Qadian Darul Aman Qadian Darul Aman Maliha Qureshi

Historical Background The ancestors of the Promised Messiah (as) migrated to India in 1530 from their hometown called Samarqand, with two hundred others. They named the village Islampur, which later changed to Islampur Qazi Majhi. The word ‘Majhi’ means Bull which is an animal still found in abundance in Qadian. This name, overtime, was shortened to Qazi Majhi, which again changed to Qazian. This name was finally changed to Qadian.

Qadian ( ਕਾਦਿਆਂ ) is a small town and a municipal council in Gurdaspur, north-east ofAmritsar, situated 18 km east of Batala city, about 112 km north east of Lahore, and in the state of Punjab, India. In this holy town Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born, the Promised Messiah (AS), the holy founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. He spent most of his life in this town. According to the India census in 2001, Qadian had a population of 20,827. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Qadian has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 70%. In Qadian, 10% of the population is under 6 years of age. Now, the majority of the population are Sikhs and Hindus. The family of the Promised Messiah (AS) was given high official posts in the Mughal administration. When the central Mughal government in India lost its grip, the family was able to make itself independent and ruled over 95 km of territory around Qadian. However, during the Sikh rule, the family lost territorial rights, and much of the territory was taken over by the Sikhs. This is why Sikhs are in the majority in Qadian.

Under the British rule, the blessed family was once again granted the property rights in Qadian and the suburbs. Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, peace be on him, was born on Friday February 13th, 1835 at dawn in Qadian. He was born after a twin sister namedJanat who died a few days later.

Back in 1895, a close companion of the Promised Messiah (as). Hadhrat Bhai Abdur Rehman (ra) described the ordeal of reaching Qadian from his own experience. He elaborated on the lack of proper channels of trastportation.

He explained that when some transport did become available, it consisted either of a cart pulled by bullocks or similar, or a horse- driven carriage for which a more appropriate name would have been the 'wheels of torture‘. Riding on it made one's ribs ache, gave one stomach pains and the whole body felt as if it had been pounded. It was not uncommon to see the horse and carriage turned upside down on the beaten track-- along with its passengers! He said that when he arrived in the city, it was full of ruins and looked as if it were in a state of mourning. There were only two markets, but in name only. They sold just a few commodities of poor quality. This has painted a very interesting picture of the lack of facilities available in Qadian in those days.

Despite all these inconveniences, this was the Qadian that Allah the Almighty had promised to the men whom he had prepared through revelation. He revealed that these men would come in large numbers from near and far. It seemed hopeless until it was populated by a blessed few.

The land of Qadian had a mysterious attraction, despite all that seemed negative about the physical property. It was enchanting because of the advent of the Holy Mirza Ghulam Ahmed (as). Followers from around the continent left everything behind and came to live in Qadian, like Hadhrat Maulvi Hakeem Nooruddin (ra), who under the guidance of the Promised Messiah, settled in Qadian. Scholars like Hadhrat Maulvi Karim (ra) of Sialkot, and many other noble men also began their blessed lives here.

The city of Qadian is a sacred and blessed place which is now honoured all around the world.

Not only does the holy land of Qadian have the honour of being the birthplace of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), it is also correlated to many other divine figures of the Ahmadiyya movement. Qadian is where the firm roots for the fruitful tree of Ahmadiyya are planted. This geographical miracle is an influence to the rest of the world, not only because of the simple and religious lifestyle that the citizens lead, but also because of the educational success.

Proofs of the truth behind the Promised Messiah even regarded Qadian’s geography. It is laid down in many words that the Promised Messiah will appear to the East of Damascus. Qadian is located at the East of Damascus, which is a city in Syria.

Look, God has caused a whole world to turn towards me; He found me a non-entity, and gave me universal fame. He fulfilled all that I desired; I had nothing but He gave me plenty. There is none among the bounties of this world, That He has not granted me through His grace. His bounty has transformed a single drop into a river; I was mere dust, He turned me into the Pleiades. I was destitute, helpless, unknown, and without any ability; No one even knew where Qadian was. People were simply unaware of this place; No one knew if I even existed. Now, you see, how the world has turned this way! This very Qadian has become focus of every eminent person. (Brahin-e-Ahmadiyya, part 5, Rubani Khaza’in, vol.21, pp )