Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Ahmadiyya Archive & Research Centre
Did you know that Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra, a Companion of the Promised Messiahas, visited the Netherlands in 1925 and delivered lectures in Amsterdam?
In relation to the early history of Islam Ahmadiyyat in the Netherlands, we find the mention of Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard’sra visit to this country. The year commonly mentioned is 1926. For instance, it is stated in Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat (Vol. 11, p. 149) that the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat reached the Netherlands “after the inauguration of the Fazl Mosque London” in 1926, through Dard Sahib’sra lectures in various societies there. Moreover, Hafiz Qudratullah Sahib – missionary to the Netherlands who established the Ahmadiyya mission there in 1947 – mentions the same year in his autobiography (Dastan-e-Hafiz Bazuban-e-Hafiz, p. 66).
However, we find a newspaper report by Tilburgsche Courant, dated 30 September 1926, mentioning the upcoming inauguration of the Fazl Mosque, which stated:
“The Imam (leader) of this first Mosque will be Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard M. A. (this gentleman also appeared several times in Amsterdam as a speaker, as a guest of the Vrij Religieuse Tempel).”
From this, it was sure that Dard Sahibra had delivered lectures in Amsterdam prior to the inauguration of the Fazl Mosque. Hence, a further research was carried out and dozens of Dutch periodicals revealed that Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra actually first visited the Netherlands a year prior, i.e., in 1925. This marked the first-ever visit to this country by an Ahmadi missionary.
The Ahmadiyya Archive and Research Centre has uncovered details of Dard Sahib’sra visit, during which he delivered multiple lectures. His visit attracted extensive press coverage, serving as a great means for spreading the message of the Promised Messiahas.
Before proceeding with the details of this visit, it is important to mention that further research into the Dutch press reveals the fact that the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat had reached the Dutch people even before 1925.
1885: Hazrat Ahmad’sas message reaches the Dutch people
The message of the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian, had already reached the Dutch people during his lifetime.
For instance, Geïllustreerd Zendingsblad voor het Huisgezin – a Christian missionary magazine published in Amsterdam – in its September-October 1885 issue, described him as “A notable Mohammedan” and mentioned his challenge, which was issued in the form of registered letters to the clergymen and leaders of Asia, Europe and America, informing them of his claims and inviting them to come and witness the truthfulness of Islam at Qadian. The same news was given by Soerabaijasch Handelsblad on 26 February 1886 as well.
Moreover, De Locomotief – a newspaper of Dutch East Indies – mentioned on 12 July 1900 that some Indian Muslims have asked the Bishop of Lahore – George Alfred Lefroy – to conduct “a theological duel with the best representative of Islam in their eyes, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as] Qadiani, the chief of Qadian, who calls himself the Messiah promised by God.”
Miss Hidayat Budd
Fast forward to 1924 – a year of great significance in the history of Islam, as it manifested the fulfilment of various prophecies in relation to the Promised Messiahas. During the same year, a Dutch lady named Miss Budd accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat and was given the Muslim name “Hidayat”.
Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra states that while reading the Dutch translation of the Holy Quran, Miss Budd desired to learn more about Islam. Hence, she came in contact with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat through articles by an Ahmadi missionary in America, Hazrat Maulvi Muhammad Dinra, which were published in The Moslem World – a quarterly Christian magazine. Thereafter, she had written correspondence with Din Sahibra and Mufti Sahibra. Eventually, she had the opportunity to pledge allegiance (bai‘at) to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, through a letter. (Al Fazl, 11 December 1924)
Regarding Din Sahib’sra articles, we find that they were published in the January and October 1924 issues of The Moslem World, titled “The Crucifixion in the Quran” and “Islam: The Religion of Peace”.
Another indication of Miss Budd’s acceptance of Ahmadiyyat can be found in Hazrat Bhai Abdur Rahman Sahib Qadiani’sra diary. Under the entry for 12 October 1924, he mentions a letter of Bai‘at from Belgium and states, “God has planted the seed of the Jamaat in both Holland and Belgium.” (Safar-e-Europe, p. 396)
Thereafter, Miss Hidayat Budd wrote a series of articles for a Dutch periodical De Tempel, relating to the beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. These articles were attributed to “An Ahmadi Muslima”. The first article was published on 1 February 1925, under the heading “The Ahmadiyya Movement”. In this article, a detailed introduction was given about the Promised Messiahas, Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and beliefs of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. This was followed by her article on “Islam”, published in parts in various issues of 1925 and 1926. Some of her articles were reproduced in English in The Review of Religions as well.
