by Kwabena Osman
For a religion that strictly believes in the unity of God and abhors associating partners with Him, unity among his followers is an ultimate goal. Unfortunately, this could not be further from the situation with Muslims. Sunni’s and Shia’s form the two main divisions in Islam but among these two main sects there are various sects, like the Wahhabis, Salafis, Barelvis etc. Why should there be divisions if they all follow the same Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, and also follow the same book that was revealed to him, the Quran, which they overwhelmingly believe is perfect and the same since its revelation?
You may be surprised to learn that Muhammad himself prophesied about these divisions that will occur among his followers. He talked about these divisions at a time when the Muslims were united solidly as one and the people of that time could hardly imagine that Islam could be divided into sects. The Prophet Muhammad said that: “The Jews split into seventy two sects and my nation will split into seventy three sects” (Sunan Ibn Majah 3991). Thus the split of Islam into sects was in fulfillment of a prophecy.
This is a grand prophecy, showing that when some people among the followers of the Prophet will be leading others into hell (which they will feel even in this very life), others among his followers will be rightly guided and that group will have a Chief (or a leader) and will enjoy paradise (even in this very life). This and other prophecies by the Prophet of Islam make some Muslims long for that Chief to lead that Muslim group. The Chief they long for is the Khalifa of Islam who will unite the Muslims and indeed all believers under the One and only true God. Those who know these prophecies really long for this Khalifa, but how can there be such a Khalifa? Can this Khalifa come up on his own from groups such as ISIS, or does he have to be appointed by God himself? The answer to this is again provided by the Prophet of Islam.
The Prophet of Islam gave the glad tidings about the guidance that will be sent to the Muslims in the latter days. First, this glad tiding was given to him as a revelation in the Holy Quran (62:3-4) that as he had come among the unlettered people at that time, he would appear among others in the later days. And when a companion questioned him about these revealed verses, he said that even if faith were lost and is near the Pleiades (a star cluster), a man from among the Persians would find it (Sahih Muslim 2546 b). Meaning a man of Persian decent will appear among the Muslims to guide them when true faith is lost among them. This guided one in other narrations refers to the Imam Mahdi.
We, the Ahmadiyya Muslims Community, believe the guided Imam was Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian who was of Persian decent. He claimed to be the awaited Imam, who would be the judge, thus correcting all misconceptions about Islam created in the medieval periods, notable among them being the true concept of Jihad. He stated that Islam is not in need of Jihad of the sword anymore but Jihad with the pen, the same tool that our opponents are using to attack the noble faith.
It is only after this rightly guided person from God has come that a Khalifa (which means successor) can be established again in Islam. Something many misguided Muslims have failed to recognize, trying to form a factitious Caliphate which is fated to end up in failure because it is man-made. The true Khilafat can be found in that group of Muslims (The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) and their Chief, Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
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