One of
the great controversies at present among the Muslim Ummah is the issue of
Jihad, especially in light of contemporary terrorism and violence associated
with religious zealotry. The so-called “Wahhabis”, especially Salafis and Ahlul
Hadith, have increasingly become associated with violence and Jihad against
various States. They and the Mullas of other sects accuse Hadrat Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad sahib of having served the interests of the British Raj due to his
opposition to Jihad against the British government. However, modern day
accusations against Hadrat Ghulam Ahmad overlook the crucial fact that
virtually all of the eminent ‘Ulama of various Muslim sects issued Fatawa
(Islamic legal opinions) advising their followers to desist from any
insurrection against the British colonial government of India.
Maulana
Sayyid Nadhir Hussain of Delhi (1805-1902) was a very prominent and influential
Salafi (Ahlul Hadith) scholar in British India. Today’s Ahlul Hadith of the
Indian subcontinent look up to him as a very important scholarly figure. He
made it explicitly clear that Jihad against the British government was
prohibited:
پس جب کہ شرط جہاد کی اس دیار
میں معدوم ہوئی، تو جہاد کرنا یہاں سبب ہلاکت اور معصیت کا ہوگا۔
“Since
the criterion of Jihad is absent from this land, to conduct Jihad here would be
a means of destruction and a sin.” (Fatawa Naziriya; v. 3, p. 275)
He simply said that the conditions of jihad are not present, not anything about the British Government. Compare this with what Mirza Ghulam says:
ReplyDelete"The obligation of thanking the British Government is equal to thanking God Himself and it is Fardh Ayn (individual obligation) on every Muslim."
"So my faith madhab, which I have stressed many times, is the Islam is composed of two parts. One is obedience to the Government which has created peace and under whose protection we are safe from oppressors - that is the British Government."
Ruhani Khazain Vol.6 Pg.380