Al Islam Online - Tariq Commemorative EditionIjtema was held in Qadian (India) in 1938.The first Ijtemas were held alongside the Jalsa in Qadian starting in December 1938,but soon

The Ijtema of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya is a specialoccasion each year where our youth get a chance to meeteach other and to compete in healthy pursuits.The first

Ijtema was held in Qadian (India) in 1938.The first Ijtemas wereheld alongside the Jalsa in Qadian starting in December 1938, butsoon the event demanded more time and energy, and so itbecame a separate event. Since those days over 60 years ago, theyouth organisation has spread to all parts of the world andIjtemas are held annually at various levels throughout the globe.

History of the UK Ijtema

The UK held its first Ijtema in 1965 at a time when there were amodest number of Khuddam, largely in the Greater London area.This was a modest affair but in 1972, the Gillingham Khuddamorganised the first one day indoor ijtema that caught theimagination of the Khuddam at that time, leading to a flurry ofsuch events taking place all over the UK over the next few years.However the London area remained the primary focus with theIjtema taking place in and around the Fazal Mosque complex.

Ijtema

Memories

162 - TARIQ: SOUVENIR

Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Ijtema

Compiled by Fazal Ahmad and Tariq Chowdhry

SOUVENIR :TARIQ - 163

To address the needs of the increasing number of Khuddam aroundthe country, the National Qiadat was established.The needs of theIjtema also grew and Heathlands School, Hounslow became thevenue for the National Ijtema with a focus on a comprehensiveprogramme of academic and sporting activities.

However the major change occurred once the UK Jama’at acquiredthe land at Islamabad in mid 1985.That suddenly provided thefreedom and space to hold events that included sports, barbequesand a much more varied prgramme of activities..The first barbequewas held in Islamabad in the mid-80’s in what had been the stablesof the old Sheephatch Farm.This proved to be so successful that ithas now become a fixture of the National Ijtema. A major part of thecharm of the barbeques was the fact that Huzur enjoyedthe function and met many of the Ijtema participants in a very

relaxed environment. Ameer Jama’at UK, Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahibrecalls Huzur’s enthusiasm for the tents and barbeques:

“At the Khuddam Ijtemas Huzur would come on Fridaynight and he would get his security staff to erect a tent for him therealso. Huzur would also look at all the tents and check onthe barbeques. I think this was a form of tarbiyyat taking place.”

He also encouraged a competitive spirit amongst the regions whichextended not just to the barbeques, but also the tents and displays. .Huzur would personally go and visit each regional area,inspect the tents and taste the barbeques.These are memories thatno Khadim will ever forget, as our previous Sadr Ibrahim Noonanrecounts:

Above: Huzurat the Pakistan NationalIjtema in 1967 when hewas Sadr MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya.

Right: Huzur at the MajlisKhuddamul AhmadiyyaUK Ijtema in 1995



“Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV last Ijtema was in 2000.WhenHuzur left the barbeque, Huzur turned to mewith a loving smile and he raised his hand,put his index finger and histhumb together and said ‘excellent, excellent barbeque’. He said it insuch a manner that really filled my heart with happiness and joy.”

Huzur also laid great stress on the real purpose of Ijtema;spiritual advancement. Huzur always enjoyed thebarbeque and sports functions, but he laid the greatest emphasisupon seeing large numbers of Khuddam attending each of thecongregational prayers on time and behaving appropriately. He waskeen to gauge progress year on year in the knowledge of the Qur’an,Sala’at, Surah Fatihah and the Philosophy of Islam, for if we didn’tshow progress in these fields, what was the purpose of being greatat Volleyball or cooking kebabs.

Ahmad Yahya was the Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK from1992-1998. Attendances were rising and the quality was improving,but this was not always the case as Ahmad Sahib recalls:

“In the history of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, there has never beena second ijtema in the same year.However, I remember in 1995,whenI read my report at the last session, I mentioned the attendance. AfterI sat down Huzur asked me the total tajneed of MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya. I told him and Huzur immediatelyworked out the number of Khuddam that were absent. Then Huzur

gave us a difficult challenge to try and bring thoseKhuddam that didn’t come.He told us to organise an Ijtema for those

Above: Huzur watchesthe Kabadi during the the MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Ijtemain 2000

Right: Huzur meetsmembers of the Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK Kabadi team


Khuddam who had not attended the Ijtema for the last threeconsecutive years. He wanted us to organise this before our nextIjtema and he also wanted the management committee to beconsisting of those Khuddam that seldom come.When we heard thiswe were absolutely dumbfounded as to how we were going to dothis. I then went to see Huzur asking for guidance on howwe can get those Khuddam that never come to organise an event asbig as this.However, Huzur simply said, we must try.Huzur

never used to give up hope on someone that had verylittle attachment with the Jama’at. He always saw the best ineveryone. By the grace of Allah we managed to organise this Ijtemaand it was a success.As far as I can remember,Huzur spentmost of his day at the Ijtema on Saturday and Sunday. Huzur

was so pleased that we obeyed his instructions and saidthat what he was most pleased about was the fact that he had set adifficult task but because you have obeyed the Khalifa of the time,Allah has given His blessing.”

European Ijtema

In 1982 Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV arrived on his firstvisit to the continent after becoming Khalifa. He instructedKhuddam to start holding Ijtemas on a European scale, now that

Top: Huzur at the European Ijtema 1985 Below: Scenes from the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UKIjtema 2000 at Islamabad

travelling had become so much easier across Europe, and there wasa sense of competition amongst the neighbouring Jama’ats.Although the larger Jama’ats such as the UK and Germany were wellestablished, there was a need to bring the smaller Jama’ats to thesame level, and to create a catalyst for joint activity across theContinent.

These instructions were duly implemented on the 27th, 28th and29th July 1984 and the UK was given the honour of hosting the veryfirst European Ijtema at the Heathlands School in Hounslow. Huzur

attended the Ijtema and was pleased with thearrangements.The Ijtema took Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to the nextstage as it allowed Khuddam from various parts of the Continent tomeet and share experiences, and particularly enabled those fromcountries with a small tajneed (number of Khuddam) to participatein such a major event. Other European Ijtemas followed and wereorganised in the following venues:

Above: Huzur with the Tug of War teams of EastLondon and Lambeth at the Ijtema of 1985

Left: Huzur addresses the Khuddam at theEuropean Ijtema 1985 in Islamabad


1984 Hounslow, UK;1985 Islamabad, UK;1986 Nasir Bagh,West Germany;1987 Nunspeet, Holland;1988 Islamabad, UK;1989 Nasir Bagh,West Germany;1990 Islamabad, UK.

All European Ijtemas enjoyed the special distinction of being gracedwith the august presence of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV .Huzur also used these occasions to enjoy sportschallenges such as Kabbadi which was one of his favourites. On oneoccasion, he even laid down a challenge from the UK as formerSehat e Jismani Secretary fro Mhalis Khuddamul Ahamdiyya UKArshad Ahmedi relates:

“In 1987 … I received a message from Huzur that he, onbehalf of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, had made a cricketmatch challenge to a team formed of the various Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya in Europe. I quickly formed a team and we then travelledto the 4th European Ijtema in Nunspeet, Holland. The match took

Above: Huzur watches the the weight liftingcompetition during the Ijtema of 1988

Right: Huzur meets the Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK football referees during Ijtema 2000



place and we thrashed them! I remember at some stage of theclosing session of the Ijtema, Huzur explained that he hadmade the challenge on the UK’s behalf and was glad to see that theUK team had won, as he was confident that they would.”

Huzur was always keen to establish and maintain recordsand for demonstrable improvements in the achievements ofKhuddam. He had asked for performances to be compared tointernational standards, sometimes with unforeseen consequencesas Arshad goes on to explain:

“In one Ijtema when announcing the results of the Shot-Putt, weannounced the distance thrown by the winning Khadim, and thenthe World record, British record and also the Women’s record. TheWomen’s record was much further then what the Khadim hadthrown! This made Huzur laugh.”

1990, was the last European Ijtema, after this, the Ijtema’s revertedback to National events as by now, each of the Nations had morefirmly established Ijtema in their own countries and used theEuropean Ijtema as a yardstick in order to improve their ownstructure and organisation. One of the legacies of the EuropeanIjtemas was the relationships established between countries.Theseblossomed in the last few years through the aid convoys and otherjoint charity work coordinated through Humanity First with teamsof Khuddam from various countries working together.

So in the UK, we have been very fortunate to have had our Hazurwith us almost every year in our Ijtema, and to get so

much personal attention and guidance to not just improve theevent, but to use the event to improve ourselves. Huzur loved to meet the youth and the children and became fullyimmersed in the event. During the Ijtema Huzur provided invaluable guidance and advice in all spheres, from theissues of Tarbiyyat to food preparation and sports. There wereoccasions where Huzur expressed pleasure and at othertimes concern and indeed at times he would rebuke us. But this washis desire,like a father to a child,for the UK Khuddam to excel in everyfield.

In Huzur passing we lost a personage that nurtured theUK Jama’at and for Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya this wasparticularly significant.

Top : Huzur addresses the Khuddam at the MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Ijtema 2000 in Islamabad.Thiswas a historic concluding address and was his last address toKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, though Question and answersdid take place at later Ijtema’s.

Left: Huzur at leads silent prayer after the flaghoisting session of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK1995 Ijtema in Islamabad.

Top: Huzur at the Ijtema1995.

Bottom: Huzur at the Ijtema 2000.


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Students

Dynamism and boundless energy were the overwhelming firstimpressions that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV emanated. He was a polymath, a true renaissance man.

Interested in everything and everyone with a desire to instil thatinterest in all around him. He was a man of science, a poet andsportsman; anyone who knew him could not help but be inspired.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV had an extraordinary interest inthe welfare of students. Along with this he had a strong desire thatstudents should not waste their time at university or college. Hereiterated over and over that he felt that the opportunities for ayoung man moving away from home to university or college werehuge.

To the delight of many a young khadim he would often recountstories of his own education in London, during the fifties, when heenrolled at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Hedescribed himself as “a not so good student”and other than in oneclass (Phonetics) made no great efforts. However, he did not feelthat his time in London was wasted; he valued the opportunities hehad to meet people from diverse backgrounds appreciating a hostof viewpoints; he made friendships that were to last his lifetime andthe impression he gave wherever he went was of a friendly and kindhuman being.

He travelled an extraordinary amount, primarily in his small secondhand Morris. He drove and hitchhiked around most of England andEurope and regarded these experiences as his real education.

His flair for absorbing and understanding hundreds of differentsubjects and disciplines came through especially when Huzur

spent time with students. There was no sphere ofknowledge which Huzur did not feel wholly comfortablediscussing. He amazed many with his familiarity with every subject;ranging from politics and law to the minutiae of science. His facewould often light up as a young student asked him anotherchallenging question.

