Dear Hadi,
Dear Asking about Ahmadiyya,
Thank you for your question.
Although this is an advice column, your question raises some critical points regarding our general approach to Islam and our attitude toward others who do not believe precisely as we do.
We will not go much at all into the history of the Ahmadi sect (aka Ahmadiyya), except to note that it is very recent, having started in India in the late 19th century.
It began when Mirza Ghulam Ahmad claimed to have been appointed by God as the Mahdi and the Messiah, which many believe was foretold by Prophet Muhammad, and that his mission was to bring about a peaceful triumph of Islam.
This claim, of course, raised significant controversy, with many Muslims accusing the Ahmadis of heresy and with the government of Pakistan, for example, constitutionally declaring them to be non-Muslim.
Of course, the issue is very controversial.
However, we begin our discussion with the following well-known hadith of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):
"If somebody accuses another of disbelief or calls him the enemy of Allah, such an accusation will revert to him (the accuser) if the accused is innocent."
While we disagree with the notion that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the Mahdi, we are not, based on the Prophet’s hadith above, prepared to call Ahmadis non-Muslims, and in our opinion (and God knows best), they should be considered Muslims who have likely misidentified the Mahdi.
It is not difficult to present an argument to support our point of view that Ahmadis should be considered Muslim.
First and foremost is the issue of self-identification.
Fundamentally, Ahmadis identify themselves as Muslims and always have. It is a core belief that Islam is by self-identification and that anyone who bears witness that there is one God and that Muhammad is His prophet enters Islam.
Ahmadis definitely do that.
In fact, they call themselves Ahmadis after the Prophet’s other name, Ahmad, meaning both most praiseworthy and the one who praises (i.e., praises Allah SWT) the most.
This is a point many are confused about, thinking that they have named themselves after Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
However, that is not accurate, and there is no question among Ahmadis that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the last Prophet to receive scriptural revelation and that no one can rival his example.
Once someone has thus entered Islam, they are to be considered Muslim unless they deny what the scholars call "ma’lum min al deen bil darura", which translates into denying core tenets of the religion which are known by necessity to all Muslims.
While the vast majority of Muslims, us among them, do not accept Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s statement that he is the Mahdi, we note that Ahmadis certainly did not invent the concept of a Mahdi or Messiah.
The fact that they believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Mahdi (whom many Muslims believe will be coming based on prophetic hadith) does not constitute a denial of a core tenant of Islam but rather a mistaken identification.
Moreover, Ahmadis share most or all core beliefs with mainstream Islam.
They believe in the Five Pillars of Islam (Shahada - faith declaration, Salah - prayer, Zakat - almsgiving, Sawm - fasting in Ramadan, and Hajj - pilgrimage to Mecca) and the Six Articles of Faith (belief in God, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine predestination).
This alignment in fundamental beliefs is a strong basis for considering them as part of the broader Muslim community.
Ahmadis regard the Quran as their holy scripture and accept Muhammad as the last prophet in the sense of being the final law-bearing prophet.
Their reverence for the Quran and the Prophet aligns closely with the views of the larger Muslim world.
Moreover, the Ahmadi community is known for its emphasis on peace, education, and humanitarian efforts. Their contributions to society in various countries, aligning with Islamic principles of charity and community service, further their claim to being part of the Muslim world.
One key break with mainstream Islam is that Ahmadis believe in the concept of progressive revelation within Islam.
They view their founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, as the Mahdi and Messiah, thereby continuing the prophetic tradition in a non-legislative role. This can be reconciled with the verse in surat al-Ahzab (Quran 33:40), which declares Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to be the seal of the prophets, by interpreting the verse to mean the last of the legislative prophets. This belief, though controversial, does not need to be seen as a deliberate break with Islam or denial of its core beliefs but rather as an interpretation with which the vast majority disagrees.
Throughout history, Islam has seen a diverse range of interpretations and movements. Considering this historical diversity, the Ahmadi movement can be viewed as yet another such interpretation within the Islamic tradition.
We believe this outlook is better than following historical precedents which have, at various epochs, marginalized different sects.
Our goal should be to unite and not to divide, as long as we do not sacrifice the core beliefs of our faith for the sake of unity.
We hope that we have presented a sufficient argument that accepting Ahmadis within the broader fold of Islam does not represent such a sacrifice while acknowledging the deeply held beliefs of those who may disagree. Our argument for considering Ahmadis as Muslims rests on their shared core beliefs with mainstream Islam, historical precedents of diversity within Islam, their self-identification as Muslims, and their contributions to society in line with Islamic values.
We believe that this is the better approach, and Allah SWT knows best.
To render a specific example of all of the above, we note that Professor Muhammad Abdus Salam, the first Muslim to win a Nobel prize in science (and one of very few to have ever done so), was an Ahmadi.
He won his Nobel prize for his work in theoretical physics and is quoted to have said:
"the Holy Quran enjoins us to reflect on the verities of Allah's created laws of nature; however, that our generation has been privileged to glimpse a part of His design is a bounty and a grace for which I render thanks with a humble heart."
During his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Abdus Salam quoted verses from the Quran, 67:3-4
"Thou seest not, in the creation of the All-merciful, any imperfection, Return thy gaze, seest thou any flaw? Then Return thy gaze, again and again. Thy gaze comes back to thee dazzled, weary,"
And stated, “This, in effect, is the faith of all physicists; the deeper we seek, the more is our wonder excited, the more is the dazzlement for our gaze.”
Given the Prophet's hadith above, would you call a man such as this a non-Muslim?
In peace.