Bashir Ahmad Orchard (April 26, 1920 – July 8, 2002; born James Bryan Orchard) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

convert to

Ahmadiyya Islam Ahmadiyya (, ), officially the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community or the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at (AMJ, ar, الجماعة الإسلامية الأحمدية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmīyah al-Aḥmadīyah; ur, , translit=Jamā'at Aḥmadiyyah Musl ...

and the first European Ahmadi Muslim missionary

Life

Orchard was born in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

and was brought up within a Christian household. He joined the British Indian Army in 1942 and became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

. He was a member of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

at the time and had a brother who was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priest. During his service in India, an Ahmadi officer from his unit taught him about Islam and the Ahmadiyya movement. While stationed at

Manipur Manipur () ( mni, Kangleipak) is a state in Northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanm ...

, a good 1000 miles from

Qadian Qadian (; ; ) is a city and a municipal council in Gurdaspur district, north-east of Amritsar, situated north-east of Batala city in the state of Punjab, India. Qadian is the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya move ...

, the Ahmadi headquarters, this officer, Abdur Rahman Dehlvi, arranged for a copy of ''

The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam ''The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam'' is an essay on Ahmadiyya Islam by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya religious movement. The original was written in Urdu with the title ''Islami Usool ki Philosophy'', in order to be read ...

'' by

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad (13 February 1835 – 26 May 1908) was an Indian religious leader and the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement in Islam. He claimed to have been divinely appointed as the promised Messiah and Mahdi—which is the metaphoric ...

to be sent to Orchard from

. Later, Orchard used his army leave to visit Qadian where he met the Caliph, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad and was much impressed, describing him as 'an embodiment of energetic repose radiating physical, intellectual and spiritual magnetism which captivated all in his presence'. Shortly after his visit to Qadian, as his unit advanced towards

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

, Orchard signed the form of ''Bay'ah'' (allegiance) and sent it to Qadian, thus formally joining the Ahmadiyya movement, and adopted the Arabic name Bashir (bringer of glad tidings) in 1945. At the time of his conversion Orchard had a vivid dream in which he met the Caliph and received advice from him. On demobilization in 1946 Orchard offered his services to the London branch of the Ahmadiyya movement and was appointed by the Caliph as a missionary. In 1949 he came to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

where he stayed for three years, before going to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

. He returned to Glasgow in 1966, where he stayed for the next 17 years. He moved to continue working, first in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, and later

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. While, associated with the

London Mosque The Fazl mosque (English: ''The Grace Mosque'') also known as The London mosque, is the first purpose-built mosque in London, England. It was opened on 23 October 1926 in Southfields, Wandsworth. At a cost of £6,223, the construction of the pl ...

(London Muslim Mission), Orchard was the editor of the monthly ''

Review of Religions The ''Review of Religions'' is an English-language comparative religious magazine published monthly by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Regularly in print since 1902, it is one of the longest running Islamic periodicals in English. It has been de ...

''. In his later years, he travelled to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

and performed the

hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

pilgrimage.

References

External links

Bashir Orchard's personal account of conversion'Servants of Allah: Bashir Ahmad Orchard Sahib'
(Video programme by MTA)
Articles by Bashir Orchard in the ''Review of Religions''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orchard, Bashir Ahmad British Ahmadis 1920 births 2002 deaths

Life

See also

References

External links