A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat
12 April 1948: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a lecture in Rawalpindi as part of a series of lectures titled “Istihkam-e-Pakistan” (The Consolidation of Pakistan).
During the lecture, opponents raised slogans against the Jamaat and tried to create disorder and the police had to disperse the mob.
For more details, see “‘Consolidation of Pakistan’: Lectures by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud on how Pakistan can see success” at alhakam.org (6 May 2022, p. 10).
12 April 1966: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh issued a message for Ahmadis regarding Waqf-e-Jadid, in which he instructed members of the Jamaat to help the Waqf-e-Jadid promises to reach at least 600,000 rupees.
For more details, see “A chronology of Waqf-e-Jadid’s early years (1965-1982)”, at alhakam.org (31 December 2021, p. 18).
13 April 1970: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh met the then head of the state of Nigeria, Yakubu Gowon. Huzoorrh also addressed the University of Ibadan. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 26, pp. 43-44)
13 April 2014: On this day, the third International Conference of Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International (MTA) reached its conclusion with an address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. 39 delegates from 20 countries attended the three-day conference, which was held at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden. Speaking about the types of programmes MTA should produce, Huzooraa said:
“Remember, any programmes you produce should be of the highest standards and should be those that fulfil the needs of the time.” (“International Conference of Muslim Television Ahmadiyya takes place in London,” pressahmadiyya.com)
14 April 1920: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered a lecture at the Vande Mataram Hall in Amritsar, titled “Kiya dunya ke amn-o-amaan ki bunyad Isa‘iyyat par rakhi ja sakti hay ya Islam par?”(Can the foundations for world peace be built on Christianity or Islam?). This was in response to the New Year’s message from the British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George.
For further details, see “Response to an appeal of British Prime Minister, David Lloyd George: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s lectures in Lahore and Amritsar, 1920” at alhakam.org (23 June 2023, p. 12).
14 April 1940: The then Chief Justice of the Indian Federal Court, Sir Maurice Gwyer, visited Qadian along with his son, Major John Gwyer.
For more details, see “Coming from every distant track: Chief Justice of India, Sir Maurice Gwyer, meets Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud” at alhakam.org (14 April 2023, p. 16).
15 April 1922: The first Shura of the Jamaat was held in Talim-ul-Islam High School, Qadian. Taking part were 52 delegates from various regions of India and 30 delegates from the Markaz.
For more details, see “First Majlis-e-Shura”, at alhakam.org (29 June 2018, p. 3).
16 April 1923: The fourth delegation consisting of 19 missionaries departed from Qadian to prevent the apostasy of Malkana Muslims under the influence of the Shuddhi Movement initiated by the Arya Samaj.
For more details, see “Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s response to the Shuddhi movement and the Jamaat’s relentless services for Islam” at alhakam.org (17 December 2021, p. 18).
16 April 1944: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra delivered an address in Delhi as part of a series of jalsas wherein he announced on oath that he is the Musleh-e-Maud (i.e., the Promised Reformer) in line with the grand prophecy vouchsafed to the Promised Messiahas.
During the jalsa, Ahraris and other opponents of Ahmadiyyat formed a riot and attacked the gatheringwith stones and hurled abuse.
For further details, see “‘God has declared me the Promised Son’: Glimpse into Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s speeches of 1944 in Hoshiarpur, Lahore, Ludhiana, and Delhi” at alhakam.org (16 February 2024, p. 12).
17 April 1903: Some residents of Qadian, like Buddha Mal, Ghanayya Lal, Bur Singh Narain and Dasawar Singh, complained to the authorities that the white minaret being built by Ahmadis would be used to peer into the houses of neighbours, breaching their privacy.
For more details about this white minaret, see “A brief history of the construction of Minarat-ul-Masih Qadian”, at alhakam.org (6 January 2023, pp. 10-11).
17 April 1922: The pioneer Ahmadi missionary, Al-Haj Hakim Fazl-ur-Rahman Sahib,finally reached Lagos, Nigeria, at 4 pm. Many friends welcomed him, including Hazrat Maulvi Abdur Rahim Nayyarra. His photograph was also taken on the ship.
He left Qadian at 9 am on 23 January 1922, and after reaching Bombay [now Mumbai], he stayed there for a month, waiting for the ship’s departure. Waiting for a month for a ship was quite normal at that time due to the unpredictability of travel schedules, influenced by factors like weather, mechanical issues, and berth availability, etc.
For further details, about his journey and Tabligh efforts, see “100 Years Ago… – Missionaries in West Africa and Mauritius”, at alhakam.org (30 September 2022, p. 14).
17 April 1949: The first-ever Jalsa Salana in Rabwah concluded, which commenced on 15 April and was attended by 17,000 people.
After the Partition of India, by the time Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had relocated to the underdeveloped new Markaz of Rabwah, the population had reached 1,000. On 23 April, The Civil and Military Gazette published a photograph of the Jalsa site, with the following caption:
“Ahmadiyas Meet at Rabwa
“A general view of the huge gathering (more than 17,000) at the annual public meeting of the Ahmadiya community held at their new centre Rabwa, near Chiniot.”
For more details about Rabwah, see “From Muhammad bin Qasim to Mirza Mahmud Ahmad r.a.”, at alhakam.org (20 September 2019, pp. 16-18).
18 April 2003: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh delivered his last Friday Sermon on Allah’s attribute of “Al-Khabeer”, the All-Knowing. That very evening, he held a question-and-answer session. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 913)
