24 April 1902: On this day, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote a letter to his companion, Hazrat Maulvi Ghulam Hassan Khan Peshawari (ra) and asked for the hand of his daughter, Sarwar Sultan (ra), for marriage with his son, Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra).
To read more about this son of the Promised Messiah, see: www.ahmadipedia.org.
24 April 1908: This day was a Friday and was the Promised Messiah’sas last Friday in Qadian, as he would soon depart for his last journey to Lahore. Hazrat Hakeem Maulvi Noor-ud-Deen (ra) delivered the Friday sermon and led the Jumua Prayer. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 176)
25 April 1966: Sardar Soran Singh, the Foreign Minister of India at the time, visited Qadian on this day. He was given a grand welcome in the Ahmadiyya Mohalla; a reception was held in his honour and a gift of the Holy Quran was presented. India’s leading newspapers, like The Tribune, The Times of India and The Indian Express, published detailed news about this visit. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 23, p. 620)
25 April 2006: On this day, during his visit to the Far East, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) arrived at Nadi Airport in Fiji, which is called the edge of the world. Huzoor (aa) was interviewed by a correspondent for a national TV station. Delegations from neighbouring countries like Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, etc. also came to receive Huzoor (aa). (Al Fazl International, 9 June 2006, pp. 1-2)
26 April 1984: On this day, the infamous dictator of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, issued Ordinance XX, which made it unlawful for Ahmadis to engage in any kind of Islamic practice, from modes of worship to dress code, from greetings to using any terms that were Islamic and it also included not having Muslim names.
To read more, see: “The Ahmadi Muslims of Pakistan: A loyal community under siege since 1974” at alhakam.org (13 September 2024, pp. 6-7).
27 April 2006: On this day, during his tour of Fiji, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) granted an audience to the then-president of Fiji. In the evening, Huzoor (aa) addressed a reception held in his honour at the capital city of Suva’s central hotel, which was attended by various dignitaries as well. (Al Fazl International, 9 June 2006, pp. 9-10)
28 April 1888: On this day, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote a reply to the letter of Maulvi Imamuddin Sahib of Montgomery (present-day Sahiwal, Pakistan), rebutting his view concerning heavenly books. This Maulvi Sahib was of the notion that heavenly books still needed to be practised, even after the revelation of the Holy Quran. (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 1, pp. 410-412)
28 April 1970: On this day, during his visit to the Ivory Coast, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) addressed the Jamaat members who were present. The address was translated simultaneously into French and Abidjan’s local language. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 26, p. 54)
28 April 2005: On this day, the 40th Jalsa Salana of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Kenya commenced. This Jalsa was historic, as it was the first Jalsa Salana of Kenya, which was graced by the presence of any Khalifatul Masih. The vice president of the country also addressed the inaugural session of the Jalsa. The attendance was five times more than the previous year. On his day, in addition to other engagements, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) attended a reception in the evening to which the country’s political, diplomatic and higher judicial and administrative officials were invited. (Al Fazl International, 13 May 2005, pp. 8-9)
29 April 2005: On this day, during the proceedings of Jalsa Salana Kenya of 2005, while Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aa) was present, there was heavy rainfall in the evening of the last day of Jalsa. The guests of the Jalsa spent the night awake with great patience. The Jalsa was relocated in a very short time and the Friday sermon was broadcast live from Kenya. (Al Fazl International, 13 May 2005, p. 5)
30 April 1931: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) travelled from Mansoori to Dehradun, now the interim capital of Uttarakhand, a state in India. During this tour, Huzoor (ra) left Qadian on 19 April and returned to Qadian on 14 May and visited Mansoori, Dehradun, Delhi, Malirkotla and Ludhiana. Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat reports that during this trip, Huzoor (ra) had to stay awake until three in the morning and remain busy with religious and national activities, like presiding over jalsas, meeting with local Ahmadis and guiding their attention towards tarbiyat matters. During his stay in Delhi, Huzoor (ra) met with Khwaja Hassan Nizami. Al Fazl reported among his many engagements that on 31 May, a public jalsa was held in Islamia School Mansoori, presided over by Khan Bahadur Zill-e-Hussain Sahib, Honorary Magistrate. Hindus, Muslims and many other people attended in huge numbers. Huzoor (ra) spoke for nearly two hours on the Hindu-Muslim relations, the need for their reformation and the reasons for the disputes between these two nations. This was very much appreciated by the attendees. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 5, pp. 273-275)