In 1882, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was commissioned by God to be the Reformer of the age. The very first task he addressed was the building of a mosque like his Master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa).
Under the Divine Command of God, in around 1882-1883, he laid the foundation stone of the Mubarak Mosque in Qadian, India. According to the eyewitness accounts of Hazrat Pir Siraj-ul-Haq Naumani (ra), the foundation of the Mubarak Mosque was laid in 1882, while the research of Hazrat Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani (ra) tells us that its foundation was laid in the year 1883.
Several old foundations were dug up to provide for the bricks and thus began the construction work of the mosque under the supervision of Piran Ditta, a family builder. The stage of building the stairs arrived in August 1883. The inner portion of the mosque finally came to its completion on 9 October 1883, but it was whitewashed afterwards. The mosque also possessed an upper storey which was simple and compact.
Upon laying the historic foundation of this Mosque, he received several revelations. One of these revelations was as follows:
مُبَارِكٌ وَّ مُبَارَكٌ وَّ كُلُّ اَمْرٍ مُّبَارَكٍ يُّجْعَلُ فِيْهِ
“This mosque is a source of blessings, is blessed itself, and every blessed deed will be performed in it.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part IV, p. 437 [English Translation])
Remarkably, when the numerical value assigned to each of the letters present in the revelation is considered into a total figure, the number attained is 1300. The Mubarak Mosque was completed, in the Islamic Calendar, on 26 Shawal in the year 1300.
A study of Tadhkirah – the compilation of revelations, dreams and visions of Hazrat Ahmad (as) – points out various other revelations regarding Masjid Mubarak, which are as follows:
- “Therein are blessings for people, and whoever enters it will be secure.”
- “Baitul-Fikr [the place of contemplation] and Baitul-Zikr [the place of prayer]).”
- “No one can repel His bounty.”
As well as these revelations, it is said that a vision displayed the name of Musleh-e-Maud on the wall of Masjid Mubarak as “Mahmud”.
An extraordinary divine vision known as the incident of red ink drops occurred in the small room adjoining this mosque.
During the early days of the Jamaat, when separate arrangements for accommodation, offices, Langar Khana, and mulaqats was not available, visitors would meet Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah in the mosque. Moreover, question and answer sessions were held in the mosque. Sometimes, the Promised Messiah would open the central window and present tabarruk to a fortunate person seated in the mosque from within the house. The Promised Messiah (as) would bid farewell to the guests from the mosque. Masjid Mubarak served as the headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat right from its inception.
The first building remained in its original state for 24 years. Then, in 1907, under the supervision of Hazrat Mir Nasir Nawab (ra), it was extended towards the southern side for the first time.
The second extension of Masjid Mubarak happened in the Khilafat of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra), which came to its completion on 2 December 1944, though work was still carried out in 1945 in order to give final details to the completion and construction. Due to this extension, the mosque doubled in size and space as compared with the building of 1907. This time, the duty of supervision was performed by Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad (ra), while Syed Sardar Hussain Shah supervised the finer details of the construction. Countless devoted persons contributed to this virtuous cause, while the personal contribution of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) was reasonably large.
Extensive refurbishment work and extensions have taken place in the blessed era of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aa), Khalifatul Masih V, adding to the beauty and capacity of the mosque immensely.