The Fazl Mosque: A seed for the future progress
In July 1924, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra departed from India as part of the entourage that accompanied Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra on his historic journey to England. While announcing his decision to embark on this journey, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had declared that “it is possible that the seeds [of great victories] will be sown during the journey, with the fruits to be reaped later.” (Al Fazl, 24 June 1924)
During this visit, in October 1924, Huzoorra laid the foundation of the Fazl Mosque, which was in fact the foundation of a glorious era for Islam in the West. Huzoorra instructed Dard Sahibra to stay in London and appointed him as the Incharge of the London Mission.
Invitation from De Vrij-Religieuse Tempel
As the head of the London Mission, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra attracted notable attention from the press and religious circles, not only in England but in other European countries as well. Hence, in 1925, he was invited to deliver lectures in the Netherlands by a society called “De Vrij-Religieuse Tempel” (The Free Religious Temple), founded in Amsterdam by Karel Hendrik Noest jr. (1890-1968).
This society aimed to promote Free-Religionist interests and ran a journal, De Tempel, founded by Mr Noest in 1922. This magazine was devoted to the free religious movements: Eastern and Western religion, occultism, spiritualism, theosophy, astrology, Kabbalah, freemasonry, anthroposophy, Rosicrucianism, mysticism, psychical research, science, architecture, art and philosophy. (“De droom van Karel Noest. Alle religies onder één dak op het Daniël Willinkplein”, Koen Kleijn, https://onsamsterdam.nl, 1 September 2021)
As for the timeframe of the invitation’s receipt, it seems to be between October 1924 and January 1925.
A Dutch research scholar, Eric R. Roose has mentioned in one of his works that in 1924, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra began sending missionaries to the Netherlands for lectures and discussions on Islam. (“50 years of mosque architecture in the Netherlands”, p. 9; Electronic Journal of Oriental Studies, 2005, pp. 1-46)
It is important to note that while announcing Dard Sahib’sra engagements in the Netherlands, multiple Dutch periodicals introduced him as “the Imam of the first mosque in London” and “head of the Ahmadiyya mosque in London.”
Early schedule of lectures: February 1925
Initially, Dard Sahibra was to visit the Netherlands in February 1925. De Tempel published an announcement about Dard Sahib’sra proposed lectures in the Netherlands under the heading “Vrij Religieuse Tempel, Valeriusplein 20, Amsterdam—Sunday Morning Meetings”. It stated that he will deliver a lecture, titled “Islam is the only living religion” on 15 February, and “Ahmad, the Promised Messiah” on 22 February. (De Tempel, 1 February 1925, Vol. 2, No. 21, p. 395)
An announcement was published in the 15 February issue as well.
On 16 February, Algemeen Handelsblad announced under the heading “A Mohammedan clergyman in Amsterdam”:
“Thursday, 19 February, in the evening at 8 o’clock, in a public meeting in the building of ‘De Vrij-Religieuse Tempel’ in Amsterdam, Valeriusplein 20, Mr Abdur Rahim Dard M. A., Mohammedan clergyman, will be the speaker. Subject: ‘Islam is the only living religion.’ The speech will be translated directly from English into Dutch.”
Vlissingse Courant of 17 February 1925 published a similar announcement.
Postponement of lectures
Unfortunately, these lectures were postponed due to unforeseen circumstances, as later explained by the Dutch press.
This postponement was announced by Algemeen Handelsblad in its 19 February issue, wherein it was mentioned that Dard Sahibra had to stay in London due to the martyrdom of two Ahmadis in Afghanistan: Maulvi Abdul Haleem Sahib and Maulvi Qari Noor Ali Sahib.
The same periodical mentioned this postponement in its 24 February 1925 issue, along with an introduction to Ahmadiyyat and the claims of the Promised Messiahas:
“The following details were recently published in the Vrij-Religieuse weekly magazine ‘De Tempel’, about the reformist Mohammedan movement, a follower of which was to give a lecture in Amsterdam last week but was prevented from doing so at the last moment:
“‘The Ahmadiyya movement, which is now gaining more and more followers in Western Europe and America as well, is a purely religious movement in Islam of only a recent date. Founded in the year 1890 [sic., 1889] by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as], when the number of his followers was only 40, the movement already had several hundred thousand followers at the time of the Founder’s demise in May 1908. At present, in 1921, the number of Ahmadi Muslims amounted to almost a million. The centre of the movement is located in the town of Qadian, situated in the Punjab, at the foot of the Himalayas. Main branches are located in England, Germany, North America, West Africa, the Gold Coast, Mauritius, Egypt, Persia, Bukhara and Australia. The intention of Ahmad[as] of Qadian was to purify Islam from all the evils, superstitions and abuses which had crept in during the later centuries.’”
