When I read the interview, I felt obliged to write a critique. Religion is a matter between man and his Creator. It is one of the most sensitive issues and therefore it should always be approached with sensitivity. It is wrong to use derogatory and insulting words against a people because they have differing views with you. Unfortunately, the statements of Abdoulie Fatty are in total contradiction to the Holy Qur’an and the matchless sunnah of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah Almighty be upon him). In this critique, I will do a surgical exploration of the statements. This piece is just a logical rebuttal of the unfounded statements. Let the reader pardon me for the occasional use of the second and third persons instead of sticking to one.
Abdoulie Fatty made mention of love for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and further said that an attempt to cheat the Prophet of one of his attributes constitutes contempt. I agree with him that it is wrong for a Muslim to deny an attribute of the Prophet. In fact to go against his teachings is unacceptable because he is the best teacher. I expected Fatty to follow the teachings of the Prophet (saw) in his statements if indeed he loves the Prophet.
Anyway, what I understand from his statement is that Ahmadis are trying to cheat the Prophet some of his attributes. However, let him know that the Ahmadis have an unwavering love for the Best of Creation (peace and blessings be upon him). Ahmadis absolutely believe that Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the greatest of the first and last inhabitants of the universe. He is the Mercy for Mankind and faith is incomplete without an unconditional love for him. The universe and its contents cannot outweigh his excellence. The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) has written in one of his poems
After the love of God, I am fully intoxicated in the love of Muhammad
If this is considered by shortsighted people to be disbelief,
then by God I am the greatest disbeliever.
As an Ahmadi, I will tell Abdoulie Fatty that if this kind of love for the Prophet (saw) is what he considers cheating and contempt, I am ready as an Ahmadi to be a cheat and show contempt for the rest of my life because after Allah Almighty, I shall always love the Seal of the Prophets Muhammad (saw) above everything else.
He also mentioned that Ahmadis are not Muslims and he likened them to Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul. Let Abdoulie Fatty know that he or no one has any right to decide the faith or Islam of anyone. That is the jurisdiction of Allah Almighty alone. I would say that, in fact, it is he who is guilty of cheating and contempt, (which he mentioned with regards to love for the Prophet) by assuming a responsibility that belongs to only Allah Almighty. It is Allah Almighty alone Who knows what lies in the heart of a person; a human being can only judge based on what he observes or hears. Ahmadis say they are Muslims and they practice Islam, who is Abdoulie Fatty to state otherwise? Let Fatty provide me with any reference from the Holy Qur’an and the authentic sayings of the Prophet of Islam that mentions that if anyone does such and such thing or believes such and such thing, he is a kafir, and that Ahmadis have fallen prey to such beliefs and practices thus justifying their Kufr. It is not your statement I need but the statement of the man I love more than any human being and I am ready to accept his judgment on anything. Please, kindly furnish me his statement on what I have just requested from you.
He was implying that he knew what lies in the hearts of Ahmadis by saying that their declarations of kalmia shahadah should not mislead people because Abdullah bin Ubayy bin Salul “used to pray behind the Prophet but Allah says he is in the lowest depths of hell.” You have made it clear that it was Allah who informed the Prophet that bin Salul was a hypocrite; the Prophet did not say it of his own accord. Who informed him of the hypocrisy of Ahmadis that they declare one thing with the tongue and affirm another in the heart? Was it Allah who informed him? Is he a recipient of revelation? If no, then he is just a wishful thinker who just makes baseless accusations. Remember that according to the Prophet (saw), two of the qualities of a hypocrite are that whenever he speaks, he tells lies and whenever he argues, he uses foul words. Then, tell me whose hypocrisy the Prophet (saw) has authenticated.
Another statement he made was, “Even in Pakistan they are referred to as non-Muslim minority which shows they are not Muslims”. What a naive statement from a man who claims that Islamic propagation is his farm! Has Allah appointed Pakistan the judge to decide who a Muslim is? Why is Abdoulie Fatty assigning divine authority to a worldly government? Is that the propagation of Islam? Abdoulie Fatty, I as an Ahmadi, like every Ahmadi, do not care what a worldly government declares about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, all I care about is to be on the favourable side of Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). If he truly loves the Prophet (peace be upon him), then he should do the same instead of showing him ‘contempt’ by giving preference to the declarations of a worldly government to his declarations. According to the Prophet (saw) whoever declares that he is a Muslim, then that person must be counted among Muslims. You are in essence saying that the Prophet (saw) is wrong (God forbid) and the Pakistani government is right. What an insult to the Prophet (saw)!!! Please, let him respect the Prophet’s (saw) sayings and base his statements on them if he is as true a Muslim as he is claiming.
Remember that wherever a government assumes divine authority and becomes the judge of people’s faith, there is disorder and chaos. Pakistan (the country he always refers to) is a typical example. You are advocating that Ahmadis should be banned in The Gambia because “even in Pakistan” they are banned. The declarations and counter-declarations of one religious group against another have made Pakistan one of the most dangerous countries as far as peaceful co-existence is concerned. It was all started by mullahs like him preaching hate messages. It is the same he is propagating not just against Ahmadis but also against all other groups that do not buy his view of religion. So, he wants to see the body of our dear country cut into pieces, like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and other countries where extremism is rife. So is this his idea of “Islamic propagation”? Please, Mr Fatty, where do you have the authority for that? Creating disorder! Well, remember that my beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) accurately describes fitna-monger scholars as “Their scholars shall be the worst of creatures under the canopy of the heavens. Fitna (disorder) shall emanate from them and to them shall it return” (mishkat). Mr. Fatty, based on your statements, these words fit you perfectly. So while you are bent on creating disorder, do not forget the second part of the statement because my Master’s (saw) words are always fulfilled—to them it (the fitna) will return.
