Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 78
Grandson of the Promised One Terms Islam The Only Way By John Mueller MADISON - Some of the men were moved to tears praying with the solemn, grandfatherly figure. Most of the women delegates never got to see the man, who looked sort of Like Burl Ives, though they could hear his voice through a partition in the college gymnasium. The man was Hadhrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, grandson and third successor of The Promised One. His message to 600 of his 10 million Ahmadi followers was that there is no hope for humanity outside Islam. Dressed in flowing robes, saris, or dashikis, with many of the women veiled, the listening believers were delegates to the 29th Annual Convention of the North American Communities in the Ahmadi Movement over the weekend at Drew University. Rubbing elbows with weekend joggers, tennis players and Shakespeare festival stagehands, I gathered Friday and Saturday to pray and exchange ideas about their Islamic evangelical sect in what was described as "a true Islamic society in the midst of an overwhelming materialistic environment. " "The reality is that Christianity has failed to solve the problems of the world,'' Ahmad said. His grandfather) the Promised Mahdi (Restorer of the Faith), promised he could solve all the problems of the world through Islam, he said. . K hi la fat C ent ' ei 1 ar - In a short address, Ahmad said Islam is the only remed y to America's problems, droned some melodic incantations for peace, and led the delegates in silent pra yer which was punctuated by sobs from members of the audience. To the uninitiatedJudeo- Christian it was unclear whether the men were crying with jo y on seeing their spiritual leader in the flesh, or regretting his imminent departure. Ahmad 's grandfather, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Punjab, founded the evangelical sect in 1889, apparently trying to combine the thrust of major world religions under a universal Islam. Besides the Promised Mahdi , he claimed to be the second advent of Christ, an incarnation of Hindu Krishna and a buruz, or reincarnation, of Muhammad. Missionary for the Midwest, Mian Muhammad Ibrahim, explained: "What separates Ahmadi from not only the Muslims but from all other religions is a belief in ongoing revelation. If God spoke yesterda y, he certainly can speak today. There is also the belief in the universality of prophets. It brings us closer together, closer to world unity. " Another key belief, he said, is Ahmad's reinterpretation of the Islamic precept of jihad or holy war to mean persuasion by the pen rather than the sword, and a submission to temporal authority in temporal matters approximating the Christian "rendering unto Caesar. " Ahmadi yyat is disowned by orthodox Muslims because Ahmad claimed to be an inspired prophet, while in Islam Muhammad is supposed to have been the final prophet. Ahmad's liberalization of Islam, especially its principles of social justice and egalitarianism, appealed originally to the middle class Muslims, and while decidedly nonracist, is fairly close to the American Black Muslim social and political outlook. Men and women entered the auditorium/gymnasium by separate doors and were blocked from each others' view by a partition, although squalling children and an occasional crash were audible from the other section. Speakers, including Ahmad , stood on the men's side of the floor, unseen to the women. A women's exclusive session was scheduled "to deliberate on problems peculiar to the female society. " "A basic tenet of Ahmadiyya Islam is that each person should develop his physical, moral, spiritual and mental faculties to their fullest. This of course necessitates equality of the sexes, said the prophet, who added that in the Qur'an, men are commanded to up hold the rights of women," a press handout said. It pointed to a 100 per cent literacy rate in Rabwah, Pakistan, the sect's center, compared to 1 per cent in the rest of the country. The Daily Record Morris County, NJ 8 August, 1976