Founded in 1921 by Mufti Muhammad Sadiq in Highland Park area of Detroit, Michigan, it is the earliest Muslim publication originating in the United States.
[3] The first volumes of the magazine featured reports of Sadiq's lecture tours, public debates, and other activities, and published lists of people who had embraced Ahmadi Islam.
The traditional format of the magazine has been a featured passage from the Quran, followed by sayings of Muhammad and excerpts from the writings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the founder of the Ahmadiyya movement, believed by its followers to be the expected Mahdi and Messiah; an address by an Ahmadi Imam and a series of scholarly articles typically dealing with theological issues and Islamic practices and morals.
Recognizing racial intolerance in early 20th century America, Sadiq also popularized the Islamic quality for inter-racial harmony.
According to the religious historian Richard Turner, The Muslim Sunrise was the foremost medium of spreading the Ahmadiyya message across America in the early 20th century, multi-racial missionary work was its primary thrust and it exercised "a profound influence on the signification that black Americans formed for themselves in Islam".