Genealogically Mirza Ghulam Ahmad belonged to the Barlas branch of the Moghuls. But after some time, he came to know by means of ‘inspiration’ that he was, in fact, of Persian origin. To quote his own words:
“The revelation (ilham) about me is that: Were it that faith was hanging from the Pleiades it would still have been seized by the man from Persia. And then, there is also a third revelation about me: Verily, those who disbelieved the man from Persia disproved their religions. God is thankful for his endeavor. All these ‘revelations’ show that our forefathers were Persian. And the truth is what Allah has made manifest.”
In one of his works, he writes:
“It should be remembered that apparently the family of this humble one is that of the Moghuls. No record has been seen in the history of our family, showing that the family was Persian. What has been seen in certain records is that some, of our grandmothers were of noble and noted Sayyid families. Now it has come to be known through the word of God that ours is a Persian family. We believe in this with all our conviction since the reality in respect of genealogies is known to none the way it is known to Allah, the Exalted. It is His knowledge alone which is true and sure and that of all others, doubtful and conjectural.”
Mirza Ghulam Mohammad, the great grandfather of Mirza Ghulam Ahmed owned considerable property. In Punjab, he had a good-sized estate. Mirza Ghulam Ahmed had mentioned in detail the aristocratic pomp and splendor of this ancestor of his, his habit to feed a large number of people at his table, and his religious influence.
After his death, his estate declined and the Sikhs confiscated the villages of that estate. This decline continued to such an extent that no other land remained in the ownership of his grandfather, Mirza Ata Mohammad, except Qadian. Later on, the Sikhs occupied even that and drove the Mirza family out of Qadian. During the last years of Ranjit Singh’s rule, Mira Ghulam Murtaza, the father of the Mirza, returned to Qadian and the Mirza later received five villages out of the landed property of his father.
The Mirza’s family maintained very loyal and cordial relations with the recently established British power in the Punjab. Several members of the family had shown great enthusiasm in consolidating the new government and had come to its rescue on several critical occasions. To cite the words of the Mirza himself:
“I come from a family which is out and out loyal to this government. My father, Murtaza, who was considered its well-wisher, used to be granted a chair in the Governor’s Durbar and has been mentioned by Mr. Griffin in his History of the Princes of Punjab. In 1857, he helped the British Government beyond his power, that is, he procured cavaliers and horses right during the time of Mutiny. He was considered by the Government to be its loyal supporter and well-wisher. A number of testimonials of appreciation received by him from the officers have unfortunately been lost. Then, after the death of my grandfather, my elder brother Mirza Ghulam Qadir continually occupied himself with service to the Government and when the evil-doers encountered the forces of the British Government on the highway of Tammua, he participated in the battle on the side of the British Government.”
Reference: Qadianism-A Critical Study by S. Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
