A Brief Sketch of My Life

From the book ‘Kitab al-Bariyya’

by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian

Table of Contents:

  • Cover
  • Copyright Information
  • Publisher’s Preface
  • 1. Introduction:
    • My Brief Biography and Objects of my Mission
    • Purpose of Biography
  • 2. Family History:
    • Settlement in Qadian
    • Great-grandfather’s Time
    • High, Noble Qualities of Mirza Gul Muhammad
    • Teaches Noble Lesson on Deathbed
    • Time of Grandfather
    • Qadian captured by Sikhs
    • Return to Qadian in Father’s Time
  • 3. Early Life:
    • Education
    • Pursuit of Father’s Legal Cases and Farming Work
    • Short Period in Official Service
    • Return Home
    • Father’s Death
  • 4. Spiritual Experiences:
    • Undertaking Spiritual Rigours
    • Experience of Visions
    • Spiritual Hardship was to come
  • 5. Divine Appointment and Claims:
    • Appointed as Mujaddid [Reformer] of Fourteenth Century
    • Acclaimed by Ulama [Clerics]
    • Reaction to claim of being Promised Messiah
    • My Followers
    • Expectation of Promised Messiah by Muslims
    • Contradictions introduced into Beliefs
    • True Interpretation of Prophecy
    • Messiah, not King in Literal Sense
    • Opponents resort to False Accusations
    • Messiah to come at Time of Havoc caused by Christians
    • No Prophet after Holy Prophet Muhammad
  • 6. Death and Spiritual ascension of Jesus:
    • Death of Jesus
    • Sound Islamic Authorities uphold Death of Jesus
    • Belief that Jesus is Alive contradicts the Quran
    • Meaning of Raf‘
    • Which Issue was the Quran settling?
    • Jews’ attempt to prove Jesus Accursed
    • Christians also declared Jesus ‘Accursed’
    • Quran removes Allegation of Curse from Jesus and teaches his Spiritual ascension
    • Bodily ascension was not the Issue
    • Raf‘ of Prophets and Believers
    • Jesus cannot return if Dead
  • 7. Prophecy about Dajjal:
    • Ulama’s Beliefs disillusion Rational Thinkers
    • Meaning of Dajjal
    • Religious Leaders and Scientists of Europe fulfill Signs of Dajjal
    • Man’s Control leading to denial of God’s Power
    • Other Nations revere Europe because of Scientific advances
  • 8. Proof of claim of being the Promised Messiah:
    • Likeness to the Time of Jesus
    • Place of coming of Messiah and Mahdi
  • 9. Breaking of the Cross:
    • Smashing of Christian Belief of Crucifixion
    • Jesus’ ascension — Spiritual, not Bodily
    • No Proof of Jesus’ Bodily ascension
    • How could the Curse be for only Three Days?
    • My Divinely-ordained Mission
  • 10. More proof of Claim:
    • Revival and strengthening of Faith in God
    • Criteria for the Truth of a Claimant
    • Mujaddid [Reformer] of the Fourteenth Century Hijra
    • How will the Cross be broken?
    • Meaning of ‘Shining Forehead’ and ‘Lofty Nose’
    • Bringing down Faith from the Pleiades
    • Revelations
    • Triumph by Spiritual, not Physical, Weapons
    • Books written
  • Author’s Footnote to page 66