A Supposed Warning by Khalifatul Masih I (ra)
Truth About the Split
The seventh item in Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s account is the statement that Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) warned me that I had not understood the true significance of the question of Kufr and Islam. In this connection I wish parenthetically to note that in cases of difference of opinion, there are matters regarding which it is possible, without attributing actual dishonesty to one’s opponent to say that the latter is labouring under a misconception. But the account given by Maulawi Muhammad Ali is so far at variance with the facts that one can hardly help expressing the view that he has distorted the facts intentionally. The real facts of the case are as follows: Some 15 or 20 days before his death, Hadrat Kahalifatul Masih, while dictating notes to Maulawi Muhammad Ali, observed, in the course of a point: "There are people who wonder at me and ask what has happened to me that at times I call non-Ahmadis Muslims and at times kuffar. They have failed to understand it. Yes, even our Miyań (meaning the present writer) has not understood it." Relating to this incident, I have already published in my Al-Qaulul Fasl sworn testimonies of several persons who were present at the time. The same are reproduced below:
"I was with Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) with several other friends including Miyań Sahib (the present writer,) when in the course of his discourse Hadrat observed 'The question of Kufr and Islam is regarded as a most difficult one but in spite of what people say regarding me—that I sometimes call non-Ahmadis Muslims and at other times kuffar—God has given me such an understanding of the question as has not been given to anybody else, not even to our Miyań. I swear by the Omnipresent and
Omniscient God that this was what Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) said."
(Sd.) (Maulawi Sayyid) Muhammad Sarwar (Shah), Principal, Madrassah-e- Diniyyat, Qadian.
"The above statement, so far as I can remember is quite true except that instead of the words
i.e. 'People say regarding me', my impression is that Hadrat Khalifatul Masih said
i.e. 'People object to me' that I sometimes call the non-Ahmadis kuffar and at other times Muslims."
(Sd.) (Maulawi) Sher Ali, B.A editor, The Review of Religions.
"So far as I can remember Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) while hearing translation of the Holy Qur’an which was being done by Maulawi Muhammad Ali expressed himself saying 'It is objected that I sometimes call non-Ahmadis Muslims and at other times kuffar. It is a difficult matter which has not been understood by any body, not even by the Miyań (the present writer). This is another of those questions which remain to be explained to non-Ahmadis."
(Sd.) (Khan) Muhammad Ali Khan, Jagirdar of Malerkotla uncle of the Nawab of Malerkotla.
"I went to the house of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih to inquire about the state of his health. I saw Maulawi Muhammad Ali reading out the notes of his translation of the Holy Qur’an. Sahibzadah Sahib (the present writer) was sitting near the head of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra). At that time Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) observed 'It is objected against me that I sometimes call non-Ahmadis kuffar and sometimes Muslims. It is a delicate point which even our Miyań (the present writer) has not quite understood'."
(Sd), Mehr Muhammad Khan of Malerkotla, at present resident of Qadian.
From this evidence it would appear that the observation made by Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) did not refer to the question of Kufr and Islam as such. It referred rather to the general complaint of inconsistency in his writings—that he sometimes called non-Ahmadis Muslims and at other times kuffar. It was about this complaint that he said, that it arose from a mistaken view of his writings, that there was a general failure to understand their proper sense, that the inconsistency was merely imaginary and that the misunderstanding was so common in the Community that even I had not escaped its influence. These observations of Khalifatul Masih I (ra) were indeed well founded and as a matter of fact they still hold true. I have just observed that it is difficult to understand how Khalifatul Masih (ra) , I endorsed the article by Khwaja Sahib after having certified the correctness of views set forth in my article. The only possible explanation of the action lies in supposing that Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) if he at all read the article by Khwaja Kamaluddin, did not on account of the ambiguity of its language, get at its real intention. He was, therefore, quite justified in remarking that even I had failed to understand the inconsistency. As a matter of fact, even to this day, I am at a loss to reconcile the two actions. As a last resort one may be driven to interpret the few in the light of the many, and the ambiguous in the light of that which is certain. But who can conclude from Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) ’s remarks that according to him I had not understood the question of Kufr and Islam? Even supposing that a person had failed to understand how Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) could subscribe to an article which proved that non-Ahmadis were kuffar, and again endorse another article which negatived the conclusions of the first, does it necessarily follow that that person fails also to understand the very question of Kufr and Islam? The Holy Qur’an of course makes mention of a class of people who—
'change the words from their proper application', but we were not prepared to meet with an illustration of the same in the learned author of The Split. May God have mercy on him and open his eyes!
