40 nights of solitude, prayer and anguish sprouting from a small room in northeastern Punjab caused a commotion in the heavens; Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him, was fervently praying for a divine sign that would prove the greatness of Islam. Answering his anguish, God promised him a son, who would change the course of history; a “Musleh-e-Maud” (Promised Reformer) with 52 distinct qualities; “as if Allah, Himself, descended from the heavens”.
Throughout this month, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat celebrates the life and times of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad – the Musleh-e-Maud, may Allah be pleased with him. The prophecy of his future legacy was published by the Promised Messiahas on 20 February 1886 after 40 nights of prayer in Hoshiarpur, India.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra life was a colossal mountain of tireless striving for Islam; he was an epitome of the Quranic declaration, “So haply thou wilt grieve thyself to death for sorrow after them if they believe not in this discourse.” (Surah al-Kahf, Ch.18: V.7)
The mantle of Khilafat was bestowed upon him at the tender age of 25, which was followed by severe opposition, trying times and a vast community to lead towards the success of Islam. As this young man was to be “blessed with a holy spirit” as Allah foretold, his leadership qualities, spiritual awe, acceptance of prayer, academic insight, “intelligence”, unshakable mettle and “Messianic qualities”, over a period of 52 years, proved he was, without a doubt, the Musleh-e-Maud.
Carrying the torch of Islam is no easy task. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, through extremely trying times, carried this torch to great lengths and devoted every particle of his being to the cause of Islam. He delivered scores of breathtaking speeches and lectures, wrote deeply researched commentaries of the Holy Quran that were often divinely inspired, educated millions of Muslims and non-Muslim alike, became the spiritual solace for Ahmadis, proved to be an effective authority on political matters, successfully challenged Western attacks on Islam, initiated the spread of Islam through missions across the world and established the compelling organisational structure of the Jamaat we witness today.
The true depth and understanding of the importance of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra and how he was a divine sign of Allah can only perhaps be comprehended by reading and learning about his life. He was a sign of Allah for the truthfulness of Islam and will be forever in the memories of Muslims until the end of times, Insha-Allah.
We present this issue of Al Hakam for the benefit of our readers to better understand who Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra really was, the effect he had and the works he achieved. We want to show why exactly he was “Musleh-e-Maud”.