Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him, was born in 1835 in Qadian, India. From his early life, he dedicated himself to prayer, the study of the Holy Quran and other scriptures. He was deeply pained to observe the plight of Islam, which was being attacked from all directions. In order to defend Islam and present its teachings in their pristine purity, he wrote more than ninety books, thou­sands of letters and participated in many religious debates. He argued that Islam is a living faith, which can lead humanity to the achievement of moral and spiritual perfection by establishing commun­ion with God.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, peace be upon him, started experiencing divine dreams, visions and revela­tions at a young age. In 1889, under divine command, he started accepting initiation into the Ahmadiyya Muslim Commu­nity. He continued to receive divine revelations and was thereafter com­manded by God to announce that he was the divinely appointed Reformer of the Latter Days, as prophe­sied by various religions under different titles. He claimed to be the same Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is now established in more than two hundred countries of the world.

After the demise of the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, in 1908, the insti­tution of Khilafat (succes­sor­ship) was established to continue his mission, in ful­filment of the prophecies made in the Holy Quran and by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his Helper, is the Fifth Successor to the Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, and the present head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.