Mirza Tahir Ahmad

Khalifatul Masih IV Leader of the Faithful (Amir al-Mu'minin)
Khaifatul Masih IV in 2000 in the UK
Caliphate
June 10, 1982 to April 19, 2003
Preceded by	Mirza Nasir Ahmad
Succeeded by	Mirza Masroor Ahmad
Personal Information
Name	Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Born	December 18, 1928(1928-12-18) Qadian, British India
Died	April 19, 2003(2003-04-19) (aged 74) London, England
Resting place	Islamabad in Tilford, England
Spouse(s)	Sahibzadi Syeda Asifa Begum (m. 1957 - 1992)
Children	5
Alma mater	University of Punjab Government College, Lahore
Parents	Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad Syeda Maryam Begum
Website	The Tahir Foundation

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Mirza Tahir Ahmad (Urdu: مرزا طاہراحمد) (December 18, 1928 – April 19, 2003) was Khalifatul Masih IV, Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and fourth successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected as Caliph on June 10, 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Nasir Ahmad.

In 1974, he was nominated as a member of the Ahmadiyya delegation which appeared before the Parliament of Pakistan to defend the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. As Khalifatul Masih IV, Tahir Ahmad attended the 100th Annual Jalsa Salana (annual gathering) being held in Qadian, India in 1991. It was the first time an Ahmadiyya Caliph had returned to Qadian since the partition of India occurred in 1947 when the community relocated from India to Pakistan.

Tahir Ahmad is perhaps best known for his "Question & Answers" sessions. During his Caliphate, the community experienced structural and financial growth including the launch of the first Muslim satellite television network, Muslim Television Ahmadiyya, in 1994.

Early life

Mirza Tahir Ahmed was born in Qadian, India on December 18, 1928. He obtained his early schooling in Qadian and joined the Government College, Lahore in 1944, a few months after the death of his mother, Syeda Maryam Begum. After graduating with distinction from Jamia Ahmadiyya (Theological Academy) in Rabwah, he continued his education and obtained his honours degree in Arabic from the University of Punjab, Lahore.

In 1955, he visited England for the first time with his father, who advised him to remain there to improve his knowledge of the English language and become familiar with European social habits. He studied for two and a half years at the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University but returned to Pakistan in December 1957 without having graduated. Instead, during his stay in London Tahir Ahmad visited different parts of England including Ireland, Scotland, Wales and also some parts of Western Europe.

Upon his return in 1957, Tahir Ahmad married Asifa Begum and was appointed the vice president of the newly established Waqf-e-Jadid Foundation. The main task of the Waqf-e-Jadid was to educate community members that lived in rural areas of Pakistan. It was as part of his work in Waqf-e-Jadid that he also started treating poor people with homeopathy.

During the Pakistani parliamentary investigations regarding the status of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a delegation of five members was sent to plead the community's case. Amongst the delegate members, Tahir Ahmad was the youngest. Shortly after, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was declared non-Muslim by the Pakistani National Assembly. This has remained the constitutional and legal position of Pakistan up to this day.

Caliphate

The Majlis Intikhab Khilafat (Electoral College), convened at Mubarik Mosque in Rabwah, Pakistan^[1] elected Mirza Tahir Ahmad as the fourth successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and head of the community on June 10, 1982.^[2]

After taking office, Tahir Ahmad worked to restore the Community with a new passion. Ordinance XX, the anti-Ahmadiyya legislature passed by General Zia ul Haq's government on April 16, 1984, compelled him to leave Pakistan immediately. Details of this journey can be found in the book A Man of God by Ian Adamson. He decided to come to England where he established his base during his years of exile.

Return to India

In 1991, Mirza Tahir Ahmad returned to India to attend the 100th Annual Jalsa Salana (gathering) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Qadian, India. This was the first time a Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community had visited India since the partition of India in 1947. This relocation effort was led by Khalifatul Masih II Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad.

Muslim Television Ahmadiyya

Main article: Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International

One of Mirza Tahir Ahmad's achievements as Khalifatul Masih was the establishment of the Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (commonly referred to as MTA). This satellite-based channel broadcast it's first show on August 21, 1992 from London, England.^[3] Originally, it started with a weekly one-hour program, televising the Friday sermon of Khalifatul Masih IV.

Today, MTA broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is watched by millions of people on five continents, and consists of three channels. Every Friday, broadcasts still include Khalifatul Masih's Friday sermon, simultaneously televised into six languages. Important events of the Community are also televised in most major languages around the world.

International Bai'at

Another added feature to the community activities was the international initiation ceremony, which was started by Mirza Tahir Ahmad in 1993 during the Jalsa Salana of the community in Surrey along with a scheme of propagation. The International Baiat ceremony was broadcast live across the world and the new converts join the community by pledging their allegiance to the Khalifa. He equated it with the Pentecost and said that if anything, the original Pentecost must have been a vision prophesying the Bay'ah. He stated that there is no evidence of it being an historical occurrence but that 'Nobody can deny its factual occurrence in the Bay'ah where millions of people are initiated at the hand of one man simultaneously in every continent in diverse languages through the power of the Spirit of Holiness.^[4] This international oath of allegiance takes place every year at the annual gatherings of Ahmadis - The Caliph of the community accepts the oath of allegiance.

Homeopathy

Mirza Tahir Ahmad was a world-renowned homeopath. He took interest in the books collected by his father Mirza Basheeruddin Mahmood Ahmad. After trying a couple of remedies for his own migraine and his wife's long-standing ailment, he was fascinated by the efficacy of homeopathic remedies. Before his Caliphate, he was already treating thousands of visitors at the annual conventions. After his election, his expertise was called upon by Ahmadis all over the globe through letters, as well as by leading doctors in London. He embarked upon a program of training others through classes televised on MTA International. These lectures were later compiled in a book (below).

