Invitation to Ahmadiyyat — Page 6
6 There are amongst you those who bring their disputes to me. I am a man as much as you are; it is possible that some amongst you may espouse their cause better than others. Therefore, if I give to one what is due to another, I give to him a part of the Fire. It is best for him not to take it. Likewise, we read in the Traditions that Us a ma ibn Zayd was appointed by the Holy Prophet s as as commander of a mission dur - ing which he confronted and overcame an unbeliever. As he was about to kill him, the unbeliever recited the kalimah, but Us a ma killed him nonetheless. When the Holy Prophet s as heard of this, he asked Us a ma why he had killed the man after he had accepted Islam. Us a ma said, ‘O Prophet of God, he only professed Islam out of fear. ’ Thereupon the Holy Prophet s as said, ‘Why, did you split his heart to see what was in it?’ 8 That is to say, how could you know if he professed Islam out of fear or with sincerity, for no one can know what is in a person’s heart. Thus, an edict can only be proclaimed upon what a person says, not on what he thinks, since only Allah is aware of his thoughts. Whoever condemns a person for what he thinks in his heart is a liar and will be held accountable before God. When we of the Ahmadiyya Community call ourselves Muslims, nobody has the right to say that we only pretend to be Muslims while at heart we deny Islam, that we deny the Holy Prophet s as , that we subscribe to a new kalimah , or that we have adopted a new qiblah. If it were permissible to attribute such beliefs to us, then we would be entitled to respond in kind and say that those who make such accusations are themselves pretend - ing to be Muslims and that when they go back to their homes,