73 Divisions in Islam and One True Jama'at

Preface In Pakistan myself and some of my Ahmadi Muslim friends often use to talk about the hadith mentioning the division of Muslim Ummah into 73 section out of which only one will be true. Of course being Ahmadi Muslims we always believed that Ahmadiyya ama!at is the only saved ama!at. "he first encounter# on this hadith# I had with a non$Ahmadi was when %r. &adeem Malik 'at that time in (wit)erland* +uoted this hadith during a debate on the internet and the non$ Ahmadi# &adeem was debating with# ,um-ed and asked for the -roof that there were in fact 73 sects. .ortunately# I remembered the mention of this being -ublished in a Pakistani &ews-a-er so entered the debate to hel- &adeem and +uoted the reference saying that if we 'as Ahmadi Muslims* tell you that in fact there had been 73 sects you would claim that we made them u- so I give you a reference which might be more reliable to you. /owever# the debating non$Ahmadi came out of this by saying then what is the -roof that Ahmadi Muslims are the ones who are saved. After this first encounter# on a number of occasions# whenever this hadith was referred to or +uoted by an Ahmadi Muslim on the internet the o--onents raised a number of ob,ections. (ome claimed the hadith to be %haif 'weak*# some who acce-ted the authenticity of the hadith# demanded the names of all the sects# some claimed there are a lot more sects in Islam than 73. (uch claiming the number to be a lot more than 73 were told that ,ust like ews after the a--earance of the Messiah 'A(* the number of sections or divisions was bound to be increased. /owever# all these debates on the internet -rom-ted me to do some research and -roduce an article thorough enough that it addressed all the ob,ections raised concerning this hadith during these debates. "his study is by no means com-lete and does not address all the as-ects of resemblance of Ahmadi Muslims with /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions '0A*. /owever# I ho-e and -ray that it -rovides sufficient material for the satisfaction of -ious searching souls Amen. Introduction It is commonly said that religions are more a cause of division than of unity# for mankind. It would therefore follow that if all religions are from One 1od# then surely /e is to blame for the sorry state of our world2 /owever# unsur-risingly# +uite the o--osite is true. 1od has always been a source of unity for man# and it is man that has re-eatedly chosen to break away from this unity. "he teachings of 1od has always -rovided a -erfect guidance for a ,ust and -eaceful e3istence# when -eo-le estrange themselves from those teachings# the result is that they are no longer -racticed# and that is when true faith leaves the hearts of -eo-le. It is through 1od!s Mercy that /e sends down reformers to re$establish the true faith in the earth# these reformers are invariably faced with o--osition and enmity from those around them. /istory abounds with such e3am-les. A similar reformation was started by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS) in Indo$Pak subcontinent in late 1800's. /e established the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and claimed to be the Promised Mehdi and Messiah for Muslims. /is -ur-ose in establishing such a movement

was to reform and collect a -arty of servants of Allah dedicated to the service of mankind and bringing -eo-le closer to Allah. /owever# the religious divines of his time saw him as a threat to their beliefs and thus ste--ed u- their o--osition to his message. "he greatest of o--osition and -ersecution came from his fellow Muslims. 4eaders of Muslim grou-s or Mullahs regarded Ahmadi Muslims to be out of the -ale of Islam but their hostility did not sto- there. In 5673 the -olitical e3-ediencies of some Mullahs -rom-ted to e3-loit the Ahmadiyya Muslim issue which resulted in the eru-tion of mob violence. "his agitation was launched by Ma,lis$e$ Ahrar which had no -olitical career in Pakistan because of its anti$Pakistan stance during -artition. "hey tried to use this issue to seek some -olitical standing in newly established Muslim state by e3-loiting -eo-le!s religious feelings a fact that was later established by Munir re-ort. In 5678# seeing its gri- loosening on the government# the -arty in -ower again staged a drama and e3-loited the same issue to turn the events in their favour. 9eing under tremendous -ressure from :ing .aisal# according to The Guardian (UK) (9th Sept. 1974)# Mr. 9hutto staged the 0abwah incidence and dum-ed the matter into the la- of national assembly which turned itself into a s-ecial committee. "his committee invited the leaders of all the sects considered to be associated with the Islamic faith '7; in number* to hold a debate on the matter of .inality of -ro-hethood 'i.e. if a -ro-het could come after Muhammad# -eace be u-on him# or not* with the leadershi- of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. "he -roceedings of these hearings were never made -ublic. At the end of this -seudo$hearing all the leaders of 7; sects unanimously declared Ahmadis to be non$Muslims# which the s-ecial committee ado-ted as an amendment to the constitution of 5673. "hus the government of an Islamic state outrageously contravened the commandment of the /oly <uran= >"here shall be no com-ulsion in religion for guidance and error have been clearly distinguished>. ';=;77* and the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* according to whom a mere recitation of the creed was sufficient to bring someone into the fold of Islam as we read in the following hadith= Usamah ibn ?aid relates= >"he /oly Pro-het '-buh* sent us on a scouting e3-edition to /ura+ah# a valley of uhnah and we arrived at its s-rings in the morning. A man of the Ansar and I came u-on one of their men and when we had covered him he called out= "here is none worthy of worshi- save Allah. On this the Ansari held back# but I finished him off with my s-ear. @hen we returned to Medina# this incident came to the knowledge of the /oly Pro-het '-buh*# he asked me= Usama# did you kill him after he had affirmed= "here is none worthy of worshi- save Allah2 I said= Messenger of Allah# he made the affirmation only to save himself. /e said again= %id you kill him after he had affirmed= "here is none worthy of worshi- save Allah2 /e went on re-eating it till I wished I had not acce-ted Islam before that day.> Another version is >/oly Pro-het said= %id he affirm= "here is none worthy of worshi- save AllahA and yet you killed him2 I said= Messenger of Allah# he said it out of fear of our arms. /e said= @hy did you not cleave his heart to discover whether he had said it from his heart or not2 /e ke-t re-eating it till I wished I had acce-ted Islam only that day. '0iyadh as$(alihin# ch. 86 /adith B36C on the authority of 9okhari and Muslim*.

"he government claimed that the decision was based on the belief in finality of -ro-hethood Muhammad '-buh*. "hough Ahmadi Muslims believe that they are the only ones who believe in the true meanings of the -hrase :hatme &abuwwat 'finality of -ro-hethood* at -resent time# however# the holy <uran sets no such condition for becoming a believer. /oly <uran commands= >O ye who believeD believe in Allah and /is Messenger# and in the book which he has revealed to /is Messenger# and the 9ook which /e reveled before it. And whoso disbelieves in Allah and /is Angles and /is 9ooks and /is Messengers and the 4ast %ay has surely strayed away> '/oly <uran= Eha-ter 8# Ferse 537*. (o according to the /oly <uran the only thing which throws one out of the -ale of Islam is disbelief in Allah# /is Angles# /is 9ooks# /is Messengers or the 4ast %ay# not in any way a disbelief in any version of the -hrase :hatme &abuwwat. <uran having described the articles of faith very clearly# invites even non$Muslims to come to terms on what is common in their beliefs with Islam= (ay# !O -eo-le of the bookD come to a word e+ual between us and you $ that we worshi- none but Allah and that we associate no -artners with /im and that some of us take not others for lords besides Allah.! 9ut if they turn away# then say# !9ear witness that we have submitted to 1od.! '/oly <uran# ch 3= v C7* Elearly according to /oly <uran the way to achieve religious harmony is to -ut to -ractice what is common in the beliefs of every differing faction and that would be the first ste- towards a consensus in the matters of religious beliefs. "he government of Pakistan under the leadershi- of ?ulfi+ar Ali 9hutto and the leader of all the rest of 7; sects of Islam 'other than Ahmadi Muslims* clearly contradicted the teachings of the /oly <uran and -ractice and commandments of the /oly Pro-het '-buh*. /owever# this decision did ironically -rovide an interesting# if not uni+ue# distinction of one grou- of Muslims from the other 7; sects fulfilling the -ro-hecy of /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* in which he mentioned 73 divisions among Muslims as o--osed to 7; divisions among ews. "he Pro-hecy /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* among many of his -ro-hecies has mentioned# in one hadith# a -ro-hecy which many of us have seen fulfilled in our life time. More than 58GG years ago# our beloved master# Muhammad '-eace be u-on him* made a -ro-hecy in the following words H5I = Abdullah bin Amar '0A* relates that the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* said >(urely things will ha--en to my -eo-le as ha--ened earlier to Israelites# they will resemble each other like one shoe in a -air resembles the other to the e3tent that if anyone among the Israelites has o-enly committed adultery to his mother there will be some who will do this in my Ummah as well# verily the Israelites were divided into 7; sections but my -eo-le will be divided into 73 sections# all of them will be in the fire e3ce-t one.> "he com-anions asked# !@ho are they O Messenger of Allah#! /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* said# >"hey are those who will be like me and my com-anions.>

