HADHRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD OF QADIAN,
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND IMAM MAHDI (as)
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi of the Latter Days. He was born on February 13, 1835 in Qadian, India. He was born a twin. His birth was preceded by the birth of a baby sister who died within a few days. There is a reported prediction of the famous saint and scholar Hadhrat Muhiyuddin Ibn ‘Arabi that the Promised Messiah would be born a twin.
Mirza Ghulam Murtadha , the father of Hadhrat Ahmad, was a chieftain of the Punjab and principal landowner of the village of Qadian. His father had been entitled to a seat at the durbars of the Mogul emperor, and this was continued for him under the Sikh and British governments. He also owned houses in other towns. This did not imply riches, but it did mean servants and a recognized position of authority. It also meant that Ahmad was taught at home by various tutors.
The family was of noble descent, as it normally meant that it was descended from a successful warrior. Around the year 1530, Mirza Hadi Beg, a central Asian chieftain of Persian descent, moved out of Samarkand and, accompanied by his family and about 200 retainers, entered the Punjab and settled down in an open area in the district of Gurdaspur, about 70 miles East of Lahore. There he founded a walled and fortified village which he named Islampur. Mirza Hadi Beg was a descendant of the uncle of the famous Amir Taimur and, as a scion of the royal family, which had founded the Mogul Empire, he was granted an estate of several hundred villages and appointed judge, or Qadhi , of the surrounding district. Islampur , the village he had founded, came to be known as Islampur Qadhi . In course of time the word "Islampur" was dropped and the village was called Qadhian . This later became Qadian. (Ahmad the Guided One, Iain Adamson, pp17-18)
Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi was born to a noble family in Qadian, India. From an early age he had a keen interest in religion. He was also known for his honesty, friendliness and resolve. Over time his knowledge and understanding of religion and its application to society deepened. Being a Muslim it was his firm belief that all religions were true at their source but with the passage of time had drifted away from their original teachings; he upheld the dignity of religion and demonstrated its relevance to everyone.
His earnest defence of religion was ultimately blessed when he started to receive direct revelation from Allah – a blessing that he received for the rest of his life.
His mission was to revitalise the truth that all religions held within them and to revive the teachings of Islam. It was through this that he would bring mankind together and establish everlasting peace.
Hadhrat Ahmad(as) had established himself as a respected writer and had written over 80 books. His writings have been translated into more than 60 languages and continue to inspire readers to this day. One of his greatest scholarly works was The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, prepared as a paper and read out at the Conference of Great Religions in 1896. He also wrote a fascinating treatise in 1899 entitled Jesus in India, a book that uncovered remarkable evidence of Jesus (as) journey to India. In 1902 the Promised Messiah initiated The Review of Religions which has covered a vast array of topics on religion, philosophy and contemporary issues of the day. It is the longest running English magazine in defence of Islam and the values it teaches.
People joining his community reflected his success in conveying the truth of Islam. From 1889 until the time of his demise in 1908 tens of thousands of people accepted him. This blessing has continued and will continue through his Khalifas (successors).
Currently under the fifth successor, we are seeing that the tide of acceptance is worldwide and that the message of Prophet Ahmad has really reached the ends of the earth.
