- Also spelled:
- Ahmadiyya
- Date:
- 1889 - present
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Islam
- Related People:
- Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad
Aḥmadiyyah
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What is the Aḥmadiyyah?
The Ahmadiyyah is a modern Islamic sect founded in 1889 in Qadian, India, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He claimed to be the mahdi (a messianic figure), the Christian Messiah, the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance of Muhammad.
Ahmad claimed to have received revelations, and in 1889, he declared that God entitled him to receive an oath of allegiance. His followers formed a community, electing a caliph after his death.
The Ahmadiyya is known for its missionary work, especially in the West and Africa. However, the main group faces opposition in Muslim countries because it claims Ahmad was a prophet, which contradicts the belief in the finality of prophethood with Muhammad.
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Who founded the Aḥmadiyyah, and when did it begin?
The Ahmadiyyah Islamic movement was founded in 1889 in Qadian, India, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.
Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be the mahdi (a messianic figure), the Christian Messiah, an incarnation of the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance of Muhammad. His teachings included the belief that Jesus escaped crucifixion and died in India at the age of 120, and that jihad should be waged peacefully rather than through violence.
After Ghulam Ahmad's death in 1908, the community elected a caliph to lead them. In 1914, a split occurred, resulting in the formation of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, which accepted Ghulam Ahmad only as a reformer, and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which recognized him as a prophet.
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What are some of the main beliefs of the Aḥmadiyyah group?
The Ahmadiyyah is an Islamic movement founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889 in Punjab, India. Some of the main beliefs include:
- Ghulam Ahmad claimed to be the mahdi (a messianic restorer of Islam), the Christian Messiah, the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance of Muhammad.
- Ahmadiyyas believe Jesus feigned death and resurrection, escaped to India, and died at 120 years old.
- They reinterpret jihad as a peaceful battle against unbelievers rather than a violent holy war.
- Ahmadis consider themselves to be the one true Islam, with Muhammad and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophets.
- They believe that jihad "by the sword" has been replaced with jihad "of the pen".
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How do the beliefs of Aḥmadiyyah differ from those of other Islamic groups?
The A\u1e25madiyyah, founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1889, diverge from mainstream Islamic beliefs in several ways. A significant difference lies in the belief that Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, a claim rejected by most Muslims who consider Muhammad the final prophet.
Ahmadis believe that Jesus escaped crucifixion and died a natural death in India, contrary to the traditional Islamic view of his ascension to heaven. They also reinterpret jihad as a peaceful struggle against unbelievers rather than a violent holy war.
These beliefs have led to considerable opposition, particularly in Muslim countries, with the A\u1e25madiyyah being declared non-Muslim in some instances. Despite this, the group is known for its active missionary work across the globe.
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Where in the world do most members of Aḥmadiyyah live today?
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a modern Islamic sect founded in 1889 in British India, has a global presence today. While the community has spread to West Africa, Great Britain, Europe, and the United States, the majority of its members reside chiefly in Pakistan. The group is known for its zealous missionaries, who preach Ahmadi beliefs as the one true Islam, with Muhammad and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophets. However, within Muslim countries, the Ahmadiyya face opposition due to their claim that Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, which contradicts the belief in the finality of prophethood with Muhammad.
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What challenges or controversies has the Aḥmadiyyah group faced?
The Aḥmadiyyah group, founded by Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad in 1889, has faced several challenges and controversies.
Challenges and Controversies
- Doctrinal differences Mīrzā claimed to be the mahdī, the Messiah, Krishna's incarnation, and a reappearance of Muhammad, which is considered unorthodox.
- Succession schism In 1914, the group split into two factions: the Qadiani and the Lahore group.
- Opposition in Muslim countries The main group faces opposition due to its claim that Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, conflicting with the belief in the finality of prophethood with Muhammad.
- Restrictions in Pakistan The Pakistani government declared the group non-Muslim and prohibited them from Islamic activities.
