Understanding Islam — Page 49
49 T HE P ROMISED M ESSIAH [ AS ] His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as was born in 1835 CE in Q ā di ā n, India. From his early life, he dedicated himself to prayer, and the study of the Holy Quran and other scriptures. He was deeply pained to observe the plight of Islam, which was being attacked from all directions. In order to defend Islam and present its teachings in their pristine purity, he wrote more than ninety books, thousands of letters, and participated in many religious debates. He argued that Islam was a living faith and it was the only faith by following which man could establish contact with his Creator and could experience real, tangible revelation through communion with Him. The teachings contained in the Holy Quran and the Law promulgated by Islam were designed to raise man to moral, intellectual and spiritual perfection. His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as started experiencing divine dreams, visions, and revelations at a young age and later, under Divine command, he established the Community (or Jam ā ‘at ) in 1889.