Messianic Legitimacy: the case of Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya Movements

Year 2016, Issue: 35, 217 - 256, 31.12.2016

Kayhan Ali Özaykal

Abstract

The Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya are contemporary
Islamic messianic movements emerging in the late nineteenth century during a
period of general Muslim discontent. This study aims to see how the respective
leaders of these two movements, Ghulam Ahmad and Muhammad Ahmad, sought to
legitimize their claims while addressing the problems they perceived to exist
in their societies. It is found that the originality and magnitude of Ghulam
Ahmad’s messianic message, which aimed to address the claims of Christian
missionaries as well as other religious groups by  drawing on the example of the prophet Jesus
for legitimacy and the abolishment of jihad, made the movement relatively
inflexible doctrinally, but with focus on proselytization gained greater global
influence. Muhammad Ahmad’s message and practice, by contrast, though highly unorthodox
in its treatment of prophetic hadith, emulated to a greater degree the example
of Prophet Muhammad, was more humble in its claims, and achieved relatively
greater domestic popularity and doctrinal flexibility, paving the way for eventual
political power in Sudan.

Keywords

Ghulam Ahmad, Muhammad Ahmad, Ahmadiyya, Mahdiyya, Messianism, Legitimacy

Messianic Legitimacy: the case of Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya Movements

Abstract

The Ahmadiyya and Mahdiyya are contemporary Islamic messianic movements emerging in the late nineteenth century during a period of general Muslim discontent. This study aims to see how the respective leaders of these two movements, Ghulam Ahmad and Muhammad Ahmad, sought to legitimize their claims while addressing the problems they perceived to exist in their societies. It is found that the originality and magnitude of Ghulam Ahmad’s messianic message, which aimed to address the claims of Christian missionaries as well as other religious groups by  drawing on the example of the prophet Jesus for legitimacy and the abolishment of jihad, made the movement relatively inflexible doctrinally, but with focus on proselytization gained greater global influence. Muhammad Ahmad’s message and practice, by contrast, though highly unorthodox in its treatment of prophetic hadith, emulated to a greater degree the example of Prophet Muhammad, was more humble in its claims, and achieved relatively greater domestic popularity and doctrinal flexibility, paving the way for eventual political power in Sudan.

Keywords

Gulam Ahmed, Muhammed Ahmed, Ahmediyye, Mehdiyye, Mesiyanizm, Meşruiyet

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