by Ataul Wahid LaHaye, Canada

Before entering upon the subject at hand, as to whether or not the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement has fulfilled the prophecies afforded to the Promised Messiah as he claimed, I must first explain the concept of Messiah and how the advent of the Messiah must be realised.

The understanding of these two concepts is a prerequisite to applying the many prophecies about the Messiah to come in both an intelligent and logical manner.

We find that all religions contain prophecies concerning the advent of a special religious personality, in the latter days The Hindus were awaiting the advent of the Neha Kalank Avatar, who has been foretold in their scriptures; the Christians are awaiting the appearance of their Messiah; the Muslims are awaiting the appearance of the Mahdi and Messiah; the Zoroastrians believe in the coming of Mesio Darbahme. The Prophet Buddha also predicted his return, and Guru Baba Nanak predicted the advent of a great Reformer. If the advent of future Messengers had ceased how could all these people agree on the single fact that a Promised One of the latter days was yet to appear.

If all these predictions are true and come to pass, then a competition will develop between each perspective claimant, calling mankind into his camp, causing nothing but turmoil, confusion and conflict. Thus is the opposite of what is expected. A golden era of peace.

On the one hand, the similarities of the signs contained in the prophecies concerning the Promised One show they cannot be false, and on the other hand, the appointed task of all the Promised Ones makes it impossible that at one and the same time all these expected Saviours should cause their respective religions to triumph over all others.

Mankind has, during the last two centuries or so, been pressing forward towards a unit of aim and purpose, and all the developments that have taken place towards bringing different sections into closer relations with each other afford the strongest indication that the great Messiah of the latter days would be a single person with several roles, and that this person by means of his spiritual powers would gather together men of all faiths, and guide the nations of the world along the right path.

Islam also accepts Jesus Christ as the Messiah for the Jews, a Prophet of God, so the question arises, what was the distinctive feature of the Messiah observed from his life, and what put him on a different platform from the rest of the Jewish Prophets?

It is evident from the Bible that prior to the time of Jesus the Jews were permitted to retaliate by force, and they were within their rights. Retaliation and defence against the sword by the sword was permitted to all the Jewish Prophets who preceded Jesus, so much so that the permission for defence became a means of committing atrocities against others. The true purpose of revenge had completely lost its meaning and significance and the Jewish religion had become associated with atrocities, cruelties and hard heartedness. The Jews also refused to obey the authority of God and the Torah, and instead accepted the authority of their religious leaders, whatever wrong they might say.

The religion had lost its spirituality and concentrated more on ritual. Thus, the Messiah is the remedy for the diseases of hardened hearts, cruelty, atrocities and the refusal to accept God’s authority which had slowly crept into the Jewish religion. These were the diseases of the Jews which had not been cured by the previous Prophets. David and Solomon were also permitted to defend their rights by the sword and they appear as aggressors instead of defenders.

The world, therefore believed that the entire Jewish people had become the aggressors, including their prophets, and the Messiah came to rectify this misconception.

The rights which the Torah had granted still applied to the followers of the messiah, but Jesus taught that for the sake of religion, for the defence of the torah and Moses, we must offer sacrifices and cease to defend our rights by force. Thus, a complete revolution took place in Judaism. Now, the sword was used by the enemies, transgression was transferred to them, cruelty was left to them, aggression became their practice and the Godley people were completely disarmed.

These people were left with the offering of sacrifices, the offering of their property and their lives. This is the concept of Messiah.

Studying the entire history of Judaism and its Prophets will make this concept quite evident and this is how the Messiah is distinguished from the rest of the Jewish Prophets.

Yet this history of sacrifices and defencelessness against most powerful enemy and without any apparent means of victory shows us a progressive victory by the weak and helpless against the most powerful. This is Messiah.

Prophet Moses was the law bringing founder of Judaism, and it was from this time that an allegation was made against him. The allegation was that he was not a rational person, and that he tended to win by force and oppression. It continued to build during the period from Moses up to Jesus. Judaism continued to be considered a violent religion and that it was spread only by force. How could Jesus refute this allegation and prove it groundless?

He had to transform the entire concept of Judaism by transferring the sword to the enemy, leaving his followers to offer only sacrifices and non violent submission to persecution.

If the sword was victorious in the first place and helplessness victorious thereafter? If helplessness completely defeated a sword bearing Godless people, what does it prove?