In this hadith there are +uite a few things to be noted. .irstly# it mentions the resemblance of Muslim Ummah with the Israelites 'i.e. ews*. In another hadith H;I this resemblance is mentioned in the words that as among the ews a -ro-het was raised in every century among Muslims a reformer will be raised and as among the ews at the end of the chain of -ro-hets a Messiah was raised a Messiah will be raised among Muslims. Among ews there were 5; tribes each divided into si3 sects making a total of 7; sects at the time when the Messiah 'i.e. esus# A(* was sent to Israelites 'A full list of the ewish sects at the time of esus# -eace be u-on him# is included in A--endi3 I*. After the a--earance of the Messiah among ewish -eo-le the list of sects increased considerably. (o while talking about 73 divisions among Muslims and taking into account the resemblances of Muslim Ummah to the ewish -eo-le mentioned in both of the above tradition# it a--ears that these two ahadith relate to the time of the Promised Messiah 'A(*. Authenticity of the /adith Other than "irmidhi# Ibne Ma,a H3I gives three inde-endent narrations of the same hadith. "alking about the authenticity of this hadith Abu Mansur Abd al$:ahir ibn$"ahir Al$9aghdadi H8I says= "There are many isnad (independent testimonies) for the tradition dealing with the division of the community. A number of following companions have handed it down as coming from the Prophet (peace be upon him): Anas ibn- ali!" Abu#urairah" Abu-l-$arda" %abir" Abu-&a'id al-(hidri" )bai ibn-(a'b" Abd-Allah ibnAmr ibn-al-'As" abu-*mamah" +athilah ibn-al-As!a' and others. *t is also handed down that the pious ,aliphs mentioned that the community would be divided after them" that one sect only would save itself" and the rest of them would be given to error in this world" and to destruction in the ne-t." (o it becomes +uite clear that there is no doubt about the authenticity of this hadith and great scholars of Islam like al$9aghdadi regarded this hadith to be an authentic one. @hile talking about the ty-es of divisions to occur among the Muslim Ummah# Abu$Mansur al$9aghdadi H8I says= ".very man of intelligence among the authors of the treatise has !nown that the Prophet (peace be upon him) in spea!ing of the divisions that were to be condemned and the members of which were destined for hell-fire" did not mean the various legal schools" who" though they disagreed as to the derivative *nstitutes of /aw" agreed concerning the fundamentals of religion.......... And verily the Prophet (peace be upon him)" in mentioning the sects condemned" had in mind only those holders of erring opinions who differ from the one sect which will be saved" in such matters as ethics and the unity" promises and threats (regarding future life)" predestination and free-will" the determination of good and evil" right guidance and error" the +ill and +ish of 0od" prophetic vision and understanding" the attributes of Allah" #is 1ames and 2ualities" any 3uestion concerning what is ordered and what is permitted" 4signs for5 prophecy and its conditions" and similar 3uestions."

4iteral .ulfillment of Pro-hecy= J3istence of 73 (ections /aving mentioned the resemblance of his Ummah with ews# and division of the Ummah into 73 sections# /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* mentions that all will be in fire e3ce-t one. Meaning 7; sects will be in fire while one will be safe. @hen asked who the safe ones will be# /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* re-lied >"hey are those who will be like me and my com-anions indicating that remaining 7; will resemble Israelites while only one will resemble him and his com-anions. /aving said that we have to understand that there ought to be a way to se-arate one ama!at from 7;. "hus there should be some method by which two sets of sections among Muslim Ummah will be formed and in one set there will be only one ama!at 'to which /oly Pro-het# -eace be u-on him# referred to as resembling him and his com-anions* while the other set will contain 7; sects which will resemble ews. "o go any further we have to establish here three things. .irstly that there were at one time 73 sections of Muslims. (econdly they formed two sets on containing one ama!at and the other one containing 7; sects. "hirdly the set containing one ama!at consisted of the followers of a claimant of Messiahshi-. "he third condition has to be fulfilled because# as I have established above# we are referring to the time of the Promised Messiah 'A(*# only the followers of Messiah can form a ama!at which resembles /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions '0A*. "o establish that the above mentioned three conditions were fulfilled# I shall -resent here my translation of a -ortion of an editorial -ublished in one of the most -o-ular Urdu Pakistani daily news-a-er >&awai @a+t> H7I. "One of the special importance of this decision has been that on it the consensus of Ummah has been in substantially correct manner. Throughout the history of Islam, such an overwhelming complete consensus has never been reached on any important topic. Other than the big religious scholars, holders of Shar'a, all the political leaders and political leaders of each group have agreed on this consensus. Other than these, all sufia aram, aarifeen !illah, the leaders of Tassawaf and practices had complete agreement. .-cluding 2adianis all the rest of 67 sects which are considered to be of uslims , agreed and are happy on the solution of this affair. "mong the leaders of the nation and a'maideen, there does not appear to be any group which does not have a #oyous attitude towards this decision. $ation should ta e a notice of this." And that was not the only news-a-er which testified the number to be 7; following is another testimony of an Jnglish news-a-er -ublished from U.:. HCI. "!y a constitutional amendment the $ational "ssembly has stripped half a million members of the "hmadiyya community of their religious status as %oslems. The e&communication of such a large number claiming to be %oslems by a political institution is a uni'ue event in the ()** years of the history of Islam. The burden of ta ing the measure fell on the $ational "ssembly because Islam re#ects priesthood and the %oslems, although divided into 67 sects, do not have a church or a pope. +eligious edicts handed down by muftis or religious scholars are not binding on any individual or body of %oslems."

Elearly# according to these news-a-ers there e3isted 73 sections in Islam# one ama!at$e$ Ahmadiyya and the rest of the 7; 'A full list of the sects in Islam is included in A--endi3 II*. "he rest of the 7; sects were unanimous and ha--y and formed a -arty 'a set* e3cluding the one 'the other set* from Islam. Although they all had fatwas declaring one another to be kafirs# when it came to the +uestion of Ahmadi Muslims they were all united so that there remains no doubt as to the identity of 7; and one making a total of 73. I have already established that ews had 7; sects at the time of Messiah# so this hadith would be reflecting the time of Messiah among Muslim Ummah# which all Muslims today believe is also the time of the a--earance of the Mahdi. O-inions of (ome Muslim (aints &ow I would like to -resent a few +uotations from the writings and utterance of a few old Muslim saints reflecting on the -ractices and the name of the ama!at of the followers of Mahdi and Messiah. Hadhrat Ali (RA) said H7I "%ahdi %aoud will be colored with the glory of %uhammadiyya and will have the wealth of Ahmadiyya." Hadhrat Muhammad bin Faris Misri wrote HKI= "Our scholar will be prophet and from among those who call towards the truth he will have the station of messengership and our "'arif will be in the period of Ahmadi, will be from among oolula,m -those who have strong determination. and will receive greatness." Hadhrat Mujaddid Alif Thani wrote H6I= ""round one thousand and some years after the sad demise of the /oly 0rophet -peace be upon him., the /a'ee'ate -truth. %uhammadiyya will ascend from its station and will unite with the place of /a'ee'ate -Truth. 1a'aba. "t that time /a'ee'ate %uhammadi -%uhammadi Truth. will be called #a3ee3ate Ahmadi (Ahmadi Truth)." Hadhrat Imam Ali Al- ari wrote H5GI= "so among seventy three sects all of them will be in fire and the 2ir'ah $a#iyya -sect deserving paradise. will be the one among ahle sunna -Sunnis. which will have the glory of %uhammadiyya and will be following the holy Taree3atul (practices of) Ahmadiyya." Hadhrat Abdur Raheem Grohri wrote H55I=

