![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/86/19/b3f98e3b18f256a1d095d719bd32_grande.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/14/64/d4fa28c8cd4b5cb053b32086884b_grande.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/2b/12/a970b42162297a6019b90586bd0b_grande.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/da/08/5fdd533b6b2a238677b3480c50a8_grande.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/15/f3/fa7c2243c44a9667397e4634970e_grande.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
At the end of the 19th century, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian proclaimed himself to be the “Reformer of the age” (Mujaddid), Promised Messiah and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims and obtained a considerable number of followers especially within the United Provinces, the Punjab and Sind. He and his followers claim that his advent was foretold by Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, and also by many other religious scriptures of the world. In 1889, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad laid down the foundation of his community, which was later given the name of “Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at”. Ahmadiyya emerged in India as a movement within Islam, also in response to the Christian and Arya Samaj missionary activity that was widespread in the 19th century.
Soon after the death of the first successor of Ghulam Ahmad, the movement split into two groups over the nature of Ghulam Ahmad’s prophethood and his succession. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believed that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had indeed been a “non-law-bearing” prophet and that mainstream Muslims who categorically rejected his message were guilty of disbelief in Islamic prophecies. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, however, affirmed the traditional Islamic interpretation that there could be no prophet after Muhammad and viewed itself as a reform movement within the broader Ummah. The question of succession was also an issue in the split of the Ahmadiyya movement. The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement believed that an Anjuman (body of selected people) should be in charge of the community. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, however, maintained that Caliphs (successors of Ghulam Ahmad) should continue to take charge of the community and should be left with the overall authority.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has established centers in 195 countries and states that its membership is in the tens of millions, while the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement states it is established in 17 countries of the world.
Overseas Ahmadiyya missionary activities started at an organised level as early as 1913 (the UK mission in Putney, London). For many modern nations of the world, the Ahmadiyya movement was their first contact with the proclaimants from the Muslim world. The Ahmadiyya movement is considered by some historians as one of the precursors to the African-American Civil Rights Movement in America. According to some experts, Ahmadiyya were “arguably the most influential community in African-American Islam” until the 1950s.
The Ahmadiyya faith claims to represent the latter-day revival of the religion of Islam. Today, the Ahmadiyya community has a presence in 195 countries , and in every country but Pakistan, they are legally identified as Muslims. In Pakistan they are prohibited by law from self-identifying as Muslims.
The Ahmadiyya movement was founded in 1889, but the name Ahmadiyya was not adopted until about a decade later. In a manifesto dated November 4, 1900, Ghulam Ahmad explained that the name did not refer to himself but to Ahmad, the alternative name of the prophet Muhammad. According to him, ‘Muhammad’, which means ‘the most praised one’, refers to the glorious destiny, majesty and power of the prophet who adopted the name from about the time of the Hegira; but ‘Ahmad’, an Arabic elative form which means ‘highly praised’ and also ‘comforter’, stands for the beauty of his sermons, for the qualities of tenderness, gentleness, humility, love and mercy displayed by Muhammad, and for the peace that he was destined to establish in the world through his teachings. According to Ghulam Ahmad, these names thus refer to two aspects or phases of Islam and in later times it was the latter aspect that commanded greater attention.
Accordingly, in Ghulam Ahmad's view, this was the reason that the Old Testament prophesied a Messenger ‘like unto Moses’ referred to as Mohammad, while according to the Qur'an, Jesus foretold of a messenger named Ahmad.
In keeping with this, he believed, his object was to defend and propagate Islam globally through peaceful means, to revive the forgotten Islamic values of peace, forgiveness and sympathy for all mankind and to establish peace in the world through the spiritual teachings of Islam. He believed that his message had special relevance for the Western world, which, he believed, had descended into materialism.
Ahmadiyya shares beliefs with Islam in general, including belief in the prophethood of Muhammad, reverence for historical prophets, belief in the oneness of God (tawhid). They accept the Qur'an as their holy text, face the Kaaba during prayer, accept the authority of Hadiths (reported sayings of and stories about Muhammad) and practice the Sunnah.
