T
oday, 23 March 2014, marks the 125th anniversary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – a global Muslim community that has evolved from very humble beginnings into one of the most dynamic social, humanitarian and spiritual movements in the world today.
The community was established in 1889 in Qadian, a modest Indian village, by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad who claimed to be the awaited Messiah whose advent was foretold in the Muslim, Christian and Jewish traditions. He set out to revive the central Islamic message of peace and tolerance in order to address the root causes behind war, oppression and inequality.
Commenting upon the purpose of his advent, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad said:
My desire, my wish and my objective is serving humanity. It is my job, my faith, my inspiration and my way.”
Today the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community remains united under the leadership of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Fifth Successor (Khalifa or Caliph) to the Founder of the Community, who resides in south-west London.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Muslim sect today operating under the Islamic system of Khilafat, which has been in establishment since 1908.
From its humble beginnings, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has grown into the largest organised Muslim community in the world with tens of millions of followers spread across 204 countries.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Fifth Khalifa (Successor) of the Promised Messiah
Under the leadership of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the Community has established itself as one of today’s leading social and humanitarian movements having established hundreds of schools, hospitals and charitable projects in under-developed parts of the world.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a peace-loving community that acts entirely in accordance with the true teachings of Islam. It is a community that not only promotes peace but whose every act and activity is conducted in an entirely peaceful manner.”