Mirza Basheer-ud-din Mahmood Ahmad

Mirza Basheer-ud-din Mahmood Ahmad Biography

Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad was a religious leader belonging to Islam and the second caliph the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (14 March 1914 – 7 November 1965), founded by his father Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the late 19^th century. His father’s close confidant Hakeem Noor-ud-Din served as the first caliph after Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s death, and following Hakeem Noor-ud-Din’s death he was elected as a predecessor of the religious organization founded by his father. He was elected as the second successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on 14 March 1914 at the age of 25. He led the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for over half a century and is known for establishing virtually the entire organisational structure of the Community. He also brought in many reforms within the community.

He was born into a religious Mulsim family on 12 January 1889 as the son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. His birthplace Qadian belongs to Gurdaspur of Punjab. He was the eldest son to his father, and his wife, Nusrat Jahan Begum. His mother was also a prominent religious figure. Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad had 7 wives and 23 children. He was 19 years old when his father passed away. He had ideological and administrative differences with first two leaders of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

He studied Quran, Sahih Bukhari, the Masnavi and medicine under the tutelage of Noor-ud-Din, who later became a very influential figure in Ahmad’s life. He also wrote articles in periodicals for his community. He visited Egypt and Arabia in September 1912 during Hajj pilgrimage, and upon his return he started a newspaper, titled Al-Fazl in 2013. He was elected as Khalifatul Masih II on 14 March 1914 and assigned further development of the scope of missionary activities and a few more. He was an important political figure in pre-independence India, and had close contacts with the leadership of All-India Muslim League. He established the Majlis-ash-Shura or the Consultative Council of the community in 1922.

Published: November 04, 2018

Updated: November 04, 2018