February 2, 1900 was the day of Eidul-Fitr. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, advised the members of the Jama’at to hold a meeting on that day and offer prayers for the success of the British government. In his address, he commented on the chapter An-Naas of the Holy Qur’an and reminded the audience of the duties they owed to the government, especially because of the goodness of the government which it had displayed in various ways. After the address, he told the gathering to pray for the victory of the British government in the battle that was being fought in Transvaal and then led a silent prayer for this purpose. Some amount was collected to be sent for the injured in this battle. This gathering of the Jama’at came to be known as the Prayer Meeting.
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908), the holy founder of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, born in Qadian, a village in rural Punjab, India, was the Divinely appointed Reformer of the latter days and the Promised Messiah and Mahdi. He was sent by God in fulfilment of the prophecies contained in the Holy Bible, the Holy Quran and Hadith, with the express task of rediscovering Islam in its pristine purity and beauty, and bringing mankind back to the Creator.