White minaret

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The white minaret

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

background

According to a tradition of the Prophet Mohammed , the Messiah will descend on a "white minaret" east of Damascus . Sunni theology assumes that Jesus will descend from the east minaret of the Umayyad mosque . However, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad identified this minaret with his hometown of Qadian, 3644 km east of Damascus.

The founder of the Ahmadiyya , Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, declared in 1891 that he had been chosen by God to be the Messiah. He relied on the statement of Muhammad and reinterpreted it. Accordingly, the truth of Islam would rise like a minaret at such a height that it would establish its superiority over all religions. In order to literally fulfill the prophecy interpreted in this way, he had a minaret built in his hometown. After the authorities rejected the objections of the predominantly Hindu residents, the foundation stone for the minaret was laid on March 13, 1903 in the courtyard of the Aqsa mosque, which was built in 1876. Due to a lack of funds, the construction work was stopped again. It was only through Mirza Baschir ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad that the work was resumed on November 27, 1914 and completed in 1916. The minaret is 32 meters high. The Minarat ul-Massih is now a listed building.

Symbolic effect

The white minaret is a symbol and identification mark of the Ahmadiyya and can be found in the flag of this religious community. According to the Ahmadiyya, it means that from there a new time begins for mankind and the Adhān should be called in all four directions.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eric Roose: The Architectural Representation of Islam. Muslim-commissioned Mosque Design in the Netherlands . Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam 2009, pp. 45 .
  2. ↑ Simon Ross Valentine: Islam and the Ahmadiyya Jama'at. History, Belief, Practice . Columbia University Press, New York 2008, pp. 40 .

Coordinates: 31 ° 49 ′ 4 "  N , 75 ° 23 ′ 31"  E