Maulana Mohammad Ali facts for kids

Maulana Mohammad Ali (born in 1874 – died October 13, 1951) was an important Indian writer and scholar. He was a main leader of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam.

Born in 1874 in Punjab, India, Maulana Muhammad Ali was a brilliant student. He earned degrees in English and Law by 1899. He joined the Ahmadiyya Movement in 1897.

In 1900, he was about to start a successful career as a lawyer. But then, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who started the Ahmadiyya Movement, asked him to dedicate his life to serving Islam. Maulana Muhammad Ali immediately gave up his plans and joined Hazrat Mirza in Qadian. There, he learned important Islamic teachings that Hazrat Mirza explained, which helped Islam spread its message around the world.

Early Leadership Roles

Hazrat Mirza gave Maulana Muhammad Ali important jobs. He made him the editor of the Review of Religions, which was one of the first Islamic magazines in English. It started in 1902. Through this magazine, Maulana Muhammad Ali showed the true and beautiful message of Islam to a modern world that often had wrong ideas about it.

In 1905, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote his Will. In it, he created the Sadr Anjuman Ahmadiyya, which was a council to lead the Ahmadiyya Movement. He chose Maulana Muhammad Ali to be the Secretary of its main committee. Hazrat Mirza gave this committee the power to lead after him. He wrote that "after my death the decision of this Anjuman in every matter shall be final and binding."

A New Path for the Movement

After Hazrat Mirza's death in 1908, his close helper, Maulana Nur-ud-Din, became the head of the Ahmadiyya Movement. He led the Movement based on the rules Hazrat Mirza had set in his Will. However, some people in the Movement wanted to change it. They wanted to make it a strict group that would call other Muslims non-believers. They also tried to create a family rule within the Movement.

When Maulana Nur-ud-Din passed away in March 1914, these issues led Maulana Muhammad Ali to leave Qadian. He, along with other senior members of the Ahmadiyya Movement, started the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha`at Islam (Ahmadiyya Association for the Propagation of Islam) in Lahore. Their goal was to continue Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad's true mission and keep his original beliefs.

The Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement was founded on two main beliefs, which they always stressed as their key principles. These were the beliefs that Hazrat Mirza truly held:

• Anyone who says the Kalima Shahada (a declaration of faith) is a Muslim and cannot be called a non-believer by anyone.
• The Holy Prophet Muhammad was the Last of the Prophets. After him, no prophet can appear, neither a past one like Jesus, nor a new one.

(The group that stayed in Qadian later said that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was a prophet. They also called all other Muslims non-believers and set up a family leadership under Mirza Mahmud Ahmad. They are often known as "Qadianis.")

Leading the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement

From the start of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in 1914 until his death in 1951, Maulana Muhammad Ali led this group. He organized its efforts to spread the message of Islam around the world. He also wrote many important Islamic books in English and Urdu.

He translated the Holy Quran into both English and Urdu, adding full explanations. Some of his other main English books include: The Religion of Islam, Muhammad The Prophet, A Manual of Hadith, The New World Order, and Living Thoughts of the Prophet Muhammad. These books offer a complete look at Islam. They help clear up misunderstandings about its teachings for both Muslims and non-Muslims. His writings show Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance, and spirituality. These books have become very popular worldwide and are now being translated into other languages. Many respected Muslims outside of his Movement have praised Maulana Muhammad Ali's work and books.

A famous British Muslim scholar, Marmaduke Pickthall, wrote in 1936: "Probably no man living has done longer or more valuable service for the cause of Islamic revival than Maulana Muhammad Ali of Lahore."

External Links

• Maulana Muhammad Ali detailed biography website
• Lets Learn Quran includes the English translation of The Holy Quran by Maulana Muhammad Ali
• Kafir-Musalman.org includes all the books written by Maulana Muhammad Ali
• AAILL.org provides all the details regarding Ahmadiyya Anjuman Isha’at-e-Islam Lahore

Images for kids

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  Maulana Muhammad Ali