This Week in History: 7-13 April

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

7 April 1907: An adversary of the Promised Messiah^as, Munshi Ilahi Bakhsh, who was an accountant, died on this day. This unfortunate person had been among the companions of the Promised Messiah^as, but his inner darkness led him to his bitter end. Munshi Ilahi Bakhsh, who was stationed at Lahore and Hoti (Mardan) during his professional career, published the mischievous book ‘Asa-e-Musa against Huzoor^as to mislead people and criticised Huzoor^as to his heart’s content. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 2, p. 20)

7 April 1920: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra embarked on his tour of Sialkot, which took almost one week to complete. During this tour, Huzoor^ra delivered some speeches alongside many other engagements. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 255)

7 April 1944: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra expressed his cordial desire to hoist the Islamic flag in Spain. For this noble cause, Huzoor^ra invited members of the Jamaat to enhance their financial and personal sacrifices. (Al Fazl, 6 May 1944)

7 April 1967: On this day, the 48^th Majlis-e-Mushawarat took place under the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III^rh. Prior to this event, Al Fazl published an announcement for precautions, noting that in different parts of Pakistan, contagious diseases like cerebrospinal fever and smallpox were reportedly on the rise. If anyone experienced any symptoms, they were asked to maintain social distancing, use a mask, and avoid handshakes. (Al Fazl, 7 April 1967, p. 1)

7 April 1995: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh announced the inauguration of a newly built mosque in Papua New Guinea and narrated faith-inspiring incidents related to the establishment of Ahmadiyyat in that country and the construction of the mosque. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 14, p. 233)

8 April 1897: The Promised Messiah’s^as prophecy about Arya Samaj’s leader, Pandit Lekhram, was fulfilled when this extremely abusive foe met his fate on 6 March 1897. Subsequently, false accusations were raised against the Promised Messiah^as. On this date, police investigators searched the home of Promised Messiah^as in an effort to find any evidence that might implicate Huzoor^as in the murder of Lekhram due to the intense pressure the Arya Samajists placed on the authorities. Moments before the arrival of the police party, Huzoor^as was busy reading the final copies of his book, Siraj-e-Munir. The police contingent was led by Mr Limarchand, Superintendent of Police Gurdaspur, and Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, Inspector Batala. Huzoor^as received the officials and led them to every corner of the house. During the course of this raid, a police official badly struck his head against a door frame. Huzoor^as was so kind to him and offered him a glass of warm milk or anything else he wished. Even Huzoor’s^as fierce foe, Mirza Imam Din, joined the police party to help them find anything they desired. On this date, this party also searched the guest house, the press room, and the residence of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin^ra. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 1, pp. 599-601)

8 April 1948: On this day, during his tour of Peshawar, Pakistan, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra delivered a lecture at the Mission College (Edwardes College), as part of a series of lectures titled “Istihkam-e-Pakistan” – Consolidation of Pakistan. The audience included the Deputy Commissioner, members of the assembly and other government officials. The details of this series of lectures have already been published in our article, “‘The consolidation of Pakistan’: Lectures by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad^ra on how Pakistan can see success” (Al Hakam, 6 May 2022, Issue 216, pp. 10-13).

8 April 1988: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh inaugurated the new building of the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Glasgow, UK. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 7, p. 229)

8 April 2004: On this day, during his tour of Africa, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa granted an audience to the then-president of Benin. (Al Fazl International, 30 July 2004)

8 April 2006: On this day, during his tour of Singapore, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa granted audiences to 331 Ahmadis, amila of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Indonesia, and amila of Lajna Imaillah Singapore. (Al Fazl International, 15 May 2006)

9 April 1907: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as was vouchsafed a prophecy from God Almighty concerning the “Calamity of Damascus” (Bala-e-Damishq). The first major manifestation of this prophecy was first recorded in the 1920s, when French troops heavily bombed Damascus.

9 April 2004: On this day, during his tour of Africa, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa led the Fajr prayer at the Al-Tawhid Mosque in Porto-Novo, Benin, and delivered the Friday Sermon, which was telecast live on MTA.

On the same day, Huzoor^aa granted an audience to the then-president of Benin’s National Assembly, and press correspondents interviewed Huzoor^aa as well. (Al Fazl International, 30 July 2004)

9 April 2006: On this day, during his tour of Singapore, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa granted an audience to the missionaries and mu‘allimeen serving in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea.

Huzoor^aa also granted audiences to the amilas of MKA Indonesia, MKA Singapore, and MKA Malaysia.

In the evening, Huzoor^aa graced a reception held in his honour, where members of parliament were also present. (Al Fazl International, 5 May 2006)

10 April 2004: On this day, during his tour of Africa, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa inaugurated the MTA Benin Studio and granted audiences to the amilas of Majlis Ansarullah and Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Benin. A reception was also held in Huzoor’s^aa honour, which was attended by various dignitaries from the country. (Al Fazl International, 30 July 2004)

10 April 2017: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa inaugurated the Aafiyat Mosque in Waldshut-Tiengen, Germany. A special reception, attended by 110 dignitaries and guests, was held to mark the opening of the mosque, during which Huzoor^aa delivered the keynote address and outlined the objectives of mosques and explained the true teachings of Islam.

11 April 2006: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa arrived in Australia for his first-ever tour of the Australian continent. Huzoor^aa inspected the Bait-ul-Huda Mosque, and granted an audience to a member of the federal parliament. Huzoor^aa also granted audiences to 170 Ahmadis as well. (Al Fazl International, 12 May 2006)

11 April 2014: During his Friday Sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa mentioned the details of the Khutba-e-Ilhamiyyah, and shed light on its magnificence.

11 April 2017: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa inaugurated the Baitul Naseer Mosque in Augsburg, Germany. Later, a special reception, attended by more than 130 dignitaries and guests, was held to mark the opening of the mosque at the Kongress am Park convention centre. During his keynote address, Huzoor^aa explained the true purposes of mosques and highlighted the importance of fulfilling the rights of mankind in light of the teachings of Islam.

12 April 1914: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra addressed the representatives gathered at the Mubarak Mosque, Qadian, for a sitting of the Majlis-e-Mushawarat. Huzoor’s^ra wise words on this special occasion were later printed in book form titled Mansab-e-Khilafat. During this historic gathering, Huzoor^ra laid the foundation of Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Islam to propagate the message of Islam in the world. (Tarikhe-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 141)

12 April 1920: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra was in Sialkot and delivered an hour-long speech in the Punjabi language, particularly addressing the Lajna. This speech was later published and titled Faraiz-e-Masturat. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 255)

12 April 1948: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra delivered a lecture in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, as part of a series of lectures titled “Istihkam-e-Pakistan” – Consolidation of Pakistan. During the lecture, some opponents gathered outside the venue and raised slogans against the Jamaat. The mob tried to create disorder and thus the police had to disperse them. (“‘The consolidation of Pakistan’: Lectures by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad^ra on how Pakistan can see success”, Al Hakam, 6 May 2022, Issue 216, p. 12).

13 April 2014: The third International Conference of Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International (MTA) concluded with an address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa. 39 delegates from 20 countries attended the three-day conference, which was held at the Baitul Futuh Mosque in Morden, Surrey, UK.