ACADEMY OF INTEGRATED CHRISTIAN STUDIES

Paper Presentation
Modern Religious and Secular Movements

TOPIC
Ahmadiyah Movement/Mirza Ghulam

Presenter: Mathew Riame Respondent: K. Lalberrorelpuia

1. Introduction:
India was religiously, politically and communnally wracked into turmoil where the Hindus,
the Muslims and the Sikhs, lived in suspicion and fear of each other during the rule of the British.
The Ahmadiyya movement is a religious movement that began in the late 19th century in British
India, founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who claimed to have been divinely appointed as both the
Promised Mahdi and Messiah expected by Muslims to appear towards the end times and bring about
the final triumph of Islam through peaceful means. The movement emerged in response to the
Christian and Arya Samaj missionary activity that was widespread in this time. This paper will
hightlight the historical procession of this movement to the development of their beliefs and practices,
how their claims led to the refutation and controversies and how significant this movement is to the
people getting involved.

2. Historical Background:
2.1. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad:
The Ahmadiyahs began with the career of one man, the messianic Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
(1835-1908). 1 Since accurate birth records were not kept in the villages of the Punjab, Ahmad's
birthdate can only be a matter for conjecture. He probably was born on February 13, 1835, the birth
place definitely the village of Qadiyan, Gurdaspur district, Punjab. 2 The family of Mirza Ghulam
Ahmad is of Mughul descent, and came into India from Samarkand, Turkestan, in the reign of Babar,
the founder of the Mughul dynasty. The father and cousin of Mirza were loyal to the British
Government during the mutiny of 1857, and he himself professed the same attitude.3 In his youth he
studied Arabic, and at seventeen began a period of four years' service as a government clerk at Sialkot.
Since he was not only studious but also visionary, he was rather a failure as an employee, and,
resigning from the service at twenty-one, he returned to Qadian. But his career at Sialkot, if without
value to the government, served at least to bring him into touch at an impressionable age with
missionaries of the Church of Scotland. With them he used to have long religious discussions, and
through their influence he became familiar with parts of the Scriptures. This experience, together with
the fact that his family had long been attached to Sufiism, accounts in some measure for certain
peculiar and heretical tendencies in his religious life and thought.4

1
Kenneth W. James, The New Cambridge History of india; Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British
India, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008), 115.
2
Spencer Lavan, The Ahmadiyah Movement; A History and Perspective, (Delhi: Manohar Book Service,
1974), 22.
3
H. D. Grifwold, The Ahmadiyah Movement, (Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons; Wiley Blackwell
Publishing, 1912), 373.
4
James Thayer Addison, The Ahmadiya Movement and its Western Propaganda, (New York: Cambridge
University Press, 1929), 1-2.
1
2.2. The Foundation of the Ahmadiyah Movement:
The Ahmadiyah sect was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. His disciples are called by three
names: Ahmadis, from the name Ahmad, Ahmadiya being the official designation of the sect; Mirzais,
from the title of their master; and Qadianis, from the name of the centre of the movement.5 His
followers were first known as Qadiani; but since 1900 they have been registered by the government
of India as a distinct Mohammedan sect; the Ahmadiya. By 1896 the community numbered only
about 300, but fifteen years later its members were estimated as nearly 50,000. In 1918 they had
probably reached a total of 70,000.6 It may be called the Muhammadan parallel to the Arya Samaj.
The founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, declared himself to be at once the Mahdi, the Christian Messiah,
and a Hindu incarnation, and yet the movement has a number of noticeable modern features. It stands
seriously opposed to the rationalizing spirit of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan and the Aligarh College, on the
one hand, and to stiff unmoving Muslim orthodoxy on the other. It attempts to preserve the real central
religious spirit and teaching of Islam and also to receive modern influences from the West.7