Revised schedule for lectures: May 1925
In May 1925, De Tempel published a photograph of Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra, and provided a lengthy introduction of him and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. The article stated under the heading “A Muslim Teacher in Our Country”:
“Thursday evening, 7 May, and Sunday morning, 10 May, Mr Abdur Rahim Dard (Rahim Bakhsh) M.A. will speak for the Vrij Religieuse Tempel in the main building of De Vrij Religieuse Tempel, Valeriusplein 20, Amsterdam.
“As our readers will remember, Mr Dard was initially supposed to have given two lectures in Amsterdam in March [sic., February], but the murder in Afghanistan of two prominent Ahmadiyya followers forced him to stay in England. As this message arrived by telegram at the last moment, it was a great disappointment to many.
“On Wednesday, May 6, Mr Dard will arrive at the [Amsterdam] Centraal Station at 9:16 and will give two lectures on the dates mentioned above, for which, we have no doubt, there will be considerable interest.
“We believe this is the first time an Indian Mohammedan teacher will speak in public in our country, and it is certainly the first time that this will be an Ahmadiyya teacher. The Ahmadiyya movement in Islam is a reformist movement, about which a series of articles [by Miss Hidayat Budd] have been published in De Tempel.
“Mr Dard occupies a very important position in this movement that has more than a million followers. He has been in Europe for several months and has previously spent many years in Qadian under the leadership of Khalifatul Masih. […]
“So, one will soon have the privilege of being able to hear one of the most gifted and prominent leaders of this movement in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The Vrij Religieuse Tempel seized this opportunity to invite Mr Abdur Rahim Dard to cross over to Holland, since it strives so much to help spread distinct insight of all directions in the spiritual domain of life and thereby also to bring to light the unity that is perhaps often deeply hidden – synthetic and connecting – between all that is apparently far apart. […]
“May Mr Abdur Rahim Dard be given a pleasant welcome and witness a shown interest in a great mind and broad views.”
Towards the end, the article mentioned that “Mr Dard is the head of the Ahmadiyya mosque in London and regularly leads the services there.” (De Tempel, 1 May 1925, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 48)
Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant also announced the revised schedule of his lectures in its 1 May 1925 issue, stating that Dard Sahibra “is the head of the Ahmadiyya mosque in London and regularly leads the services there.”
Dard Sahib’sra arrival in the Netherlands
On 6 May 1925, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra arrived in the Netherlands. Upon his arrival, De Courant Het nieuws van den dag and De Telegraaf published his photograph with the following caption:
“Abdur Rahim Dard will speak tomorrow evening and Sunday morning at the Vrij Religieuse Tempel in Amsterdam.”
On the same day, Het volk: Dagblad voor de arbeiderspartij wrote:
“Vrij Religieuse Tempel, Valeriusplein 20. Thursday at 8 pm Mr Abdur Rahim Dard, a Mohammedan teacher, will speak.”
On 7 May 1925, De Telegraaf once again announced his arrival and also gave a detailed introduction of the Promised Messiahas.
Algemeen Handelsblad published a photograph of Dard Sahibra in its 7 May 1925 issue.
The lectures
De Tempel, in its 15 May 1925 issue, published a detailed article about Dard Sahib’sra lectures, along with two photographs.
The first caption read: “I. Mr Abdur Rahim Dard M. A, photographed in front of the C.S. upon his arrival in Amsterdam. II. The Leader of the Vrij Religieuse Tempel.”
The second caption said: “Mr Dard, after the Sunday morning meeting, in the midst of a group of leading Temple members.”
The article began:
“At the invitation of De Vrij Religieuse Tempel, Mr Abdur Rahim Dard M.A. stayed in Amsterdam from 6 to 10 May and gave two lectures there. In a small press conference, arranged by us for this purpose, where representatives of various major groups showed their interest, we found Mr Dard willing to provide us with some information about the remarkable movement in Islam, of which he is a representative, and also about some issues of the East, seen from the standpoint of the Ahmadiyya.”
The article then mentioned Dard Sahib’sra message to the people of the Netherlands, wherein he stated that he has brought “the news that God has raised a Prophet in India. His name is Ahmad[as]. He says that he has been sent by God. He comes from the East as the Gospel of Matthew says: ‘For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. [Matthew, 24:28].’ The prophecy of the world has been fulfilled in the person of Ahmad[as]. The people of Holland may believe in him, and that the keys that open heaven have been given to him. This is my message to your people. I am the first Indian who comes to you with this feeling of gratitude and brotherhood.” (De Tempel, 15 May 1925, Vol. 3, No. 4, p. 64)
The article gave a detailed introduction of the Promised Messiahas and Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya in light of Dard Sahib’sra lectures. It wrote: “The world of Islam is divided and can only become one, said Mr Dard, if it unites in our Community.”