It establishes that it was the beauty and force of the message of God, and the help of God which provided the ultimate victory. This is Messiah.

Exactly the same phenomenon has been repeated in our time, Muhammad was a law bringer like Moses. He was similar to Moses according to the Claim of the Holy Quran.

“Verily, We have sent to you a Messenger who is a witness over you, even as We sent a Messenger to Pharaoh”. (Ch. 73:16)

This verse refers to the Biblical prophecy, “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put My word in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him” (Deut. Ch. 18:18, 19)

The Prophet Mohammad (peace be on him) was permitted to defend himself when the atrocities against him and his companions went beyond all limits to establish religious freedom. Once he began to defend himself, the same allegations which were directed at Moses were directed towards him. His enemies claimed that Islam was a religion of barbarism and its secret of propagation and success was the sword, and not its message. A link was established between the spread of Islam and the sword of Islam, and Islam and its followers were labelled as violent people.

The idea was, most unfortunately, further supported by some very popular Muslim scholars of today who claim that as long as Muhammad (peace be upon him) relied on arguments and spiritual powers, he could not successfully spread Islam on Arabia.
They erroneously claim that the Arabians were converted the moment he took the sword and forced them to listen to his message.

If God defended Moses from similar allegations, why should God not defend Muhammad, (Peace be upon him) who is dearer to Him? As the first Messiah (Jesus), stood in relation to Moses, so was a Messiah ordained for the followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) to bring about the same revolution. A revolution in the sense that though they will not resort to violence they will ultimately become victorious.

The persecution they endure will, instead of overcoming them, will make them stronger. That was the phenomenon of the first Messiah which was to be repeated, and this is the Phenomenon which the Ahmadiyya Movement of Islam is passing through.

The first one hundred years of the Ahmadiyya Movement of Islam has been unfolded exactly as the first one hundred years of Christianity, and after every persecution we grow more powerful and gain more influence. Instead of being deprived, we are granted an increase in numbers and in wealth. This is the phenomenon of Messiah.

Persecution not with loss, but with gain. This is how we are defending Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Islam. Through our sacrifices and our blood. At the origins of Islam, it was the Quran and its message which was victorious, not the sword. Today, others own the sword, and the Quran is apparently defenceless. Yet, the rational and the beauty of the Quran is providing victory at every encounter, and the true Islam is winning ground by the hour. This is the true phenomenon of Messiah, and the similarities are obvious.

Moreover, Muhammad (Peace be upon him), prophesised through inference, that the Messiah was to appear at the head of Islam’s fourteenth century. Jesus came at the beginning of the fourteenth century after Moses, and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad appeared at the beginning of Islam’s fourteenth century.

Jesus claimed that he had not come to change the law. “Think not that I have come to change the law or the prophets.” (Math. 5:17) Similarly, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), but to complete it in essence and practice.

Muhammad (peace be upon him), also predicted that his people in the days of Messiah would be in the same condition as the Jews were at the time of the coming of their messiah. He said the similarity will be as complete as the similarity between ones right and left shoes. They would suffer from the same diseases and hardened hearts. Thus, if they were to suffer from the same diseases, the remedy must be the same, Messiah. A Messiah must appear to bring them back from rituals to spirituality, from aggression to defenceless sacrifice.

Jesus appeared looking up at the Ivory Towers of the Roman Empire, and Hazrat Ahmad appeared India a country under British rule at the time. Winston Churchill himself admitted that the British Empire was nothing more than an extension of the Roman Empire. The Muslims of India comapred to the British Empire were an insignificant as the Jews were to the Roman Empire when the first Messiah appeared. It was at this time that a clash occurred between Jesus and the Jewish clergy. In an attempt to defeat the Messiah, the Jews brought false charges against Jesus to the Roman Courts and demanded that he be persecuted. They alleged that he was not loyal to the government, and was attempting to establish himself as King. So an attempt was made to defeat the second messiah, Hazrat Ahmad. Yet, he was pardoned and saved by the British judge, as was Jesus by the Roman sovereign Pilot.