The extraordinary breadth and depth in his knowledge probablycame most to light on the publication of Huzur’s book,“Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth”in which Huzur

had gathered together a lifetime’s worth of observationsand thoughts on a variety of subjects in natural history, physics andhuman behaviour and interpreted them in the light of Islamicteaching and Quranic law.

The Umoor-e-Tuluba Department of Majlis Khuddam-ul-AhmadyyaUK organised many seminars which Huzur did us thehonour of attending. One particular Majlis Irfan with Huzur

Huzur’s guidance for studentsby Dr Hammad Khan


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Students

stands out; at a Student Affairs Seminar held at theLondon Mosque in 1999.The Question and Answer Session washeld in the Nusrat Hall, a small area conducive to a relaxedatmosphere. Immediately he expressed his delight at the number ofpeople who had attended the seminar. And as the questions camehe seemed more and more relaxed, pleased with the breadth anddepth of questions. First came questions on quantum physics thenlaw and politics, medicine, biology. Huzur did not stall orskip a step, as was his style, he would merely pause for a fewmoments to gather his thoughts and then launch into a subjectwith vigour whilst revealing a unique and unrivalled depth ofknowledge. Huzur was always aware of the latest theoriesand controversies in whatever subject he was speaking on andwould seem to add a new dimension of interpretation based on hisvast religious and secular knowledge. Huzur desired verymuch that young Ahmadis should go into further education, andalways did his utmost to encourage this. Huzur was anextraordinary judge of character, and would immediately be able tosum up a person when they asked for careers advice and he wouldinvariably advise someone according to their personal abilities andinterests.

On one occasion Huzur expressed his desire that moreyoung Ahmadi students should go into Law. He said that he felt thatthe Jamaat needed more lawyers in every specialisation and thatthe Jamaat needed representation on the world stage. Huzur

was always mindful of the needs of the Jamaat when hegave careers advice and he had previously encouraged youngstudents to take up medicine (especially Surgery) and physics. It is atestament to the affection and regard the students of the UK hadfor Huzur that we now by the grace of God are seeing aclutch of young doctors and lawyers coming to the fore in theJamaat.

His knowledge and his ability to make a complicated subject clear,inspired many young Khuddam and is one of his most lastinglegacies. May Allah bless his soul and may we live up to the

aspirations that Huzur had for us. Ameen.

Top left & Right & Bottom Left: Huzur visits careers seminarheld my Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya - Umoore Tulaba.Bottom Left: In 1989 various forums were arranged where by

students were able to meet Huzur and ask questions.


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Squash

Our beloved Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV enjoyed akeen interest in many forms of physical exercise, but therewas one sport in which he took a particular interest - squash.

Huzur started the game from the basics of holding aracquet. In fact, the outstanding proponent of the game, HashimKhan, was his original mentor and coach. Hashim was the seven-time British Open Champion and patriarch of the Khan squashdynasty, which was later to include Jahangeer Khan.

Hashim himself was from a poor background, and a member ofHuzur’s family had helped to arrange for Hashim to travelto England for the prestigious British Open Championship -regarded as the Wimbledon of squash – in the early 1950s.This ishow Huzur , who was attending the London School ofOriental and African Studies at the time, came in contact with him.Huzur was able to see many of his matches including theBritish Open finals, in which Hashim was victorious.Huzur availed the rare opportunity of being coached byone of the truly all-time greats of the game and never forgot what

he learnt. Even while playing after a break of almost 30 years, orwhile watching matches, Huzur used to recall three keypoints of the game, which he learnt from Hashim Khan:

1. Holding the racquet with a tight grip and not letting the wristdrop;2. Serving with a high lob into the corner of the backcourt making it

as difficult as possible for your opponent;3. Taking control of the ‘T’ in the middle of the court during rallies.

In 1996 Huzur mentioned to the then Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK Sports Secretary (Mohtamim Sehat-e-Jismani),Mohamed Arshad Ahmedi Sahib, that he had already instructed theMajlis to introduce the game of squash to Khuddam and Atfal. Atthat stage he had advised Khuddam that they should use thefacilities of King George’s Squash Club on Kimber Road, very near tothe Fazl Mosque. Four squash courts had been booked for twohours every Sunday morning on a regular basis and the attendanceswelled with every session. Huzur asked Arshad Sahib tojoin the club and to inform him when it would be appropriate forthem to play a game.

Huzur’s love for Squashby Shazil Lone

Huzur’s first game of squash was played after a gap ofalmost 30 years behind closed doors. After a short while, Huzur

began to rediscover his ‘court sense’, started to hit the ballcleanly and, more importantly, regained his squash fitness. It was notlong before people were allowed in the viewing gallery to watchhim play and viewers were extremely impressed by the high qualityof his game.

A regular squash court booking in clubs is 45 minutes, but Huzurbecame so keen and enjoyed playing so much that he

increased the booking to two sessions. Arshad Sahib recalls:“Huzur’sfitness was amazing. I am 51 today and am nowhere near

as fit as he was back then. Huzur used to make a specialtea with coffee and honey mixture for me, but he never used tohave any himself. He just wanted to continue playing. It was a veryspecial time for me. It was as if I had the Khalifa to myself for acouple of hours. I would come to his office and we would gotogether in his car to the squash club. I will cherish those memoriesforever.”

As Huzur’s enjoyment of the game increased, so did thenumber of sessions, from once weekly to up to three times a week

(other commitments allowing). A number of people enjoyed playingwith Huzur including Major Mahmood Sahib, Huzur’s

Head of Security.

Huzur often recalled his playing days during his studentlife and mentioned that it was quite normal for him to play for acouple of hours without a break. Even during the months ofRamadhan, which fell in the summer of the 1950s, he would playsome of his university friends for several hours right up to the timeof Iftar.

Sadly, it was during the month of Ramadhan in the summer of 1986,that Huzur sustained an injury during one session thatalmost proved to be his last appearance on a squash court.Whileattempting to retrieve a ball from the back of the court, Huzur

accidentally tripped and fell head first on to the back wall.Huzur instinctively turned his head just in time to avoid afull-face impact against the wall and instead fell with his face facingslightly to the right, with the result that his left eyebrow split open.



Top: A photograph of Huzur with the competitorsand organisers of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Squashtournament. (1995)



Dr Zaffar Dar, one of Huzur’s doctors, was summonedimmediately and the eyebrow was stitched in the back of Huzur’s

car with a white plaster covering the cut. Huzur was to deliver his weekend Darsul Qur’an that evening prior to Iftar,which used to be filmed and sent to different parts of the world (thisbeing before MTA broadcasts had begun). Huzur remarked that there were people who were already against the ideaof him playing squash at his age (57 at the time), and that thisaccident would just convince them even more for Huzur to give it up.

Although his squash playing days ended, his love for the sport andhis support of the Khuddam tournament never diminished. Squashwas introduced as a national sporting event in Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK in 1987 and Huzur always graced theevent with his presence at the final. During one of the finals,between Arshad Sahib and Naseer Hayat, Huzur arrivedmidway and surprised everyone by taking off his turban andpicking a racquet. He asked Naseer Sahib to leave the court for awhile so that he could play some rallies with Arshad Sahib. Such washis love for the game.

My very first event as Mohtamim Sehat-e-Jismani in 1999 turnedout to be the last squash tournament Huzur was able toattend. It was held at the King’s Club in Wimbledon.When Huzur

arrived he took a courtside seat behind the glass wall.Arrangements were made for a senior commentator to keep Huzur

up to speed with the game, its score and generalcommentary of the play. But I saw very quickly that aside from theintroduction of the players, the commentator’s role was redundantas Huzur’s personal grasp of proceedings was more thanenough. It was clear to see Huzur’s appreciation and

understanding of the game, as he often sat in silence during theplay, watching each subsequent manoeuvre and making anycomments during the breaks in play.

It was indeed a rare and precious sight to see a man held in suchhigh esteem by millions of people around the world, whose timewas so in demand, relax and be entertained by a sport that he lovedso much. It is also a testament to his simplicity as a man that hecould so easily relate to the game of squash and its players, be theyyoung or old.

May Allah bless his soul and may He permit us to fulfil theaspirations Huzur had for us in every sphere of life,Ameen.

Below: A photograph of Huzur at the Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya Squash tournament.

Bottom Right: Huzur plays squash with ArshadAhmadiBottom Left: Huzur with finalist of the Squash Tournament



Huzur’s love of sports Our beloved Khalifatul Masih IV enjoyed a keen interest in many forms of sport and physical excercise includingwalking, badminton, cricket, football and shooting. Below are a selection of photographs.

Top Left: Huzur enjoying the sport of clay pigeon shooting. Top Right: Huzur playing cricket.Bottom Left: Cricket in islamabad. Bottom Left: Cycling in Pakistan.


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Humanity First

“My mercy encompasses all”(Al-Qur’an 7:156)

There is a Sufi saying that the friend of Allah is he whosegenerosity is like that of the river, benevolence like that of thesun, and hospitality like that of the earth (1). By any measure,

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV exuded these universalqualities of the love of humanity with the utmost sincerity, as thePromised Messiah said of the Holy Prophet of Islam

, “his soul melted out of sympathy for mankind”(2).Charitable giving is emphasised in the teachings of all religions, butespecially Islam, and particularly in the Ahmadiyya Movement; asexemplified by the Promised Messiah’s teaching that the“pure essentials” of being human are “love and sympathy formankind”,which he called “earthly perfection”(3),and the work of theJama’at,namely institutions such as the “langar khana”and the NusratJehan Schemes (the building of schools and hospitals) in Africa.

