Does anybody have the right to declare another a non-Muslim?

Question:
As Holy Prophet Muhammad (sws) is the last Prophet to be given Shariah or to receive revelation from God through Jibrail, what is the status of Messiah / Jesus to come? Will they be Prophets? The Ahmadies believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (follower of Prophet Muhammad (sws) in all respects), is only a Messiah - a prophet without Shariah. Does this belief debar them from being Muslims? Can the Political Assembly (with a doubtful knowledge of religion and not practising muslims) declare a person non-Muslim when he declares that he believes in one God, Prophet Muhammad (sws), the Qur'an and
say prayers in the way laid out in the Qur'an and Sunnah, and is a practising Muslim?

Response:
The question of believing in a prophet is not just confined to the possibility of receiving Shari'ah from Him. A prophet is the embodiment of the will of God in this world. What he presents as Deen is the ultimate message of God. In case there is a Shari'ah already present, he can modify it by letting people know that God has so willed, or can tell people that some part of the Shari'ah has been lost or changed and therefore needs to be revived. Moreover, a living prophet is the person to look to for
proper realization of the purpose of the Shari'ah. If a living prophet cannot do all this during his lifetime for the people he communicates with directly, what purpose then is he serving?

Prophethood in all senses has come to a climax and conclusion after prophet Muhammad, alaihissalaam (Qur'an; 33:40). There is no mention of any prophet coming after him in the Qur'an, the last and fully preserved book of God. There is no mention of the possibility of Jesus coming back to this world in the Qur'an nor the possibility of anyone else coming to this world with God's message. If there was someone to come, it should have been mentioned in the Qur'an. In fact, if carefully read, the Qur'an seems to be negating the possibility of the return of Jesus Christ, alaihissalaam.

Given the understanding mentioned above, I believe the understanding of the Ahmadis is incorrect.

Even though most of the members of the parliament may have very little knowledge of religion, they still are the only competent authority who can decide important matters about the citizens of the country they are representing. They would consult the scholars on an issue relevant to religion and would decide what should be the law in matters under
discussion. If they go wrong, the next parliament can correct their decision. If this process has been ailed with corruption then there is something wrong with the society which should be reformed through education. However, the process of legislation should remain the same. So long as the decision of a parliament is a law, every citizen is bound to respect and follow it. If someone disagrees, he should find a different country to live in.

The decision of the parliament doesn't necessarily mean that what has been decided is the verdict of the Almighty. It only means that a certain society has decided in its judgment that a certain group of people were non-Muslims. The Almighty will decide the fate of everyone on the basis of His supreme attributes and no injustice shall be allowed to happen to anyone.

The decision of the parliament regarding Ahmadis says that they were non-Muslims. It doesn't say that they were Kafir. I seek refuge in God Almighty from the times when religious scholars start deciding about the faith of individuals and groups in a society. If they were given the authority to do so, then everyone would be a non-Muslim in the eyes of most Muslim groups other than the people belonging to their own
religious group.

Having said all that, I have a feeling that the decision of the parliament hasn't helped. It wasn't necessary in the first place. There are many other Muslim groups whose views are not acceptable to the majority of Muslims of Pakistan and yet they haven't been declared non-Muslims. I believe, we have gained less and lost more on account of the decision of the parliament. Ahmadis have, by and large, either left the country or have gone underground as far as their religious activities are concerned. We have thus lost the opportunity of inviting them to the point of view we believe is correct.

There has been another downside of this decision. The Muslims have, generally speaking, become more emotional and less academic in their approach. There is no empathy in us for people belonging to the other religious. The sympathetic relationship which a human should have with a fellow human has given way to hatred for no serious reason. Thus, many of the good virtues of religion have been eroded due to the attitude that has emerged as result of the decision against the Ahmadis. May the Almighty enable us to see the right path.

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