White Minaret

The White Minaret ( Urdu منارۃ المسیح Minarat ul- Massih, Minaret of the Messiah ') is a tower in Qadian, India ( Punjab ). The 32-meter high minaret is located in the courtyard of the Aqsa Mosque, beside the Mubarak Mosque.

Background

According to a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad is the Messiah east of Damascus will descend on a " white minaret ". The Sunni theology assumes that Jesus will descend from Ostminarett of the Umayyad Mosque. However, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad identified this minaret with its 3644 km east of Damascus lying hometown Qadian.

The founder of the Ahmadiyya, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, stated in 1891 to have been chosen by God to be the Messiah. He relied on the testimony of Muhammad and interpreted them anew. Thus, the truth of Islam as a minaret to such a height would towering that its superiority will manufacture all religions. To fulfill the prophecy as interpreted in the literal sense, he had a minaret built in his hometown. After the authorities rejected the appeals of the predominantly Hindu population, was laid on March 13, 1903 in the courtyard of the Aqsa Mosque built in 1876, the foundation stone for the minaret. Due to lack of funds, the work was stopped again. Only by Mirza Bashir ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, the work was resumed and completed in 1916 on 27 November 1914. The minaret has a height of 32 meters. The Minarat ul- Massih is now a protected monument.

Symbolic effect

The White minaret is a symbol and distinctive mark of the Ahmadiyya and finds himself in the flag of this faith community again. In the opinion of the Ahmadiyya it means that from there start a new era for humanity and the adhan should be launched in all four directions.