Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre
During his visit to Germany, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra attended a reception at the Hamburg Town Hall on 27 June 1955, which was organised by the local government in Hamburg.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra reached the town hall at 10:45 am local time and granted audience to various officials of the Hamburg government, including a Senator, Mr Joseph Johann August Maria von Fisenne. The meeting continued for around 20 minutes. Various press correspondents were present there as well.
On the same evening, the local jamaat organised a tea party in honour of Huzoorra, which was attended by various local dignitaries and press representatives as well. After an address by the local jamaat, Huzoorra delivered a speech in English for around 30 minutes.
During his speech, Huzoorra narrated the details of the newly-established Markaz of Ahmadiyyat, Rabwah, and narrated how Allah the Almighty enabled the Jamaat to establish an astonishing town on barren land, which comprised only three tents at the outset. In the beginning, there was very little drinkable water, and when the water samples were sent to Lahore for assessment, the doctors declared it to be harmful to humans. At that time, Huzoorra stated, Allah the Almighty told him through a revelation that drinkable water would surely be available there, and now, in accordance with the promise of Allah, there is enough drinkable water. Huzoorra said that it was a great sign of the existence of Allah and the truthfulness of Ahmadiyyat.
Further, Huzoorra said that the German nation held a dignified character and that they had rebuilt the city of Hamburg in a short period of time. The German nation, with its lively spirit, would rapidly accept Islam, which itself encourages the same spirit.
Huzoorra said that he is a follower of that prophet, the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, who made great efforts to establish peace and harmony across the globe and, being triumphant, showed remarkable forgiveness towards those enemies who had left no stone unturned in their opposition to the Muslims. Islam, Huzoorra continued, professes a great teaching of harmony that is not found in any other religion. Islam is above all kinds of discrimination, whether it is on the basis of nationality, colour, or race, and presents golden principles to establish worldwide harmony and brotherhood. (Al Fazl, 15 July 1955, p. 3)
Chaudhry Abdul Latif Sahib, the then missionary in Germany, presented the German translation of Huzoor’sra speech.
A local newspaper, Hamburger Anzeiger, published a detailed report of this event, along with a photo of Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra:
[Translation]
“‘Prince of the Faithful’ received at Town Hall
“The head of the Islamic Ahmadiyya Movement, Caliph Hazrat Mirza Mahmud Ahmad (left), was received by Senator von Fisenne (right) at the Town Hall yesterday. The 66-year-old ‘Prince of the Faithful’, revered as the ‘Promised Reformer’, described at a reception in the Europäischen Hof how the current headquarters of the movement, ‘Rabwah’ in Pakistan, was founded in 1950 [sic., 1948]. From a village in the middle of a desert, it has developed into a large city with secondary schools and a seminary for Muslims. Islam is the religion of peace and brotherhood and therefore also the right one for Europe and for Germany, Hazrat Mirza explained. As a true international religion, it is now trying to find its way into Germany and win believers for Islam. The spirit of Islam is also alive in Germany, the Prince explained. The Ahmadiyya Movement, whose headquarters in the Federal Republic is in Hamburg, maintains missions in all countries.” (Hamburger Anzeiger, 28 June 1955, p. 4)
Joseph Johann August Maria von Fisenne
Joseph Johann August Maria von Fisenne (1902-1987) was a German pharmacist and politician. He initially worked as a pharmacist in Küstrin, Berlin, and Hamburg for a few years. After World War II, he joined the CDU (Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands). In the Senat Sieveking (Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg), von Fisenne served as the Senator of the Building Authority from December 1954 to December 1955 and as the Senator of the Police Authority from January to March 1956.