"/adhrat %ahdi %aoud has the %uhammadi appearance and will descend li e a leader, he will have a mole near one of his eyes. /e will re3establish din-e Ahmadi (the Ahmadi practices), our sahib will be bright li e the sun and beloved of all. /e will be learned, wise, ing of wisdom and an eternal saint. O mir %uhammad Sahah4 %ahdi will be decorated with the turban of prophethood." All the above Muslim saints and (ufis understood that at the time of Mahdi "aree+atul Ahmadiyya will be re$established and thus the followers of the true Mahdi will be -racticing the Ahmadiyya 1lory of Islam or will be called Ahmadiyya fir+ah.. 0esemblance of the 7; to ews in "heir 9eliefs According to the /adith I have mentioned in the beginning# other than being 7; in number# this set will resemble ews in their behavior as one shoe in a -air resembles the other. I shall not go into details of the behavior of 7; sects however# would ,ust like to mention resemblance of these sects to the ews of the time of Messiah ' esus# A(* in their beliefs. ews of that time believed that a -revious Israelite -ro-het Jli,ah 'Ilyas# A(* had ascended to heaven in his chariot of fire and before the advent of the Messiah# he will descend from heavens in his chariot and -re-are the grounds for the advent of Messiah and then the Messiah will a--ear. (o when esus 'A(* made a claim to Messiahshi-# they re,ected him saying we did not see Jli,ah 'Ilyas# A(* descending from heavens. @hen esus 'A(*# claimed that ohn the 9a-tist 'Lahya# A(* is the Promised Jli,ah 'Ilyas# A(*# ews insisted that he should have descended from heavens if he was Jli,ah 'Ilyas# A(* and so they re,ected both esus 'A(* as well as ohn 'Lahya# A(*. "hese 7; sects of Islam# at the time of the Promised Messiah 'A(* without any e3ce-tion held the belief that esus 'A(* ascended to heavens with his body and soul and it would be the same esus 'A(* who will return as the Messiah for the Muslim Ummah. "hey insist on seeing him descend from heavens with his hand on the wings of two angles on the white Minaret. ust like the Muslims of the -resent times# the ews of the time of esus 'A(* were waiting for two figures to a--ear# a -riestly Messiah 'e+uivalent of Islamic Mahdi* and a worrier Messiah# a king who would come and deliver Israelite from the bondage of slavery. 4awrence /. (chiffman in his article > ewish (ectarianism in (econd "em-le "imes> says H5;I= "They believed that the coming age would indeed begin with a great war and punishment, yet they saw the leadership of the people in the hands of two %essianic figures. " priestly %essiah would ta e precedence and re3establish 5erusalem sacrificial cult. "long with him a 6ividic %essiah would rule over the re3established temporal ingdom." "hus when esus 'A(* -reached -eace and tolerance and non$violence# ews mocked at him and re,ected him. "oday Muslim well aware of the mistakes ews made# insist on the coming of a Mahdi 'the guided one* for the religious reformation of the Ummah and a worrier Messiah. "hey await a Messiah whose sole ,ob will be to lead Muslims in a holy war against all the other

-owers of the world and shed blood and kill %a,,al and that!s how# most of the Muslims of the -resent time believe# Messiah will save them. One 0esembling /oly Pro-het and /is Eom-anions &ow I would like to analy)e the one ama!at which was se-arated out by 7; collectively and is called Jama'ate Ahmadiyya to see if they had any resemblance with the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions '0A* as -ro-heci)ed in the /adith. I believe that the resemblance mentioned in the hadith should be reflected in all as-ects of life of the followers of this one ama!at. One could clearly see it in their "a+wa as well as in actual events surrounding their lives. As different -ersonalities -erceive characters differently and thus a solid -roof of the resemblance of a character with another cannot be -rovided and can only be observed and ,udged by individuals# so I shall not discuss this. /owever# I would like to assure everyone# who associates with Ahmadi Muslims that if they observe keenly they will see reflections of /adhrat Abu 9akr '0A* and /adhrat Uthman 1hani '0A* among men and /adhrat :hadi,a '0A* among women when it comes to financial sacrifices# they will see the character of /adhrat 9ilal '0A* when it comes to steadfastness and they will see reflections of /adhrat Umar '0A* and /adhrat Ali '0A* when it comes to bravery. As far "a+wa is concerned# I believe# Allah is the only udge of "a+wa# so I shall leave that also and let the individuals decide for themselves what do they see in terms of "a+wa when they associate with Ahmadi Muslims. "here are some actual events which surrounded the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions and got recorded in the history as well as some in the /oly <ur!an# which I would like to discuss in this article and show to the readers how these events got re-eated in the history of Ahmadiyyat with each and every resemblance with the event which occurred in the time of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him*. !" Stonin# $e%ause of $eliefs" I am sure the readers would agree with me that -ersecution of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions '0A* was very severe. /owever# there is one event of the life of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* which did not esca-e any historian. Jven the western# non$ Muslim historians# like (ir @illiam Muir H53I and @. Montgomery @att H58I# who did not believe the -ersecution to be that severe# have recorded this event and have testified to the authenticity of the event. "his is the event when /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* went to "aif for -reaching. 9rutal treatment of our beloved master '-eace be u-on him* by -eo-le of "aif is described by many historians and biogra-hers. I would like to +uote /adhrat Mir)a 9ashir$ud$ din Mahmud Ahmad '0A* from his book 4ife of Muhammad H57I. "+eports of him had already reached Taif, and here he now was, without arms of following, a lone individual with only one companion, 7aid. The town fol s thought him a nuisance which should be ended, if only to please their chiefs. They set vagabonds of the town and street boys at him who pelted him with stones and drove him out of town. 7aid was wounded and the prophet -peace be upon him. began to bleed profusely."

One thing is very clear in this event that our beloved master '-eace be u-on him* got -elted with stones ,ust because of holding the beliefs which were against the -o-ular beliefs of the -eo-le of that time. "his kind of treatment has been received by several Ahmadi Muslims and the resemblance of Ahmadi Muslim to the holy -ro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anion /adhrat ?aid '0A* in regards to the event of stoning by o--onents had been shown to every generation so far since the foundation of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. "he very first time this resemblance was manifested for mankind was in the form of shahada by stoning of an Ahmadi Muslim in Afghanistan. "he event is described in detail by Promised Messiah 'A(* in his book "adhkiratush (hahaditain H5CI. .riedmann H57I# an inde-endent historian# has also recorded this event in the following words= ""bdul 8atif himself, who accepted 9hulam "hmad's religious claims in (:** after he read some of his boo s, came to ;adian in (:*< and stayed there for several months. Upon his return to 1abul in 5anuary (:*= he was arrested. " religious disputation was arranged between himself and several orthodo& divines. 0redictably enough, it was decided that the "hmadi views were unacceptable, and that those who held them were unbelievers. >hen "bdul 8atif repeatedly refused to renounce his faith, he was stoned to death in 5uly (:*=." "hen in India where the founder of this ama!at resided resemblance to this event was manifested in 56G7 when the Promised Messiah 'A(* visited Amritsar and is recorded by .riedmann H5KI as well as by /adhrat Mir)a 9ashir$ud$%in Mahmud Ahmad '0A* whom I shall +uote from his book /adhrat Ahmad# "he Promised Messiah H56I= "The carriage was brought up to a side door of the apartment, and the 0romised %essiah -"S. proceeded to occupy it. "s he was going to seat himself, this became nown to people, and such of them as were standing outside the lecture hall advanced towards him, and one of them struc at him with a thic heavy stuff. One of his disciples who was nearby at once placed himself between the 0romised %essiah -"S. and the assailant to ward off the blow. 2ortunately the carriage door was opened and the stuff stuc against it and the gentleman escaped with only a slight in#ury. "s soon as the 0romised %essiah had ta en his seat the carriage started. The mob rained a shower of stones at it." "he ne3t generation saw this event re-eated in the time of /adhrat Mir)a 9ashir$ud$%in Mahmud Ahmad# :halifatul Masih II '0A*. After /adhrat :halifatul Masih II '0A* made a claim to be the -romised son of the Promised Messiah 'A(*# he held several -ublic lectures and gatherings in various cities of the Indian subcontinent in early 568G!s and at several of these occasions -ublic -elted Ahmadi Muslims with stones. "he severest of them was in %elhi when a number of Ahmadi Muslims were in,ured due to stoning at the stage H;GI. At one of these occasions# (heikh I,a) Ahmad (ahib '&e-hew of (ir Muhammad I+bal (ahib*# also came to o--ose the movement. /owever# when he saw o--onents -elting Ahmadi Muslims with stones#