The concept of the redemption of mankind, revolves around the concept of the Promised Messiah. For example, the Christians believe that the golden era of mankind will not dawn unless the Promised Messiah appears, and in their case they expect the return of Jesus. They expect a new era, where mankind will be brought under one banner, and will gather around the call of Christ as one single community. This has been their expectation for nineteen centuries. Likewise, Muslims hold the same belief. They also believe the redemption of mankind revolves around the reappearance of Jesus. Both believe that Christ physically ascended to heaven, and is to descend from the skies in the latter days. The only difference lies is the fact that Christians believe in Christ’s divinity, and Muslims accept him as a prophet and a messenger. We also believe in the reappearance of Jesus Christ, but in a different way. The prophecy of the return of a Prophet is a common aspect among many religions. Buddha, Krishna, Confusious etc., predicted their own return. Whenever such prophecies are made, they are always misunderstood by the people among whom the reappearance is to take place. Resulting in the fact that people are looking in a very different direction from which he will appear, and they will keep missing his arrival.

Did this not happen in the time of Jesus Christ? Weren’t the Jews expecting both Elijah to reappear from heaven, and the messiah to be a worldly king? Jesus did appear as the Messiah, but no one witnessed the descent of Elijah from heaven.

This was the Jews main objection. They mocked at the followers of Jesus saying, “Of course we will believe in your Messiah, but first produce Elijah.” The answer to this mocking attitude is recorded in the New Testament. John the Baptist is that Elijah which was to appear from the heaven, believe it or not, its up to you. This is the phenomenon which has been repeated all over the world every time a religious reformer was to appear.

The reformer, instead coming from the skies, is always produced from the most humble stock of the country. The people of the rest of the world cannot conceive that a reformer, or a person from God, could appear in such a manner. Instead they keep looking to the sky. Yet, no such person or Prophet has ever reappeared from the sky, even though many have thought to ascent. Our believe is what has never happened before; will not happen in the future. Unfortunately, mankind is making the same mistake, and the religious phenomenon is unfolding again, exactly as it happened the first time.

According to us, the same glorious appearance has been repeated in the person of Hazrat Ahmad. If the appearance of the second Messiah happened any other way, the entire purpose of religion would be lost. If somebody appears in part in such glory that everyone has to accept him, like the sun appearing, how can mankind be reformed. He will attain to no value whatsoever. Without understanding the phenomenon of reformation you cannot expect to understand how and where to expect a reformer.

The phenomenon of reformation begins with persecution. A barrier of torture, persecution and prosecution is always created around the person of the reformer, and whenever people cross that barrier, they absorb extreme abuses. Some lose their wives and families in that process. Once this begins to happen, half the struggle has been won. To meet God while you are sinful and gone astray from true religious values, to meet God without effort and sacrifice is useless. To move in that direction to God, one must accept hostility for the sake of attaining God, thus purifying his soul, for only a pure soul can meet its creator. People must reach this condition to be able to accept the burden of religion, which is very difficult for an irreligious society to accept.

If mankind accepts this phenomenon, their lot is saved, if they don’t, they may be destroyed. Many past civilizations are illustrations of this phenomenon. Pompae, the Roman Empire, the Mayan Empire of South America are all examples. Nations are always destroyed when they are at a state of extreme luxury, and not at their beginnings.

The people of Noah, and Pharaoh were shown no mercy when they rejected the Messengers. Study the history of the Jews and witness their destruction by the Roman Empire when they failed to heed the warning of their Messiah. To look back in history it becomes so easy and common place to see how stupid these were to ignore the obvious. However, when you project yourself back in time to those periods you’ll begin to understand what happens to people when a messenger appears. The people want a messenger from God to conform to their values, views and doctrines. They don’t expect the Messenger to come from among them and dismiss the society as completely lost and useless. They are not expecting the messenger to tell them that they must change, or be destroyed.

This phenomenon has no exception, and our founder, Hazrat Ahmad fits this mold. Reformers always appear from the most humble stock of people who are looked down upon by the great civilizations, and in 1889, when the foundation of the Ahmadiyya Movement was layed by its founder, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, this was his claim, and this is exactly how he was treated by the British Empire, the people of India, and the Muslims. They all mocked him, having been born in a small village, twelve miles from the nearest seed of civilization, with no railway or telegraph. A simple, small, rejected village.

There was a voice raised and states that God has appointed me, in the name of Christ, to call the entire world to that unity of which both Muslims and Christians have been awaiting for many centuries. He said, “I know that I will be rejected, but, those who truly stand for religious values, and are sent by God will ultimately triumph.” Thus he made a prophecy that despite his rejection, his community would spread all over the world, and there won’t be a single country in the world in which his message shall not reach. From this one man, alone and rejected, from an obscure village in India, his movement now numbers over ten million and is established in 184 countries.

