This Week in History: 28 June – 4 July

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

28 June 1955: On this day, a German newspaper, Hamburger Anzeiger, reported of a reception held on the previous day at the Hamburg Town Hall, along with Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s^ra photograph. The heading of this article was [Translation] “‘Prince of the Faithful’ received at Town Hall.”

For more details, see “‘Prince of the Faithful received at Town Hall’: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud in Hamburg, Germany, 1955”, at alhakam.org (18 August 2023, p. 11).

29 June 1938: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra sent his son, Mirza Mubarak Ahmad Sahib, to Egypt so he could acquire knowledge of Arabic and excel in his experience of agriculture in the land of Egypt. On this occasion, Huzoor^ra wrote down and highlighted some important matters and gave some advice to Mirza Mubarak Ahmad Sahib, which has been recorded on pages 485 to 490 of the seventh volume of Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat.

Among many other important matters, Huzoor^ra mentioned the importance of offering salat at its prescribed time.

30 June 1902: On this day, the Promised Messiah^as wrote a touching letter to Hazrat Haji Seith Allah Rakha Abdur Rahman^ra citing his recent observation. Huzoor^as said that he saw four cats carry a sparrow’s neck in their jaws, one after the other.

For details of this incident, see “Lessons from four cats and a bird”, at alhakam.org (18 November 2022, p. 13).

30 June 2008: During his visit to Canada, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^aa visited the newly established Hadiqa Ahmad, which is a site of 250 acres. The same evening, Huzoor^aa met with more than three and a half thousand Ahmadis in group mulaqats. (Al Fazl International, 12 September 2008, p. 16)

1 July 1927: On this day, an article by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra was published in Al Fazl, titled “Rusool-e-Karim^sa ki Izzat ka Tahaffuz aur Hamaara Farz”, i.e., Protection of the Holy Prophet’s^sa honour and our duty. Huzoor^ra suggested that Muslims organise jalsas on 22 July 1927 all over the country, and take an oath from everyone that they will preach the teachings of Islam in their respective areas. Thereafter, Muslims of the Indian subcontinent held jalsas in many places throughout the country.

For more details, see “Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s services to the Muslim cause: Guiding Muslims of the Indian subcontinent amid religious and political conflicts”, at alhakam.org (26 February 2021, pp. 17-20).

1 July 1988: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh called on the members of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Canada to raise a fund of $2.5 million for the construction of new mosques. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 97)

2 July 1974: On this day, during the anti-Ahmadiyya riots in Jhelum, Maqbool Ahmad Sethi Sahib was martyred by criminals who broke into his house.

He was born in 1942. His maternal grandfather and paternal grandfather were both Companions of the Promised Messiah^as. He completed his education at Talim-ul-Islam College, Rabwah, and then started his own business in Jhelum.

He was martyred under the supervision of the police, during which the family members of the deceased were also seriously harmed. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Babat Shuhada, p. 161)

2 July 1993: During his tour of Norway, on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh delivered his Friday sermon in Oslo and directed the auxiliary organisations to plan to teach the Arabic language to  Ahmadi children. Huzoor^rh added that these children should learn Urdu along with Arabic and should master their local language as well, so that we can use these three sources to spread the message of Islam in the world. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 12, p. 491)

3 July 1998: During his tour of the USA, on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh delivered his Friday Sermon in San Joze. With this sermon, Huzoor^rh inaugurated Bait-ul-Baseer Mosque, located in Milpitas, California. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 17, p. 447; Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, p. 894)

4 July 1978: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III^rh called on Albert Kenneth Cragg, who was an Anglican bishop and scholar who commented widely on religious topics for more than fifty years, most notably Christian–Muslim relations. This meeting took place in the Fazl Mosque compound and continued for two hours in which views were exchanged in a friendly atmosphere. (Al Fazl, 19 July 1978, p. 2)

4 July 1989: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh granted an audience to the then-president of Guatemala. Huzoor^rh arrived in this Central American country a day before. This was the first ever visit of any Khalifa to this part of the world. During his stay, Huzoor^rh, besides meeting with local Ahmadis and some dignitaries like the country’s Foreign Minister and Minister of Health, also inaugurated the first Ahmadiyya Muslim Mosque and Mission House in Guatemala. (Silsila Ahmadiyya, Vol. 4, pp. 856-857)

4 July 1997: Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh delivered his Friday sermon in Bait-us-Salam Mosque, Toronto, Canada. Huzoor^rh emphasised that before the beginning of the new century, every Ahmadi house should be filled with worshippers, and recitation of the Quran should be done daily. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 16, pp. 489-509)