Ahmadis

August 8, 2006 at 11:18 am (Arabic, Islam, Islamism, Pakistan, Persian, Religion, Religions, South Asia, Theology)

Near where I am staying in Karachi, there is an Ahmadi jamatkhana (Urdu and Persian: جماعت خانہ, jamaat-khaanah, “gathering-building”). If one passes by it, one cannot guess this immediately. This jamatkhana is in a home – although I don’t know if the whole home is a jamatkhana or just a few rooms in it.

A few Muslim groups call their places of congregation “jamatkhana.” Aside from Ahmadis, Nizari Isma’ili Shiites and Da’udi Tayyibi Musta’li Isma’ili Shiites call their places of congregation “jamatkhana”. Like other Shiites, Da’udi Tayyibi Musta’li Isma’ili Shiites make a distinction between a mosque and jamatkhana or imambargah or hussainiyah. Among Twelver Shiites, any place of congregation for prayers is a mosque (in Urdu, Arabic, and Persian: مسجد, masjid). Certain places of congregation built for the community at large (where people from various areas will gather together for the Friday afternoon prayer) and which have a shrine, of sorts, to their Imam Hussain, is called a hussayniyah (in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu: حسینیھ, Arabic: Hussayniyyah; Persian: hossayniye; Urdu: hussainiyah) or imambargah (in Persian and Urdu: امام بارگاہ, imaam-baargaah). The idea is that a hussayniyah/imambargah recreates the sanctity and significance of the martyr-ground and mosques of Karbala as well as the tomb of Imam Hussayn at Karbala so that the devout can visit them in their own locality instead of going all the way to Karbala. In Pakistan, for example, imambargahs are often easily noticeable because of the towering flagpole with a green or black banner (usually bearing the names of the five central figures in Shiite theology) topped with a massive silver hand (the Hand of Fatimah). On the hand there may be a number of things written, although the most common is the name of Abbas (In Arabic, Persian, and Urdu: عباس, ^cabbaas), Hussayn’s flagbearer.

Any place for congregation for prayers for Da’udi Tayyibi Musta’li Isma’ili Shiites is also called a mosque. A gathering site for the community, larger than mosques, is called a jamatkhana. A community in The United States would have only a jamatkhana, because there would not be enough memebrs to justify having more than one place for congregation, whereas in Bombay there would be many mosques and a few jamatkhanas as there are far more members which would justify such an arrangement. Although there is a marked difference in sanctity between Twelver Shiite mosques and hussayniyahs/imambargahs, no such difference exists between Da’udi Tayyibi Musta’li Isma’ili Shiite mosques and jamatkhanas, although socially more importance is given to the jamatkhana, which is the community’s spiritual hub.

Nizari Isma’ili Shiites call each of their gathering-places “jamatkhana” (although those serving as regional centers are called “darkhana”). They have no mosques. This reflects, in part, the utterly different way Nizari Isma’ili Shiites believe in and practice Islam. Entrance to Nizari Isma’ili Shiite jamatkhanas, Da’udi Tayyibi Musta’li Isma’ili Shiite jamatkhanas, and Ahmadi jamatkhanas is restricted only to members. the first two because the nature of spiritual ceremonies is for members only. For the third, it’s for security reasons. Now, I should modify my statement about Ahmadis. They call their gathering-places as “jamatkhanas” in Pakistan. Elsewhere they’re called “mosques.” Pakistani law forbids Ahmadis from calling their gathering-places “mosques.”

A family friend is Ahmadi. He took me with him to an Ahmadi mosque (officially a jamatkhana) to speak with the imam, as I wanted to learn more about Ahmadi Islam. The imam was nice, if a little cautious. The family friend wanted to show me something which the imam was very hesitant to show me. In the large room used for prayers (the three of us spoke in the imam’s office), there was written on the wall the Islamic statement of faith. The imam was hesitant because Ahmadis are forbidden to write, say, proclaim, or in any other way use it. If found, they could be fined or imprisoned (or killed, if a mob gets word of it) and would have to remove the statement.

Now, if one compares Ahmadi theology and practice with Nizari Isma’ili Shiite theology and practice, one would say that the Ahmadis are Muslims while the Nizari Isma’ili Shiites are not. Nizari Isma’ili Shiite Islam is truly quite different from mainstream Islam, Sunni and Shiite. In comparison, Ahmadis seem quite orthodox (particularly Hanafi Sunni). One reason why Ahmadis have been proclaimed to be non-Muslims, treated as such, and laws created to enforce this, but the same has not occured with or for Nizari Isma’ili Shiites is because of the clout and influence of the Nizari Isma’ili Shiites’ imam, the Aga Khan (originally آقا خان, aaqaa khaan, Persian: aaghaa khaan; in Urdu: آغا خان, aaghaa khaan), currently His Highness Prince Shah Karim al-Hussayni Aga Khan IV. Ahmadis have no such clout. The persecution of the Ahmadis shows, indeed, what may be called the Inquisition-mindedness of Islam: people are judged for heresy and, if found guilty, are punished. The Ahmadis have been found guilty of heresy in Islam, and so if they try to practice Islam they are accordingly punished. Having been cast out of Islam, they are technically not persecuted when they adhere to their non-Muslim nature, as judged and proclaimed by other Muslims.

