“The Essence of Islam” is an English rendering of extracts from the writings, speeches, announcements and discourses of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (peace be on him). Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) claimed that he was the same Messiah and Imam Mahdi whose advent had been prophesied for latter days, not only in Islam but also in other faiths.
The original compilation, in Urdu, Arabic and Persian, from which these extracts have been rendered into English, was collated with great care and diligence by the late Syed Mir Dawud Ahmad, may Allah reward him for his great labour of love. He published his selection in the form of a book, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani, alaihis-salato wassalam, apni tehriroń ki ru sei, or ‘Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian, according to his writings.’
The original English translation was done by Hazrat Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrullah Khanra, a companion of the Promised Messiah (peace be on him) who achieved great distinction as a statesman, jurist and scholar of comparative religious studies. Volume I and II were published by the London Mosque in 1979 and 1981 respectively during the lifetime of the revered translator. He also prepared the manuscripts of volumes three and four but these could not be published during his lifetime.
Second editions of volume one and two were published in 2004. We are now happy to present the third volume of “The Essence of Islam,” which is being published for the first time. This volume sets out an English rendering of the words of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) himself, in exposition of these important topics:
Natural, Moral and Spiritual States of Man
Faith, Certainty and Insight
Effort and Natural Aptitude
The Need for Prophets
Prophethood in Islam
The Messiah and His Second Coming
Dajjal or the Antichrist
Dhulqarnain
Gog and Magog
Women
The Veil
Proper Upbringing of Children
Repeated Challenges
Under the direction of Wakalat-e-Tasnif, London, the translation was compared with the original text and compiled by Mr. Munawar Ahmed Sa‘eed with the support of the translation team working in Masjid Baitur Rahman in USA. In addition to those listed in the Publishers’ Note of Volume I, three members who rendered valuable services for this volume are: Ahmad Tariq, Haris Ahmad and Nasir M. Malik.The publishers would like to express their appreciation for the help and support provided by Maulana Munir-ud-Din Shams, Additional Wakilut-Tasnif, who supervised the project and provided the vital link for seeking guidance from Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masih IV (rta) and Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul-Masih V (May Allah be his help). In Rabwah, Wakalat-e-Tasnif, headed by Professor Chaudhry Muhammad ‘Ali reviewed the document, helped in incorporating the verses of the Holy Qur’an and Urdu and Persian texts, and provided guidance in translating some difficult parts.
The system used for references is the same as adopted in Volumes I and II. All references, unless otherwise noted, are from the Holy Qur’an. In the text, the references to the Holy Qur’an are given exactly as they were given in the original writings. In the footnotes, references are given in the modern numerical system. In these references, we have counted Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim as the first verse and have used the numerical system in which the first number refers to the Surah (chapter) and the second number refers to the Ayah (verse).
References to the Books of the Promised Messiah (as) are based on the London Edition of the Ruhani Khaza’in published in 1984. References to Malfuzat and Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat are also based on the London edition.
The following abbreviations have been used in this booklet, Readers are requested to recite the full salutations when reading the book:
sas: An abbreviation for sal-lallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam, meaning “May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,” is written after the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas).
as: An abbreviation for ‘alaihis salam, meaning “May peace be upon him,” is written after the name of Prophets other than the Holy Prophet (sas).
ra: An abbreviation for radi-Allaho ‘anhu/‘anha/‘anhum meaning, “May Allah be pleased with him/her/them,” is written after the names of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (sas) and of the Promised Messiah (as).
rta: An abbreviation for rahmatullah ‘alaih/‘alaiha/‘alaihim, meaning, “May Allah have mercy on him/her/them,” is written after the names of deceased pious Muslims who are not Companions.
In transliterating Arabic words, the system adopted by the Royal Asiatic Society has been followed.
Please also note that the words in the text in normal brackets ( ) and in between the long dashes — are the words of the Promised Messiah (as) and if any explanatory words or phrases are added by the publisher for the purpose of clarification, they are put in square brackets [ ].
May Allah accept our humble efforts and make this blessed task a source of guidance for many. Amin.
The Publishers