Saeed Ahmad Khan
Encyclopedia
Saeed Ahmad Khan (1900–1996, (Emir
1981-1996) was an adherent, and later third Emir
, of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
, religious movement which evolved as a sect of Islam
.
of British India (now Pakistan
). His father, Maulana Muhammad Yahya, and uncle, Maulana Muhammad Yaqub, were already members of the Ahmadiyya
Movement. At the age of six, he included his name on a postcard from his village to take the bai'at (Oath of Allegiance) with Mirza Ghulam Ahmad
in Qadian
. He was the last person belonging to the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
to die who had taken bai'at at Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's own hand, at the age of eight years. He went with his father in December 1907 to Qadian and stayed there for some three months in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's company.
Therefore he bolonged to the non Muslims so called Ahmadi's or Qadyani's. The Qadyani were declared as Non Muslim in Early 70's by Pakistan Assembly
I. died, a split in the Ahmadiyya Movement took place, and Ahmad returned home to continue his education in the local city of Abbottabad
. He then studied at King Edward's Medical College, Lahore
, where he obtained a Medical degree in 1925. He was the first Muslim at the College to receive a Medal for his studies. In Lahore he attended Maulana Muhammad Ali
's lectures on the Qur'an
and became his follower. He became the first president of the Shabban-ul-Ahmadiyya (Lahore Ahmadiyya Young Men's Association). He was Hafiz of the Qur'an and competent in Classical Arabic
.
In 1947 he performed the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makka). He gave medical treatment to some fellow pilgrims, and came to the notice of the King of Saudi Arabia. The King offered him a post as his personal doctor, which he declined. In 1950 he performed the Hajj again, this time at the invitation of the King as his guest.
in the North-West Frontier, and held this post until 1964. He was awarded the title Khan Bahadar by the British government of India and the title Sitara-i Khidmat by the government of Pakistan
.
He retired as a doctor in 1964, but continued as a General Practitioner in Abbottabad, treating the poor free of charge. He also built a mosque close to his house and ran a residential summer school there, for the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
. He settled in Lahore, from his home in 1974, following the anti-Ahmadiyya riots of the summer of that year in Pakistan. The inciters encouraged mob attacks against Ahmadis throughout the country as part of their campaign to force the government of Pakistan to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims by law. Ahmad suffered losses with the burning down of his clinic and his house, and he received death threats for not renouncing his Ahmadi beliefs. He rebuffed attempts to drop the name "Ahmadiyya" from the name of the Movement in order to be accepted as Muslim by the instigators of the riots.
Ahmad was elected Head of the Movement in 1981, after previously being a senior Vice-president for several years. As President he travelled to the UK
, USA, the Netherlands
, Canada
, Trinidad and Tobago
, Guyana
and Surinam. He succeeded Maulana Sadr-ud-Din as Amir. He died in that role on Friday 15 November 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan, at 96 years of age. He was succeeded by Dr Asghar Hameed
.
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
1981-1996) was an adherent, and later third Emir
Emir
Emir , meaning "commander", "general", or "prince"; also transliterated as Amir, Aamir or Ameer) is a title of high office, used throughout the Muslim world...
, of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam Lahore , also known as the Lahoris, formed as a result of ideological differences within the Ahmadiyya movement, after the demise of Maulana Hakim Noor-ud-Din in 1914, the first Khalifa after its founder,...
, religious movement which evolved as a sect of Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
.
Early life
Ahmad was born in the Hazara area of the North-West Frontier ProvinceNorth-West Frontier Province
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province and various other names, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan, located in the north-west of the country...
of British India (now 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...
). His father, Maulana Muhammad Yahya, and uncle, Maulana Muhammad Yaqub, were already members of the Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious revivalist movement founded in India near the end of the 19th century, originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the world reformer of the end times, who was to herald the Eschaton as...
Movement. At the age of six, he included his name on a postcard from his village to take the bai'at (Oath of Allegiance) with 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...
in Qadian
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....