he decided to confess his faith in Ahmadiyya Islam saying that this indeed is the way o--onents treated our beloved /oly Pro-het Muhammad '-eace be u-on him* H;5I. In our -resent time we again witnessed this resemblance with the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* in the recent event of (hab+adar# Pakistan where three Ahmadis were -elted with stones ,ust because of their beliefs. "he event was re-orted by various human rights commissions and news agencies H;;$;8I. &'T&'(S '&ews International* on A-ril 5G# 5667 re-orted H;;I. "Supporter of ?infidel@ stoned to death. 2rom "bdullah 5an, 0AS/">"+B "n angry mob stoned a person to death and seriously in8ured another on Sunday for allegedly converting a %uslim to the "hmedi faith, in Shab'adar, )C ilometers from here. The third companion of the victims escaped." Other than the above so far more than 5GG Ahmadi Muslims have been murdered by o--onents ,ust because of their beliefs in the Messiah and Mahdi of the time. )" Similarities in *ther Forms of Perse%utions" &e3t I would like to discuss some of the collective -ersecution /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions received at the hands of o--onents and show the same ty-e of -ersecution e3tended towards Ahamdis by all the 7; sections of Islam. One of the action which -eo-le of Mecca resorted to in order to -ut -ressure on /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions to try and force them to denounce their faith and its -reaching is recorded by @att H;7I as= ">ith the formation of a grand alliance a boycott of clans of /ashim and al3 %uttalib was instituted. $one of the other clans was to have any business dealings with them, and there was to be no intermarriages." Is this alliance and boycott any different than the one recorded by Munir 0e-ort H;CI and .riedmann H;7I. .riedmann states= ""ll 0a istan %uslim 0arties convention was held in 1arachi in 5anuary (:C=. The convention was attended by leading %uslim 'ulama'. Some of them represented organi,ations, such as the 5ama'at3i Islami, the 5amiyyat al3 ulama3i Islam and others. The convention resolved to resort to "direct action," demanded the resignation of the prime minister of 0a istan, and declared a total boycott of the "hmadis." A total social boycott of Ahmadi Muslims was also announced and im-lemented in 5678 throughout Pakistan H;KI. "he -rice /adhrat 9ilal '0A* -aid for reciting the :alimah is known to every Muslim. (ir @illiam Muir H;6I records=

"In the depth of his anguish, the persecutors could force from him but one e&pression, "/"64 "/"64 'O$A, O$A -only 9od.4' On such an occasion "bu !a r passed by, and secured liberty of conscience to the faithful slave by purchasing his freedom." .ollowing are a few of the inde-endent o-inions and accounts of the -rice Ahmadi Muslims are -aying for reciting the :alima. "So far more than (** people of this 5ama'at have been illed in different parts of the world in the name of religion. Since (:D), during the 1alima wiping campaign this 5ama'at has had the opportunity to offer sacrifices li e the companions of the /oly 0rophet -peace be upon him.. "bout C* thousand "hmadis live in +abwah and a case has been registered against every one of them for the offense of reciting the 1alima." E=*F. ""mong different periods during the one and a half thousand years history of Islam, %uslims have been alleged to have forced non3believers into reciting the 1alima Tayyeba. /owever, no other e&ample is found of an event where a person reciting 1alima was stopped by sword." E=(F. "Once there was a time when %uslims spread all over the world to preach the 1alima Tayyiba and fasting and prayers and now is the time when a ;adiani cannot recite 1alima even if sGhe wants to recite it with a true and pure heart. This is because they are stopped from doing so. !ecause for them doing so is an offense punishable by law." E=<F. "he Meccans did not like to call Muhammad '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions Muslims but called them (abians H33I. "oday# it is illegal in Pakistan for an Ahmadi Muslim to claim to be a Muslim and Ahmadi Muslims are given the names like Mir)ais# <adianis etc. (o far +), cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims for calling Adhan# -reaching and claiming to be Muslim H38I. It is well known that Meccans tried their best to sto- /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions from -reaching and -racticing their religion. Jvery -ossible ste- was taken to stothem. "hey were -rohibited from Praying and we find its mention even in the <ur!an which many commentators have said to be referring to the action of Abu ihl. >/ast thou seen him who forbids. A servant 'of Ours* when he -rays. H37I. &ow a days it has been made illegal for Ahmadi Muslim to Pray as by doing that they would be !-retending to be Muslim! which for an Ahmadi Muslim is a criminal offense and -unishable by law in Pakistan. (o far !, cases had been registered against Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan for Pra-in# 'saying (alat* H38I. ." A Glan%e at the Rainbo/ of Sa%rifi%es

9etween A-ril 56K8 and 35st October 566; ama!at$e$Ahmadiyya has had the honor of making the following sacrifices in the cause of Allah H38I. &umber of Ahmadi Muslim Martyred because of their beliefs in Pakistan. &umber of Ahmadi Muslims who were attacked with the intention of killing Incidents of digging the graves of dead Ahmadi Muslims Incidences of causing hindrance in burials of Ahmadi Muslims in general graveyards Ahmadi Muslims sentenced to death &umber of Ahmadi Muslims charged for -utting a badge of :alima Eharged for calling Adhan# Preaching and -retending to be Muslim Eharged for saying Assalam$o$alaikum '-eace be u-on you* Eharged for -raying 'saying Islamic (alat* Eharged for reciting the /oly <ur!an Eharged for -ublishing the verses of the /oly <ur!an on an invitation card Eharges against Ahmadi Muslim Maga)ines Eonfiscated books# news-a-ers and maga)ines Ahmadis convicted so far in above trials Ahmadiyya Mos+ues which have been com-letely destroyed Ahmadiyya Mos+ues which have been -artially destroyed Mos+ues which have been sealed Ahmadiyya Mos+ues which have been sei)ed Mos+ues whose construction has been hindered Mos+ues from where the :alima has been wi-ed Ahmadi Muslims fired from their ,obs because of their beliefs "otal Ahmadiyya land sei)ed by o--onents from 0abwah 0" Similar Alle#ations A#ainst Allegations raised against our beloved Master are recorded at many -laces in the <ur!an. I shall like to -resent and discuss only two of them. /oly <ur!an records H3CI= ;; 37 5; 56 7 75 7;6 8 56 5G 8K 5G3 8C; 55; 55 7 55 ; 55 CC 35 58K#;;7 (yd.

>And indeed we know that they say that it is only a man who teaches him. '9ut* the tongue of him towards whom 'their minds* incline 'in making this insinuation* is foreign while this is Arabic 'tongue* -lain and clear.> >And those who disbelieve say# !It is naught but a lie which he has forged and other -eo-le have hel-ed him with it.! Indeed they have -er-etrated a 'great* in,ustice and a 'great* falsehood. And they say# !'"hese are* fables of the ancientA 'and* he has got them written down# and they are read out to him morning and evening.> "hese verses are referring to the allegation of the disbelievers that the Ehristian and ewish slaves who have been converted to Islam had secretly hel-ed /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* in com-iling the <ur!an and hence there is a foreign hand behind this cons-iracy. (uch allegations are raised even today by anti$Muslim forces against the /oly Pro-het Muhammad '-eace be u-on him*. (imilar allegations have been raised against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community by the o--onents. .irstly Ahmadi Muslims were alleged to have been hel-ed by /indus. Jhsan Jlahi ?aheer# one of bitter enemies of the Ahmadiyya movement wrote H37I= 1Hindus su22orted the Ahmadi %ause throu#h 2en3 2ress and 2latform1 /ow much that hel- was could be understood by any -erson by the -ro-hecies of Promised Messiah 'A(* about Pundit 4ekh 0am and the -rayer duels as well as o-en debates held by Promised Messiah 'A(* with Ariyya (ma,ists. (econdly an e+ually absurd and unsubstantiated charge against Ahmadiyya Muslim ama!at is the theory of 9ritish s-onsorshi-. &early every hostile witness alleges that the Ahmadiyya ama!at owes its foundation# e3istence and success to the Im-erial 9ritish 1overnment H3KI. @hile the message of the founder of this ama!at to the 9ritish <ueen is recorded in Ayenae :amalat e Islam which ends in the following words H36I= >O! <ueen of the earthD acce-t Islam and thou wilt be safe. 9e a Muslim. 1od will -rovide for thee till the last day and he will save thee and -rotect thee from thine enemy.> "hirdly Ahmadis are alleged to have been hel-ed by ews ,ust as the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* was alleged H8GI= 14e/s hel2ed the Ahmadis a%ademi%all- and e5ui22ed them /ith ar#uments and self manufa%tured do%uments a#ainst the a%%e2ted 2rin%i2les of Islam1 .urther allegation raised against /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* is recorded in the holy <ur!an as H85I= >And those who disbelieve say# !@hy was not <ur!an revealed to him all at once2 '@e have revealed it* in this manner that @e may strengthen thy heart therewith. And we have arranged it in the best form.>

