By Abid Khan · Thus, the vast majority is spent offering Istighfar, seeking forgiveness from Allah for all my mistakes and weakness and praying that He continued to ... emotion and

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JALSASALANAUK2017

APersonalAccount–Part2

ByAbidKhan

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IntroductiontoPart2

InPart1, IwroteaboutHuzoor’sactivitiesduring thedayspreceding the

startofJalsaSalanaUK2017andconcludedbynarratingsomeofHuzoor’s

activitiesonthefirsttwodaysofJalsa.

InPart2,IwillmentionHuzoor’sactivitiesduringthefinaldayofJalsaand

thefirstcoupleofdaysafteritsconclusion.

OvercoatofthePromisedMessiah(as)

Itwas30July2017andwehadreachedtheconcludingdayofJalsaSalana

UKandthroughoutthemorning,therewasasenseofdeepanticipationfor

theInternationalBai’atceremony.

At12.30pm, IwalkedtoHuzoor’sresidenceandwaitedoutsidealongside

variousothermembersofstaffandthesecurity teamandatexactly1pm,

Huzoor came out of his residencewearing the overcoat of the Promised

Messiah(as).

Since the International Bai’at started in 1993 it has been a tradition that

HazratKhalifatulMasihhasworntheovercoatofthePromisedMessiah(as).

Formanyyears,HazratKhalifatulMasihIV(rh)andthenHazratKhalifatul

Masih V (aba) wore the same green coat of the Promised Messiah (as).

However,inthepastfewyears,Huzoorhaswornadifferentcoatofabeige-

browncolour.

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Several peoplehad askedmeaboutwhyHuzoorhad startedwearing the

differentcoatandiftherewasanysignificanceattachedtoit.

Regardingthis,onedayIaskedHuzooraboutthis,whilstsittinginhisoffice

atMasjidFazl.

Inreply,Huzoorsaid:

“OvertimethegreencoatofthePromisedMessiah(as)hadbecomevery

wornandfrayedandsoIdecidedthatitwasbettertoweartheothercoat

ofthePromisedMessiah(as).”

Huzoorcontinued:

“WhilstitisatraditiontowearthecoatofthePromisedMessiah(as)at

theInternationalBai’atceremonyitisnotsomethingthatisnecessary.

If this coatbecomes frayedordamaged then the ceremonywill goon

withoutit.”

Anunforgettablemoment

Despitebeingamongstthousandsofothers,theBai’atceremony,formeat

least, isan incrediblypersonalexperience.Thisyear,asIdidBai’at, Iwas

perhapsametreorametreandhalffromHuzoor,withtwopeoplebetween

meandHuzoor.

Probably, it was the closest I have ever been to Huzoor during an

InternationalBai’at.BeingabletoseeHuzoordirectlyandtoseethepurity

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of his face whilst repeating the words of Bai’at was something that will

remainetchedinmymindforaverylongtime.

ItevokedemotionsthatonlyKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyyacanevokeinthisdayand

age.ThencamethetimeforbowingdowninprostrationduringtheSajdah-

e-shukar (Prostration of gratitude). Whilst, it is called the ‘prostration of

gratitude’,everyyearattheUKJalsaasIbowdown,IfeelasthoughIcansee

mysinsandmistakesofthepastyearscrollpastmyeyes.

Thus,thevastmajorityisspentofferingIstighfar,seekingforgivenessfrom

Allah forallmymistakesandweaknessandpraying thatHe continued to

cover my faults and sins. It was only in the last few seconds that I

rememberedtoprayforthosewhomHuzoorhadinstructedustoprayfor

andformyfamily.

Truehumility

AstheBai’atconcluded,HuzoorproceededtothestageareatoleadtheZuhr

andAsrprayers.

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WhilsttheAzanwasbeingcalled,Huzoorstoodwithhiseyeslookingdown

andhishandstogether,inthesamepositionthatwewouldnormallyplace

ourhandswhilstrepeatingthepledgeoftheJamaatauxiliaryorganisations.

InormallytrytoavertmyeyesfromHuzooratsuchmoments,asIdonot

wishtobediscourteousbystaringundulyinHuzoor’sdirection.However,

forthosefewminuteswhilsttheAzanwasbeingcalledIcouldnottakemy

eyesoffHuzoor.

Partly, itmayhavebeentheemotionIwasalreadyfeelingaftertheBai’at

but,evenmoresoatthatmoment,Huzoorlookedincrediblybeautiful,ashe

repeatedsomeprayerstohimself.

I have seenHuzoor onmany occasions standingwhilst theAzan is being

calledbutonthisoccasion,Huzoor’spostureandcountenanceseemedtobe

filledwithevenmorehumilityandloveforAllah.

Normally,ItakenotesofcertainmomentsorscenestoensurethatIdonot

forgetbutIdidnottakeanynotesofthatmoment.

However,thehumility,grace,dignityandradianceemanatingfromHuzoor’s

faceatthatmomentisimprintedinmymindunforgettably.

Experienceofajournalist

In attendance at theBai’atwere some journalists, including a lady called

RinaWolfson.

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Earlierintheday,shehadcommentedthatthelackofmusicattheJalsawas

anoversightonourpart.Herviewwasthatmusicwasameansofeliciting

emotionandsoitwasimportanttohavemusicatspiritualevents.Yet,her

opinionchangedafterattendingtheBai’atceremony.

Afterobservingit,shesaid:

“Idon'tknowwhatcameoverme.I'veneverseensuchrawenergyand

emotioninmylifeandsoIjuststartedrepeatingthewordsmyself.Inow

knowthatitisnotnecessarytohavemusictoevokeheartfeltemotions.”

Later the same journalistwrote a very interesting piece published in the

JewishChronicle,inwhichshewrote:

“Thehospitalityofmyhostswasextraordinary.Heavyrainhadproduced

Glastonbury-esque areas of mud which my flimsy shoes were not

preparedfor.Nomatter.Withinminutesofmyarrival,apairofboots

hadbeenfoundinexactlymysize.BeforeIknewIneededanything,itwas

provided.”

The journalist further wrote about her experience of attending a lecture

givenbytheTurinShroudexpert,BarrySchwortzattheReviewofReligions

exhibition.

Shewrote:

“Isatwithagroupofover200MuslimwomenwhilstSchwortzexplained

thehistoryoftheshroudtothem.Itwasasurrealexperiencetowatchas

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Hijabi women listened attentively to this bearded Jewish man as he

describedhis40-yearfascinationwithaChristianicon.”

WritingaboutattendingtheBai’at,thejournalistwrote:

“Iarrivedonthefinalday,intimetowitnessaremarkablemoment.As

people gathered in the huge central marquee, with thousands more

outsidewatchingeventsonscreens,theCalipharrived.Hekneeledonthe

groundandputouthishands.Themenaroundhimheldontohisfingers,

andthosebehindthemheldontotheirshoulders.

Eachmanheldontothemaninfront,toformunbrokenlinesofhuman

contact,stretchingfromtheCaliphoutintothecrowd…Afterthepledge,

themenbowedinprayer.Slowly,somebegantocry.Thensob.Thesound

of grownmen crying reverberated around the hugemarquee. It was

astounding.”

AnArab-European

During theBai’at, it is a tradition that a fewAhmadishave the great and

distincthonourtoplacetheirhanddirectlyontheblessedhandofKhalifatul

Masih.

Thoseluckyfewareconsideredrepresentativesofthepeopleoftheirpartof

theworldand inthisway,allnationswheretheJamaat isestablishedare

represented.

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Following this year’s Bai’at, Imet anAhmadi,Muhammad Ibrahim Ikhlaf,

whowasblessedwith theopportunity topartake inBai’atdirectly at the

handofHuzoor.

Ibrahimsahib,whoisoriginallyfromMorocco,nowlivesinLondonwithhis

family and is serving as a Waqf-e-Zindighi (life devotee) in the Markaz

(centralJamaat)andisalsotheUKJamaatNationalTablighSecretary.

Ibrahimsahibtoldmeofthemomentwhenhefoundouthewouldhavethe

opportunitytotakeBai’atdirectlyatthehandofHuzoor.

Ibrahimsahibsaid:

“Onthe24thofJuly2017,IreceivedaletterfromtheofficeofTabshirin

whichIwasgiventhegladtidingthatHuzoor-Aqdashadchosenmetobe

amongthosemostfortunateonesintheentireworldtotaketheBai’atat

hisblessedhand.WhenIreadtheletter,Iwasoverwhelmedbyemotions

andengagedinsomuchIstighfarasIknewthatIdidnotdeserveit.”

Veryemotionally,Ibrahimsahibcontinued:

“Afterreceivingtheletter,Iwenttomycarandtearsstartedstreaming

downandIprayedtoAllahtheAlmightythatallmywisheshavebeen

fulfilledandthatjustonewishhadbeenleftunfulfilled.Theunfulfilled

wish forwhich I have prayed for the last two decades is to become a

martyrofAhmadiyyat. Iwill indeedbethemost fortunateone ifAllah

couldgiveme theopportunity todie for the sakeofKhilafat, even if I

wouldbecutinpiecesbytheopponents.IthenbeseechedAllah:“O,Allah,

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IamnotworriedaboutmywifeandchildrenasIamsurethatYouwill

takecareofthem.”

IbrahimsahibalsotoldmeHuzoorhadinstructedthathewouldrepresent

notoneregionbuttwo–EuropeandtheArabworld.

Speakingaboutthis,Ibrahimsahibsaid:

“Iwasamazedandastonished.HowdidHazratKhalifatulMasihknow

thatIalwaysfeltmyselftobeEuropean,asIwasraisedinEurope,whilst

atthesametimeIamanArabandconsidermyselfanArab.Subhan’Allah

thatHuzoorknowsourtruecondition.”

Ibrahimsahibcontinued:

“OnthedayoftheInternationalBai’atCeremony,IworetheAchkancoat

insteadoftheArabicorEuropeandress,asIfeltthatIcouldn’twearone

dressatthecostoftheothernation’sdress.Thebestwaywastowearthe

PakistanidresswhichalsoreflectedHuzoor-Aqdas’clothes.”

Withgreatemotion,IbrahimsahibrecountedtheBai’atitselfandhowitfelt

to place his hand on the hand ofKhalifa-Waqt, whilst at the same time,

repeatingthewordsofBai’at.

Ibrahimsahibsaid:

“I sawHazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (aba) enter the Jalsa Gah andwalk

towards us briskly, just as the Holy ProphetMuhammad (sa) used to

walk,whileHuzoorwaswearingthemantle(overcoat)ofthePromised

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Messiah(as).Throughoutthistime,Icontinuedtoprayandwaslooking

tothemantleofthePromisedMessiah(as)asitwasthefirsttimeIhad

everseenit.Inmyheart,itfeltasthoughIwasabouttotakethePledge

not only from Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih but also from the Promised

Messiah(as)andultimatelyfromtheHolyProphet(sa).”

Ibrahimsahibcontinued:

“Afterafewmoments,Huzoorstretchedhishandtoputhisblessedhand

onthehands(palms)oftherepresentativesandsoIfeltHuzoortakemy

handandputhismostblessedhandonmyworthlesshand.Allthetime

Huzoor’sringfingerwasonmyringfinger.Ihavenowordstodescribe

myfeelingsandemotionsatthatmoment.Iprayedsimultaneouslythat

AllahtheAlmightyenablesmetosubmitmyselfcompletelytoKhilafat

andtocontinuetobedrownedinAllah’sLove.”