. He was the last person belonging to the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam Lahore , also known as the Lahoris, formed as a result of ideological differences within the Ahmadiyya movement, after the demise of Maulana Hakim Noor-ud-Din in 1914, the first Khalifa after its founder,...
to die who had taken bai'at at Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's own hand, at the age of eight years. He went with his father in December 1907 to Qadian and stayed there for some three months in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's company.
Therefore he bolonged to the non Muslims so called Ahmadi's or Qadyani's. The Qadyani were declared as Non Muslim in Early 70's by Pakistan Assembly
Education
He went again in 1912, to study in the Ahmadiyya school in Qadian, known as the Taleem-ul-Islam High School, and the following year he obtained admission. In 1914, when the Maulana Hakim Noor-ud-Din Khalifatul MasihKhalifatul 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...
I. died, a split in the Ahmadiyya Movement took place, and Ahmad returned home to continue his education in the local city of Abbottabad
Abbottabad
Abbottabad is a city located in the Hazara region of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in Pakistan. The city is situated in the Orash Valley, northeast of the capital Islamabad and east of Peshawar at an altitude of and is the capital of the Abbottabad District...
. He then studied at King Edward's Medical College, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, where he obtained a Medical degree in 1925. He was the first Muslim at the College to receive a Medal for his studies. In Lahore he attended Maulana Muhammad Ali
Maulana Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali was a Pakistani writer, scholar, and leading figure of the Ahmadiyya Movement.-Biography:Ali was born in Punjab, British India, in 1874. He obtained an English and Law in 1899...
's lectures on the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
and became his follower. He became the first president of the Shabban-ul-Ahmadiyya (Lahore Ahmadiyya Young Men's Association). He was Hafiz of the Qur'an and competent in Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic
Classical Arabic , also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad and Abbasid times . It is based on the Medieval dialects of Arab tribes...
.
In 1947 he performed the Hajj (Pilgrimage to Makka). He gave medical treatment to some fellow pilgrims, and came to the notice of the King of Saudi Arabia. The King offered him a post as his personal doctor, which he declined. In 1950 he performed the Hajj again, this time at the invitation of the King as his guest.
Career
After qualifying, Ahmad joined the government's Health Department and specialised in chest diseases. In 1939, he became the first superintendent of the government's Tuberculosis Sanatorium at DadarDadar
Dadar is a place in Mumbai, and is also a railway station on both the Western and Central lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Dadar is situated in the heart of Mumbai, and Dadar station is the only railway station common to both the Central and Western lines...
in the North-West Frontier, and held this post until 1964. He was awarded the title Khan Bahadar by the British government of India and the title Sitara-i Khidmat by the government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
.
He retired as a doctor in 1964, but continued as a General Practitioner in Abbottabad, treating the poor free of charge. He also built a mosque close to his house and ran a residential summer school there, for the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement
The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam, Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam Lahore , also known as the Lahoris, formed as a result of ideological differences within the Ahmadiyya movement, after the demise of Maulana Hakim Noor-ud-Din in 1914, the first Khalifa after its founder,...
. He settled in Lahore, from his home in 1974, following the anti-Ahmadiyya riots of the summer of that year in Pakistan. The inciters encouraged mob attacks against Ahmadis throughout the country as part of their campaign to force the government of Pakistan to declare Ahmadis as non-Muslims by law. Ahmad suffered losses with the burning down of his clinic and his house, and he received death threats for not renouncing his Ahmadi beliefs. He rebuffed attempts to drop the name "Ahmadiyya" from the name of the Movement in order to be accepted as Muslim by the instigators of the riots.
Ahmad was elected Head of the Movement in 1981, after previously being a senior Vice-president for several years. As President he travelled to the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, USA, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
and Surinam. He succeeded Maulana Sadr-ud-Din as Amir. He died in that role on Friday 15 November 1996 in Lahore, Pakistan, at 96 years of age. He was succeeded by Dr Asghar Hameed
Asghar Hameed
Asghar Hameed was the fourth Emir of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.- External links :*...
.