as we explore false allegations Ahmadiyya connections

magazine in the English language to be published in America, carried in it clearly what the Ahmadiyya mission stood for. The first edition had it clearly mentioned that Allah is the One God, Hazrat Muhammadsa is His messenger, and Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas is the Messiah, whose advent was foretold by Hazrat Muhammadsa

The second edition had an open letter to American Muslims, titled “My Advice to the Muhammadans in America”, advising them to abide by the teachings of Islam as set out by the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa of Islam. The advice, numbered from one to ten, had instructions like “read the Quran”, “promulgate Islam”, “God is the best Protector of Islam in all ages”, and much worthy of mention, “build a mosque in every town to worship One God”. What makes the last one stand out is that NOI never called their places of worship mosques, but instead chose to call them temples.

Every issue of The Moslem Sunrise opened with the English translation of Quranic verses, the traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and then the sayings and writings of the Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah. This clarity left no room for anyone claiming divinity under the umbrella of Ahmadiyya Islamic teachings.

Fard Muhammad and the influence of Ahmadiyya teachings

Another question remains important and needs to be addressed: Was Fard Muhammad under the influence of the Ahmadiyya teachings? Well, interesting it is that not only Fard Muhammad but thousands of Americans were influenced by the Ahmadiyya beliefs; for the simple reason that they made complete sense to Christians and Muslims, alike. While thousands stayed, many must have been led astray by their imaginations, for which the Ahmadiyya Muslim community cannot take any responsibility.

One thing is clear. Fard Muhammad, or any of his accomplices for that matter, never were Ahmadi missionaries, nor were they assigned any duties by the Ahmadiyya mission. However, we do not speak on behalf of any other faction that claims to be Ahmadi. Anyone who claims otherwise bears the onus of proof. Until they produce it, we tell our readers to beware of deceitful scholars who rob you of truth and feed false information.

The Moslem Sunrise of July 1922, one of the earliest issues of the publication, carried an article titled: “Jesus was crucified but did not die on the cross”. It carried a review of literature, by Western Christians mostly, on how Jesus’sas death was perceived by them and how it fell quite in line with the Ahmadiyya belief – the belief suggested in the title of the article.

This belief of the Ahmadiyya gained a lot of attention in the American religious climate – where clouds of Messianic hope hovered over the imagination of the Christian and Muslim populace. Jesus’sas return to earth –from the imaginary heavens where he had been living for two millennia – was overdue and any explanation, or justification, for that matter, caught public attention.

Fard Muhammad was a Millenialist and had, thus, explored any avenue that could lead to his understanding of the end times and his own place therein. He remained influenced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, among many other Christian denominations. He would encourage to listen to Judge Rutherford’s speeches and his own “claim that the end of the world was supposed to commence in 1914” was altered and extended under influence of “Watch Tower literature”. (Finding WD Fard: Unveiling the identity of the founder of the Nation of Islam, by John A Morrow, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2019)

Through his misty biographical accounts, he is seen as influenced by the Mormons from where he borrowed the Mormon belief in the Law of Eternal Progression: As man is God, God once was, and as God is, man may become. (Ibid) This human possibility of human transformation into a god – which he clearly believed and later claimed to have attained – is to be attributed to Mormon influence and not any other religious denomination.

Researchers on the Nation of Islam trace the roots of Fard’s teachings in Islam, just as well as in Christianity. One such researcher, Stephen J Stein, noted that “the Bible seems to have functioned more importantly than the Quran for Black Muslims”. (Alternative Religious Movements in American History, p 126) However, Morrow sees a trend of gradualism, where he started “with the Bible, which was familiar, and moving his students towards Quran, which was unfamiliar”. This statement is important and we will return to it later.

Biographers of Fard Muhammad have traced various influences on the theology preached by Muhammad Fard and later by Elijah Muhammad, who worked to cement the beliefs. One important influence noted is the Moorish Temple, which has been seen as the precursor to the foundation of the Nation of Islam. Aminah Beverly McCloud notes the teachings of Noble Drew Ali, founder of the Moorish Science Temple, as being inspired by Shiite and Ismaili literature, especially the Ghulat Ismailis’ belief in human manifestations of Allah. (African American Islam, by Aminah B McCloud)

Ghulat Islamilis, a collective name for a number of Shiite and Ismaili sects, believed in a number of persons to have been human manifestations of Allah – Jafar alSadiq for the Bazighiyya, Hazrat Ali for the Dhammiyya etc.

Fard’s claim to be godman shows a direct influence of the Ghulat Shiites especially that of the Dhammiyya, who also believed that Hazrat Ali was God and the Holy Prophet was his messenger; more evident in Elijah’s claim to be Fard’s prophet.

That Drew Ali, in founding the Moorish Science Temple of America, was influenced by Ghulat Ismaili beliefs, and Fard by both, in founding the Nation of Islam is quite clear. Testifying more to this fact is offering three prayers daily and more so, the similarity of the wordings of the prayers, almost the same for both the MSTA and NOI.

Morrow is justified in concluding that “if the Ahmadiyya influence has been discussed in detail by previous scholars, and the Ismaili and Druze elements have been examined by others, the Twelver, Shaykhi, Babi, Gulat, and Yezidi aspects have been generally neglected.”

It is interesting to note that the prayers offered by the MSTA and NOI conclude with the words:

“Allah bind our hearts and minds back to our Ancient Forefathers Divine Creed and Principles, We ask this in Thy Holy name and the Seven Elohim. Amen.” (MSTA website: www.msta1928.org)

Pointing too directly to the Sevener Shiite denomination, this prayer leads the quest for the roots of Fard’s teachings towards other Muslim denominations and not, whatsoever, to the Ahmadiyya.

Why the alleged Ahmadiyya connection?

Fard Muhammad was arrested on many occasions for the unrest that he caused among the African-American community.

He was extensively questioned by the FBI during their investigations, the details of which have now been declassified.

He refers to the Ahmadiyya community in America and also to have been in contact with them. The Ahmadiyya was an outreaching, proselytising missionary movement, as it is today, even in its early days of presence in America. Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, and the missionaries that succeeded one of such persons who must have gotten in touch; so is evident from the FBI reports.

Before delving into the FBI reports, one must bear in mind that Fard Muhammad’s and Elijah Muhammad’s statements comprise the bulk of this material. And yes, there is mention of coming in touch with the Ahmadiyya mission, Sufi Muti-ur-Rahman Bengali Sahin to be precise.

Elijah Muhammad stated his teachings about Jesusas Christ thus:

“Allah [referring here to Fard] taught me that he [Jesus] did not die on the cross, but he was killed on the streets of Jerusalem by a deputy sheriff at that time. The deputy sheriff brought death to Jesus by stabbing him through the heart, and the sword pierced all the way through into the timber or board that he was against, when he gave up his life to the deputy sheriff, to take it away instantly because the Jews wanted to torture him.” (The true history of Elijah Muhammad, by Elijah Muhammad)

This clearly is not the belief of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, nor has it