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Speakingofthelastingimpactandblessingsofthatday,Ibrahimsahibsaid:

“This is indeedagreatblessing,which I andmy familywill takewith

usthroughourwholelives.Iwasinanotherworld.Ididn'tknowwhat

happenedtome.Icouldn’tcomprehendnordescribetheexperience.

I had the opportunity to touch the blessed hand of the greatest and

holiestmanonearth,themanappointedbyAllahtheAlmighty.Whenthe

ceremonyendedandwewentforNamaz.IliterallyfeltthatIreturned

fromanotherworldtothisworld.Ididn’tknowwhathappenedtome,it

wasauniquephenomenon.”

ItwasveryemotionaltohearIbrahimsahib’scommentsandtolearnabout

anexperiencethatallmembersoftheJamaatwouldsurelydreamof.

Later,whenItoldIbrahimsahibthatImaymentionsomeofhiscomments

inmydiary,Ialsoaskedhimhisage.WhilstIdonotaskladiestheirage,I

prefertowritetheageofthemenImeetforthesakeofcontext.InIbrahim

sahib’s case, Iwasparticularly interested to findoutbecausehehas long

beenadearfriend,yethehadalwaysmanagedtoconcealhisage!

Whilst,normallynevershortofanopinionorcomment,whenIasked, for

once,Ibrahimsahibwasuncharacteristicallyreticent.Hemerelysaid:

“MydearbrotherAbid,allyouneedtoknowisthatIamayoungKhadim

atheart!”

Thesecretremained!

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ConcludingSessionofJalsaSalanaUK

TheconcludingsessionofJalsaSalanatookplaceonSunday,30July2017.

Huzoor arrived in the Jalsa Gah at 4.25pm and, after some short guest

addresses,Huzoorbeganhisconcludingaddressat5.15pm.

Duringhisaddress,HuzoorspokeaboutIslam’strueteachingsandexplained

withmuchdetailhowAhmadisshouldrespondtothosewhoclaimedIslam

wasaviolentorextremistreligion.

HuzoorquotedvariousversesoftheHolyQuranandpresentedtheblessed

exampleoftheHolyProphetMuhammad(sa)provingthatsuchclaimswere

entirelyfalse.

Huzoorsaid:

“Islamdenouncesall formsofdiscriminationbasedon creed, casteor

colourandstates thatallpeople,nomatterwhere theyhail from,are

bornequal.Indeed,theHolyProphetMuhammad(peacebeuponhim)

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categoricallyproclaimedthatnoArabboresuperiorityoveranon-Arab

andnorwas there any difference between the people of any differing

raceorethnicity.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“AccordingtoIslam,GodhassentprophetstoeverynationandMuslims

believeinalloftheprophetsofGod.Thisuniquepointillustratesthatno

faithcanrivalIslam’scommitmenttoreligiousfreedomandtolerance…

WhilstotherpeopleuseviletermsagainsttheHolyProphetMuhammad

(peacebeuponhim),Muslimsatthesametimesendsalutationsofpeace

ontheprophetsandfoundersofotherreligions.ThisisthetrueIslam.”

Later inhisaddress,Huzoorcondemnedthe internationalarmstradeand

saidthatWesternpowerswerefuellingwarsintheMuslimworldbyselling

weapons to certain Muslim countries or providing them to some rebel

groups.

Suchweaponsoftenendedupinthehandsofterroristsandextremistsand

causingdeathanddestruction.

Concluding,Huzoorsaid:

“Theworld has exhausted allworldlymeans and schemes in order to

establishpeacebutsadlytheseeffortshavealldesperatelyfailed.Rather,

we see howdisorder, hatred and conflict have continued to burn and

escalate.ThetruthisthatuntiltheworldadoptstrueIslamicprinciples

ofloveandjusticeatalllevelsofsocietytheywillnotbeabletoachieve

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peace.ThemeanstopeacearetorecogniseOne’sCreatorandtoserve

humanity.”

ConclusionofJalsa

Huzoor’s address concluded just after6.20pmandafter a very emotional

concludingdua(prayer),Huzoorannouncedthatmorethan37,000people

hadattendedtheJalsafrom107countriesoftheworld.

Thereafter,ashasbecomeatradition,variousgroupssangTaranay(poems)

in different languages, interspersed with extremely passionate naaray

(slogans).

Thisyear,onepoemwascalled‘Whitebirds’andsunginEnglishbysomeof

ourWesternconverts.Iamsurethosewhotookpartwouldbethefirstto

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admitthattheywerenotnecessarilynaturalsingers,yetitwasverytouching

tohearthosepeople,bornandbroughtupintheWest,proclaimingthefact

thattheyhadenteredthe‘GardenofAhmad’.

Thereafter,Huzoorwaved to theAhmadispresentand thosewatchingon

MTAonefinaltimefromthisyear’sJalsa.Withgreatemotionandfervour,

thousandsofAhmadiswavedbacktowardstheirbelovedImamandraised

powerfulandemotionalslogansoflove.

HuzoorreturnedtohisresidencewherehegraciouslymetAmirSahibUK

andNasserKhansahib(OfficerJalsaSalana)whoofferedmubarakbaad to

HuzooronthecompletionofJalsa.

Huzoor seemed very pleased that, with the Grace of Allah, the Jalsa had

concludedsuccessfully,thoughhedidnotethatthisyear’sJalsaattendance

wasaroundonethousandlessthan2016,whichhadbeencelebratedasthe

UKJamaat’s50thJalsaSalana.

Subsequently,thousandsofAhmadisreturnedtotheirhomesortheirplaces

ofresidence,whilstmanyothersremainedbehindtoassistinthewind-up

operationandtocontinuetheirdutiesforsometime.

Photoswithdelegations

After a few minutes in his residence, Huzoor returned to his office at

HadeeqatulMahdi,whereheacceptedtherequestofvariousgroups fora

photograph. The groups included the Alislam.org team, the IAAAE and

representativesofMajlisKhuddamulAhmadiyyafromaroundtheworld.

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Duringoneofthephotos,averyelderlyAhmadi,rushedtotakeapositionon

thefloordirectlyinfrontofHuzoor.

Itwas immediately apparent thatHuzoorwas concerned that the elderly

manwasseatedonthefloor,however,themaninsistedthathedidnotwish

tostandorbeseatedonachair.Hisdesirewastobeseatedontheground

beforehisbelovedspiritualmaster.

Upon this,Huzoorvery lovinglyplacedhishandson the shouldersof the

elderlyman.

MeetingwithTurinShroudscholars

Huzoor then met with various delegations from abroad, which included

dignitaries,non-Ahmadiguests,mediaandnewconvertstoAhmadiyyat.

Following a meeting with a delegation from Sweden, Huzoor met a

delegationofacademicswhohadgiventalksandpresentationsattheTurin

ShroudexhibitionhostedbytheReviewofReligions.

The group included Barry Schwortz, a Turin Shroud expert, who was

attendingtheJalsaforthethirdtimefromAmerica,aswellasseveralother

renownedexperts.

During the meeting, Mr. Schwortz said that he felt this year’s Review

exhibitionwasthebestyet.Healsospokeofthewarmreceptionhereceived

attheJalsa.

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Mr.Schwortzsaid:

“IgetmorelovehereattheJalsathanIgetfrommyfamily!Infact,Inow

considermyselfaspartoftheAhmadifamilyandasaJewishmemberof

Ahmadiyyat!”

Mr.Schwortzcontinued:

“I get treated better here at the Jalsa than I do anywhere else in the

world!WhenIcameforthefirsttimeIwasveryapprehensive,butIsoon

realised there was no need for any concern. You are truly peaceful

people! I have already now confirmed my attendance at next year’s

Jalsa.”

HuzoorsmiledandthengesturedtowardsAmerSafir,theChiefEditorofThe

ReviewofReligions,beforesaying:

“AmerwasworriedthatpeoplemaybecometiredorboredoftheReview

ExhibitionasitwasnowinitsthirdyearandsoIamgladthatsomenew

academics and scholars attended as they will have given a fresh

perspective.”

Inresponse,oneofthefemaleacademicssaid:

“YourHoliness, I have to say that your Ahmadiwomen are extremely

intelligentandtheydonotcomeandlistensilently,rathertheyaskedus

extremelychallengingandintellectualquestions.Itwasamazingtosee

this!”

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Huzoorsmiledand itwasapparent thathewaspleased that theWestern

academic had seen first-hand the intelligence and high educational

standardsofAhmadiwomen.

Huzoorsaid:

“OurAhmadiwomenhavemore interest in religious studies than our

men.Forexample,wehaveateamthatstudies‘comparativereligions’

and90%oftheteamaremadeupofwomen.”

Thereafter,Mr.Schwortzsaid:

“YourHoliness, I am very grateful tomeet you this evening because I

wanted toshowyou that Iamwearinga Jalsadutybadgeonmyarm

becauselastyearyousaidIshouldwearone.”

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Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“It is good youarewearing it and you should consider yourself as an

officialpartofourJalsaorganisingcommittee.”

HuzoorthenpointedtowardsAmerSafir,beforejokinglysaying:

“Nexttimeyouwillgettowearhisbluebadge!”

EveryonelaughedandenjoyedHuzoor’scommentthatMr.Schwortzcould

assumethebluebadgewornbythedepartmenthead.

Thereafter,oneofthefemalescholarssaid:

“IhaveseenagreatloveofJesus(as)amongstAhmadiMuslimsand,as

aChristian,Ihavereallyappreciatedthis.”

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“Yes,webelieveJesus(as)tobeamanofGodandthisiswhyIsaidinour

addressthatwecanneverspeakillofhimorofanyProphetofGod.”

Asthemeetingconcluded,Mr.SchwortzremindedHuzoorofthecomment

hemadewhenattendingtheJalsaforthefirsttimein2015.Whilstgivinga

short addresson stage,Mr. Schwortzhad said that,whilstAhmadiswere

doing great and positive work, “nobody in America had ever heard of

them”.

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At the time, some of our Ahmadis in America, who served in the Jamaat

mediaandpublicrelationsteams,feltthiscriticismwasslightlyharshand

unwarranted.However,itcertainlyhighlightedthefactthattherewasstilla

great deal of work ahead for the USA Jamaat in terms of spreading the

messageofAhmadiyyat.

AfterremindingHuzoorofhisearliercomment,Mr.Schwortzsaid:

“I am now starting to hear more about the Ahmadiyya Muslim

Community in the United States and in this current era of President

TrumpitisevenmoreimportanttoheartheAhmadimessageofpeace

andtolerance.”

MeetingwithBuddhistdelegationfromLosAngeles

Thereafter,Huzoormetadelegationofmorethantwodozenguestsfromthe

UnitedStates,whoweremembersoftheCompassionateServiceSociety,an

organisationbasedinCalifornia,baseduponBuddhistprinciples,andwhich

definesitsmissiontodevelop‘spirituality’and‘unity’.

ThegroupwasledbyaBuddhistMonkwhoworeatancolouredrobeand

was accompanied by members of his organisation, who wore matching

turquoiseshirts.