For some reason, Pakistan’s ulema (in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu: علماء, ^culamaa’; “clerics”; singular in the same languages: عالم, ^caalim, “cleric,” literally “one who knows”) are obssessed with Ahmadis. The Pakistani constitution has been amended numerous times to legislate on and persecute the Ahmadis. They are not even numerically significant!

Ahmadiyyah (in Arabic and Persian: احمدیھ, in Arabic: aHmadiyyah; in Persian: ahmadiye; in Urdu: احمدیت, ahmadiyat or احمدیہ, ahmadiyah) – the Ahmadi religion, theology, practice, group, et cetera – is actually divided into two distinct factions. They are both treated and considered to be the same by Muslims worldwide, and are called Ahmadis¹ (after the last name of the movement’s founder, Mirza Ghulaam Ahmad (مرزا غلام احمد, mirzaa ghulaam ahmad)) and/or Qadianis² (after the founder’s city of birth, Qadian (قادیان क़ादियान, qaadiyaan)). One may be known properly as Qadianis and are based in London, England, UK. They are officially the “Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.” The other is based in Lahore and are officially the “Lahore Ahmadiyya Community” or the “Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam.” The difference between them is quite stark: the Qadianis believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, the Promised Messiah (which most Muslims say would be Jesus returned, but which Ahmadis refute), and the Imam Mahdi (which Ahmadis interpret as being a position, not a person). Lahoris believe only the last two: they do not believe he was or claimed to be a prophet.

From what I have learned, and in my opinion, the differences between Qadiani Ahmamiyyah and Lahori Ahmadiyyah, although significant, are more or less minor. There are significant hierarchical differences (the leader of the Qadianis is the Caliph to the Messiah³, just as the early leaders were officially “Caliph (literally, successor) to the Prophet⁴, who are descendants of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, while the leader of the Lahoris is the Amir with no relation to Ahmad) and theological differences (mainly based on interpretation and who said what). Nevertheless, both belong to the same movement, overall, with equal emphasis on Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. (Qadianis, despite considering Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be a prophet, quote Muhammad far more than Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.) Both are, fiqh- and sharee^cat-wise Hanafi Sunni.

Even the differences between Ahmadis and other Muslims are more or less semantic, really. The crux of the matter–that of another prophet after Muhammad–revolves around how one defines “prophet” (both نبي, nabee and رسول, rasool), whether there are distinctions and levels among them, and what “seal of the prophets” (خاتم النبیین, khaatamu-n-nabiyyeen, a title of Muhammad) exactly means. Other differences are a matter of interpretation. I would go so far as to say that Shiite Islam differs from Sunni Islam more than Ahmadi Islam differs from mainstream Sunni Islam.

The Shiites have given birth to a number of movements that some consider to be non-Muslim (and one which everyone considers to be non-Muslim). From Isma’ili Shiite Islam comes the Druze (who call themselves “al-Muwahhidoon,” “the Monotheists”), from Twelver Shiite Islam comes Babism, which gave birth to Baha’iism. From Twelver Shiite Islam also come the Nusayris or Alawis of Syria and the Alevis of Turkey. All of these (and other groups, such as the Nizari Isma’ili Shiites mentioned before) are considered non-Muslim and it is easy to see why. And yet all Sunni Islam has is the Ahmadis, who seem more Muslim than any of these Shiite movements. Indeed, some may even say that the Ahmadis are more orthodox, according to Sunni Islam, than regular Shiites.

I don’t understand why the Ahmadis are being so severely persecuted when other more heterodox sects exist, even in Pakistan. But I suppose this exposes the neurotic and inexplicable tendencies of the ulema.

1.
Adjective forms for “Ahmadi”:
Arabic singular: احمدي, aHmadee (male) and احمدیۃ, aHmadiyyah (female)
Arabic plural احمدیون, aHmadiyoon (nominative) and احمدیین, ahmadiyeen (oblique)
Persian singular: احمدي, ahmadee
Persian plural احمدیان, ahmadeyaan
Urdu singular: احمدی, ahmadee
Urdu plural: احمدیاں, ahmadeeyaaⁿ (nominative) and احمدیوں, ahmadeeyoⁿ (oblique)

2.
Adjective forms for “Qadiani”:
Arabic singular: قادیاني, qaadiyaanee (male) and قادیانیۃ, qaadiyaaniyyah (female)
Arabic plural: قادیانیون, qaadiyaaniyoon (nominative) and قادیانیین, qaadiyaaniyeen (oblique)
Persian singular: قادیاني, ghaadeyaanee
Persian plural: قادیانیان, ghaadeyaaneyaan
Urdu singular: قادیانی, qaadiyaanee
Urdu plural: قادیانیاں, qaadiyaaniyaaⁿ (nominative) and قادیانیوں, qaadiyaaniyoⁿ (oblique)

3.
Arabic, Persian, and Urdu: خلیفۃ المسیح, khaleefatu-l-maseeH.

4.
Arabic, Persian, and Urdu: خلیفۃ رسول اللہ, khaleefatu rasoolillaah.