Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at and Independence of Kashmir and Palestine

After reciting tashahhud, ta‘awwudh, and surah al-Fatihah, Huzoor (rta) recited the following verses of the Holy Quran:1

Huzoor (rta) said:

I have just recited the 65th verse of surah Al-e-‘Imran. In this verse God Almighty addresses the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) by saying:

O Prophet, tell the people of the book to come together on a word common amongst both of us. That is, we should unite at the fact that we will not worship anyone besides Allah and will not associate any partner with Him and some of us will not take anyone besides Allah as friends. Even after listening to this, if they turn away and pay no attention, then tell them to bear witness that: ‘We are Muslims.’ In other words, those who turn away from this call for Unity have no link to religion. It then becomes the right of those who call towards unity—a right granted by the Holy Quran—to say: ‘You must acknowledge that we are Muslims because we are inviting you towards the commonality of the Unity of God, in accordance with His command.’

Invitation of the Holy Quran To Unity on Common Principles

The Holy Quran is a wonderful and enlightening book. It calls the people of the book and the Muslims to unite on a point common to both, regardless of all other differences. The Holy Quran overlooks the fact that the people of the book consider the Holy Prophet (sas), God forbid, to be a liar and an imposter. The Holy Quran even ignores the fact that the people of the book have been the mortal enemies of the Holy Prophet (sas) and of his message and are eager to destroy his mission. They have not left any stone unturned in their attempt to damage Islam and its Founder. Despite their intense hostility, the Holy Quran calls them to unite on common points and to overlook the differences. This shows that the Holy Quran is a great and wonderful book, which rises from the spirit of truth. Until there is a deep seated love for humanity and an intimate relationship with God, one cannot deliver such pure words. God has such a strong connection to humanity, regardless of colour, ethnicity, creed, and nationality, that it transcends even religion—it is the relationship between the Creator and the created. Such a call for unity despite differences cannot be fathomed by human psyche until it is revealed by that Great Being. All discord caused by differences can be eliminated by staying true to this teaching. Calling toward common principles is in fact like inviting humanity toward goodness. Similarly, overlooking the shortcomings and injustices and ignoring the level of enmity goes to show that wherever one finds any positive value or any point of similarity, that becomes the foundation that one must build upon.

This is such a great lesson that it could help solve conflicts not only in the religious spheres, but also in the political and socio-economic world; it is the master key for resolving any conflict. It is unfortunate for individuals and whole nations that they are living a life of misery because they ignore this great teaching of the Holy Quran. They have made a living hell for themselves and for others—for their friends and for their foes. The solution to all conflicts lies at uniting on common values. Aside from non-Muslim nations, it is unfortunate that even in Pakistan, which was founded in the name of Islam and where the government claims to love Islam, this fundamental principle is not understood.

A Movement in Pakistan Opposed to the Call of the Quran

The essence of the fiery movement against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at these days is to decimate every semblance of common principles, whereas the Holy Quran teaches us to overlook differences and highlight common principles. The movement in Pakistan against Ahmadis contradicts this message. Our opponents are saying things that are against God and against His decree. These opponents of Ahmadiyyat are determined to eliminate every semblance of common principles and to magnify the differences. It seems that they have been blinded in their hatred of Ahmadiyyat so much so that they are hurling allegations against Ahmadis which have nothing to do with reality.

In my previous sermon, I presented some examples which prove—not only in our words, but in the words of others and even of those people who are now hurling false allegations against Ahmadis—that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has always been loyal to Islam and has always defended the interests of Muslims. On the other hand, those who accuse us are liars; indeed, they have been accused, found guilty and have themselves pleaded guilty to these crimes. I had presented references from non-Ahmadi newspapers and books and also from historical documents before the establishment of Partition. Now I will give some examples to show that whenever Islam or the Muslim World faced any threat, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, by the grace of God, has always been on the forefront in defense of Islam and Muslims and has faced the enemy with full vigour and resolve. On the contrary, the conduct of Majlis-e-Ahrar and Jama‘at-e-Islami has always been against Muslim interests. This is not a matter of doubt or accusation. It is a historical fact that the conduct of these two organisations has been against the collective interests of Muslims and the Islamic World.

Many of the allegations levelled against Ahmadis in the White Paper are broad and unspecific. For example, the White Paper alleges that: ‘Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya is against Islam and the Muslim World.’ This would include all allegations that have been made by Majlis-e-Ahrar and Jama‘at-e-Islami in particular against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at in the past on various occasions. Similarly, in the present, unbelievable allegations are being published against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at in Pakistani newspapers, pamphlets and books which are being supported by the government of Pakistan and funded through Zakat Fund and other such grants. The government is proud to nurture this movement.

