What does Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah, mean when he says that whoever does not do certain things does not belong to his community?

These words describe the highest goal he longs for in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, the way a mother longs for the best in her child. They do not shut out anyone who is honestly moving towards that goal, because with God sincere intention and real effort count.

Anyone who picks out such a passage should first listen to the tone of the whole. Many sentences in it are said in the same way, even about small things people do every day. Every sentence is set so high that an ordinary person can hardly claim to fulfil it completely. So it describes an ideal, not a list for expelling people.

The word Muslim itself has different levels. In its highest sense it means surrendering to God so completely that no will of one's own stands against His. In this sense the Holy Qur’an calls prophets such as Abraham (as) Muslims. The verse above shows the other end: people in whose hearts faith has not yet entered may still call themselves Muslims. Which meaning is intended depends on who is speaking and on what occasion.

The words of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah, are like those of a mother who tells her son: this is how I wanted to see you. They show where his heart lies and what he hopes for his community. Whoever has not yet reached this picture should take it as a mirror and a reminder, and keep moving in that direction.

The narration above makes this clear. A man with the gravest guilt died on his way to better surroundings, and God forgave him because he was on the way. The real danger lies only with the one who declares the ideal out of reach and stands still. He bars the way for himself.

It also follows that no one may look down on others. These words are a measure for one's own soul, not a verdict on one's neighbour.