تاریخ احمدیت (جلد 5) — Page 239
خلافت ثانید کاسترھواں سال 235 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS تاریخ احمد بیت - جلد ۵ In modern times the most important sectarian developments have beem those of the Wahhabis (qv), the Babis (qv) and the Ahmadiyya The last of these movements was started by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who in 1879, began to preach in the village of Qadian in the province of the Punjah, India, He claimed to be not only the Mahdi but also the promised Messiah personages generally held to be distinct in ordinary Muslim the ology۔Another modification he introduced into Islamic doctrine had reference to the death of Jesus; the commonly accepted belief maintains that Jesus was taken by God alive into heaven, while a phantom was crucified in his places in opposition to this he declared that Jesus was actually crucified, but was taken down from the cross while still alive by his disciples, was healed of his wounds and afterwards made his way into Kashmir, where he finally died, his tomb being still in existence in the city of Srinagar۔Having thus removed the ground for any expectation of the second coming of Jesus from haven to earth, he explained that he himself was the Messiah, not as being an Incarnation of Jesus for he rejected the doctrine of Transmigration, but as having come in the likeness of Jesus being Jesus for this generation just as John the Baptist was Elijah, because he came in the spirit and power of Elijah In proff that he had come in the spirit and power of Jesus, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad adduced the likeness of his own character and personality to that of Jesus, his gentlencess of spirit, the peaceful character of his teaching, his miracles and the appropriateness of his teaching to the need of the age in harmony with this pacific claim, he expounded the doctrine of Jihad (usually interpreted as meaning war against unbelievers as a striving after righteousness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad died in 1908 and a few years after his death his followers split into two parties, one having its headquarters in Qadian and the other in Lahore Both these sections of the community succeeded in enlisting the services of devoted, self-sacrificing men, who are unceasingly active as propagandists, controversialists and pamphleteers۔They control an extensive missionary activity, not only in India, West Africa, Mauritius and Java (where their efforts are mainly directed towards persuading their on religionists to join the Ahmadiyya sect), but also in Berlin, Chicago and London۔Their missionaries have devoted special efforts to winning European converts and have devoted a considerable measure of success۔In their literature they give such a presentation of Islam as they consider calculated to attract persons who have received an education on modern lines, and thus not only attract, non-Muslims, and rebut the attacks made on Islam by Christain controversialists, but win back to the faith Muslims who have come under agnostic or rationalist influences۔The Encyclopaedia Britannica 14th Edition (192930) Vol 12 P۔711۔712