One of the allegations is that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at is a secret agent of India and Hinduism. It has also been alleged that Ahmadis are pro-communist and the secret agents of communist countries. At the same time, Ahmadis are accused of being pro-imperialist and secret agents of the imperialist nations. In other words, the opponents of Ahmadiyyat have lost their mind in that they are alleging that Ahmadis are secret agents of Russia and Israel at the same time, and that Ahmadis are the secret agents of every world power no matter how hostile those powers are to each other.

When one ponders over the historical facts, an entirely different story emerges.

Clear-Cut Position of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at

The allegation that Ahmadis are agents of Hinduism or India is silly. It is built upon the tales of the narrow-minded and holds no significance. In fact, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at holds a clear-cut position based upon the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sas). An Ahmadi will always be loyal to the country in which he lives and earns his living. From this perspective, an Indian Ahmadi is definitely loyal to India and will always remain loyal to India. An English Ahmadi is definitely loyal to England and will remain so. Likewise, a Pakistani Ahmadi is certainly loyal to Pakistan and will always be so. This is the truth and the rest is a fabrication. If these people want every Ahmadi living in other countries of the world to sell out their country’s interests for the interests of Pakistan, then this would be against the teachings of Islam. This would be tantamount to turning all Ahmadis living outside of Pakistan into traitors. Even the accusers do not do this. Are the Muslims living in England, the Arab world, Africa, and in other countries all traitors? Most certainly not. This is just fiction. In reality the people who bring forth such allegations against Ahmadis are themselves traitors.

It is a common observation that two demons currently possess the Pakistani government. One is Jama‘at-e-Islami and the other is Majlis-e-Ahrar. People outside Pakistan ask: ‘What is wrong with you? Have you gone mad? Why are you acting like a fool?’ The response of the government of Pakistan is: ‘These two monsters do not leave us alone. They have turned the people against Ahmadis and because of popular pressure we are forced to take action against Ahmadis.’

But the fact is that these two demons have been harnessed by the government of Pakistan which uses them for its own interest. The government will keep them as long as they are useful and then they will be tossed away like dirty rags; on the other hand the Jama‘at-e-Islami and Ahrari clerics have similar intentions for the government. This is the kind of faith they all have!

Whenever their interests clash with the interests of the government, the clerics will abandon the support of the government and will only care for their own selfish interests. In other words, these are strange bedfellows forced together by circumstance. This relationship may break at any moment, for such relationships have been breaking in the past and, insha’Allah, shall break even now.

History of Majlis-e-Ahrar

Let me tell you about the role of Jama‘at-e-Islami and Ahrari clerics before the establishment of Pakistan. What was their character? What were their ideologies? What did they think about the Hindus and Hinduism? What was their attitude towards Muslim countries? I will cite a few examples. First, I will talk about Majlis-e-Ahrar. The history of its creation is recorded in a famous book, Freedom Movement in Kashmir 1931–1940, by Ghulam Hasan Khan and published in India by Light and Life publishers New Delhi in 1980. The book details the Kashmir Movement from 1931 to 1940. Ghulam Hasan Khan writes:

At the suggestion of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, a meeting of the Consulation Committee was held on the Congress stage during its annual session on 29th December, 1929 at Lahore … The name of the organization “Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam-e-Hind” was suggested by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and it was in this meeting that the Ahrar organization was established. Maulana Syed Atta-Ullah Shah Bukhari was elected its first President.2

Furthermore, G. H. Khan writes:

The factional groupism among the Muslims was exploited by the Pandits to the disadvantage of the mass movement led by the Muslims.3

G. H. Khan continues to explain how the Hindus used Majlis-e-Ahrar:

In order to weaken the movement which was thought by them was a communal movement, the leaders of the Pandit community allied themselves with Mirwaiz Moulvi Mohammad Yussuf Shah “in order to bring the Sheikh down and disgrace him”. They made secret contacts with some leading Muslim men of influence and supporters of the Mirwaiz such as Mirza Ghulam Mustafa, Assad-Ullah Vakil, etc., and held clandestine meetings with the Mirwaiz, insinuating that Sheikh Abdullah in collaboration with the Ahmadiyas was scheming to deprive him even of his religious leadership. Seeds of discord were thus sown among the Muslims.4

Thus it is a historical fact that Hindus and the Hindu Congress created Majlis-e-Ahrar and used it for their own cause. This fact is well known. There is additional evidence, some of which I have already related. Time constraints prevent me from giving further details.

Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan, editor of Zamindar newspaper of Lahore, was in the top echelon of Ahrar (although he repented but that was too late.) For a long time he supported Ahrar and promoted Ahrar in his newspaper. Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan had expressed his views about Hindu-Muslim relations and Mahatma Gandhi in one of his poems. This is from the period of the Khilafat Movement, when it was claimed that the British had attacked Khilafat and therefore the Muslims would break ties with the British and move to Afghanistan. According to Ahrar, Gandhi spearheaded the formation of this movement to safeguard Khilafat.

