Placing the Marginalized Ahmadiyya in Context with the Traditional Sunni Majority

Abstract

This essay attempts to describe the Ahmadiyya, a persecuted minority group within Islam, according to the writings of their founder, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. The Ahmadi differ from traditional Sunni Islam in three major ways: their interpretations of jihad, the person- and prophethood of Jesus Christ, and their understandings of Muhammad as the Final Prophet, which has led to accusations of apostasy. Accordingly, this essay intends to compare and contrast Ahmadi interpretations with both Quranic and Biblical texts in order to accurately describe where it is the Ahmadi community fits on a globalized scale. Largely ostracized due to their interpretative variances with the larger Sunni community, this essay argues that the Ahmadi, while admittedly different, must be accepted based on their similarities.