In the very first year of his Khilafat, Huzur identified “threecreative principles”of the Holy Qur’an relevant to the development ofHumanity First’s ethical background: Absolute Justice, Kindness andKinship:

“Indeed Allah requires you to abide by justice, to treat with

grace and to give like the giving of kin to kin”(Al Qur’an 16:91)

Huzur’s view on charitable giving was deeply rooted in theIslamic teaching, asserting in a lecture in 1990 at the University ofSeville (4) that that although Islam instigated an “institutionalised”mode of spending on the poor, it lays an emphasis on the non-institutionalised methods, or Sadaqa. It is this voluntary giving out ofbenevolence (Ihsan), or the art of returning more than others’ duesthat would lead to the highest stage in human relationships, that of“Ita’i Dhil-Qurba”, which Hadhrat Sahib described as “a spontaneousexpression of love and care,as experienced by a mother for her child”(5). Indeed, the mother’s unconditional love became a signaturemetaphor for the exemplary qualities of the servitude and sympathyhe wished members of the Movement to try to attain throughout theSermons of his tenure.The spirit of charitable giving should be to give“without any trace of affectation”(6)

Delivering a lecture in 1990 at the Queen Elizabeth II (7) ConferenceCentre in London, Huzur pinpointed many of thecharacteristics of capitalism that have created an imbalanced andunjust society, suggesting the necessity for charity based on Islamicguidelines of absolute justice. It was really part of Hadhrat Sahib’sinsight into the application of the finer points of all areas of Islamic

and the Foundations of Humanity FirstHadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV

By Kalim Bhatti

philosophy that he was able to interpret so skilfully in the context oftoday’s society

Then, in 1992 in his Friday Sermon of 28th August during the heightof the hunger crisis in Somalia, Huzur discussed howsimply the thought of the torment and starvation the people weresuffering there caused severe restlessness of the heart. In fact, Huzur

iterated that the heart is obliged to be affected by thesorrows of its fellow man, indicating the humanity of an individual.Huzur also mentioned here that the Jama’at was alreadytrying to help the people of Somalia, but problems had arisen incoordinating with the relief organisations established there, largelycontrolled by western nations, and in utter frustration of wanting tohelp all we could in some way, our aid was handed over to theseorganisations

But it was in 1993 that Khalifatul Masih IV perceived thatthe need, time and opportunity had arisen for Jama’at Ahmadiyya toset up an international organisation to serve humankind throughoutthe world, without distinction of colour, race or creed. Under directinstructions of Huzur , Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UKundertook a programme of humanitarian aid relief convoys to assistthe victims of the tragic war in the former Yugoslavia. Once the

convoys, which went directly into the heart of Bosnia, Croatia,Hungary and Slovenia,were established,Hadhrat Sahib approved thename of the proposed international charity as ‘Humanity First’. Huzur

advised that this organisation should not limit itself withinvolving Ahmadi’s, but other “noble souls”also. Huzur’s vision was toestablish a charity that would promote the highest ethical action,safeguard the preservation of human life and dignity above all otherconsiderations, and through it, symbolise the unity and brotherhoodof humankind. Finally it should be a non-political, non-sectarianagency.

Throughout his Khilafat,Huzur emphasised in his sermonsthat we must inculcate the attitude of universality not only among allAhmadis,but that there should be a feeling of “oneness”,of belongingto humanity, and that no geographical or racial barriers should bepermitted (8).

In fact, without the personal support of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV, Humanity First could not even have grown out of its

conceptual vision. If we analyse simply how Humanity First is funded,



Top: Huzur meets with a Humanity First teamabout to leave for a trip abroad to deliver aid to the neady.



the main source is through direct appeals to the public, and thesource of the inspiration to give within the Jama’at has been Huzur

, from its beginnings, right up until the final “Iraq Appeal”just weeks before his sad demise. There have been countlessoccasions where our fundraisers have stood open handed before aFriday Sermon, or Eid Sermon, and with the blessing of Huzur

thousands have been collected in one day. Huzurstood as the figurehead, the symbol of what Humanity

First attempts to achieve: compassion for our fellow man, unity andlove.

Throughout the world we have put his message into practice, evenbefore the inauguration of Humanity First, the emphasis oncharitable schemes was abundant, for example the Jama’at’s work inWest African hospitals, the worldwide enrolment of thousands ofblood and kidney donors, cycle runs and marathon walks to namebut a few altruistic outlets that Huzur encouraged duringhis tenure. In fact it was on our beloved Imam’s arrival andencouragement that raising funds for charities such as Save theChildren Fund and Great Ormond Street were instigated by MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK.

Although Humanity First is a “non-religious” charity, its entire basis isground in the universal Islamic values of justice and fairness to friendsand foes alike in every sphere of human interest,and the demolishingof discriminations within man,again,advocating the spirit of Ita’i Dhil-Qurba.

Part of his humanistic approach in all matters can be found in Huzur’spropagation of homeopathy, a economically viable, and

often free alternative that the Ahmadiyya Jama’at provide for those inneed who could never afford expensive pharmaceuticals.Yet the truebeauty of his nature was found in the personal attention Hadhrat

Sahib would give to hundreds of thousand of members of theMovement who would write to him regularly regarding treatmentwith homoeopathy.This personal involvement was also to be foundduring Humanity First’s convoys to the former Yugoslavia, where heconstantly corresponded to many individual victims,thus giving suchcomfort that we who are fortunate in our lives of abundance couldnever realise.

He also advised and showed by example, in the light of the HolyQur’an, not just what to give, but how to give. Huzur repeatedly emphasised that giving something that one would beashamed of receiving from anyone else could not be defined as alms:

“Do not select out of it for charity that which is worthless”(Al-Qur’an 2:268)

Humanity First’s motto, “serving mankind”, was also inspired byHuzur’s incisive understanding of the Islamic concept ofservice affirming that:

“You will remain the best as long as you are you are serviceminded”(9)

It must be kept in mind that Humanity First is not merely a reactivedisaster relief organisation, Khalifatul Masih IV continuously discussed the concept of giving from ones “self” notonly from wealth, which is why the “Learn a Skill”, “EducationSponsorships” and now Orphanages have been instigated in WestAfrica and South America. Huzur has explained that thebasis of giving from what one possesses is taught in the Holy Qur’an:

“And the true believers spend in Our cause whatsoever WeOurselves have bestowed upon them.”(Al-Qur’an 2:4)

And that this goes beyond simply our possessions, but also ourfaculties, human relationships, honour, peace and comfort. It isdifficult to conceive the depth with which Khalifatul Masih IV

has elucidated the concept of giving. Notably, there is therecurring encouragement that all sections of society shouldparticipate in God’s cause:

“All that is required is that you should spend something of which Godhas given you. The scope of something is so variable that that evenordinary, weak people who do not have the strength to makesubstantial sacrifices can at least participate to whatever degree theycan afford”(10)

Yet again, this advice has proved invaluable to Humanity First, in thatit has been the sacrifices of the Ahmadiyya Community both in

monetary terms but as much in the voluntary time that membershave given whenever the need has arisen, from its inceptionthroughout the Bosnian War,through to the Sierra Leone and KosovoCrises, up until the India and Turkey Earthquakes, the Water for Life,Feed a Family and I.T. Projects, all the aid workers and themanagement of Humanity First have been, and are unpaidvolunteers. For every appeal, for every scheme Khalifatul Masih IV

always led by personal example, by donating not only histime, but substantial funds from his personal reserves, into everycause.

In the last nine years, Humanity First has been able to extend itsoperations in fifteen countries and, thanks to the commitment of itsmembers and the prayers and advice of Huzur its work isgrowing daily. By the grace of Allah, the organisation has beendistinguished by the most unique of patrons imaginable in Huzur,one whose vision of uniting humanity through the continuouspractical devotion to a noble cause will be sorely missed.It is said thatthat there is no path shorter to Allah than that of bringing solace tohearts, and this bringing comfort to the hearts of the needy anddestitute will remain the abiding legacy of Hadhrat Khalifatul MasihIV . May Allah bless his soul for his dedication, compassionand love for humanity. Ameen.

References

The Holy Qur’an (1997 ed.) Trans. M Sher Ali. Islam InternationalPublications Ltd

www.humanityfirst.org.uk

1 Mujeeb, M (1967).The Indian Muslims. George Allen & Unwin

2 & 3 Ahmad, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1979). Essence of Islam Vol I.Trans Muhammad Zafrullah Khan. Ahmadiyya CentenaryPublications pp 136, 162

4 Ahmad,Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1996).An Elementary Study of Islam.Islam International Publications Ltd

5 Ahmad, Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1996). Absolute Justice, Kindnessand Kinship. Islam International Publications Ltd

6 Ibid.

7 Ahmad, Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1993). Islam’s Response toContemporary Issues. Islam International Publications Ltd

8 Adamson, Iain (1990). A Man of God. George ShepherdPublishers

9 Ahmad, Mirza Tahir Ahmad (1993). Islam’s Response toContemporary Issues. Islam International Publications Ltd

10 Ibid.



Top: A truck loaded with Humanitarian Aid.

Left: Huzur meets with Humanity First members


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Amila Photos

Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad , Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Markazia with Majlis Amila Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Lahore (1968 -1969)

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV , with the Majlis Amila Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK (1988 - 1989)This photo was taken under the Sadarat of Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahib, the 1st Sadr of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Huzur with Majlis-e-Amila. A journey through the years


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Amila Photos

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV , with the Majlis Amila Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK (1994 - 1995)This photo was taken under the Sadarat of Sayed Ahmad Yahya Sahib, the 2nd Sadr of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV , with the Majlis Amila Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK (1999 - 2000)This photo was taken under the Sadarat of Maulana Ibrahim Ahmad Noonan Sahib, the 3rd Sadr of Majlis Khuddamul

Ahmadiyya UK and is the last photo of the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Amila with Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV


Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya: Interview

An interview with

Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

First Sadr

RAFIQ AHMEDHAYAT SAHIB

ofFirst Recollection

In 1981, during my visit to Pakistan,Hadhrat Chaudhry Muhammad ZafrullaKhan Sahib requested me to hand certain

members of the family of Hadhrat MirzaGhulam Ahmad , signed copies ofhis translation of the Holy Qur’an, which hadjust been published. One of the houses I hadto visit was that of Sahibzada Mirza TahirAhmad Sahib . Unfortunately hewas attending a press conference that dayand therefore I did not get the opportunityto meet him. Later, whilst still in Pakistan, Imet my brother-in-law who told me to listento a tape of the same Conference.The waythat Mian Tahir had tackled themajor points of contention regarding theJama’at within such a short period of timewas truly amazing, so much so that Idecided to bring the tape back to the UKand played it at a Jama’at study circle inLondon.That was my very first introductionto Huzur .The following year, ofcourse, Sahibzada Mirza Tahir AhmadSahib was elected HadhratKhalifatul Masih IV.

On 30th April 1984, I remember getting acall early in the morning to come

immediately to The Fazl Mosque.There werelots of people present.When Huzur

arrived there was a lot ofcommotion. Despite his long and difficultjourney, Huzur wasted no timeand initialised daily Majlis-e-Irfan sessionsThe day after his arrival I was on duty at thesecond gate of the Mosque. Huzur

was walking down with MubarakSaqi Sahib. As Huzur passed hewaved his hand in our direction and thensaid something to Saqi Sahib. It was onlyafterwards that Saqi Sahib came to me andsaid Huzur had been enquiringabout you.This was Huzur’s firstintroduction to me. I was amazed that Huzur

had picked me out of such a largecrowd.