Following is an Excerpt From Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan’s Poem:

Gandhi has declared war this day.
He has brought truth in confrontation with falsehood.

He has breathed a new spirit into India;
Thereby providing us the means to attain freedom.

He sacrificed his body and soul for the sake of Khilafat.
He sacrificed everything for the sake of God.

Such are the religious leaders of the Muslims and saviours of khilafat! This was the relationship between the Ahrar and the Hindu leadership, and now they are attacking the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. They say that Gandhi sacrificed his body and soul for Khilafat. Khan further says:

God who Alone knows who deserves honour;
Conferred this leadership upon Gandhi, who fully deserves it.

That is to say that this is not the work of men who can make mistakes, but Khan says that God himself recognised Gandhi as the deserving recipient of this position. In other words, Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan is saying that: ‘There was no one from among the Muslims worthy of protecting Khilafat; God took a look at the entire Muslim world and saw only Mahatma Gandhi as having the power and courage to save Khilafat in Islam. God Almighty, Who has the knowledge of both the hidden and the known, gave Gandhi this leadership role after recognising his abilities!’

The same Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan says about Hindu-Muslim Unity:

Five years ago no one could imagine this kind of unity. Both Hindus and Muslims believe that this unity was the result of the efforts of Gandhi, Lala Laj-Pat Ra’i-Malwi Jee, and Moti Lal Nehru. But did these people not exist five years back? Did they not have this ability before? I assert that this has been divinely inspired. Now Hindus and Muslims cannot fall into disarray. Muslims are eternally indebted to the favours bestowed upon them by the Hindus, especially Mahatma Gandhi.

In other words the favours rendered to Muslims by Hindus and Gandhi are so immense that Maulavi Zafar ‘Ali Khan says Muslims cannot pay them back. Muslims do not have the wealth to pay back, so they are ready to sacrifice their life on demand. These are the people who blame the Ahmadis of Pakistan for being secret agents of the Hindus. As I said earlier, every Ahmadi is loyal to his own country and must not betray the country in which he earns his living. Without any hesitation we assert that Indian Ahmadis are obliged, according to the Holy Quran, to be loyal to India. I am not talking of them and nor are our opponents. But the enemy accuses Pakistani Ahmadis as being secret agents of Hindus and loyal to India and also of having no loyalty to Pakistan. This is a lie. To the contrary they themselves are truly loyal to Hindus and are secret agents of India, and their own writings prove them to be so.

The Character of Jama‘at-e-Islami

Now let us see the friendship and love of Jama‘at-e-Islami for Islam and Muslim countries. As long as oil was not discovered in Arabian Countries, Jama‘at-e-Islami was oblivious of Islam in the Arab countries and to the relationship between the Arabs and Islam. But when the wealth of oil enriched these countries, Jama‘at-e-Islami all of a sudden realised God’s presence in these countries and perceived that the inhabitants of these countries were the people of God. What were the Arabs like before the oil boom? Maulvi Maududi, who was amongst the grand patrons of the present Pakistani military regime and is praised by the world as being genuine because he rendered great services for the Arabs and offered great sacrifices for the Muslims, made this statement about the Arabs:

The custodians of Ka‘bah have again become high priests and Ka‘ba is their property and Hajj is their sources of income … they have turned into the highpriests of [the Hindu temples of] Banaras and Hardawar.5

This is a long narration and one is surprised by reading it. It reflects deep enmity as it appears the person had been on the lookout for years and finally had now got the opportunity to spit his venom.

One might think that he was sympathetic to the rest of the Muslims and, being a realist, expressed whatsoever he observed in this case. So let me tell you what his views were about the rest of the Muslim world, and as far as I know he has never changed his views. He has said:

As a true Muslim when I look at the world, I do not find any reason to be pleased about the fact that the Turks are ruling Turkey, Iranians are ruling Iran, and that Afghanistan is being ruled by the Afghans.6

In other words, according to Maulavi Sahib there would be a reason for expressing pleasure had there been Hindu rulers or Russians or English rulers over those people; had it been like that then there would have been some reason to express joy. But how can he express joy as he sees the Turks ruling Turkey, Afghans ruling Afghanistan and Iranians ruling Iran. He purports to say that: ‘Neither do they accept my government nor of any other country, so how can I be pleased?’

