The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, fast growing international revival movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community spans over 190 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, established in 1921, is the first American-Muslim organization. Its journal, The Muslim Sunrise, is among the earliest and longest running American-Muslim periodicals.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long-awaited messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as (1835-1908) of Qadian. Ahmad^as claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus^as of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad^sa. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that God sent Ahmad^as, like Jesus^as, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s^as advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival. He divested Islam of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings. He also recognized the noble teachings of the great religious founders and saints, including Zoroaster^as, Abraham^as, Moses^as, Jesus^as, Krishna^as, Buddha^as, Confucius^as, Lao Tzu and Guru Nanak, and explained how such teachings converged into the one true Islam.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the leading Islamic organization to categorically reject terrorism in any form. Over a century ago, Ahmad^as emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam. To this end, Ahmad^as penned over 80 books and tens of thousands of letters, delivered hundreds of lectures, and engaged in scores of public debates. His rigorous and rational defenses of Islam unsettled conventional Muslim thinking. As part of its effort to revive Islam, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to spread Ahmad’s^as teachings of moderation and restraint in the face of bitter opposition from the Muslim world.

Similarly, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to endorse a separation of mosque and state. Over a century ago, Ahmad^as taught his followers to protect the sanctity of both religion and government by becoming righteous souls as well as loyal citizens. He cautioned against irrational interpretations of Quranic pronouncements and misapplications of Islamic law. He continually voiced his concerns over protecting the rights of God’s creatures. Today, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community continues to be an advocate for universal human rights and protections for religious and other minorities. It champions the empowerment and education of women. Its members are among the most law-abiding, educated, and engaged Muslims in the world.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the foremost Islamic organization with a central spiritual leader. Over a century ago, Ahmad^as reminded his followers of God’s promise to safeguard the message of Islam through khilafat (the spiritual institution of successorship to prophethood). The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community believes that only spiritual successorship can uphold the true values of Islam and unite humanity. Five spiritual leaders have succeeded Ahmad^as since his demise in 1908. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s fifth and current spiritual head, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, resides in the United Kingdom. Under the leadership of its spiritual successors, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has now built over 15,000 mosques, over 500 schools, and over 30 hospitals. It has translated the Holy Quran into over 60 languages. It propagates the true teachings of Islam and the message of peace and tolerance through a twenty-four hour satellite television channel (MTA), the Internet (alislam.org) and print (Islam International Publications). It has been at the forefront of disaster relief in the United States and worldwide through an independent charitable organization, Humanity First.

Media note: The name Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, is followed by the symbol “sa,” an abbreviation for the traditional salutation “may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.” The names of other prophets and messengers are followed by the symbol “as,” an abbreviation for the traditional salutation “on whom be peace.”