Astheyenteredtheoffice,eachcameforwardtopaytheirrespectstoHuzoor

bybowingtheirheadsonebyoneandHuzooracknowledgedtheirgesture

withgreathumility.Itwasaverybeautifulscene.

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TheBuddhistMonkinformedHuzoorthatthemembershadtravelledfrom

Orange County in Los Angeles but most of them were originally of

Vietnameseheritage.

TheMonkfurthersaid:

“Webelievethatcompassionistherootofsuccessandisnecessaryforus

toliveinharmony.Thisiswhyweareproudtohavemadeanassociation

with Ahmadi Muslims because we have seen you are compassionate

people.”

TheMonkcontinued:

“WehavebeenoverwhelmedbythelovewehavereceivedatthisJalsa.

Wehaveneverseenpeoplewhohosttheirguestswithsuchgenerosity

and open hearts. You are beautiful and very friendly people and also

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extremelyorganised.Itisourviewthatthisspiritandthesevalueswe

havewitnessedarearesultofyourwisdomastheKhalifaandwewill

conveythistothepeopleofAmerica.”


“Wemustalwayshonourandrespecthumanvaluesandrealisethatwe

sharethecommonvaluethatishumanity.Thisiswhywesay‘Humanity

First’.”

Thereafter,theMonkpresentedHuzoorwithagift,encasedinawoodenbox

madefroma1500yearoldVietnamesetree.Verycarefully,Huzooropened

theboxand insidewere someprayerbeads,whichHuzoor rotated inhis

hand.TheMonk informedHuzoor that theVietnamesepeopleconsidered

suchbeadstobeanationaltreasure.

SpeakingofhisdesirethatHuzoorvisitsAmerica,theMonksaid:

“Your Holiness, we have seen first-hand that you are kind,

straightforward,honestandyouareamanofintegrityandsoweneed

youtocometotheUnitedStatestoguideourpeople.Iwouldrequestyou

tocomeandmeetmyfellowBuddhistsandtoguideus.”

Huzoorthankedhimfortheinvitationbeforesaying:

“ThebasisofIslam’steachingsistorespectandhonouroneanotherand

eachother’sbeliefs.WeevenconsiderBuddha(as)tobeaProphetanda

veryrighteousperson.”

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Thereafter,HuzooraskedtheMonkaboutthedifferencesbetweenvarious

Buddhistsects.HewasinformedthatsomesectsconsideredtheDalaiLama

tobetheirspiritualleaderbutothersdidnot.

TheMonksaid:

“Ihadtheopportunitytoorganisesomelecturesdeliveredbythecurrent

DalaiLamainHawaiiandheisnotasfriendlyasyouareyourHoliness!”


“OnTVtheDalaiLamacomesacrossasveryfriendly!”

Huzoor also spoke with the other members of the delegation. A Priest

mentioned that he had read the Promised Messiah’s (as) book ‘The

PhilosophyoftheTeachingsofIslam’andithadaprofoundimpactonhim.He

saidthathewishedtotranslateitintoVietnamese.

In response, Huzoor said it was possible that the Jamaat had already

translateditandifso,hewouldsendacopytotheguest.

TheBuddhistMonksaid:

“I would not mind at all if some Vietnamese people became Ahmadi

Muslimsasthiswouldsurelybenefitthemandournation.”

As themeeting concluded, the delegation had the opportunity of a photo

withHuzoor.

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AstheyfiledoutofHuzoor’soffice,thePriestturnedtomeandsaid:

“Yourleader(Huzoor)isasaintandasage!Takecareofhim.”

Aspinningchairandahastyresponse!

Asthemeetingfinished,InoticedthatHuzoor’schairhadstartedspinning

aroundandsoIquicklymovedforwardandtriedtobringittoahaltbefore

Huzoortookhisseat.However,inmyhaste,Imanagedtomakeitrotateeven

faster!

Bynow,Huzoorhadreturnedtohisdeskandhadseenmyfailedattemptto

controlhischair!

Uponthis,Huzoorsaid:

“Whenyourushor try todo things tooquicklyyoumakemistakes. In

everything,weshouldalwaysshowpatienceandcalm.”

Whilst feeling slightly embarrassed at my unnecessary haste, I was very

gratefultoreceivethisvaluableandpreciousguidancefromHuzoor.

MeetingwithCanadianParliamentarian

Huzoor’snextmeetingwaswithaCanadianNationalMemberofParliament

whohadakeeninterestintacklinghumanrightsabusesacrosstheworld.

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Thus, as soon as the meeting started, he informed Huzoor that he had

recentlywished to travel to Algeriawhere the Jamaat has been suffering

fromseverepersecutionoverthepastyearortwo.

The MP informed that, despite being a serving Parliamentarian, his visa

applicationwasrejectedandhehadbeenspecificallyaskedifhewasseeking

tohelpAhmadis.

The MP also informed Huzoor that he had a keen interest in studying

differentfinancialsystemsandwishedtoattaingreaterknowledgeofhowa

financialsystem,basedonIslamicprinciples,wouldfunction.

Inresponse,HuzoorsuggestedhereadHazratMuslehMaud’s(ra)book‘The

EconomicSystemofIslam’.Huzoorsaidthatintoday’ssociety,interesthad

consumed the world’s economic system, to such an extent that it was

unrealistictosuggestthatitcouldbeeliminatedaltogetherintheshortterm.

However,therewerecertainmeasures,basedonIslamicprinciples,which

couldmaketheworld’sfinancialdealingsandtransactionsmuchfairerand

solvemanyissues.

MeetingwithMayorofBrampton

AftermeetingtheMP,HuzoormetwiththeMayorofBrampton,Canada,as

wellasanothermemberofthelocalCouncilofBrampton.

Theyhad travelled fromCanada toobserve theUK Jalsaand toassess its

scale because the Canada Jamaat had purchased a large area of land in

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Brampton,whichtheyhopetoutilisefortheirJalsainfutureyears.However,

beforeitcanbeusedtheyrequiredpermissionfromthecityauthorities.

Uponbeinginformedofthepurposeoftheirvisit,Huzoorsaid:

“HereatHadeeqatulMahdi,thewind-upoperationhasalreadystarted

andwithinaweekitwillbecompletelyclearedbutIdonotknowifthe

Canadiansareasefficient!”

TheBramptonMayorspokeofhowwell-organisedtheJalsawasandhow

shehadbeenparticularlyimpressedtoseethewayLajnahadbeenrunning

theladiessideoftheJalsa.

TheMayorsaid:

“TheAhmadiladieswereshiningthroughout”.

Verybeautifully,Huzoorrespondedbysaying:

“Our ladies are independent. We have no interest in keeping them

constrainedundertheshadowofmen,ratherwewantthemtoflourish

andexcel!”

Acauseofregret

Huzoor’snextmeetingwasagroupfromJamaica.ItincludedaRastafarian

leader,aswellasaJamaicanjournalist.Sadly,onthisoccasion,Ifeltthatthe

conductofbothguestswasdisappointing.

27

Duringmeetings,Huzoorisoftenaskedchallengingquestionsandcertainly,

nooneexpectsthatnon-Muslimjournalistsorguestswillnotaskdifficultor

challengingquestions.However,inthismeeting,thetoneoftheguestswas

oftendisrespectful,occasionallysarcasticandunnecessarilyquarrelsome.

Theguests repeatedlyaskedabout thesegregationofmenandwomenat

Jalsa.

Very patiently, Huzoor responded by explaining the concept behind

segregationandhowourAhmadiMuslimwomenwererunningtheiraffairs

independently.

Thereafter, the guests asked Huzoorwhy therewere no Ahmadi women

speakersattheJalsaandwhythewomenwerenotaddressingthemen.In

response,HuzoorexplainedthatLajnahadtheirownsessionwithspeeches

byladiesandthathehimselfdeliveredaspeechontheLajnaside.

Ofcourse,itisnotexpectedthatguestsorjournalistswillagreewithevery

answergivenorsuddenlyacceptIslamicteachings.Yet,alevelofrespectand

cordiality,especiallyasaguest,canreasonablybeexpected.However,the

guestsbecameincreasinglyargumentativeandoneofthemrolledtheireyes.

AmirSahibCanadawasalsopresent,asJamaicaJamaatiscurrentlyunder

CanadaJamaatintermsofadministration.Thus,asthemeetingcontinued,I

tried to gesture to Amir Sahib to wrap up the interview, however, it

continuedforafewmoreminutes.Throughout,Huzoorremainedamodelof

patienceandcalm.HekeptreinforcingIslam’strueteachingswithoutany

senseofangerorirritation.

28

Thereafter,Huzoorstoodhimselfandverygraciouslysaidthatifanyofthe

guestswishedforaphotowithhimtheycouldcomeforwardandtheyalldid

comeandhavetheirphototakenwithhim.

InthemanyinterviewsofHuzoorIhaveattended,thiswastheveryfirstone

whereHuzoorgaveanyhintlaterthathehadnotappreciatedthestyleofthe

journalists.

Yet, evenso,during the interview itself,Huzoor remained fully courteous

andpatientthroughout.

Regardless, Iwasextremelydisappointed thatHuzoorhad to endure this

meetingandso thenextday ImetAmirSahibCanadaandmentionedmy

concernsabouttheinterview.Isaidtherewasnothingwrongwithbringing

journalistsorguestswhowerecriticaltoattendoureventsbutatthesame

timetherewasnoobligationtorequestaninterviewortimewithHuzoor.

In the UK, our media team receives many requests from journalists to

interviewHuzoor, however, due toHuzoor’s status and due to the heavy

constraintsofhistime,weonlyrequestHuzoortomeetasmallpercentage

ofthem.

Theother journalists,wemeetourselves andoffer othermembersof the

Jamaat for interviews. I requested that if, in future, Canada Jamaat

recommendedaninterviewwithHuzoorAmirSahibandhisteamshouldat

the very least be sure that the journalists will maintain a respectful

demeanour.

29

Belize,IcelandandBelgiummeetings

Thereafter,HuzoorheldfurthermeetingswithgroupsfromBelize,Estonia,

IcelandandBelgium.

During the meeting with guests from Belize, a journalist from Belize

mentionedhowtheJalsahadaprofoundeffectuponhim.Hesaid:

“The best thing about this Jalsa were the speeches delivered by Your

Holiness because they conveyed a true message of peace. In every

address,youspokeoftheneedtobecompassionateandtotreateveryone

asyourbrothersandsisters.”

ComingimmediatelyaftertheJamaicadelegation, I thoughttomyselfthat

thiswas an example of how Allah the Almighty is alwaysmindful of the

honour of Khalifatul Masih. Where the previous group had not been

respectful,herewasaguestwhoopenlystatedhowmuchHuzoor’swords

affectedhim.

Inbetweenthemeetings,a ladyfromeasternEuropemetHuzoorbutshe

was not part of a delegation and had come to personally seek Huzoor’s

advice.Asaresult,Iwenttothebackoftheofficesothatshecouldspeakto

Huzoorprivately.

However,IcouldnothelpbutoverhearhertellHuzoorthatanAhmadihad

proposed toherandshewaswondering if sheshouldacceptAhmadiyyat

basedonhismarriageproposal.

