HIS HOLINESS HAZRAT Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was born in 1835 CE in Qādiān, India. From his early life, he dedicated himself to prayer, and the study of the Holy Quran and other scriptures. He was deeply pained to observe the plight of Islam, which was being attacked from all directions. In order to defend Islam and present its teachings in their pristine purity, he wrote more than ninety books, thousands of letters, and participated in many religious debates.
He argued that Islam was a living faith and it was the only faith by following which man could establish contact with his Creator and could experience real, tangible revelation through communion with Him. The teachings contained in the Holy Quran and the Law promulgated by Islam were designed to raise man to moral, intellectual and spiritual perfection. His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas started experiencing divine dreams, visions, and revelations at a young age and later, under Divine command, he established the Community (or Jamā‘at) in 1889.
He instructed his Community to go to the core teachings of Islam. For instance, he said:
I hold very firmly that for your guidance God has provided three things. The foremost among these is the Holy Quran, which sets forth the unity of God, His grandeur and greatness, and decides all points in dispute between Jews and Christians. Further, the Quran forbids that you worship anything other than God - neither man, nor beast, the sun nor the moon, nor any other heavenly body, nor material means, nor your own selves. Therefore beware! Do not take a single step in contravention of anything contained in the Holy Book. Verity, I tell you truly that whosoever evades even the least of the seven hundred commandments embodied in the Holy Quran, he slams the door of salvation upon himself. The real and perfect paths of salvation have been opened only by the Holy Quran; all others were only its shadows. Therefore you should study this holy Scripture with the utmost attention and deepest thought; and you should love it as you have never loved anything else.
… The second instrument for guidance vouchsafed to the Muslims is the Sunnah, i.e., the measures adopted by the Holy Prophetsa with a view to the exposition of the Holy Quran and its being put into actual tangible practice. … The third means of guidance is the ḥadīth,46 because many points in regard to history, ethics, jurisprudence are to be found explained fully in it; and the great utility of the ḥadīth lies in the fact that it is a servant of the Quran and the Sunnah. [In summary]... the Holy Book is the Word of God, while the Sunnah is the act of the Holy Prophetsa, the ḥadīth being a supporting witness for the Sunnah.47
He further says:
You should adhere to the ḥadīth to such an extent that no action of yours, no pause, no performance, and no failure to perform any work, should be without basis in ḥadīth. But if there is a ḥadīth which stands in contradiction of what has been stated in the Quran, you should exercise your mind to reconcile the interpretation: but where no such reconciliation is possible, the ḥadīth should be rejected and thrown aside, since it cannot be taken to have come from the Holy Prophetsa. But if there is a weak ḥadīth, which stands, nevertheless, in accord with the Holy Quran, it is to be accepted, for the Quran has confirmed it.48
The above quotes summarize the teachings of the founder of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community, and it is clear that its members are instructed to go to the core teachings of Islam and follow them to the letter and spirit. This flies in the face of those who allege that those who go back to the core texts of Islam will just find violence in Islam and will have to choose to be only nominally Muslim, leave Islam or become radical Jihadists bent on killing others.49
Why? Because not a single example can be given of a member of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community ever taking part in violent Jihad or terrorism to kill innocent people. By staying true to the core teachings, this community has shown a great commitment and passion in their defence of Islam but also for their sympathy for mankind. Instead of striking down others, the members of this community devote their lives to serve God’s Creation and show love towards them. This requires true selflessness and love for others. This love is exemplified by the fourth condition of the pledge of initiation that all community members take:
That under the impulse of any passions, he/she shall cause no harm whatsoever to the creatures of God in general and Muslims in particular, neither by his/her tongue, hands, nor any other means.50
The founder of the Aḥmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiahas explaining the above says:
The members of my Jamā‘at, wherever they might be, should listen with attention. The purpose of their joining this Movement and establishing the mutual relationship of spiritual preceptor and disciple with me is that they should achieve a high degree of good conduct, good behaviour and righteousness. No wrongdoing, mischief, or misconduct should even approach them. They should perform the five daily Prayers regularly, should not utter a falsehood and should not hurt anyone with their speech. They should be guilty of no vice and should not let even a thought of any mischief, or wrong, or disorderliness, or turmoil pass through their minds. They should shun every type of sin, offence, undesirable action, passion, and unmannerly behaviour. They should become pure-hearted and meek servants of God Almighty, and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings.... Sympathy with mankind should be their principle and, they should fear God Almighty. They should safeguard their tongues and their hands and their thoughts against every kind of impurity, disorderliness and dishonesty. They should join the five daily Prayer services without fail. They should refrain from every kind of wrong, transgression, dishonesty, bribery, trespass, and partiality. They should not participate in any evil company. If it should be proved that one who frequents their company does not obey God’s commandments... or is not mindful of the rights of people, or is cruel or mischievous, or is ill-behaved, or is seeking to deceive the servants of God Almighty by speaking ill or abusively of them, or is guilty of imposture towards the persons with whom they have entered into a covenant of bai‘at, it should be their duty to repel him and to keep away from such a dangerous one. They should not design harm against the followers of any religion or the members of any tribe or group. Be true well-wishers of everyone, and take care that no mischievous, vicious, disorderly, or ill-behaved person, should be ever of your company, or should dwell among you; for such a person could at any time be the cause of your stumbling....
These are matters and conditions that I have been urging from the beginning, and it is the duty of every member of my Jamā‘at to act upon them. You should indulge in no impurity, mockery or derision. Walk upon the earth with good hearts, pure tempers, and pure thoughts. Not every evil is worth fighting, so cultivate the habit of forgiveness and overlooking defaults, and behave with steadfastness and meekness. Do not attack anyone improperly, and keep your passions under complete control. If you take part in a discussion, or in an exchange of views on a religious subject, express yourself gently and be courteous. If anyone misbehaves towards you, withdraw from such company with a greeting of peace. If you are persecuted or reviled, be mindful that you should not meet stupidity with stupidity, for otherwise you will be counted in the same category as your opponents. God Almighty desires that you should become a Jamā‘at that should set an example of goodness and truthfulness for the whole world. Hasten to exclude everyone from your company who sets an example of evil, mischief, provocation and ill-behaviour. He who cannot dwell among us in meekness, goodness and piety, using gentle words and comporting himself in ways of good conduct, should depart from us quickly, for God does not desire that such a one should dwell among us. He will die miserably, for he did not adopt the way of goodness. Therefore, be alert, and be truly good-hearted, gentle and righteous. You will be recognized by your regular attendance at Prayer services and your high moral qualities. He who has the seed of evil embedded in him will not be able to conform to this admonition.51
Thus, this community does not take part in violent Jihad, but it is engaged in enjoining goodness and seeks the welfare of the fellow man through self-sacrifice and sympathy for mankind. The members of the community use the pen to undertake their Jihad, rebutting attacks on Islam through discourse rather than through violence, since Islam is attacked today on its precepts, rather than physically.