New York USA Souvenir 1989 — Page 5
TIIE PROMISED MESSIAH - A Brief Introduction: Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah, was born at Qadian in India on February 13, 1835. He belonged to a noble family and from his childhood became devoted to spiritual values. A deep study of the Holy Quran, a passionate devotion to the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace be on him and a constant preoc- cupation with divine worship and prayer became the pattern of his life. He was much distressed at observing the indifference of the Muslims towards the moral and spiritual standards set by the Holy Quran and was deeply hurt by the attacks of non-Muslim propagandists against the doctrines and teachings oflslam. After deep and prolonged reflection, he undertook the vindication of Islam from every point of view in the shape of his epoch-making book entitled Braheen-e-Ahmadiyya. The publication endeared him to the hearts of all sincere Muslims as an outstanding cham- pion of Islam. By that time he had become a recipient of divine revelation and it became obvious to his admirers that he was des- tined to be a great force in Islam. In 1889 he laid the foundation of the Ahmadiyya Movement and sent forth a call for the righteous to render their allegiance to him. Under divine direction he claimed to be the Messiah and the Mahdi, whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace be on him, and whose coming had been expected by the followers of other great religions. In his coming was fulfilled the second coming of Jesus and in his advent lay the only solution for humanity and its problems. Islam, he said, was a living faith by following which man could establish contact with his Creator and enter into direct communion with Him. 5