Central to the Ahmadiyya is the belief in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. Ahmadis emphasize the implementation of the Kalima (the fundamental creed of Islam) as essentially linked with the Islamic principles of the rights of God (Arabic: Haqooq-Allah) and the rights of His creation (mankind) (Arabic: Haqooqul-Ibād).
Ahmadis believe that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was divinely commissioned as a true reflection of Muhammad's prophethood to establish the unity of God, remind mankind of their duties towards God and God's creation, to emphasize both aspects of religion which Ahmadis believe is the need of the present age. As such Ahmadis hold that Ghulam Ahmad was the representative and spiritual readvent of all previous prophets. From the Ahmadiyya perspective, the Christians have erred with regards to the rights of God in that they have attributed divine status to a mortal human, and it is on this account that in Islamic eschatology the promised reformer has been named the Mahdi (the "Guided One"—a title meaning one who is naturally guided and is an heir to all truths and in whom the attribute of "guide" of the Almighty is fully represented). Ahmadis also hold that the Muslims have erred with regard to the rights of creation for they, unjustly raising the sword and calling it Jihad, have misunderstood the concept and purpose of jihad in Islam; it is on this account that he has been called the Isa Messih ("Jesus the Messiah")—a term which relates to his function in re-establishing the rights of people by reforming their distorted, violent notion of "Jihad" just as Jesus Christ came principally to reform the hearts and attitudes of the Jewish nation.
Giving precedence to faith over worldly pursuits is also a fundamental principle in Ahmadiyya teachings with emphasised relevance to the present age of materialistic prevalence.
Ahmadis have been subject to various forms of persecution since the movement's inception in 1889. The Ahmadiyya faith emerged from the Sunni tradition of Islam and its adherents believe in all the five pillars and articles of faith required of Muslims. The Ahmadis are active translators of the Qur'an and proselytizers for the faith; converts to Islam in many parts of the world first discover Islam through the Ahmadis. However, in many Islamic countries the Ahmadis have been defined as heretics and non-Muslim and subjected to persecution and often systematic oppression.
The book Who Are Qadyanes?, written by Indian Islamic scholar Maulana Yousuf Ludyanvi, explains in detail the mainstream Muslim view of the Ahmadis.
Ahmadis are not allowed to sit on the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, a body of religious leaders that India's government recognises as representative of Indian Muslims.
In a 2005 survey in Pakistan, pupils in private schools of Pakistan expressed their opinions on religious tolerance in the country. The figures assembled in the study reflect that even in the educated classes of Pakistan, Ahmadis are considered to be the least deserving minority in terms of equal opportunities and civil rights. In the same study, the teachers in these elite schools showed an even lower amount of tolerance towards Ahmadis than their pupils.
28 May 2010 saw the worst single incident of violence against Ahmadis to date (see: May 2010 Lahore attacks), when several members of an extremist religious group (allegedly Tehrik-e-Taliban Punjab) entered two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore, opened fire, and three of them later detonated themselves. In total, the attacks claimed the lives of 95 people and injured well over 100. The members were gathered in the mosques attending Friday services.
Mainstream Muslims do not accept this claim, and do not believe Ghulam Ahmad to have fulfilled the prophecies about the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. According to mainstream Muslims, Ghulam Ahmad's failure to establish a perfect worldwide Muslim government invalidates his claim to be the promised Mahdi and Messiah and hence he is seen as a false prophet. The Muslim World League held its annual conference at Mecca, Saudi Arabia from 14th to 18th of Rabiul Awwal 1394 H (April 1974) in which 140 delegations of Muslim countries and organizations from all over the world participated. At the conference, the League issued a declaration that the Ahmadiyya movement is outside the fold of Islam.
Both Ahmadi movements are considered non-Muslims by the Pakistan government, and have this fact recorded on their travel documents. By contrast, Ahmadi citizens from Western countries and other moderate Muslim nations perform Hajj and Umra, as the Saudi government is not made aware that they are Ahmadis when they apply for a visa. A court decision has upheld the right of Ahmadiyyas to identify themselves as Muslims in India.
As the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement’s view regarding Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s status as a Prophet is closer to traditional Islamic thought, the literature published by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement has found greater acceptance among the Muslim intelligentsia.