"he above does not seem to be any different from the allegation raised against the Promised Messiah 'A(* by the o--onents by saying that why did Promised Messiah 'A(* not advance all the claims at once2 @hy did he first claimed to be Mu,addid# then Muhadith then Mahdi and then Messiah. And a similar answer is given that it was necessary to strengthen the Promised Messiah!s own heart about his mission and thus he laid claims to the status!s whenever Allah informed him and commanded him to do that. 6" Hijra $e%ause of Perse%ution" It is well know in both Islamic as well as non$Islamic worlds that /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions had to migrate out of their homeland and seek asylum into various foreign lands because of intense -ersecution in Mecca 'their homeland*. .irst of this migration was to Abyssinia as recorded by Ibn$e$/isham H8;I and (ir @illiam Muir H83I= "To escape these indignities and danger of perversion, %uhammad -peace be upon him. now recommended such of his followers as were without protection to see an asylum in a foreign land." "This is termed the first /i#ra or the flight to "byssinia, as distinguished from the later more e&tensive emigration to the same 'uarter." And then eventually the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* himself had to emigrate to Madina around A-ril C;; H88I= "Two or three wee s after the pledge of " aba, that is, about the beginning of %uharram, the emigration commenced." Many Ahmadi Muslims in our -resent time had to follow this sunnah of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions ,ust because of the beliefs they held and because of the ever intensifying -ersecution in Pakistan. .ollowing is what the human rights advocates had to say to the United &ations H87I. ""hmadi %uslims are being driven out of 0a istan. >hen see ing refuge in other countries, they have a prime facie showing of persecution based on religion. "sylum rights and the right of non3refoulement are involved. "ny country that forcibly repatriates an "hmadi %uslim to 0a istan while Ordinance HH is in effect is in violation of international law." "hose who -ersecute Ahmadi Musilms shamelessly admit that the aim of the -ersecution is to drive Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan or to e3terminate them# as e3-ressed by %r. :arren Parker H8CI=

"8eading pro3government %uslim clergy told the spea er that their aim is to drive the "hmadis out of 0a istan, to arrest those who remain and to destroy or sei,e "hmadi religious property." And finally the migration of /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* himself was resembled by the migration of /adhrat Mir)a "ahir Ahmad :halifatul Masih the 8th. "he immigration of /adhrat Ameerul Mo!maneen 'may Allah be his hel-er* like /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* in the ca-acity of the leader of the faithful took -lace in 56K8 after the announcement of the infamous ordinance MM in Pakistan. And ,ust as at the time of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him*# other than occasional individual migrations because of the -ersecution there were two ma,or collective migrations before our beloved master '-eace be u-on him* migrated to Madina. (imilarly# in the -resent time there were two mass migrations of Ahmadi Muslims out of Pakistan because of -ersecution before /adhrat Ameerul Mo!maneen 'may Allah be his hel-er* himself migrated. One of these mass migrations was in 5673 and the other one in 5678. 7" Inde2endent Testimon- of Resemblan%e In the following I shall -resent some +uotation from different sources where -eo-le have testified that Ahmadi Muslims resemble /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions in their character# their struggle# enthusiasm# love for their faith and in -ersecution they are sub,ected to. ""t the present time all the sects of %uslims are impressed one way or the other by Anglish, /indu or other nations. It is only "hmadi 5ama'at, which li e the first %uslims are not influenced by any individual or a group and are carrying out purely Islamic wor s." E)IF. ">e still retain the truthfulness and Islamic Spirit in India because here the unveiled services of the spiritual leaders are constantly at wor . "nd there have always been some scholars of such a stature who do not worship wealth. "nd if you as the truth, in the present time, this wor is carried out by the followers of 8ate %ir,a 9hulam "hmad on the same pattern as the first %uslims used to do it." E)DF. "It is an accepted fact that the way "hmadi %uslim are preaching their religion and practical vigorous efforts they have done in this endeavor has hardly been paralleled by any other Islamic 5ama'at after the "rab 1hulafa'a3 i3+ashideen." E):F. "a, Muhammad 9hatti# &a)im$e$Aala 'the highest regional office* Ma,lise "ahaf)e :hatme &abuwwat 'an organi)ation established to and bent on -ersecuting Ahmadi Muslims* <uetta Pakistan gave the following testimony in a court trial H7GI=

1It is true that at the time of Hol- Pro2het (2ea%e be u2on him)3 /hen 2eo2le 2ra-ed (said Salat)3 %alled Adhan or re%ited 8alima3 the disbelie9ers treated them in e:a%tl- the same /a- as /e treat Ahmadis toda-"1 +" Similarit- in Re/ards 0ewards for the sacrifices Muslims of the time of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* are countless and too many to be noted in this article# however ma,or reward to which Allah has drawn the attention of all Muslims in (ura &asr of the holy <ur!an in following words H75I= >@hen the hel- of Allah comes and the Fictory. And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troo-s.> And it is established fact of the history that after /i,ra# Islam s-read very fast and -eo-le entered the fold of Islam in big grou-s. "ribe after tribe ,oined the religion of Islam. (-ecially after the con+uest of Mecca# numbers of -eo-le entering the fold of Islam was overwhelming. Indeed -eo-le entered the fold of Islam in troo-s at the time of /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions. .ollowing is a -ortion co-ied from a -age on the world wide web site 'see notes for e3-lanation* of the anti$Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam. ust as at the time of /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anion even the bitterest enemies of Islam bore witness to the success and the rewards Allah bestowed u-on early Muslims# today even the bitterest enemies# such as the author of the above mentioned web site who have started an anti$Ahmadiyya Movement# bears witness to the 0ewards bestowed by Allah on the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam in the following words H7;I= 1Ahmadi--a Mo9ement in Islam is a Reli#io-Politi%al Tradin# ;or2oration" It has bran%hes in all %ountries and all major %ities of the /orld under /hose umbrella adianis<Ahmadis are s-stemati%all- tra22in# Muslims3 /ho are i#norant of their e9il desi#ns" (hether in Ameri%a3 'uro2e or ;entral Asia3 or the under2ri9ile#ed and dis2la%ed %ommunities li=e Afri%ans and $osnian Refu#ees3 all those /ho are not a/are of the real moti9es of Ahmadi--a Mo9ement #et tra22ed b- them in the name of Islam" 50,000 Muslims in Mali, 24,000 Muslims in Ivory Coast, 100,000 Bosnian Re u!ees in "uro#e and 45000 Al$anians are just a fe/ 9i%tims of adiani *nslau#ht"1 %o we see the -romise of Allah made in the words# >And thou seest men entering the religion of Allah in troo-s.># being fulfilled again in favor of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam2 >" ;losin# Remar=s At the end I would like to leave the readers# who may see the resemblance of one ama!at 'out of 73 sects among Muslims* with the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* and his com-anions# with some Ahadith of the /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* to -onder at. /oly Pro-het '-eace be u-on him* is re-orted to have said=

>One who dies without acce-ting the Imam 'A--ointed by Allah* of the time# his death is a death in disbelief>. H73I 0egarding Imam Mahdi# our beloved master said= >@hen you see him 'Imam Mahdi* then certainly -erform bait to him even if you have to crawl over your knees through the mountains of snow because he 'Imam Mahdi* will be the :halifa of 1od.> H78I. >One who obeyed Imam Mahdi obeyed me# one who disobeyed him disobeyed me> H77I. >One who re,ected Imam Mahdi he did kufr> H7CI.

A--endi3 I=
ewish (ects at the "ime of esus "he literature available on the ewish sects of the time of esus 'A(* does not as such has a com-iled list of all the sects. %efinition of a sect varies from author to author. (ome authors will regard a grou- to be too small for their criteria of a sect while the other include them as a sect. /owever# all of them acknowledge the e3istance of all the sects and sub$sect# mentioned in the following list# at the time of esus Ehrist 'A(*. "his list has been com-iled from the works of authors mentioned in the reference numbers H77$76I.

G5 Pharisees . G8 Party of Eovanent . G7 "hera-eutae . 5G /asmoneans . 53 0echabites . 5C Maccabees . 56 /yrcanusites .

G; (adducees . G7 :araites . GK :abbalah . 55 Amme ha !are) . 58 &a)erites . 57 /asideans . ;G J-icureans .

G3 JssenesNOssenes . GC ?ealots . G6 <umranites . 5; Lahwists . 57 /ellenists '.ollowers of . (te-hen* 5K Jlea)arites . ;5 (toics .

