By Muhammad Mbye
God Almighty is more delighted by his ‘As-hadu’ than your ‘Ash-hadu’. Recently, a video went viral in the media where Sheikh Fakebba Ceesay stated that the amir of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in The Gambia said female circumcision is not an Islamic practice. He mocked the respected amir, stating, “Baba has no religious knowledge, all his interviews are in English, and he does not believe in Prophet Muhammad.” The self-branded scholar mentioned that the respected amir always speaks in English. However, I wonder what he is trying to infer from this. Is speaking English a sign that the person doesn’t understand Islamic teachings? Is speaking Mandinka and other local languages a sign of ignorance?
In fact when he made this statement, he was speaking in Mandinka. If speaking Arabic is the criterion for being righteous and truthful, then Abu Jahl and others should be praised above Hazrat Bilal, who due to his background, could not pronounce ‘sheen’ and pronounced it as ‘seen’. However, the Holy Prophet said regarding Bilal that “God Almighty is pleased with his As-hadu than your Ash-hadu.”
Knowledge generates humility, not pride. From your statement, we perceive pride and arrogance, similar to what destroyed Iblis. He claimed he was better than Adam, and Pharaoh followed his footsteps, claiming he was better than Prophet Moses. Is knowledge and righteousness determined by Allah based on how skilful and fluent one speaks Arabic? If so, then Abu Jahl should be more knowledgeable and righteous than Bilal, as your statement seems to confine religious knowledge to the Arabic language. This act of mockery often comes from those deprived of true guidance and knowledge. Below are a few verses of the Holy Qur’an for you to ponder:
For example Pharaoh boasted of his eloquence to be better than that of Hazrat Musa:
أَمْ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْ هَٰذَا الَّذِي هُوَ مَهِينٌ وَلَا يَكَادُ يُبِينُ
“Nay, I am better than this fellow who is despicable and can scarcely express himself clearly” (CH 43 V 53)
The people of Prophet Shu’aib also made mockery of him.
وَإِنَّا لَنَرَاكَ فِينَا ضَعِيفًا
“We see that thou art weak among us” (Ch 11 V 92)
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قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ لَكَ وَاتَّبَعَكَ الْأَرْذَلُونَ
“They say shall we believe thee, when it is the meanest that follow thee” (Ch 26 V 113)
The problem with you and those like you is that you possess information, not knowledge. Knowledge gives birth to wisdom, and wisdom gives birth to essence and philosophy, which leads to true fear of Allah the Almighty.
Allah the Almighty states that:
إِنَّمَا يَخْشَى اللَّهَ مِنْ عِبَادِهِ الْعُلَمَاءُ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ غَفُورٌ
“Only those of His servants who possess knowledge fear Allah. Verily, Allah is Mighty, Most Forgiving.” (Ch 35 V 29).
Moreover, fluency in Arabic language doesn’t mean that one has a grasp of the in-depth true understanding of Islamic teachings or being a dervish in the sight of Allah.
Allah the Almighty further states in the Holy Qur’an:
إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِي
“Verily, the most honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All-knowing, All-Aware.” (Ch 49 V 14)
Your statement regarding the respected amir and the allegation that we don’t believe in Muhammad exposes your ignorance. If you truly possessed knowledge, you would not determine religious knowledge based on the ability to speak Arabic.
It’s so unfortunate and misleading that from your video you made an unfounded allegation that Ahmadi Muslims do not believe in the prophethood of the Holy Prophet Muhammad which is a complete lie and fabrication.
Cheap fame through spread of disinformation and unsubstantiated allegations
Mr Fakebba Ceesay and like-minded so-called scholars of his type should have fear of God in not lying because the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet strictly admonish Muslims against lying.
In Surah an-Nahl, chapter 16, verse 106, Allah the Almighty states:
إِنَّمَا يَفْتَرِي الْكَذِبَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللّهِ وَأُوْلـئِكَ هُمُ الْكَاذِبُونَ
“It is only those who do not believe in the Signs of Allah, that forge falsehood, and they it is who are the liars.”
The Holy Prophet Muhammad said:
كَفَى بِالْمَرْءِ كَذِبًا أَنْ يُحَدّثَ بِكُلّ مَا سَمِعَ
“A reason sufficient to determine an individual’s dishonesty is that he begins forwarding the narrations he hears without investigation.” (Sahih Muslim, Muqaddamatul-Mu’allif, Bab an-nahyi ‘anil-hadithi bi kulli ma sami‘a, Hadīth 7)
In another place, the Holy Prophet said:
الا وقول الزور… الا وقول الزور
“O Ye! Pay heed! O Ye! Pay heed! After them, the greatest of sins is to tell a lie.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab ash-shahadat, Bab ma qila fi shahadati z-zuri, Hadith 2654; Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-adab, Bab ‘uquqi l-walidaini min al-kaba’iri, Hadith 5976)
What is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at belief on the Holy Prophet Muhammad?
The Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at writes regarding his belief in the Holy Prophet Muhammad as the seal of prophets.
‘The charge advanced against me and my jama‘at [community], that we do not believe in the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Seal of Prophets, is altogether false. The strength, certainty, comprehension and insight with which we acknowledge and believe in the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) as the Seal of the Prophets, cannot even be dreamed of by the other Muslims; they do not have the capacity to comprehend the reality and the mystery comprised in the Seal of Prophethood. They have merely heard an expression from their ancestors but they are unaware of its importance and do not know what it signifies and what is meant by believing in it. But we believe with full comprehension—and God Almighty knows this well—that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Seal of the Prophets. God Almighty has disclosed the reality of the Seal of Prophethood in such a manner that we derive special delight from its contemplation which cannot be conceived of by anyone except those who have drunk deep at this fountain.’ (Malfuzat, Volume 1, Pages 342, 1984 Edition)
The like of such charlatan scholars are only good at diving from relevant arguments which should be who has the better understanding of true Islamic teachings as having been brought to us by the Holy Prophet Muhammad.
Muhammad Mbaye is a (muballigh) missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, The Gambia.
