AHMADIYAH

a modern Islamic sect and the generic name for various Sufi (Muslim mystic) orders. The sect was founded in Qadian, the Punjab, India, in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (c. 18391908), who claimed to be the mahdi (a figure expected by some Muslims at the end of the world), the Christian Messiah, an incarnation of the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance (buruz) of Muhammad. The sect's doctrine, in some aspects, is unorthodox: for example, it is believed that Jesus feigned death and resurrection but in actuality escaped to India, where he died at the age of 120; also, jihad (holy war) is reinterpreted as a battle against unbelievers to be waged by peaceful methods rather than by violent military means. On the death of the founder, Mawlawi Nur-ad-Din was elected by the community as khalifah (successor). In 1914, when he died, the Ahmadiyah split, the original, Qadiani, group recognizing Ghulam Ahmad as prophet (nabi) and his son Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ad-Din Mahmud Ahmad (b. 1889) as the second caliph, the new Lahore society accepting Ghulam Ahmad only as a reformer (mujaddid). The Qadianis, residing chiefly in Pakistan (though there are communities in India and West Africa and to some extent in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States), are a highly organized community with a considerable financial base. They are zealous missionaries, preaching Ahmadi beliefs as the one true Islam, with Muhammad and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophets. In 1947, with the establishment of Pakistan, they officially relocated from Qadian to Rabwah, Pakistan. The Lahore group are also proselytizers, though more concerned in gaining converts to Islam than to their particular sect. Led from its inception to his death in 1951 by Mawlana Muhammad Ali, the sect has been active in English- and Urdu-language publishing and in liberalizing Islam. Ahmadiyah also designates several Sufi orders, the most important of which is that of Egypt named after Ahmad al-Badawi, one of the greatest saints of Islam (d. 1276). Al-Badawi achieved great fame for his knowledge of Islamic sciences, but he eventually abandoned speculative theology and devoted himself to contemplation in seclusion. Soon he became known as a miracle-working saint and had thousands of followers. He arrived in Tanta (south of Cairo, Egypt) in 1236. His followers were also called Sutuhiyah from ashab as-sath (the people of the roof); according to one anecdote, when al-Badawi arrived at Tanta, he climbed upon the roof of a private house and stood motionless looking into the sun until his eyes became red and sore. This action was then imitated by some of his followers. After al-Badawi's death, the Ahmadiyah was headed by 'Abd al-'Al, a close disciple who kept the order under strict rule until his death in 1332. 'Abd al-'Al inherited the order's symbols: a red cowl, a veil, and a red banner that belonged to al-Badawi. Before his death, 'Abd al-'Al ordered a chapel built on al-Badawi's tomb, which was later replaced by a large mosque. The Ahmadiyah order, which is representative of the lower type of dervishes, faced great opposition from Muslim legalists, who, in general, opposed all Sufism, and from political figures who felt threatened by the tremendous influence the order had on the masses. Under the Mamluk dynasty, however, the head of the Ahmadiyah at times enjoyed considerable privileges and was treated as a dignitary. During the Ottoman rule the Ahmadiyah suffered from official neglect because of the powerful rivalry from Turkish orders, but this did not lessen in any way the deep veneration for al-Badawi among the Egyptians. The Ahmadiyah is one of the most popular orders in Egypt, and the three yearly festivals in honour of al-Badawi are major celebrations. Numerous minor orders are considered branches of the Ahmadiyah and are spread all over the Islamic world. Among these are the Shinnawiyah, the Kannasiyah, the Bayyumiyah, the Sallamiyah, the Halabiyah, and the Bundariyah.