“Now, nothing is left of the Mirzais and their head has been cut off. The man who has been elected as their Imam is not capable of doing anything except teach you the Qur’an in a mosque.” (Tahrik-e-Ahmadiyyat, Volume III, p.221) For such ignorant people, the teaching of the Holy Qur’an was viewed as a worthless activity. However, it was because of his knowledge of the Holy Qur’an that the first Khalifa of Ahmadiyyat was able to fulfil his role with such wisdom and foresight. Upon each trial that he faced, his conviction and total belief in the Word of Allah was the reason for his success. That is why, instead of being offended by this newspaper report, he instead remarked that ‘May God so will that I should teach you the Qur’an.’
Thus, it is the duty of all Ahmadi Muslims to seek every opportunity to grow closer to our Khalifa. The way to achieve n e a r n e s s is through obedience, because if we are obedient to him, then we are obedient to the Promised M e s s i a h (as) and to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
Maryam
Jan - March 2012
38
On 19 April 2003, I witnessed the demise of a Khalifa for the first time when our beloved fourth Khalifa, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad(rah) passed away. I was in Rabwah when I heard this devastating news and it felt like nothing I had felt before. The sense of panic and fear was uncontrollable. For the first time, I was scared for our Jamaat. Over the next few days, along with other members of my family, we sat and watched MTA all day long and saw the scenes of thousands of people converging at the Fazl Mosque in London. Then on the night of 22 April 2003, which was early the next morning in Rabwah, we heard on MTA, that Sahibzada Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib had been elected as Hadhrat Khalifa-tul Masih V(aba). The relief and peace that I felt was instantaneous and as I watched MTA I saw the same feeling of relief on the faces of countless Ahmadis. I will never forget that feeling that, for the first time, felt as though I recognised the true value of Khilafat. Just as the Qur’an had promised, it became clear to me that Khilafat was an institution that instantly turned fear into peace and security. With the Grace of Allah, the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah(as) has gone from strength to strength. Today, the Jamaat has millions of followers in 200 countries. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is distinct from all other sects of Islam and indeed all other religions and that is because it is unified at the hands of the true Khilafat. The spiritual father of every Ahmadi Muslim worldwide, the Khalifa is the person who shares in our times of joy and in our times of sorrow; he furnishes more love to us than our families. Thus, it is the duty of all Ahmadi Muslims to seek every opportunity to grow closer to our Khalifa. The way to achieve nearness is through obedience, because if we are obedient to him, then we are obedient to the Promised Messiah(as) and to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). In effect, if we are obedient to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) then we are ultimately obedient to Allah Almighty.