About the Author

Their Ulema

 HADRAT MIRZA TAHIR AHMAD r t a was born in Qadian, India, in 1928 to Hadrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra and Hadrat Maryam Begum ra . He received his early schooling in Qadian. After graduating from the Ahmadiyyah Missionary College, Rabwah with distinction, he obtained an honours degree in Arabic from Punjab University. In 1955, he visited England for the first time with his father, who suggested that he remain behind to improve his knowledge of the English language and European social habits. He secured admission at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, where he remained for two and a half years. By the end of 1957, Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrta had seen most of Western Europe. He traveled extensively in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The experience that he gained during these years would play a crucial role later in his life, when administer- ing his great responsibilities as Khalifatul Masih IV, the fourth Head of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at. He was khutba9.book Page xiv Thursday, December 28, 2006 8:43 AM

Their Ulema

elected to this office in 1982, one day after the demise of his predecessor, Hadrat Mirza Nasir Ahmadrta. The anti-Ahmadiyyah ordinance of April 1984, promul- gated by General Zia-ul-Haq, compelled Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrta to leave Pakistan. He decided to migrate to England where he established his transitory base in exile. Within a few years, he trained and organised thousands of volunteers to help him discharge his global responsibilities. Of all his achievements in England, MTA (Muslim Televi- sion Ahmadiyyah) international is one of the greatest. Through MTA international, numerous training programs are televised twenty-four hours a day. His activities since departure from Pakistan helped proliferate and spread the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at to over 150 countries of the world. Apart from being a religious leader, he was also a homeopathic physician, a prolific writer, a gifted poet, and a sportsman. Hadrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrta passed away on April 19, 2003 at the age of 74. He is succeeded by Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad [may Allah be his help], the present Head of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama‘at.

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