Some mainstream Muslims group both Ahmadi movements together and refer to them as “Qadianis”, and their beliefs as “Qadianism” (after the small town of Qadian in the Gurdaspur District of Punjab in India, where the movement's founder was born). However most, if not all, Ahmadis of both sects dislike this term as it has acquired derogatory connotations over the years and furthermore they prefer to differentiate their two separate movements. Most mainstream Muslims will not use the term “Muslim” when referring to Ahmadis, even though both sects refer to themselves as such, citing the fatwas given by the Islamic scholars. However, as members of Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement deny the prophethood of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, some orthodox Islamic Scholars consider the Lahore Ahmadiyya to be Muslims. In earlier times in Pakistan and India, there was widespread persecution of Ahmadis by certain Muslim groups. Sporadic violence as well as persecution of a more subtle nature against Ahmadis continues even today.
The Ahmadiyya teachings also interpret the prophecies regarding the appearance of the Dajjal (Anti-Christ) and Gog and Magog in Islamic eschatology as foretelling the emergence of two branches or aspects of the same turmoil and trial that was to be faced by Islam in the latter days and that both emerged from Christianity or Christian nations. Its Dajjal aspect relates to deception and perversion of religious belief while its aspect to do with disturbance in the realm of politics and the shattering of world peace has been called Gog and Magog. Thus Ahmadis consider the widespread Christian missionary activity that was 'aggressively' active in the 18th and 19th centuries as being part of the prophesied Dajjal (Antichrist) and Gog and Magog emerging in modern times. The emergence of the Soviet Union and the USA as superpowers and the conflict between the two nations (i.e., the rivalry between communism and capitalism) are seen as having occurred in accordance with certain prophecies. This has also proven controversial with most Christians. Freeland Abbott observed in his book Islam and Pakistan:
Only two leaders are recognized by both branches:
Leaders recognized by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, referred to as Khulafa or Caliphs'' (Successors):
Leaders recognized by the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam, referred to as Emirs:
;Persecution
Category:Islam in India Category:Schisms in Islam Category:Religious organizations established in 1889 Category:1889 establishments in India Category:Islam in Pakistan Category:Islam in Bangladesh Category:Islam in Indonesia
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| Caption | President of IRF |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Zakir Abdul Karim Naik |
| Birth date | October 18, 1965 |
| Birth place | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Education | Kishinchand Chellaram College |
| Alma mater | University of Mumbai |
| Occupation | President of Islamic Research Foundation, Orator, Public speaker |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Boards | Islamic Research Foundation |
| Religion | Islam |
| Influenced by | Ahmed Deedat |
| Spouse | Farhat Zakir Naik |
| Website | IRF.net PeaceTV |
Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (Urdu: ذاکر عبدالکریم نائیک; born 18 October 1965) is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which is a non-profit organization that owns Peace TV channel based in Mumbai, India. A prominent Muslim figure in the Muslim world, Naik is also a public speaker and a writer on the subject of Islam and other comparative religion.
Naik originally began his career as a medical doctor, having attained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Mumbai. After being inspired by Ahmed Deedat, Naik began part-time and later switching to a full-time career by giving Islamic speeches to the public.
Naik says he was inspired by the late Ahmed Deedat, who had been active in the field of Da'wah for more than 50 years. According to Naik, his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated", He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam, to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States. Some of his articles are also published in magazines like the Islamic Voice.
Anthropologist Thomas Blom Hansen has written Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "Islam and secularism".
Apart from IRF, Naik is also the founder and chairman of the Islamic International School (IIS), Mumbai. He is also the founder of Peace TV Network.
Naik also stated that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He cited an article by Edward Said published in the Time magazine, which said that 60,000 books about Islam and the Orient have been written between 1800 and 1950 alone.
In a lecture at Melbourne University, Naik argued that only Islam gave women true equality. He stressed the importance of the headscarf by arguing that the more "revealing Western dress" makes women more susceptible to rape.