And then he [Maududi] offers another excuse—and how un-Islamic of an excuse it is—he says:

Being a Muslim I do not believe in government of the people, by the people, and for the people.7

Maulana does not believe in this definition of democracy that is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. So now he does not like any Islamic countries where there are democratic governments either. This is the kind of logic they have established. Then in what condition will those poor people be who have established democratic governments in their countries? One might think that perhaps Maulana meant that since the democratic governments of Muslim countries are not better than the democratic governments of non-Muslim countries, he does not like them. Perhaps his logic is that since ‘the others’ (meaning infidels according to Maulana) are inferior to Muslims but their democratic governments are superior to those of Muslim democratic governments, that he only dislikes the inferiority of the Islamic democratic governments. This is just a benefit of doubt that could be given to the Maulana Sahib’s statement but it is immediately removed by his following writings in which he passes this edict on both the Muslim and non-Muslim governments:

If the term Addallin [those who went astray] is applicable to the non-Muslims, then these Muslims duly deserve to be called Maghdub-e-‘alaihim [those who incurred the wrath].8

And then he states about Egypt that:

The tortures that the military dictators of Egypt inflict upon akhwan reminds him of the ancient Pharaohs.9

In short, Maududi holds deep rancour against the Muslim governments.

Such are Maududi’s ideas that are being followed by Jama‘at-e-Islami. And today they are foremost in blaming the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at with false accusations, saying that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at is disloyal to the Muslim countries.

History will prove what role the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has played in serving the Muslim countries. It continues to play the same role now and will continue to do so forever.

Services of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at in the Freedom Movement of Kashmir

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has been blamed with disloyalty, that Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khan [according to our opponents] betrayed the interests of Kashmir and that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has worked against the interests of Kashmir. The facts are just the opposite. They are constantly utter great lies without having the least fear of God. That is why Justice Munir, in his enquiry report, made a specific note of this and expressed great astonishment over the blame that the opponents have placed on the fighters at the forefront. [These opponents] have proclaimed them to be the enemies and traitors of Pakistan.

Both after the creation of Pakistan and historically [before Pakistan] it is a fact that no other Islamic movement or religious movement has put forward such wonderful efforts as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at did in the history of Kashmir Liberation Movement. That is why the magazine Tulu‘-e-Islam [Rise of Islam] in its March 1948 issue, while referring to the great jihad of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan, which he waged regarding the Kashmir dispute, writes:

It is good luck that Pakistan found such an intelligent leader, who presented the claim based on truth and justice in such a manner that, like the rod of Mosses, it swallowed the snakes. And the world saw that falsehood is meant to run away from the ground when confronted with truth.

Until yesterday they were saying this and now they charge Ahmadis with treachery!

Justice Munir was a member of the Boundary Commission10. During the Court of Inquiry in 1953—when objections were raised from the opponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at that Chaudhry Sahib said such things about Gordaspur, and about the Kashmir and Palestine dispute—Justice Munir wrote the following after conducting a thorough investigation:

For the selfless services rendered by him to the Muslim community, it is shameless ingratitude for anyone to refer to Chaudhri Zafrulla Khan in the manner in which he has been referred to by certain parties before the Court of Inquiry.11

Distinguished Achievements of Furqan Force During the Jihad in Kashmir

During the struggles for the liberation of Kashmir, Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at12 was the first person who paid attention to Kashmir. He initiated the jihad for Kashmir. At his call young and old, trained and untrained members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at joined the jihad. Arms were provided to them and they were helped monetarily and an organisation was established for them.

These are historical facts and cannot be ignored by the opponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. As much as they would like to, they cannot erase this history. At the time when organised efforts were being made by Pakistan for the freedom of Kashmir and the freedom forces were struggling on their own, Jama‘at-e-Islami was issuing terrible fatawa and propagating that it was not jihad anymore. They advised not to join it [the struggle for Kashmir] with

the presumption that it is jihad—[saying that] you may give it any name other than jihad. In other words, an oppressed country where the lives of Muslims were at stake, where Muslim countries from around the globe started taking steps to protect them; at that time, a fatwa was being published from Jama‘at-e-Islami’s instructing not to go near [Kashmir] since ‘it was not jihad.’

At that time, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at established Furqan Force. It was the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at that offered a full battalion to fight against the enemy at its own expense. Afterwards, this battalion was recognised by the government for its meritorious deeds. This battalion included young members who were the only sons of their mothers.

When Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) announced the armed struggle for the liberation of Kashmir, some of the Ahmadis living in villages thought that it was an ordinary scheme and that it would not matter if one did not participate in it. They thought that if it were a religious scheme or a question of Jama‘at [Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at] services then they would be ready but in the matter of Kashmir there were other Muslims who could fight for it. But Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) was very concerned when no one put forward their names from the villages. He sent a message, and the person delivering the message told the villagers that they could not imagine how concerned Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) was about Kashmir. He added: ‘I have brought the message of Huzoor saying: Get up and offer your sacrifices for the Islamic World.’ The person who carried the message at that time said that a lady stood up and said: ‘I am astonished and filled with shame to see that message of the Khalifah is before you [people of the village] and you are not moving; I have got one son and I offer him with the prayers that God Almighty should grant him martyrdom, and I should not see his face again.’ This is the sense of honour that was being shown by the Ahmadi mothers. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) narrated this incident in his speech and said that:

Look! I tell you, taking God as my witness, that a cry immediately issued from my heart when I heard about it: O Allah if a sacrifice of human blood has been decreed for this cause, then I beg that you take my son as a ransom for the son of this lady.

