This Week in History: 24-30 November

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

24 November 1886: The Promised Messiah^as had been in Ambala, India, for the last two months. On this day, Huzoor^as spent his last day in Ambala, making preparations to arrive back in Qadian the following day. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 1, p. 302)

24 November 1924: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra reached Qadian after his tour of Europe. On this day, he initially arrived in Batala via train and then travelled by car to complete the final phase of this long journey to Qadian. After meeting with Hazrat Maulvi Sher Ali^ra, Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaq^ra, and others, Huzoor^ra embraced Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad^ra and other close relatives. Thereafter, Huzoor^ra performed ablution  before heading to Bahishti Maqbarah, and prayed at the grave of the Promised Messiah^as. 

Before entering his residence, Huzoor^ra offered two rak‘aat of voluntary prayer at the Mubarak Mosque. After Asr prayer, Huzoor^ra presided over a reception held in connection with the successful tour of Europe. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 463)

24 November 1989: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh instructed the Jamaat members to adopt these five basic characteristics:

1. The habit of speaking the truth

2. The use of a soft, humble and respectful way of speaking

3. Control over one’s feelings in a balanced manner

4. Sympathy for the poor and removing their misery

5. To be courageous and resolute in the way of Allah

(Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 861)

25 November 1895: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as published an announcement in which he wrote about a few subjects from his book, Sat Bachan, so that followers of the Sikh religion may learn of the reality and contents of the book. Huzoor^as also mentioned, in great detail, how Christian priests were opposing Guru Baba Nanak and were writing articles against him and the Sikh community. (Majmu‘ah-e-Ishtiharat [2019], Vol. 2, pp. 69-74)

25 November 1998: The noble project of building 100 mosques in Germany was introduced by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh. On this day, the foundation stone of the first mosque of this project – Bait-ul-Hamd Mosque in Wittlich – was laid. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 896)

26 November 1932: On this day, students of Jamia Ahmadiyya Qadian set out for Saharanpur, India, for the purpose of tabligh. This delegation consisted of 29 members and was under the supervision of Maulvi Arjumand Khan Sahib. The group would take part in sports competitions during the day and deliver speeches in the evenings before Ahmadis and non-Ahmadis. The speeches attracted huge crowds and covered a variety of religious topics. Their journey was completed on 9 December 1932. The group covered the following major cities: Jalandhar, Phillaur, Ludhiana, Ambala, Delhi, Aligarh, Meerut, Deoband and Saharanpur. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 6, p. 81)

27 November 1914: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra drew the attention of the members of the Jamaat towards the construction of the Minaratul-Masih and said that it should be completed. Due to a lack of funds, the construction had remained incomplete for several years. Huzoor^ra stated that the completion of this minaret would be a harbinger of many blessings.

After the Friday prayer, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra relaunched its construction with prayers and also placed a brick at the construction site.

The Promised Messiah^as had decided that the names of those who donated at least 100 rupees for this minaret would be engraved on the minaret as a memorial. Thus, in 1929, the names of 211 devotees were inscribed on the minaret, which are still visible today. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 161)

27 November 1942: While delivering his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra highlighted the harmful impact of music, especially songs that were played on the radio in those days. Huzoor^ra acknowledged that although the radio, at times, would have interesting and knowledgeable discussions, one should take that which is useful and discard the rest. (Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 23, p. 514)

28 November 1957: A local newspaper from Rawalpindi, Pak Kashmir, published a forged letter, falsely ascribing it to Sahibzada Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmad^rh. This shameless episode had to be brought to the attention of the authorities. A defamation lawsuit was registered.

On this day, the court issued its verdict and this newspaper was fined by the court. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 18, p. 507)

28 November 1964: On this day, an international Eucharistic Conference was held in Bombay, which was attended by Pope Paul VI. Jamaat members spread the message of Ahmadiyyat there and distributed literature. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 22, p. 533)

29 November 1933: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra blessed the inauguration ceremony of another mohalla (locality) named Dar-ul-Sa‘ah in Qadian. On this occasion, Huzoor^ra laid the foundation stones for a local mosque and the houses of some workers of Jamaat offices. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 6, p. 135)

30 November 1898: The Promised Messiah’s^as book, Raaz-e-Haqiqat [A Hidden Truth], was published on this day at Zia-ul-Islam Press, Qadian. Alongside other subjects in this book, Hazrat Ahmad^as presented his research about the journey of Prophet Jesus^as towards Kashmir after escaping the cross and crucifixion, along with a detailed map of the tomb of Jesus^as in Mohalla Khanyar on page 68 of the book. (See Raaz-e-Haqiqat [A Hidden Truth], Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 14, pp. 151-176)

30 November 1901: An amin ceremony (a gathering to mark the first complete recitation of the Holy Quran by a child) was held in Qadian on this day. The following three children of the Promised Messiah^as completed the recitation of the Holy Quran for the first time: Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Bashir Ahmad, Hazrat Sahibzada Mirza Sharif Ahmad, and Hazrat Sahibzadi Nawab Mubaraka Begum, may Allah be pleased with them all. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 2, p. 194)

30 November 2008: On this day, during his tour of South India, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa inaugurated the Umar Mosque in Ernakulam, a famous business city in the Kerala state. (“Establishing Peace, Love and Harmony in the Society”, taken from alislam.org)