My Journey to Islam
Major General Fazal Ahmad

Of no profit to you will be your relatives and your children on the Day of Judgment: He will judge between you: for Allah sees well all that you do. (The holy Quran, As-Mumtahina, 60:3)

In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate

Sixteen years ago, the Almighty Allah showered my children and me with mercy, when He led us out of the darkness and into the light of Islam. I can not begin to imagine how I can ever adequately express my gratitude to Allah for such a blessing. Alhamdolellah, our Lord has also provided me with financial security and enabled me to dedicate part of my time to the service of Islam and my fellow human being.

Twelve years after my retirement from the service, I have recently become associated with the movement of the Finality of the Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.), in Africa. Allah knows best that this association has fully brought me around and exposed me to the radiant light of Islam.

Today, I am writing this brief message to those unfortunate men and women, who are still chained by the false propaganda of the Qadiani (Ahmadi) movement, as my loved ones and I had once been. I pray that Allah will guide all victims of this mission on behalf of Rasulollah(s.a.w.), direct them to the straight path and accept their sincere repentance.

My dear brothers and sisters in humanity, the condition to be a Muslim rests in sincere acceptance of the creed of Islam and in following the authentic guidance set by Muhammad Rasulollah(s.a.w.). Embracing the fundamental teachings of Islam is a necessary prerequisite of this faith: simply stated, without having the correct faith, a person can not be a Muslim.

You will agree that acceptance of those teachings of Islam, proven through an uninterrupted chain of continuation (tawatur), is an absolute requirement of this faith. These requirements include those actions and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.), which had been accepted and followed by the companions (Sahaba-e-Karam) and the successors. The technical name for this requirement, in Islamic jurisprudence, is "necessities of the religion" (Zaruriat-e-Din).

Fortunately, the necessities of this religion are so apparent that any average Muslim can recognize them to have originated from Rasulollah(s.a.w.). For instance, tenets, such as Allah being the only One worthy of worship, Muhammad(s.a.w.) being the Messenger of Allah, the obligation of five daily prayers (Salat) and pilgrimage (Hajj), are so fundamental that no Muslim can possibly have any doubt about them. Consequently, a believer can not refuse any of the necessities of faith, since the rejection of any of these tenets equates refusing a revelation given to Rasulollah(s.a.w.) and denying Islam.

My dear brothers and sisters, among the necessities, which have been proven by the virtue of continuation from Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.), is the doctrine of the Finality of the Prophethood. Rasulollah(s.a.w.) informed us that he was the last in the chain of Prophets, that no new Prophet would be commissioned after him and that he had ended the very system of Prophethood.

This particular teaching of the Prophet(s.a.w.) has been conveyed to us by exactly the same mechanism as other fundamental necessities of faith, such as belief in Allah, the day of judgement, Salat and Hajj. Indeed, Rasulullah(s.a.w.) made sure that each one of these vital doctrines were clearly and sufficiently defined, so that no element of doubt could ever exist in the mind of any sincere seeker of guidance. The certainty inherent in this mechanism is what has caused the believers to universally hold on to such fundamental tenets of faith, from the time of Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.), through the age of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen, up to the present day. Indeed, it is due to this very fact that, from the beginning of Islam, anyone, who knowingly rejected any of the necessities of this faith, was immediately viewed as a denier of the Truth and a non-Muslim.

Logically then, if one is declared non-Muslim for rejecting necessities like Salat and Hajj, then anyone, who claims to be a new Prophet, accepts the claim of such an individual or views such an individual to be a religious personality, has also to be viewed as a murtad (one who turned away from Islam). This is due to the fact that such a person would be guilty of denying the belief in the Finality of Prophethood.

Indeed, Islamic history bears witnesses to this position. For example, Siddiqu-e-Akbar Abu Bakr(r.a.) and the other Companions of Rasulollah(s.a.w.) took a decisive action against Musaylimah Kazzab, who had claimed to be a Prophet. Musaylimah and his followers were regarded as unbelievers, even though Musaylimah's clan had claimed to believe in Allah, announced the same Adhan (call to prayers) as Muslims and even bore witness that Muhammad(s.a.w.) was the Messenger of Allah. However, since they also believed in the proclaimed Prophethood of Musaylimah, they were viewed as non-Muslims and rejected for their disbelief in a necessity of Islam.

At this juncture, I should point out that the basis for this belief is not only the verse of the Holy Quran, in surah Ahzab, in which Almighty Allah has clearly declared Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.) to be the Khatamun-Nabiyyin (the last of the Prophets). There are hundreds of other revelations, in both the Holy Quran and authentic hadeeth, which proclaim Prophet Muhammad(s.a.w.) to have been the last of the Prophets to be commissioned to humanity.

Clearly then, since refusal of any necessity of faith is equal to rejecting Islam, anyone who rejects this tenet of faith should neither be accepted as a Muslim nor allowed to claim to be such, even if he pretends to have some argument in his favor. Individuals, who advocate a contrary position, are in effect suggesting that the necessities of the Islamic creed and jurisprudence are all unreliable and can be denied by anyone, even those who claim to be a follower of the Messenger of Allah(s.a.w.)! Obviously, nothing could be farther from the truth or inherently more self-contradictory.

My dear brothers and sisters, I hope that this brief argument is sufficient to convince you of the mistaken and deceptive claims of the Qadiani leadership and missionaries and assist you in your journey to salvation and truth. Without a doubt, Allah will deliver those, whom sincerely and humbly seek guidance.