Bahishti Maqbara
Encyclopedia
Bahishti Maqbara located originally in Qadian
, India
and then in Rabwah
, Pakistan
is a religious cemetery established by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
as a directive from the community's founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
, made known in his booklet Al-Wasiyyat. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad established it in his will after he saw an angel showing him the place of his burial.
: The Will). In it, he describes establishing a cemetery for members of the community who are more spiritual then materialistic. At the time, finding a suitable piece of land in and around Qadian was costly and as such, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proposed a piece of land from his own property.
He also proposed that for anyone to be buried in Bahishti Maqbara, the following three requirements be fulfilled:
, India
and the second, in Rabwah
, Pakistan
.
. From there, he was carried to Qadian where he was eventually buried in Bahisti Maqbara. Thousands of members of the community arrived in Qadian for funeral prayers while prominent leaders within the community unanimously agreed Hakeem Noor-ud-Din should lead the community as the first successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. As Khalifatul Masih
, Hakeem Noor-ud-Din led the funeral prayer for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the same day.
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
.
Nobel laureate Abdus Salam
was buried in Bahishti Maqbara, Rabwah
next to his parents' graves. The epitaph
on his tomb initially read "First Muslim Nobel Laureate" but due to Salam's adherence to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the word "Muslim" was later erased on the orders of a local magistrate under Ordinance XX
which declares Ahmadis non-Muslims. After his death on November 21st, 1996, over 13,000 visited to pay their last respects and over 30,000 people attended his funeral prayers.
Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Pakistan's first Asian President of the International Court of Justice is also buried in Bahishti Maqbara, Rabwah.
Qadian
Qadian is a small town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur District, north-east of Amritsar, situated north-east of Batala city in the state of Punjab, India....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and then in Rabwah
Rabwah
Rabwah is a private city in the Chiniot District of Punjab Province, Pakistan located on the Chenab River near the historic city of Chiniot...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
is a religious cemetery established by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
as a directive from the community's founder Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a religious figure from India and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah , and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days...
, made known in his booklet Al-Wasiyyat. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad established it in his will after he saw an angel showing him the place of his burial.
History
In 1905, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community wrote a publication titled Al-Wassiyat (EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: The Will). In it, he describes establishing a cemetery for members of the community who are more spiritual then materialistic. At the time, finding a suitable piece of land in and around Qadian was costly and as such, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad proposed a piece of land from his own property.
He also proposed that for anyone to be buried in Bahishti Maqbara, the following three requirements be fulfilled:
Locations
To date, there are two cemeteries dedicated as Bahisti Maqbara. The first is located in QadianQadian
Qadian is a small town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur District, north-east of Amritsar, situated north-east of Batala city in the state of Punjab, India....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the second, in Rabwah
Rabwah
Rabwah is a private city in the Chiniot District of Punjab Province, Pakistan located on the Chenab River near the historic city of Chiniot...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Qadian
On May 26th, 1908, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad died and was taken by train to BatalaBatala
Batala is a municipal council in Gurdaspur district in the state of Punjab, India. It is located about 30 km from Gurdaspur, the headquarters of the district....
. From there, he was carried to Qadian where he was eventually buried in Bahisti Maqbara. Thousands of members of the community arrived in Qadian for funeral prayers while prominent leaders within the community unanimously agreed Hakeem Noor-ud-Din should lead the community as the first successor to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. As Khalifatul Masih
Khalifatul Masih
Khalifatul Masih sometimes simply referred to as Khalifah is the elected spiritual leader of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and is the successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian...
, Hakeem Noor-ud-Din led the funeral prayer for Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the same day.
Notable Burials
Frequently visited sites in the cemetery include the grave of Mirza Basheer-ud-Din Mahmood Ahmad and Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the second and third CaliphsCaliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and successor of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a religious figure from India and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah , and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days...
.
Nobel laureate Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk Mohammad Abdus Salam, NI, SPk (Urdu: محمد عبد السلام, pronounced , (January 29, 1926– November 21, 1996) was a Pakistani theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate in Physics for his work on the electroweak unification of the...
was buried in Bahishti Maqbara, Rabwah
Rabwah
Rabwah is a private city in the Chiniot District of Punjab Province, Pakistan located on the Chenab River near the historic city of Chiniot...
next to his parents' graves. The epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
on his tomb initially read "First Muslim Nobel Laureate" but due to Salam's adherence to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the word "Muslim" was later erased on the orders of a local magistrate under Ordinance XX
Ordinance XX
Ordinance XX is an legal ordinance of the Government of Pakistan that was promulgated under the regime of General Zia-ul-Haq and is meant to restrict members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from applying certain Islamic terms to their own religious practices and beliefs.-Precedent:Ordinance XLIV...
which declares Ahmadis non-Muslims. After his death on November 21st, 1996, over 13,000 visited to pay their last respects and over 30,000 people attended his funeral prayers.
Muhammad Zafarullah Khan, Pakistan's first Asian President of the International Court of Justice is also buried in Bahishti Maqbara, Rabwah.