Christ himself, according to Bible, supports this concept of both messiah and reformation. Christ is asked what the signs were to be the coming of the Promised Messiah. He replied that many false Christ’s were to appear, there were to be wars and rumours of wars, famine, pestilence and earthquakes (Math. 24:4,5,7) he then describes how those who accept the Second Messiah would be treated.

“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of all nations for my names sake.” (Math.24:9)

Again, in another book he describes the fate of those who were to accept the one who came in his name.

“but, before all these things, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my names sake. And you shall be betrayed by both parents and brethren and kinsfolk and friends, and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake. But there shall not a hair on your head perish.” (Luke 21:12, 16,17,18).

What a vivid and frightening description Christ presents of the followers of the Messiah of the latter days. They were to be persecuted, betrayed by their own families, murdered, tortured, imprisoned and treated in the most cruel ways. Yet these atrocities will in no way affect the advancement of the movement, as Christ says, “Not a hair on your head perish.”

This is exactly the way in which the Ahmadiyya Movement has been treated, yet we have continued to gain strength and converts. For example, the first converts to Ahmadiyya of Afghanistan were stoned to death for not denouncing Hazrat Ahmad, just as the first Christians were martyred. In April of 1984, Pakistan issued an ordinance making it a criminal offence for the members of the community to call themselves Muslims, to say prayers, or behave in any way like a Muslim. The punishment is an unlimited fine, and three years in prison.

Many Mosques have been destroyed, locked and vandalized. Hundreds have been imprisoned and dozens murdered. To obtain a visa to travel abroad, a section of the form must be signed denouncing Hazrat Ahmad. The Saudi Arabian government has denied permission to Ahmadies to perform Hajj. In Pakistan we are not allowed to bury our dead in a decent manner. In the majority of Muslim countries we are forbidden to propagate. Why? Because we proclaim that God has again blessed mankind with a Messenger, who came in the name of Jesus, teaching peace and love for all and hatred for none. This persecution however, has not been without benefit. The movement is spreading faster than at any time in its history.

Our founder, The Promised Messiah, called for Muslims to abandon the sword and violence, and to spread and defend Islam by means of logic, intelligent arguments and love. Again Christ told us that the Promised One was to use this method to reach mankind.

“I will give you a mouth and wisdom and all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” (Luke 21:15)

What a clear description of the method used by Hazrat Ahmad to propagate Islam. In his life time, he wrote eighty-four books, and issued an open challenge to all his opponents to produce writings as good as his. His opponents avoided these challenges, monetary rewards unable to entice them. Again Christ states.

“And then shall all of the tribes of the earth mourn.” (Math. 24:30)

Here Christ presents clear proof that the Promised Messiah will not agree with contemporary thought and will not support any one group, either religious or political. He, through his wisdom and call to mankind to reform or be destroyed, will cause much discern and worry among the nations. Again, Hazrat Ahmad chastised all religions, showing in each case where they had become corrupted and abandoned the truth. Read his own words as he warns mankind of his fate if he were to ignore the Messiah’s warning.

“A sign will appear in some days hence which shall overwhelm country and town and meadow. People will be seized in a wave of divine wrath, so suddenly that a naked one will have no time to secure his loin cloth. Suddenly an earthquake will severely shake man, and trees and rocks and oceans. In the twinkling of an eye the earth will be overwhelmed and streams of blood will flow like channel tides. Those who night garments were white as jasmine will wake up in the mourning as if clad in red. Man and animals will go out of their minds and pigeons and nightingales will forget their songs. That hour will bear hard upon every traveller and those on journey will lose their way in agony. The waters of mountain streams will run red of the blood of the dead like red wine. Men high and low will be convulsed in fear and the Czar himself at that hour will be a sad case. That divine sign will be a specimen of terror. Heaven will attack with a drawn sword. Hasten not to repudiate this, thou stupid fool, for on this fulfillment of this sign depends my truth. This is a prophecy based on divine revelation and will surely be fulfilled; wait then awhile in righteousness and steadfastness. Divine revelation has repeatedly employed the word earthquake in this context, but I am not able to state with certainty that it will in fact be an earthquake but some dire calamity the like of which has never been before seen, which would bring about great destruction of life and property. If people do not openly reform their way of life and no extraordinary sign appears, I shall in such case been proven false.” 1905

History bears testimony as to how this frightening prophecy was fulfilled. Nine short years after its mention of the world witnessed the massive destruction of World War One. Sixty Five million men were mobilized into military action and ten million died. Entire populations suffered the ravages of famine, disease and dislocation. Property damage was estimated at two hundred billion dollars. The Czar abdicated his throne in 1917 and was brutally murdered shortly there after.

