi; Tirmidhi,
Kitab-ul- Adab, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi; Muatta',
Kitab-u-Asma in-Nabi, Al- Mustadrak Hakim,
Kitab-ut-Tarikh, Bab: Asma-un-Nabi.)

'Abdur Rahman bin Jubair reported: "I heard Abdullah
bin 'Amr ibn-'As narrating that one day the Holy
Prophet (PBUH) came out of his house and joined our
company. His manner gave us the impression as if he
were leaving us.' He said, 'I am Muhammad, the
unlettered prophet of Allah' and repeated this
statement three times. Then he affirmed: "There will
be no prophet after me'."(Musnad Ahmad,
Marwiyat'Abdullah bin Amr ibn'-As.)

The Holy Prophet (PBUH) told Hadrat 'Ali, "You are
related to me as Aaron was related to Moses(peace be
upon him). But no Apostle will come after me."
(Bukhari and Muslim, Kitab Fada'il as-Sahaba)

Q: Still, is it not possible that Mirza Gulam Ahmad of
Qadiyan is a prophet? Maybe god decided later that
there needs to be another prophet?

A: No, it is not possible. Also god is not short
sighted to have made changes in what he has decided.
The traditions of the prophet (pbuh) clearly says:

Thauban reports: "The Holy Prophet (PBUH) observed:
And there will arise Thirty imposters in my Ummah and
each one of them will pronounce to the world that he
is a prophet, but I am the last in the line of the
Prophets of God and no Apostle will come after me."
(Abu Dawud, Kitab-ul-Fitan)

So prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did warn us against fake
prophets and like Mirza Ghulam Ahmed of Qadian.

Q: There are group of Qadiyanis who do not consider
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet, who are they?

A: There is a group among Qadiyanis who call
themselves "Ahmadis of Lahore" (or Lahoris) who claim
that Ghulam Ahmad was not a prophet but "the Promised
Messiah or Al-Masih Al-Maw'oud" but this is using a
back door and deception. Ahmadis of Lahore say that
Ghulam Ahmad was not a prophet but the Promised
Messiah and take Mirza as the sole authority to
explain and interpret the Qur'an and Hadith which
gives him authority to abrogate certain laws of Islam
and invent new laws. According to the Muslims the
position of both, Qadiyanis (believers in the
prophethood of Ghulam Ahmad) and Ahmadis of Lahore,
are identical and both are heretics and blaspheme the
teachings of the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

Q: You call Qadiyanis as Hypocrites, what proof can
you give?

A: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad declared that "Jihad", as an
instrument of war (defensive or offensive), was
forbidden by him. His followers, Qadiyanis, continue
to present themselves to the West as pacifists,
anti-war "Muslims". As recently as Summer, 1996 in
their annual convention in Washington, D.C. area, they
presented themselves as peaceful "Muslims" who did not
believe in war. The national media in the U.S. took
note of it and presented "Ahmadiya Muslims" as
pacifists. The truth is that Qadiyanis entered the
armed forces of Pakistan from the time of the
formation of the country and rose to the highest ranks
of officers corp in all branches, namely, army, air
force and navy . With the blessings of their
"Khalifah" they participated in wars against India.
When the "Khalifah" was questioned he defended his
position and reiterated that his father, Ghulam
Qadiyani, the founder of the cult, was not a pacifist.


Q: The founder of Qadiyanis made a lot of prophecies,
does it not make him a prophet?

A: The Quran, like earlier books (Torah, etc) believe
that the most truthful evidence of prophethood are
prophecies. Let us examine some of the prophecies made
by the father of Qadyanis.

Rains and earthquakes: Ghulam Ahmad wrote, "God
revealed to me that frequent rains will come down. Due
to their frequency villages will be destroyed. After
them will follow severe earthquakes". He did not
specify where and when. If it was to be in India,
there are some regions which receive a lot of rain and
there are other areas which feel earthquakes. This is
not a prophecy.

Abdullah Atham's death: A Christian, Abdullah Atham
entered into a debate with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1893;
neither succeeded in winning over the other. It was
embarrassing to Ghulam Ahmad and feeling insulted, on
June 5, 1883 he announced that he had been informed by
God that Abdullah Atham would die within fifteen
months, that is, September 5, 1894. Ghulam Ahmad
supplicated to God for the death of Abdullah Atham by
his announced date of death and he asked his followers
to join him in praying for the curse to come true. The
deadline came and went but Abdullah Atham lived and
for a long time. Ghulam's invocations and
supplications were of no use and Allah proved that he
was not His prophet.

Multiple marriages: On February 20, 1886 Ghulam Ahmad
declared that indeed Allah revealed to him that he
shall marry blessed women and he shall have numerous
children from these new wives. He was then 46 years
old. The fact remains that he could not marry anyone
after his declared revelation from Allah despite
several efforts and a crush on Muhammadi Begum.

