Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad accepted as Mujaddid
In Badr, 31st October 1907, pages 5-6, there is an article by an Ahmadi answering the question “Why did you accept Hazrat Mirza sahib?”.
The scanned image of this article is at this link as a pdf file.
The author repeatedly refers to Hazrat Mirza’s claim as mujaddid in accordance with the Hadith report about mujaddids and seeks to prove the truth of this claim.
For example, he writes:
“If someone … argues that the first fifty years of a century constitute the head of the century, so it is not necessary to accept Mirza sahib as mujaddid at the very beginning of the century, the answer is as follows. Since the teaching of Mirza sahib is consistent with the Quran and authentic Hadith, and thousands of signs have appeared in its support, it would be foolish to wait for fifty years for a mujaddid. However, if his teaching had been against the Quran and Hadith, then this objection would have been worthy of acceptance. …
No opponent can raise a valid objection against the teaching of Mirza sahib. The objection is only on his claim to be Messiah and Mahdi. The opponents say: if Mirza sahib had not made this claim to being Messiah and Mahdi, the Muslims would generally have accepted him as the mujaddid of the time, but these claims have prevented us from accepting him as mujaddid. In reply, we say respectfully that if you accept Mirza sahib as mujaddid of the time, this will not harm your faith in Islam. Considering that all other prophets died, what is the wonder in the death of Jesus? And since all those sent by God have been appointed in this way, and none descended from heaven, what is the wonder in Mirza sahib being appointed as such a time of need?”
It is plain from this that the claim of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is being presented in this article, just seven months before his death, as that of mujaddid of the century. Other Muslims are said to take exception to his claim of being Messiah and Mahdi, and this is why they do not accept him as mujaddid. However, the author argues that the claim of being Messiah and Mahdi should not prevent his acceptance as mujaddid. Therefore it is clear that mujaddid is his real claim.
From Abdul Momin:
A wonderful article and very informative about the true status of HMGA during his lifetime. It never occurred to his followers (while he was alive) that he was anything else but a Saint. Praise be to Allah Almighty.
From Tahir Ijaz:
Mujaddid and Nabi are not mutually exclusive terms. The Promised Messiah himself called Holy Prophet Mujaddid-i-Azam in “Lecture Sialkot”
From Zahid Aziz:
What the writer of the article means by mujaddid is clear from his following words (already quoted above):
“The opponents say: if Mirza sahib had not made this claim to being Messiah and Mahdi, the Muslims would generally have accepted him as the mujaddid of the time, but these claims have prevented us from accepting him as mujaddid.”
The claim of “mujaddid” mentioned here is obviously what he had claimed to be before claiming to be Promised Messiah. That was the position of “mujaddid” in which the general Muslims were willing to accept him.
The entire article can be read at the link given above, and shows that by mujaddid the author means the claim advanced by Hazrat Mirza sahib at the start of the 14th century in 1883 (which no one considers as that of prophethood).