30


“Donot accept Ahmadiyyat just for the sake ofmarriage. Rather, you

shouldonlyacceptitwhenyoutrulybelievetheteachingsofAhmadiyyat

tobetrueandyoubelieveintheclaimofthePromisedMessiah(as).”

Theladyseemedinstantlyrelieved,reassuredandgrateful.

ReturntoLondon

Themeetingsconcludedat9.35pmandthereafterHuzoorwentbacktothe

JalsaGahtoleadtheMaghrebandIshaprayers.ThoughtheJalsawasnow

finished,themarqueeremainedatleasthalffullwithAhmadis,whooffered

SalatbehindHuzoor.

FollowingNamaz,anumberofNikah(marriage)ceremoniestookplacein

thepresenceofHuzoorbeforeHuzoorwasfinallyabletoreturntohishome

atMasjidFazlinLondon.Afterarelentlessfewdays,inwhichHuzoorhad

delivered a series of addresses and held dozens ofmeetings, the coming

weekwouldalsoprovetobefilledwithcountlessexamplesoftheblessings

ofKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.

Arabdelegation

ImustadmitgettingoutofbedthemorningafterJalsawasachallenge!Iwas

tired and my body was aching after the three days of walking miles at

HadeeqatulMahdi!

31

Thankfully,Ididmanagetogetupontime,getreadyandarrivedatMasjid

Fazl earlymorning, asHuzoor had a number ofmeetings scheduledwith

variousdelegations.

The largergroupsmetHuzoor in theMahmoodHall,whilst therestwere

abletomeetHuzoorinhisoffice.

ThefirstmeetingwaswithalargegroupofArabsduringwhichvariousArab

Ahmadis expressed their joy at attending the Jalsa and narrated some of

theirtreasuredexperiences.

OneArabladyaddressedHuzoorandsaid:

“Thisyear’sJalsahashadahugeeffectonmyheartandIfeelasthough

Ihavebeengivenanew life.Weareso fortunate tohavereceivedthe

adviceandguidanceofHuzoor throughoutandparticularlywhenever

Huzoor spoke about the need for harmonywithin our homes it had a

hugeeffectonme.”

Thereafter,alittlegirlcalledAyesha,whoappearedtobe6or7,reciteda

portionofaNazm in frontofHuzoorbeforerunningtowardsHuzoorand

embracinghim.

Whilst herparents lookedonnervously,most lovingly,Huzoor embraced

her.Itwasabeautifulandextremelyaffectionatemoment.

AnArabladyaskedHuzooriftherewasany‘spiritual’reasonwhytherehad

beensomuchrainatthisyear’sJalsa.

32


“TheweatheriscontrolledbyAllahandevenrainisameansof

blessings.”

AnArabmanaskedHuzoorwhytheWestcontinuedtoengageinthearms

tradebysellingweaponsandfuellingwarsacrosstheworld.


“Thearmstradeisverydangerousandcertainlythewarsbeingfought

intheArabworldareameansofdividingtheMuslimsandweakening

Islam.Yet,asArabs,beforeyouseektoreformtheUnitedStatesorthe

West,youshouldseek toreformyour fellowMuslimswho fall into the

trapslaidbytheanti-Islampowers.”

TheSadrKhuddamKababirwasalsopresentandsoughtHuzoor’sprayers

forhisfamily.


“Sadly, I receive reports that our young generation of Ahmadis in

Kababir are not as involved in the Jamaat as their elders. As Sadr

Khuddam, it is your duty and responsibility to activate them. In this

regard,youhavetwomaintasks–first,youshouldmakesurethatallthe

Khuddam are offering their five obligatory prayers and secondly you

shouldstrivetobringthemclosertoKhilafat.”

33

Thereafter,HuzoornoticedayoungArabboysittingononeofthechairs.

Uponseeinghim,Huzoorsaid:

“Irecogniseyoubecauseyouaretheboywhoalwayswavesatme.Ipray

thatyoutryyourbesttobeagoodAhmadiboyandthenwhenyouget

olderIwouldlikeyoutobecomeagoodAhmadiMissionary.”

HearingHuzoor’swordsandprayers,theyoungboybeamedwithjoyand

delight.

Acharteredplane

ASyrianAhmadipresentinformedHuzoorthathehadcomefromCanada

andwaspartofthedelegationofaround375Khuddamwhohadtravelled

togetheronacharteredAirTransatplanefromCanada.

Apart from travelling to attend the Jalsa itself, the Khuddam had all

volunteeredforWaqf-e-Arziandhadbeeninstructedtoassistinthewind-

up duty of Jalsa Salana and so were spending the week after Jalsa at

HadeeqatulMahdi.

EachKhadimhadpaidaround$1200dollarstocoverthecostoftheirtravel

expenses.

Upon learning this, Huzoor asked if he had taken permission from Sadr

Khuddam Canada to leave theWaqf-e-Arzi and attend the meeting with

Huzoor.

34

TheKhadim informedHuzoor thathehad takenpermission and in reply,

Huzoorsaid:

“Ok, but after thismeeting concludes you should returnand then you

should volunteer an extra two hours to make up the time you have

missed.”

ItwasareminderofhowKhalifa-WaqtexpectsAhmadistofulfiltheirduties

andresponsibilities.EvenwheretheKhadimhadtakenpermissiontocome

andattendthegroupMulaqat,Huzoorstillwantedtoremindhimthathe

shouldnotneglecttheprimarydutythathehadcomefor.

MeetingwithGambianMinister

AfterthemeetingwiththeArabs,Huzoorreturnedtohisofficewherehemet

withtheMinisterofAgricultureinTheGambia,whohadtravelledtoattend

theJalsa.

Our Jamaat in Gambia had faced difficulties and persecution under the

previousregimebutthisyearanewGovernmentcameintopowerafterlast

December’sgeneralelection.WiththeGraceofAllah,thenewGovernment’s

attitude had been much fairer and a demonstration of this was that the

MinisterhadcometoattendtheJalsa.

ItwasinthisspiritthattheGambianMinistersaid:

“YourHoliness,whenIreturnhomeIwillaskourPresidenttoformally

invite you toTheGambiabecause someof yourpredecessors came to

35

Gambiaandnowwewantyoutocomeaswell.Ifyoucomethenthewhole

worldwillseethatthenewGovernmentofTheGambiaconsidersyour

secttohavethesameequalrightsasallotherreligionsandsects.”

Inreply,Huzoorsaid:

“Yes,we shouldall remember that religion is amatter of one’s heart.

Thus,everyoneshouldhavefreedomofreligion.Ihopeinyourcountry

theperiodofdictatorshiphasnowendedforgoodandthatallpeopleare

grantedtruelibertyandfreedom.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“I thank you for your kind gesture andwhether an official invitation

comesornot,Iwilltrytovisityourcountry,Insha’Allah.”

Also, during the meeting, Huzoor’s farming expertise was exhibited

throughout.Huzoor referred to various types of farming such as ‘modern

farming’and‘co-operativefarming’.

HuzooraskedaboutthefarmingconditionsinTheGambiaandwasinformed

that peanuts and rice were the main export but that The Gambia was

currentlyonlyutilisingfifteenpercentofitsfarmland.


“YouhavevastlandavailableinTheGambiaandsoyoushouldusemore

ofitforfarmingsothatyournationcanbeself-sufficientandhavereal

36

foodsecurity.Youhaveasmallpopulationandsoyoushouldbeableto

feedyourselveswithoutrelyingonothers.Trytoincentivisefarmingso

thatpeoplearedrawntothistrade.Ifyouallocateeven1,000acresto

theJamaatwewillutiliseitformodernfarmingandusetheproducefor

thebenefitofthenation.”

TheMinistersaidthatalong-standingprobleminAfricawascorruptionand

thishadhinderedthesuccessoftheContinent.

Hearingthis,Huzoorsaid:

“WhenIlivedinGhana,corruptionwasalsoveryprevalentatthattime,

to the extent that the locals used to describe corruption as ‘chopping

money’.Thus,theresourcesandwealthofthenationwerebeingwasted,

ratherthanbeingusedforthebettermentofthepeople.”

Thereafter, theMinister also informedHuzoor about the Gambian health

sectorandhowitalsoneededagreatdealofimprovement.


“In The Gambia, though our Jamaat has already set up a hospital, in

addition,wecansetupsmallclinicsthatdispenseallopathicmedicine

andhomeopathyandsmalltreatmentscanbeconducted.Inparticular,

wewouldliketofocusontheextremelyremotevillagesandareaswhere

nosuchfacilitiesexist.”

37

Thereafter,theMinisterspokeabouthisexperienceofattendingtheJalsa.

Hesaid:

“ThespiritofvolunteerismthatIsawatyourJalsawasexceptional.In

every department, whether it was transport, discipline, food or any

other,Iwasextremelyimpressed.Ididnotseeasinglepersononduty

withoutasmileontheirfaceandIcansaythatIhavelearnedagreat

dealfromtheexampleoftheAhmadishere.”

Anemotionalmoment

AfterthemeetingendedandtheMinisterhadlefttheroom,Huzoorlooked

atmeandsaidsomethingthatmademeveryemotionalandwhichIthought

aboutfortherestoftheday.

Huzoorsaid:

“Yesterday, during the concluding sessionof Jalsa,myback started to

acheandIhadsomeseriouspain.Evenbeforemyaddress,therewere

morethan90studentswhoreceivededucationalawardsfrommeand

thepainstartedsoonafter.”

I felt extremely emotional thinking how Huzoor was continually making

sacrificesforthesakeofusandsometimesweforgetheisahumanbeing.

AsHuzoorsaid,hehadstoodtopresentover90studentswithawardsthe

daybefore,whichonitsownisnotaneasytaskandthenhedeliveredthe

concludingaddressandheldvariousmeetings.

38

Thecumulativeeffectofdaysandweekswithoutanyrestwhatsoeverwas

boundtohavesomeeffect,evenonKhalifatulMasih.

PrivateSecretary,MunirJavedsahibwasalsointheroomandheresponded

bysaying:

“ThelastthreedaysHuzoordidtheworkequivalentofthreemonths.”

Haitidelegation

Thereafter,HuzoormetadelegationfromHaiti, includingtheex-Mayorof

Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince and also a politician who was officially

representingthecountry’sPresident.

Addressingthepolitician,Huzoorsaid:

“I was not in the Jalsa Gahwhen you delivered your remarks but, by

chance,when I switchedon the television youwere speakingand so I

listenedtoyourspeechlive.”

Inresponse,thepoliticiansaid:

“Thankyou,itisagreathonourformethatYourHolinesslistenedtomy

words. Ialsowishtotellyouthatthis Jalsahashadaverydeepeffect

uponmeandmy impression of Islamhas changed for the better. Any

concerns I had have evaporated and I have realised that the stigma

surroundingIslamisentirelyunfair.”

39

SpeakingabouttheJamaatinHaitiandhisvisionforfurtherhumanitarian

service,Huzoorsaid:

“OurMissioninHaitiiscurrentlyinitsinfancybutaswebecomemore

established Iwould like us to build schools andhospitals there, if the

Governmentpermits,sothatwecanservethelocalpeople.Inthepast,

wehaverunsometemporaryprojectstherebutIwouldlikeustodevelop

some permanent means to serve the local society. Wemay be few in

numberinHaitibutwehavebigambitions!”

