A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat
15 August 2008: During his Friday sermon in Hamburg, Germany, on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned that he had visited Hamburg after a long interval. Huzooraa announced the inauguration of two newly-built mosques in the region: Baitul Karim in Stade and Baitus Sami in Hannover. (Al Fazl International, 5 September 2008, pp. 5-7)
16 August 1946: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra called on the Muslim world to support the freedom movement in Indonesia. Huzoorra stated that there were around 70 million Muslims in Indonesia, who belonged to one nation, spoke a common language, and had a desire for unity as well. To read more, see: “Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya’s role in Indonesia’s independence from the Dutch”, alhakam.org, 24 December 2021, Issue 197, p. 27)
16 August 2013: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa instructed the Jamaat that if the Tarbiyat Department continued to remind members of the Jamaat to make a connection with the Khalifa of the time and called their attention towards listening to his Friday sermons and various addresses, then, on the one hand, it would strengthen their bond with Khilafat, while also solving all tarbiyat-related problems.
17 August 1899: On this day, the Promised Messiah received a letter from Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, in which the author asked him to write an oath that he was the Messiah prophesied in the Holy Quran and the books of Hadith. The Promised Messiahas took paper and pen and wrote down the requested wording. (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, pp. 44-45)
17 August 1980: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh arrived in Amsterdam from London. Huzoorrh left London for Nigeria on the first leg of his tour of Africa via Amsterdam, the Netherlands. On the way, Huzoorrh stopped at the airport in Amsterdam for a while. Prime Minister Dries van Agt was also present at the airport. When he learnt of the presence of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh at the airport, he sent a message that he had yet to hold a press conference, after which he would come and meet Huzoorrh himself. So, soon after, he and his staff came to the VIP lounge where Huzoorrh was and expressed their wish to Huzoorrh that he would also like to meet him the next time he visited the Netherlands. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 3, pp. 631-632)
18 August 1928: Sufi Muti-ur-Rahman Sahib arrived in Chicago on this day as an Ahmadi missionary. There, he faced a lot of difficulties in the beginning.
For more details of his difficulties and success, see: “Pioneer Missionaries: Part 2 – Serving till their last days” at alhakam.org (16 September 2022, p. 9).
18 August 1982: On this day, Walter Wallmann, the mayor of Frankfurt, had a meeting with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh and discussed issues of mutual interest. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 816)
19 August 1962: On this day, Hazrat Nawab Amatul Hafeez Begumra, daughter of the Promised Messiahas, arrived in Hamburg, Germany, during her visit to Europe. At the airport, she was welcomed by Ahmadis living in West Germany. Her visit was prominently featured in major German newspapers.
About her visit, Chaudhry Abdul Latif Sahib, a missionary at the time, remarked that this visit catalysed significant discussions about Islam in the German press. He said that the Christian objection that Islam does not give any status to women was widely refuted.
He further elaborated, “I specifically emphasised [to the media] that Hazrat Begum Sahibara laying the foundation stone for the mosque being constructed in Zurich stands as a testament to the elevated status of women in Islam.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 21, pp. 451-455)
20 August 1885: On this day, the Promised Messiahas shared his famous supplication with Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra, while replying to his letter, which runs as follows:
اے میرے محسن اور اے میرے خدا!میں ایک تیرا ناکارہ بندہ پرمعصیت اور پر غفلت ہوں۔ تو نے مجھ سے ظلم پر ظلم دیکھا اور انعام پر انعام کیا اور گناہ پر گناہ دیکھا اور احسان پر احسان کیا۔ تو نے ہمیشہ میری پردہ پوشی کی اور اپنی بےشمار نعمتوں سے مجھے متمتع کیا۔ سو اَب بھی مجھ نالائق اور پُر گناہ پررحم کر اور میری بے باکی اور ناسپاسی کو معاف فرمااور مجھ کو میرے اس غم سے نجات بخش کہ بجز تیرے اور کوئی چارہ گر نہیں۔ آمین ثم آمین
“O my Benefactor and O my God! I am Your unworthy servant, laden with sin and heedlessness. You have seen from me wrong upon wrong, yet bestowed favour upon favour; You have witnessed sin upon sin, yet conferred beneficence upon beneficence. You have ever veiled my faults and enriched me with Your countless blessings. So even now, have mercy on this unworthy, sin-laden one, forgive my impertinence and ingratitude, and deliver me from this grief of mine – for none besides You can bring relief. Amin, again Amin.” (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 2, 2008, p. 10)
20 August 2010: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa mentioned Dr Najam-ul-Hassan Sahib of Karachi and Habib-ur-Rahman Sahib of Sanghar, Pakistan, who were martyred on 16 and 19 August 2010, respectively. (Al Fazl International, 10 September 2010, p. 5)
21 August 1923: On this day, Al Fazl, published that Abubakar Ayub Sahib, along with a few young men, had pledged allegiance to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat.
To read his faith-inspiring story of this devout missionary, who had the Honour to preach from East to West, see: “Pioneer Missionaries: Part 18 – Abubakar Ayub of Padang, Indonesia: A dedicated missionary” At alhakam.org 16 August 2024, p. 11).
21 August 2017: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa inaugurated the Baitus Samad Mosque in Giessen, Germany. (“New Ahmadiyya Mosque opened in Giessen by Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community”, www.pressahmadiyya.com)
