Ahmad proclaimed that he was the promised Messiah and Mahdi, and that he was fulfillment of various prophecies. This sparked great controversy, especially among the Muslim and Christian clergy.[citation needed] Ahmad's followers say that he never claimed to be the same physical Jesus who lived 19 centuries earlier. Ahmad claimed that Jesus died a natural death, in contradiction to the traditional Muslim view of Jesus' physical ascension to heaven and the traditional Christian belief of Jesus' crucifixion.[19] He claimed in his books that there was a general decay of Islamic life and a dire need of a messiah.[20][21][22] He argued that just as Jesus had appeared 1400 years after the time of Moses, the promised messiah—i.e. the Mahdi—must also appear in the 14th century after the appearance of Muhammad.[23]
In Tazkiratush-Shahadatain he wrote about the fulfillment of various prophecies. In it he enumerated a variety of prophecies and descriptions from both the Qur'an and Hadith relating to the advent of the Mahdi and the descriptions of his age which he ascribed to himself and his age. These include assertions that he was physically described in the Hadith and manifested various other signs; some of them being wider in scope, such as focusing on world events coming to certain points, certain conditions within the Muslim community, and varied social, political, economic, and physical conditions.[24]
He was accused of creating a new religion,[25] a heretical act in Islam, which he repeatedly denied claiming only an Islamic revival and rejuvenation[26] and that he was a Prophet within the Ummah and dispensation of Muhammad just as Jesus was a prophet within the dispensation of Moses.