ThemeetingconcludedastheHaitianMinistersaid:

“YourHoliness,wewouldlikeyoutocometoournationsothatyoucan

savelivesandsavesoulsinHaiti!”

Philippinesdelegation

Huzoor’snextmeetingwaswithagroupfromthePhilippines, includinga

member of the National Congress, a local journalist and a local Filipino

AhmadiMuslim.

The journalist asked Huzoor about increasing extremism and so-called

MuslimterrorisminsomesmallIslandsthatarepartofthePhilippines.


“Theauthoritiesandgovernmentmustremainvigilantatalltimesand

ifthearmyistakingactiontostoptheterrorists,itisright.Thepriority

40

mustalwaysbethepeaceofthenationandsoiffirmmeasuresneedto

be taken to protect the people from terrorists and extremists it is

justified, otherwise, there is a risk the extremismwill spread further

afield.

CroatiaandMacedoniadelegation

Thenextdelegation tomeetHuzoorconsistedofguests fromCroatiaand

Macedonia.

ACroatianstudentaskedHuzooraboutastoryhehadnarratedduringhis

LajnaJalsaaddress,whereamurdererhadbittenthetongueofhismother

asafinalactbeforereceivingthedeathpenalty.

Uponbeingaskedwhyhehadconductedthisvileact,themurderersaidthat

ifhismotherhadstoppedhimfromcommittingsmallmistakesandwrongs

whenhewasachild,hewouldneverhavedevelopedintotheevilbeinghe

did.Thestudentaskedifitmeantthatonlymothersweretoblameforthe

wrongsoftheirchildren.

Inreply,Huzoorsaid:

“Ofcourse,aperson’sfatherandthesocietyalsohaveaninfluenceand

responsibility, however, amotherhas thegreatest influenceuponher

childandsoifshetrainsherchildreninapositivewayitwillbeameans

ofprotecting them. Ifamotherreformsher child, shewillnotonlybe

helpingher familybutalsowillbehelpingthesocietyat large.This is

whyourSecondKhalifa(ra)saidthatif50%ofwomenwerethemselves

41

goodandpious,itwouldmeanthat90%oftheyouthwouldbereformed

andmoral.”

Another guest asked Huzoor about his views on the United Kingdom’s

decisiontoexittheEuropeanUnion(Brexit).

Inresponse,Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“I amnot a politician but it ismy personal view that if the European

nations stay united it will be for their betterment. Thus, as a British

national,IusedmyvotetovoteagainstBrexit.”

AladyinformedHuzoorthatshehadconvertedtoAhmadiyyataftermeeting

himatthepreviousJalsa.

ShesaidthatthreemembersofherfamilyhadnowacceptedAhmadiyyatbut

hersonhadnot.


“As hismother, Insha’Allah you can guide him towards Islamaswell,

Insha’Allah.”

Cyprus,IndonesiaandNepaldelegations

HuzoorthenheldseparatemeetingswithguestsfromCyprus,Indonesiaand

Nepal.

42

DuringthemeetingwithguestsfromCyprus,ayoungCypriotladysaid:

“YourHoliness,theJalsawasfascinatingandeveryonewassowarm.You

cannotimaginehowmanyinvitationsIreceivedfromAhmadisaround

theworldinvitingmetotheirhomes!Ihonestlydonotknowwhereto

start but I know now that I will have a place to stay in almost every

country!”

In his meeting with Indonesian guests, Huzoor was introduced to an

IndonesianProfessorofIslamichistory.

Uponmeetinghim,Huzoorsaid:

“Youshouldnotrelyonthehistoricalversionofeventsrecordedbythe

Orientalistsas theyhavemisrepresentedmuchof Islam’srealhistory.

Always remember that the Holy Quran says, ‘There should be no

compulsion in religion’ and so whatever terrorists like Daesh or Al-

QaedadoiscompletelyopposedtoIslam.Theextremistswanttohijack

IslamandtocontrolMuslimcountriesandsoIhopeIndonesiaisstrong

enoughtowithstandthisthreat.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“The Holy Prophet (sa) said that whosoever repeats the Kalima is a

MuslimandsoitisnotuptotheUlematoexpelcertainsectsortosay

someareMuslimsandsomearenot.Islamisthatreligionthatseeksto

unitemankind.Itisthatreligionthatsaystokillonepersonisakinto

43

killingallofmankindandsoweMuslimsmustbethosewhogivelifeto

others,ratherthantakingitaway.”

UponmeetingaBuddhistacademicfromNepal,Huzoorsaid:

“I think at the Jalsa you will have learned that whilst Buddhists are

knowntobepeacefulpeople,AhmadiMuslimsareevenmoreso!”

Inreply,theacademicsaid:

“Yes, Your Holiness that is actually true. I have not seen such a

demonstrationofpeaceeverbefore.”

AnAhmadiconvertfromNepalpresentedHuzoorwithatraditionalNepali

cap.


“Jazak’Allah,Icanwearthiswhenprayinginmyhome.”

AnotherguestfromNepalsaid:

“We visited Jamia Ahmadiyya UK and saw that many of your young

membershavededicatedtheirlivesforthesakeoftheirfaith.Thiswas

extremely inspiring because amongst Buddhists the concept of

dedicatingyourlifeisonlyseeninmucholderpeople.”

44


“Webelievethatyoucannotreformanationwithoutfirstreformingthe

youthandsothatiswhywefocussomuchonthemoraltrainingofour

youngones.”

UnitedStatesdelegation

Themeetingscontinued,asHuzoormetalargedelegationfromtheUnited

StatesintheMahmoodHall.

ThegroupincludedanumberofconvertsandAfricanAmericanAhmadis.

An African American lady said that the visit to the Jalsa had proven

personallyverybeneficialtoher.Shesaidshefeltclosertoherfaithandhad

cometoknowmanymembersoftheUSALajnafortheveryfirsttime.

45

Hearingthis,HuzooraddressedSadrLajnaUSAandsaid:

“IttookatriptoLondonforhertogettoknowherfellowLajnamembers

and this shows that there are not enough interactive Lajna events in

America where the members are able to meet and get to know one

anotherclosely.”

Anotheryounglady,SisterAmanda,said:

“Huzoor, we have enjoyed this visit a great deal but it has also been

physically tiring. For example, we were checked on four separate

occasionsbytheimmigrationauthorities!”

Inreply,Huzoorsmiledandjoked:

“Youareluckytheycheckedyouonlyfourtimesandnotsixorseven!”

As a person who often gets ‘extra attention’ from immigration when

travellingtotheUnitedStates,IappreciatedthetruthinHuzoor’scomment!

Justrecently,ItravelledtoAmericaandIlostcountofhowmanytimesIwas

pulledoverfor‘random’securitychecks!

An American non-Muslim guest, Alexia, also spoke of howmuch she had

enjoyedattendingJalsaalongwithanAhmadifriend.Shesaid:

“Itwasan incredibleandspirituallyuplifting Jalsa.Thebestpartwas

seeingsuchalovingcommunityexistonsuchalargescale.”

46

Hearingthis,Huzoorsaid:

“ThisistrueIslam.”

Huzoorfurthersaid:

“Ihopethebadweatherdidnotcauseanyproblem.”

Inreply,sisterAlexiasaid:

“Notatall!MyshoesbecamedirtybutIcleanedthemlater!Theblessings

farexceededanyweatherissue!”

AnAfrican-AmericanAhmadilady,HaleemaDinsahibarequestedHuzoor’s

specialprayersforAliyaLatifsahiba,anAfrican-AmericanAhmadilady,who

foranumberofyearshaslookedaftertheAmericandelegationofladiesthat

travelforJalsa,aswellasfulfillingahostofotherJamaatduties.

HaleemaDinsahibasaid:

“Huzoor,Aliyaiswonderful.”

Inreply,Huzoorveryaffectionatelysaid:

“Yes,IknowthatAliyaiswonderful!”

47

Uponthis,IlookedinthedirectionofAliyasahibaandsawherunabletohold

back her tears. She later told me that Huzoor’s response had left her

completelyastoundedandhumbled.

UponseeingaguestcalledJamesfromNewYork,Huzoorsaid:

“YoulooklikeanAhmadi!”

Inresponse,Jamessaid:

“I am very close to accepting Ahmadiyyat. This Jalsa has been a

phenomenal experience for me and it has led me far down the path

towardsacceptingIslam.Here,allthepeopleIhavemetseemtohavea

higherpurposeinlifeandthisisprofound.”

Reflectionsofaconvert

AnAfricanAmericanladycalledNicoleWilliamsfromLasVegasinformed

HuzoorthatshehadacceptedIslamandbecomeanAhmadiinApril2017.

Afterthemeeting,IspoketoSisterNicoleaboutsomeofherexperiences.

SisterNicolesaid:

“ThiswasthefirstJalsaIhaveeverattendedanditallfeltsosurreal.The

amountofspiritualityatalltimes,Huzoor’saddresses,theinternational

Bai’at, the kindness of everyone, the great attention to detail, the

graciousnessofallthevolunteersandhostsshowedmewhatagenuinely

48

greatblessingitistobeapartoftheAhmadiyyaCommunityandforthe

firsttimeIwasabletowitnessthescaleofourJamaat.”

SisterNicolecontinued:

“Inparticular,theBai’atceremonywassoprofoundandbeautifuland

theemotionshitmelikehugewaves.Therewasnotadryeyeintheladies

marquee.”

SisterNicoleadded:

“Icansaythatduringthistrip,Iwasabletowitnessfirst-handtrueIslam

in all its beauty and I saw ‘Love for All, Hatred for None’ personified

throughout. IhavedevelopedbondswithAhmadisisters fromtheUSA

andfromaroundtheworldthatwilllastalifetime.Itwasanexperience

I will never forget, where I saw the growth of Ahmadiyyat to all the

cornersoftheworld.”

SpeakingaboutmeetingHuzoorforthefirsttime,SisterNicolesaid:

“TherearenowordstoexpresshowitfelttoactuallymeetHuzoor.For

thepastyear, Ihaveeagerlywatched theFridaySermonwithEnglish

translationandsotofinallymeethimduringtheUSAgroupdelegation

was awe inspiring.WhenHuzoor entered the hall and took his seat I

actuallyfeltasthoughmyhearthadstoppedbeating.Itwaslikeabright

lighthadentered.”

49

SisterNicolecontinued:

“Toseehowgenuine,friendlyandwarmHuzoorwastoeveryonewasa

beautiful thing to observe. To know that he meets so many families,

individualsandgroupsduringtheday,alongwithalltheothertaskshe

has,isinspiring.

IwasluckyenoughtobeabletointroducemyselftoHuzoorandwhenI

toldhimIhadrecentlyconvertedtoAhmadiyyathesmiled.Iwillnever

forgetthatmomentandIalreadyunderstandthatitisessentialthatI

stayattachedtotheKhilafat.”

Experiencesofaguest

Another person I spoke to was a non-Ahmadi guest,Muhammad Abdur

Rashid. Though not an Ahmadi, he told me that the Jalsa had made him

recognisetheimportanceofreligion.

BrotherMuhammadAbdurRashidsaid:

“Iwas inLondon forapproximatelyeightdays toattendthe Jalsaand

duringthattimeIhavegrownclosertotheAhmadiyyaCommunityand

havebeeninspiredtorenewmystudyofIslam.