Huzur’s Association withKhuddamul Ahmadiyya

The moment Huzur arrived hetook a lot of interest in the Khuddam. I thinkhe realised there was a lot of room forTarbiyyat. If you grow up in Rabwah, thesethings came naturally.The way Huzur

decided he would conduct ourTarbiyyat was by creating a strong bondwith the youth. He realised a lot of work had

Rafiq Ahmed Hayat has

enjoyed a distinguished

Jama’at career, starting in

the 1960s when he became

the first Secretary Atfal in

the UK. In October 1988 he

was appointed National

Qaid of Majlis Khudamul

Ahmadiyya UK and was the

first Sadr Majlis Khuddamul

Ahmadiyya UK. Later he

served as Sadr Majlis

Ansarullah UK, Chairman of

MTA International and as

Editor of The Review of

Religions. Currently he is

serving as Amir Jama’at UK.

1988 -1992

to be done in that area, and maybe he alsoknew that we were going to be his helpersfor the future.

Firstly he taught us the very basics, aboutservice to humanity and so on. Huzur

also promoted the idea ofinvolving Khuddam in programmes such asthe Marathon Walks. For the first Walk wehad to organise four different routes intoIslamabad. Huzur graciouslycame along all four routes with us, spokewith us and took photographs with us.Thatwas part of the bonding process.

Training

In October 1988, the then Amir, Aftab KhanSahib, called me and said Huzur had instructed that I should take overresponsibility for Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK.The European Ijtema tookplace in Islamabad only three after myappointment and proved to be a greatlearning experience for me personally. Onething I noticed was that Huzur

was physically very fit and it was a real effortto keep up with him. During the Ijtema,Huzur conducted a Majlis-e-IrfanSession. As soon as the Session was over heimmediately got up and left. Everythinghappened so fast, that I didn’t even have achance to put on my shoes. So I quickly ranafter him in my socks right into the mud!There was a car waiting outside with itslights on and Huzur enquiredabout its occupants. I replied that I didn’tknow, but I think Huzur wastrying to teach us to be aware and have atotal sense of everything around you. Huzur

then asked me about certainKhuddam who were on duty and I didn’tknow their names. Again this was training inthe sense that one should know his people,not simply by name but also theirbackground.

Another important piece of advice Huzurgave was that whenever the

Khalifa of the time is present, the organisersshould use the best person for Tilawat andNazm.This was the very basic training that

we needed in those early days.

Leadership

Huzur was able to bring out thevery best in each and every individual.Westarted to do things that we could neverhave imagined. After the first EuropeanIjtema, things started to take shape. Anotherpart of our training was that whenever Iused to accompany Huzur to theprayers, I would walk behind the guards.However, Huzur would beckonme to come forward and whilst walking tothe Mosque he would grasp my hand withgreat affection and give his instructions andadvice regarding Khuddam affairs. Duringthe earlier days, due to less hectic activityschedule, we would often informally inviteHuzur to our events and hewould always respond affirmatively. In thosedays Huzur graciously attendedalmost every Khuddam function, includingbadminton, squash and other suchtournaments.



Top: The Centenary cylcle marathon arrives at the Fazl Mosque. Huzur is seen smiling as the late Aftab Ahmad Khan,Amir Jama’at UK guides the cyclist in. Rafiq Hayat Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya is wearing the centenarysweatshirt.



1989 - Centenary Year

We held various events to commemorate the Centenary Year in1989. One programme that Huzur was particularlypleased with was the cycle marathon from Bradford to London.Throughout the organisation of that event he took great interestand always asked me about its progress. It was a great event inwhich all members of the Jama’at were in some way involved.Wealso enjoyed a lot of press coverage. I remember we presentedHuzur with a bicycle as a gift to commemorate the event.Huzur immediately rode the bicycle and showed us hisskills by jumping up some small steps!

Another major event was Huzur’s historic lecture at theQueen Elizabeth II Conference Centre. Many intellectuals andacademics were present for that address which was later publishedin the form of a book entitled Islam’s Response to ContemporaryIssues. It was a passionate speech that very much impressed theattendees.We also arranged a number of press conferences that ledto national papers writing detailed articles on the Jama’at.

In the same year we had a memorable “Jama’at Day”at Islamabadwhere we organised merry-go-rounds and bouncy castles for thechildren. It was truly a proud moment in the Jama’at’s history.

The Centenary Interview

We were very fortunate that during the centenary year, Huzurvery kindly accepted our request for an interview

regarding his earlier life and in particular his time with his father,

Hadhrat Musleh Mau’ood .This interview was taken overtwo separate sessions and lasted approximately six hours, and waspublished in the Khuddam Centenary Souvenir.This was a veryhistoric interview covering various aspects of his life, to include hisstudent days in London, his relationship with various prominentpersons such as Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto,Wali Khan and Mangle. He alsorelated some very funny incidents of his personal experiences withsome well known personalities within the Jama’at.

Mubahala

In 1988, Huzur had issued a Mubahala challenge to ZiaulHaq, the then President of Pakistan who had been activelypersecuting the Jama’at. Zia perished as a result of that challenge,dying in a plane crash.When news came about his death, Huzur

immediately instructed us to purchase sweets anddistribute it amongst Jama’at members. He also directed thatdifferent coloured lights be placed on the Fazl Mosque. He musthave seen some hesitation in my eyes, and he then explained thatwe were not celebrating the death of a person, but rather theglorious fulfilment of Allah’s decree.

Power of Prayers

Huzur always made a point of emphasising the power ofprayers, and I would always request him for his special prayers

Top: 24th March 1989. Huzur is walking to the

stage in the field from where Huzur watched the‘Atfal March past’.



before important events. Such requests were often made as Huzurmade his way from his flat to the Fazl Mosque at prayer

times. He had a special way of showing his love and affection, andon many occasions he would hold my hand all the way to theMosque whilst giving his instructions and advice.

I remember that during a particular Majlis Khuddamul AhmadiyyaIjtema, the whether on the first day was so bad that we feared theentire event would be ruined. On the opening session I requestedthose present to pray earnestly that God improve the whether.Inspite of a bad forecast, the weather changed almost immediatelyand by the grace of Allah the ijtema was a great success. In factreports were received that in the immediate vicinity of Islamabadthe rainfall was extreme and unrelenting, but as soon as one arrivedat Islamabad it stopped almost immediately. I later related thisincident to Huzur and during the closing session as I wasreading my report, Huzur stopped me and asked me torelate this incident as it was confirmation of how Allah responds toprayer.

Atfal Rally

Once I mentioned to Huzur that I felt that the Atfal didnot receive the attention they deserved during KhuddamulAhmadiyya Ijtema, and perhaps it was appropriate to organize aseparate Ijtema for them altogether. So I sought his guidance on thisissue and this is how the Atfal Rally was born.

There is an interesting story about the first rally. A couple of daysbefore the event, Huzur beckoned me in the normal wayafter Maghrib Prayers at the Fazl Mosque to enquire about the Atfal

Rally. As was normally the practice in those days, I requested Huzurto grace us with his presence at the Rally. Unfortunately

Huzur informed me that he had already made plans for afamily trip to Devon and Cornwall that same weekend, and thus hewould be unable to attend. As Huzur entered his officeoutside, I turned to Major Mahmood Sahib and said that perhapsHuzur will make it back on Sunday in time for the finalsession, to which Malik Ashfaaq Sahib immediately responded thatthere was absolutely no chance. I responded by saying that at leastwe can pray.

Huzur left for his trip as planned, and to my absolutesurprise I received a message late Saturday night confirming thatHuzur and the Kaafla had arrived back in London! Huzur

then related the following story at the final session of thefirst Atfal Rally. It transpired that when Huzur and hisfamily had reached Devon and Cornwall, every hotel was fullybooked - not a single room was to be found anywhere! Huzur

said that he had been perturbed by this because it wasvery unusual. However, the unusual circumstances were explainedto him the following morning by Major Sahib who said that a prayerduel had taken place between Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyyaand Ashfaq Sahib – and it appeared that Sadr Sahib had won! Huzur

was able to attend the Rally after all and he always tookgreat personal interest in the event.

Khuddam Ijtemas

Huzur’s immense love for the Khuddam was evident byhis active and keen participation in all our events. At the KhuddamIjtemas at Islamabad, Huzur would arrive on Friday



evening and stay the whole weekend. He took great interest inevery aspect of the Ijtema, so much that he would bring his ownprivate tent and would instruct the security staff to put it up so thatit could be used by his grandchildren. Huzur would alsolook at all the Khuddam tents and sample each region’s barbecue.He would great interest in innovative style and design of the tents.

In the final session at one Ijtema, Huzur directedeveryone’s attention to the fact that they should know their Salatwith translation and also be able to read the Holy Qur’an properly.This was the next level of Tarbiyyat and that was his style.

Love for Sport

Huzur was an avid sports player. He would always attendthe various tournaments organized by Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya, and in particular he was a big fan of cricket, squash,hockey and badminton. In fact I remember that during the late1980s we made arrangements for Huzur to play squashat the sports club on kimber road. He would play once or twice aweek with various squash players, including Major Mahmood sahib,Arshad Ahmadi and Naseer Hayat.

Many people will remember his love for Kabaddi, a game that wasclearly close to his heart since he had been an excellent playerhimself during his youth. Huzur also enjoyed clay pigeonshooting, and some arrangements were made in Islamabad soonafter his arrival in this country. Even during his illness, Huzur

continued to play badminton with members of hissecurity staff in the Mahmood Hall at the London Mosque.

Dedication

I remember when I first learned about Begum Sahiba’s ill-health. Itwas the weekend of the Marathon Walk and we had our traditionalbarbecue. I suggested to Huzur that he should not go outof his way to attend, but Huzur said that he would firstvisit his wife at the hospital and then join us for the event. Huzur

very graciously stayed with us for the whole evening. Ashe was leaving he conveyed his apologies for not being able toparticipate the following day as he wanted to be with BegumSahiba. It was evident from his life that he always put the Jama’atbefore personal issues. Even during that difficult period, he was ableto spend time with us.

Love and Respect for Neighbours

On occasions such as Christmas or Eid, Huzur wouldinstruct us to send gifts on his behalf to neighbours around theLondon Mosque, and during the mango season when mangoesfrom his farm in Pakistan weould arrive, he would have us distributesome to the neighbours. He instructed me to organize individualdinners with each household in the vicinity of the Fazl Mosque. Hewould spend a great deal of time with the neighbours over suchdinners to create a bonding, which in a number of cases remainedtill his demise. A number of them wrote some very heartfeltcondolence letters in which they expressed their deep sense of lossat his demise.

Top: The Jalsa Main Gate team in Islamabad prepared a

barbecue for Huzur after his morning walk.