Marriage, children and family

Tahir Ahmad married Asifa Begum in 1957. They had 5 children together, all daughters. His daughters are Shaukat Jehan, Faiza, Yasmin Rehman Mona, Atiatul Mujib Tooba and one daughter who died in infancy. He had no sons but later he took on the upbringing and educational training of a boy, Bashir. Asifa Begum died from pancreatic cancer^[5] on April 3, 1992.

Tahir Ahmad was the grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, he was the son of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph from his wife Syeda Maryam Begum, and was the half-brother of Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the third Caliph. His mother was the daughter of Syed Abdul Sattar Shah, a companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad.

Death

After suffering a heart failure, Mirza Tahir Ahmad died on April 19, 2003 at 9:30 am GMT in London, England.^[6] Tahir Ahmad's body was taken to Islamabad, Tilford where he was buried on the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's property. His successor Mirza Masroor Ahmad as the Khalifatul Masih V, led the funeral prayer. The service was held at on April 24, 2003 at 2:00 p.m, attended by over 40,000 people from around the world.^[7]

Writings, Speeches and Question/Answer Sessions

Mirza Tahir Ahmad bears the distinction of being a religious figure who answered questions from inviduals of various faiths, professional backgrounds, cultures and mindsets around the world in various meets and forums. He would answer any and all questions, whether related to Islam or not, and do it according to the sphere of understanding of the questioner. The answers displayed not only his vast knowledge of various science, history, cosmology, civic and social studies, but a deep knowledge of world religions, and their incorporated changes through the ages. He would answer these questions without preparation or assistance, and more surprisingly even answered questions from politicians, often giving them straightforward and very effective, fitting advice in various matters pertaining to their respective jurisdictions and political systems. This was considered an extraordinary feat as no other individual displayed such widespread knowledge about almost anything, and that too in interactive, live forums, completely without specific preparation.

"Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth"

Main article: Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth

Mirza Tahir Ahmad wrote among many others, a book named “Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & 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 world. In this book he argued a scientific rebuttal to the theories of biologist Richard Dawkins.^[8] He also argued that Socrates was a prophet of the ancient Greeks. In addition to these statements, he also stated several other prominent figures from history being at the level of prophethood, due to their accomplishments and their influence over other figures far into history, both on a moral and materialistic progressive compass. The book covers a vast array of subjects, from religion, to science to secular traits in the present age. It attempts to substantiate, through various bases of argument, how God has been ever present in the constantly evolving developing world of man.

Books

• Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth – Examines the relationships between science, philosophy and religion^[9]
• Sawaney Fazl - E - Omer - Official Biography of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community^[10]
• An Elementary Study of Islam ^[11]
• Gulf Crisis and The New World Order ^[12]
• Christianity - A Journey from Facts to Fiction – Examines and discusses a variety of current Christian beliefs through logic and reason^[13]
• Murder in the Name of Allah ^[14]
• Zahaqal Baatil (^[15]
• Reality of punishment of apostasy in Islam (Urdu) ^[16]
• Khatame-Nabbuwat (Urdu pdf) ^[17]
• Homeopathy ^[18]
• Some Distinctive Features of Islam ^[19]
• Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues ^[20]
• Kalam-e-Tahir (Poetry Book)

See also

• Ahmadiyya
• Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Khalifatul Masih

References

1. ^ The Life of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ra). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jY1ucvvOo. 
2. ^ "Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad". http://www.alislam.org/library/tahir1.html. Retrieved March 5, 2011. 
3. ^ "A Brief History of Ahmadiyya Movement In Islam: Muslim Television Ahmadiyya". http://www.alislam.org/library/history/ahmadiyya/102.html. Retrieved March 13, 2011. 
4. ^ Ahmad, Hazrat Mirza Tahir - Khalifatul Masih IV. Address on the occasion of the first International Bay'ah. 1 August 1993, Surrey - United Kingdom.
5. ^ Ahmad, Mirza Tahir. "Friday Sermon, April 3, 1992". 
6. ^ "Obituaries: Deaths Last Week". Chicago Tribune. May 11, 2003. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2003-05-11/news/0305110080_1_saudi-arabia-rheumatoid-arthritis-pancreatic. Retrieved March 13, 2011. 
7. ^ "Obituary of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad". Asian Outlook. http://www.asianoutlook.com/articles/April/35.htm. Retrieved March 13, 2011. 
8. ^ http://www.alislam.org/library/books/revelation/part_5_section_13.html
9. ^ English [1] | Arabic [2]
10. ^ http://www.alislam.org/urdu/sf/
11. ^ http://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/index.html (Book)
12. ^ (English [3]| Arabic) [4]
13. ^ http://www.alislam.org/library/books/christianity_facts_to_fiction/index.html
14. ^ http://www.alislam.org/library/books/mna/index.html
15. ^ Urdu [5]|Arabic [6] |English [7])
16. ^ http://www.alislam.org/urdu/irtidad/
17. ^ http://www.alislam.org/holyprophet/KhtmUrdu.pdf
18. ^ http://www.alislam.org/library/books/homoeopathy.pdf
19. ^ http://www.alislam.org/books/distinct/index.html
20. ^ (English [8] |Urdu [9])

External links

• Tahir Foundation Website
• Life Sketch of Mirza Tahir Ahmad at Official Homepage
• Comprehensive Video Archive of the Life and Works of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad

Persondata
Name	Ahmad, Mirza Tahir
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 December 1928
Place of birth	Qadian, British India
Date of death	19 April 2003
Place of death	London, United Kingdom