This Week in History: 7-13 March

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

7 March 1921: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra travelled to Malir Kotla, India, to testify in a legal case. Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan^ra, Hazrat Nawab Muhammad Abdullah Khan^ra and some other members were present at Malir Kotla railway station to meet Huzoor^ra. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 277)

7 March 1980: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III^rh, while delivering the Friday sermon in Karachi, Pakistan, directed that every Ahmadi household should have a copy of the tafsir compiled from the writings of the Promised Messiah and a copy of Tafsir-e-Saghir. (Khutbat-e-Nasir, Vol. 8, p. 565)

8 March 1944: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra began a special 40-day period of visiting and praying at the grave of the Promised Messiah^as. For 40 consecutive days, Huzoor^ra would visit Bahishti Maqbarah after Asr prayer and fervently supplicate for the triumph of Islam. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 8, p. 629)

9 March 1928: Administrators of the French Mandate in Syria issued expulsion orders for Jalaluddin Shams Sahib, the missionary appointed there. On this day, he was told to leave Damascus within 24 hours. Upon the instructions of the Markaz, he moved to Haifa in the Holy Lands and resumed his missionary duties there. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 525)

9 March 1990: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV^rh was in Portugal, where he delivered his Friday sermon, which was the first ever Friday sermon of a Khalifatul Masih, on this land. During this tour, Huzoor^rh also formally inaugurated the Ahmadiyya Mission House Portugal and addressed some press gatherings. After this visit to Portugal, Huzoor^rh went to Spain. (Khutbat-e-Tahir, Vol. 9, p. 127)

10 March 1944: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra introduced a novel scheme to serve the cause of Islam; named Waqf-e-Jaidad. Upon the call of their beloved Khalifa, within hours, Jamaat members pledged their properties worth four million rupees. In fact, in just over a month, the number of people pledging to devote their properties for the sake of Islam reached 2,271. Moreover, Huzoor^ra encouraged the family members of the Promised Messiah^as to devote their lives to the cause of Islam. Upon this call, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad^rh was the first person to submit to this noble cause. (Al Fazl, 14 March 1944)

11 March 1910: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I^ra called for Jamaat members to volunteer and assist in the work for the extension of the Aqsa Mosque, Qadian. Huzoor^ra also took part in the labour by shifting mud during the construction. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 3, p. 314)

11 March 1939: On this day, Hazrat Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Shams^ra invited the Viceroy of Mecca and representatives of Palestine, Iraq and Yemen — who were in London for the Palestine Conference — to a reception at the Fazl Mosque in which 200 guests participated in total, including various dignitaries.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra sent a special message to the Arab delegates through a telegram. The message was read out in both English and Arabic by Hazrat Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Shams^ra.

The South Western Star of London published a lengthy article on this event along with a photograph as well.

For more details, see “Ahmadiyya advocacy for Palestinian rights: A historical examination of Arab-Jewish tensions in 1939”, at alhakam.org (10 November 2023, p. 10).

12 March 1923: On this day, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat sent its first tabligh delegation to counter the apostasy of the Malkana Rajputs. The delegation, consisting of 20 men, left Qadian for UP (United Provinces, now Uttar Pradesh in India) and reached Achhnera, District Agra, on 14 March 1923. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 4, p. 351)

12 March 1953: During the horrific anti-Ahmadiyya riots of 1953 in Pakistan, due to the forced closure of Al Fazl, a series of letters were issued to contact members of the Jamaat. In a letter dated 12 March, among other things, it was written that a jamaat in Pakistan had informed that by the grace of Allah there was no panic in their area; however, they said that they were concerned about people living in the Markaz. Another Jamaat reported that mischief caused by opponents was increasing in their area every day. Upon this, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

’’ان شرارتوں كو پكڑنے والا آسمان پر زندہ خدا موجود ہے۔‘‘

“There is a Living God in heaven Who shall seize these mischievous people.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 15, p. 221)

13 March 1971: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III^rh  graced the farewell ceremony held for 13 doctors who were going to West Africa under the Nusrat Jehan Leap Forward programme. (Tarikh-e-Ahamdiyyat, Vol. 27, pp. 31-32)

 13 March 1981: On this day, the Chief Minister of Punjab, India, Sardar Darbara Singh, visited Qadian. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat of Qadian welcomed the honourable guest appropriately and also presented Jamaat literature as a gift. (Al-Badr Qadian, 19 March 1981, p. 2)

Previous week: 28 February – 6 March

Next week: 14-20 March