- Qadian is a small town in Punjab, India that is the birthplace of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who founded the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. He lived most of his life in Qadian. - In the late 19th century, Qadian was a remote, run-down village with few amenities. However, it became populated as Ahmadi Muslims from around the world left everything to settle there under the guidance of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. - Today, Qadian remains a sacred place for Ahmadi Muslims as the site where their movement was founded and Mirza Ghulam Ahmad lived and taught. It holds religious and historical significance for the community.

1. Qadian
Darul Aman
Qadian
Darul Aman
Maliha Qureshi

2. 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.

3. Qadian (ਕਾਿਦਆਂ ) 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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

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

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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.