Such was the enthusiasm with which the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at fought the jihad of freedom for Kashmir. You [O opponents of Ahmadiyyat] have come today and are making tall claims. Where were your sons? Where were ‘Ataullah Shah Bukhari’s sons? Where were Maulavi Maududi’s sons, and their followers? They were sitting miles away from the battlefields. Did anybody see them? Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) not only made the announcement of jihad but also sent his sons to Kashmir Front, for which they suffered many difficulties on the war front. Some of them suffered with dysentery, some became weak because of starvation, but Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) never called them back due to these severe illnesses. I remember that some of the children expressed extreme pain, their conditions being critical and the circumstances unfavourable, as well as some suffering with bloody dysentery. They wrote that they should be allowed to come back. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) ordered them to stay back in the same condition and that they were to serve their country and the nation.

Looking at such selfless services of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, some God fearing non-Ahmadi people felt it too and they testified [about the sacrifices of Ahmadis during that time]. We have their testimonies with us. One Hakim Ahmad Din, President Jama‘at-ul-Masha’ikh Sialkot wrote in his magazine Qa’id-e-A‘zam—January 1949:

Currently out of all the Muslim organisations, the Qadiani sect of Ahmadi Jama‘at is number one. They have been organised from the beginning, are punctual in prayers and fasting etc. Their missionaries are successful not only here but outside in foreign countries as well. They played a major role in the success of Muslim League for the creation of Pakistan. In Jihad-e-Kashmir the kind of sincere and wholehearted participation shown by Ahmadi Jama‘at along the side of Kashmir’s Mujahidin and the sacrifices shown by this Jama‘at cannot be observed, in our opinion, in any other Muslim Jama‘at that has shown such kind of courage and steadfastness. We are thankful to the Ahmadi elders in all of these matters and pray that God Almighty may bless them with greater capacity to help their country, nation and religion.

Additionally, at that time the Chief of the armed forces of Pakistan praised Furqan Force in eloquent words and issued a certificate to the members of Furqan Battalion in which their contributions were acclaimed. It is a long certificate; I will present a couple of its paragraphs to you:

… Your Bn was composed entirely of volunteers who came from all walks of life [as I stated before all the volunteers were performing the military services at their own, nobody was on a payroll], young peasants, students, teachers, men in business; they were all embued with the spirit of service for Pakistan; you accepted no remuneration, and no publicity for the self sacrifice for which you all volunteered.

In Kashmir you were allotted an important sector, and very soon you justified the reliance placed on you and you nobly acquitted yourself in battle against Medals enemy ground and air attacks, without losing a single inch of ground … 13

That is the story of those whom the present government of Pakistan considers traitors of Pakistan and other Islamic countries. Show us—if you can—similar ‘traitors’ from among you!

Regrettable Defamation of Valiant Ahmadi Officers

It is a surprising amount of thanklessness that the military governments have shown in giving regard to their soldiers—specifically those who have received great medals like Sitara-e-Qa’id-e-A‘zam and Hilal-e-Jur‘at. Some whose stories of bravery are inscribed in the history of Pakistan with golden words. It is a pity that in enmity of Ahmadiyyat the names of those who made immense sacrifices for their nation and country are defamed. Articles are being published with the help of petty authors in petty newspapers to project them [the heroes] as traitors. But what was being said about them till yesterday is a fact of history. Please listen to it.

Such senseless articles are being written about General Akhtar Husain Malik, General ‘Abdul ‘Ali, and our other generals and soldiers that one wonders how madly our opponents are behaving in their hatred.

General (Retired.) Sarfaraz Khan, Hilal-e-Jur‘at has a great status in Pakistani forces. He has been retired for quite some time. Based on his memories, he writes about the wars between Pakistan and India in the Daily Jang newspaper dated September 6, 1984:

The skillful attack that Akhtar Malik made on ‘Chamb’ cannot be called anything but a great victory. He was in a position to attack ‘Jurhiyan’ because after Chamb the enemy had stumbled and they were just waiting for Pakistani forces to attack before they leave Jurhiyan. But this was not allowed to happen because a plan to let Yahya Khan claim a ready-made victory was already in the works. Who was the loser? An opportunity to inflict a crushing defeat upon India was lost.

