Br. Rationalist, I hope you don't mind if I drop in a quote from one of my favorite scholars of Islam?
"Regarding the 'Qadiani Problem'.
(Ok this one will be one of those controversial posts, so I guess let's get ready for the roller-coaster of comments and hate mail below.)
So I grew up in a typical Western-Pakistani environment, and from as far back as I can remember, I recall hearing how 'Qadianis' were behind each and every problem in Pakistan. This 'blame game' was prevalent in every socio-economic class. As a child, I remember hearing my father's otherwise highly educated friends lamenting what the Qadianis had done to their otherwise perfect land. Another time, in Madinah, I had a Pakistani plumber come over to fix something, and he was going on about how Qadianis had ruined the country and done all sorts of evil deeds. In another conversation, I discovered how Qadianis had always intended to bring about the downfall of the Ummah. And it goes on and on, and EVERY Pakistani knows what I'm talking about.
This type of talk is not only ludicrous, it's downright dangerous, as the sectarian violence in Pakistan, and now with the killing of this shopkeeper in Scotland, shows.
We need to be very clear and explicit here. When people go about persecuting and killing Qadianis, it actually becomes difficult for a theologian to speak accurately without riling up the masses on both sides. There ARE limits, theologically, to what a Muslim can believe. If someone carved out a statue of the ancient idol of Ba'al and began offering blood sacrifices to it as he prostrated and worshipped it, we can safely say that this action expels him from the fold of Islam. Similarly, if one chooses to believe that prophetic wahy continues to humans after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), we mainstream Muslims of the world would consider this to be a theological deviation of such great magnitude that the second kalima is effectively nullified, and hence anyone who believes such would not be considered a member of the religion of Islam.
But that is a separate issue to what should be done with Qadianis. Pakistan is a nation-state, and just as there are Christian Pakistanis and Hindu Pakistanis, there may be other types of Pakistanis who should be allowed to worship according to their beliefs and without any provocation or physical harm inflicted on them. Conspiracy theories are dangerous, and stigmatizing and blaming one group for all of the problems of that nation (or the world!) is asking for trouble and physical violence.
It is so easy to create a scape-goat. Hitler did it to the Jews. Trump and the Far Right are doing it to the Muslims. Why must we Muslims do the same unto others? The problems of Pakistan (and the Ummah) are not all linked to the Qadianis, and to believe this is in fact a part of the problem!
The bottom line, and let me be explicit here: can't we simply verbally state what we believe about Qadianis even as we teach people NOT to treat them any differently than they would people of other faiths?
These countries are not, by any stretch of the imagination, a type of Dar al-Islam.
You, O overzealous Muslim who claims to defend the honor of the Prophet (salla Allahy alayhi wa sallam) are not Abu Bakr al-Siddiq fighting during the Wars of Riddah.
The Qadiani you oppose is not Musaylama al-Kadhdhab in person.
And even in a pure Dar al-Islam, you singlehandedly would NEVER be allowed to take any law you believe in and implement it with your own hands.
So why all of this physical violence and blame-games? I can have an opinion that a group has deviated on some matters of theology (as is my opinion on Shi'ism), or is not within the fold of Islam (as is my opinion of Qadianis who believe Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to be a nabi), and STILL not physically harm them or believe in conspiracy theories about them. In fact, if I go to their shops I can actually smile as I engage in pleasantries while shopping and then wish them a good day before I leave. All of this is not relevant to my views that their beliefs might be incorrect, and I leave their ultimate judgment to Allah alone.
There, rant over. Let the games begin...
" - Sheikh Dr. Yasir Qadhi (from Facebook post)