Blog resumption delayed by a few days
Although I am now back from the great Convention in Lahore, held to commemorate the 100th aniversary of the death of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, my computer has irretrievably broken down. So my access is limited for the next few days while a replacement computer reaches me.
The Convention was held from Saturday 24th to Monday 26th May. On the 26th, it so happened that a speech finished at exactly 10.15 a.m. Thereupon, the Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement, Hazrat Ameer Dr A.K. Saeed, took the stage to inform us that that was the exact moment of the passing away of the Promised Messiah, one hundred years ago. Many moving and tearful prayers were then said, led by the Hazrat Ameer. Allah’s blessings were called for the soul of this Great Reformer who sought to breathe new life into a dead Muslim Umma.
When the next scheduled speaker, a young man, opened his speech at 10.25 or so, he began by saying that his was the first speech of the new century. It then struck me that we had entered a new era, in which others will come after us to continue our work. People like me will see less of this new century than we have done of the past one.
On this visit I also met a venerable man, Malik Saeed, who was born in 1906, still quite mobile and mentally sharp and active. He attended all the speeches. He even made a speech himself from his chair. Later I asked him about his earliest memory and he told me: “I don’t recall seeing Hazrat Mirza sahib, but Hazrat Mirza sahib saw me when I was a baby and he picked me up.” He talked to me for an hour without tiring. He can recall being present at the death of Hazrat Maulana Nur-ud-Din in Qadian in 1914.
We also visited the recently renovated Promised Messiah Memorial Room at Ahmadiyya Buildings which is in approximately the position of the room where the Promised Messiah expired.
All photos below open in a new browser window. These were taken by me on 23rd May.
Photo of front of Ahmadiyya Buildings Mosque in centre of Lahore (which was our Centre from 1914 to mid-1970s)
Lahore Ahmadiyya plot in the Miani Sahib cemetery in Lahore, used from 1921. Lahore Ahmadiyya leaders such as Maulana Muhammad Ali and Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din are buried here.
From Saad:
AoA Zahid sahib,
Has the Lahore Jama'at sold the Ahmadiyya buildings? It would be a shame if you have. These are incredibly important historical landmarks.
From Zahid Aziz:
And who gave you that information?
From T Ijaz:
Is this the Brandreth Rd complex in Lahore? Immense history there. I have pictures with family in the room Promised Messiah died
From Zahid Aziz:
Yes it is.
I have collected together some photos of the “Promised Messiah Memorial Room” at this link.
All but the last were taken in May 2008 in my presence.
The room was created in 1965. Many years later it was decided to “simplify” it, rather than embellish it, to make it more like the form of the room which originally existed there.
From Saad:
I wasnt sure. Thats why I asked. If you have not it is a great relief.