These are the Ahmadi traitors! [Daily] Jang (February 16, 1983) has written on this subject from its own sources. I do not have the time now to present all that the Pakistani newspapers have published on this subject, but I will briefly mention the name of the publications:

[Daily] Jang, Lahore—September 10, 1984
Monthly magazine Hikayat—April 1973
Magazine al-Fatah—February 20, 1976

Jang, Lahore—April 12, 1983 mention these incidents in great detail14. [Daily] Jang, February 16, 1983, states that India felt so endangered by General Akhtar Husain Malik that Prime Minister Shastri himself ordered the Chief of the Indian Air Force to ensure that Major General Akhtar Husain Malik does not escape in any way. This is not an old newspaper; it was published only two years ago.

Now listen to the feelings of Shorish Kashmiri who wasted his entire life in opposition to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. When an Ahmadi fights for the sake of Islam, Muslims or for the sake of motherland, he looks so attractive and is so distinguished in the battlefield that even the enemy is forced to praise him. After a while, the same enemy may curse the Ahmadi, but the true inner feelings and the truth comes out of his heart. Shorish Kashmiri was compelled to say after observing the deeds of General Akhtar Malik that:

Friends! the land of Delhi has invited you
Join your hands with Akhtar Malik and march forward Show the valleys of Ganga who we are
And wield your swords over Jammu

When the battle was joined, Shorish Kashmiri did not see any other General with whom our soldiers would join hands. It was the son of an Ahmadi mother, who was called by the land of Delhi. It was a valiant Ahmadi pillar who could be seen in the battlefield by the bitter enemy of Ahmadiyyat.

General Akhtar Malik has passed away but the opponents feel no shame in blaming him after his death. In fact, he was a great patriotic General of Pakistan and the whole world admits of his talents.

General ‘Abdul ‘Ali Malik is now retired, but what would be his feelings when the mercenaries of the Islamic government of an Islamic country say that they (General Akhtar Malik and General ‘Abdul ‘Ali Malik) are traitors and enemies of Islamic countries. The same ‘Abdul ‘Ali who was your hero until yesterday when the entire ‘Chawinda’ was in danger—not only ‘Chawinda’ but also the whole of the sector was in grave danger—and the senior officials were telling him to retreat as [they did not believe] he could defend it. ‘Abdul ‘Ali Malik insisted that if he retreated Pakistan forces would not be able to find any defense point before Rawalpindi; therefore, they would die anyway. They would rather die in Chawinda than retreat an inch. At that time, God Almighty blessed the country with victory so that not only did the armed forces say, but also renowned scholars stated, he (General ‘Abdul ‘Ali Malik) is the perfect hero of the battlefield and this is the true jihad. Alhaj Maulana ‘Irfan Rushdi, a spokesman of Majlis-e-‘Ulama-e-Pakistan [Scholar’s Organisation of Pakistan] wrote in his book Ma‘rka-e-Haqq-o-Batil [War between Truth and Falsehood], p. 73:

When ‘Abdul ‘Ali was leading the successful warriors he was moving like an [unstoppable] storm through the row [of the enemy]

Until yesterday, ‘Abdul ‘Ali was moving like a storm, today lies are moving like storm against him in your blood. You have no concern, no remorse, no feelings for what you are saying and who you are talking against!

Contribution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at in the Palestine Cause

Now listen to the story of Palestine. As there is a lot of material about it. I think it would be difficult to cover it fully in this sermon, but I will try and introduce the subject. Two types of allegations have been brought against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. One is that because of Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, the Palestinian cause was lost. That he sabotaged this cause, and that had there been anybody else besides Chaudhry Sahib the success would have been guaranteed. Hence, Islamic interests had been wilfully betrayed.

The other allegation is that Ahmadis are loyal to Israel. It is alleged that 600 Ahmadis are serving the armed forces of Israel and the number [600] has remained constant for the last ten to fifteen years! They neither die in the fighting nor does their number increase. They have remained constant in that number. In this context, it is also said that there is an Ahmadiyya mission in Israel therefore Ahmadis are surely Israeli agents. This is the summary of all the allegations that are being brought against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at with reference of Israel.

In this context it should be seen what this ‘mission’ means. The opponents of Ahmadiyyat do not even know what a mission is.

They have read the word ‘mission’ in the book named ‘Jama‘at-e-Ahmadiyya Kei Tablighi Mission’ [Preaching Mission of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at] and they started objecting. Either they themselves are mistaken or they are misguiding the world that this mission is like a political mission which governments establish, so that the common man will not understand what he is being told. Essentially, they are astonished to see that the entire Islamic world has boycotted Israel but Ahmadis have a mission there. They conclude that Ahmadis have diplomatic relationship with Israel.

Listen! How can people who do not have any governments, have diplomatic relationships? Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at’s missions are tablighi [preaching] missions. Mission means an Islamic attack on Judaism. This is a mission which is undertaking jihad against falsehood, courageously working to convert Jews to Islam.

