What did my mom and I fight about? Was it a property dispute? Not at all. The issue was that she said I was going against her prophet. I told her her prophet was a liar, to leave that disbelief and embrace Islam. And my mom sacrificed her son for her prophet Mirza Ghulam Qadiani. She boycotted me so harshly that she said she wouldn’t even show her face to me.
I have to give two reports and time is really short. First, I was asked to share the story of my conversion to Islam. The story of embracing Islam goes like this: for about 35 to 40 years, the Qadianis had their center in Pakistan, in a place called Chanab Nagar, formerly known as Rabwah. Even now, there are parents, relatives, and family members residing there. There are still some people who are part of the Qadiani community. Thankfully! My two nephews have converted to Islam. When I completed my education and training in the Qadiani community, I made a firm resolution in my heart that I had to somehow manage to convert at least one Muslim into a Qadiani. I made this commitment and promise because I was told from childhood that my purpose in coming into this world is not just to eat, earn, or enjoy life, but that my goal is to convert a Muslim into a Qadiani. This means that all Qadianis go out with this purpose and commitment in mind. They make friends with Muslims and try to convert them.
I also left home with this determination and invited a Muslim. We had a conversation, and he had to go somewhere for four or five days, but before he left, he did one thing: he brought me a copy of Sahih Bukhari. He said, “Shamsuddin, study this.” After four or five days, I’ll come back, and we’ll pick up the discussion from where we left off. I took that book home and told my wife, “Hey, this is Sahih Bukhari. When you get tired from doing chores at home, I’ll share a few Hadiths with you, and when you have some free time, you can read a few Hadiths to me.” So, a lesson on Hadiths started right in our home.
As I was reading, I came across a blessed hadith where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) says: “I swear by the One in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad (peace be upon him) that surely, Jesus son of Mary will descend among you.”
You all must have heard or read this hadith. And all Muslims believe that before the Day of Judgment, Jesus (peace be upon him) will descend. But since I was a Qadiani at that time, my belief was that Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) could not come back to this world. He had passed away, and the person who came in his place was Mirza Ghulam Qadiani. However, I was worried about the hadith because the Imam of the Prophets was swearing by this. And the way he swore was that he swore by the One in whose hands is the soul of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Since I had also read Qadiani literature, Mirza Ghulam Qadiani swore in his book that “I swear by Allah that Isa ibn Maryam, the Messenger of Allah, has passed away.” This was the oath of the Qadiani, whom I considered to be a messenger and prophet of Allah at that time (God forbid). On one side was the oath of the Imam of the Prophets. So, right then, I told my wife, “This is a strange matter.”
The leader of the prophets is swearing that Jesus, the son of Mary, will come, while those whom we consider to be prophets say he won’t come because he has passed away. I said it seems we’re caught up in some confusion; we should first set our beliefs straight. If our beliefs are correct, then, God willing, our actions will align properly as well.
So then I met with Maulana Aleem Shah and Qari Rafiq, and they guided me. By God’s grace, it was because of this blessed Hadith that Almighty Allah bestowed upon me the wealth of Islam. Allah revealed to me that the oath taken by Mirza Ghulam Qadiani is false, while the oath raised by the Leader of the Prophets is true.
But here I see that the way I was treated, there’s a background story behind the blessing Allah gave me of Islam. To put it briefly, when I was a Qadiani, I had a deep love for the Abrahamic prayer (Darood Ibrahim). I really cherished saying this particular prayer during Salah. Back then, I was a Qadiani, and in your eyes, I was in disbelief, while today I see that as disbelief. Yet, I would go and recite this prayer in my prostration during Salah. I know for sure that because of this prayer, my Isha prayer would take about an hour or even an hour and a half. Today, I confidently say that Allah has placed such power in this prayer that even when I was in disbelief, He rewarded me by taking me out of that disbelief and bringing me into Islam. Allah lifted me from the servitude of Mirza Ghulam Qadiani and granted me the servitude of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
You my brothers are already Muslims. So if you recite this invocation and make a habit of it, so many of our problems will be resolved. There’s the issue of Palestine, so pray for them while reading the salutation. May Allah help our Muslims wherever they are.
I had to narrate an incident and a statement, but since Maulana Ali Shah brought up the boycott, I said I would share a brief little incident with you. Time is short, but God willing, I will complete my point in this time.
