The Canon · No. 091
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
1889 CE – present · Abrahamic · Living · Pakistan (origin), India, UK, Ghana, Nigeria, Indonesia
VII. THE MODERN AGE — 1800 – 1945
How many
The community claims tens of millions; independent estimates suggest 10–20 million.
Who began it
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908) of Qadian, Punjab, who claimed in 1889 to be the promised Messiah, the Mahdi, and a subordinate prophet.
What it is for
To revive Islam by peaceful argument and missionary work, and to demonstrate that jihad in the military sense is not applicable in the present age.
What it worships
Allah alone.
What it holds
Standard Sunni belief — the five pillars, the Quran, the Prophet Muhammad — with one decisive difference. Ahmadis hold that Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet, subordinate to and reflecting Muhammad, not bringing a new law. Mainstream Islam holds Muhammad to be the final prophet (khatam an-nabiyyin) in an absolute sense, and therefore regards this claim as placing Ahmadis outside Islam. The community also teaches that Jesus survived the crucifixion, travelled east, and died a natural death in Kashmir — the tomb at Srinagar is identified as his. Jihad of the pen: armed jihad is held to be inapplicable now, and the community's motto is Love for all, hatred for none.
What it does
Ordinary Muslim practice. An elected caliph (khalifa), currently the fifth, based in the UK. Financial contribution at unusually high rates. Very large missionary and translation output — the community claims Quran translations into over 70 languages. Humanity First, its relief organisation. MTA, a global satellite channel.
After death
Standard Islamic eschatology, with the notable position that hell is temporary and remedial — a hospital rather than a prison — and that all will eventually be released. This is a minority Islamic view with classical precedent.
Its texts
The Quran. The writings of Ghulam Ahmad, especially Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya and Jesus in India.
Its branches
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (Qadiani, the large majority) and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, which regards Ghulam Ahmad as a reformer rather than a prophet.
Of note
The clearest modern case of a state legislating who counts as a member of a religion. Whether Ahmadis are Muslims is a theological question; in Pakistan it is a criminal one.
Its timeline
- 1889 CE Ghulam Ahmad accepts the first pledge of allegiance at Ludhiana.
- 1908 CE He dies; the caliphate is established, and the community splits in 1914 over whether he was a prophet or a reformer.
- 1920s–present Extensive missionary work in West Africa, where Ahmadi schools and hospitals are substantial institutions.
- 1953 CE Anti-Ahmadi riots in Lahore; hundreds killed.
- <strong>1974 CE</strong> Pakistan's parliament amends the constitution to declare Ahmadis non-Muslims.
- <strong>1984 CE</strong> Ordinance XX makes it a criminal offence in Pakistan for Ahmadis to call themselves Muslim, to call their places of worship mosques, to use the Islamic greeting or to recite the call to prayer. Convictions carry prison terms.
- 1984 CE The fourth caliph leaves Pakistan for London; the caliphate has been based in the UK since.
- 2010 CE Coordinated attacks on two Ahmadi mosques in Lahore kill 94 people.
- 2016–present Continued legal disability, mob violence and destruction of Ahmadi graves in Pakistan; Ahmadis are effectively disenfranchised, since voting requires signing a declaration denouncing their founder.
Sources
Not yet checked against named sources. This entry is the house's reading; until it is checked, treat each claim as unverified. Correct it, with a source.