Why is the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat called by this name?

Not after its founder, but after Ahmad, the second name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). This name stands for gentleness, love and humility, and the community is meant to show this side of his character in our time.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) bears two names, both found in the Holy Qur’an, Muhammad and Ahmad. All Muslims agree on this. The name Muhammad is linked with the prophecy of Moses (as). The name Ahmad is given by Jesus (as), as the verse above shows.

The two names have a different ring. Muhammad carries the sense of glory, dignity and power. In the same way Moses (as) prevailed over his opponents through strength. Ahmad has something gentle about it. There is no grandeur in this name, but humility, love and understanding, just as Jesus (as) won people over through patience.

This points to two ages in the work of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). The first shows his glory and power. The second begins with the coming of the Messiah in the last days and shows his gentle side. In this age people are won not by strength but by patience under persecution and by love.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah, therefore explained that he named his community after Ahmad. The time has now come in which this side of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) is to come to the fore. It is fitting that the Messiah should announce this, for it was Jesus (as) who foretold Ahmad.

So the name has nothing to do with the founder’s own name. He was called Ghulam Ahmad, and Ghulam means servant. He saw himself as a servant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), and all his dignity came from that relationship. Other schools within Islam also carry names to identify a viewpoint briefly, and none of them becomes a different religion because of it.