On 21 January 2006, Naik held an inter-religious dialogue with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The event was about the concept of God in Islam and Hinduism, the aim being to bring understanding between the two major religions of India, and at best to point out the commonalities between them. It was held in Bangalore, India with up to 50,000 attending at the Palace Grounds.
In a lecture delivered on 31 July 2008 on Peace TV, Naik stated, regarding 9/11: "it is a blatant, open secret that this attack on the Twin Towers was done by George Bush himself", to give Bush reason to attack and control oil-rich countries.
On 7 March 2010 Naik participated in a live discussion with Soha Ali Khan and others on a TV show We The People on NDTV.
During one of the lectures at the Peace Conference, Naik provoked anger among members of the Shia and Sunni communities, when he mentioned the words "Radiallah ta'la anho" (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of Yazid I and made remarks that the battle of Karbala was political. Others, however, believed the comment was blown out of proportion.
In November 2009, the IRF organized a 10-day international Islamic conference and exhibition titled 'Peace – the solution for humanity' at the Somaiya grounds in Mumbai. Lectures on Islam were presented by Naik as well as thirty other Islamic scholars from around the world.
In 2004, Naik visited New Zealand and then the Australian capital at the invitation of Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia. At his conference in Melbourne, senior Age writer and columnist Sushi Das commented that "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general", further criticizing that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice".
In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in Cardiff (UK) were the object of controversy, when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled. He argued that Naik was a 'hate-monger', and said his views did not deserve a 'public platform'; Muslims from Cardiff, however, defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him (Naik) know that he is one of the most uncontroversial persons you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions, and how should we work on the common ground between them", whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views. Khushwant Singh, a prominent Indian journalist, politician and author argues that Naik's pronouncements are "juvenile" and said that "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates, where contestants vie with each other to score brownie points". Singh disagreed with Naik's statement that "Western society claims to have uplifted women. On the contrary, it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses, and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketers". Singh wrote: "Dr. Naik, you know next to nothing about the Western society and are talking through your skull cap. People like you are making the Muslims lag behind other communities." Singh also noted that Naik's audiences "listen to him with rapt attention and often explode in enthusiastic applause when he rubbishes other religious texts".
The Shariah Board of America has also issued more than 20 fatwas against Naik on their website. They believe Naik has gone astray, as he is not a scholar and issues Islamic teachings without authority or any knowledge to do so, which is dangerous to Islam; "Naik is known for discussions on comparative religions. He is not a qualified Aalim of deen. His comments on fiqh have no merit. If it is true that he condemned the fiqh of the Imams, then that in itself is a clear indication of his lack of fiqh and understanding of Shariah. We have come across a fatwa from Darul Ifta Jamia Binnoria, Pakistan regarding Zakir Naik not being a certified Aalim of Deen. He should consult with Ulama in his endeavor of propagating deen."
In November 2008 the Lucknow-based cleric Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali issued a fatwa against Naik, describing Naik as a "Kafir" (non-believer) and stating in the fatwa, that Naik should be ex-communicated from Islam. He argued that "Naik is not an Islamic scholar. His teachings are against the Quran. In his speeches, he insults Allah and glorifies Yazeed, the killer of Imam Hussain", and that Naik had supported Osama bin Laden and called upon all Muslims to become terrorists. Naik, however, said that his speeches had been misquoted and that he was allegedly targeted by people with vested interests and said of the fatwa: "fatwas mean nothing. They should also issue fatwas against Imam Bukhari. Some clerics who have limited understanding of Islam are doing these things. It doesn't affect me". The All-India Sunni Board and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Foundation have also defended Naik.
During a question and answer session at Naik's lecture on May 29 on the Maldives, a 37-year old Maldivian citizen named Mohamed Nazim stood up and announced that he was struggling to believe in any religion and did not consider himself to be a Muslim. Nazim further asked what Naik's verdict would be under Islam and in the Maldives. Dr Naik responded that he considers the punishment for apostasy does not necessarily mean death, since Muhammed was reported in the Hadith scriptures on some occasion to have shown clemency towards apostates, but added that if a Muslim apostate speaks and propagates against Islam under Islamic Shari’a rule then the apostate should be put to death.