We see further evidence to support our concept of Messiah and reformation when Christ gives a clear indication that the Promised Messiah was to be one who came in his name.

“Henceforth ye shall never see me till ye say blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord” (Math. 23:39)

Other prophecies made by the first Messiah, Jesus, which came to pass in the life time of Hazrat Ahmad follow.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” (Math. 24:29)

The last century was rife with comets, meteor showers and eclipses. Hazrat Ahmad was born in 1835 and departed from this world in 1908. The years, as you will see, of this astronomical activity are between 1833 and 1910, and the years of his birth and death are marked by heavenly signs.

The Bielids comet was first discovered in 1772. In 1832, the comet passed very close to the earth. In 1845, the comet was observed to break in two, and at the time of its expected return in 1866, it was not found. Meteor showers observed from this comet were observed in 1830, 1838, and in 1885. 39,546 meteors were observed in 4 hours. Since 1899, very few showers from this comet have been observed. In 1866-67, Leonid Comit caused the most spectacular showers of modern times. The Great comet of 1882, one of the brightest of modern times passed within a third million miles of the sun. the Comet of 1843 had a tail of 200 million miles long.

Haley’s comet appeared in 1835 and again in 1910. Holmes Comet appeared in 1899, and had a diameter in excess of one million miles. Another great comet appeared in 1861, which could be seen in broad daylight. Morehouse Comet of 1908 showed the most rapid variations in appearance that from day to day it could not be recognised as the same comet. On June 1908 the greatest meteorite fall in historic times took place in Siberia. Its destruction can still be seen today. What follows is a list of comets and the year in which they came closest to the sun.

Regarding the place of the appearance of the Promised Messiah, Christ states:

“For as lightening cometh from the east and shineth unto the west, so shall the coming of the son of man be.” (Math.24:27)

Jesus was in Jerusalem when he mentioned this prophecy, and Qadian India, the birth place of Hazrat Ahmad is due east of Jerusalem. The Bible gives special significance to the east in many places. “And behold, the glory of God of Isreal came from the way of the east.” Ezekiel 43:2)
“there came wise men from the east” (Math 2:1)
‘And lo, the star which they saw in the east, went before them.” (Math.2:9)
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east.” (Rev7:2)

In Biblical terms the east represents the light of God, his guidance and His wisdom and this is what Hazrat Ahmad brought to mankind.

In Mathews 24th chapter Jesus also states: “And because inequity abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” (Math 24:12)

Hazrat Ahmad was born into a world of slavery, cruelty, lawlessness and extermination of entire races. It was a world when capitalism was at its worst, and the onset of the Industrial Revolution. Even children were not immune to those atrocities and exploitation. Jesus further explains.

“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars.”(Math24:6)

The following is a partial list of the wars which the world witnessed during the last century.

1. A war between China and England, terminated in the loss of Hong Kong to England and a treaty was signed in 1842.
2. The Crimean War, England, France and Turkey against Russia in 1854.
3. The Seopy Mutiny 1857 to 1858.
4. France and Italy against Austria 1859.
5. Civil War of U.S.A, 1861 to 1865.
6. Franco Prussian War 1870 to 1871
7. Russian Turkish War 1877 to 1878
8. China and Japan 1890 to 1900
9. Turkey and Greece 1890 to 1900
10. Invasion of China by all great powers in 1890 to 1900.
11. The Boar War 1890 to 1900.
12. The war of 1812 between Canada and U.S.A

Another sign of the coming of the Messiah was that many false Messiah’s were to appear, and in Hazrat Ahmad’s time there were several claimants to that office.

Prophecies from other Holy Scriptures regarding the advent of the great Reformer of the Latter days are as follows.

Accordingly, Guru Baba Nanak who was a very righteous and holy man who indeed received revelation from God. His words are recorded and preserved in the Holy Book of the Sihks. We find.

