Claims and Teachings - Ahmad The Promised Messiah and Mahdi — Page 457
461 "Shall an Ahmadi say hi s prayer^ with a non=Ahmadi as Imam"? (Taken from' the diaries of the Promised Messiah published in th& periodicals of Qadian. ) On a question being pub on tbe 20th February 1901 as to why he had forbidden His followers to say prayers in the lead of a hon-Ahinadi Imam, the Promised Messiah replied: ;"The people who have rnistrustecl us from the very out-set and are thoughtlessly indifferent to the afflictions to which this Movement has been subjected^ have not acted piously, and Allah says in Bis Book: Vi #u*J ) &* ^ J Jw. ^ J (i- e. He accepts the prayers of the pious- only). This is the reason why you have been enjoined not to say your prayers with an Imam whose prayers do not come to the degree where, prayers are accepted. It has always been held by the divine Doctors that whosoever opposes the truth is gradually deprived of the light of faith. He who does not believe in Muhammad, peace be on his soul J is an unbeliever (Kafir) hut he who rejects the Mahdi and the Promised Messiah shall also be deprived of the light of faith. The result is the same in both cases. Ic begins with opposition which developes into estrangement and which in turn is followed by blind enmity which results in the total loss. of faith. This is -not a thing to be lightly passed over. It concerns the most impor- tant question of faibh and- salvation. My rejection means, the rejection of the commands of God, and of; the injuctions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, May Allah's blessings be upon him. He who rejects me really regards Allah as (God forbid) a liar for he sees that not only Islam is being attacked externally, but in- ternally also the followers of Islam have become very corrupt, yet Allah in spite of His promise "Verily We have sent down the