Muhammad The Liberator of Mankind — Page ix
The Author Hazrat al-Haaj Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (1889-1965), was the Second Khalifah of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He was the son of the Promised Messiah and his birth was the fulfilment of the Musleh Mau'ood (Promised Reformer) prophecy. This prophecy was published by the Promised Messiah as as a sign of the truth of Islam in reply to a challenge put forth by the Arya Samaj. From his early youth, he was gifted with knowledge, both secular and divine, and he had developed a deep love for the Holy Quran. In 1914, at the age of 25, he was elected as Khalifatul-Masih II. During his almost fifty- two years of Khilafat, he led the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on an international level, expanding the Movement to forty-six countries, and building dozens of hospitals and schools. It was due to his leadership and foresight that the important schemes of Tahrik-e-Jadeed and Waqf-e-Jadeed were initiated for the Community. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ix