- Opposition from Muslim legalists and political figures The Aḥmadiyyah order faced opposition from Muslim legalists and political figures who felt threatened by the order's influence.
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Aḥmadiyyah, modern Islamic sect and a name shared by several Sufi (Muslim mystic) orders. The sect was founded in Qādiān in the Punjab, India, in 1889 by Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad (c. 1839–1908), who claimed to be the mahdī (a figure expected by some Muslims at the end of the world), the Christian Messiah, an incarnation of the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance (burūz) of Muhammad. The sect’s doctrine is unorthodox in some aspects: for example, it is believed that Jesus feigned death and resurrection but in actuality escaped to India, where he died at the age of 120; also, jihād (“holy war”) is reinterpreted as a battle against unbelievers to be waged by peaceful methods rather than by violent military means.
On the death of the founder, Mawlawi Nur al-Din was elected by the community as khalīfah (“successor”). In 1914, when he died, the Aḥmadiyyah split—the original group, which was based in Qādiān and recognized Ghulām Aḥmad as prophet (nabī) and his son Ḥaḍrat Mīrzā Bashīr al-Dīn Maḥmūd Aḥmad (born 1889) as the second caliph, and the new Lahore society that accepted Ghulām Aḥmad only as a reformer (mujaddid).
The former group (the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community), residing chiefly in Pakistan—though there are communities in India and West Africa and to some extent in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States—is a highly organized community with a considerable financial base. Its members are zealous missionaries, preaching Aḥmadī beliefs as the one true Islam, with Muhammad and Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad as prophets. In 1947, with the establishment of Pakistan, they officially relocated from Qādiān to Rabwah, Pakistan.
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The Lahore group (Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement) members are also proselytizers, though more concerned in gaining converts to Islam than to their particular sect. Led from its inception to his death in 1951 by Mawlana Muhammad Ali, the sect has been active in English- and Urdu-language publishing and in liberalizing Islam.
Aḥmadiyyah also designates several Sufi orders, the most important of which is that of Egypt named after Aḥmad al-Badawī, one of the greatest saints of Islam (died 1276). Al-Badawī achieved great fame for his knowledge of Islamic sciences, but he eventually abandoned speculative theology and devoted himself to contemplation in seclusion. Soon he became known as a miracle-working saint and had thousands of followers. He arrived in Ṭanṭā (south of Cairo, Egypt) in 1236. His followers were also called Suṭūḥiyyah from aṣḥāb al-saṭḥ (the people of the roof); according to one anecdote, when al-Badawī arrived at Ṭanṭā, he climbed upon the roof of a private house and stood motionless looking into the sun until his eyes became red and sore. This action was then imitated by some of his followers.
After al-Badawī’s death, the Aḥmadiyyah was headed by ʿAbd al-ʿĀl, a close disciple who kept the order under strict rule until his death in 1332. ʿAbd al-ʿĀl inherited the order’s symbols: a red cowl, a veil, and a red banner that belonged to al-Badawī. Before his death, ʿAbd al-ʿĀl ordered a chapel built on al-Badawī’s tomb, which was later replaced by a large mosque.
The Aḥmadiyyah order, which is representative of the lower type of dervishes, faced great opposition from Muslim legalists, who in general opposed all Sufism, and from political figures who felt threatened by the tremendous influence the order had on the masses. Under the Mamlūk dynasty, however, the head of the Aḥmadiyyah at times enjoyed considerable privileges and was treated as a dignitary. During the Ottoman rule the Aḥmadiyyah suffered from official neglect because of the powerful rivalry from Turkish orders, but this did not lessen in any way the deep veneration for al-Badawī among the Egyptians. The Aḥmadiyyah is one of the most popular orders in Egypt, and the three yearly festivals in honour of al-Badawī are major celebrations. Numerous minor orders are considered branches of the Aḥmadiyyah and are spread all over the Islamic world. Among these are the Shinnāwiyyah, the Kannāsiyyah, the Bayyūmiyyah, the Sallāmiyyah, the Halabiyyah, and the Bundāriyyah.
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