Islam and the Ahmadiyya Jama'at: History, Belief, Practice »

Simon Ross Valentine is a lecturer in religious studies at Bradford University.

Simon Ross Valentine has written the first scholarly evaluation of the teachings, beliefs, and lifestyle of the Ahmaddiya Jama'at, an Islamic reform group founded in nineteenth-century India that currently boasts millions of followers worldwide. To the great aggravation of other Muslims, the Ahmadis assert that prophets existed after Muhammad, a controversial belief that has led to fierce persecution, especially in South Asia, where the government has declared the Ahmadis to be non-Muslims.

Valentine explores other major claims made by the Ahmadis, including their assertion that Jesus, instead of dying on the cross (as Christians believe) or ascending to heaven after the crucifixion (as mainstream Muslims teach), in fact escaped from the Romans and settled in Srinagar, the capital of Kashmir and the alleged location of Christ's tomb. After an account of the life of the movement's founder, Ghulam Mirza Ahmad, Valentine discusses the history of the Ahmadis, their proselytization strategies, the role of mosques and madrasas, the position of women within the religion, and the Ahmadis' doctrine of a peaceful jihad.

Glossary of terms

Introduction Walking in Another Man's Shoes' 1

1 In Search of the Tomb of Jesus 11

2 Ahmadiyyat and its Founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad 31

3 The History of the Ahmadiyya Jama'at 55

4 'Learn From the Ants': Structure and Organisation' 77

5 'The Remembrance of Allah': Life in the Mosque 101

6 Ahmadi Belief and Teaching 127

7 Ahmadiyyat: Integration and the Preservation of Faith 151

8 Women and the Family 171

9 'The Pen is Mightier than the Sword': Ahmadiyyat and Jihad 189

10 Tabligh and Da'wa: Recruiting for Islam 211

11 "The Ahmadi: A Persecuted People 227

12 'In Allah Do We Trust': Conclusions and Comment 241

Bibliography 249

Index 255