e-Makalat Mezhep Araştırmaları Dergisi

Öz

Within the framework of the religious discourse centered on Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad, Ahmadīs evolved a conception of the caliphate centered on his lineage in the caliphate. In time, the institution of caliphate transformed to a kind of hereditary succession system. This understanding led to both the strengthening of the figure of Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad and the evaluation of his descendants as the sole authority in the movement.
The strengthening of the Ghulāmī family, which expresses the lineage of Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad, caused the first-degree family members of the Ghulāmī lineage to demand caliphate as well. As a matter of fact, this is how a new Ahmadī group called "Sar-sabz-Ahmedīyyat" emerged.
The rule of Ahmadiyya by a kind of hereditary succession system caused those who did not have a lineage to claim the rights on the caliphate. These people established new separatist movements, arguing that those who did not have Ghulami lineage, especially themselves, should have had the right to the caliphate.
The first separatist movements within the caliphate were “Ahmadīyya Movement in Islam, Nigeria” from the Ahmadis in Nigeria in 1935 and “Anwar-ul Islam Movement of Nigeria” that emerged from this new movement in 1974.
When it comes to today's Ahmadīyya, there has been more criticism on the caliphate system based on lineage within the movement, and separatist movements have begun to emerge. The common points of these movements are that they accept themselves as "true Ahmadīs", having a religious understanding based on Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad and rejecting the authority of the caliph. The names of these movements are "Jamaat-ul Sahih'al Islam", "Jamaat-e Ahmadiyya al-Muslimin", "Jamaat-u Ahmadiyya Islah Pasand", "Jamaat-e Ahmadiyya Haqiqi". In this article, these caliphate-oriented divisions within Ahmadis will be discussed.