A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat
12 January 1889: Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra was born to Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas and Hazrat Nusrat Jehan Begumra on this day in Qadian, the same year the Promised Messiahas established the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in Islam by accepting the allegiance of his disciples. This blessed child was destined to be the promised son, as mentioned in the scriptures. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 1, p. 283)
12 January 1913: On this day, Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra returned to Qadian after performing Hajj. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira travelled a relatively long distance from the town of Qadian to welcome him home. On 14 January, a reception was arranged for his safe return, where Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira graced this gathering and delivered a speech. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 3, pp. 422-423)
12 January 2005: During his tour of Spain, on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa travelled to the historic city of Seville and visited its cathedral, palaces and various other landmarks. (Al Fazl International, 25 February 2005, p. 12)
13 January 1954: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra went to Lahore, where a court of inquiry was established to look into the Punjab Disturbances, which were caused by agitations against the Jamaat. On this day, Huzoor’sra statement started being recorded and was completed on 15 January.
This statement was transcribed by the court in English, while the Urdu text of non-Ahmadi dignitaries can be read in Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 15, pp. 371-413.
14 January 1929: On this day, Sir Geoffrey Fitzhervey de Montmorency, Governor of Punjab, met with Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra in Lahore. The governor was very impressed with the educational development of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. On one occasion, he is reported to have said, “For a Community that is relatively small and has limited financial resources, significant progress has been made in terms of education.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 5, p. 124)
14 January 1934: On this day, Al Hakam was re-launched with a new editor, Sheikh Mahmud Ahmad Irfani Sahib, son of Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfanira. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 6, p. 147)
14 January 1989: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh returned to London from his tour of 10 countries in Africa. On this day, Huzoorrh graced an event arranged in his honour, by the Pan-African Ahmadiyya Association. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 852)
14 January 1992: After his historic tour of Qadian, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh started his journey back to London. On this day, Huzoor left Qadian via Amritsar and reached Delhi in the evening. During his short stay in Amritsar, the representative of Jeet newspaper interviewed Huzoorrh. Before leaving Qadian, in the morning, the children of the local Sikh and Hindu communities had the chance to meet Huzoorrh. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 869)
14 January 2005: During his Friday Sermon on this day, delivered from the Basharat Mosque in Spain, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa urged the Jamaat in Spain to build a mosque in Valencia, which is the third most populous city in the country. (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 3, pp. 21-36)
15 January 1956: On this day, Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmadra recorded a message using an audio recorder at the request of Chaudhry Anwar Ahmad Kahlon Sahib, Amir of Dhaka Jamaat. He made audio recordings of some of the prophecies of the Promised Messiahas. His words were also published in Al Fazl. (Al Fazl, 24 January 1956)
16 January 1936: On this day, Haji Ahmad Khan Ayaz, a missionary to Europe, departed Qadian for Hungary. He reached Budapest on 21 February 1936. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 290)
16 January 1992: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh safely reached London. The very next day, while delivering his Friday Sermon, Huzoor mentioned some of the blessings of his tour and Jalsa in Qadian. To uplift the local jamaat of Qadian, Huzoorrh also introduced some important projects. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, pp. 869-870)
17 January 1905: On this day, the Promised Messiahas received a letter in English from someone in Europe. In the letter, the gentleman stated that he and his wife had read the English parts of the books of the Promised Messiahas that they had available. He added that his affiliation was with a small sect of Christianity, which had abandoned the belief in the godship of Christ and believed him to be a pious person who guided people. He further said that he would like to read about Hazrat Ahmad’sas beliefs regarding Jesusas and that he desired to read about the evidence proving his grave to be in Kashmir. (Malfuzat, [1988] Vol. 4, pp. 226-227)
17 January 1914: Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nur-ud-Din, Khalifatul Masih I’sra health took a turn for the worse. However, despite the intensity of his deteriorating health, on this day, he delivered lectures on the Holy Quran and Sahih al-Bukhari. Huzoorra even said, “Due to my frailty, sometimes when I must work while lying down, if I find a new book, I cannot set it aside without finishing it.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 501)
18 January 1991: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh delivered a Friday Sermon, which was broadcast live in the UK, Japan, Germany, Mauritius, USA and Denmark. Huzoorrh drew the attention of Ahmadis to help the people of Africa and save them from starving. In this regard, Huzoorrh assigned £10,000 from the markaz. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 10, pp. 51-54)
18 January 2014: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa inaugurated the Noor Mosque in Crawley, UK. (“New Mosque Opened by World Muslim Leader in Crawley”, www.pressahmadiyya.com)
