Joseph Smith's 1890-91 Prophecies
FULFILLED
in Guulaam Ahmaad
The Promised Messiah of ISLAAM
Most Mormons are unaware that Joseph Smith considered Muhammad, the founding Prophet of ISLAAM ("Is-lawm") to be a true prophet of God. Joseph Smith's close friend George Hinckle declared in 1841:
true Prophet of God.Joseph Smith's cousin, George A. Smith, told Mormons in General Conference, in Salt Lake City, the following:
a Prophet"Mahomet" is the Turkish name of Muhammad.
Most Mormons are unaware that Joseph Smith made several prophecies regarding the second coming of Jesus Christ.
In 1890, and again in 1891, there was a Muslim in India who proclaimed he was Jesus returned, or the spirit of Jesus returned. His name was Ghulam Ahmad. He was born on February 13th, 1835, a day before he made his first prophecy.
In the book A Book of Religious Knowledge for Ahmadi Muslims, by Waheed Ahmad, we have a brief description of what Ahmadiyyat is:
WHAT IS AHMADIYYAT?Ahmadiyyat is a sect of Islam and not a new religion. Ahmadiyyat is a movement, entirely within the fold of Islam, meant to revive its true spirit and philosophy, to cleanse Islam of all superstitious and unnecessary beliefs and customs which had crept in over the past fourteen centuries, and, finally, to preach the religion of Islam to non-Muslims with the enthusiasm and zeal of the early Muslims.
The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam was founded by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, India, in 1889. The followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad believe that he is the same Messiah and Mahdi whose coming was foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and was eagerly awaited by all Muslims. His followers call themselves Ahmadi Muslims, only to differentiate themselves from members of other Islamic sects, and strictly follow the orthodox religion of Islam.
Ahmadis believe that Jesus was indeed put on the cross, but only for a few hours. They believe that Jesus, after recovering from his wounds, traveled East to Kashmir where he died a natural death and remains buried in a tomb in Srinagar, in Mohallah Khanyar.
A majority of the Sunni Muslims believe that Jesus Christ himself will return one day as the latter day Messiah.
Ahmadi Muslims believe that since Jesus Christ has already died, it can only be someone else who can appear as the latter day Messiah. Ahmadis believe that this Promised Messiah has already come in the person of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad alaihisslam of Qadian.
These are the three important areas of contention between the Ahmadi and Sunni Muslims. In all other essential Islamic beliefs, the two groups hold more or less similar views.
WHAT IS MEANT BY THE "PROMISED" MESSIAH? In the Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, there are numerous references to the coming of a latter day Reformer who will cleanse the religion of Islam of all unnecessary customs and superstitions and restore to it the eminence and glory which it used to enjoy in the early days. This Reformer is referred to by various names and titles in the Hadith such as:
Mahdi
Messiah
Jesus son of MaryThe advent of this Reformer is so vividly described in the Hadith literature that Muslims of all sects and generations had been eagerly waiting for his appearance.
Since one of the names used for this Reformer in the Hadith is "Jesus son of Mary", many simple minded Muslims started believing that Jesus Christ himself will reappear in the latter days of Islam. When Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proclaimed in 1890 that he was the Messiah whose advent was promised in the Hadith of the Holy Prophet, a majority of the Muslims rejected his claim because they were looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ himself. In this respect these Muslims behaved like the Jews of two thousand years ago who had rejected Jesus' claim to prophethood because they, too, were waiting for the second coming of the Prophet Elijah.
After receiving many revelations to this effect, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad declared in 1890 that he was the same Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been foretold by the Holy Prophet Muhammad himself. He declared that he was in communion with God and constantly received His revelations and signs." (A Book of Religious Knowledge of Ahmadi Muslims, 1988, section 5)
