Mirza Tahir Ahmad
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Mirza Tahir Ahmad | |
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مرزا طاہر احمد | |
 Mirza Tahir Ahmad in 2000 | |
| Title | Caliph of the Messiah Amir al-Mu'minin |
| Personal life | |
| Born | 18 December 1928 |
| Died | 19 April 2003 (aged 74) London, England |
| Resting place | Mubarak Mosque, Tilford, England |
| Spouse | Asifa Begum (m. 1957–1992) |
| Children | Four |
| Parents |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Denomination | Ahmadiyya |
| Consecration | 10 June 1982 |
| Muslim leader | |
| Post | Caliph |
| Predecessor | Mirza Nasir Ahmad |
| Successor | Mirza Masroor Ahmad |
| Part of a series on
Ahmadiyya |
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Mirza Tahir Ahmad (مرزا طاہر احمد; 18 December 1928 – 19 April 2003) was the fourth caliph (Arabic: خليفة المسيح الرابع, khalīfatul masīh al-rābi) and the head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He was elected as the fourth successor of the founder of the community, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected on 10 June 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Nasir Ahmad.
Following the Ordinance XX that was promulgated by the government of Pakistan in 1984, which prohibited Ahmadi Muslims from any public expression of the Islamic faith, Tahir Ahmad left Pakistan and migrated to London, England, provisionally moving the headquarters of the community to the Fazl Mosque in London.[1] He is noted particularly for his question and answer sessions which he held regularly with people from around the world and for his Quranic discourses. Under his leadership, there was an acceleration in the number of Quran translations produced by the Community; and during his caliphate, the Community experienced structural and financial growth on an international level, including the launch of the first Muslim satellite television network, Muslim Television Ahmadiyya in 1994 through which he could communicate televised messages to the Community globally and have his sermons and other public engagements transmitted throughout the world through this medium.[2]
Tahir Ahmad also authored many books including, Some Distinctive Features of Islam; Christianity: A Journey from Facts to Fiction; Murder in the Name of Allah, and his magnum opus[3] Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth.
Election as Caliph
The Majlis Intikhab Khilafat (Electoral College), convened at Mubarik Mosque in Rabwah, Pakistan,[4] elected Mirza Tahir Ahmad as the fourth successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and head of the community on 10 June 1982.[5]
Muslim Television Ahmadiyya
As Khalifatul Masih, Mirza Tahir Ahmad established the Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (commonly referred to as MTA). This satellite-based channel broadcast its first program (the Friday Sermon by Tahir Ahmad) on 7 January 1994 from London.[6]
International Bai'at
In 1993 Mirza Tahir Ahmad started an international initiation ceremony to be held every year at the annual gatherings of Ahmadis in which new converts join the community by pledging their allegiance to the Khalifa. The International Bai'at ceremony was broadcast live across the world. He often claimed that it was the historical fulfillment of the Pentecost that was destined to occur at the time of the Second Coming.[7]
Death
Mirza Tahir Ahmad died in London on 19 April 2003 from heart failure.[8] The newly elected Caliph Mirza Masroor Ahmad, as the Khalifatul Masih V, led the funeral prayer on 23 April 2003, attended by over 40,000 people from around the world.[9] His successor is his nephew, the son of one of his sisters.[10]
Writings, speeches and Q&A sessions
Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth
Ahmad wrote a book title Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, which was a further development on a talk he gave in Zurich, Switzerland, in 1987. It covered many topics relating to the present-day. In this book he argued a rebuttal to the theories of biologist Richard Dawkins.[11] He argues that Socrates was a prophet of the ancient Greeks and that several other prominent figures from history were at the level of prophethood.