Naik believed that the Home secretary was making a "political decision and not a legal one". It was reported that Naik would attempt to challenge the ruling in the High court. His application for judicial review was dismissed on 5 November 2010.
Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Muslim scholars Category:Indian Muslims Category:Muslim apologists Category:Konkani Muslims Category:People from Mumbai Category:Indian religious leaders Category:University of Mumbai alumni Category:Personae non gratae
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
He traveled extensively across the subcontinent of India preaching his religious ideas and ideals and won a sizable following within his lifetime. He is known to have engaged in numerous debates and dialogues with the Muslim, Christian and Hindu priesthood and leadership. Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya movement on March 23, 1889. The mission of the movement, according to him, was the propagation of Islam in its pristine form.
Ghulam Ahmad authored around 80 books on various religious, spiritual and theological issues. He advocated a peaceful propagation of Islam and emphatically argued against the necessity of Jihad in its military (physical fighting) form in the present age. Travelling through Samarkand, they finally settled in the Punjab, India, where Mirza Hadi founded the town known today as Qadian during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Zaheer al-Din Babur. The family were all known as Mughals within the British governmental records of India probably due to the high positions it occupied within the Mughal empire and their courts. Mirza Hadi beg was granted a Jagir of several hundred villages and was appointed the Qadhi (judge) of Qadian and the surrounding district. According to the followers of Ahmad, for generations the descendants of Mirza Hadi held important positions within the Mughal empire and had consecutively been the chieftains of Qadian. Through his fore-mothers, Ghulam Ahmad claimed descent from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatimah Zahra.
From 1864 to 1868, upon his father's wishes, he worked as a clerk in Sialkot where he is said to have come in contact with Christian missionaries with whom he would have conversations on religion. After 1868 he returned to Qadian, as per his father’s wishes, where he was entrusted to look after some estate affairs. During all this time Ahmad was known as a social recluse because he would spend most of his time in seclusion studying religious books and praying in the local Mosque. As time passed, he began to engage more with the Christian missionaries, particularly in defending Islam against their criticism. He would often confront them in public debates, especially with the ones based in the town of Batala, about from Qadian in India.
Ghulam Ahmad claimed divine appointment as a reformer as early as 1882, but did not take any pledge of allegiance or initiation. In December 1888 Ahmad announced that God had ordained him that his followers should enter into a Bay'ah with him and pledge their allegiance to him. In January 1889 he published a pamphlet in which he laid out ten conditions or issues to which the initiate would abide by for the rest of his life. On 23 March 1889 he founded the Ahmadiyya community by taking a pledge from forty followers.
In Tazkiratush-Shahadatain he wrote about the fulfillment of various prophecies. In it he enumerated a variety of prophecies and descriptions from both the Qur'an and Hadith relating to the advent of the Mahdi and the descriptions of his age which he ascribed to himself and his age. These include assertions that he was physically described in the Hadith and manifested various other signs; some of them being wider in scope, such as focusing on world events coming to certain points, certain conditions within the Muslim community, and varied social, political, economic, and physical conditions.
He was accused of creating a new religion, a heretical act in Islam, which he repeatedly denied claiming only an Islamic revival and rejuvenation and that he was a Prophet within the Ummah and dispensation of Muhammad just as Jesus was a prophet within the dispensation of Moses.
Following his claim to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, one of his adversaries prepared a Fatwa (decree) of disbelief against Ahmad, declaring him a Kafir (disbeliever), a deceiver, a liar, and him and his followers to be permissible of being killed. This decree was taken all around India and was signed by some two hundred religious scholars.
Some years later a prominent Muslim leader and founder of the Barelwi sect, Ahmed Raza Khan was to travel to the Hejaz to collect the opinions of the religious scholars of Mecca and Medina. He compiled these opinions in his work Hussam ul Harmain (The sword of two sanctuaries on the slaughter-point of blasphemy and falsehood), in it Ghulam Ahmad was again labeled an apostate. The unanimous consensus of about thirty-four religious scholars was that Ghulam Ahmad’s Beliefs were blasphemous, tantamount to apostasy, and that he must be punished by imprisonment and if necessary by execution.