2.3. Leadership of the Movement:

After Ahmad's death his place was taken by the "first khalifa," Hakim Nur-ud-Din, who
controlled the affairs of the community with the guidance of a committee known as Sadr-Anjumani-
i-Ahmadiya. Before his death in 1914 party divisions had already arisen within the sect. The leaders
of one group had begun to engage in political controversy, while the leaders of the other maintained
Ahmad's rule to avoid all such activity. At the death of Nur-ud-Din a gathering of members at Qadian,
representing the more conservative wing, elected as khalifa Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad,
eldest son of Ghulam Ahmad by his second wife. Since the election was protested by members of the
opposite party, the latter seceded, founded a new society with headquarters at Lahore, and elected as
khalifa Maulvi Muhammad Ali. 8 There are two main reasons for this split within the Ahmadi
movement. One of these issues concerned the status of Ahmad. The Lahori Ahmadi agree with the
Qadiani group that the founder of the movement was a Mujaddid (reformer), and the promised
Messiah and Mahdi, but reject the idea that he was a prophet. The other point of division between the
two Ahmadi groups relates to the way other Muslims, who refuse to accept the claims of Ahmad,
should be viewed. Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmaud Ahmad, the second Khalifa, stated that Ahmadis
should regard Muslims who are outside the Ahmadiyya Movement as being non-Muslim, and outside
the fold of Islam. The Lahori Ahmadi, strongly objecting to this view, believe that anyone who recites
the kalmia shahada (profession of faith) must be regarded as a Muslim.9

3. Beliefs and Practices:

The Ahmadi, like Muslims generally, believe in ‘the five fundamental acts of worship’;
shahada, salat, zakat, sawm and hajj in Islam. Similarly, the Ahmadi notion of iman or belief, and
Amal, deeds and practice, is to a great extent identical to the belief and practice of most mainstream
Muslims. In particular ‘tawhid’, ‘the absolute oneness of God’, is seen by the Ahmadi as ‘the most
important and the cardinal principle of lslam.’ Like Muslims worldwide, the Ahmadi teach that ‘every
human being will be raised after death, and will be held answerable to God with regards to the life he
had led here on earth,’ and ‘we will be judged on the basis of our intentions and deeds on the Day
ofjudgement.’ These beliefs are regarded by the Ahmadi as ‘the foundation of Islam, hidden from the

5
H. D. Grifwold, The Ahmadiyah Movement..., 373.
6
James Thayer Addison, The Ahmadiya Movement and its Western Propaganda..., 3.
7
H. A. Walter, The Ahmadiyah Movement, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1918), 262-263.
8
James Thayer Addison, The Ahmadiya Movement and its Western Propaganda..., 4.
9
Simon Ross Valentine, Islam and the Ahmadiyya Jama’at; History, Belief, Practice, (New York: Columbia
University Press, 2008), 57-58.
2
view but supporting the superstructure of Islamic actions.’ Presenting themsdves as Sunni Muslims,
the Ahmadi declare, ‘there is none worthy of worship except God, and Muhammad is the Messenger
of God.’ While the mainstream Muslim belief Muhammad as the last of the prophets, the Ahmadi
regard Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as Mujaddid (reformer) and a prophet in a metaphysical sense only,
just as members of various branches of mainstream Islam regard saints or holy men as prophets. 10
Ahmadis believe as their founder taught them that, Jesus didn’t die on the cross; he was
removed from it alive but unconscious. After his wounds were healed, he went to Kashmir to preach
and live among the ten lost tribe of Israel and died at the age of 120; he was buried at Srinagar in
Kashmir in a tomb written on it Yus Asaf to conceal his true identity as the Jesus of Nazareth.
Ahmadis believe that after the death of Prophet Muhammad, no other prophet with a new message
will come. Ahmadis believe that their founder wasn’t a law bearing prophet who came with new
revelation as the Prophet Mohammad but only a subordinate prophet whose solely job was to reform
and illuminate Islam. Ahmadis believe in the peaceful jihad whose only weapon is the pen. It is
believed that Ahmad transformed the idea of Jihad because he realized that the notion of Jihad in its
traditional meaning provide the enemies of Islam with a vigorous argument that is used to attack and
belittle the true religion.11

4. Controversies and Persecution:12

Controversies within the Islamic community developed at roughly the same time. In March
1882 Mirza Ghulam Ahmad announced that he had received a divine command that he should be a
mujaddid (a renewer of the faith). In January 1889, his son, Bashir ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, was born
thus fulfilling one of his prophecies. He chose then to announce conditions on which he would grant
bai’at to his disciples. In 1890-1 he published three works and publicly claimed that he was the masih
mau’ud (promised messiah) and the madhi. Different ulama, including Muhammad Husain of Batala,
Abd al-Haqq Ghaznavi of Amritsar, Nazir Husain of Delhi, and Ahmad Allah of Amritsar
immediately condemned him. Muhammad Husain arranged for fatwa against Mirza Ghulam that were
signed by a number of ulama representing different groups within the Islamic community. Public
debates quickly followed. On 20 July 1891, Mirza Ghulam disputed with Muhammad Husain in
Ludhiana. In September, he travelled to Delhi where he debated with Nazir Husain, the distinguished
leader of the Ahl-i-Hadith movement. This confrontation took place in the Jama’a Masjid and
culminated in a near riot, a fairly common occurrence and one that grew from the extremely bitter
personal, as well as theological, differences expressed in speech and writing.
Controversy with other Muslims reached its height in the years 1898-9 over Mirza Ghulam's
claim to messiah status, his interpretations of the word jihad, and over numerous other theological
issues. Finally the British Government intervened, impelled to act by his habit of prophesying the
demise of his opponents. On 24th February 1899, after a court-hearing, Muhammad Husain signed a
statement in which he promised to stop using abusive language against Mirza Ghulam who in turn
agreed to cease predicting the death of his critics. This did not end controversy, but did diminish
somewhat the intensity and open animosity that characterized the 1890s. In the process Mirza Ghulam
came to consider his own followers as separate from the body of Sunni Muslims. On 4th November
1900, he called for the Ahmadiyahs to list themselves separately on the census of 1901. At this time
al-Hakam listed 1,098 members who now comprised their own officially recognized religious society.

