Jalsa-e-Ahbab

A Gathering of Friends

Background

June 20 and 21, 1897, were declared to be the dates on which the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria was to be celebrated through out India. So the Promised Messiah(as) issued a leaflet on June 7, 1897, asking his followers to reach Qadian before June 20 for this purpose.

The Book

The book gives particulars of the gathering, which was held in Qadian. In response to his call, 225 Ahmadis gathered at Qadian on June 19, 1897, from distant parts of India. Meetings were held on June 20, and lectures were delivered in six languages, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, English, Punjabi and Pashto. The speakers included Hazrat Maulavi Hakim Nur-ud-Din, Maulavi ‘Abdul Karim, Maulavi Burhan-ud-Din of Jhelum and Maulavi Jamal-ud-Din. A congratulatory telegram was sent to Lord Elgin, the Viceroy of India, on June 20, 1897. Prayers were offered and the poor of the town were fed throughout June 20-22, and a feast was held on the June 21. Streets, mosques and houses were illuminated on evening of June 22. In short, this blessed gathering continued from June 20 to June 22, 1897 and it was organized with a joint contribution from the followers of the Jama‘at.

A beautifully bound copy of the Promised Messiah(as)’s book Tuhfa-e-Qaisariyyah was sent to Queen Victoria through the Deputy Commissioner in celebration of the auspicious occasion. Copies of the book were also sent to the Viceroy and the Lieutenant Governor of the Punjab.1