Quranic exegesis
Tahir Ahmad delivered annual commentaries on the Quran during the month of Ramadan. He incorporated lengthy discussions of previous commentators as well as the founder of Ahmadiyya and the Ahmadiyya Caliphs that came before him. In addition, he discussed the lexicon of the Quran and refuted many Orientalist ideas about the historicity of the Quran, Islam and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. His commentaries differed significantly from those offered by many of the classical Quranic commentators, placing emphasis on the logical and rational approach to the Quran. For example, he did not believe it was essential to rely heavily on Asbab al-nuzul (Circumstances of the Revelation) in order to understand the implications of the Quranic verses, presenting strong arguments instead that the Quran offered its own context. He delivered seven discourses on Asbab al-nuzul.[12]
Selected Books
- Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth – Examines the relationship between science, philosophy and religion[13]
- Sawaney Fazl – E – Omer – Official Biography of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community[14]
- An Elementary Study of Islam[15]
- Gulf Crisis and The New World Order[16]
- Christianity – A Journey from Facts to Fiction – Examines and discusses a variety of current Christian beliefs through logic and reason[17]
- Murder in the Name of Allah[18]
- Zahaqal Baatil[19][20][21]
- Reality of punishment of apostasy in Islam (Urdu)[22]
- Homeopathy[23]
- Some Distinctive Features of Islam[24]
- Introduction to the Surahs of The Noble Quran: With Brief Explanatory Notes to Some Verses[25]
See also
References
- ^ "Khilafat".
- ^ Moon, Farzana (12 January 2015). No Islam but Islam. Cambridge Scholars. p. 163. ISBN 9781443874045. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ Buckley, David. Where the Waters Meet: Convergence and Complementarity in Therapy and Theology. Karnac Books. p. 75.
- ^ The Life of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ra).
- ^ "Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad". Retrieved 5 March 2011.
- ^ "Friday Sermon 7 January 1994". YouTube.
- ^ First International Baiat, Jalsa Salana 1 August 1993 First International Baiat, Jalsa Salana 1 August 1993 on YouTube.
- ^ "Obituaries: Deaths Last Week". Chicago Tribune. 11 May 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ "Obituary of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad". Asian Outlook. Archived from the original on 14 May 2003. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Gualtieri, Antonio; Gualtieri, Roberto (2004). Ahmadis: Community, Gender, and Politics in a Muslim Society. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 157.
- ^ "The 'Blind Watchmaker' Who Is Also Deaf and Dumb". Alislam.org. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Introduction to the Surahs of The Noble Quran: With Brief Explanatory Notes to Some Verses".
- ^ "Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth". Al Islam. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Swaneh Fazle Umar – Life History of Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmad Khalifatul Masih II – Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Urdu Pages". Alislam.org. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "An Elementary Study of Islam". Al Islam. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Book: The Gulf Crisis & The New World Order". Al Islam. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Christianity: A Journey from Facts to Fiction". Al Islam. 18 December 1928. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Murder in the Name of Allah". Al Islam. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "زھق الباطل (حضرت مرزا طاہر احمد، خلیفۃ المسیح الرابعؒ)". alisl.am. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006.
- ^ "سلسلة الخطب ردا على منشور حكومي". Alislam.org. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "A Review of the Pakistani Government's 'White Paper': Qadiyaniyyat – A Grave Threat to Islam". Alislam.org. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Islam main irtidad ki saza ki haqeeqat – Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at Urdu Pages". Alislam.org. Archived from the original on 17 December 2021. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Homoeopathy – Like cures like" (PDF). Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Some Distinctive Features Of Islam". Alislam.org. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- ^ "Introduction to the Surahs of The Noble Quran: With Brief Explanatory Notes to Some Verses". rehanqayoom.com.
External links
Media related to Mirza Tahir Ahmad at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related to Mirza Tahir Ahmad at Wikiquote- The Tahir Archive.
- Complete List of the Books of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad – Khalifatul Masih IV .
- A Man of God – (Documentary on Life & Achievements).
- The Tahir Foundation.
| Ahmadiyya topics | |
|---|---|
| Beliefs and practices | |
| Distinct views | |
| Mirza Ghulam Ahmad | |
| Literature | |
| Ahmadiyya Muslim Community |
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| Miscellaneous | |
- Pakistani Ahmadis
- Pakistani homeopaths
- 1928 births
- 2003 deaths
- Ahmadiyya Caliphate
- Family of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
- Alumni of SOAS University of London
- University of the Punjab alumni
- People from Rabwah
- Pakistani emigrants to the United Kingdom
- 20th-century caliphs
- 21st-century caliphs
- 20th-century Islamic religious leaders
- 21st-century Islamic religious leaders