After reciting the Tauz, the Tashahhud and the first chapter of the Holy Quran Imam Zafrullah Domun said:

Last week the caliph of the mainstream ahmadiyya Jamaat delivered his sermon about the subject of sin. I had the opportunity to read a summary of the speech and I have listened to some parts of it as well.  I should say that whatever he has said is pure Islamic teachings and I have nothing to say against it. On the contrary, I think that if the Ahmadis in Mauritius were to follow all the advices that he has given we will see a dramatic change in the attitude and the level of righteousness displayed in this Jamaat these days. It is quite unfortunate that this will be another speech whose message will enter into one ear and leave in the other for almost all Ahmadis. The fact is that in this speech the caliph has called for the cultivation of good moral qualities and a personal effort to be a good Ahmadi. And this is quite unpalatable to many.

By the Grace of Allah I have read many speeches of the first three caliphs and I have listened to almost all the speeches of the fourth caliph up till 2000.  As far as the fifth caliph is concerned I scan his speeches in Alfazl or I read their summaries. As far as I can remember most of what the actual caliph has said was previously said by almost all the caliphs. There is nothing wrong with this. We understand that at all times there should be the need to tell the people what is good and what is bad so that they might make the distinction. As far as these moral exhortations are concerned I think that they should be repeated for all generations to come. However we should also reflect whether the way we are instructing our new generation and passing our values to them are effective or not. We cannot continue to repeat what we have been doing in the past without taking stock whether what we are doing is giving us the expected results or not.

Unfortunately Jamaat Ahmadiyya system of administration is copied more or less on that of the Catholic Church. It is pyramidal. Such a system works well when the people that run the system are truthful, and have the moral honesty to accept their own mistakes and improve them. But unfortunately such people are rare even in Jamaat Ahmadiyya. It is true that Hazrat Masih Maood ^as was raised to produce such people. That was the reason why Jamaat Ahmadiyya was created. Members of this Jamaat are supposed to concern themselves with the cultivation of good moral qualities. Even today if you go about and enquire you will rarely meet an Ahmadi who will tell you that he always, under all circumstances speaks the truth. You will meet many who will tell you that they are very loyal to the caliph and that is why they will always follow the caliph’s instructions and punish those who they think should be punished by misbehaving towards them. But these are the same people who are not truthful at all. When they talk they lie. When they promise they do not deliver. They start fighting whenever there is an occasion. They commit innumerable sins and yet they will tell you “we are under khilafat”. As if being with a caliph gives them a passport to heaven and they can even disobey him and yet be an Ahmadi. Unless all Ahmadis adhere to truth and strive to understand the Holy Quran and the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as the system will not work and will not be able to deliver the expected output.

When I was the Amir of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Mauritius, a very close friend of mine who had studied modern management used to tell me that the Jamaat as a whole was not following good management principles. I remember that as a diehard pro-caliph, I told him that if the caliph thinks that such and such methods are good they should be good. But today belatedly I think that he was right in his thinking and I was wrong. Unfortunately at that time we held the caliphate in such awe that we really thought that he –the caliph-was working under divine guidance. But today by the Grace of Allah we have come to learn that such a situation was not always the case. In Islam there is no divine right of caliphs. If a caliph will be the personification of the will of Allah it will only be through his personal piety and nothing else. No one is given any additional right or privilege.  

Caliphs are human beings and they make mistakes. Some of their mistakes can have very bad consequences on the history of the Jamaat. Take the history of Jamaat Ahmadiyya in the 1950s. A missionary was sent to Mauritius from Rabwah with instructions from the then caliph to be the president of the Jamaat in Mauritius for some time. Being unaware of the local conditions the caliph wanted a new constitution to be registered for the Jamaat. This instruction created a lot of problems because some members of the then managing committee did not agree to this request. Eventually in 1954 these members were expelled from the Jamaat for not obeying the caliph. The rift between members of the Jamaat grew wider. Consequently two groups were formed; one was pro- the missionary and one was against him. After about six years of bickering  the matter was settled in court in December 1960 in favour of those who complained against the decisions of the then managing committee. The Jamaat regained its apparent unity around 1964 when all expelled members presented their apologies to the caliph. However this prolonged bickering has left an indelible bitter taste on many members of the Jamaat in Mauritius.  So much so that when we were expelled from the Jamaat in late 2000, some evil-minded and dark hearted persons began to say that the rebels are raising their head again.

For those who are interested to know what really happened in the 1950s they should read the judgment of the Supreme Court of Mauritius on this matter. It is quite an interesting reading. None of the parties were spared some adverse comments by the judges but the matter was decided in favour of the plaintiffs.

