9-15 August

9 August 1957: The foundation stone of the central Ahmadiyya mosque in Kampala, Uganda was laid. The message of Ahmadiyyat reached this oil-producing African country in the 1930s. This mosque has six minarets and can accommodate 9,000 worshippers. The mosque’s construction added a unique attractiveness to the city’s landscape.

10 August 1924: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra departed from Damascus after blessing this historic capital city with his presence for many days. Huzoor^ra took the route of Beirut to reach Haifa. From Haifa, Huzoor’s^ra entourage headed towards Acre so they could acquire firsthand knowledge of this place, which is considered the holiest city and headquarters of the Bahai faith.

11 August 1955: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra was in London and in the very final hours of his stay, a new convert of Swiss origin, Mr Studer, accepted Ahmadiyyat at his blessed hand. Mr Studer had the opportunity to serve Huzoor^ra in the capacity of a chauffeur and the close company of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra compelled him to convert.

12 August 1905: Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin’s^ra son, Abdul Qayum passed away in infancy. Abdul Qayum had been suffering from measles for approximately a month. Huzoor^ra held the body of his son in his arms for a while and his eyes welled up with tears. Huzoor^ra kissed the boy’s forehead, following the sacred example of the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

13 August 1924: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s^ra entourage departed for the second leg of their journey, when they boarded their ship from Port Said, an Egyptian city at the northern end of the Suez Canal located on the Mediterranean Sea.

13 August 1961: The Mubarak Mosque in Montagne Blanche, Mauritius was inaugurated on this day. It was a historic day for the local Jamaat for many reasons, one being that there was already a small mosque built some two decades back on this island, under the supervision of missionary Maulana Fazl Ilahi Bashir Sahib. But sadly, a strong typhoon caused extensive damage to this structure.

The devout local Ahmadis planned to rebuild this house of God once again with their limited resources. This beautiful, eye-catching mosque now built with cement and concrete blocks was renovated mostly through rigorous and tireless waqar-e-amal.

13 or 14 August 1940: An entire Ahmadi family in Ambala was martyred on this day. This cruel and barbaric act was committed against Hazrat Haji Mian Miran Bakhsh^ra, his wife and toddler. This companion of the Promised Messiah^as had an unyielding passion to preach the message of Jamaat to the locals since he entered the Jamaat in 1904. Moreover, his business of hide and leather flourished abundantly, which created a strong sense of envy to his rivals. It is reported that a party of attackers, at the behest of local clerics, stormed into his home at around midnight and stabbed him multiple times. Hazrat Miran Bakhsh Sahib^ra succumbed to his fatal injuries. His wife rushed to the house, crying for help, but she was overpowered by the terrorists and she too lost her life along with her very young daughter. These noble martyrs were buried locally.