Huzur affectionately refered to them as the“Dukes of Barbecue”



He also used his Question & Answer sessions as a means of reachingout to people. He loved challenging questions, and had the ability tospeak at great depth on such a wide variety of subjects, that heoften left specialists on a particular subject astounded by his level ofknowledge. On one occasions he asked my opinion regardinginternet security. I replied that I was no expert in InformationTechnology, and he handed me a magazine about ‘firewalls’. He toldme to go away and read it, and come back to discuss it with him ingreater depth later.

BarbecuesDuring Jalsa Salana, Huzur used to go for walks after Fajr. Iwould also accompany him and he would occasionally stop at themain gate and chat to the Khuddam. Often the Khuddam wouldhave a barbecue waiting for him and Huzur wouldsometimes take the skewer and eat the kebab as he was going backto his residence.That was a very special moment for the boys on theGate.

Love for Food

Huzur had a very distinct and highly developed taste forfood. He was always trying out new recipes and encouraged us touse such recipes in our events. He was very fond of BBQs, and Iremember that during the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtemas, hewould visit all the regional and individual BBQs to taste the foodand give his personal opinion. He was particularly fond of greenchillis with his food, his water was always chilled, and he preferredGharoori i.e. the crusty base of sweet rice. He also preferred his naan

to be slightly hardened and crusty.

In one of the last Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtemas attended byHuzur , I remember that he particularly enjoyedbarbecued prawns.

Outstanding Memory

Another quality of Huzur was his knowledge of so manyfamily backgrounds. At one Ijtema we had a martial arts exhibitionand Huzur asked me to introduce the organiser, KhalidJamal.When I finished introducing him, Huzur replied:“Isthat all?!”Then Huzur went into detail about Khalid’sgrandfather and his history in Mauritius! Huzur’s in-depthknowledge about the members of the Jama’at from all over theworld was exceptional, and furthermore he was also able to tracetheir family trees which sometimes extended back manygenerations. Sometimes the information would be news to theindividual themselves.

Research Teams

Huzur would ask us to undertake in-depth research onvarious topics, and then we would meet him sometimes two orthree times a week to discuss the information obtained.Thesesessions were often quite informal and as they would last two orthree hours, Huzur would entertain us with his goodsense of humour and would often have interesting confectionaryfor us.

One day I received a phonecall from the Private Secretary to Huzur

Top: Huzur walks to the Jalsa Gah the in Qadian.



, instructing that we needed to have confirmation of thestatement that ‘the thread of a spider’s web is stronger than steel’,and that he was going to use this reference in his dars that evening.I was concerned how I was going to find this information undersuch a small timescale, but Allah came to our rescue again. I phonedNaseer Dean Sahib and requested him to go to Waterstones and seeif we could find something in Richard Attenborough’s book. Naseercalled me back excitedly within half an hour and said that he hadrandomly opened the book, and on that very page he had foundthe relevant information, yet another sign of Allah’s blessings.

As a result of our in depth research, Huzur instructed meto start publishing our research in the Review of Religions, andindeed he instructed me to take responsibility for the magazine. Ateam was put together and under Huzur’s guidance wewere able to change the style of the magazine to make it more userfriendly, whilst focussing more on contemporary issues in light ofthe religious edicts. Later I became involved in MTA International,again a very exciting and amazing period.This is of course a hugechapter in the history of the Jama’at in itself. It was the training thatwe had received from Huzur through Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya that allowed us to take on these bigger tasks.Theprocess of training continued throughout Huzur’s lifetime.

Advice

Huzur once told me that a person never gets sick fromhard work, but rather illness arises due to worrying and stress. Hesaid that one could work seven days a week and lead a perfectlyhealthy life, as long as stress levels were kept low. I have always

remembered this sound advice and tried to incorporate it into everyaspect of my life.

That Morning

The previous night we had sat in Huzur’s company duringthe Majlis-e-Irfan session. He had been very joyous and answeredquestions in his normal loving way, and particularly enjoyed somepersonal incidents related by Chaudhry Rashid Sahib.The Majlisended with hearty laughter.The following morning I received a callaround 9.30am from Sahibzada Mirza Luqman Sahib who told meto come to the Fazl Mosque straight away. A lot of things wentthrough my mind as I was making my way but never did I think itwas that serious.When I reached the Fazl Mosque, there was no onein the compound except for the security guards.There wascomplete silence. I met Mian Luqman Sahib in the library. Iremember the look on his face, he gave me the news and then tookme to Huzur’s room where Dr Noori Sahib was present. Itouched Huzur’s hand and it was still warm. I wentcompletely numb, it was very painful, and I was not really acceptingwhat I was seeing.

We contacted the then Nazir-e-Aala in Pakistan, Sahibzada MirzaMasroor Ahmad Sahib, who guided us and also instructed us not todisclose anything until he called us back. I stayed upstairs, whilst DrMujeebul Haq was called and asked to get the death certificateissued immediately. Dr Haq and Mian Luqman Sahib both went toWandsworth Town Hall where Huzur’s death wasregistered and the certificate obtained.

Top: Huzur delivers a Jalsa address in Qadian.



By this time people startedarriving in the compound forthe regular SaturdayChildren’s Class. I sent amessage that the class wascancelled without giving anyreason. I also got in touchwith Tony Coleman MP andasked him to come and seeus.The rest is history and welldocumented.

I feel very blessed that I hadthe opportunity to work withthe one of the greatestpeople that I will ever know.Huzur had such agreat personality, such greathumour, such a lovely smile.Somehow he made you feelso good about yourself andmade you feel very special. Hetaught me everything, heloved me, he trained me, heprayed for me, he looked aftermy family.We grew up underhis guidance. He has left uswith very fond memories.

Top: Huzur watches sports events at the Khuddam Ijtema



An interview with


Second Sadr

SAYED AHMADYAHYA SAHIB


As a Khadim in Rabwah, I had helped inthe department of translation withinSami’Basri during the Jalsa Salana.

The department was headed by MuneerFarrukh Sahib, who was also responsible forrelaying telecom facilities within KasreKhilafat and the Private Secretary’s offices.When Huzur was elected Khalifathe new Kasre Khilafat was not yetfunctional. I was introduced to Huzur

through working in the PrivateSecretary offices, installing and testing thetelephone system in the whole complex. Ihad a few opportunities to fix the internaltelephone system in Huzurs officeand that’s how my personal relationship andbonding with him started.

Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

In November 1992, at Huzur’s suggestion, I moved from Southall to becloser to the Fazal Mosque, so it could bemore convenient to serve the Jama’at. MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK was holding itsannual Shura around this time. I had alreadyscheduled to visit my parents in Pakistanand so could only attend the first day of theShura, thus missing out on the election. Ireceived a fax in Rabwah with the news that

Huzur had appointed me SadrMajlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK! I had noidea that I was going to be Sadr and Iremember asking my father:“Are you surethis is correct?”That’s how surprised I was.When I arrived back in the UK I met Huzur

who said:“Come here, SadrSahib!”I became emotional that the Khalifaof the time had called me “Sadr Sahib”. Huzur

told me not to worry and assuredme everything would be fine, insha’Allah. Heinstructed me to form my ‘Aamla’before wediscussed things further.

Tabligh

Huzur asked us to organiseTabligh sittings in the form of Q&A sessionswhere guests would be invited to anaudience with Huzur .We were incompetition with Majlis Ansarullah as towho could bring the most guests.This wasHuzur’s way of encouraging us todo better. Sometimes Huzur would set us a target for the number ofguests we should bring and then he used tocomment on the quality of questions. Onmany occasions the same question wasasked but Huzur would alwaysanswer in detail each time.

Sayed Ahmad Yahya wasborn in Lahore and raisedin Rabwah where hestudied at Taleemul IslamHigh School and Collegebefore completing his BScin Maths & Physics. He isson of Sayed Abdul HayeeSahib, who is Nazir Isha’atTasneef in Sadr AnjumanAhmadiyya Rabwah. In1988 he migrated to the UKand four years later wasappointed as Sadr of MajlisKhuddamul AhmadiyyaUK by Hadhrat KhalifatulMasih IV , a post he held forthe maximum three terms.He is now serving theJama’at as Naib Amir UKand Chairman of thecharitable trust ‘HumanityFirst’.

1992-1998



Jalsa Hospitality

One area where Huzur would notcompromise was hospitality. He wanted usto give the best quality of service to the

guests of the Promised Messiah .He did not want a single guest to returnhome unhappy and he would constantlyremind the volunteers with quotations from

the Promised Messiah . He wouldissue instructions and explain how to takecare of every guest, from Kings, diplomats tothe common man.

Huzur himself taught us how toreceive guests and what menus to prepare.He would also enquire about the sleepingarrangements for the guests from abroad,especially Pakistan, and even personallycheck to see if the beds prepared for themwere comfortable enough.

On one occasion Huzur receiveda complaint that the private stalls werecharging too much. Consequently, Huzuradvised that the auxilliary organisationsshould also set up stalls selling items ataffordable prices that would allow peoplefrom overseas to enjoy the Bazaar. He toldKhuddam to provide quality service withlow prices and the aim should be not to

make any profit.

Affection for Youth

We were immensely fortunate that Huzurregularly attended both the

Khuddam Ijtema and Atfal Rally. Huzurused to be so happy when he

was amongst children and the youth.During the Question and Answer sessionsthe Atfal would keep queuing yet Huzur

would never get tired andanswered all the questions. One child usedto ask Huzur the same questionevery year but Huzur enjoyedsuch moments. On occasions Huzur woulduse humour and jokes and therefore createa very relaxed environment. .

Traditionally, Huzur used to gracethe Khuddam Ijtema with his presence onSaturday and Sunday of the event.. One yearwe decided to start the Ijtema on the Fridaywith a Question and Answer Session in theevening, giving us a record attendance for aFriday.This really delighted Huzur .

He particularly enjoyed watching the sportsevents – Tug of war & Kabaddi were hisfavourite.We never had the quality ofplayers that they have in Germany, but wealways used to make an effort.We wouldinvolve some of our African brothers andonce even utilised Yahya McKenzie Sahib. Heonly had a couple of minutes trainingbefore running straight onto the field! Irecall that Huzur really enjoyedthat game. It also showed the spirit of ouryouth that even though they did not knowthe game, they were ever ready to putHuzur’s enjoyment first. Huzur

would also watch the footballfinal with enthusiasm, and used tocompliment Amir Ahmedi on a particulargoal which he had scored many years ago.He would also praise Ismail Addo Sahib’ssons, Rehman and Rahim, for the way theysupported their team.

