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Ahmadiyyat

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, considered by Ahmadis to be the Promised Messiah of the latter days

See also: Prophethood (Ahmadiyya) and Jesus in Ahmadiyya Islam

In Ahmadiyya theology, the terms "Messiah" and "Mahdi" are synonymous terms for one and the same person. The term "Mahdi" means guided by God, thus implying a direct ordainment by God of a divinely chosen individual. According to Ahmadiyya thought, Messiahship is a phenomenon through which a special emphasis is given on the transformation of a people by way of offering suffering for the sake of God instead of giving suffering (i.e. refraining from revenge). Ahmadis believe that this special emphasis was given through the person of Jesus and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908). among others.

Ahmadis hold that the prophesied eschatological figures of Christianity and Islam, the Messiah and Mahdi, were in fact to be fulfilled in one person who was to represent all previous prophets. The prophecies concerning the Mahdi or the Second Coming of Jesus are seen by Ahmadis as metaphorical and subject to interpretation. It is argued that one was to be born and rise within the dispensation of Muhammad, who by virtue of his similarity and affinity with Jesus, and the similarity in nature, temperament and disposition of the people of Jesus' time and the people of the time of the promised one (the Mahdi) is called by the same name.

Numerous hadith are presented by the Ahmadis in support of their view, such as one from Sunan Ibn Majah which says, There is No Mahdi but Jesus son of Mary.

Ahmadis believe that the prophecies concerning the Mahdi and the second coming of Jesus have been fulfilled in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835–1908), the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement. Contrary to mainstream Islam, the Ahmadis do not believe that Jesus is alive in heaven, but that he survived the crucifixion and migrated towards the east where he died a natural death and that Ghulam Ahmad was only the promised spiritual second coming and likeness of Jesus, the promised Messiah and Mahdi.He claimed he was an incarnation of Krishna, and stated that the founder of Sikhism was a Muslim saint, who was a reflection of the religious challenges he perceived to be occurring . Ghulam Admad wrote the Barahin-i Ahmadiyya, in 1880, which incorporated Indian, Sufi, Islamic and Western aspects in order to give life to Islam in the face of the British raj, Protestant Christianity, and rising Hinduism. He later declared himself the promised messiah and the Mahdi, receiving a divine relevation in 1891. Ghulam Admad argued that Jesus had appeared 1,300 after the formation of the Muslim community and stressed the need for a current Messiah, in turn claiming that he himself embodied both the Mahdi and the Messiah. Ghulam Ahmadwas supported by Muslims who especially felt oppressed by Christian and Hindu missionaries.

One of the most offensive claims that Ghulam Admad made toward Muslims was in 1901 when he declared that he too was a prophet, not just Muhammad. The Quran states that Muhammad will have two manifestations: one of majesty in the name Muhammad and a second of beauty through a reflection of him in the name of Ahmad. However, support for the Admadiyya theology did not decline after Ghulam Ahmad’s death, as a the success of its missionary work is highly recognized. Followers elected Mawlana Nur ad-Din as Ghulam Ahmad’s successor. When Ghulam Ahmad died the believers of Ahmadiyya theology split. Most remained in Qadiyan, acknowledging Mirza Ghulam Admad as the messiah. The other half of Ahmadis see Mirza Ghulam Admad as a reformer, who began the the ahmadiyya anjuman ishaat-i Islam movement in Lahore, Pakistan

Ahmadis were declared heretical by the Pakistani government in 1974, with penalties of jail time up to three years for practicing Muslim beliefs and rituals, such as publicly reciting the Qur’an. The Ahmadiyya has a rigid hierarchical structure, and is therefore making it more organized than most other Muslim sects, strong connections exist around the world, and many followers remain .