Muslim Communities

Muslims who come to Christ face momentous spiritual, psychological and social obstacles that drive many to abandon their faith. Often conversion and discipleship are framed by individualistic Western models that do not acknowledge the communal cultural forces that constrain and shape new believers. Effective discipleship requires a more relational, holistic process of Christian identity development and spiritual formation in community.

In this work, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, explains that Islam is a living religion that is not based on tales of the past, but possesses the power to endow its followers the ability to manifest miracles and signs even today. A tree is recognized by its fruit he states, and the fruits of Islam can be tasted by all even today.

God revealed to the promised messiah(as) that his work will be declared supreme over all others. And so it was. For instance, the Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, wrote that Hazrat Ahmad's essay on Islam was the only one worth mentioning and the only one paper which was commended highly. The essay has been published in several languages in different countries. It is the best and most comprehensive introduction to Islam within the scope of the above five questions. The book was translated into English by Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan Sahib.

The Maqasidic Tafsir (At-Tafsir Al-Maqasidi) concentrates on evaluating the higher objective (the Maqsad) of each chapter of the Quran methodologically. It then describes how each chapter's contents reveal the harmony between the higher purpose and the means to achieve it. In tafsir's available trends, the maqasidic method has yet to be treated exclusively and has been subject to only partial and inclusive discussions. We must understand that each verse and chapter of the Quran has a maqsid, which means an aim, purpose, objective, goal, and wisdom.

This lecture by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Deen Mahmood Ahmad (ra) explores the essential principles of Tauheed, also known as the Unity of God, emphasizing its relation to humanity’s universality and the significance of upholding the core tenets of the Holy Quran. The speaker highlights the importance of emulating Prophet Muhammad’s (sa) exemplary conduct in facilitating peace, regardless of religious affiliations.

Jang-e-Muqaddas (The Holy War) documents the daily debate proceedings held between Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, and Deputy Abdullah Atham, an Indian convert to Christianity. The event’s origins date to 1893, when a prominent Christian missionary, Dr. Henry Martyn Clark, penned an open letter challenging the Muslims of Jandiala to a decisive debate—which he named The Holy War—declaring that if Muslims shy away from this contest or suffer a crushing defeat, they would forfeit their right to confront the scholars of Christianity, or to boast of Islam’s truth.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), the holy founder of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, born in Qadian, a village in rural Punjab, India, was the Divinely appointed Reformer of the latter days and the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. He was sent by God in fulfilment of the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible, the Holy Quran and Hadith, with the express task of rediscovering Islam in its pristine purity and beauty, and bringing mankind back to the Creator.

Da’watul-Ameer (Invitation to Ahmadiyyat) was written in 1926, specifically addressing the Amir of Afghanistan, Amanullah Khan, who ordered the execution by stoning of three Afghan Ahmadi Muslims a couple of years earlier. Such atrocities underscored the need to refute the false allegations that had been circulating about the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Although the specific events and the original book are now relics of the past, the book lives on as a general primer of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community's doctrinal beliefs.

A Gift for Baghdad is the English translation of Tuhfa-e-Baghdad, which was written in Arabic by the Promised Messiah (as) in 1893. It is a reply to an announcement and letter written in Arabic by As-Sayyid ‘Abdur Razzaq al-Qadiri of Baghdad (residing in Hyderabad, India at the time) maligning the Promised Messiah (as) and accusing him of disbelief (God forbid). In A Gift for Baghdad, the Promised Messiah (as) dispels the misunderstandings and misconceptions held by al-Qadiri and advises him not to hastily accept the allegations of the ulama without proper and thorough investigation.

In this work, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, explains that since human nature is weak, salvation can only be attained through a mediator who, owing to their perfect relationship with God and deep sympathy for humanity, can serve as a link between God and man. In every era, God has conferred salvation upon humanity through his prophets, but none can match the unparalleled status held by the Prophet of Islam in this respect, who was the paragon of perfection.

In Testimony of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) of Qadian enumerates the Signs of Latter Days, as described by the Holy Quran, and demonstrates how the prophecies regarding the advent of the Promised Messiah are fulfilled in his person. He also explains the vital position of the Hadith in Islam, and shows that these, too, inform us of the appearance of a reformer in this very age, making it incumbent upon today’s Muslims to recognize their Imam.

Our God is an English translation of Hamara Khuda written by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), M. A. in the prime of his youth. The book was written largely for the youth who were being swept by the onslaught of atheist literature. It is as relevant today as then; rather more so. The book mainly addresses the issue of existence of God from the point of view of rational arguments. It furnishes cogent reasons as to why we cannot see God. The beauty of God lies in his being hidden from our physical eyes, and yet being apparent to us through his creation and revelation.

The author corrects the miss-interpretation of the verses of the Holy Quran, spread by the detractors of Islam. He describes in detail the genesis of miracles, in the light of the Miracle of the Holy Quran, and repudiates the aspersions cast on Islam, through strong arguments and pertinent examples from the Gospels. A must-listen for the seeker after truth.

The Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Victoria was celebrated with great pomp and show in June 1897 throughout British India. Since the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah (as) was to propagate the Unity of God and his message, he found a way to serve those objectives at that occasion. He published the booklet Tohfa-e-Qaisariyyah on May 25, 1897.

The Economic System of Islam is an English version of a lecture delivered in Urdu by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the Second Khalifah, head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community to a gathering of academia in Lahore, Pakistan, in 1945. The book presents a detailed account of the teachings of Islam regarding the system of economics. It demonstrates that economic system of Islam is placed within the broader teachings of Islam, with the objective of attaining the pleasure of Allah and everlasting bliss in the hereafter.

The speaker examines and analyses the role played by different movements to alleviate poverty and sufferings, such as socialism, international socialism, Marxism, Bolshevism, Nazism and Fascism and so on. The speaker also explores the major religions of the world regarding the basic question "Is social inequality a serious problem?"

At a time when injustice, immorality and sin ran rampant, the religion of Islam dawned to revive the bond between humanity and its creator, and to establish peace in the world. It was at the hand of the prophet of Islam that an unparalleled moral and spiritual transformation took place. But the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, prophesied that a time would come when the true teachings of Islam would be forgotten and at this time a divinely appointed reformer would appear to rejuvenate Islam.

The life of one man has perhaps never been the centre of such passionate debate as with the case of Jesus the Messiah, peace be upon him. While some consider him imposter, others believe he was saved from being hung on the cross by ascending into the heavens physically. In this book, with compelling testimony, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him, presents the true and accurate biographical findings on the life of Jesus.

Refutation of the Divinity of Christ (Ibtal Uluhiyyat-e-Masih) was originally penned in Urdu by Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, Khalifatul-Masih I (ra). The book was written at a time when highly charged religious polemics dominated the atmosphere throughout British India. Christian missionaries engaged in aggressive campaigns to proselytize the Muslim masses and boasted of considerable success.

In many societies, a woman is still regarded as a second-class citizen and deprived of basic rights enjoyed by the male population. Resenting this discrimination, they have championed a fight to obtain equal status, which unfortunately to date eludes them in the more modern Western states. Whereas the pendulum has swung to the extremes and has opened the way to licentiousness in the modern society, the West has often regarded Islamic women as being backward in a male-dominated world. On the contrary, Islam was the first religion formally to grant the women a status never known before.