14 December 1902: The Promised Messiahas was in Qadian and it is reported that there were some guests in town, some from Lahore and some who had travelled all the way from Burma, to seek blessings from the company of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas.
15 December 1859: LL Zamenhof was born on this day. He was a Polish linguist and ophthalmologist, who created Esperanto. The international Esperanto community observes this day in connection to his birthday.
The worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat leads a mission to provide the word of God to the world; the Quran in every language. An Ahmadi Muslim, Mr Abdul Hadi (Italo) Chiussi (1919-1973) was an Italian Esperantist and member of the Academy of Esperanto. He translated the Holy Quran into the Esperanto Language. He knew French, English, German and classical Arabic and had vast knowledge of Islamic history and jurisprudence.
15 December 1886: The Promised Messiahas wrote a letter to his beloved companion Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira. The header of this letter carried the impression of his two rings as a stamp mark. The first impression was of the oldest ring, which was made in 1876 after the demise of his father – the ring with the inscription of the famous revelation, “Alaisallahu Bikafin ‘Abdahu”, meaning, “Is Allah not Sufficient for His Servant?” The second impression was of the ring that the Promised Messiahas had made in, or around, 1892. That ring bears the revelation (c. 1884), “Udhkur ne‘mati-allati an‘amtu ‘alaika. Gharastu laka biyadi rahmati wa qudrati”; meaning, “Remember My bounty that I bestowed upon you. I have planted for you a tree of My mercy and My power with My Own hand.”
16 December 1902: Abu Saeed Sahib was a famous Arab merchandiser and traveler of his time. He spent a considerable amount of time in the Indian subcontinent and its adjacent states and countries like Myanmar. On this day, he entered the fold of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya after reading the book of the Promised Messiahas Aina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam (Reflecting the Excellences of Islam).
18 December 1902: The plague was spreading with great speed and claiming lives in a barbaric way. Jalsa Salana was fast approaching, so as a precautionary measure, the Promised Messiahas issued an announcement for members of his community with immediate effect that any large gathering in town was prohibited. This leaflet was published at Anwar-e-Ahmadiyya press, Qadian. It can be said that this was the maiden publication of this press in town.
20 December 1895: The Promised Messiah’sas Urdu book Nur-ul-Quran’s (The Light of the Holy Quran) second part came out on this day from Zia-ul-Islam press, Qadian. To familiarise the readers with its background I share the following:
Fateh Masih, a Christian missionary, was posted at Fatehgarh, district Gurdaspur. He wrote two letters to the Promised Messiahas in which he resorted to abuse with regard to the Holy Prophetsa of Islam. He wrote in a scurrilous manner concerning his marriages, character and the Islamic concept of paradise. In answer to these letters, the Promised Messiahas wrote the second part of Nur-ul-Quran. It was priced at eight annas and spanned about 80 pages.
20 December 1905: The Promised Messiah’sas Urdu book Al-Wasiyyat (The Will) was printed on this day. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas was Divinely directed to write a book outlining the structure of a permanent system whereby the work of the propagation of Islam and dissemination of the Divine message as contained in the Holy Quran continued forever. So, he announced the system of Wasiyyat, an arrangement that is self-sustaining and based on dedication and pledging at least one-tenth from one’s income and property in the cause of financing this noble mission. In order to qualify for this blessing, he laid down ten strict conditions so that Ahmadis could prepare themselves as God-fearing persons. And then he prayed fervently for such persons who had forsaken the world for the sake of God.
CORRECTION: In the 30 November 2018 issue, it was written that an Amin ceremony was held in Qadian in 1901, where three children of the Promised Messiahas celebrated the completion of one reading of the Quran. The name of Hazrat Nawab Amatul Hafeez Begumra was mistakenly written, when in fact the correct name is Hazrat Nawab Mubaraka Begumra. Please note this for the print version. The edit has been made online.