Ahmadi
Qadiyani, Qadiyanis, Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyah
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Doctrines
Ahmadiyyah is a
missionary-oriented sect of Indian origin, founded in Qadiyan by Miraz
Ghulam Ahmad (1839-1908). The sect believes its founder to be the madhi,
the Christian Messiah, an avatar of the Hindu god Krishna, and a
reappearance of Muhammad. The sect believes that Jesus did not die in
Jerusalem but feigned death and resurrection, and escaped to India where
he died at the age of 120.
Although Ahmadiyyah departs from mainstream Sunni Islamic doctrines
in terms of its belief in the special status of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, they
follow most of the main duties of Islam such as prayer, fasting,
pilgrimage and almsgiving, as well as the basic Sunni interpretations of
Islamic theology. Of the two branches of Ahmadiyyah in existence today,
the minority Lahore branch, is considered to be within mainstream Sunni
theology. The majority Qadiyanis are, however, not considered to be part
of Islam by orthodox Muslims.
History
The founder of the
Ahmadiyyah sect, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was born into the leading family of
the small town of Qadiyan in the Punjab, India in about 1839. He received
a good traditional education, learning how to meditate and acquired a deep
knowledge of religion. On 4 March 1889 he announced that he received a
special revelation from God and gathered a small group of disciples around
him. Opposition from the Muslim community began two years later when he
announced that he was the Messiah and the Mahdi (a figure whose arrival
is believed by some Muslims to herald the end of the world). In 1896 he
gave a sermon called al-Hutbat al-Ilhamiyyah which he claimed to be unique
because it was divinely inspired in pure Arabic. After this sermon he
came to be referred to by his followers as a prophet, a title which he
regarded as honorary since he did not claim to bring a new revelation or
new law. However, in spite of his denial of doctrinal innovation in 1900
he claimed that he was the Second Advent of Jesus and an avatar of
Krishna.
On the death of the founder in 1908, a successor called Mawlawi Nur
ad-Din was elected by the community. In 1914 a schism occurred over
whether or not Ghulam Ahmad had claimed to be a prophet (nabi) and if so
how he saw his prophetic role. The secessionists, led by one of Ghulam
Ahmad's sons, rejected the prophetic claims of Ghulam Ahmad, regarding him
only as a reformer (mujaddid), and established their centre in Lahore (in
modern day Pakistan). The majority, however, remained at Qadiyan and
continued to recognise Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet. Following the partition of
India and Pakistan, the Qadiyanis, as the majority group came to be known,
moved their headquarters to Rabwah in what was then West Pakistan. They
remain both highly organised and very wealthy, due largely to the monthly
dues received from their members.
The Lahore group, which is known as the Ahmadis and is considerably
smaller than the Qadiyanis, has sought to win converts to Islam rather
than its own particular sect. The Lahore group was also much more
involved with the Indian Muslim struggle against the British presence in
India.
Both groups are noted for their missionary work, particularly in
the West and in Africa. Within Muslim countries, however, strong
opposition remains to the Qadiyani group because of its separatist
identity and its claim that Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet.
Symbols
The sects' members are identified
through their wearing a red cowl and a red veil. The Qadiyanis also
employ a red banner.
Adherents
The Qadiyanis currently
have a presence in many countries, including most western countries.
Their worldwide numbers are estimated as high as 10 million (Harris et al
1994, 79).
Headquarters / Main Centre
The
Qadiyanis have their headquarters in Rabwah in Pakistan; the Ahmadis have
their headquarters in Lahore in Pakistan.
Bülent Şenay
Overview of World Religions Project
Ahmadis
Advanced Information
Unfortunately, we are not aware of any scholarly texts on this
subject which have yet been translated into English. We know
that a number of Arabic scholars have written wonderful texts
in Arabic, and look for the day when we will be able to add
higher quality texts to this presentation.
Also, see:
Islam, Muhammad
Koran, Qur'an
Pillars of Faith
Abraham
Testament of Abraham
Allah
Hadiths
Revelation - Hadiths from Book 1 of al-Bukhari
Belief - Hadiths from Book 2 of al-Bukhari
Knowledge - Hadiths from Book 3 of al-Bukhari
Times of the Prayers - Hadiths from Book 10 of al-Bukhari
Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer) - Hadiths from Book 20 of al-Bukhari
Pilgrimmage (Hajj) - Hadiths from Book 26 of al-Bukhari
Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad) - Hadiths of Book 52 of al-Bukhari
ONENESS, UNIQUENESS OF ALLAH (TAWHEED) - Hadiths of Book 93 of al-Bukhari
Hanafiyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Malikiyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Shafi'iyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Hanbaliyyah School Theology (Sunni)
Maturidiyyah Theology (Sunni)
Ash'ariyyah Theology (Sunni)
Mutazilah Theology
Ja'fari Theology (Shia)
Nusayriyyah Theology (Shia)
Zaydiyyah Theology (Shia)
Kharijiyyah
Imams (Shia)
Druze
Qarmatiyyah (Shia)
Ahmadi
Ishmael, Ismail
Early Islamic History Outline
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The individual articles presented here were generally first published
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