The British Government and Jihad

Ahmad states, "For a lengthy thirteen year period” the Muslim community suffered extreme oppression, but they were instructed, not to retaliate. “the streets ran red with their blood, they did not utter a sound. They were slaughtered like animals but did not protest.” (p. 7). He writes, "They were trampled underfoot but did not utter a sound.” Ahmad describes the extreme torture which the Muslim community suffered.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad believed, this Command (Quran 22:39) to retaliate and fight was specific to the time period of the Prophet and the prevailing circumstances only: He writes:

This commandment was specific to the period and time. It was not forever. It applied during the time when those entering the fold of Islam were being slaughtered like sheep and lambs. After the time of the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his Successors, people unfortunately made very grave mistakes in understanding the philosophy of jihad, which is rooted in the preceding verse. The unjust slaughter of God’s creatures was deemed to be a mark of religious virtue.(p. 8)

The author is of the opinion that failure to comprehend the true import of this verse, the early Muslim jurists and scholars committed profound error, and shed the blood of innocent human beings in the name of Holy War or Jihad. This belief appears unique among the past Muslim jurists.

The author of the treatise believes that present day religious scholars (Maulavis) are entirely misguided in comprehending the true philosophy of Jihad and they keep preaching such dangerous and blood-spattered doctrines among the ignorant Muslims, which have become the cause of extremism and violence in the society. He writes, " Maulavis who persist in propagating these blood-spattered doctrines are in fact responsible for murders committed by ignorant, egotistical people who know nothing of why Islam was forced to fight battles in its early history".(p. 9)

Commenting upon the then prevalent "Jihadist" movements among the Indian Muslims Mirza Ghulam Ahmad holds responsible, besides the Maulavis, the Christian priests, who incited the ignorant masses of the Muslim society, about the misguided concept of Jihad. He writes:

"In my opinion, the second cause of this criminal bloodshed, which is carried out in the hopes of becoming a ghazi, is the preaching of Christian priests who have widely publicized the claim that jihad is compulsory in Islam. They claim that killing people of other faiths is a matter of great Islamic virtue. I believe that the people of the Frontier Region were not even aware of this doctrine until the Christian priests embedded it in their minds. My view is supported by the fact that there were no incidents of this type before Christian priests began the distribution of journals, newspapers and books in the Frontier Region.[5][6] (p. 24)

Ahmad writes the Christian missionaries have also spread this misguided belief of Jihad by distributing provocative literature in Urdu, Pashto and other languages, to preach the false views that "Islam was spread by the sword".(p. 11) This in a way served as a combined testimony of the Maulavis and Christian Missionaries, to incite people to violent acts and create unrest.

Commenting upon the failure of Act Number XXIII of 1867, in order to check the spread of the militant ideas of the Frontier's residents, Ahmad believed it was due to the continued provocative and bitter writings of priests like Imad ud-din Lahiz[7] of Amritsar and some other foul-mouthed priests who greatly damaged goodwill and reconciliation within the country.

Ahmad saw a great danger in the combined Testimony of the Christian Missionaries and Maulavis who spread a violent view of the Muslim concept of Jihad. At the same time he perceived the dangerous consequences of the naive strategy of the Christian clergy and wrote:

"The Christian priests have embarked on a very dangerous course of action. On the one side, they falsely argue that the Qur’an summons Muslims to jihad at all times and occasions, as if seeking to draw attention towards this tradition. And then they incite the Muslims’ passion with provocative literature. It is unclear why these people naively fail to recognize that these actions can combine to produce dangerous consequences". (p. 40)

To suggest a remedy to the British Government in India (1900) Ahmad advised a three-step policy, which will greatly control the poisonous growth of envy and spite, among the various strata of the Indian society:

[a] prohibit all parties, including the clerics of the Church, from indulging in negative attacks on other religions for a period of five years.

[b] ask all parties to live together with love and civility, and

[c] encourage all groups to focus on the positive features of their own religions.(p. 41)

Ahmad, has admonished the Muslim scholars (Maulavis) to shun hypocrisy. He believed when, "they meet present day rulers, they bow down as if ready to prostrate; but among their own kind they insist repeatedly that this country is “dar-ul-harb” [the zone of war]. They consider jihad to be obligatory in their hearts, and few of them think otherwise" (p. 11). He advised the Maulavis restore true sincerity. He believed if they pondered over the Quran and Ahadith, they may realize the truth.

I have come to you with an order: jihad with the sword has ended from this time forward, but the jihad of purifying your souls must continue. I do not say this of my own accord. This is indeed the will of God. Recall the hadith from Sahih al-Bukhari which honours the Promised Messiah by saying yada-‘ul-harb. That is to say, when the Messiah comes he will put an end to religious wars. (p. 18)

The tradition prevalent among Muslims of attacking the people of other religions, which they call jihad, is not the jihad of Divine religious Law [Shari‘ah]. Rather, it is a grievous sin and a violation of the clear instructions of God and His Prophet. It may not be easy for certain Muslims to abandon this custom since it is well established among some tribes. p. 21)

Probably Ahmad knew, the Amir of Kabal was not going to pay heed to any of his councils, so he warned the Afghans of bitter consequences of their extremism:

The Amir’s citizens will surely suffer if he fails to pay heed to this essential reform. The government that ignores such fatawa from these mullahs ultimately creates problems for itself because these days the maulavis readily label people as disbelievers over minor religious differences, applying to them all other fatawa that they apply to disbelievers.(p. 22)

God has Himself provided the means for fulfilling His prophecy that the message of the Messiah will spread in the world like lightning and will encompass all four corners of the earth like the light from a tower. The railways, telegraph, steamships, excellent postal services, easy modes of travel and tourism and other such means have been established to fulfill the prophecy that the message of the Messiah will illuminate every corner like lightning. (p. 19)