Mirza Ghulam Ahmad circa 1897Claim as Messiah:
- c. 1891[1] to May 26, 1908
- Succeeded by : Hakeem Noor-ud-Din
- Name : Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
- Born : February 13, 1835(1835-02-13)
- Died : May 26, 1908(1908-05-26) (aged 73)
- Resting place: Bahishti Maqbara
- Spouse(s) : Hurmat Bibi
- Children : Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad
Mirza Sharif Ahmad
Mubarika Begum
Sahiba Amtul Hafeez Begum
- Parents : Mirza Ghulam Murtaza
Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad[3] (Arabic: الميرزا غلام أحمد;Urdu: مرزا غلام احمد; February 13, 1835 – May 26, 1908 CE, or Shawal 15, 1250 – Rabi' al-thani 24, 1326 AH) was a religious figure from India, and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid (divine reformer) of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah (“Second Coming of Christ”), and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days.[4][5] He declared that Jesus (Isa) had in fact survived the crucifixion and later died a natural death, after having migrated towards Kashmir and that he had appeared in the spirit and power of Jesus.[6]
He traveled extensively across the subcontinent of India preaching his religious ideas and ideals and won a sizable following within his lifetime. He is known to have engaged in numerous debates and dialogues with the Muslim, Christian and Hindu priesthood and leadership. Ghulam Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya movement on March 23, 1889. The mission of the movement, according to him, was the propagation of Islam in its pristine form.[7]
Ghulam Ahmad authored around 80 books on various religious, spiritual and theological issues.[8] He advocated a peaceful propagation of Islam and emphatically argued against the necessity of Jihad in its military (physical fighting) form in the present age.[7]
