Khaifatul Masih V in Canada
Caliphate:
April 22, 2003 to Present
Preceded by : Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Personal Information:
Name : Mirza Masroor Ahmad
Born : September 15, 1950 (1950-09-15) (age 60)
Rabwah, Pakistan
Spouse(s) : Amatul Sabooh Begum
(m. 1977)
Children : 2
Residence : London, England
Alma mater : University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
Talim-ul-Islam College
Parents : Mirza Mansoor Ahmad
Sahibzadi Nasira Begum
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (Urdu: مرزا مسرور احمد) (born September 15, 1950) is the spiritual leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His title is Khalifatul Masih V, he is the fifth successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad was born in Rabwah, Pakistan, which was the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya at the time. He is a great-grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Mirza Masroor Ahmad completed his primary education at Taleemul Islam High School, Rabwah, and obtained his BA from Taleemul Islam College, Rabwah. In 1976 Ahmad earned his Master of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.
He served in Ghana for 8 years holding various posts within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.[1] He also found the Ahmadiyya Secondary School in Salaga, a school in the northern region of Ghana, where he served as principal for 2 years. This school is progressing very well to this day. His success at this school made him the obvious choice for the principal of the Ahmadiyya Secondary School at Essarkyir where he served for a further 4 years.[1] This school is in the central region of Ghana.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad was appointed as the manager of the Ahmadiyya Agricultural Farm in Depali, in the northern region of Ghana for 2 years. He successfully planted and nurtured wheat for the first time in Ghana. The experiment of planting, growing and nurturing wheat as an economic crop in Ghana was exhibited at an international trade fair and the results were submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture of Ghana.[1][2]
Shortly after serving in Ghana, Mirza Masroor Ahmad returned to Pakistan and was appointed as In-Charge of Financial Affairs on March 17th, 1985. Later he served as the Director of Eduction within the community in Pakistan and then on 10th December 1997 was appointed as Nazir A'ala (Principle Director) and local Ameer (President) until his election as Khalifatul Masih.[1]
In 1999 a resolution was presented in the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab which demanded that the name of Rabwah be changed for the reason that the name appeared in the Qur'an. It was approved without much debate and the name of Rabwah was officially changed to Chenab Nagar, signs were fixed in prominent parts of Rabwah which bore the new name. A few days later an F.I.R. (criminal complaint) was lodged accusing certain members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of erasing a sign which bore the new name as well a passage from the Qur'an. Though the report did not mention any names, yet a case was registered, resulting in the arrest of Masroor Ahmad and a few other senior members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. They were imprisoned for 11 days after their bails were rejected, under what they claim is a growing wave of persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan. They were released on May 10, 1999.[1]
Ahmad was elected as Khalifatul Masih V on April 22, 2003 after the demise of his predecessor Mirza Tahir Ahmad. Today he frequently tours around the world, visiting countries for the Communities annual gatherings called Jalsa Salana. Masroor also regularly leads prayers at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association's current headquarters in the Fazl Mosque, London, and leads the community in Friday prayers from Baitul Futuh Mosque, in Morden, London.[1]
The Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper (left),
sits next to Mirza Masroor Ahmad at the grand opening to the public of Baitun Nur, the largest mosque in Canada, on July 5, 2008
As the leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, he disapproved of the Pope's view, stating that the pope had been irresponsible and lacked knowledge of Islam. He explicated the 'inherent peaceful teaching of Islam' and the Quran and sought to remove misconceptions regarding Jihad and the person of the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the light of references from European writers, in his Friday Sermon of September 15, 2006.[9]
The plan to burn the Qur'an by the Dove World Outreach Center on the 9th anniversary of 9/11 attacks was highly condemned by Mirza Masroor Ahmad, at the Baitul Futuh mosque in London. He stated that "Religious extremism, be it Christian extremism, Muslim extremism or any other kind, is never a true reflection of the religion".[10][11]