;; Pythagoreans . ;7 ?akaites . ;K .ollowers of 9ar . Eochba 35 4evites . 38 (cribes '(oferims* . 37 9a-tists . 8G Meristae . 83 Introversionists . 8C /e)ekiah . 86 (amaritans . 7; 9oethusians . 77 9abylonian ews . 7K . udeans

;3 ?adokites . ;C 9eth /illel . ;6 /abakkukites . 3; J)ekielites . 37 1alileans . 3K Masbothei . 85 /ellenians '.ollowers of . /ellene* 88 Ale3anderian ews . 87 . osiah

;8 Jnochites . ;7 9eth (hammai . 3G Jbionites . 33 /erodians . 3C /emeroba-tists . 36 1enistae . 8; &asaraioi . 87 Philos . 8K Eanaanites . 75 1nostic ews of <umran . 78 . osianic Movement

7G Aaronides . 73 Eonversionists . 7C Jle-hantinites . 76 Jin .ashka . C; (icarii . C7 .ollowers of ohn of . 1iscala CK A-ocaly-ticians . 75 J-i-hanesians .

77 Oniasites . CG Antiochusians . C3 ?edekiahs . CC .ollowers of (imon 9ar . :osiba C6 (habbatai ?evi Movement . 7; Palesta .

C5 (elecudins . C8 .ollowers of (imon 9ar . 1iora C7 Patriarchate . 7G Adventists .

A--endi3 II=
(ects in Islam

A number of lists are seen in the literature HCG$C;I giving the names of the sects. "wo I used to -roduce the following list are those of Islamic encyclo-edia -ublished by Munshi Mehboob !Alim HCGI and that of Abu$Mansur al$9aghdadi HC5I. Abu$Mansur al$9aghdadi!s list was -roduced around 10th century AD and he has included an number of -olitical movement as se-arate sects. (uch movements differed from each other on the +uestion of leadershi- and had no theological differences and thus I believe that can not be considered as inde-endent sect# so in my list I have not included such -olitical movements as inde-endent sects. On the other hand Munshi Mehboob !Alim has included in his list# sects which re,ects some of the fundamental beliefs of Islam while abu$Mansur al$9aghdadi does not consider them to be a -art of Islam. .or e3am-le 1hullat and all its subsects believe in the divinity of Ali# ?anadi+iyahs and some other sects do not believe in the %ay of udgement etc. @hile -re-aring the following list I agree with 9aghdadi and do not include such sects. .inally# Munshi Mehboob !Alim has listed two sects !Aliviyah and A,ariyah distinguishing between them on the basis that one believes in the -ro-hethood of Ali while the other one believes that Ali was a -artner in -ro-hethood. I consider these two to be one sect. Other than the above mentioned differences the two lists I used are identical e3ce-t the fact that Munshi Mehboob !Alim divides the whole Ummah into si3 ma,or branches i.e. 5.0afidiya# ;.:hari,iya# 3. abariyah# 8.<adriyah# 7. ahmiyah and C. Mar,iyah. @hile abu$Mansur list the sects of ahmiyah under the main class Mar,iyah and abariyah under the <adriya# thus dividing the Ummah into only four ma,or classes# i.e. 5.0afidiyah# ;.:hari,iya# 3.<adriya and 8. Mar,iyah. "he only other difference found is that the two authors sometimes use different names for the same sect which becomes clear while looking at the beliefs associated to them. "his I believe is because the two authors resided in different regions 'one in Arabia the other in Indo$Pak subcontinent* at different times so -erha-s the same sects may have been known with different names in different regions. I have tried to include various names given to the same sect by both authors where ever -ossible.

&ame of the Se%t $asi% $elief ?istin#uishin# it from *thers 5. arudiyah .ollowers of Abu!l$ arud# "hey believe Pro-het '-buh* designated Ali 'ra* as the Imam by his characteristics but not by name.

&ame of the Se%t

$asi% $elief ?istin#uishin# it from *thers .ollowers of (ulaiman ibn$ arir al$?aidi# "hey believed Imamat was a matter of conference and could be confirmed by two best Muslims. "hey acce-ted the :hilafat of Abu 9akr and Umar# but did not re,ect those who re,ected these :hulafaa. "hey also believed that

;. (ulaimaniah N aririyah

3. 9utriyah N /urariyah

"hey did not dis-ute the 8. La+ubiyya :hilafat of Uthman# neither they attack him nor -raise him.

Muslim committers of Ma,or sins will be in hell fire forever. 7. /anafiyah .ollowers of the Imammate C. :aribiyah of Muhammad ibn$al$ /anifah. "hey believe that Allah might have had a beginning. .ollowers of abu$:amil. K. Muhammadiyyah "hey believed com-anions N Mughairiyah to be heretic because they forsook their allegiance to Ali and condemn Ali for ceasing to fight them. "hey believed in the returning of the dead before the %ay of 0esurrection and that (atan is right in -referring fire to clay. .ollowers of Muhammad 5G &adisiyah ibn$!Ali al$9a+ir. "hey . believe him to be the Imam 1haib and e3-ected Mahdi. "hey believe that the one 5; Ammaliyah who has recited 4a Ilaha Il$ . Allah '"here is none worthy of worshi- e3ce-t Allah*# whatever she or he does# will never be -unished. "hey believe in the continuity of Imammate among the descendants of Ismail ibn$ a!far. 58 Musawiyah N . Mamturah "hey believed that Imam Muhammad ibn$al$ /anifah is not dead and is the Imam 1haib 'in disa--earance* and the e3-ected Mahdi. .ollowers of Muhammad ibn$!Abdullah ibn$al$ /assan. "hey do not believe that Imam Muhammad ibn$!Abdullah died and that he is Imam 1haib and awaited Mahdi.

7. :amiliyah

6. 9a+iriyah

"hey believe that those who consider themselves better than anyone else are :afirs 'disbelievers*. "hey believe that faith for one is what heNshe sincerely -ractices.

55 (ha!iyah .

53 Ismailiyah .

"hey believe Musa ibn$ a!far to be the Imam 1haib and e3-ected Mahdi. "hey believe that e3-ected Mahdi will be the twelveth Imam among the descendants of !Ali ibn$abi$"alib. "hey believed that Allah did not live nor had any attributes till /e created for /imself life and /is attributes.

57 Mubarikiyah "hey believe in the 5C :athiyah N Ithn . continuity of Imammate . !Ashariya 'the among the descendants of "welvers* Muhammad ibn$Ismail ibn$ a!far. 57 /ashamiya N "hey Predicate a body to . "ara+ibiyah Allah and also allege Pro-het '-buh* of disobedience to Allah. 5K ?arariyah .

56 Lounasiyah .

.ollowers of Lounas ;G (haitaniyah N ibn$!Abd$al$0ahman al$ . (hireekiyah :ummi. "hey believe that Allah is borne by bearers of /is "hrone# though /e is stronger than they. .ollowers of &afi ibn$al$ ;; &a,adat A)ra+. "hey do not believe . in the good dreams and vision and claim that all forms of revelation has ended.

"hey believed in the view that deeds of servants of Allah are substancesA and a servant of Allah can really -roduce a substance. .ollowers of &a,dah ibn$!Amir al$/anafi. "hey abolished the -unishment for drinking wine also they believed that sinners of this sect would not be treated in hellfire but some other -lace before allowed in -aradise. .ollowers of Abd$al$ :arim ibn$A,rad. "hey believed that a child should be called to Islam after it has attained maturity. Also they believed booty of war to be unlawful till the owner is killed. "hey believe that what Allah desires does ha--en no matter what and what does not ha--en it means Allah desires it not. "hey believed that whoever did not recogni)e Allah by all /is names was ignorant of /im and anyone ignorant of /im was a disbeliever. .ollowers of /am)a ibn$ Akrak. "hey believe that children of -olythiests are condemned to hell.

;5 A)ra+iah .

;3 (ufriyah .

.ollowers of ?iyad ibn$al$ Asfar. "hey believed that sinners are in fact -olytheists.

;8 A,aridah .

;7 :ha)imiyah .

"hey believe Allah loves ;C (huaibiyah N men of all faiths even if one . /u,,atiyah has been disbeliever most of his life.

;7 :halafiyah .

.ollowers of :halaf. "hey ;K Ma!lumiyah N do not believe in fighting . Ma,huliyah e3ce-t under the leadershiof an Imam.

;6 (altiyah .

.ollowers of (alt ibn$ 3G /am)iyah Uthman. "hey believed in . the conversion of adults only and if father has converted to Islam children were considered disbeliever till they reach maturity.

35 "ha!libiyah .