Barbecues

Huzur used to love thebarbecues. Every region organised a

Top: A photograph of Huzur at a Majlis Khuddamul AhmadiyyaQuestion and Answer session in Islamabad during the Ijtema



barbecue and it became a tradition for Huzur to visit eachand every stall. Each stall would insist that Huzur shouldtry their particular recipe. Out of sheer kindness he obliged andwould also give his comments.This use to be a very special night forthe Khuddam, who used to see their Khalifa coming to them, eating,mingling and joking with them. It showed his deep affection andlove for the Khuddam. I recall Huzur mentioning many times duringthe Ijtema 1998 that this was his most memorable BBQ event. Huzurenjoyed the different types of food and the atmosphere was highlycharged with excitement.

It is interesting to note that it was from these nights that our Africanbrothers started singing the “La ilaaha illallah”verses, which Huzur

so greatly loved.Thereafter, of course, it has become afeature of our Jalsa Salana.

Attention to Detail

There was so much I had learnt from Huzur from my dayto day dealings as Sadr Majlis. He always emphasised attention todetail. He would say:“Plan in detail, discuss properly and thenimplement”. He was so particular in administrative matters. He wouldnever approve our decisions or budgets unless they were presentedto him in writing.

There were times when we did make mistakes and one of these wasat an Ijtema.We had invited some guests from Huzur’s Urdu Class but the food served to them was cold.When Huzur

learnt about this he became very upset, so much so thathe rebuked us for failing to respect our guests.

The following year we made a greater effort and, Alhamdulillah, itwas a most colourful night.The nazms recited together by the UrduClass and the African brothers created a beautiful atmosphere.Huzur commented later that he had not enjoyed abarbecue so much as the one that night.There was another reasonthat made that night special.Thunderstorms had hit Tilford and therain even reached the main field of Islamabad, but amazingly didnot cross the tent and the barbecue area! I remember some Ansar,who had been invited to the event, telling me that they were drivingto Islamabad and were halfway there, but then decided to turn backas they had assumed the barbecue had been cancelled!

Second Ijtema

In the history of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK, there has neverbeen two Ijtemas in the same year. During the final session at oneIjtema in the mid-90s, after I had read my report and mentioned theattendance, Huzur asked me the total Tajneed ofKhuddam in the UK. I told him the figure and he immediatelyworked out the number of Khuddam that were absent.Then Huzur

told me to organise an Ijtema especially for thoseKhuddam who had not attended the Ijtema for the last threeconsecutive years. He also said that the management committee ofthat Ijtema should only consist of Khuddam that had been absent. Iwas the only one allowed from the Majlis-e-‘Amila to be included inthat committee!

It was a big challenge and Huzur kept encouraging me,

Top: A photograph of Huzur at an Atfal RallyQuestion and Answer session

Photo: Umair Aleem



he never gave up hope on those who had very little contact withthe Jama’at. By the grace of Allah, the Ijtema was organised andproved a huge success with Huzur graciously attendingboth days. He was so pleased that we had obeyed his instructionand Allah had blessed the Ijtema with great success. The amazingthing was that after Huzur had finished his concludingspeech, he gave everyone a chance to do Musafa (shake hands)with him. Huzur mentioned that this was the first time in the historyof Khuddamul Ahmadiyya that such an ijtema was organised.Some individuals who attended this ijtema now have a strong linkwith the Jama’at. Huzur cared for everyone and did notwant a single person of the Jama’at to be left out.

Service to Humanity

Huzur used to become very upset when he heardtelevision reports about the situation in Bosnia. At one stage heeven stopped watching the news as it distressed him so much.

The Jama’at in Hungary had sent a letter stating to Huzur thatthousands of refugees were taking refuge in Hungary and asked ifthe Jama’at could do something. Huzur instructed us tohelp as much as possible. In the beginning it was a small effort,starting with one truck followed by a second truck, but within sixmonths we sent a convoy with eight 7.5-ton trucks fully loaded withclothing, food and parcels.Three boys went in each truck. Huzur

gave us so much encouragement and taught us oneprayer in particular that we should recite throughout the journey:

“O my Lord, make my entry a good entry and make me go forth a goodgoing forth.And grant me from Thyself a helping power”(Ch 17, v 81)

Huzur even related personal accounts of how this prayerused to help him. One incident he told us about was when his carhad broken down during a family trip from Rabwah to Rawalpindi.His family was worried as it was getting late and they were on anopen road, but Huzur said that he had the confidence inthis prayer. A driver of the Shahnawaz family was passing by andstopped. As far as I can remember, Huzur said that thepart which was faulty in his car was the part that the driverhappened to be carrying as a spare in his boot!

When we reached Hungary, refugees gave us their accounts of warand how they have lost their loved ones in front of their eyes.This wasa very difficult and emotional experience for everyone in the convoybecause no one had ever heard such stories of horror in their lives.

MTA Link to Hungary

In those days MTA had just started. Fortunately we had a mobilephone with us in Hungary and we received a call from the MTAcoordinator who said they wanted to have a live link with ourconvoy. As it would be difficult on a mobile they wanted us to find atelephone link. I told him there was only one payphone in the campwhich normally had a long queue. Alhamdulillah, we managed to

Top: Huzur awards a prize to a Tifl during theIjtema



call at the stated time with people waiting behind us to use thephone! When I started talking I discovered that I was speaking toHuzur ! I briefed Huzur about the conditions inwhich the people were living and about arrangements generally. Ialso informed Huzur that some children can recite theHoly Qur’an beautifully and he asked me if there was any child whocan recite. A little girl was around who recited a portion of HolyQur’an on the phone so that her voice could go live to the wholeworld! Huzur was very pleased with this little girl andcomplemented a lot. He also expressed his delight at learning thatthis young Bosinian girl shared the same name as his owngranddaughter, Meliha.

I also told Huzur about a young Bosnian man who wasacting as our translator.When we arrived this man had asked us whywe had come and who had sent us.We replied that we had come tooffer help and it was our Khalifa who had sent us.This was the firsttime they had been introduced to Huzur and theyalready came to love him. Huzur spoke to this young boy and gavehim encouragement, support and words of wisdom and he stillremembers those golden words of advice.This young man, Dzevad,was to become an Ahmadi during a later trip and was the recipientof a special signed photograph of Huzur which he promptlydisplayed in his family’s room at the camp in which they stayed.Dzevad has now moved to Canada but is still in touch with ourconvoy member,Tariq Ahmad BT.

Whilst in Hungary some members of the convoy had to go back toMunich to pick up some extra aid.They had been gone for two daysbut we had not heard anything. So I asked Huzur to prayfor them. Amazingly, this group happened to hear the live link and

Safdar Ali Sahib, who was Amir Kafla, phoned the Fazl Mosquestraight away to inform Huzur about their safe arrival.That was a very memorable experience through the blessings ofMTA, which had created a link between Hungary, Munich andLondon.

Huzur told us to serve the refugees in the best of our ability andarrange best food for them without having any constraint ofbudget. Khuddam continued their visits to this refugee camp until itwas closed down.

Whenever the convoys left from London, Huzur wouldalways meet the members and lead us in prayers. Huzur was verypleased with the spirit of his Khuddam who were prepared to facedangers of war zone for the sake of humanity. These convoyscontinued for almost three years. During this period, Huzur asked usto establish a charitable trust and this is how Humanity First wasregistered in UK and started its humble efforts to serve mankind.

It is noteworthy that Huzur wanted the work of HumanityFirst to be of a very high standard that one day it would becomparable to that of the United Nations.Today this still seems like abig challenge, but the day will come when the dream of our belovedHazrat Khalifatul Masih IV will be realised and when the Jama’at is atthe forefront of serving humanity, insha’Allah.

Special Relationship with the UK Jama’at

Top: Huzur enjoyed attending the barbecuenights at the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtema’s.



Top: Flag Hoisting at the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtema 1995

Huzur’s relationship with the UK was very special.Every Ahmadi was made to feel he had a distinct relationshipwith him.The members of the UK Jama’at felt the same way.Once I accompanied the then Amir, the late Aftab Ahmad KhanSahib, to the Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtema in Germany.After the flag hoisting ceremony we were standing with the restof the attendees. Huzur spotted us and one youngKhadim came to us in a panicky way saying that Huzur was calling us. So we both went to see Huzur who saidthat he knew Amir Sahib UK and Sadr Sahib UK had come to theIjtema and that he wanted to serve us some nice tea!

We sat with Huzur and talked about the Ijtema as wehad tea and some special barbecued chicken. Huzur explained in great detail how the chicken had been preparedand marinated and the special barbecues that were used to cookit.



An interview with


Third Sadr

MAULANA IBRAHIMAHMAD NOONAN


My first memory of Huzur was at Jalsa Salana UK in 1991.Within hours of listening to one of

his speeches, I was completely transformed. Icompletely fell in love with him andconcluded that he was no ordinary man. Heinspired me so much, that there and then Iwanted to become an Ahmadi.

The first time I met Huzur wasabout a year later during a Q&A session inthe Mahmud Hall, where I put a particularquestion to Huzur about abiblical prophecy. He was so impressed bythe question that he actually enquiredabout me from somebody else. After thatsession I received a call - which may havebeen from the Private Secretary,although Iam not sure - asking whether I had metHuzur , and if not why not!

So a mulaqat was arranged. That wasnerve-racking for me! When I met Huzur

I could see nothing butcomplete nur (light), a spiritual force whichI had never experienced before.I knew thatI was in the presence of someoneextraordinary. I felt a spiritual presence,

which I had never felt in my entire life, andknew it had come from God. Thisencounter proved to me that there is aliving God Who is very much alive today.

Tarbiyyat

I knew that I wanted to reform and changemy life. I used to listen to all of Huzur’s

speeches daily, paying attentionto what he had to say in regards toTarbiyyat. For example, I would try not tobecome angry because Huzur explained the dangers from the teachingsof the Holy Qur’an, the Holy Prophet

and the Promised Messiah

. Everyday I would listen withoutfail to a tape of Huzur . I still haveall the tapes now. Before MTA beganbroadcasting, I used to make sure that Inever missed a Friday Sermon or aQuestion and Answer session. I would alsotry my best to pray behind Huzur .I was amazed by his him.

Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya

When my name was proposed, I actuallylaughed to myself thinking this isabsolutely absurd. But when the thenAmir,Dr Iftikhar Ayaz Sahib,announced the

Maulana Ibrahim AhmadNoonan was born inIreland into a RomanCatholic family and laterbecame a member of theWorldwide PentecostalChurch. In 1991 he cameinto contact with anAhmadi and becameinterested in Islam, beforedeciding to perform bai’atin the same year. He servedMajlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK in variouscapacities before beingelected Sadr in 1997. In thesame year he alsodedicated his life to theJama’at under HadhratKhalifatul Masih IV’s

wishes. Afterserving two terms as SadrMajlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya UK, he wasappointed as the firstmissionary to Ireland.