In the 1950s specific instructions were received from the centre to boycott the expelled group who were dubbed the “seceders.” The same thing has been done in our case. Even in court Maulana Fazle Ilahi Bashir, the missionary confirmed that those who were not obeying the caliph should be socially boycotted. And diehard Ahmadis did apply this instruction of their caliph with such a religious zeal that could be rivaled only by those who are doing the same today. In the time of the Holy Prophet^saw we know who boycotted whom. It was the polytheists who boycotted the monotheists. Today it is those who are bigoted and who have a myopic view of religion and Ahmadiyyat who are doing the same. Further I say that social boycott has nothing to do with Islam and I challenge anyone to prove the contrary. Those who have an understanding of religion do not degrade it by attributing to it ideas that are foreign to its spirit. The people of understanding who fear Allah are those who welcome the challenge to their ideas. They do not hide themselves within their ideological boundaries. Only the weak hearted content themselves with the religion of their fathers and adamantly refuse to examine their beliefs and feel comfortable within the walls of hatred that they have built around themselves. They may try to persuade others that they are emblems of “Love for all and hatred for none”. But those who know what goes on within the walls of hate know too well that love is absent!

But from the Holy Quran and the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as we understand that Jamaat Ahmadiyya will be preserved from degradation through divine intervention. Allah will preserve the founder’s teachings by raising people through revelation to walk on his steps and inform others about his teachings. But unfortunately one of the ill effects of  the system of caliphate that the Jamaat brags about is the attempt to prevent the carrying out of Allah’s intentions as spelled out by Hazrat Masih Maood^as.

If we read well the history of the Jamaat we will notice that the system of caliphate has not been able to stem degradation at all. First of all at the head we have heard many untrue statements about our number in the world. Secondly we have been told that Ahmadiyya Caliphate is the system that will go on until the end of time and no one will come from Allah. Thirdly if we examine the matter critically we see that those who are the torch bearers of Ahmadiyyat are inadequately prepared for that task. Anyone who knows what the standard of Islamic scholarship in the world is can easily understand that our missionaries are very poorly prepared to carry out the task of the propagation of Islam. They can make many paper Ahmadis. But not the true ones that Hazrat Masih Maood^as expected. Similarly take an Ahmadi who is above sixty years old. In Mauritius there are about one hundred of them. The Jamaat here is 95 years old. Try to check their level of knowledge and practice of Ahmadiyyat. Most of them you will see have never read a book of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as. In that regard their knowledge is zero. Now examine their behaviour.  You might see them resorting to the mosque five times daily but they cannot have a good relationship with either a neighbor or a distant sister or brother or even a near one. You might see them very eager to give advices to others but they forget their own selves. They will tell others to pray “Rabbana la tozigh qoloubana ba’da iz hadaytana wa hablana milladounka rahmatan innaka antal wahhaab” which means ‘Our Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow on us mercy from Thyself; surely, Thou alone art the Bestower,” but are they making the same prayer?

By the Grace of Allah, as a true follower of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as, I can say that many times Allah has revealed to me “Inna hodallahé howal hoda” which means “It is Allah’s guidance that is True Guidance”. Therefore I cannot reject what He tells me and accept what a mullah-minded person tells me to do. Several times Allah has drawn my attention to the following verse of the Holy Quran “Wa la enit taba’ta ahwaa’ahoum ba’dal lazi jaa’aka minal ilme maa lakoum menallahe miw waliyiw wa laa naseer” which means “And if thou follow their evil desires after the knowledge that has come to thee, thou shalt have, from Allah, no friend nor helper According to Hazrat Masih Maood^as the true believer should get such words of encouragement from Allah. We would be most glad to learn what Allah has told them. We are here ready to confront our ideas with anyone who thinks that he or she knows these matters better than what Allah has taught us. We will discuss with an open mind with a view to deepen our understanding. No one will find in us a fanatical adherence to illogical ideas and false beliefs. And you will never hear anyone amongst us say that we adhere to these ideas or beliefs because our father believed in them or because they have told us to believe thus. Yes you will hear us say that we hold these beliefs because this is our reading of the Holy Quran and our understanding of the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as. Now if anyone can prove the contrary we are all ears.

Advices and teachings without practice are worth nothing in the sight of Allah. The caliph and all Ahmadis should practice what they preach. But it is easier to preach than to practice. As far as I am concerned I strive to preach what I can practice. May Allah help all of us to understand the true meaning of Islam and to practice it in such a way to win the pleasure of Allah.