I was the youngest at home, and my mom loved me very much. She used to say, “Shamsuddin, whenever I get married, I want to spend my whole life with you.” But circumstances changed, and I left Qadiyani beliefs. They said, “Our paths have separated now; I can’t stay with you because you’ve left us.” Time went on. One day in Lahore, my mother came to my house. She met me, hugged me, and kissed my forehead. After that, we talked for an hour and a half. She kept trying to tempt me, saying this and that. When she finished, I told her, “Mom, you’re done talking.” She replied, “Yes, I’ve said everything.” Then she said, “You need to respond to what I’ve said.” The main point was that she said, “You’ve gone over to the clerics. They give you money, they give you cash, they provide you with a life of luxury. So do this: whatever money they give you, take more from me and come back to the group.” So I told her I would answer one of her points. I said that in Islam, you can’t bargain with religion. Anyway, time passed. She then went back to Chanab Nagar Rabwa.
The next year, she came back the same way, hugged me, and kissed my forehead. Then we talked a bit. Now, she had been influenced from behind. This time she told me, “Listen, my son, my group thinks that you’re stuck with those clerics and can’t come back, so you should do this: give me your passport and your family’s passports, and I’ll get the visa for the country you want. You can easily leave from here and go live abroad. It’s a life of luxury; people sell their land and properties to go. Allah has given you an opportunity, come back and walk with me.” When she finished her pitch, I told her again, “Mother, you’ve said something, right?” She said yes. I replied, “Mother, I still have the same answer from last year that bargaining is not permissible in Islam.” But this year, my mother’s attitude was very different from last year; she was really strict. She got up, grabbed her bag, and said, “Son, you’ve forgotten that I am your mother. Sure, you’ve made the religious leaders your parents now. The real mother is me. And today I’m leaving your house, and I won’t be coming back. If you want to come with me, let me know. If not, I’m going.” God forbid, a Muslim should ever face a time when his mother is so upset that she leaves his house. It was a tough time. I held on to her, trying hard to get her to sit down. She just said, “Not today, that’s it. I’ve made my decision today; I’m not seeing you again after this.” I fell silent, couldn’t say anything. I told my son to grab grandma and sit her down, but when he went to do that, grandma pushed him away. She said, “Back off, you’re also part of his lineage. He has dedicated you to defend the finality of prophethood; you’ll grow up to be a religious leader too, and speak against us.” She put one foot out the door, one foot in, then she told me to follow her lead. I stayed quiet, and she said if the other foot comes out, I won’t come back in. I said okay, it’s up to you. She left the house and headed to my sister’s place in Lahore. For a few days, I felt really upset, but then time passed.
She came back for the third year. She came to my sister’s house and called me over instead of coming to my place. They gathered the family there. I went over and hugged my mom, but this time her hands were completely still. I realized that mom was really angry.
But suddenly, everything changed when she spoke. I swear to God, I never could’ve imagined that the mother who loves me so much, the mother I love so dearly, would say those words to me. So my mom said, “Son, you made a promise, so keep your word.” But the thing is, you’ve left us, you work against us, and you come to our people and turn them into non-believers. Because that’s exactly what they say – that Muslims are non-believers. So my mother said that from now on, you will not see your mother’s face. I swear to God, those words hit me like a mountain crashing down on me. I started crying, and she started crying too. A Qadiani stood up and said, “Aunt, you have made a huge sacrifice for Mirza Qadiani. You sacrificed your son.” When this reached my ears, Allah empowered me, and I felt inspired, so I told my mother, “I’ve heard your decision, now listen to mine.” I said, “When I went to the seminar, attended the conference, or spoke to people about the finality of prophethood, most of them narrated the events of the 1953 movement. Many Muslims sacrificed their lives for the finality of prophethood—10,000 people, and hundreds of thousands were injured.” I used to wonder why this incident kept coming back to me. Today, I’ve realized that God was preparing me so that if something happens to you, Shamsuddin, I wouldn’t break down. That’s why this incident was repeated to strengthen me, and now I feel like the time has come. The truth is, our love is known to our entire family, and you know it too. But for the sake of the finality of Prophethood and for Islam, I could sacrifice not just one, but thousands, even millions of mothers like you, but I cannot abandon the faith.
My brothers, think about it fairly; what was the fight between my mother and me? Was it about property? Not at all. The issue was that she would tell me that I was going against her prophet. I would say to her, your prophet is false; come out of this disbelief and embrace Islam. And my mother sacrificed her son for that prophet, Mirza Ghulam Qadiani, and boycotted me so severely that she said she wouldn’t even show her face to me.
O my brothers, if the Qadiyanis can impose such a strict boycott on Mirza Ghulam Qadiani, then can’t we boycott the Qadiyanis for the sake of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)? The issue has come up that I’m meeting with Ahmadis. Why am I being boycotted? Well, Maulana Ali Shah has already explained to you that those who step out to invite others should not be boycotted. Now we have learned all these matters, and we invite them to Islam.