1998-2002



decision, I was shocked. My feeling wasone of absolute disbelief. I felt a hugeweight come over my shoulders. I neverhad the desire to become Sadr. I had seenthe pressure that both Rafiq Ahmad HayatSahib and Syed Ahmad Yahya Sahib hadbeen under when they served as Sadr, asyou are always accountable to HadhratKhalifatul Masih.

I became scared, but at the same timegreatly honoured. When Huzur embraced me, he said: “Masha’Allah, youare the first English Sadr KhuddamulAhmadiyya!” Soon after, I went to seeHuzur and told him I could nottake on the role because of my training asa missionary. Huzur leaned backin his chair and laughed, and very lovinglysaid: “This is part of your training”. In mysecond mulaqat with Huzur , inthe capacity as Sadr, Huzur saidto me:“Whenever you give an instruction,make sure it is being followed. Neverassume. Go to the grassroots yourself.Youshould know everything withinKhuddamul Ahmadiyya in every part ofthe country, every region, every Qiadat”.Huzur also stated that I should

create love and spirituality within thehearts of Khuddam.

Special Memories

There are two moving experiences which Irecall from the Jalsa Salana UK in 1998,when I had a role within the Hifaazat-e-Khaas team. I was standing behind Huzur

when he was conducting theinauguration inspections. Mangos werebeing handed out and Huzur turned to me and said:“Ibrahim,have someof these, they are really sweet”. I felt like areally insignificant person and the Khalifahad asked me to eat!

In the second instance, I was standingbehind Huzur at a VIP reception.I was feeling very hungry, and wasdesperate for a cup of tea. I never saidanything, but I was thinking it. At thatmoment, Huzur turned to meand said: “Ibrahim, come and sit downbeside me, have some tea and eat

something”. I was absolutely shocked! Also,it was unimaginable that I was asked to sitnext to Huzur .

Another incident I remember was during aQ&A session when I had to escort Huzur

to the Mahmud Hall. WhenHuzur came out of his quarters,he put his arm around me and kept itaround me as we walked to the hall. Thatwas probably the most emotional thingthat has ever happened to me.He spoke tome in such a loving and gentle way.

Amusing Incident

During the central barbeque at theKhuddam Ijtema one year, prawns werebeing served to the guests. I cannot standprawns,but my Naib at the time,Rafi BhattiSahib, cooked them especially becauseHuzur was fond of them. At thedinner table, Huzur handed meone and I didn’t know what to do! NaseerDean Sahib, who was also Naib Sadr, knew

Top: A photograph of Huzur with Maulana Ibrahim Ahmad NoonanSahib. Ijtema 2000 was the last Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya barbecue evening

Huzur attended.



of my dilemma and a few Khuddam were laughing knowing Icould not refuse the Khalifa of the time! So I just chewed it andchewed it!

When Huzur left the barbeque, he turned to me with aloving smile and he raised his hand, put his index finger and histhumb together and said the barbeque had been “excellent,excellent barbecue”.He said it in such a manner that really filled myheart with happiness and joy.

On another occasion,at a Q&A session in the Mahmud Hall,Huzurwas answering a question by a Tifl regarding a passage

in the Holy Qur’an that states that people with blue eyes will go tohell. Everyone turned to me and laughed while my head dropped!Huzur then turned to me and said, “Except this one”,meaning and clarifying not all people with blue eyes go to hell!

Affection

There was one incident that moved me to tears. It took placeduring the Baitul Futuh foundation ceremony in 1999. As I waslaying one of the stones, Huzur remarked:“Ibrahim, thereal hero of this mosque”.Tears came out of my eyes.I was the onlyone who knew what Huzur had meant. When I haddevoted my life to the Jama’at and went to Baitul Futuh forsecurity duties, I was occasionally attacked by members of theBNP. In one instance I was nearly beaten but refused to let themcome in. Nineteen of them were arrested. This is what Huzur

was referring to and for me it was a great honour.

Top: Huzur watches the Football final and anexhibition Kabadi match in Islamabad during the MajlisKhuddamul Ahmadiyya UK Ijtema 2000Below: Barbecue night at Ijtema 2000



Blessings of Khilafat

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to meet Huzur before leaving for Ireland as he was very ill at that time.Even now,being away from Khilafat is sad.I understand why the whole worldenvies the UK Jama’at. The training that Huzur hadgiven us really had a great impact upon our people.The UK is, inmy opinion, the best Jama’at in the world. Ahmadis in Pakistanand India dearly miss Khilafat and all I can say is that Khuddamshould try even harder to work hard for the Khalifa and to praybehind him.

Ahmadis in England should really appreciate that the Khalifa issitting amongst them. All the recent sermons that HadhratKhalifatul Masih V has delivered on Tarbiyyatissues should encourage everyone to fully reform themselves andto become bright stars for the rest of the world.

Top: Huzur watches the sport at the IjtemaRight: Flag hoisting ceremony of Ijtema 2000



An interview with:

The formulativeyears of MajlisKhuddamulAhmadiyya UK

Waleed Ahmad

First Recollection

Time has the capacity to mergememories and various events but thedominant events are the ones that you

recall easily. I recall when he came in 1984.We received calls that Huzur hasarrived in the UK.That was a memorableexperience. I had never seen so many carsparked outside the Fazl Mosque for whatseemed like miles.This was the second timehe was visiting the UK during his Khilafat.This visit was all the more because in theshort meeting that followed and theMaghrib and Isha prayers, the atmospherewas charged with emotion. It was thathistoric day when Huzur hadarrived here following the passing of theinfamous Ordinance in Pakistan.This was avisit that also signalled transfer of the seat ofKhilafat from Rabwah to London and,unbeknown to us at the time, usher in anescalating scale of progress for the Jama’at.People had come from all parts of thecountry. Some of us were witnessing hisKhilafat for the first time.

As time passed we came to know Huzurand were instantly impressed by

how approachable he was. One of the ways

he demonstrated his love was by visiting thehomes of members of the Jama’at. He didnot mind travelling, and often visitedGillingham. For those of us in the Jama’atthat were too young to remember theprevious Khulafa, this experience showed usa different aspect of Huzur and,for us, a new aspect of Khilafat.

Why have a European Ijtema

It was the felt at that time that travelling wasmuch easier and there was a great sense ofcompetition amongst neighbouringcountries. Huzur attended the firstever European Ijtema, which was held inHounslow at the Heathlands School on the27th, 28th and 29th of July 1984. I rememberon the last day of the Ijtema theorganisational committee formed a line, andwere given an opportunity to shake handswith Huzur.This was also the time when wefirst produced a Souvenir at the Ijtema. Atthe time Huzur was very happywith the event. One of the benefits of theEuropean Ijtema was meeting our brothersfrom the neighbouring countries. It alsohelped in involving those countries, whichdid not possess a very large Tajneed.

Waleed Ahmad was Naib

Qaid and Naib Sadr of Majlis

Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

for 11 years until 1998, when

he entered Majlis

Ansarullah, which he

currently serves as Qaid

Amoomi (General

Secretary). Since 1984 he

has also been Assistant

Tabligh Secretary at Jama’at

level. He has enjoyed a

special association with

Isha’at, becoming the first

editor of Tariq in 1988 - a

post he held for 10 years -

before being appointed as

Chief Editor of the

Ahmadiyya Bulletin.



In the years when the European Ijtema washeld, some of the new European centres,(Islamabad, Nunspeet, Germany, etc) werebeginning to take a footing and bringingeveryone together was one of the reasonsfor the Ijtema. Over time each country tookits own firm footing, and need for theEuropean Ijtema faded.There was in fact anidea to have a European Qiadat, a Europeanidentity, but Huzur did not favourthis. Events took a different turn when in1988 Huzur decided to bring allsuch national organisations under his directcontrol by establishing Sadarats. Thenumbers today at such an Ijtema would beso high that it would be difficult to manage,and perhaps for this reason there are nomore European Ijtema’s.

Advice to the Majlis

In regards to organisational matters, we hadto listen to Huzur’s instructionsvery carefully and then try to apply them toall our activities. One of the things I recallHuzur had said was that theperson at the top should have his finger onthe pulse and know what is happening ineach department and to ensure thatinstructions were being implemented. It wasnot enough for officers to give instructions

and wait for them to be implemented.Theyneeded to watch were such instructionswere to be enacted so that they could reactto any flaws promptly and effectively.

I remember when I was given theresponsibility for editing the Tariq Souvenirin 1988/89.We were given an audience withHuzur , who was veryencouraging and keen for us to work well. Iremember he would sit with us for two tothree hours. But, in accordance with hisspecific instructions, we had to do ourhomework and cross check other interviewsthat had taken place so that we did notrepeat any question and were able to usehis time productively.There were certainquestions he would not answer, as he didnot want to repeat answers he had given toother interviewers.

Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK was stillvery young as an organisation and we werelearning so much from Huzur during those days.We were constantlybeing trained by him. One of the items he

enlightened us upon was how to conductourselves in socialising with others. Heexplained that when he was a student herehe did go to University social events butremained vigilant in maintaining his Islamicvalues. Similarly, when he invited hisacquaintances to his own parties heensured that there was no alcohol, nodancing and nothing else that wasunIslamic. Socialising was important but ithad to be conducted on one’s own terms.

I remember, once when compiling the 1984Souvenir, we wanted to print a historic list ofnames but were unsure about one of thenames. However, we were told by theWakilul Tabshir that we could not erasesomeone’s name from history just becausethey had fallen from grace.There were manyother issues like this and we were educatedall the time by Huzur in terms ofthe content – it was an enlighteningexperience.

Top: A photograph of Huzur meeting the Baitul Futuh Football team atIjtema 2000



Legacy

One thing Huzur told us was that people talk about theprophecies of Hadhrat Musleh Ma’oud as if they died when he died.Huzur explained that this was not the case.The prophecyof the Musleh Maood is a living prophecy and the legacy he has leftbehind is a living legacy.This he said can be observed in many ofthe institutions he has left behind - such as Tehrik-e-Jadid - whichcontinue to benefit us.

And this is how, I believe we should also remember Huzur .He has left us with works he accomplished that will remain alive fortime immemorial such as MTA, the Waqf-e-Nau Scheme, the Dawat-ilallah initiatives and the reorganisation of Majlis KhuddamulAhmadiyya.

