Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) was born in 1835 in Qadian, India. From his early life, he dedicated himself to prayer, and the study of the Holy Quran as well as other scriptures. He was deeply pained to observe the plight of Islam which was being attacked from all directions. In order to defend Islam and present its teachings in their pristine purity, he wrote ninety-one books, thousands of letters, and participated in many religious debates. He argued that Islam is a living faith which can lead man to establish communion with God and achieve moral and spiritual perfection.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as) started experiencing divine dreams, visions and revelations at a young age. This communication from God continued to increase and he announced that God had appointed him to be the same Reformer of the latter days as prophesied by various religions under different titles. He also claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent had been prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him). In 1889, under divine command, he started accepting initiation into the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, which is now established in more than 200 countries.
After his demise in 1908, the institution of khilafat was established to succeed him in fulfillment of the prophecy made in the Holy Quran that Allah the Almighty would establish khilafat (successorship) among the Muslims. Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) is the Fifth Successor to the Promised Messiah(as) and the present head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.