Why do you not pray that God should bless you with such a mission? Those who raise these objections do not have any knowledge or understanding of the context. Some people have adopted a profession of public propaganda. Some phrases have been coined and some lies have been perpetrated. The poor common Muslims believe in them out of simplicity. [Despite this,] I am pleased with one thing: it clearly proves that the ordinary Muslims have a definite love for Islam and those people are cruel who have abused that love for ulterior motives.

If the common Muslims had no love for Islam, they would not have opposed the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at on the call of the mullahs. So now it is necessary that we should contact those who have love for Islam and tell them the true story. We should reach out to them, forgetting what the ulemas say and how we are being persecuted. It is essential to contact the common Muslims directly. Where there is love for Islam, God Almighty has definitely kept something good there. It is impossible that God would destroy those who love Islam. So I have full faith that all the Muslims—whether they are from Pakistan or Indonesia, Malaysia or Saudi Arabia, or are residing in Africa or some place else—would be influenced if they are presented with the facts about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. They will definitely take the side of Islam, Quran, and Hazrat Muhammad (sas) and will appreciate the truth because their opposition to Ahmadis is only because of their love of Islam, and Ahmadis have been portrayed to them as enemies of Islam.

They are being told that Ahmadis have established their mission in Israel, proving that they are Israeli agents. There is no logic or rationality in this argument. Pakistan has its missions in Russia, so is Pakistan an agent of Russia? Similarly, it has its missions in the U.S, U.K and in so many other countries—so is Pakistan an agent of all of those countries?

An Intentional Cover-up

As I stated before, we do not have the kind of mission in Israel that various countries establish in other countries at a governmental level. Even if we did, the conclusion which is being drawn would be totally wrong. Nobody talks about any ulterior activities that Ahmadis are carrying out in Israel, or what kind of agents they are. To this day, they have not been able to prove that even a single penny has been received by Ahmadis from any foreign power nor—by the grace of Allah—has the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at ever been in need of such help. The question arises: ‘what are the practices of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at and what is the truth about the alleged disloyalties?’

Come forward and read the account of your own historians. What kind of disloyalties has the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at been doing to you? Call to mind the battleground of ‘Shudhi’, the valleys of Kashmir, and the missions in which Ahmadis sacrificed their lives for Pakistan in the wars between India and Pakistan. Remember the mission of Kashmir. All kinds of Ahmadis—children, young men, the old, farmers, and students—got together and offered their lives for the sake of their country expecting nothing in return. Are these betrayals? What good is Israel going to gain out of these? What can Israel gain by increasing the power of such people? Who is the traitor? I will explain it further later; then you will understand who the real traitors are and who in fact is an agent of the outsiders.

It is surprising that the enemy has raised the criticism against Ahmadis that ‘Ahmadis have opened their mission in Israel.’ No one realizes that before the creation of Israel, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at had opened its branch in Palestine—by the grace of God—which is still there. Wherever we have a Jama‘at we have a mission; our missionaries work there and train the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at.

Please also note that other Muslims also have their mosques in Israel, and religious scholars are posted in them. Also note how many different Muslims sects are residing in the parts of Palestine that are under the control of Jews. All sects have their own mosques and their own imams. That is what a mission is. So if everyone in the entire Islamic world has become an agent, what difference does it make if Ahmadis are agents too? Ever since the Jewish government was formed in Palestine, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has not established any new mission there.

The allegation that a new mission has been established is false. The fact is that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at sent its missionaries there in 1924. In 1928 a regular mission was formed and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at was established. The Israeli government probably came into being in 1948. So in that country—by the grace of God— Ahmadis had been living for 24 years before the Israeli government was formed. A well-established Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has been at work there—[one which] our opponents call an ‘agent of Israel’.

A Statement by the Muslim Leaders of Occupied Palestine

One of our Palestinian friends (Mr. Ibrahim), who belongs to Kababir Jama‘at learned that throughout the world it is being propagated that Ahmadis are the agents of Israel, and he felt that the scholars of Palestine did not know about this. Pakistan is a strange country, for it is propagating something to the entire world what it does not tell to Arabs. So he went around and met all the leading Muslim leaders in Palestine and told them that such an enormity is being perpetuated [by Pakistan]; that this charge is being brought against us [Ahmadis] that we are serving the Israeli forces and that we are Israeli agents. These Muslim leaders gave their statements to him in writing, placed their stamp over them and permitted him to publish them anywhere. They are very religious people and never hesitate in speaking the truth. Their letters are quite lengthy, and I will read out the summary of those.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at is a Muslim Jama‘at. It believes in one God. It only deals in religious and Islamic matters. It does not have concerns with politics. Ahmadis are very respectable and gentle people. Socially and culturally they are never less than anyone. They have love and affection for everyone, they protect the religious teachings. The people of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at have strong and decent characters. It is truly a valuable and patriotic Jama‘at. It does not take part in the Israeli forces and Military activities. It respects laws and remains aloof from worldly affairs.