Still on the issue of banning Ahmadis in The Gambia, there are things you must know. I do not know whether you are a Gambian. If you are then advocate peace for the country not violence. The second thing is that you are not more Gambian (if at all you are) than any Gambian Ahmadi. We are rightful citizens of this country and law-abiding. We, like any other person, have the right to practice our faith as enshrined in the Gambian constitution which states, “Everyone shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice”, Section 25 (1) (c). As far as our faith is concerned, we stand firmer than a mountain. We shall never resort to violence or the preaching of hate messages like you are doing but mark these words that even if we are burnt alive or cut into pieces our resolve and determination in our faith shall NEVER, and I mean NEVER, dwindle a bit. “Force can bend heads but not minds; sword can win territories but not hearts”. Religion is a metamorphosis of hearts therefore, in whichever heart it is entrenched, no one can uproot it. You are too small a man to overcome Ahmadiyyat; it is larger than you and whoever may be supporting you. Ahmadiyyat came to The Gambia when you were not born (or you must have been very small) and it has existed in the world for a century and a quarter. People more powerful than you, organisations and governments have fought and are always fighting against it but they have always failed miserably. What has Pakistan gained from condemning Ahmadis as a non-Muslim minority? Fatty, you have always failed and you will always fail in your struggle against Ahmadiyyat.
Who made you a custodian of the “farm” of Islam? Self-appointed custodian? “They are using the name of Islam and we will never let that continue,” as if Islam is your personal property “and we will never sit idly watching while pests destroy our farm. Islamic propagation is our farm and we will always seek to protect it.” Kudos to your religious myopia! Brother, you do not own Islam. I do not own it either. It is the religion of Allah Ta’ala. Anyone who has the desire to follow and practice it, has the inalienable right to do so. We do not need your approval because you ABSOLUTELY have no authority in this case. Repeating your statement, I will emphatically tell you that individual Ahmadis like me “will never sit idly watching while” you go about slandering us and misinforming people about us, although we will always do it with hikmah and mau’izah hasanah. You have been doing it for seventeen years. It is time noble Gambians know what and who you really are. Your farm, indeed! Because you exploit it to survive.
You have also mentioned that Ahmadis are always in pursuit of fitna wherever they go. Your interview with The Standard is enough evidence of your insatiable desire for fasaada and fitna. You mentioned Mamut Fana out of the numerous places where Ahmadiyyat is established in The Gambia. Why did you mention a new Ahmadiyya establishment? It is simply because you cannot cite any example of fitna from the Ahmadis in the 64 years existence of the jama’at in The Gambia. You want the Gambian people to know your role in the fasaada in Mamut Fana? Well, since you have exposed yourself, the Gambian people shall soon know your role in creating disorder in Mamut Fana. Your fitna in Sare Ngai is also not a secret where an Ahmadi mosque was demolished in the compound of an Ahmadi and the Ahmadi Ustaz with some other young men were arrested and sent to Janjangbureh prisons for just practising their inalienable right of the freedom to practice their faith. Let every factfinder find for himself because it is not a matter of the past but the present. If you want to be exposed more, keep castigating Ahmadis.
You further said, “If death befalls their family member who is not an Ahmadi they do not observe funeral prayer for them. Even if it is their own father they will never pray for him.” What an irony! You blew hot that Ahmadis are not Muslims and then blew cold that they do not join the funeral services of other Muslims. What a contradiction! According to your belief, Ahmadis have every right not to join the funeral service of you and your ilk because you categorised them non-Muslims. Why are you bewailing somebody’s not joining you and your ilk in funeral services after declaring that person as someone who should not pray? That shows your true nature – an entity of contradictions and ironies. This is not a place for me to go in-depth to explain why we do not join others in salat. I will do that at the right occasion. I am just giving a logical response to your outrageous statements.
You mentioned the statement that according to the Prophet there will be 73 sects in Islam and all will be hell-bound except one. When the Prophet was asked who the right party would be he responded, ‘maa ana alaihi wa ashaabi’, (those who will be on what me and my Companions are on). That means the 72 will be different but there is one thing common to them (they will be hell-bound; following the wrong tract). All sects come together as one (72 in one) and declare Ahmadis as kafir. That convinces me that I am in that right sect identified by the prophet. If Imam Fatty tells me that he does not belong to any sect, then the prophetic declaration would make him a kafir because he (the prophet) had said that the ummah would be divided. So, if you are not in any of the divisions, then you are not an ummati (follower).
It is very clear that the ultimate objective of mindsets like you is the attainment of political power through creating disorder. You are more of a political tool than a doctrinal force. You want to gain political power by controlling governments by first of all inciting them against sections of society, then infiltrating the governments and ultimately make them bow down to you. If that does not work, you resort to violence and terror like it is happening in Iraq and Syria (the ISIL) and Afghanistan. Let me not forget the Boko Haram in Nigeria. You do all this in the name of Islam. Violence has no room in Islam. The sheer beauty of Islamic teachings conquers the hearts; not terror. May Allah protect The Gambia from your evil incitements. You are the same brand like those Mullahs in the above mentioned countries. But you shall never fool the enlightened Gambians. I will pray that Allah Almighty may guide and protect The Gambia from the fitna and fasaada of firebrand Mullahs. Ameen.
NB: This is my individual response as an Ahmadi to the comments of Abdoulie Fatty.
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