Again, all thinking minds may well note the Khalifa’s remarks—' people generally have failed to understand the matter, and even our Miyań has failed to understand it'. From these words it rather appears that, according to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) , of all
Ahmadis I was the person most fitted to understand the matter, and that as even I had failed to reconcile the inconsistency, it was obvious that others also had failed to do so. To quote the remarks of Khalifatul Masih I (ra) is no advantage to Maulawi Muhammad Ali. The remarks in no wise lead to the conclusion that Maulawi Muhammad Ali understood the question any better. They prove, on the contrary, that the question had not been understood by any Ahmadi. If the remarks implied any warning to me, they implied a greater warning to Maulawi Muhammad Ali because while the remarks make a relieving qualification—even our Miyań—in my case, they include Maulawi Muhammad Ali in the general category. It may here be noted that the Maulawi Sahib has here again tried to trick the reader. While quoting Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) he has dropped out the word —even—which is the key to the whole intention of the remarks made by Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) . The word, however, is present even in the distorted description which his own paper, the Paigham-e-Sulh, published of the incident. The words quoted in the Paigham-e- Sulh are:
—'even the Miyań has not understood it' (Paigham-e-Sulh March 3, 1914).
What is more important is that Maulawi Muhammad Ali in his own work, Kufr-o-Islam, has retained the word even in his reference to this incident. The omission of the word even from the quotation in The Split affords, therefore, yet another proof of Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s tendency to tamper with texts.
This offence of Maulawi Sahib increases in gravity when we remember that after the death of Khalifatul Masih I (ra) , and before the question of a successor had yet been decided, Maulawi Sahib, in the course of a conversation with me, made a reference to this incident, when I duly corrected his version of it. As the incident was then of recent occurrence, Maulawi Muhammad Ali did not at the time venture to question my statement. He murmured an admission, and then quickly changed the subject of conversation. Then again, sworn statements of those present on the occasion have since been received and published. There is thus little possibility that Maulawi Muhammad Ali may have forgotten the incident. All the circumstances, therefore, point to the inevitable conclusion that Maulawi Muhammad Ali has been purposely distorting the facts. In addition to the sworn testimony of several persons present on the occasion, I myself am prepared to affirm on oath the truth of my version of the incident, and shall de glad to know whether Maulawi Muhammad Ali, and his friends, who were present, are prepared to affirm on oath their version of the incident. I am sure none of them will be so bold as to take such an oath. They will only make pretences to escape the ordeal.
Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s Leaflet—Kufr-o- Islam—Did Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) Approve It?
The eighth item in Maulawi Muhammad Ali’s narrative is the statement that he wrote a small pamphlet which was read over to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) that the latter approved of the views expressed therein, but that the pamphlet could not be published in the lifetime of Khalifatul Masih I (ra) . There is no doubt that Maulawi Muhammad Ali did write a pamphlet on the question of the Kufr or Islam of non- Ahmadis, and read it over to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) . But the statement that he approved of the views referred to therein is what 1 find hard to believe. There is no written testimony which could bear out the fact of Hadrat’s approval, while, on the contrary 'evidence' both external and internal, goes to prove the reverse. As external evidence, I quote below statements from Hafiz Raushan Ali Sahib and Dr. Khalifa Rashiduddin, L.M.S.
Facts connected with the tract Kufr-o-Islam by Maulawi Muhammad Ali, as narrated by Hafiz Raushan Ali Sahib:
"I remember that towards the close of his life, while Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) was prostrate in his last illness, very likely sometime in the month of February 1914—he was still living in his own house in old Qadian—I was once sitting in the office of the Al-Fadl in company with Sahibzadah Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, when there came to us my teacher Hafiz Ghulam Rasul Wazirabadi. He told us that Maulawi Muhammad Ali had written an article on the subject of Kufr which he would read out to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) next Friday after the service, and that he intended to read it out in private. Upon this Sahibzadah Sahib said that he too would be present at the reading, and that as the subject concerned an important question of belief we also should be present at the time. Accordingly, when Friday came, I resolved to visit the house of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) soon after the Juma prayers, and so I did. When I reached the yard of the house, the following came out of the room of Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra): (1) Maulawi Muhammad Ali (2) Mirza Ya‘qub Baig (8) Shaikh Rahmatullah and (4) Dr. Muhammad Husain Shah. At that time Maulawi Muhammad Ali held some papers folded in his hand. They inquired of me whether the Juma prayers were over. I answered, "Yes", I felt sure that they had foregone the Juma prayers in order to secure the desired privacy to read out the article to Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra). I also learnt that Dr. Khalifa Rashiduddin had also been with them, but had left before my arrival. I then went over to the house of the Doctor for further inquiry and asked him whether they had attended the Juma prayers. He said that Hadrat Khalifatul Masih (ra) had to be given a bath, so it was necessary for the doctors to remain in attendance. I said, that Maulawi Muhammad Ali and Shaikh Rahmatullah were no doctors.