It further stated that “another important distinction” between the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and other religious movements is that it believe that “God still speaks in words.” (Ibid., p. 65)
Several other Dutch periodicals covered his visit and published his photographs as well.
De Tempel, on 1 August 1925, published an article titled “Dr. Rudolf Steiner’s Departure and the Spiritual Status of Europe”, by Marcel van de Velde, which mentioned:
“We had so recently such a row of representatives of the East: Krishnamurti, Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Jinarajadasa, Murshid Inayat Khan, Abdur Rahim Dard, and those who will follow.”
More lectures: October 1925
De Tempel of 1 September 1925 announced additional lectures in October by Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra, under the heading “Lectures on Islam”:
“Mr Abdur Rahim Dard M. A. of London will give two lectures in the Vrij Religieuse Tempel, namely on Thursday evening, 8 October and Sunday morning, 11 October. It will certainly be pleasant for many to meet this sympathetic Indian teacher again and those who were unable to attend last time will now have the opportunity to listen to his lecture. The interest in his previous lectures was great and will certainly not be less now.”
Announcing the lecture dated 11 October, Algemeen Handelsblad wrote on 10 October:
“The Vrij Religieuse Tempel, 10:30, Valeriusplein 20. Abdur Rahim Dard M. A., Mohammedan cleric of the Ahmadiyya Mosque in London. Subject: Life and Teachings of Mohammed[sa].”
On 15 October 1925, De Tempel published the lecture of Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra, titled “Islam and civilization”. Mentioning this, Nieuwe Vlaardingsche Courant of 23 October 1925 wrote under the heading “The Temple”:
“The contents of the issue of October 15 of ‘De Tempel’, a magazine dedicated to Vrij Religieuse [Tempel], published by Mij. de Vrij Rel. Tempel, in Amsterdam, are as follows: […] Islam and Civilization, by Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard. […]”
Delftsche Courant of 23 October 1925 also referred to the same under the heading “De Tempel (Valeriusplein 20, Amsterdam)”:
“The Imam of the first mosque in London, Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard, writes about Islam and civilization.”
The second lecture was then published in the 1 November 1925 issue of De Tempel, titled “Life and Teachings of Muhammad”.
In his autobiography, Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dardra mentions a letter highlighting the significance of these lectures. He writes:
“On 5 September 1948, Hafiz Qudratullah wrote me from The Hague:
“‘The Holland Mission is indebted to you. You had delivered lectures in Amsterdam at some time, which were later compiled in a book form as well. We are utilising that [book] now. Once in London, while re-organising the old papers, I found around 60 copies of your book. I brought them here. Since we had no literature in Dutch yet, we have been utilising this very book. […] May Allah the Almighty reward you for this good work. Amin.’” (File)
Dard Sahibra also quotes a South African newspaper that mentions his lectures, stating:
“‘Islam and Civilisation’ is the title of the first of the three pamphlets. It is a lecture of Mr A.R. Dard (of London) delivered in Amsterdam last year. It treats of the various scientific discoveries made by Muslims.
“This London gentleman also delivered another address while he was residing in Amsterdam, ‘Life and Teachings of Muhammad’ follows the same plan as that outlined in ‘Islam and Civilisation’ which is suitable for distribution on a mass scale.” (The Moslem Outlook, 11 December 1926). (File)
In 1926, mentioning the upcoming inauguration of the Fazl Mosque, Tilburgsche Courant wrote under the heading “The Mosque in London”, and stated:
“The Imam (leader) of this first Mosque will be Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard M. A. (this gentleman also appeared several times in Amsterdam as a speaker, as a guest of the Vrij Religieuse Tempel).” (Tilburgsche Courant, 30 September 1926)
In one of her articles for The Review of Religions, Miss Hidayat Budd mentioned the foundation laying ceremony for the first Free-Religious Temple in Holland, and wrote:
“In the annals of Ahmadiyyat in Holland the name of the Vrij Religieuse Tempel will ever be mentioned with gratitude: By the Grace of Allah, several times already Maulvi Abdur Rahiem Dard[ra] has been a guest of this Society, delivering from its platform the Message of Ahmad[as] to the Dutch public; and the bi-monthly paper of this Society, ‘De Tempel,’ is also always open to Islam.” (The Review of Religions, Vol. 25, July 1926, pp. 1-2)
Conclusion
This was just a glimpse of the coverage that was given to Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Dard’sra historic visit to the Netherlands in 1925. It undoubtedly served as a significant means for propagating the beautiful and peaceful message of Islam to the Dutch people.