Liwa-e-Ahmadiyyat is the Flag of Ahmadiyyat, which was prepared and hoisted for the first time by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Khalifatul Masih II, on 28 December 1939.
The year 1939 marked the completion of 50 years since the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s establishment and 25 years of the second Khilafat. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat was fully engaged in preparations to celebrate the occasion of the Khilafat Jubilee.
During the proceedings of Majlis-e-Shura of that year, a subcommittee for jubilee programmes presented a number of proposals regarding the inauguration of the jubilee. One such suggestion was that a standard flag of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat should be created and a request be presented before Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Khalifatul Masih II, to formally hoist that flag on the occasion of the Jubilee Jalsa.
Members of the Shura presented their proposals regarding this particular suggestion. Certain members were of the view that flags are associated with temporal states, therefore there was no need for it at the time. Thereupon, Huzoor (ra) asked the scholars of the community to voice their opinions on the matter.
After the opinions of members and scholars, Huzoor (ra) put the matter to vote. A total of 376 members voted in favour of this suggestion. Deciding the matter in favour of the majority of the votes, Huzoor (ra) approved the proposal of creating a new flag.
Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), Khalifatul Masih II, laid down fundamental instructions regarding the preparations of the flag. He said:
“I am of the opinion that a specific amount in paisas (one-hundredth of a rupee) or even less, should be collected from particular Companions (ra) of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) and cotton should be bought from the sum of money, which should be handed over to the female Companions (ra) for spinning and eventually to those companions (ra) who are tailors to prepare cloth from the yarn. Similarly, the Companions (ra) should cut and clip suitable wood [for the mast] which should then be handed over to representatives of the Jamaat after being wrapped and this should be our first official flag. Thenceforth, it should be copied and reproduced. In this way, the values of the Jamaat shall be associated with it in a manner that the generations to come will surely be ready to present any kind of sacrifice for it.”
The flag is black in colour, in the middle of the flag is Minaratul-Masih, and on the upper two corners are the Crescent and the full Moon in white. The flag is 18 feet long and 9 feet wide.
