Question
assalam-u-alaikum. I’ve read many of your books, and i was really impressed with the way you answered even the most confusing questions, which urged me to visit your site and ask you this question. I recently entered a religous debate with an Agnostic friend of mine about Ahmadi Muslims. She said that no one has the right to tell them that they are not Muslims while I told her that since they didnt believe in half of the kalma, they could NOT be termed as Muslims. I read another answer of your to a question similar to this one, but that didn’t really answer my question. Isnt it wrong to say they are Muslims if they don’t beleive in half of the Kalma?
Thanks very much.
Wassalam.
Answer
It is our view that no one can measure the sincerity of another’s heart or the truthfulness of his or her soul. We are God’s creatures and He will be the One to judge. On our return we will be faced with the Truth, with what right and wrong we did and what beliefs we held to; thus God will judge us accordingly. As for each of us, as individuals, proclaiming who is and who is not Muslim then I assure we are not given that right in Islam. No one may declare another person non-Muslim even if their beliefs do not coincide with Islamic beliefs. We can merely point out the inconsistencies in such cases. However, there are instances when a group of people may be regarded non-followers of the faith. In such cases the Ummah (i.e. Islamic community) as a whole regard a particular group as not being a part of Islam. As for the Ahmadis in specific, if by the “kalimah” (i.e. pronouncement of acceptance of God and His Prophet) you mean that they reject the position of the Prophet then indeed it is a rejection of Islamic doctrine. However, this still does not give you the right as an individual to excommunicate another. Our efforts are better left to focusing on the relationship between the Almighty and us and leaving the judging up to Him.
I hope I have clarified the issue.
God knows best