Khaifatul Masih III in 1972- November 8, 1965[1] to June 9, 1982
- Preceded by : Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad
- Succeeded by : Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Personal Information:
- Name : Mirza Nasir Ahmad
- Born : November 16, 1909(1909-11-16), Qadian, British India
- Died : June 9, 1982(1982-06-09) (aged 72), Rabwah, Pakistan
- Resting place : Bahishti Maqbara, Rabwah, Pakistan
- Spouse(s) : Syeda Nawab Mansoora Begum (m. 1934 - d. 1981)
- Tahira Sidiqqa (m. 1982)
- Alma mater : Balliol College, Oxford
- Government College Lahore
- Parents : Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad and Mahmooda Begum
Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad (Urdu: مرزا ناصر احمد) (November 16, 1909 – June 9, 1982) was Khalifatul Masih III, head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He was elected as the third successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad on November 8, 1965, the day after the death of his predecessor, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad. He was son of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad, the second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He died age 72 in 1982. Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad is credited with expansion of the missionary work started by his father. He also represented the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the National Assembly of Pakistan in 1974. Despite efforts by him the National Assembly of Pakistan declared Ahmadis to be Non-Muslim, he is seen as having shown great leadership and guidance to the community during this period.[2]
Mirza Nasir Ahmad was born in Qadian on November 16, 1909. He committed the entire Qur'an to memory at the age of thirteen and thus became a Hafiz. He also learnt Arabic and Urdu at a young age. After having completed his education at the Madrassa Ahmadiyya, and having graduated from Government College Lahore. He was sent to England by his father, the second Caliph. In England he was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, where he obtained a Master of Arts degree in Egyptology in 1938. From 1939 to 1949 he was the president of the Majlis-Khuddam-ul Ahmadiyya, professor and later principal of the Jamia Ahmadiyya (theological college).[3]
During the Anti-Ahmadiyya riots in 1953, Mirza Nasir Ahmad was incarcerated under the Martial Law regulations. Upon his release he served in various other offices of the community, until his election as Khalifatul-Masih upon the death of his father, the second Khalifa.
Mirza Nasir Ahmad led the Ahmadiyya Muslim community as Khalifatul Masih for 17 years. Shortly after his election as Caliph he set up the Fazl-e-Umar foundation in honour and memory of the Second Caliph, Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad. One of the projects envisioned by the foundation was the construction of a library. In 1971 the Khilafat library in Rabwah was inaugurated, which today houses over 100,000 books, rare manuscripts, children section and science displays.
In 1970, Khalifatul Masih III embarked on a nine week tour of various African countries. During his visit he attended numerous receptions held in his honour and inspected the educational, social as well as spiritual services rendered by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of various African countries. He started the Nusret Jehan scheme and appealed for financial contributions from the community. Under this scheme, Ahmadi doctors and teachers are serving in various parts of Africa by running numerous medical clinics and secondary schools.
Following the riots and violence against Ahmadis in 1974, Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto faced considerable pressure from religious leaders to declare the Ahmadis non-Muslim. Consequently legislation and constitutional changes were enacted, Ahmadis were socially boycotted and their religious practices were criminalised by preventing them from claiming to be Muslims or from “behaving” as Muslims.[2] Thereafter the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community faced an eleven day inquisition where Mirza Nasir Ahmad himself and four other eminent Ahmadi scholars represented The Ahmadiyya Muslim community in the National Assembly of Pakistan. Mirza Nasir Ahmad personally answered all the allegations that were made against Ahmadiyya.[4] Eventually Ahmadis were declared non-Muslim by the National Assembly of Pakistan.
In 1978 Nasir Ahmad traveled to London where the conference of Jesus’ Deliverance from the cross was held at the Commonwealth Institute in Kensington. This was attended by various scholars belonging to principal faiths who read their papers discussing the circumstances surrounding the Crucifixion of Jesus, after which the Ahmadiyya viewpoint regarding the death of Jesus was presented. Presentations were also given by Sir Zafrulla Khan and M.M. Ahmad.
The Christian Church gave a statement dismissing the Ahmadiyya as not representing the teachings of Islam and refused to be drawn into the debate that had been re-opened by the discovery of the Shroud of Turin and now this conference.[5] There were participants from Pakistan, India, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the USA. On this occasion Nasir Ahmad also delivered a lecture on this issue. He dealt with the subject of Jesus’ survival from death upon the cross, his travel to the east, the Unity of God, and expounded the status of Muhammad.[6]
During his Caliphate, Mirza Nasir Ahmad is also known for having directed the compilation of the complete dreams, visions and verbal revelations claimed to have been received by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, which had hitherto been published in various books of Ghulam Ahmad, as well as various journals and newspapers. The compiled version of his entire revelations was published in the form of the Tazkirah. The complete dialogues or utterances of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad were also compiled under the directives of Khalifatul Masih III. This was published in the form of the Malfoozat, which include his discourses, speeches, question and answer sessions, sermons and casual sayings.
n 1980 Mirza Nasir Ahmad traveled to Spain, where he laid the foundation stone of the Basharat Mosque which was the first mosque to be built in Spain after a break of 750 years.[7] It was here that he also announced the Ahmadiyya motto “Love for all hatred for none”. The construction of the mosque was however completed after his death, in 1982.
Mirza Nasir Ahmad died on June 9, 1982 in Pakistan. And was succeeded by Mirza Tahir Ahmad, who led his funeral.
Mirza Nasir Ahmad married Syeda Nawab Mansoora Begum in 1934. She was daughter of Nawab Mubarka Begum, the daughter of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Nawab Mohammad Ali Khan. Mirza Nasir Ahmad had five children from this marriage. Upon the death of Mansoora Begum in December 1981, Mirza Nasir Ahmad married Tahira Sidiqqa in April 1982. He had no children with her.
1. Mirza Anas Ahmad, son
2. Amatul Shakoor, daughter
3. Amatul Haleem, daughter
4. Mirza Fareed Ahmad, son
5. Mirza Luqman Ahmad, son
1). Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih III(ru) – Election as Khalifa, Review of Religions, March, 2008
2). 2nd Amendment of Pakistan Constitution, Gazette of Pakistan, Extraordinary, Part I, September 21, 1974
3). "Early life of Mirza Nasir Ahmad". Review of Religions. March 2010. http://www.reviewofreligions.org/1953/the-life-of-hadhrat-khalifatul-masih-iii/. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
4). thepersecution.org: Mahzarnama - The Memorandum
5) . The Review of Religions, March 2008, Vol. 103, issue 03, islamic publications 2008
6). A Brief History of Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam – Conference in London
7). An Elementary Study of Islam – Introduction
Khaifatul Masih III in 1972