Eventually it was settled and Ahmad traveled to the Jama Masjid Delhi (main mosque) of Delhi accompanied by twelve of his followers, where some 5,000 people were gathered. Before the debate started there was a discussion on the conditions, which led to the conclusion that the debate should not be upon the death of Jesus, but upon the claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He explained that his claim could only be discussed after the death of Jesus was proven, for Jesus was considered by many to be living and the one who will descend to earth himself. Only when this belief was refuted could his claim to be the Messiah be discussed.
Upon this there was a clamor among the crowds, and Ahmad was informed that the other party alleged that he was at odds with Islamic beliefs and was a disbeliever, therefore it was not proper to debate with him unless he clarified his beliefs. Ahmad wrote his beliefs on a piece of paper and had it read aloud, but due to the clamor among the people it could not be heard. Seeing that the crowd was drifting out of control and that violence was imminent, the police superintendent gave orders to disperse the audience and the debate did not take place. A few days later however, a written debate did take place between Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Maulwi Muhammad Bashir of Bhopal which was later published.
Ghulam Ahmad is known to have traveled extensively across Northern India during this period of his life and having held various debates with influential religious leaders.
Ahmadis maintain that this prophecy was fulfilled in 1894/1895, about three years after Ghulam Ahmad proclaimed himself to be the Promised Mahdi and messiah, with the lunar and solar eclipse during the month of Ramadhan. Ghulam Ahmad declared that this was a sign of his truth, and was in fulfillment of the tradition or prophecy.
The occurrence has, however, faced some criticism, with critics of Ahmad asserting that this was a weak tradition with unreliable narrators, one which cannot be traced back to Muhammad himself, and that such eclipses have taken place before. Ahmadis however argue that such eclipses have never taken place as a sign for the truth of any person, and that this sign being mentioned in other religious scriptures such as the Bible and the Qur'an, and the fact that it actually took place while there was a claimant further enhances the reliability of the tradition.
According to the poster the commentaries were to be written within seven hours and in the presence of witnesses, without the assistance of a book or any person. An hour was to be given for preparation. The commentaries were to span at least 20 pages, purely in Arabic. After their completion and signatures by the contestants, they were to be read out to three learned persons for adjudication nominated and seen to by Meher Ali Shah. After listening to the two commentaries, the judges would pronounce on solemn triple oath which one was superior and written ‘with Divine endorsement’.
Pir Meher Ali Shah accepted the challenge to such a contest provided that first an oral debate take place between him and Ghulam Ahmad on the issue of his claims. Ghulam Ahmad refused to debate. Ahmad's followers claim that he had categorically vowed in Anjam-e-Atham not to engage in any more debates, as he judged them ineffective at convincing the religious clergy to reform (the reason why he had challenged Meher Ali Shah to such a decisive contest in the first place and not to a debate); rather he would invoke God for divine intervention by holding such contests or ‘prayer duels’ which he called ‘Ejazi-Muqabala’ or Miraculous contest between him and his opponents; primarily Christian missionaries and Muslim Scholars and divines.
Dowie declined the challenge, calling Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the “silly Mohammedan Messiah”.Ghulam Ahmad prophesied:
The challenge of "prayer duel" was made by Mirza in September 1902. Dowie died before Mirza, in March 1907. The Dictionary of American Biography states that after having been deposed during a revolt in which his own family was involved, Dowie endeavoured to recover his authority via the law courts without success and that he may have been a victim of some form of mania as he suffered from hallucinations during his last illness.
