21-27 December

21 December 1982: Famous Urdu poet Abu Al-Asar Hafeez Jalandhari, who wrote the lyrics for the Pakistan national anthem, died on this day. Jalandhari’s work of poetry, Shahnama-e-Islam, gave him incredible fame which, in the manner of Firdowsi’s Shahnameh, is a record of the glorious history of Islam in poetry. 

He visited Qadian in early June 1929 due to concerns in those days about his book’s publication expenses. Hazrat Musleh Maud^ra graciously honoured this guest and ended the young budding poet’s worries by paying the price of 100 copies of his book before it was printed.

25 December 1897: The Promised Messiah^as delivered his speech during Jalsa Salana.

25 December 1907: Staff of Tashizul-Azhan conducted a meeting in Qadian on this day. This was Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad’s dream to provide likeminded individuals with a platform to discuss the ways to propagate the message of Islam.

25 December 1922: Following a proposal from his second wife, Amatul Hay Sahiba^ra, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra established Lajna Imaillah on this day and appointed her as its first secretary. After Hazrat Amatul Hay Sahiba^ra, this important service was entrusted to his other wife, Hazrat Sara Begum Sahiba^ra followed by Hazrat Syeda Umme-Tahir^ra. Since its inception, it has remained a worldwide academic, religious and community organisation for Ahmadi women between the ages of 16-40.

26 December 1896: A 3-day conference began on this day in Lahore and it was extended to 29 December upon the unanimous demand of the audience to hear the full speech of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as titled Islami Usul ki Philosophy (The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam). The purpose of the conference was to give the representatives of all faiths and groups – Judaism, Christianity, Arya Samaj, Parsis, Brahmuns, Jainism, Bhuddism, Sanatan Dharam, Hinduism and atheism – the chance to present the positive points of their religions from their own scriptures. 

26 December 1900: Some distinguished guests arrived from Aligarh and the Promised Messiah^as delivered a speech on this occasion. 

26 December 1905: On the eve of Jalsa Salana, the Promised Messiah^as delivered his speech in front of guests in the guesthouse before noon. 

26 December 1906: During Jalsa Salana, the Promised Messiah^as delivered his speech after Zuhr and Asr prayer in the main mosque.

26 December 2004: The Indian Ocean earthquake occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on this day, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra and a magnitude of 9.1-9.3 M_w. It was an under-sea mega thrust earthquake. A series of large tsunamis up to 30 metres (100 feet) high were created by the earthquake that became known collectively as the Boxing Day tsunamis. These tsunamis flooded communities along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and killed an estimated 227,898 people in 14 countries; the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh reported the largest number of victims. The earthquake was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history and the deadliest of the 21^st century. Indonesia was the hardest-hit country, followed by Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. 

The earthquake was the third largest ever recorded and had the longest duration of faulting ever observed – between eight and ten minutes. It caused the planet to vibrate as much as 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) and it remotely triggered earthquakes as far away as Alaska.

27 December 1885: The Promised Messiah^as travelled to Ludhiana to offer his condolences to the family of Hazrat Sufi Ahmad Jan Sahib, an ardent devotee of Hazrat Ahmad^as prior to forming the Ahmadiyya Jamaat or making any claim. 

27 December 1891: The first ever Jalsa Salana of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat started on this day in Masjid Aqsa Qadian with an attendance of 75 fortunate companions of that time. The Promised Messiah’s^as book Asmani Faisla (The Heavenly Decree) was read out. 

27 December 1898: The Promised Messiah’s^as Urdu book Kashful-Ghita (The Truth Unveiled) was published on this day by Zia-ul-Islam Press Qadian.

 

27 December 1907: The Promised Messiah^as delivered the inaugural speech of Jalsa Salana on this day. This turned out to be the last Jalsa Salana in the life of the Promised Messiah^as.