What status will Rabwah have compared with Qadian once both are freely accessible?

The early history of Islam offers a guide. After the victory over Mecca, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) stayed in Medina out of gratitude, the city that had given him refuge. Whether it will be the same depends on the circumstances of that time.

Qadian is the place where the Promised Messiah (as) lived and worked. Rabwah became the centre of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat when the community had to leave its home town. The question of which place will hold which position once both are open again is not new. The history of Islam has answered it once before.

Mecca was the home of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). He was born there and spent most of his life and mission there. But he was driven out, and he migrated to Medina, where the people received him with open arms. Years later he returned to Mecca in victory. Yet he did not stay there. He went back to Medina, out of gratitude to those who had given him refuge. The hadith above shows how closely he felt bound to them.

The Holy Prophet (saw) made this decision himself, and it serves as a guide. Why should something similar not happen again? At the same time, the future cannot be fixed in advance. Back then Mecca had opened itself fully to Islam, and the choice lay with the Holy Prophet (saw) alone.

If one day both places are freely accessible, the circumstances of that time will decide. If they resemble those of the past, it will be natural to follow the example of the Holy Prophet (saw). If they are different, the matter will have to be weighed anew.