When the news of his claim reached India, Mufti Muhammad Sadiq, a disciple of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was informed of it and wrote to Pigott informing him of the claim of Ahmad and requesting more information about his own claim. Pigott did not reply directly but a letter was received from his secretary along with two advertisements one carrying the title 'The Ark of Noah'. When these advertisements and letter was read out in the presence of Ahmad he replied:
After having prayed about Pigott, Ahmad claimed to have seen in a dream 'some books on which was written three times: Holy, Holy, Holy' followed by a revelation:
Ahmad issued an advertisement forewarning Pigott of the “Punishment that awaits him” if he did not repent of his irreverent claim. Which is said to have been widely publicized in English Newspapers, it is said that thenceforth Pigott became silent and did not repeat his claim. He left London and retreated to a small village in Somerset, changed his name, seeking a life of anonymity and was defrocked by the Anglican Church following the birth of three sons from one of his many spiritual brides. He eventually died in March 1927. Ghulam Ahmad argued that this Hadith does not explain whether the minaret will be within the eastern side of Damascus or to the eastern side of the city. According to him this prophecy was fulfilled with his advent in Qadian a town situated to the east of Damascus and the significance of the minaret symbolic. The minaret according to him symbolised the spread of the 'light of Islam', its message reaching far and wide and the ‘supremacy of Islam’ which was to tower up as it were like a minaret in the time of the promised one. The prophecy is also believed to be pointing to an age of enlightenment and one where there are numerous facilities for communication and transport, thereby making conveyance and proselytising easier.This being reflective of the physical purpose that minarets were used in medieval Islamic societies, the efficient communication of the call to prayer to a wider audience in the locality. Ghulam Ahmad claimed that God had revealed to him:
In 1903 Ahmad laid the foundation of a Minaret to commemorate the prophecy. This according to him will represent the physical as well as spiritual aspects of Islam with a light and a clock fixed on its top symbolising the 'light of Islam' spreading far and wide and "so man will recognize his time", and a Muezzin to give the call to prayer five times a day symbolising an invitation to Islam. The construction of this minaret was completed in 1916 and has since become a symbol and distinctive mark in Ahmadiyya Islam
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad married twice. His first wife was his paternal cousin Hurmat Bibi. Later they separated and lived separately for a long time. At the time of his second marriage, Hurmat Bibi gave him the permission to live with the second wife and decided against a divorce.
#Mirza Sultan Ahmad(1853–1931) # Mirza Fazal Ahmad (1855–1904)
From his second wife Nusrat Jehan Begum ten children:
Five children who died in infancy: # Ismat(1886–1891) # Bashir (1887–1888) # Shaukat (1891–1892) # Mirza Mubarik Ahmad (1899–1907) # Amtul Naseer (1903-1903)
And five children who lived longer:
# Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad (1889–1965) # Mirza Bashir Ahmad (1893–1963) # Mirza Sharif Ahmad (1895–1961) # (Nawab) Mubarika Begum (1897–1977) # (Nawab)Sahiba Amtul Hafeez Begum (1904–1987)
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was criticized for his inadequate knowledge of the Arabic language. Subsequently he claimed to have been taught Arabic directly by God and that he received the knowledge of 40,000 Arabic roots from God in a single night. He wrote some 20 books in Arabic, and Urdu combined with Arabic, as well as poetry upon what he considered was divine direction. He wrote:
Ahmad challenged his critics and contemporary religious scholars to produce the like of his Arabic works with as much help as they wanted individually or collectively. After having been alleged to have hired some experts of the Arabic language to write those books, he gave them leave to call to their aid the learned men and divines of Arabia, Egypt and Syria whose mother-tongue was Arabic thereby extending his challenge to all Arabs and non-Arabs alike. According to Ahmadi sources no one took up this challenge and those who did, only sought to find fault with the works of Ghulam Ahmad and failed to produce any book. He also declared Arabic to be the mother of all languages (Ummul-Lisana) and the original tongue of mankind. This subject he dealt with in detail in his book Minanur-Rahman.
Although Ahmad stated:
Ahmad did go on to say however that such teaching of his was an
From this, Ahmadis argue that learning basic rules of Arabic grammar in the manner of a student learning a classical language at a young age cannot on its own lead to writing scores of books, delivering lectures and challenging the Arabic-speaking world, all successfully, fifty years later. Ahmadis conclude therefore that extra knowledge, above and beyond an "elementary education" is required to achieve such literary feats.
Followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad are considered non-Muslims in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and have faced relentless persecution of various types over the years. In 1974, the Pakistani parliament amended the Pakistani constitution to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims for purposes of the constitution of the Islamic Republic. In 1984, a series of changes in the Pakistan Penal Code sections relating to blasphemy were made, which, in essence, made it illegal for Ahmadis to preach their creed, leading to arrests and prosecutions. However, no one has been executed yet, even though it is allowed under the law.