Inspiration

All his addresses were inspirational, but there is one that alwaysstood out for me. It was the address on the inauguration of JalsaSalana where the workers are introduced to Huzur (I thinkit was 1991). Huzur spoke about how in all ourorganisation we strive to attain perfection knowing full well that thisis something that we can come increasingly closer to but neverachieve since perfection is the sole reserve of God. He advised howthe Jama’at should strive to become perfect, and although it cannotbe achieved, we should still keep trying. He highlighted in this andmany other addresses the importance of prayer and told us that itssignificance was much greater when we are dealing with Jama’atmatters.

Barbecues

One memory that springs to mind was the barbecues we used tohave.The barbecue started in 1984 on the first evening of theLondon Ijtema, which was a two-day event. It was introduced to tryand encourage those Khuddam who seldom come to attend and toincrease our participation on the first day. In 1988 the then NationalQaid implemented the same idea at the National Ijtema. It was heldon a Friday.This trend continued until in 1992 Huzur advised to have it on a Saturday as this would serve as the highlightof the three days.We thought at the time it would not work andfeared this would reduce attendance but we knew in the back ofour minds that in complying with Huzur’s instructions wecould not really fail.Thus, when we did do it, we found that we had avery favourable attendance and the event proved to be better thanbefore.The overall Ijtema benefited from this change. From then onwe always had the barbecue on a Saturday.

Huzur was always fond of the barbecues held at Ijtemas. Ithink this was partly because he liked the open atmosphere andalso because of his personal interest in cuisine generally. He wouldcomment on things if they were not right. I remember he wouldsometimes crack a joke regarding some of the food he sampled! Hisjokes were not seen as criticism, but only as light-hearted,constructive advice from which we could learn.

Top: Huzur samples the the chicken Tikka’s at aregional barbecue site during Ijtema 1995



Majlis-e-Shura

Huzur made a massive contribution to the way we nowhold Shura in the UK specifically and also in other countries.The first,properly arranged UK Khuddam Shura was held at the MahmudHall in 1988. One of the things Huzur did was to ask hisPrivate Secretary to link the loud speakers of the Mahmud Hall tothe one in his office so that he could hear the proceedings - withoutus knowing! He then came and told us that he was listening andcorrected us on the mistakes we made.

During an earlier year he had adopted the same manner in aJama’at Shura at Islamabad. In fact in one year he actually chairedthe UK Jama’at Shura in order to show us how we should conduct it.I think this was in 1986. He also explained the role of the sub-committees and cleared the confusion about proposals,recommendations and amendments.There were times when hehad to explain the same point more than once just so that we couldunderstand.Those who were Khuddam at the time learnt from thisand adopted his guidance in the Khuddam Shuras.

Huzur also pointed out that remarks made during Shuradeliberations should be to the point and not be personal in any way.He mentioned his own experience, when he had made someremarks in a Shura meeting that put another person in bad light.When he made the comment, Hadhrat Musleh Ma’oud (who waschairing the session) immediately stopped him and told him to

retract the remarks, advising that he should only speak on the pointof issue and not undermine another person whilst doing so.

Sensitivity

There are so many things one can say about Huzur .Thething that stood out was his sensitivity and care for others. Hewould take your problems on his own shoulders and wasdesperately keen to solve them. He would admonish you like afather, but there was always the undertone of sensitivity that alwayslay behind it.

For example, at the Silver Jubilee Khuddam Ijtema, he expressedunhappiness because some of his personal guests were not servedfood in the proper manner.When Huzur delivered theconcluding address, he gave a devastating rebuke, which reducedmany of us to tears. As he left the stage, he beckoned an MTAworker and said he did not want the speech to be broadcast.This, Iam sure, was because he did not wish our inadequacies to beexposed to the wider public. Such was his sensitivity.We learnt agreat deal from this and realised the importance of paying attentionto detail, even in matters of food.We had to be sure that standardsdidn’t drop.The speech shook us, and made us determined to makeup for it the following year.

Interpreter of Dreams

Huzur was always very approachable and one could talkto him about anything. I used to relate to him some of my dreams. Idid not do this all the time. In total only a handful of dreams wererelated often dealing with an important issue or relating to some

Top: One of the earliest events in Islamabad.



Jama’at matter. He was very sharp in this area and managed to givean interpretation as soon as I had finished relating a dream. Hewould also be kind enough to explain how he got to thatconclusion often quoting a verse or verses from the Holy Qur’an. Inaddition to this he would be able to identify those dreams that werelikely to be from God and others that were not so significant.

All this showed that he was not only blessed with a vast knowledgeof religious scriptures but also endowed with the capacity ofknowing how to apply this knowledge correctly.These are thehallmarks of the truly wise.

Knowledge & Wisdom

His vastly superior intellect was evident in his question and answersessions where he would display in depth knowledge of everysubject that was thrown at him. In addition to this, he was blessedwith a very logical mind that could resolve difficult problems withgreat incisiveness. I remember once at an International Shura in1994, two proposals were put forward. Because of my duties at thetime, I witnessed the sub-committee deliberations and thediscussions at the plenary session.The issues that these proposalsraised appeared very difficult throughout and we seemed to be inutter darkness as we slowly edged our way to developing a policyof sorts without much conviction.Then Huzur spoke andwithin minutes shed such light that it illuminated the entire subjectabsolutely brilliantly.What Huzur said appealed to us atan intellectual level and it was as if he had solved an impossiblepuzzle.This was for me one of those moments where Huzur

caused the hair at the back of my head to stand on end.There were other moments like these.

One was at the Khuddam Marathon Walk of 1986 where at theclosing ceremony, Huzur was introduced to the mainbeneficiary of the Walk who was from Imperial Cancer Research.Huzur in his concluding remarks spoke about cancer –but with a completely new angle. He said that some ailments thatarise reflect the conduct of the society at large. He stressed that thiswas not always a hard and fast rule but behaviour of people in acertain manner can give rise to ailments with the samecharacteristics. He then went on to describe the misbehaviour thatsociety has generally indulged in and how that is reflected in themisbehaviour of cells within the body that give rise to cancer. It wasa riveting and inspirational address – an address that made the hairson the back of your head stand on end.

Salat

Huzur had a passion for prayer. He used to tell us how hegot into the habit of prayer himself and how Hadhrat MuslehMau’ood had appointed a person to ensure that heobserved prayers regularly especially the Fajr namaz. He recalledhow this appointee would carry him even while he was asleep tothe tap itself for wudhu in the morning. He recalled that helper withaffection since he had helped instil in him a regularity in prayer.Indeed this was also a reflection of Huzur’s magnanimity.Any person no matter how big or small, if he had brought benefit toHuzur no matter how big or small would be remembered

Top: Huzur inspects the site map of the Ijtema .

After this photo was taken, Huzur met with allthe members of Majlis-e-Amila, Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK,2000.



with great affection and gratitude.It was this regularity in nimaz that Huzur wished all of usto observe and many a time his addresses to Khuddam and Atfalwould be based on this subject. Moreover, just the mere offering ofnimaz was not enough. It was vital to him that we did this properly,with full concentration and complete understanding of what wewere saying.Thus at the 1993 annual Ijtema he urged us all to knowthe meanings word for word of the nimaz. In later addresses at theAtfal Rally he explained that our understanding of the nimaz shouldbe such that any Arabic word that occurs in the nimaz, whenuttered in any order should be immediately understood. It isinteresting to note that one of the last addresses Huzur gave to the Khuddam at their Ijtema in 1999 also featured theregular offering of salat as the main subject. In a sense this wasfitting.The thing that was most dear to him was his love of God andit is that love that he wanted us to instil in ourselves through theworship of Allah.

Assessing Progress

Huzur advised us how to improve upon the status ofnimaz within Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya.The key point in thiswas the concept of the zero point. He explained before you beginany initiative to improve matters, find out where you stand.Otherwise you will not be able to ascertain if your initiative hasbeen successful and if so to what degree.This method, weemployed to good effect, when trying to improve the knowledge ofnimaz and its meanings among our membership.

When it came to Tabligh, he adopted the same type of scrutinywhen assessing progress. Here, at one International Tabligh Seminarin the early 90’s he taught us to draw a distinction betweengatherers and cultivators. He explained in the history of mankind, abig leap in our development occurred when instead of justgathering food as and when it was found, man began to cultivatefood and animals.This is the type of transformation that he wantedoffice bearers in the Jama’at to adopt to take us to the next level intabligh. He explained that the current situation of many officebearers was very similar to gatherers in that their reports would justrepresent what others had done in their Jama’at in the field oftabligh. In order to elevate our progress, it was necessary for suchoffice bearers to facilitate new activities, activate members anddevelop new methods.Thus we had to transform ourselves frommere gatherers of activity to ones that cultivate activity and thusenhance progress.This leap was important if we were tosubstantially increase the number of converts in the future.

What Huzur as an individual meant for me

On a personal level, before he became Khalifa, I hardly knew of himlet alone know him. But over the 20 years or so that he spent in thiscountry which is throughout my adult life, I came to know him withdeep affection and he certainly found a place deep in my heart. Hebecame my hero - one whose conduct was such that it epitomisedeverything that is expected of a perfect Muslim. In that sense hebecame a model, an ideal for me to emulate.

Much more than that he taught me about my Maker. He explainedthat when we talk about the fear of Allah, we should not conjure up

Top: Huzur practiced his archery skills with acrossbow.


a picture of a malevolent ogre who would do us harm. Rather thisterm should be equated with the fear of a beloved who would bedisappointed if one did not behave in a proper manner. In essencefear of Allah should really be understood as fear for the love of Allah.Similarly, he taught that Hell could also be viewed as the absence ofGod and heaven as being with the presence of God.These werewonderful concepts and made us view our Maker from acompletely new perspective.

Our understanding of the intricacies of our faith was threadbare andhe endowed us with the richness of an ocean of knowledge mainlythrough his Majlis-e-Irfan. He came to us when we found it difficultto organise one major function a year, and trained us such that wenow hold many such functions in a single month and in all parts of

the country. Indeed when he first arrived here we were just anotheroutpost among a host of branches of the Jama’at.Yet by the time heleft, we were blessed to become the centre of activity. He came tous when we found it difficult to disseminate the message of Islamwithin our shores and left us with the miracle MTA - and the listsimply goes on.The analogy of rags to riches is not an unfitting one.We should never forget the state we used to be in before Huzur

first arrived here - for there is indeed much that Allahgave us through the blessed person of Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad,and we in the UK, have more reason to be thankful to the Almightyfor endowing us with such a outstanding personality who was sobeneficent to us.We pray that Allah grant our dear Huzur a lofty station in paradise and showers his choicest blessings uponhim.

Documents

Al Islam Online - Tariq Commemorative EditionIjtema was held in Qadian (India) in 1938.The first Ijtemas were held alongside the Jalsa in Qadian starting in December 1938,but soon