The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the oldest continuously operating Muslim organization in the United States — established in 1920, active in 213 nations, and guided by the motto "Love For All, Hatred For None." Here's what you need to know.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) is an international Islamic movement founded in 1889 in Qadian, Punjab (present-day India) by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. He claimed to be the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi — the reformer foretold in Islamic prophecy, sent to revive true Islam and establish peace in a world of religious division. Today, the AMC is present in over 213 countries with tens of millions of members worldwide.
What Do Ahmadi Muslims Believe?
Ahmadi Muslims hold the same foundational beliefs as mainstream Sunni Islam: the Oneness of God (Tawhid), the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ as the Seal of the Prophets, the Holy Quran as the final divine scripture, belief in angels, divine decree, the Day of Judgment, and all the prophets from Adam to Jesus (peace be upon them all).
The distinctive theological position of Ahmadi Muslims is the belief that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi foretold in Islamic, Christian, and other traditions. He did not claim to be an independent law-bearing prophet; rather, he claimed to be a subordinate, non-law-bearing prophet raised within the framework of Muhammad's ﷺ prophethood — sent to revive and defend Islam in the modern age. This is an internal theological distinction within Islam.
"I have not come to found a new religion or a new law. I have come only to reform and revive the true and original Islam of Muhammad ﷺ." — Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Oldest Muslim Organization in America
On February 15, 1920, Mufti Muhammad Sadiq arrived in Philadelphia — becoming the first Ahmadiyya missionary to the United States. He founded the first American Islamic mission, established the first mosque in the Midwest (Ahmadiyya Mosque, Chicago, 1922), and launched The Moslem Sunrise — the first Islamic periodical in the United States, still published today. This makes the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community the oldest continuously operating Muslim organization in American history.
- 1920: Mufti Muhammad Sadiq arrives in Philadelphia — first AMC mission in the US
- 1921: The Moslem Sunrise published — first Islamic journal in America
- 1922: First mosque established in Chicago
- Today: AMC operates in all 50 states with hundreds of mosques and community centers
The Institution of Khilafat
What distinguishes the AMC organizationally is the institution of Khilafat — an elected spiritual caliphate that has guided the community since 1908. The current and fifth Khalifa is His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (Khalifatul Masih V), elected in April 2003. He resides in London and delivers weekly Friday sermons broadcast globally on MTA International, providing unified guidance to Ahmadi Muslims across 213 nations.
"Love For All, Hatred For None"
This isn't a marketing slogan — it is the lived theological position of the community. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community categorically rejects violence in the name of religion and has done so since its founding. While Ahmadi Muslims face severe persecution in countries like Pakistan (where the state has declared them non-Muslim by law) and Indonesia, the community has consistently responded with patience, peaceful activism, and continued service.
Humanity First: Global Humanitarian Service
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community operates Humanity First — an international humanitarian charity active in 50+ countries providing disaster relief, clean water, food aid, and medical care. The annual "Muslims for Life" blood drive in the US has collected over a million units of blood in honor of victims of 9/11. These initiatives reflect a core Ahmadiyya conviction: that true Islamic faith must manifest in active service to all of humanity.
Bait-ul-Ehsan Mosque in Monroe, WA is the home of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community serving greater Seattle. Open to all visitors. Friday Jumu'ah at 1:30 PM every week.
Content is grounded in Ahmadiyya Islamic scholarship available at alislam.org. This article is published by Bait-ul-Ehsan Mosque — Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Monroe, WA.