10
Simon Ross Valentine, Islam and the Ahmadiyya Jama’at; History, Belief, Practice..., 127-128.
11
Ayoud Laisoouf, The Ahmadiyya Movement, (NP), April 6th, 2015, 8-9.
12
Kenneth W. James, The New Cambridge History of india; Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British
India..., 116-118.
3
5. Significance of the Ahmadiyah Movement:
Thirteen Centuries earlier before Mirza, the overwhelming sense of evil that was part of the
world was nominally subject to Muhammadan law and ethics that led to his meditation upon the
tradition that at the beginning of every hundred years, a reviver would appear to revivify and restore
the pure principles of the founder, and thus, he felt that he was chosen to fulfil this, and that he was
the divinely appointed reforemer for the fourteenth century of the muslim era. His interaction with
the Christian Missionaries and the Chrisitan doctrines, he recognised the importance of the unique
place of Jesus given by Muhammad, that Jesus was taken up alive. Ahmad took the advantage of
Jesus tomb that was nowhere to be found and the tomb of Muhammad subjected to pilgrimage site to
the Muslims on the other hand. He therefore sought acknowledgement from all Muslim classes as the
“Next Step” in the revelation, that he was not only the present reforemer, but also the fulfiller of the
apocalyptic hope of Muslims, i.e., Mahdi, and he extended this idea to the Christians and the Hindus
as well. However, the idea of Jesus’ ascension to heaven must be dealth with, because Jesus’ return
would be supernatural in character, and failing to deal with this, he would be an imposter, therefore,
he sought to prove that Orthodox Muslims and the Chriatians were wrong and claimed that Jesus died
an ordinary death and was buried in Srinagar, Kashmir. His proposal, just before his death, to form a
union of the Arya Samaj, Hinduism and Islam, was the climax of his life’s activities.13

6. Conclusion:
The Ahmadiyya Movement is a religious movement that contributed significantly to the
propagation and renaissance of Islam. Its followers believe in the revival of Islam and the restoration
of its original precepts. This group of people emphasises that Islam is the final dispensation for
humanity as revealed by Muhammad. Mirza took upon his shoulder as the Promised Messiah and
Mahdi who claimed that he is the divinely sent reformer by figuring himself as the fulfilment of
various prophecies found in different religion and this, he reached out with this claim even to the
Christians and the Hindus. In the process of propagating that Islam is the true religion, the movement,
to the ideology developed by Mirza, claimed that they believe in a peaceful jihad which is through
the use of pen and not the utility of a vigorous means. This movement continues to spread through
out worldwide and the followers have kept this name alive up to date.

13
H. A. Walter, The Ahmadiyah Movement..., 131-133.

4
BIBLIOGRAPHY

Addison, James Thayer. The Ahmadiya Movement and its Western Propaganda. New York: Cambridge University
Press, 1929.

Grifwold, H. D. The Ahmadiyah Movement. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons; Wiley Blackwell Publishing,
1912.

Laisoouf, Ayoud. The Ahmadiyya Movement. April 6th, 2015.

Lavan, Spencer. The Ahmadiyah Movement; A History and Perspective. Delhi: Manohar Book Service, 1974.

Valentine, Simon Ross. Islam and the Ahmadiyya Jama’at; History, Belief, Practice. New York: Columbia University
Press, 2008.

W. James, Kenneth. The New Cambridge History of India; Socio-Religious Reform Movements in British India. New
York: Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Walter, H. A. The Ahmadiyah Movement. New York: Oxford University Press, 1918.