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Mirza Tahir Ahmad | |
|---|---|
مرزا طاہر احمد | |
 Mirza Tahir Ahmad in 2000 | |
| Title | Caliph of the Messiah Amir al-Mu'minin |
| Personal life | |
| Born | (1928-12-18)18 December 1928 |
| Died | 19 April 2003(2003-04-19) (aged 74) London, England |
| Resting place | Mubarak Mosque,Tilford, England |
| Spouse | Asifa Begum (m. 1957–1992) |
| Children | Four |
| Parents |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Ahmadiya |
| Denomination | Ahmadiyya |
| Consecration | 10 June 1982 |
| Senior posting | |
| Post | Caliph |
| Predecessor | Mirza Nasir Ahmad |
| Successor | Mirza Masroor Ahmad |
| Part ofa series on Ahmadiyya |
|---|
 |
Distinct views |
Days of remembrance |
Miscellaneous |
Mirza Tahir Ahmad (مرزا طاہر احمد; 18 December 1928 – 19 April 2003) was thefourth caliph (Arabic:خليفة المسيح الرابع,khalīfatul masīh al-rābi) and the head of the worldwideAhmadiyya Muslim Community. He was elected as the fourth successor of the founder of the community,Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected on 10 June 1982, the day after the death of his predecessor,Mirza Nasir Ahmad.
Following theOrdinance XX that was promulgated by the government of Pakistan in 1984, which prohibited Ahmadi Muslims from any public expression of the Islamic faith, Tahir Ahmad left Pakistan and migrated toLondon,England, provisionally moving the headquarters of the community to theFazl Mosque in London.[1] He is noted particularly for his question and answer sessions which he held regularly with people from around the world and for hisQuranic discourses. Under his leadership, there was an acceleration in the number ofQuran translations produced by the Community; and during his caliphate, the Community experienced structural and financial growth on an international level, including the launch of the first Muslim satellite television network,Muslim Television Ahmadiyya in 1994 through which he could communicate televised messages to the Community globally and have his sermons and other public engagements transmitted throughout the world through this medium.[2]
Tahir Ahmad also authored many books including,Some Distinctive Features of Islam;Christianity: A Journey from Facts to Fiction;Murder in the Name of Allah, and his magnum opus[3]Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth.
TheMajlis Intikhab Khilafat (Electoral College), convened at Mubarik Mosque inRabwah,Pakistan,[4] elected Mirza Tahir Ahmad as the fourth successor toMirza Ghulam Ahmad and head of the community on 10 June 1982.[5]
AsKhalifatul Masih, Mirza Tahir Ahmad established the Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (commonly referred to asMTA). This satellite-based channel broadcast its first program (the Friday Sermon by Tahir Ahmad) on 7 January 1994 from London.[6]
In 1993 Mirza Tahir Ahmad started an international initiation ceremony to be held every year at the annual gatherings of Ahmadis in which new converts join the community by pledging their allegiance to the Khalifa. TheInternational Bai'at ceremony was broadcast live across the world. He often claimed that it was the historical fulfillment of thePentecost that was destined to occur at the time of theSecond Coming.[7]
Mirza Tahir Ahmad died in London on 19 April 2003 from heart failure.[8] The newly electedCaliphMirza Masroor Ahmad, as theKhalifatul Masih V, led thefuneral prayer on 23 April 2003, attended by over 40,000 people from around the world.[9] His successor is his nephew, the son of one of his sisters.[10]
Ahmad wrote a book titleRevelation, Rationality, Knowledge and 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. In this book he argued a rebuttal to the theories of biologistRichard Dawkins.[11] He argues thatSocrates was aprophet of the ancient Greeks and that several other prominent figures from history were at the level of prophethood.
Tahir Ahmad delivered annual commentaries on theQuran during the month ofRamadan. He incorporated lengthy discussions of previous commentators as well as the founder of Ahmadiyya and the Ahmadiyya Caliphs that came before him. In addition, he discussed the lexicon of the Quran and refuted many Orientalist ideas about the historicity of the Quran, Islam and the life of the Prophet Muhammad. His commentaries differed significantly from those offered by many of the classical Quranic commentators, placing emphasis on the logical and rational approach to the Quran. For example, he did not believe it was essential to rely heavily onAsbab al-nuzul (Circumstances of the Revelation) in order to understand the implications of the Quranic verses, presenting strong arguments instead that the Quran offered its own context. He delivered seven discourses on Asbab al-nuzul.[12]
Media related toMirza Tahir Ahmad at Wikimedia Commons
Quotations related toMirza Tahir Ahmad at Wikiquote| Ahmadiyya topics | |
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| Beliefs and practices | |
| Distinct views | |
| Mirza Ghulam Ahmad | |
| Literature | |
| Ahmadiyya Muslim Community |
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| Miscellaneous | |
