The claims of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

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Main article: Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of Ahmadiyya religious movement made many claims during his life. He claimed to be the “Second Coming of Christ”, the promised Messiah, the Mahdi, as well as the being the Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century. ^[1] However, his claims were not accepted by the majority of Muslims who considered him to be a false prophet and an impostor.

1 His Claim
2 Sources and references
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] His Claim

Although before his Claim as Promised Masish and second coming of Isa, he was taken well by some of his later critics like Muluna Abul Kalam Azad ^[2] for his efforts to take action against Christian Missionaries and a Hindu movement Ariya Samajh. He was praised by his critics for his famous Book "Brahin-e-Ahmadiyy", Mirza Ghulam Ahmad declared that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi and that his advent was in fulfillment of the various prophecies regarding the promised reformer of the latter days.

In one of his books he wrote about his claim and these prophecies:

"Now about my claim which is supported by a host of arguments and proofs....

Is it not enough to establish the truth of my claim that the Holy Quran has discussed in graphic detail the signs of and circumstances relating to my coming.
In a way, my name too has been foretold.
Even the name of my village, namely, Kadaa is also there in the traditions.
The traditions further prove that the Promised Messiah will be born in the thirteenth century and will appear in the fourteenth.
In the Sahih Bokhari is found the full description of my facial features.....
And this too is laid down in as many words that the Promised Messiah will appear to the East of Damascus. And is not Qadian in fact to the East of Damascus?
Similarly the timely occurrence of lunar and solar eclipses in the month of Ramadhan just when I had announced my claim to be the Promised Messiah and the people at large had refused to accept this claim as authentic.
Similarly, in keeping with the prophecies of the Quran and the traditions, the invention of the railways and the camel's consequent redundancy;
obstacles to the performance of Pilgrimage to Kabaa;
the age of the triumph of the cross;
the appearance of hundreds of signs at my hands,
the present time being exactly the time fixed by the earlier prophets;
my being commissioned to the present office at the head of the century;
visions and dreams experienced by thousands of virtuous people testifying to my authenticity;
the statement of the Holy Quran and of the Holy Prophet, that the Promised Messiah will be one of the Ummat;
my affairs being visited by divine succour;
the pledge of Baiat (initiation) at my hands by about two hundred thousand people and consequently their following the path of truth and virtue;
the crumbling of Christianity as a religion and the subsequent softening of the hold of trinity like the melting snows;
the division of Muslims into a large number of denominational sects and their state of decadence and the numerous innovations and deviations from the norm.
the current polytheism, alcoholism, sexual promiscuity, dishonesty and falsehood which have run rampant on a global scale and resulted in a great upheaval and crisis in the world
and on every dimension tremendous revolutionary changes are taking place in the universe.
and as will be borne out by all reasonable people the world needs a reformer.
and finally the failure of all to compete with me in miraculously competitive writing and in showing heavenly signs and the fulfillment of hundreds of thousands of divine prophecies in my support.

In short, all these signs and proofs and corroborative circumstances should be sufficient evidence for a God-fearing person to accept my claim..."^[3]

His critics on other hand accused him for creating a new religion. He on many occasions replied about these allegations and saying that he came to revive the Islam. He wrote once ; ^[4]

“	We are Musalmans. We believe in the One God without a partner and in the Kalima, La Illah Ill-Allah. We believe in the Book of God, the Quran, in His Messenger Muhammad (peace on him and God's blessings) the Khatam Al-Anbiya. We believe in angels, the resurrection, hell and paradise. We observe the prescribed prayers and the fast. We turn to the Qibla for prayers and forbid ourselves what is forbidden by God and His Prophet and permit ourselves what is permitted. We add not a thing to the Sharia, nor subtract any thing from it. The Sharia is above change. Whatever has come down to us from the Holy Prophet (on whom peace and God's blessings), all that we accept, whether we understand or not and whether we can unravel its secrets and real meaning or not. We are believers with the Grace of God, and strict monotheist Muslims.	„