.ollowers of "ha!labah ibn$ 3; Ma!badiyah Mashkan. "hey believe that . -arents remain guardian over their children of any age until children make it clear to -arents that they are turning away from truth. "hey do not believe in waging a war e3ce-t in defense or when the o--onent is known -ersonally. 38 (haibaniyah N . Mashbiyah

"hey did not believe in taking or giving alms from or to slaves.

33 Akhnasiyah .

.ollowers of (haiban ibn$(alamah al$:hari,i. "hey believe Allah resembles /is creatures. .ollowers of abu$ Mukarram. "hey believe that ignorance constitutes as disbelief. Also that Allah enmity or friendshi- de-ends u-on the state of a -ersons belief at his death. Eonsider /afs ibn$abi$l$ Mikdam as their Imam. "hey believe that only knowing Allah frees one from -olytheism "hey believe that Allah can send a -ro-het without giving him any sign to -rove his -ro-hecy. .ollowers of @asil ibn$!Ata al$1ha))a. "hey believe that those who commit ma,or sins will be -unished in hell but still remain believers. .ollowers of abu$al$ /udhail Muhammad ibn$al$/udhail. "hey believe that both /ell and Paradise will -erish and that -reordination of Allah can cease# at

37 0ashidiyah .

"hey believe that land 3C Mukarramiyah N watered by s-rings# canals . "ehmiyah or flowing rivers should -ay half the ?akat '"ithe*# while land watered by rain only should -ay the full ?akat.

37 Ibadiyah N . Af!aliyah

Eonsider Abdullah ibn$Ibad 3K /afsiyah as their Imam. "hey believe . in doing good deeds without the intention of -leasing Allah. .ollowers of /arith ibn$ Ma)id al$Ibadi. "hey believe that the ability -recedes the deeds. 8G Ashab "a!ah .

36 /arithiya .

85 (habibiyah N .ollowers of (habib ibn$ 8; @asiliyah . (alihiyah La)id al$(haibani. "hey . believe in the Imamate of a woman named 1ha)alah.

83 !Amriyah .

.ollowers of !Amr ibn$ 88 /udhailiyah N Ubaid ibn$9ab. "hey re,ect . .aniya the legal testimony of -eo-le from su--orters of either side of the battle of Eamel.

which time Allah will no longer be omni-otent. 87 &a))amiyah . .ollowers of abu$Isha+ 8C Mu!ammariyah Ibrahim ibn$(aiyar. "hey . do not believe in the miraculous nature of the /oly <uran nor do they believe the miracles of /oly Pro-het '-buh* like s-litting the moon. .ollowers of 9ashr ibn$al$ 8K /ishamiyah Mu!tamir. "hey believe that . Allah may forgive a man his sins and may change /is mind about this forgiveness and -unish him if he is disobedient again. "hey 9elieve that Allah neither creates life nor death but it is an act of the nature of living body.

87 9ashriyah .

.ollowers of /isham ibn$!Amr al$.uti. "hey believe that if a Muslim community come to consensus it need an Imam and if it rebels and kills its Imam# no one should be chosen an Imam during a rebellion. .ollowers of a!far ibn$ /arb and a!far ibn$ Mubashshir. "hey believe that drinking raw wine is not -unishable and that -unishment of hell could be inferred by a mental -rocess. .ollowers of "hamamah ibn$Ashras al$&umairi. "hey believe that he whom Allah does not com-el to know /im# is not com-elled to know and is classed with animals who are not res-onsible. .ollowers of abu$La+ub al$(hahham. "hey everything determined is determined by two determiners# one the Ereator and the other ac+uirer. .ollowers of abu$<asim

86 Murdariyah .

.ollowers of Isa ibn$(abih. 7G "hey believe that staying in . close communication with the (ultan 'ruler* makes one unbeliever.

a!friyah

75 Iskafiyah .

.ollowers of Muhammad 7; "hamamiyah ibn$Abdallah al$Iskafi. . "hey believe that Allah has -ower to o--ress children and madmen but not those who have their full senses.

73 .

ahi)iayh

.ollowers of !Amr ibn$9ahr 78 (hahhamiyah N al$ ahi). "hey believe that . (ifatiyah Allah is able to create a thing but unable to annihilate it.

77 :haiyatiyah N .ollowers of abu$al$/usain 7C :a!biyah

Makhlu+iyah al$:haiyat. "hey believe . that everything non$e3istant is a body before it a--ears# like man before it is born is a body in non$e3istance. Also that every attribute becomes e3istant when it makes its a--earance. ubbaiyah .ollowers of abu$!Ali al$ ubbai. "hey believe that Allah obeys /is servants when /e fulfill their wish 7K 9ahshamiyah .

Abdullah ibn$Ahmad ibn$Mahmud al$9anahi known as al$:a!bi. "hey believe that Allah does not see /imself nor anyone else e3ce-t in the sense that /e knows /imself and others. .ollowers of abu$ /ashim. "hey believe that one who desires to do a bad deed# though may not do it# commits infidelity and deserves -unishment. "hey believe that 1od has no control over /is creations. "hey do not believe in the -unishment for deeds on the grounds that because everything is determined so whatever one does sNhe is not res-onsible for it. "hey believe that /adhrat Ali share -ro-hethood with Muhammad '-buh*. "hey believe that /adhrat Ali ibn$abi$ "alib will return to this world. "hey believe that this world will live forever. "hey believe that <uran is not the word of 1od but only its meaning and essence is the word of 1od. @ords of <uran are ,ust the words of narrator.

77 .

76 Ibriyah. . C5 <abariyya .

"hey believe that /oly Pro-het '-buh* was a wise man but not a -ro-het. "hey do not believe in the -unishment of grave.

CG Muhkamiyah . C; /u,,atiya .

C3 .ikriyya .

"hey believe that doing C8 !Aliviyah N %hikr and .ikr . A,ariyah '0emembering and thinking about Allah* is better than worshi-. "hey believe in the re$ incarnation of soul. CC 0a,i!yah .

C7 "anasikhiya .

C7 Ahadiyah . C6 (atbiriyah .

"hey believe in the .ardh 'obligations* in faith but deny the sunnah. "hey do not believe in the acce-tance of re-entance.

CK 0adeediyah . 7G 4af)iyah .

75 Ashariyah .

"he believe that <iyas 'taking a guess* is wrong and amounts to disbelief.

7; 9ada!iyah .

"hey believe that obedience to Ameer is obligatory no matter what he commands.

&otes and Acknowledgements

!" Initially the title of this article contained the word sect instead of ama!at and the same word
was used at several -laces in the article# however# 0afi+ "schannan sahib# Ameer ama!at$e$ Ahmadiyya "hailand -ointed out that the word used in the hadith is ama!at also# our community is called ama!at$e$Ahmadiyya. Although the word sect may not be that negative in Urdu or Arabic# in Jnglish it gives a negative sense and hence its use should be avoided. Also Ameer sahib ama!at$e$Ahmadiyya Eanada Maulana &aseem Mehdi sahib -ointed out that the word ama!at is used for only the saved ones# and that it is considered another mean of recogni)ing the true ones that they will form an organi)ed ama!at# while for others the word "afree+ 'divisionNsection* is used. I took the advice from both res-ected Umara!a and changed the word sect into ama!at for the saved ones and have tried to use the word section for the others where ever -ossible.

)" 1reat hel- was e3tended to this humble one by 9r. Masood &asir sahib of Allama I+bal "own
4ahore# Pakistan. All the references +uoted in sections 3# 7.3 and 7.C were -rovided by him in their original form 'i.e. Arabic with Urdu "ranslation and Urdu*. /e also su--lied the list of sects by Munshi Mehboob !Alim. "hese references e3tended considerable strength to the article.

." "hanks are also due to my yonger brother If)al A. 0auf sahib# Murabbi ama!at$e$Ahmadiyya
9addomalli# Pakistan# who -rovided me the -hotoco-ies of the original editorial -ublished in the Pakistani news-a-er &awai @a+t.

0" Most of all thanks are due to my dear wife &a,iba 0auf and my two young boys (hahrukh '8
years old* and (her,eel '; years old*# who des-ite the need and great desire for my com-any# allowed me to lock myself in a room over the weekends and off office hours in order to finish this and other articles I have been writing in res-onse to allegations against Islam and Ahmadiyyat as well as res-onses to the +uestions raised by sincere seekers after truth over the internet.