WhilstspendingtimewithAhmadis,Isawanincrediblemanifestationof

what Islam trulymeans. The experience of Jalsa has changedmy life

forever. It has inspiredme to be a better husband, father, friend and

Muslim.”

50

BrotherMuhammadAbdurRashidcontinued:

“Itwasawonderfulexperience tomeetHuzoorand Iwasparticularly

pleasedtoseehowmuchtimehespenttalkingtothefemalemembersof

our groupandhowmuch care he took to answer their questions and

ensure they were all heard. The fact he took time out of his

extraordinarily busy schedule tomeetuswas truly remarkableanda

testamenttohischaracter.”

AsIlistenedtoAbdurRashidsahib,Ithoughthowtheexperienceofmeeting

HuzoorhasaprofoundeffectnotonlyonAhmadisbutonnon-Ahmadisand

non-Muslims as well. Abdur Rashid sahib spoke openly of how meeting

HuzoorandattendingtheJalsahadmotivatedhimtobeabetterpersonand

totreathislovedonesinabetterway.

Indeedlater,hetoldanAhmadicontact,thathiswifehadsaidthatshehad

feltagreatchangeinhimsincehereturnedfromtheUKandhewasnow

“becomingthehusbandshealwayswantedhimtobe”.

HungaryandSouthKoreadelegations

Following themeetingwith theAmericandelegation,Huzoorheld further

meetingswithgroupsfromHungaryandSouthKoreainhisoffice.

A young guest from Korea informed Huzoor that he was a teacher of

language.HesaidthattheJalsahadprovedtobea“healingexperience”for

himandthathehadneverfeltsuchasenseof‘brotherhood’.

51


“AtourJalsa,peoplefromallwalksoflifegathertogetherandeveryone

considersallotherparticipantstobetheirbrothersandsisters.Evenyou

havetoldmeyoudonotbelieveinanyreligionandyetyoustillfeltas

thoughyouweretreatedasourbrother.Thisisthetruebrotherhoodthat

Islaminspires.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“Nowyoushouldconsideracceptingareligionbecauseitisreligionthat

has taught us the values of humanity and to love and care for one

another.”

Theguestmentionedthat inKorea therewere thousandsofchurchesbut

onlyahandfulofMosquesspreadacrossthecountry.


“Insha’Allah,IhopeonedaywewillhaveourMosquesinKorea.”

Nikahceremony

Followingtheconclusionofthemorningmeetings,Huzoorproceededtothe

FazlMosquetoleadtheZuhrandAsrprayers,beforeperformingtheNikah

marriageceremoniesofanumberofcouples.

52

One Nikah was of Huzoor’s nephew, Mirza Nayyer Ahmad, the son of

Huzoor’s elder brother, Sahibzada Mirza Maghfoor Ahmad sahib. His

marriage was arranged with another member of the progeny of the

PromisedMessiah(as).

Duringtheceremony,Huzoorsaid:

“ThefirstNikahisofthesonofmyelderbrotherandheisfromamongst

theWaqf-e-NauschemeandsoIpraythatAllahenableshimtofulfilhis

Waqf and to fulfil the objectives and expectations of the Promised

Messiah(as).”

Later,Huzoorsaid:

“Thosewhogetmarriedshouldrememberthattheyshouldnotfocusjust

onworldlypursuitsbutshouldseektoalwaysprioritisetheirfaithover

allworldlymattersandtomorallytrainthenextgeneration.”

53

Offeringmubarakbaad

After the Nikah ceremonies were concluded, Huzoor returned to his

residenceforlunch.Iwenttothe41GuestHouse,acrossthestreetfromthe

Mosque, to offermubarakbaad to the families who had just had Nikahs

performedbyHuzoor.

Dozens of people came to offer their congratulations andwe all enjoyed

lunchthathadbeenkindlyprovidedbytheparentsofthosewhohadjust

hadtheirNikahceremony.

Afteraroundhalfanhour,I lefttheguesthouseandpreparedsomenotes

beforereportingforMulaqatinHuzoor’soffice.

AsIentered,Igavemubarakbaad(congratulations)toHuzoorontheNikah

ofhisnephewandinformedhimthatIhadjustbeenforlunch.

Despitebeingsobusy,Huzooraskedmewhathadbeenserved for lunch,

whetherIhadenjoyedandwhoelsewaspresent.

Of course, Huzoor was too busy to join, as he hadmanymoremeetings

scheduledduringtheday,yetasanuncleandbrother,hewasinterestedin

howthefamilyeventhadtranspired.

SucharethesacrificesofKhalifa-Waqtthatherarelyhastimetoattendeven

eventsofhisclosestfamilymembers,ashispriorityisalwaysfulfillinghis

ever-consumingresponsibilitiestotheJamaat.

54

Ahistoricaljourney

Oneof thepeopleattendingthisyear’s Jalsa,wasMirzaFazalAhmad(50)

fromRabwah,theNazirTaleemPakistan(DirectorofEducation).

Mirza Fazal sahib is also Huzoor’s nephew, the son of Huzoor’s sister,

SahibzadiAmatulQudoossahiba.

Intheafternoon, IspentsometimewithFazalbhaiandwas interestedto

hearsomeofhisrecollectionsofHuzoor.

SpeakingaboutthewayHuzoorworks,Fazalbhaisaid:

“BeforehiselectionasKhalifatulMasih,onethingIalwaysobservedin

Huzoorwasthathewasverythoroughandpaidattentiontoeverydetail

inJamaatmatters.ItisnotreallyaPakistanitraittobesothoroughbut

Huzoor was extremely meticulous. If something was decided then he

wouldensurethatitwasfulfilledandnotjustleftasanopen-endedplan.”

FazalsahibhadalsobeenpartofthesamedelegationasHuzoorhimselfthat

had travelled to London for the Intikhab-e-Khilafat (Election of Khilafat)

followingthepassingofHazratKhalifatulMasihIV(rh)inApril2003.

Itwascaptivatingandemotionaltohearhimrecountsomedetailsfromthat

historical journey and of that period where the Jamaat faced great

uncertaintyanddevastation.

55

AsFazalbhaispoke,myownmemoriesof thattimecamefloodingback. I

recalledhowIwasathomealoneinHartlepoolwhenIreceivedacallfroma

cousininformingmethatHazratKhalifatulMasihIV(rh)hadpassedaway.

Although Huzoor had been unwell for some years, the news came as a

completeshock,especiallygiventhathehaddeliveredtheFridaySermon

justadaybefore.

Overthenextfewdays,IfeltashockingvoidandgriefthatIhadneverfelt

before.ThiswasthefeelingsharedbytheentireJamaat.

However,atthesametime,thesenioroffice-bearersoftheJamaat,hadto

putasidetheirowngrief toensurethattheNizam(system)of theJamaat

remained intact and that the necessary arrangements for the Intikhab-e-

Khilafatcouldbemade.

Fazalbhai,whoatthetimewasWakil-ul-MaalRabwah(DirectorofFinance)

saidthathereceivedacallontheafternoonof19April2003fromhisfather

tocometotheofficeimmediately,asameetinghadbeencalled.

Uponarriving,itoccurredtohimthatthehealthofHazratKhalifatulMasih

IV(rh)mayhavedeterioratedbutstillhehadnoideaofhispassinguntila

fewminuteslaterwhensomeonecameandwhisperedthenewstohim.

Hewentoutside to theroofof thebuildingandremained therewhilsthe

composedhimself,beforereturningtothemainoffice,whereHuzoorwas

alreadyworking.

56

Fazalbhaisaid:

“Huzoor,whowasthenNazir-e-AlainPakistan,waspresentandhe,and

afewotherpeople,weredraftingthestatementthatwouldbeplayedon

MTA announcing the demise of Hazrat KhalifatulMasih IV (rh). They

werealsomakingthearrangementsforthemeetingthatneededtotake

placelaterthatdayinordertopreparefortheIntikhab-e-Khilafat.”

Fazalbhaicontinued:

“AtthattimeIsawthatHuzoorremainedcalmandprobablydidnoteven

have time to consider his own personal grief and his onlyworrywas

protectingtheJamaatatthattimeofcrisis.”

Whilst,IwasamazedattheremarkablewayHuzoorsetasidehispersonal

griefforthesakeoftheJamaat,Iwasnotatallsurprised.

For,Ihaveseentimeandtimeagain,howHuzoor’sfirstpriority,atalltimes,

nomatterhowdesperateordevastating the circumstances, is to fulfilhis

dutiestotheJamaatandtoensurethatthemissionofthePromisedMessiah

(as)never,Godforbid,drawstoahalt.

YetundoubtedlyHuzoorwillhave felt thepainandgriefof thedemiseof

HazratKhalifatulMasihIV(rh)morethananyotherAhmadibecausehewas

themosthumbleanddevotedservantofKhilafat.

57

Fazalbhaisaid:

“Later thatday,weweregetting ready to travel to Londonand sowe

werecollectingourpassportsandquicklydoingourpacking.Forsome

reason, I had to go to Huzoor’s house. I cannot remember if I was

collectingsomethingordroppingsomethingoff.Anyway,whenIarrived

HuzoorwasofferingNamaz.”

Fazalbhaicontinued:

“IcouldhearHuzoorengagedinthemostferventanddesperateprayers

andcouldhearhisutterlyemotionalstate.Whilstinprostration,bowed

beforeAllah,hewascryinguncontrollably.IhadneverseenHuzoorin

suchastateeverbefore.Yet,whenHuzoorreturnedtothepublichewas

composed again and, as far as I am aware, he remained so until the

momentofhiselectionasKhalifatulMasihV.”

Adelicatemoment

Fazalbhaisaid that therewere fourteensenioroffice-bearers in that first

groupwholeftRabwahforLondon.

Amongst them were some elderly people who suffered from various

ailments,suchasdiabetesorjustgeneralillhealth.

ItwaseveningtimebythetimetheyleftRabwahandaftersometimethey

hadtostopataservicestationtousethebathroomfacilities.

58

Narratingwhathappenednext,Fazalbhaisaid:

“IwasalsopartofMajlisKhuddamulAhmadiyyaandsoIhadarranged

forsometeaandbiscuitsattheservices.Ithadalreadybeenaverylong

day and I knew no one had eaten and the elderly peoplewould need

something.However,whentheteawasserved,suddenlyoneofoursenior

andelderoffice-bearersbecameveryangryandsaid‘Isthisanytimeto

bedrinkingtea?’

Emotionallywhathewassayingwasrightthatnobodywantedtoeator

drinkbuttherealitywasthatsomeoftheelderscouldhavecollapsedif

theydidnoteatordrinkanything.Anyway,Huzoorobservedthisentire

incidentandIwasworriedthathetoomightadmonishme,butwithout

sayingasinglewordhepickedupacupandstartedtodrinkfromit.”

Fazalbhaicontinued:

“Huzoor handled the delicate situation beautifully and with great

wisdom.Heneithersaidanythingtotheofficebearerwhohadscolded

me,asheknewemotionswererunningveryhigh,butatthesametime,

healsoknewthatpeoplewouldneedtoeatordrink.

Thus,justfromhispersonalexampleandwithoutsayingasingleword,

Huzoorgaveusthegreen lightguidingusthat itwaspermissibleand

necessarytotakesomethingtoeatevenatthattimeofgriefandworry.

