Qazi Muhammad Yousaf (1 September 1883 – 4 January 1963) was a companion of

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 ...

. He was regional head

Amir Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cerem ...

of North West Frontier chapter of the

Ahmadiyya 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 ...

Community.

Early life

Qazi Muhammad Yousaf was born September 1, 1883, at Hoti, Maradan. The family shifted to Peshawar in 1884. His father, Qazi Muhammad Siddique, was a religious scholar and occasional imam at the Mosque in Gul Badhsh Ji Street, Peshawar. In 1896, at age 12, Muhammad Yousaf was admitted to Mission High School Peshawar He later studied at Islamia High School, completing his Secondary School Certificate Examination.

Introduction to
Ahmadiyya 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 ...

In 1901, he came across books by

, namely ‘Shuhna e Haq’ and ‘Izala e Auhaam’

Conversion and
Bay'ah (Ahmadiyya) Bai'at or Bay'ah ( ar, بَيْعَة; pledge, initiation; literally a "sale" or a "transaction") is an Islamic practice of declaring on oath, one's allegiance to a particular leader. In an Islamic religious context, this oath is the standard p ...

On January 15, 1902, Qazi Muhammad Yousaf converted to

Islam due to the efforts of his English teacher Munshi Khadim Hussain He attended the Annual Ahmadiyya Convention in December 1902 and physically took the

Bay'ah (Ahmadiyya) Bai'at or Bay'ah ( ar, بَيْعَة; pledge, initiation; literally a "sale" or a "transaction") is an Islamic practice of declaring on oath, one's allegiance to a particular leader. In an Islamic religious context, this oath is the standard p ...

at the hands of

. In Qadian, he also had the opportunity to meet

Sahibzada Abdul Latif Sayyid Abdul Latif (1853 – July 14, 1903) or Sahibzada Abdul Latif among the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, was the Royal Advisor to Abdur Rahman Khan and Habibullah Khan, the father and son kings of Afghanistan between the late 19th century a ...

A dream of Khalifa
Hakeem Noor-ud-Din Hakeem Noor-ud-Din (also spelt: Hakim Nur-ud-Din) ( ar, حکیم نور الدین) (8 January 1834 – 13 March 1914) was a close companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and was chosen as his first successor on ...

On May 28, 1908, he participated in the funeral prayers of

and took his fresh Oath of Allegiance (

) at the hands of the newly elected Khalifa

Hakeem Noor-ud-Din Hakeem Noor-ud-Din (also spelt: Hakim Nur-ud-Din) ( ar, حکیم نور الدین) (8 January 1834 – 13 March 1914) was a close companion of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement, and was chosen as his first successor on ...

. In 1912, Yousaf met Khalifa

and presented his book ''Iblagh e Haq'' to him, giving him a written request for prayers. On the same letter, the Khalifa wrote, he would pray for him. He also wrote a ‘Ro’ya’ (dream) of his own upon the same letter. He wrote: “Insha Allah I shall pray for you. You must also persist in prayers. I saw Hadhrat

Umar ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate o ...

in a Ro’ya (dream). He was saying, ‘Iran is destroyed’. They

ranis Ranis is a town in the Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 15 km east of Saalfeld, and 30 km south of Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby citi ...

abuse me, (

Tabarra Tabarri ( ar, تبري) is a doctrine that refers to the obligation of disassociation with those who oppose God and those who caused harm to and were the enemies of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As Shi'as believe, they believe that the imamate ...

) l but I don’t care, I am now preparing armies. May Allah make you a commander of that army.”

The Split and Re-patriation

On March 14, 1914, Khalifa

died. The Community was split into two. Muhammad Yousaf sided with the group headed by

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

of the Ahmadiyya Anjuman Ishaat-i-Islam Lahore.

Personal life

He has listed 113 persons who converted to

Islam due to his efforts. He died on January 4, 1963, and was buried at

Mardan Mardān (Pashto and ; Urdu ; Pashto: ) is a city in the Mardan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. Located in the Valley of Peshawar, Mardan is the second-largest city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (after Peshawar). It is a fast-growing ...

List of his Works

He wrote regularly for 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 ...

'', (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

20th-century Afghan poets Pashtun people 1883 births 1963 deaths Pakistani Ahmadis Pashtun writers Male poets 20th-century male writers