A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat
28 November 1933: Upon the assassination of Afghanistan’s king Nadir Shah, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra sent a telegram to Mohammed Zahir Shah, Nadir Khan’s son and successor as king. Huzoorra expressed his remorse at the death of his king and hoped that, although the circumstances were grim, the new monarch would continue the generous works of his father, Nadir Shah. Al Fazl of Qadian reported on this day that in reply, Zahir Shah thanked Huzoorra for his sentiments, recognising the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra as its leader.
For more details, see: “Alas! Where has Nadir Shah disappeared?”: Afghanistan and a prophecy of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad fulfilled” at alhakam.org (29 July 2022, pp. 12-14).
28 November 1947: During his UN speech on this day, Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khanra spoke about the Palestinian cause, just a day before the resolution of the partition was passed in the UN. Hazrat Sir Zafrulla Khanra made yet another zealous speech showing his strenuous support for Palestine, and it can be said that his remarks arguably comprised the single most spirited defence of the rights of Palestinians ever officially recorded. He was the chief spokesperson and architect of the Muslim point of view at the time. He said:
“This is a solemn moment, solemn in the history of the world, in the history of this great – let us hope, at least – great organisation. The United Nations is today on trial. The world is watching and will see how it acquits itself – again, perhaps, not so much from the point of view of whether the partition is approved or not approved, but from the point of view of whether any room is to be left for the exercise of honest judgement and conscience in decisions taken upon important questions […]”
For more details, see: “Sir Zafrulla Khan Sahib’s services for the Palestinian cause” on alhakam.org (28 May 2021, pp. 16-17).
29 November 1940: On this day, the Lahore chapter of Sanatan Dharma, an orthodox Hindu organisation, convened a religious conference on the theme of worship. Representing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Malik Abdur Rahman Khadim Sahib delivered a lecture in which he demonstrated that the most exalted form of worship is salat, the Islamic mode of formal worship (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 206)
29 November 1996: On this day, during his tour of Europe, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh delivered a Friday sermon from Baitul Hamd, Malmö, Sweden. The sermon was broadcast live on MTA in collaboration with the national television. Huzoorrh emphasised that true transformation in this era could only be achieved through the highest standards of moral conduct and urged every Ahmadi to strive for moral excellence. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 15, pp. 913-932)
30 November 1901: On this day, an Amin ceremony was held in Qadian to mark the completion of the first recitation of the Holy Quran by three children of the Promised Messiahas: 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 Vaa inaugurated the Umar Mosque in Ernakulam, a famous business city in Kerala state of India. (“Establishing Peace, Love and Harmony in the Society”, alislam.org)
1 December 1888: On this day, the Promised Messiahas published an ishtihar on the demise of Bashir Awwal, titled “Haqqani Taqrir bar Wafaat-e-Bashir” – A Discourse upon the Demise of Bashir. Since it was published on a green paper, it is known as the “Sabz Ishtihar”, i.e., The Green Announcement. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 1, p. 282)
1 December 1952: Dr Curt Tiltack, a German orientalist, sought to write a book about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. To aid his research, a German missionary provided him with the book Ahmadiyyat or the True Islam, authored by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. Using this book as a resource, Dr Tiltack compiled material and later sent four questions in a letter to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra for further clarification on this day. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra responded to these questions, and his answers are documented in Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat (Vol. 12, pp. 138-145).
2 December 1912: On this day, at the request of Sir Muhammad Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira sent him a list of recommended Arabic literature. Huzoorra highlighted that renowned scholars, including German experts in the Arabic language, regarded the Holy Quran as the greatest book in Arabic. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 429)
2 December 2005: On this day, during his tour of Mauritius, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa inaugurated the 44th Jalsa Salana Mauritius with his Friday sermon. It was the first time that a Khalifatul Masih had graced the Jalsa Salana of Mauritius. (Khutbat-e-Masroor, Vol. 3, p. 701)
3 December 1894: On this day, the Promised Messiahas replied to a letter he received from Hazrat Munshi Rustam Alira. In the letter, the Promised Messiahas prayed for him and stated that he would be very pleased if Munshi Sahibra would be posted as a court inspector in Gurdaspur. Huzooras went on to say that the Jalsa days were soon approaching and trusted that Munshi Sahibra would be in attendance. Huzooras added that his attendance was necessary and that he should make arrangements in advance. (Maktubat-e-Ahmad, Vol. 2, p. 606)
3 December 1943: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra set up the Ifta Committee to look into various issues of fiqh, i.e., the Islamic jurisprudence. He appointed the following three members for it:
• Hazrat Maulana Syed Sarwar Shahra, who served as the mufti of the Jamaat
• Hazrat Mir Muhammad Ishaqra
• Hazrat Maulana Abul Ata
(Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 454)
4 December 1992: On this day, during his Friday Sermon, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh shared the distressing news of a newly constructed Ahmadiyya mosque in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, being attacked and demolished by opponents. The attackers even removed every single brick, digging out the mosque’s very foundations. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 11, p. 867)
4 December 2012: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa answered questions from a range of media outlets during a 40-minute press conference in the Press Room of the European Parliament in Brussels.
A number of global media organisations from the UK, Spain, France, Belgium, Pakistan, and other countries attended. After this, Huzooraa delivered the keynote address at the European Parliament to an audience of more than 350, representing 30 countries. The event was hosted by the European Parliament Friends of Ahmadiyya Muslims Group, whose chair and vice chairs all took to the stage to welcome Huzooraa. Martin Schulz, MEP and then President of the European Parliament, also came to greet Huzooraa. (“Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat calls for peace during Press Conference at European Parliament”, and “Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community makes historic address at European Parliament”, www.pressahmadiyya.com)