There is a beautiful prophecy in the Qur’an in regards to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad(as). Allah states in the Qur’an:
He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance;And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.(Chapter 62 verse 3-4)
This is a prophecy of the Holy Qur’an that others who are not with the sahaba would also see the Prophet Muhammad(Saw). Now one may ask how can this be ? The amazing part is that the Prophet Muhammad(saw) in Bukhari Kitabut Tafseer has explained this ayah through revelation from Allah and taught us how this coming would be metaphorical. The Prophet Muhammad(saw) states:
حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ بِلاَلٍ، عَنْ ثَوْرٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الْغَيْثِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، رضى الله عنه قَالَ كُنَّا جُلُوسًا عِنْدَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَأُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيْهِ سُورَةُ الْجُمُعَةِ {وَآخَرِينَ مِنْهُمْ لَمَّا يَلْحَقُوا بِهِمْ} قَالَ قُلْتُ مَنْ هُمْ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَلَمْ يُرَاجِعْهُ حَتَّى سَأَلَ ثَلاَثًا، وَفِينَا سَلْمَانُ الْفَارِسِيُّ، وَضَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَدَهُ عَلَى سَلْمَانَ ثُمَّ قَالَ ” لَوْ كَانَ الإِيمَانُ عِنْدَ الثُّرَيَّا لَنَالَهُ رِجَالٌ ـ أَوْ رَجُلٌ ـ مِنْ هَؤُلاَءِ ”.
Narrated Abu Huraira:
While we were sitting with the Prophet (ﷺ) Surat Al-Jumu’a was revealed to him, and when the Verse, “And He (Allah) has sent him (Muhammad) also to other (Muslims)…..’ (62.3) was recited by the Prophet, I said, “Who are they, O Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ)?” The Prophet (ﷺ) did not reply till I repeated my question thrice. At that time, Salman Al-Farisi was with us. So Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) put his hand on Salman, saying, “If Faith were at (the place of) Ath-Thuraiya (pleiades, the highest star), even then (some men or man from these people (i.e. Salman’s folk) would attain it.”(Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Hadith #420)
The ignorant anti Ahmadis who have no reply to this argument which proves that a prophet had to come, and that he would be of Persian lineage rather than that same messiah who died 2000 years ago according to the Qur’an, so they bring up a ignorant statement against Ahmad(as). They try to state that his ancestors were from China rather from Persia.
Geography and history are to be understood in their own respective spheres. Geography is influenced by history and has continuously been changing. The history shapes geography and the geography of today may not be the same geography of yesterday or tomorrow. When a prophecy is made we should look at the geography of that time. When the Holy Prophet(saw) prophesied that one would come from Ahl-e-Faras, what was Faras? This is the question. The Iranian empire during this time extended right through China and an Iranian could be of Chinese origin of this time. Chinese people also migrated from China and settled in Iran, and became Iranian. Many of us have settled in Pakistan and now when someone asks us where we are from, we state Pakistan. Would it make sense for one to tell us we are wrong and that no, we are from India? Of course not.This was not the Iran of today. The Iran at the time of this prophecy was when the empire was much larger. One was the eastern empire while one was the western empire. The eastern empire was much bigger than the western empire. They extended right into China, rather a great part of China was at that time a part of Iran. Fars was a province of Iran and the Arabs use Fars for the entire Iran. Anyone who was Iranian could be called Ahl-e-Faras and an Iranian could be of Chinese origin at this time. History changes, along with geography. In this perspective, when one states that Ahmad(as)’s family tree originally the Promised Messiah(as)’s family is from the parts of Mongolia which are today known as China but in the days of the prophecy they were Iran. Later on the family further shifted from those parts to inner Iran and after that they settled in Punjab. So in reality they were Chinese, Iranian and also Punjabis. But we have to remember that at the time of the prophecy China was included in Ahl-e-Faras and this prophecy was indeed fulfilled through Ahmad(as), Of Qadian.