Marriage to Muhammadi Begum: Ghulam Ahmad at age 46
had a crush on a young lady by the name of Muhammadi
Begum daughter of Ahmad Beg, one of his followers.
Ghulam asked her father to marry her to himself which
he refused. Ghulam Ahmad announced a prophecy that she
will be married to him because Allah had married her
to him and no one had power to turn away from that
becoming true. He offered bribes of estate and wealth
to Ahmad Beg. When it did not work he begged for his
pity, brought family pressure and finally made
threats. The first prophecy of marriage to Muhammadi
Begum failed. Ahmad Beg did not budge from his
position and married his daughter to an ordinary
soldier. Ghulam Ahmad prophesied that the husband of
Muhammadi Begum would die soon and she would be
married to him since their marriage had taken place in
the heavens. He fixed a three year period for the
death of the soldier husband of his beloved lady.
Twenty two years later Ghulam Ahmad died but the
soldier lived for another forty years and she lived
even longer. The second prophecy of marriage to
Muhammadi Begum failed.

A spark of the light of God: A son was born to Ghulam
Ahmad on June 14, 1899 when he was 59 years old. He
gave him the name, Mubarak Ahmad and declared, "this
lad is indeed a spark of the light of God, the
promised reformer, the owner of greatness and
authority, possessor of healing breath like the
Messiah, curer of diseases, a word of God and lucky.
He will become famous in the four corners of the
world, he will set prisoners free and through him all
nations will be blessed." Allah had His plan to prove
once again that Ghulam Ahmad was neither a prophet nor
"the Promised Messiah" by showing that He did not
reveal anything to him nor inspired him with anything
nor chose him a prophet nor divinely guided him
(Mehdi). Mubarak Ahmad died of natural causes at age 8
in 1907, less than a year before the death of the
false prophet and the false messiah.

The birth of another son: When Ghulam Ahmad's wife
became pregnant, he announced on January 1, 1903,
"Praise be to Allah Who bestowed upon me in spite of
old age four sons and has given me good news of a
fifth". On January 28, 1903 his wife delivered a
daughter who died in infancy. This was first failed
prophecy of a son. His wife became pregnant again and
he prophesied that she will deliver a son about whom
he said, "the son of nobility will be born - a lad
goodly-shaped and handsome." She delivered a baby girl
on June 24, 1904. This was the second failed prophecy
of a son.

Again a son: After two disappointments and proving
himself to be a false prophet, he announced again that
Allah had given him the news, "Verily, We give you
tidings of a meek boy." He announced the date of the
birth of the boy to be September 16, 1907 which was
never fulfilled. This was the third false prophecy of
a son. In October 1907 he pronounced yet another
revelation from Allah, "I shall soon bestow upon you a
righteous boy" and his name was announced to be Yahya.
Alas, the prophesied son never came and the false
prophet Ghulam Ahmad himself died on May 26, 1908.
This was the fourth false prophecy of a son.

A son to one of his followers: Manzoor Muhammad, one
of his followers, informed him that his wife was
pregnant. Ghulam Ahmad prophesied cautiously in stages
that Manzoor's wife will deliver a boy from this
pregnancy or from a later pregnancy and child's name
will be "Bashir-ud-Dawla". After such safeguards in
his prophecy he emphasized, "Manzoor Muhammad's wife
shall not die unless she gives birth to this noble son
and until his prophecy is fulfilled." Manzoor
Muhammad's wife delivered a baby girl and afterwards
she never conceived and died without giving a boy.
Doesn't it look like Ghulam Ahmad was working against
Allah's Will?

The plague: Ghulam Ahmad feared plague very much and
declared it to be one of his signs. He prophesied that
the epidemic then ravaging in the Indian Province of
Punjab will not enter his town of Qadiyan because it
was the dwelling place of "God's prophet." God proved
him a liar again. Plague spread in Qadiyan and in
Ghulam Ahmad's own house; his maid and a few of his
followers died of plague

The death of Dr. Abdul Hakim: Dr. Abdul Hakim entered
into a discussion with Ghulam Ahmad, challenged him to
an open debate and called him a liar. Ghulam Ahmad did
not take it very well and prophesied, "Abdul Hakim
will die during my life-time as he insults and
disgraces me." On May 4, 1907 Dr. Abdul Hakim
responded with his own prediction that Ghulam Ahmad
will die within fifteen months, that was by August 4,
1908. Ghulam Ahmad responded to Dr. Abdul Hakim's
prediction by adding to his own prophecies:

(a) Dr. Abdul Hakim will die during the life-time of
Ghulam Ahmad, and,

(b) Ghulam Ahmad will live to be eighty years of age,
which was to be 1920 or later.

Ghulam Ahmad died within a year on May 26, 1908, at
age 68 and Dr. Abdul Hakim lived for many more years
to become an old man.

So you see, everytime he made any prophecies Allah
proved it false so that people can see the liars true
face.

Q: Interesting! Are there other famous so called
muslims recently who claimed to be prophets?

A: Yes there are. As Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)
prophesised that there would be thirty imposters
before the last day (see above) there have been some
in recent years as well. One of the most famous is
Elijah Muhammad, founder of the sect called Nation of
Islam and other most famous is Rashid Khalifa who
founded the Submitters sect.