Approaching the West — Page 215
The Promised Messiah and Mahdi Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad Peace be on him Born in 1835 in Qadian, India, Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) remained devoted to the study of the Holy Qur’ ā n, and to a life of prayer and solitude. Finding Islam the target of foul attacks from all directions, the fortunes of Muslims at a low ebb, faith yielding to doubt and religion only superficially followed, he undertook a vindication and exposition of Islam, first in his epochmaking Bar ā h ī n-i-A ḥ madiyya, issued in four volumes. The book gave Muslims pride in their religion, confidence in the integrity of their faith and cemented the robustness of its tenets. The book came to be known as the best written in defense of Isl ā m in centuries, with high praise in recognition for its author as the defender of Isl ā m. Isl ā m, he said, was a living faith through which man could establish contact with his Maker and enter into communion with Him. The teachings contained in the Holy Qur’ ā n and the Law promulgated by Isl ā m were designed to raise man to moral, intellectual and spiritual perfection. He advocated undertaking defensive wars with the power of the written word through Jih ā d of the pen, rather than through use of the sword, and clarified that Isl ā m forbids murder of innocent people in the name of Jih ā d. Most of the friends of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) turned into his enemies when he announced that Jesus (peace be on him) of old had actually died, though not on the cross, and God had appointed him the Messiah mentioned in the prophecies of the Bible and the Holy Qur’ ā n. In 1889, he began to enroll for his Movement now established in centers and mosques for the preaching of Isl ā m all over the world. Though he and his community faced extreme persecution from the very first day, he announced that God had told him that He would cause his message to reach the corners of the earth. He wrote more than eighty books, mostly in Urdu and some in Arabic and Persian. He showed his truthfulness not only through the prolific words but also through prophecies revealed to him by God. Timely fulfillment of the prophecies and exposition of his claims led to miraculous growth of his community during his lifetime. Not only some of the great scholars of the time but a large number of seekers after truth from among the masses saw his truth and joined his community. After the death of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) in 1908, his first Khal ī fah (successor) was Maulaw ī N ū rudd ī n (may God be pleased with him) until 1914, followed by Mirz ā Bash ī rudd ī n Ma ḥ m ū d A ḥ mad (may All ā h be pleased with him), the promised son of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) as the second Khal ī fah until 1965. Mirz ā N āṣ ir A ḥ mad (All ā h’s mercy be on him), a grandson of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) was the third Khal ī fah until 1982. Mirz ā ā hir A ḥ mad (All ā h’s mercy be on him), a grandson of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) was the fourth Khal ī fah until 2003. Mirz ā Masroor A ḥ mad (may All ā h be his support), a great-grandson of Mirz ā Ghul ā m A ḥ mad (peace be on him) is the fifth Khal ī fah since 2003. Thus the Khilafat of the promised Messiah (peace be on him) remains intact and ongoing. Today, while celebrating the hundred years of Khil ā fat, with missions in almost every country of the world, the A ḥ madiyya community is privileged to broadcast 24-hour satellite programs, televised on Muslim Television A ḥ madiyya (MTA), in defense of Isl ā m and to promote Isl ā mic values the world over. (Reference: Introductory note in Three Questions by a Christian Answered, 1972)