The plan to build a mosque near ground zero was commented upon by Mirza Masroor Ahmad where he stated that:
If a mosque is built at the proposed site, then the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community would like to see churches, synagogues, Hindu places of worship and places of worship of all other religions also built near Ground Zero. That would be a good example of how from an act of evil and terror has emerged unity and peace.[12][13]
Several speeches delievered by Mirza Masroor Ahmad in the form of Friday Sermon's or other speeches given at annual conventions or conferences have been compiled into book format. One such is the book Conditions of Bai'at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi which explains in detail the importance of Ten Conditions of Bai'at in light of the teachings of the Qur'an and the practice of Islamic Prophet Muhammad.[14] This book covers several speeches given at the annual conventions and Friday sermons.[14]
Following the achievements of his predecessor Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Mirza Masroor Ahmad launched two more channels MTA 2 which directs special programmes in European languages such as German and English and MTA Al Arabiya which is broadcast to the Arabic speaking communities in Middle East, North Africa and North America in order to convey the message of Ahmadiyya Islam.[15]
On May 28, 2010, 2 Ahmadiyya mosques in Lahore came under Suicide Attack from the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan Punjab Wing. The attacks were carried out nearly simultaneously at Mosque Darul Al Zikr, Garhi Shahu and Mosque Bait Al Noor Lahore Model Town, 15 km apart. 85 people were killed in the incident (including one attacker) and 108 were injured. Another attacker was captured by the worshipers.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad issued 2 press releases urging members of the Community to exercise patience and prayers and that 'No inappropriate action would be shown by any Ahmadi' in reply.[16] He subsequently delivered a Sermon giving details of the 2 attacks followed by a series of sermons[17] in which he paid tribute to each of the martyrs, detailing their services to the community.
Mirza Masroor Ahmad is the son of Mirza Mansoor Ahmad, and the grandson of Mirza Shareef Ahmad who was the son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. His mother is Nasira Begum, eldest daughter of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Mirza Masroor Ahmad has two brothers: Mirza Idrees Ahmad (deceased) and Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad and two sisters: Amatul Qudoos and Amatul Raoof.
He married Amatul Sabooh Begum, the daughter of Syed Daud Muzaffar Shah and Amtul Hakeem (daughter of the second Caliph) on January 31, 1977. Ahmad has a daughter (Amtul Waris Fateh) and a son (Mirza Waqas Ahmad).
1. ^ a b c d e f Fifth Khalifa
2. ^ "Supreme Head of Ahmadiyya Movement calls on President Kufuor". Modern Ghana. 15 March 2004. http://www.modernghana.com/news/51337/1/supreme-head-of-ahmadiyya-movement-calls-on-presid.html. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
3. ^ Independent, UK - May 27, 2008
4. ^ http://www.alislam.org/topics/khilafat/khilafat-centenary-message.pdf
5. ^ Return of the Caliphate, Times Online, May 27, 2008
6. ^ Times Online, UK - May 26, 2008
7. ^ Birmingham Post, UK
8. ^ A True Believer Always Surrenders to the Will of Allah, Friday Sermon, December 5, 2008
9. ^ "A Response to the Pope's Remarks about Islam"
10. ^ "Koran-burning plan condemned at London mosque". BBC News. September 10, 2010. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-11264159. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
11. ^ "UK MUSLIMS SHOCKED BY PLAN TO BURN HOLY QURAN IN USA". http://pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=477845&Itemid=30. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
12. ^ Good News -- The 'Move the Mosque' Movement Is Growing; August 23, 2010 [cited September 12, 2010].
13. ^ The Holy Qur'an:the Truth Revealed Part 2 [cited September 12, 2010].
14. ^ a b Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Conditions of Bai'at and Responsibilites of an Ahmadi. Tilford, Surrey: Islam International Publications. pp. xxii. http://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf.
15. ^ "Friday Sermon of March 23 2007 - Veritable Mission of the Promised Messiah". Al Islam. http://www.alislam.org/archives/2007/summary/FSS20070323-EN.html. Retrieved March 02, 2011.
16. ^ Statement from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V
17. ^ Official Response to the Government Sanctioned Genocide of Ahmadi Muslims in Lahore, Pakistan.
Khaifatul Masih V in Canada