In 2007 The Ahmadiyya were banned from practising their faith openly in the state of Belarus, and given a similar status to other banned religious groups in the country.
Relative to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, some mainstream Muslim opinion towards the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement has been more accepting, with the Lahore Ahmadiyya Literature finding easier compatibility with orthodox Muslims and some Orthodox Muslim scholars considering the members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement as Muslims. though the majority orthodox position of most Muslims with regard to this issue has not changed.
Due to the nature of his claims and teachings, he had been a subject of criticism throughout his life and has been ever since his death. He and his movement are still regarded by most Muslim scholars as kuffar (unbelievers), and as guilty for an attempted schism in Islam.
His followers reject this criticism and point out that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was constantly engaged in controversies with the British missionaries. Western historians have recorded this effort as one of the features of Ahmad’s legacy. Francis Robinson states; His followers also say that Ahmad openly supported the British government in India, and therefore his critic's consideration of this being tantamount to “conspiring” with the British is baseless. They further argue that his open support for the British was on account of the religious freedom the British extended to the Muslims as opposed to the preceding Sikh rule in Punjab wherein Muslims were persecuted and their religious freedom curtailed.; and that one of the reasons for his expression of loyalty towards the British was due to him being repeatedly presented as a threat and danger to the government with rebellious intent by his opponents such as Maulvi Muhammad Hussein who warned the government in the following words:
It is also pointed out by them that some prominent main stream Muslim leaders of the time had also openly expressed similar sentiments for the British rule for the same reasons. Such leaders included Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi, Deputy Nazir Ahmad and members of Anjuman Himayat-i-Islam. Furthermore the famous founders of the Muslim League had also expressed similar sentiments of Loyalty to the British Government at around the same time as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. In summary the followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad contend that his views towards the British Rulers at the time were the same as those of numerous other well regarded Muslim Leaders of the same time.
Ahmad wrote:
According to Ahmad this age did not require defending Islam by the sword but that the Jihad of this age was to be carried out by preaching and defending Islam by speech and by the pen. In another place he writes:
However, Ahmadis believe that the examples have been taken out of context and do not represent the views of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad with regards to Jesus.|Dawate Haq, attached to Haqeeqatul Wahi}}
Furthermore, Ahmadis cite for publishing dreams he saw about a naked man and a woman. From Tadkhirah:
Ahmadis contend that prophecies given to Prophets often have inner or metaphorical meaning and are also not under the control of the prophet concerned; but with reference to the prophecies mentioned above nothing explicit is intended by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Ahmadis often refer to the Qur'an and Hadith for support of their arguments. For example, a Hadith quoting a dream of Prophet Muhammad states:
|Sahih Bukhari, Book 87, Number 171}}
Ahmadis argue that by merely mentioning of a phrase, in this case 'naked man or woman', nothing explicit can be intended as opposed to what is often perceived by their critics.
Category:1835 births Category:1908 deaths Category:Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Category:Punjabi people Category:Indian religious leaders Category:Self-declared messiahs Category:Prophets Category:People from Gurdaspur Category:Indian Ahmadis
This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/86/19/b3f98e3b18f256a1d095d719bd32_thumb.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/14/64/d4fa28c8cd4b5cb053b32086884b_thumb.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/2b/12/a970b42162297a6019b90586bd0b_thumb.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/da/08/5fdd533b6b2a238677b3480c50a8_thumb.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
![The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.](http://web.archive.org./web/20110424111304im_/http://cdn.wn.com/pd/15/f3/fa7c2243c44a9667397e4634970e_thumb.jpg "The Bait'ul Futuh Mosque (English: House of Victories) is the second largest mosque in Europe (after the Mosque of Rome)[1] - with an area of 5.2 acres (21,000 m2), the mosque complex can accommodate up to 10,000 worshippers. Built in 2003 at a cost of approximately £5.5 million, entirely from donations of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, it is located in the south-west London suburb of Morden, next to Morden South railway station, 150 yards from the Morden Underground.")
