The Outset of Dissension in Islam — Page 157
‘Iddat —A fixed time period specified by the Islamic shariah, which must elapse before a widow or divorced lady can marry again. J a hiliyyah —Refers to the pre-Islamic era prior to the advent of the Holy Prophet sa and literally means, ‘ignorance. ’ Jam a ‘at — Jam a ‘at means community. Although the word jam a ‘at itself may refer to any community, in this book, Jam a‘ at specifically refers to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a ‘at. Jihad —The literal meaning of this word is ‘striving’. The term is used to mean self-purification as well as religious wars in some instances. Khalifah and Khilafat —Caliph is derived from the Arabic word Khalifah , which herein means the successor. Khulaf a ’ is the plural of Khalifah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘ Khal i fa-e- R a shid’ [Rightly Guided Khalifah ] is applied to one of the first four khulaf a ’ who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Ahmad i Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah as as Khalifatul Masih. The institution of successorship is called Khilafat. Khalifatul Masih II — Hadrat Khalifatul Masih II, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra (1889–1965), was the second successor of the Promised Messiah as. He is also called Mu s li h -e- Mau‘ u d because he was born in accordance with the prophecy made by the Promised Messiah as in 1886 concerning the birth of a righteous son who would be endowed with unique abilities and attributes. Khalifatul Masih V — Hadrat Khalifatul Masih V, Mirza Masroor Ahmad aa , is the fifth successor of the Promised