6" @orld wide web 'www* is an emerging tool for communication and transfer of information on
the internet. It consists of a network of com-uter connected to each other ,ust like the tele-hones across the globe are connected to each other. (ometimes a user may also use a tele-hone line to connect to a com-uter on the other side of the globe. A U04 is a destination address# ,ust like a tele-hone number# for the com-uter or the web site desired to be connected. Using the U04 of a site one while sitting in one -art of the world can connect and readNretrieve the contents dis-layed on a site in any other -art of the world. Other than www sites# there are what we call technically >newsgrou-s> on the internet. "hese newsgrou-s are like electronic news-a-ers. "hat is where sometimes +uestions andNor allegations against different religions are raised. And at the

same -lace one can write res-onses to +uestions and allegations as well as articles detailing the beauties of any religious teachings.

7" "hose wishing to use the translation of the book of Abu$Mansur by :ate E. (eelye should be
warned that :ate has -roduced a list of the sects of Islam which she claims she e3tracted from the work of Abu$Mansur which she translate. "his list has serious errors in it which become very clear by ,ust com-aring the list with the list of Abu$Mansur which he -resents in cha-ter two of >Al-Far5 bain al-Fira5>. /er translation is not very good and clearly reflect some -re,udices and -reconceived ideas she may have had during this work. Also# she did not get a good co-y of the works of Abu$Mansur which she used for translation. At many -laces she claims the te3t to be not very clear at others she claims some -ages missing etc. etc. (o anyone wishing to follow this u- should either should get hold the original works of Abu$Mansur or carefully go through the translation of :ate (eelye to get the truth out. &otes and Acknowledgements 5. "rimi)i# :itabul Jeman ;. Abu %aud# Fol ;# -;85 3. Ibn$e$Ma!,a# Fol 5# -5C3. 8. Abu$Mansur !abd$al$:ahir ibn$"ahir al$9aghdadi# >Al$.ar+ 9ain Al$.ira+># "ranslated into Jnglish by :ate Ehambers (eelye# Published by AM( Press# &ew Lork '56CC* -;;$ ;3. 7. %aily >&awai @a+t># 4ahore Pakistan# 5Gth October 5678 -8. C. %aily >"he 1uardian> 'U:*# 6th (e-tember 5678. 7. >Lanabaiul Muwadat> Part III -age 7K# by Allama .a)il (aheikh (uleman Ibn (heikh Ibrahim Alma!aroof &a:hawa,ah :alan '%ied 5K77* Matba!a A4 Irfan (aida 9airoot. K. >Al$Maddad Al .aidh> -ublished by (harah %eewan (ayedee Umar bin Al$.aridh# Maktabaa /adhrat Al$(heikh Ahmad Ali Aimlen,i Al$kutabi .rom Al$A)har Jgy-t# 5356 hi,ra '56G5* -3K. 6. >Mubda!a o Ma!ad> by Imam 0abbani Mu,addad Alif "hani (heikh Ahmad .aroo+i &a+shbandi (arhindi <adas (irah with Urdu "ranslation by /adhrat Maulana (ayed ?awar /ussain (hah &a+shbandi Published by Idarahe Mu,addadiyya# &a)im Abad &o. 3 :arachi &o. 5K -;G7. 5G. >Al Mura++atal Mafateeh (harah Al$Mashkawatal Masabeeh> 4il Muhadith Al$(haheer Ali bin (ultan Muhammad Al$<ari '%ied 5G58 hi,ra* Part I# Maktaba Imdadiyya Multan -;8K. 55. >A!ainae (ikandri> Fol. II by /afi) 1hulam Abro first edition '5678* Maulvi Muhammad A!)eem and (ons. Merchants of 9ooks (hahi 9a)aar (hikar-oor (indh# -5K.

5;. > ewish (ectarianism in (econd "em-le "imes> by 4awerence /. (chiffman# in >1reat (chisms in ewish /istory# edited by 0a-hael os-e and (tanley M. @agner# -ublised by Eenter for udaic (tudies University of %enver and :"AF Publishing /ouse Inc.# &ew Lork '56K5* -;C. 53. >4ife of Mohammad> by (ir @illiam Muir# AM( Press Inc. &L '5677* -5GK. 58. >Muhammad at Mecca> by @. Montgomery @att# University Press# O3ford '56CG* -53K. 57. >4ife of Muhammad> by /a)rat Mir)a 9ashir$ud$%in Mahmud Ahmad# Islam International Publications 4imited Islamabad# "ilford# U:. '566G* -;8. 5C. >"adhkiratush (hahadatain> by /adhrat Mir)a 1hulam Ahmad 'A(*# -ublished byu 4ondon Mos+ue# -8C. 57. >Pro-hecy Eontinuous># by Lohanan .riedmann# University of Ealifornai Press 9erkeley and 4os Angeles Ealifornia '56K6* -;7. 5K. >Pro-hecy Eontinuous># by Lohanan .riedmann# University of Ealifornai Press 9erkeley and 4os Angeles Ealifornia '56K6* -58K. 56. >/a)rat Ahmad# "he Promised Messiah> by /a)rat Mir)a 9ashir$ud$%in Mahmud Ahmad '0A* Published by 4ondon Mos+ue '56K7* -3C. ;G. "hese were related to the author by &asir Muhammad (ial sahib# the son in law of /adhrat :halifatul Masih II '0A* who was himself -resent at several of these gatherings and witnesed some of these events himself. ;5. &arrated by "anveer Ahmad (ahib# My cousin# Mir)a 0afi Ahmad (ahib related this event to him. ;;. Internet# &etnews '&ews International* on A-ril 5G# 5667. ;3. %awn @ire (ervice A-ril ;G# 5667. ;8. "he Observer# (unday# May 58# 5667# -age ;G. >Mullahs lie in wait to kill ,ailed convert> by ennifer. ;7. >Muhammad at Mecca> by @. Montgomery @att# University Press# O3ford '56CG* -5;5. ;C. Munir 0e-ort# Pakistan# -53G$533. ;7. >Pro-hecy Eontinuous># by Lohanan .riedmann# University of Ealifornai Press 9erkeley and 4os Angeles Ealifornia '56K6* -8G. ;K. "his I -ersonally observed and suffered from too. ;6. >4ife of Mohammad> by (ir @illiam Muir# AM( Press Inc. &L '5677* -C7. 3G. %aily >&awai @a+t> ;5st %ecember 56K6. 35. >Islam or Mulla$ism> by Asghar Ali 1hral Advocate /ighcourt# -58C.

3;. >A!amiriyyat kay saiy> '(hadows of dictatorshi-* by /ussain (hah advocate -3K8. 33. >4ife of Mohammad> by (ir @illiam Muir# AM( Press Inc. &L '5677* -878. 38. @eekly >4ahore> ;Kth &ovember 566;. 37. /oly <uran# cha-ter 6C# verses 55$5;. 3C. /oly <uran# cha-ter 5C# verse 5G8 and cha-ter ;7# verses 7$C. 37. ?aheer# J.J.# ><adiyyaniat. An Analytical (urvey# -C. 3K. &aeem Osman Memon# >Ahmadiyya or <adianismD Islam or A-ostasy2> Islam International Publications 4td# Islamabad "ilford Jngland# '56K6* -85. 36. /adhrat Mir)a 1hulam Ahmad 'A(*# >Ayenae :amalat e Islam= 0oohani :ha)ain># -733$738. 8G. ?aheer# J.J.# ><adiyyaniat. An Analytical (urvey# -C. 85. /oly <uran# cha-ter ;7#verse 33. 8;. Ibn$e$/isham 'died K33*# >"he (irah of Muhammad># -;G7. 83. >4ife of Mohammad> by (ir @illiam Muir# AM( Press Inc. &L '5677* -C6. 88. >4ife of Mohammad> by (ir @illiam Muir# AM( Press Inc. &L '5677* -538. 87. U& document JNE&.8N56KCN&1O 3G# submitted by /uman 0ights Advocates on .ebruary ;8# 56KC. 8C. %r. :aren Parker# s-eaking for /uman 0ights Advocates# addressing the (ub$ Eommission on %iscrimination and Protection of Minorities in its 36th (ession# August ;K# 56K7. 87. %aily >Mashri+> ;3rd (e-tember 56;7. 8K. %aily >Mashri+> ;8th anuary 56;6. 86. Monthly >Pun,abi eevan Preetee> Patyalla# March 56C3. 7G. > adid Ilmal :alam :ay A!almi Asarat> 'Universal effects of modern elo+uence*# -;7. 75. /oly <uran# Eha-ter 55G= verses ;$3. 7;. U04# htt-=NNwww.nl$marketing.comNrashidNoverview.html 73. Masnad Ahmad ibn /anble Fol. 8 -6C. 78. Mastadarrak /akim :itab al$.itn @al Malaham Eha-ter :huroo,al Mahdi. 77. 9iharul Anwaar Fol. 53 -57.

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