Ahmadiyyat - The Renaissance of Islam — Page ix
INTRODUCTION XUI month, and the eclipse of the sun would take. place on the 28th of the same lunar month, which will be the month of Ramazan. This sign was to appear after and not before the advent of the Mahdi. It so happened that an eclipse of the moon occurred on Thursday night, the 13th of Ramazan, 1311 Hegira (21 March 1894), and the eclipse of the sun occurred on the 28th of the same month of Ramazan (6 April 1894), in exact accord with the prophecy of the Holy Pro- phet. The same phenomenon was repeated in the United States of America in 1895. Hazrat Mirza Ghulman Ahmad began to receive revela- tion in 1876, and as time passed his experience of revelation multiplied progressively. Everyone of his revelations was clearly fulfilled according to its tenor at its due time; some of them that related to future events have been fulfilled from time to time since his death and some await fulfilment. In 1889, under divine direction, he claimed to be the Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet. Thereafter it was revealed to him that he was also the Pro- mised Messiah and was indeed the Prophet whose advent had been foretold in the principal religions of the world. One of the revelations vouchsafed to him was: 'Champion of God in the mantles of all the Prophets' He was, however, at pains to emphasize all the time and on every occasion that whatever God Almighty had bestowed upon him, out of His grace, was in consequence of his utter devotion and obedience to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and tha t in himself he was nothing and claimed no merit. He was thus a perfect spiritual reflection of the Holy Prophet and in him was fulfilled the second advent of the Holy Prophet, promised in 62:4. We shall now enter upon a brief study of his life, character, claims, status, doctrines, teachings, the purpose of the Move- ment instituted by him and the progress made by it in the achievement of its purpose so far.