January: A Month of 2 Prophecies

It is a fact proven from history that at a time when darkness prevails the earth and the world becomes corrupt, Allah the Almighty sends a messenger. The same was the case of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as of Qadian who claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the time after receiving divine revelation from Allah the Almighty, in accordance with the prophecy of the Holy Prophet^sa. 

The Promised Messiah^as was blessed with abundant signs and glad tidings from Allah Almighty to strengthen his claim. He was vouchsafed with a sign of a boy from his own descent who would be gifted with remarkable qualities and unique attributes. The Holy Prophet^sa referred to this by saying:

يتزوّج و يولد له

This meant that the marriage of the Promised Messiah^as would be of an exceptional kind and, through this, Allah would give him such offspring as would help him in carrying on his mission. Thus, a boy was born in the month of January who was named Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad^ra. He was the son of the Promised Messiah^as and was the Musleh-e-Maud. In the announcement of 20 February 1886, the Promised Messiah^as says:

“God the Merciful, the Noble, the High, the Exalted, Who has power to do all that He wills (glory be to Him and exalted be His name), has vouchsafed to me the following revelation:

“‘…Rejoice, therefore, that a handsome and pure boy will be bestowed on thee. Thou wilt receive a bright youth who will be of thy seed and will be of thy progeny. A handsome and pure boy will come as your guest. His name is Emmanuel and Bashir. He has been invested with a holy spirit and he will be free from all impurity. He is the light of Allah. Blessed is he who comes from heaven. He shall be accompanied by grace (fazl) which shall arrive with him. He will be characterised with grandeur, greatness and wealth. He will come into the world and will heal many of their disorder through his Messianic qualities and through the blessings of the Holy Spirit…’”

Born on 12 January 1889, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra has a unique relation with the establishment of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, as the foundation of the Jamaat was laid in the same year of his birth, on 23 March 1889. Forty faithful servants took the oath of allegiance at the hand of the Promised Messiah^as in the house of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan^ra in Ludhiana. 

Hence, the birth of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra and the genesis of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat both took place in the same year, around the same time. It was due to this divine connection that on 26 May 1908, when the Promised Messiah^as passed away in Lahore, the promised son stood by the bed of the Promised Messiah^as and vowed:

“Even if all people leave you and I am left alone, I shall stand by you and shall face all opposition and onslaughts against your mission.”

One of the signs mentioned in the grand prophecy of Musleh-e-Maud was that “he will grow rapidly”. We see that this sign, alongside many others, was to be manifested in the person of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad^ra, but also in the form of the Jamaat that took birth with him, almost as a twin. His capabilities developed at an extraordinary pace and the Jamaat grew and spread to the corners of the earth.

It is not the tradition of the Jamaat to celebrate birthdays, but this article is to remind our readers of two grand prophecies of the Holy Prophet^sa of Islam: the birth of the magnificent son, and a Jamaat that was to be founded by the Promised Messiah^as.

Al Hakam will insha-Allah be publishing a special issue for Musleh-e-Maud Day.