Welcome to Islam Ahmadiyya in North Jersey

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad ^{(peace be on him)} was born in Qadian, India, into a prominent family whose ancestry can be traced to Persia, he was the second of three children. He was homeschooled, his studies including logic, philosophy, medicine, and Urdu, Arabic, and Persian; he also independently studied religion.

The first khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Maulvi Hakeem Nuruddin was the most devoted follower of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. A talented physician and Islamic scholar, he was the first follower of Ahmad to take the Oath of Allegiance in 1889. He was khalifa from 1908-1914. During his khilafat, the Community established its first foreign mission in London, translated the Holy Qur’an into English and established its first madrassa (religious school). He also thwarted an attempt by some rogue members of the Community to usurp the mantle of khilafat.

The second khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad was the eldest surviving son of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad and Nusrat Jahan Begum. In 1886, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad prophesied that God would bless him with a Promised Son, who would prove to be a boon for the Community. In 1944, Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad claimed to be this Promised Son. A renaissance man and skillful orator, his knowledge base included comparative religious study, philosophy, city planning, agriculture, Quranic exegesis, world history, linguistics, economics, political science, etc.

The third khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Nasir Ahmad was the eldest son of Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad and a grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. Earning his B.A and M.A from Oxford University, he was well-versed in political science and economics and served as the headmaster for the Community’s secondary school prior to his appointment to khilafa. He was khalifa from 1965-1982. During his khilafat, the Community established mosques in numerous Western European countries as well as establishing the Nusrat Jahan scheme, to build hospitals in schools in Africa. In the 1970s, he guided the Community past a nefarious state-sponsored attempt to delegitimize and persecute the Community.

The fourth khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Tahir Ahmad was the third child of Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmood Ahmad and Syeda Maryam Begum, and a grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. An erudite and scholar, he penned works on religious polemics, philosophy, evolution, poetry, ecumenism, homeopathy, etc. He was khalifa from 1982-2003. During his khilafat, the Community founded its independent humanitarian organization, Humanity First, and launched Muslim Television Ahmadiyya, the only 24-hour Islamic programming television channel. In the 1980s, he united and expanded the Community despite intensified state-sponsored persecution which forced him to personally migrate to England.

The fifth and current khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, is a great-grandson of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He was elected khalifa on April 22^nd, 2003. He serves as the worldwide spiritual and administrative head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, whose membership exceeds 10’s of millions across 209 countries and territories.