“The reign of the Mughals shall last from 1578 to 1897 of the Bikram era, then a Reformer shall rise. (Janam Sakhi of Bhai Bala pg. 272)
“A time shall come in the latrter age when people shall cease to act upon their scriptures and observe no fasts or prayers, Jogies, Sanyansies, Barhamcharves and Brahmins would be labelled as Gurus. Then a perfect teacher shall crush them all. Such is the decree of heaven, which shall surely come to pass. . (Janam Sakhi pg.. 527)

Guru Nanak also pophesized that he would be a Muslim, righteous and true, and that he would come from near Batala in the district of Gurdaspur and that he would be from the Mogul Tribe. . (Janam Sakhi pg.. 234, 251 and 452)

The similarities between Guru Nanak’s prophecies and those of Christ found in the New Testament are obvious. They indicate the same general location of his appearance and both agree that he would be a person of great wisdom. The era of his appearance is also the same, and all of these prophecies were fulfilled by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian India.

The Holy Quran, a book which all Muslims agree is the revealed Word of God also mentions several prophecies about the Reformer of the latter days.

“Call to mind also when Jesus, son of Mary said. O children of Isreal, surely I am Allah’s Messenger unto you. Fulfilling the prophecies contained in the Torah, which was revealed before me, and giving glad tidings of a messenger who will come after me whose name will be Ahmad.

But who does greater wrong than he who forges a lie against Allah while he is invited to Islam? Allah guides not the wrongdoing people. They desire to extinguish the light of Allah with the breath of their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light, however much the disbelievers may dislike it. He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the Religion of truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions, however much those who associate partners with Allah may dislike it.” 61:7-10

These verses predict a messenger who will come and expose the errors and mistakes that had crept in to all religions, thus establishing his as superior. As a note, those who associate partners with Allah are the Christians, and these verses imply that this messenger would arrive when Christianity would be at its peak, and would find his teachings very disturbing. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad began his mission when the British Empire ruled the world, and the Christian missionaries had unlimited funds and resources at their disposal. He destroyed the doctrine of Christianity by proving the Jesus survived the crucifixion and was buried in Kashmir.

“He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom though before that they were in manifest error; And He will raise him among others of them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.” 62:3-4

A companion of the Holy Prophet relates: One day we were sitting with the Holy Prophet when this chapter was revealed. I enquired from Muhammad (peace be upon him). Whom are the people to whom the words “and among others of them who have yet joined them” refer? Sulman, a Persian was sitting among us. The Holy Prophet put his hand on Sulman and said. If faith were to go up to the Pleades, a man from among these would surely find it. (Bokari)

Hazrat Ahmad is Persian, and by proving Islam superior over all religions, and by removing the interpolations that had crept into Islam over the centuries, he re-established the true teachings of Islam and rescued Islam, metaphorically, from the stars.

“And from the farthest part of the town there came a man running. He said, ‘O my People, follow the Messengers, ‘Follow those who ask of you no reward, and who are rightly guided.” 36:21-22

The farthest part of the town signifies a place away from the center of Islam. The word running sows that this man will work for Islam without fatigue, and follow the Messenger implies that he will not bring a new message, but will only revive that Message that had already been given to mankind. The message of Islam. Again, Hazrat Ahmad’s life was a reflection of these verses.

The Holy Prophet predicted about Imam Mahdi that a number of false claimants to the office of Imam Mahdi would appear and that the Mahdi would come from among the Muslim Ummah. Only one would be the true Mahdi, who would be the true follower of the Holy Prophet. To establish the truth of his claim, two heavenly signs were to appear. These signs would be an eclipse of the sun and moon in the month of Ramadhan. The lunar eclipse would occur on the first of the possible nights of such eclipses, the 13th of the month, and the sun would ecliplse on the second of the possible days when a solar ecliplse can occur. This prophecy was fulfilled in this manner.

In 1890, Hazrat Ahmad declared to the world that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, and had come in fulfillment of the Bible and Quranic prophecies. The lunar and solar eclipses occurred exactly as predicted in 1894 in the Eastern Hemisphere and in 1895 in the Western Hemisphere. This prophecy is also mentioned in the Bible.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” Mat 24:29

Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also made several statements regarding the identity of the Imam Mahdi. He said:

1. His name would resemble that of the Holy Prophet.
2. He will be of Persian descent and related to the Holy Prophet.
3. He will come from east of Damascus.
4. He will be of dark complexion, neither white or black, have sharp eyes, soft hair and a very long beard.
5. He will suffer from two diseases.
6. He will receive divine revelation.
7. The duration of his mission will be 40 years.
8. He will be supported by heavenly signs.
9. He will have two missions, to reform Muslims and to point out the falseness of other doctrines.
10. He will re-establish Khalifat.

