AHMADIYAH

 modern Islamic sect and the generic name for various Sufi (Muslim mystic) orders. The sect was founded in Qadian, the Punjab in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (c. 1839--1908), who claimed to be the mahdi (a figure expected by some Muslims at the end of the world), the Christian Messiah, an incarnation of the Hindu god Krishna, and a reappearance ( buruz ) of Muhammad. The sect's doctrine, in some aspects, is unorthodox: for example, it is believed that Jesus feigned death and resurrection, but in actuality escaped to India, where he died at the age of 120; also, jihad (holy war) is reinterpreted as a battle against unbelievers to be waged by peaceful methods rather than by violent military means.  

On the death of the founder, Mawlawi Nur-ad-Din was elected by the community as khalifah (successor). In 1914, when he died, the Ahmadiyah split, the original, Qadiani, group recognizing Ghulam Ahmad as prophet ( nabi ) and his son Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ad-Din Mahmud Ahmad (b. 1889) as the second caliph, the new Lahore society accepting Ghulam Ahmad only as a reformer ( mujaddid ).

The Qadianis, residing chiefly in Pakistan (though there are communities in India and west Africa and to some extent in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States), are a highly -organized community with a considerable -financial base. They are zealous missionaries, preaching Ahmadi beliefs as the one true Islam, with Muhammad and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophets. In 1947, with the establishment of Pakistan, they officially relocated from Qadian to Rabwah, Pakistan.

Ahmadiyah also designated several Sufi orders, the most important of which is in Egypt named after Ahmad al-Badawi, one of the greatest saints of Islam (d. 1276). Al-Badawi achieved great fame for his knowledge of Islamic sciences, but he eventually abandoned speculative theology and devoted himself to contemplation in seclusion. He became known as a miracle-working saint, and had thousands of followers called Sutuhiyah, from ashab as-sath (people of the roof).