Ahmadiyya (Urdu: احمدیہ Ahmadiyya),
is a movement that arose out of mainstream Islam towards the end of the 19th century. Originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) from Qadian, in Punjab, India, it later split into two groups in 1914 that continue as separate groups to date. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was an important religious figure who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the world reformer of the end times who was to herald the Eschaton as predicted in the traditions of various World religions, the Mujaddid (divine reformer) of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah (“Second Coming of Christ”) and Mahdi.
Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and claim to practice the Islam that was taught and practiced by Muhammad and his companions. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad founded the movement in 1889 and termed it the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (community) envisioning it to be a revitalization of Islam.
The original Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat split into two separate groups[6] after the death of Hakim Noor-ud-Din the first successor of Ghulam Ahmad. They are known respectively as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the smaller Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement for the Propagation of Islam (Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam). These groups vary in their specific interpretations of Ahmad's teachings and claims. They also differ in their views on who should have succeeded Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and how such a successor should be chosen.[6][7]
The larger faction of the Ahmadiyya Movement, known as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established in 190 countries of the world. The International Headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is currently in London within England on Gressenhall Rd. In addition, they have created a place called ‘Islamabad’ in Tilford, Surrey, the London Mosque and also Western Europe’s largest mosque, the Baitul Futuh “House of Victories” in Morden, south-west London.
The smaller faction, known as the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement is established in 17 countries of the world and out of these 17 countries, is largely apparent in Germany, Australia and Pakistan. The International Headquarters of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement is in the town of Lahore, Pakistan in which the Lahore Movement originated. Within Lahore, Pakistan, are the ‘Ahmadiyya Buildings Lahore’ which act as the international administrative headquarters for the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement.
The Ahmadiyya views on certain beliefs in Islam have been controversial to mainstream Muslims since the Movement’s birth. The majority of Muslims have not accepted Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s claims and do not consider Ahmadis to be Muslims, citing in particular the Ahmadiyya viewpoint on the death and return of Jesus and the Ahmadiyya concept of Jihad and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community view on the finality of Muhammad with particular reference to interpretation of verse [Qur'an 33:40] of the Qur'an. The members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement are not subject to such criticism as they do not believe in Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as a prophet and are more close to traditional mainstream Islam. Ahmadis (particularly the members of the International Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) argue that their beliefs are in accordance with Islam, and using arguments from the Qur'an, Hadith and opinion of Islamic jurists and theologians, challenge the contention of the groups calling them non-Muslims.