Lateron,afewoftheelderscameuptometothankmeandsaidthatthey

feltonthevergeofcollapseuntiltheyhadtakensometeaandfood.”

59

Acupoftea

With the Grace of Allah, the delegation from Rabwah arrived in London

withoutincident.Fazalbhaisaidthatimmediately,Huzoorandothersenior

office-bearers held meetings with Amir Sahib UK and the senior central

office-bearersbasedinLondon.

AsFazalsahibnarratedthis,IrecalledthemomentwhenHuzoorarrivedin

London on 20 April 2003. Iwas given a duty to clean some of the guest

houseswheretheguestsfromabroadwerestayingandalsotoservetea.

I vividly remember that as soon as Huzoor and the rest of that first

delegationarrivedinLondon,Iwasaskedtobringteaforthem.

The firstperson, Ipresented tea towasHuzoorhimself and I always feel

gratefulthatIhadthatopportunitytoserveHuzoorafterhisjourneyfrom

Pakistan.

ReflectionsoftheIntikhab-e-Khilafat

FazalbhaiwasamemberoftheElectoralCommitteefortheFifthKhilafat,

whichtookplaceon22April2003.

Speakingofthoseunforgettablemoments,Fazalbhaisaid:

“WhenIenteredtheFazlMosquefortheelectionIhadnoideaofwhoI

wouldvote for.Notasinglepersonhadenteredmymind,yetoncethe

election process begun within seconds everything changed. Within

60

seconds,allmyattentionwasdivertedtowardsHuzoorandIknewthat

hewasthepersonImustvoteforasKhalifatulMasih.Atthatmoment,I

feltasthoughAllahhadmovedmyheartinhisdirectionandIfeltAllah

wascontrollingmethroughoutthatelection.”

Anewrelationship

Also,presentthatafternoonwasMirzaAdeelAhmad(44),aWaqf-e-Zindighi

(lifedevotee),servingintheJamaat’sLegalAffairsDepartmentinRabwah.

Adeel sahib is Huzoor’s cousin, as his (late) mother, Sahibzadi Amatul

Waheedsahiba,wastheyoungersisterofHuzoor’srespectedfather,(late)

HazratSahibazaMirzaMansoorAhmadsahib.

IaskedbothFazalbhaiandAdeelbhaiabouttheirrelationshipwithHuzoor

ashiscloserelatives.

Fazalbhaisaid:

“AsafamilymemberandnephewofHuzoor,Ihonestlybelievethatmy

fearofdisrespectingKhilafatinanywayisnotanylessthanpeoplewho

arenotrelatedandifanythingitisevenmore.

Ithasneverbeenmystyletobetooformalwithmyrelatives,eventhe

older ones and so before his Khilafat, whilst I had much respect for

Huzoorasanelder,Iusedtobeabletospeakquitefreelywithoutfear.

Yet since the moment he was elected Khalifatul Masih everything

changed.Tosayitislikenightanddayisnowherenearenough.”

61

Fazalbhaicontinued:

“All the time, I think that Huzoor is Allah’s representative and my

everything.Ifhesmiles,Ismile,ifheisseriousorupsetthenitislikeI

havedied.Nothingelsematters.Therelationshipofuncleandnephew

nowhaslittleoranyvalue,theonlyrelationshipthatmattersisthathe

ismyKhalifaandIamhisservant.”

Uponthis,Adeelbhaismiledandsaid:

“IagreewitheverythingFazalbhaihas said. I also feelas thoughmy

familyrelationshipwithHuzoorendedon22April2003.”

Fazalbhaisaid:

“SomepeoplethinkthatduetoourfamilyrelationshipIcanconfidently

saythingsbeforeHuzoorbutitisjustnotthecase.Icannotexplaintoyou

inwordshowIfeelwhenIseeHuzoor,butIknowitandcanfeelitinmy

heart.”

SpeakingofhowhefeltwhenhemetHuzoornow,Adeelbhaisaid:

“Abid,youwillhaveseeninHuzoor’shomesometimesIhavebeenthere

andyouwerethereaswellandIremainsilentandcannotbringmyself

tosayasingleword.Infact,mymother-in-lawoncesaidtomethatwhen

youmeetHuzoorheasksyouhowyouareandsoyoushouldtalktohim

butIcannotbringmyselftospeakbecauseIamintotalfearofsaying

somethingthatiswrongordisrespectfulinsomeway.”

62

It was true, I had seen Adeel bhai on occasions at Huzoor’s house and

invariablyhewouldremainvirtuallysilent.Anyway,Ihadenjoyedthehour

I spent with Mirza Fazal sahib and Mirza Adeel sahib and hearing their

perspectivesascloserelativesofHuzoor.

EmotionsofaGhanaianfamily

Duringtheafternoonof31July2017,Imetsomeofthepeoplewhohadthe

opportunitytomeetHuzoorinMulaqat.

AnAhmadifamilywhometHuzoorwereUmarFarooqAil(53)andhiswife

SalmaFarooqfromGhana.UmarsahibwasabornAhmadi,whilsthiswife

hadconvertedduringthe1990s.

SpeakingmomentsaftermeetingHuzoor,Umarsahibsaid:

“WheneveryoumeetHuzooritislikeanewexperienceandevenbetter

thanyouremembered.Thesmilethatcomesonmyfacewhenmeeting

Huzoor is bigger than at any other time. I was laughing when I left

Huzoor’s office because Huzoor made me feel so joyous and happy.

Huzoor knowsmore about Ghana thanwe Ghanaians! He loves us so

much!”

Speakingofherownfeelings,Salmasahibasaid:

“ItoldHuzoorthatjustseeinghisfacewasenoughbecausethelightthat

emanatesfromhimpenetratesourheartanditprovesthatheisatrue

mananddivinelyappointed.”

63

Salmasahibacontinued:

“IacceptedAhmadiyyataround20yearsagoafterdoingalotofresearch

andstudy.Beforeaccepting,Iwasanon-Ahmadiandafterreadingmany

booksthelightofAhmadiyyatdawneduponme.Inowknowthatitisour

duty to convey the salam of the Holy Prophet (sa) to the Promised

Messiah(as)andsoIamextremelyluckytobepartofthisJamaat.

I haveneverhadany regrets about acceptingAhmadiyyat and I have

never looked back since the day I did Bai’at. Rather, I havemarched

forward and I am now serving as Lajna National Tehrik-e-Jadid and

Waqf-e-JadidSecretaryinGhanaandthisisagreatprivilege.”

Asourconversationended,Salmasahibastartedlaughingandsaid:

“Abidsahibandpleasedon’tfalloveragainasyoudidinAustralia!”

I laughedas I realised shehad reada ratherembarrassing incident Ihad

written in a diary about Huzoor’s 2013 tour of Australia in which I had

mentionedthatIhadfallen,notoncebuttwice,fromastage,whilstinthe

presenceofHuzoor!

BangladeshJamaatofficialMulaqat

Wehadreached1August2017and,asperthepreviousday,Huzoorheld

meetings with various delegations from around the world. However,

Huzoor’s first meeting was a daftari (office) Mulaqat with senior Jamaat

office-bearersfromBangladeshJamaat.

64

Duringthemeeting,AmirSahibBangladeshpresentedtoHuzoordesignsfor

anewMosqueinAhmednagar.

Afterseeingtheplans,Huzoorsaid:

“Ofcourse,youshouldgoaheadandbuildthisMosquebutitisuptoyour

Jamaattofinanceit.ManyotherJamaatsnowarestandingontheirown

feetandnow it is the time forBangladesh Jamaat toalso stand itself,

ratherthanrelyingoncontinuoushelpfromtheCentre.

YousaytomethatnormalAhmadisarenotinvolvedenoughorreadyto

make necessary sacrifices but the real issue is that the Jamaat

administrationinBangladeshneedstobemuchmoreactiveandthiswill

automaticallyleadtogreaterengagementfromtheJamaatmembers.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“TherearemanyJamaats intheworldmuchsmallerthanBangladesh

andhavefarfewerresources.YourJamaatwasfoundedmorethan100

years agoand so there is no excuse. Youmust encourage theAhmadi

youthandbringthemforwardandgivethemresponsibilities.

Eachyear, IgiveGermany Jamaata target to raise1millioneuros for

Mosquesand theyachieve itwith theGraceofAllah.Youshould learn

fromthisandtrytoavoiddebtortakingloansasitwillbecomeahabit.

Youcanachievegreatthingswithlove,compassionandhardwork.Thus,

treat the Ahmadis lovingly and set a personal example for them to

follow.”

65

SpeakingofthewaytomotivateAhmadis,Huzoorsaid:

“InsteadofvisitingpeoplejusttogetChanda,visitthemtoseehowthey

areandiftheyhaveanyproblemsorissues.Insha’Allah,astheybecome

closertotheJamaattheywillrealisethemselvesthatChandaisnotatax

but is a means of Tarbiyyat. Of course, my prayers are with you but

alongside them you must also work extremely hard and fulfil your

duties.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“AsIsaidloveandcompassionarethekeybecausethisishowAllahthe

AlmightytoldtheHolyProphet(sa)totreatthepeoplewhohadaccepted

hismessage.Ifyoushowharshnesspeoplewillrunaway.”

Later, Amir Sahib Bangladesh informed Huzoor that the Jamaat had

establishedaregularsystemofprovidinghelpandaidtothepoorandneedy

inBangladesh.


“Iamveryhappytohearthisandyoushouldcontinuetoincreaseyour

effortstohelptheweakandneedy.Nomatterwhatitisourdutytoserve

others.”

Indonesiadelegation

Huzoor’snextmeetingwaswithadelegationfromIndonesia,consistingof

over100Ahmadisandguests.

66

During the meeting, the Indonesians had the opportunity to introduce

themselvestoHuzoorandseekhisprayers.

IwatchedfromthesideasanAhmadiladybrokedownintearsinforming

Huzoorthatshehadnotbeenabletoconceiveanddesperatelysoughthis

prayersforahealthyprogeny.

Others, became very emotional recounting their emotional and spiritual

experiences at the Jalsa. Many asked Huzoor to pray that they and their

familiesalwaysstayedclosetotheJamaatandwereabletoserveitinthe

bestway.TheyalsospokeofthesacrificestheyhadmadetoattendtheJalsa.

OneAhmadimansaid:

“IhadtoresignmyjobtoattendtheJalsabecausemybosswouldnotgive

meanyholidaybutitdoesnotmatter.IhavefirmfaiththatAllahwill

blessmeforattendingtheJalsa.”

Inreply,Huzoorprayed:

“MayAllahgrantyouanevenbetterjobthanbefore.”

MeetingwithMaoriAhmadis

In2016, the firsteverMaoriAhmadiconvert travelled fromNewZealand

shortlyafteracceptingAhmadiyyattoattendtheUKJalsa.

67

Uponmeetinghim,Huzoorsaidthatheshouldreturnin2017andtakeBai’at

directlyatthehandofHuzoorduringtheInternationalBai’at.Twodaysafter

theBai’at,theMaoriAhmadiandhiswifemetHuzoorinMulaqat.