All of these statements fit Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and the odds of one man fulfilling these expectations and at the same time being false is 1 times 10 to the power of 20.

Studying the religions of India, we find the Shri Krishna, of all the spiritual luminaries of India, was of a truth, the greatest. None of the Vedi Rishis and Avtars could equal him in grandeur and glory. Krishna received his light from heaven, cleansed the Aryavarta of all sins and guided his people unto the right path. The Holy Prophet has said. “In India, there had been a prophet of swarthy complexion, he was called Kahin.” We read in the Bhagavada Gita:

“Whenever there is decay of kharma, O Bharata, and there is increase and exhaltation of unrighteousness, then I com forth myself, for the promotion of the good, and for the destruction of evil doers and for the sake of firmly establishing righteousness. I am born from age to age. Gita 4:7-8

Ages have gone by since this announcement was made by Krishna. The world has frequently convulsed with corruption and vise. Ye, only one man has laid claim as representing his second coming. The present age is admitted on all hands as an age of spiritual darkness and disbelief, and it has rightly been called Kalyuga. If Krishna is to come again, the present age was the most appropriate for his appearance. The age in which Krishna is to come again is called Kalyuga in the Hindu Scriptures. Maha Rishi Vuyas has mentioned a large number of signs in the Gita, for the recognition of Kalyuga.

“There will be a gradual decay in righteousness and faith, civilization and culture, piety and purity, age and strength. Peoples statures will be short, and there age on average 30 years only. The rich will be looked upon with honour and respect and the poor will be decided as unclean and untouchable. Brahmans only sign will be his sacred thread, where as that of Sanyase, his leoprd skin cloak. The unlearned and the ignorant will pose as wise holy men and will deliver sermons from the high pulpits. By growing long hair and nails on their bodies, people will become Wahatura. Sadhus will renounce jungle life and will return to the cities and indulge in adultery. A large section of the people will be atheist and turn away from the worship of one true God. Places of worship will be deserted and desolate, and wine shops and taverns will be much frequented. People, inspite of being poor, will indulge in sensual pleasures. Hairdressing of different styles will be considered as a mark of beauty. Women, with uncovered faces, will walk about in the bazaars like prostitutes. Girls of eight will become mothers. Sons will call their parents fools. The produce of the land will be small, the rainfall scanty and out of time. Rivers will deviate from their courses. The rulers will oppress and exterminate their subjects. In Kalyuga, Kings will sit upon the thrones of England, Turkey, Japan and China. It is at this time when Shri Jishkalan Avtar will appear on the stage of the world. But, like Nasi Bhagat, he will be raised from a place which will not be in accordance with the expectations of the Hindus, and the superficial observer therefore, will not be able to recognize him.”

The 19th century witnessed, for the first time, the courses of rivers changed, as the industrial revolution produced machinery capable of this task. The Suez Canal was completed in 1869 and the Panama Canal in 1903. Kings were sitting upon the thrones of countries mentioned in the time of Kalyuga. Only Hazrat Ahmad of Qadian, who appeared during this time, claimed to represent the return of Krishna.

Regarding His Movement, he said

“Hearken all ye people. This is a prophecy of Him Who had created heaven and earth. He will spread this Community of His in all countries and will make it supreme over all, through reason and arguments. The days are coming, indeed, they are near, when this will be the only religion which will be held in honour. God will bestow extraordinary blessings on this religion and Movement. He will frustrate everyone who seeks to destroy it. This supremecy will last till the day of judgement.

Remember, that no one will descend from heaven. All our opponents who are alive today will die and no one will see Jesus, son of Mary descending from heaven. Then, their next generation will pass away and not one of them will see this spectacle. Then the generation next after that will pass away without seeing the son of Mary descending from Heaven. Then God will make them anxious that though the time of the superiority of the cross had passed away, and the world had undergone great changes, yet the son of Mary had not descended from heaven. Then the wise people will suddenly discard this belief. The third century after today will not yet have come to a close when those who hold this belief, whether Muslim or Christian, will lose all hope and will give up this idea in disgust. There will then be only one religion that will prevail in the world and only one leader. I have come only to sow the seed, which has been sown by my hand. Now, it will sprout and grow and flourish and no one can arrest its growth.”