An Introduction to the Hidden Treasures of Islam — Page xxiii
LIFE AND MISSION Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah as , hailed from Qadian. He was born on Friday, February 13, 1835 (corresponding to 14 Shaww a l, 1250 A. H. ). Qadian, at that time, was a small village, 11 miles to the east of Batala, a township 18 miles from Amritsar and about 70 miles from Lahore. His father, Mirza Ghulam Murta da , was a well-to-do landlord of Qadian and was generally known as Ra’ i s of Qadian (the chief of Qadian). Hadrat Ahmad’s birth was a twin birth, his twin sister died shortly afterwards. The family was one of the most respectable Persian families settled in the land, and his ancestor, Mirz a H a d i Beg, traced his ancestry to Barl a s, an uncle of Emperor Taim u r. Hadrat Ahmad as was born in an age of darkness when generally little thought was given to learning, so much so that if a person received a letter, it remained unread for weeks and months together. It was no wonder that many aristocratic families remained illiterate. But with Hadrat Ahmad as , it was a different story. He was under the Divine protection since his birth. His father developed a strong desire that his son should be properly educated and, therefore, when he was of a tender age, a teacher, Fa d l Il a h i , was appointed to teach him the Holy Quran. Thus began his life-long association with the Holy Quran. Fa d l Ahmad was the second teacher that Hadrat Ahmad as got at the age of 10. He taught him Persian and other subjects. When Hadrat Ahmad as was 17 or 18, Gul ‘Al i Sh a h was appointed to teach him grammar and Man t iq (logic). Hadrat Ahmad as ’s father, himself an experienced physician, instructed him in the rudiments of medicine. When Hadrat Ahmad as was about 29, he, in deference to the wishes of his father, proceeded to Sialkot in 1864 to take up an