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Obituary of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad
Surely to God do we belong and to Him do we return.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Association U.K., part of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community worldwide, announced the demise of its spiritual head, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad at 9:30 a.m. on the 19 April 2003. Surely to God do we belong and to Him do we return.
Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad had served as the fourth Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community from June 1982. He was born on 18 December 1928 in Qadian, India, the son of Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the Promised Reformer, and second Successor to Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, as foretold by the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him).
Early education Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad was in Qadian, India, and then at Government College Lahore, and Rabwah, Pakistan. In 1955 he came to England to complete his studies at The School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad served the community in various capacities, viz.
Director of the Central Organisation of Waqf Jadid (1958-1982), President of
the Central Organization for Youth, and afterwards, President of the Central
Association for the Elders of the Community, as Secretary Ahmadiyya Muslim
Foreign Missions for sometime and in various other capacities. He was
elected as the fourth successor to Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, on 10 June
1982. Religious persecution forced him to leave Pakistan in April 1984, from
which time he lived in Southfields, London, at the Fazl Mosque. This then
became the Center of the Ahmadiyya Community’s
activities from which all affairs worldwide were conducted and supervised by
him.
His leadership was characterized by a vibrancy and dynamism that became the hallmark of his 21year tenure of office. He made himself accessible to members of the community through his extensive travels worldwide. His indefatigable efforts on behalf of the community inspired its members to attain new heights resulting in a period of tremendous progress in many fields. Through his own noble example he renewed the spirit of commitment and service amongst all his followers. Foremost among his achievements was the creation of an international satellite television station, called Muslim Television Ahmadiyya, International (MTA). This station broadcasts a variety of programs 24 hours a day in most of the world’s major languages, including his Friday Sermons, which were telecast live from the Fazl Mosque, London. His immense and varied knowledge enabled him to answer questions on a diverse range of subjects during the frequently televised “Question and Answer Sessions,” and this quality also endeared him to his many audiences globally. His activities proliferated with the rapid spread of the community throughout 174 countries of the world. The community experienced a dynamic period of growth, increasing its membership from 10 million to more than 200 million members.
An internationally acclaimed thinker, and scholar of comparative religions, he had a profound understanding of the Holy Quran, the Bible, and other scriptures. Under his guidance, the Holy Quran was translated into most of the major languages. He himself personally translated the Holy Quran into the Urdu language. He wrote extensively, and among his scholarly works is his magnum opus, Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth, published in 1998.
A discerning student of world history and a keen observer of the international political scene, he urged peace and tolerance among all nations and all peoples. He cared deeply about global Human Rights, championed the cause of the persecuted and dispossessed, and advocated Islam as the solution to all contemporary political, social, spiritual and economic problems. In addition to his religious and spiritual duties, he was also a homeopathic physician, a prolific writer, and gifted poet and a keen sportsman.
Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Syeda Asifa Begum, who passed away in 1992. He is survived by four daughters and grandchildren.
Electoral College of the Community convened in London on Tuesday 22 April 2003 and elected Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad as the next successor who then led the funeral prayer at Islamabad, Tilford, Surrey on Wednesday 23 April 2003.
Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad the next successor
The service was held at 2:00 p.m. More than 40,000 people from around the world attended the service.
People from all over the world arrived for the funeral in their thousands and to bid farewell to their beloved leader and to welcome the new Imam of Ahmadiyya Jamat.