The Descent of the Messiah — Page xiii
ABOUT THE PROMISED MESSIAH (peace be upon him) Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born in 1835 in Qadian, 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 is a living faith which can lead man to establish communion with God to achieve moral and spiritual perfection. Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad started experiencing Divine dreams, visions, and revelations at a young age. In 1889, under Divine command, he started accepting initiation into the xiii