These are the certificates given by the Muslim scholars of occupied Palestine and have been signed by: Shar‘i Qadi of ‘Akka and Haifa Qadi Muhammad ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Ibrahim, Namir Husain—Mayor of Shaffa, ‘Amir Hamir Darwaish—Chairman Local Council, Muhammad Watad— Member Parliamint, Muhammad Khalid Masaro—Advocate, Fatah Turani—Secretary Muslim Invitation Committee, Mahmud Masalih—Headmaster High School, Sami Mar‘i—Lecturer University of Haifa.

Our friend Mr. Ibrahim, with great wisdom, gathered references from representatives of all walks of life.

Prove Your Allegations!

In response to a book, I told the opponents in From Rabwah to Tel Aviv, that you are scholars, be afraid of God. You say that Ahmadis serve Israeli forces. Tell me which Israeli agent has given you this information. From where did you get to know of this and tell us the names of anyone of them—not six hundred, just sixty, and if that is not possible then only six. Or just tell us the name of a single Ahmadi who is either a Pakistani or is from outside of Pakistan and has served the Israeli forces.

But as of yet they have not been able to give a single name, for there is no one and they cannot present false names. If they give any names, then they will have to provide us with the names of the neighbourhoods and addresses as well so everybody can verify it. It should not be like the referendum [reference to General Zia’s referendum] which allowed made-up names and the votes of dead people to be counted as well. If there are Ahmadis serving in the Israeli Army then you will have to prove to us who those Ahmadis are.

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at’s Loyalties with the Islamic World

As far as the loyalties of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at with the interests of Islam and the Muslims of Palestine are concerned, it is no secret nor is it a hidden story. You were not even aware and did not even know much about the name of Palestine, when, by grace of God, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at became deeply involved in the Islamic interests of Palestine. The Khulafa’ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at warned Palestinian Muslims of all the dangers, and kept them informed, and offered the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at for all possible services. These are pre-partisan stories, and even your Ahrari newspapers have acknowledged these things. They said with their own tongues and wrote with their own pens that:

The kind of love with Muslims and the Islamic world which have been shown by Mirza Mahmud Ahmad of Qadian is hard to find anywhere else.

When one hears the truth from the newspapers that were devoted to oppose the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at, despite all hatred, it is really enjoyable—for this is what is known as proof. Therefore, I will read out one of the references in this context.

There used to be a newspaper of Majlis-e-Ahrar called Zamzam which was devoted to the opposition of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at. This newspaper was impressed by all the efforts that Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau‘ud (ra) put forth before partition regarding the dangers to Egypt’s interests. The paper writes on July 19, 1942:

Under the present circumstances the Islamic sense of honour that Khalifah has shown for Egypt and Hijaz-e-Muqaddas is appreciable without any doubt. And showing such courage they have truly represented the emotions of the Muslims.

Behold, they found that only an Ahmadi truly represented the interests of Muslims. The leader of Ahmadis was considered to be the best representative. By the grace of God, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at has always remained first while serving the Muslims. But what has happened to you now? Do you have any fear of God anymore? The things that you had been acknowledging until yesterday, you are totally speaking against now?

Now, I will close. insha’Allah, I will narrate the remaining references in my next sermon and will explain the role of Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, and how the entire world acknowledged his role. How the Arabs themselves appreciated the role of Chaudhry Sahib and how they praised (with wonderful words) his strong belief, devotion, and love for Islam. And what were the deeds of the Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at (Khalifatul-Masih IIra) at that time? And then how did the opponents of Islam react towards his actions? All these incidences are very interesting and comprise a chapter of history that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at should be well aware of.

The letters that I have received regarding this series of sermons, reflects that even some of the Ahmadis were not aware of these facts. Some young members—especially the ones belonging to Germany Jama‘at—wrote to me that before [these sermons] while replying [to the critics] they felt reluctant since they themselves did not know what the answers to these allegations were, but now they talk with great confidence, and the opponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama‘at are surprised. From some places it is being narrated that they (the opponents) have started fighting among themselves telling the people who told them wrong stories by saying: ‘Look, you turned out to be liars and the Ahmadis are truthful.’ When the voice of truth is raised, it definitely makes its impact. So you must be fully armed with truth. Every Ahmadi should be fully informed of what the facts are. Therefore, insha’Allah, in following sermons I will explain the remaining facts, and will prove everything with references to the speeches and writings of the opponents of Ahmadiyyat. May God Almighty help me.