Hazrat Ahmad — Page 12
12. HADHRAT AHMAD "Mention must be made of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, younger son of Ghulam Murtaza and founder of the remarkable religious movement known as the Ahmadiyya. Born in 1835 he received an excellent education, and in 1891 he declared himself to be the Promised Mahdi or Messiah of the Muslim faith. Being a skilled theologian and dialectician, he soon won over a large number of people to his tenets, and the Ahmadiyya sect now claims to number as many as 300,000 adherents in the Punjab and other parts of India. The Mirza was the author of many works in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, in which he combated the doctrines of Jehad, and these are believed to have a considerable influence among Muhammadans. "His life was for many years a stormy one, as he was constantly involved in disputes and litigations with his religious opponents. But by the date of his death, which took place in 1908, he had attained a position in which he commanded the respect even of those who disagreed with his views. "The headquarters of the movement remains at Qadian where the Anjuman-i-Ahmadiyya has founded a large school and a printing press for the dissemination of news connected with the movement. The spiritual successor of Mirza Ghulam. Ahmad is Maulvi Nur-ud-Din, a well-known physician who was for some years in the service of the Maharaja Kashmir. . Few of Ghulam Ahmad's own relations are followers of his teachings. "The family owns the whole large village of Qadian in proprietary right, and also levies talukdari of five percent on the revenue of three neighboring villages. ". Birth and Childhood. I now proceed to narrate the events of the life of Ahmad. I have already said that he was born some time in 1835, when the star of his father's fortunes was still in the ascendance. The possession of his jagirs and his rank in the Maharaja's army had given him a good position in life. It was, however, the will of. Providence that Ahmad should be brought up in conditions which should direct his attention towards God. It thus happened that within five years of his birth, Maharaja Ranjit Singh died and with his death the Sikh power began to decline. This involved Ahmad's