The Promised Son — Page 19
19 the age of 14, to start an organisation for youngsters called Tash’heezul-Azhaan. In 1938, ten young men approached Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra and asked his permission to set up a youth organisation within the Jama’at. Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra thought it was a great idea and readily agreed to it. This group met at the house of Sheikh Mahboob Alam Sahib on 31 January 1938. Here they elected Maulavi Qamar Deen as Chairman and Sheikh Mahboob Sahib as Secretary. Four days later, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra officially named this organisation Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya and approved the list of office bearers. Initially, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra viewed this organisation as a halfway house for those young men who were not fully immersed in Jama’at activities. At first it was not compulsory for all young men to join the organisation, but in February 1940, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra decreed that all young men between the ages of 15 and 40 must sign up to Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya. The first Ijtemaa that was held by Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya was in 1938 on the occasion of the annual Jalsah Saalaanah in Qadian. This Ijtemaa had one item on its agenda, it was a speech by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad ra in which he said: The success of a nation is dependent on its youth. If