PAKISTAN: A video of a bride denouncing the Ahmadi faith as part of the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (Finality of Prophethood) oath during her nikah (marriage) has been doing the rounds on social media, with activists expressing concerns over yet another step to target the already persecuted community.
Pakistan has no money, no electricity, no political stability, no international standing, crumbling health and education facilitiies, but as long as people can denounce the founder of the Ahmadi community and his followers before getting married all is right with the world. pic.twitter.com/RG5U10pulo
— Usman (@UsmanAhmad_iam) January 24, 2023
Last year, the Punjab government made it mandatory to include the oath of Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Finality of the Prophethood) in the marriage certificate form (Nikahnama). By swearing that they believe in the Finality of Prophethood, brides and grooms will swear that it is part of their faith that Muhammad is the last in a series of prophets that started with Adam, and that there can be no prophets after Muhammad.
پنجاب حکومت کے حکم پر نکاح نامہ میں ختم نبوت ﷺ کا حلف نامہ لازم قرار دے دیا گیا: pic.twitter.com/34kOgTjMuA
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) October 14, 2022
Shortly after his election, former Punjab Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi instructed all marriage registrars on July 30, 2022, to amend the marriage certificate form based on an ordinance of the previous Punjab administration. He declared that registrars who will allow persons who had not sworn the Finality of Prophethood affidavit to marry will go to jail.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1702386/updated-form-a-must-for-solemnising-nikah-in-punjab
Netizens have questioned the validity of nikkahs officiated before this requirement was instituted in Punjab.
What is the Status of old Nikahs where these words werent recited…do the Nikah still stand.? pic.twitter.com/3c1AoE1yj3
— Mahir Ahmad (@Mahir1786) December 24, 2022
The mandatory nature of this clause has also been called into question.
I have had my Nikkah in Lahore, Punjab. Filled the Nikkah form with my wife without the involvement of families and Nikkah khuwan. Weirdly there were no Ahmadi etc clauses in the Nikkah form and neither the Nikkah khwan asked us such questions at the time of Nikkah. https://t.co/8sY77z12A2
— Shaheer Ahmad (@Shaheer_Ahmad1) December 26, 2022