UponenteringHuzoor’soffice,theMaoriAhmadipresentedHuzoorwitha

traditionalclayshapedpotwhichhehadbroughtfromNewZealand.Hesaid

hiswishwasthatHuzoorwouldkeephis‘specialpossessions’withinthepot.

Thereafter, he asked Huzoor to pray that more Maoris came to accept

Ahmadiyyat.


“Yes,IwillpraythatmoreMaorisjointhefoldofAhmadiyyatandnow

youshouldconsideryourselfasourMissionarytotheMaoris.”

TheMaorisaid:

“Huzoor,Ihavealreadywitnessedtheblessingsofyourprayersbecause

lastyearmysevenyearoldsonhadabraintumourandIsoughtyour

prayerswhen I came to London.WithGod’sHelp, he had a successful

operationandhasnowrecoveredfully.

ThemeetingconcludedastheMaoricameforwardandgreetedHuzoorwith

theMaoritraditional‘nose-to-nose’greeting.

68

BurkinaFasodelegation

Thereafter,HuzoormetadelegationfromtheAfricancountry,BurkinaFaso,

includingtheChairmanHumanRight’sCommission,whotoldHuzoorthathe

consideredthattherewaspeaceandrespectamongstdifferentreligiousand

tribalgroupsinBurkinaFaso.

Uponhearingthis,Huzoorsaid:

“Ifyouaresuccessfulinachievingthisthenyournationwillprogressand

succeed.”

TheguestmentionedhowHuzoor’saddressesatJalsahadagreatimpacton

him.Hesaid:

“YourHoliness,youraddressatJalsawaslikeacharteroffreedomfor

the entireworldand is theneedof the timebecause there is somuch

conflictintheworld.Ihavenodoubtthatyourwordsarethesolutionto

thecontemporaryissuesfacedbytheworldtoday.”

Another member of the delegation was the National Secretary Umoor-e-

Kharija(ExternalAffairs)inBurkinaFaso.Referringtohisattendanceofthe

2008JalsaSalanaGhana,hesaid:

“Huzoor,in2008whenyoulastvisitedGhana,IwasoneoftheKhuddam

whocycled fromBurkinaFaso toGhana toattend the Jalsa. Itwasan

experienceIcanneverforget.”

69

Inreply,Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“Irememberverywellhowyouallcameonbikesthatwereextremelyold

andhalf-brokenbutitdidnotstopyoufromtravellingallthatway.”

AsHuzoorsaidthesewordsyoucouldsensehislovefortheKhuddamand

theeffortstheymadetoattendtheJalsa.

RepresentingAmerica

Laterthatday,ImetAbdurRahimLatif(46)fromNewJersey,USA.Hewas

attendingtheJalsaUKafterthreeyearsandhadbeengiventhehonourof

representingAmericaattheInternationalBai’at.

Thus,hehadbeenoneofthefewpeoplewhohadplacedhishanddirectly

upontheblessedhandofHuzoor.

Withgreatemotion,AbdurRahimLatif toldmeabouthisexperiences.He

said:

“ThisvisithashadagreatimpactuponmeandeachdayIhavefeltmy

burdens and worries wash away one by one. All those issues or

difficultiesthathavearisenovertheyearshavealldisappeareddueto

theblessingsofJalsaandbeingclosetomyspiritualmaster.”

DescribinghisfeelingsatfindingouthewouldtakeBai’atatHuzoor’shand,

AbdurRahimLatifsahibsaid:

70

“ItwasthenightoftheseconddayofJalsaSalanaandIwasattending

the Tabshir dinner. Another person was supposed to represent the

UnitedStatesduringtheBai’atbutunfortunately,hewastakenunwell

andsowhilstIwaseatingIwasinformedthatHuzoorhadapprovedfor

metorepresenttheUnitedStates.ItsohappenedthatduringtheTabshir

dinner,IwasseatedacrossfromHuzoorandsoasIreceivedthisnewsI

couldseeHuzoordirectly.”

Ashesatinfrontofme,AbdurRahimLatifsahibbecamevisiblyemotional

andtearsfellfromhiseyes.Hesaid:

“Iwascompletelyshockedanddumbfoundedandcouldnotcontrolmy

emotions. I felt sounworthyandsooverwhelmedand I couldnotstop

crying.”

AbdurRahimLatifsahibcontinued:

“Uponseeingmyemotionalstate,ateacherfromJamiaapproachedme

andaskedifIwasokandwhyIwascrying.WhenIexplainedhesaid,‘I

understandandsopleasecontinuetocry!’”

AsLatifsahibtoldmetheresponseoftheJamiateacher,Ifeltanurgetolaugh

athowhetoldhimtocontinuetoweep!

However, the overriding emotions of Latif sahib as he narrated the story

wereofgratitudetoAllahandgenuinelyofshockthathehadbeenchosento

representhisnationattheBai’atceremony.

71

AbdurRahimLatifsahibthentoldmeabouttheactualexperienceoftaking

Bai’atandhowithadledtomuchsoul-searchingonhispartandastateof

deepreflection.Hesaid:

“Themomentswhere I tookBai’atwereunbelievably emotional and I

wasconsumedbyfear.Ikeptthinking‘Iwanttodobetterinmylife’and

Ikeptanalysingmyselfandfocusingonmyweaknesses.

If you sit inyour livingroom thousandsofmilesawayandrepeat the

words of Bai’at it is still very important, however, to take the pledge

whilstrepresentingaJamaatandtohaveHuzoorholdingyourhandisa

hugeandindescribableburden.AsIrepeatedthewordsofBai’at,Ikept

promising tomyself that Iwill improveand Iwill strive to fulfil every

conditionofBai’at.”

Reflectingonhisvisit toLondonmoregenerally,AbdurRahimLatifsahib

said:

“ThisvisittoLondonhaschangedmylife.Forexample,Idon’tlivetoofar

from our Mosque but I was sometimes weak in attending it for

congregationalprayersbutnowIhavenoexcuse.Imustendeavourto

improvemyselfandtoeradicatewhateverweaknessesIhave.”

AbdurRahimLatifsahibcontinued:

“I also got to personally meet Huzoor on this trip and it was an

unforgettable experience. When Huzoor is on MTA, the setting is

normallyquiteformalandsoHuzoorappearsserious.Yetwhenyoumeet

72

himinpersonyourealisehowwarmandopenheisandyouseehisvery

softandlovingside.Itisunbelievabletothinkthatwehavedirectaccess

to the person who is closest to Allah the Almighty on earth. He

encourages,hewelcomesusandheevenhostsuswhenwecometosee

him.Heletsusshareourdeepestconcernsandworrieswithhimandhe

takesthemaway.”

SpeakingofhowHuzoorgivessomuchtimetotheJamaat,AbdurRahimLatif

sahibsaid:

“OneyearwhenHuzoorcametotheUnitedStatesIhadtheopportunity

todosecuritydutyattheMosque.Huzoorhadonlyarrivedthedaybefore

but from morning until evening he remained engaged in meeting

AhmadisinMulaqat.

Thoseofusdoing securitywould take regularbreaksbutHuzoor just

continuedtomeetAhmadiafterAhmadiandtheamazingthingwasthat

everypersonwho cameout ofHuzoor’s office had thewidest possible

smileontheirface.Thatwasjustonedayanditcontinuedthroughout

thetour!”

Asmy enjoyable conversationwithAbdurRahimLatif sahib concluded, I

lookedupathimandsaid:

“IalwaysfeelextremelysmallwhenIaminthecompanyoftheLatifs’!”

Helaughedknowingthathewasprobablyagoodfoottallerthanme,justas

hisotherfamilymemberswere.

73

GuatemalaandCostaRicadelegation

On Tuesday morning, Huzoor’s meetings continued when he met with a

delegationfromGuatemalaandCostaRica.

ItincludedaCongresswomanfromGuatemalaandaMemberofParliament

andjournalistfromCostaRica.

TheGuatemalanCongresswomanmentionedtheeffectJalsahadonher.She

said:

“IhavelearnedsomuchabouttheAhmadiyyaCommunityinthepastfew

days and I now understand the true philosophy of Islam. I feel

comfortable and content with your religion and any fears of

apprehensionshavedisappeared.”

Uponthis,theMPfromCostaRicaadded:

“IwholeheartedlyagreewithmycolleaguefromGuatemala.Allthefalse

andwrongimpressionswehadaboutIslamhavebeenentirelyremoved.

My own personal views of Islam have completely changed and I

appreciateyourreligionagreatdeal.”


“AtourJalsa,youarewitnesstothefactthattherewasnodisturbance,

disorderor fighting.Onsucha largescale, Idonotthinktherecanbe

suchapeacefuleventanywhereelseintheworld.”

74

InresponsetoHuzoor’scomment,theCostaRicanMPsaid:

“Yes,Iagree.AttheJalsapeoplecamefrommanydifferentcountriesbut

theyallspokethesamelanguageandthatwasthelanguageoflove.Also,

IrealisedthatwhatIhadheardaboutwomenandIslamwascompletely

differenttothereality.

Ifeltsafeandsecureontheladiessideandenjoyedbeingwiththeladies

only. Ialsowent to themen’s sidebut I enjoyedon the ladies side far

more!”

Inreply,Huzoorsaid:

“Yes–ourwomentellthementomoveoutofthewaysotheycanflourish

withoutanymenrestrictingthem!”

A young non-Muslim lady from Costa Rica then spoke and told of her

experiencesofJalsa.Shesaid:

“YourHoliness,Ihavereceivedhugespiritualandeducationalbenefits

fromlisteningtoyourspeeches.Iparticularlylikedhowyousaidthata

personshouldevenprayforhisenemies,shouldbeforgivinganddisplay

love.

IliveinacountryofCatholicsandProtestantsandIknowthatitisnot

possibleforsuchacomprehensivemessageofpeacetobegivenbyanyof

theChristian leaders thatyouhavegiven. Inessence,youhave taught

thatifwearegoodwithotherpeoplethenGodwillbegoodwithus.”

75


“People ofmany religions attended the Jalsa andwe love and respect

themallbecausethesearetheteachingsofIslam.”

TheCostaRicanjournalistthentooktheopportunitytoaskHuzoorabout

theriseofterrorismintheworldandhowthepeopleofdifferentreligions

andbeliefsshouldacttowardsoneanother.

Aftergivingadetailedanswerinwhichhesaidthatallformsofterrorism

wereagainstIslamicteachingsandinwhichheexplainedthetrueconceptof

Jihad,Huzoorsaid:

“TheHolyQuranhassaid‘laikrahafid-deen’whichmeans‘Thereshould

benocompulsioninreligion’.

Whatdoesthismean?Itmeansthatreligionandfaithisamatterofone’s

heart.Of course,Christians, Jews,Muslimsand thepeopleofall faiths

havetherighttopeacefullyspreadtheirmessage,however,atthesame

time, every individual has the absolute right to accept or reject that

messagefreelyandwithoutanyfear.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“We are preaching the teachings of Islam and those people who are

persuadedarejoiningus.However,weholdnoillwilltowardsthosewho

donotacceptitbecauseweallremainfromamongsttheprogenyofthe

ProphetAdam(as)andsoitisourdutytoloveandrespectoneanother.”

76

Huzoor also asked for an update about theNasir Hospital being built in

Guatemala by Humanity First. Upon this, the local Congresswoman

expressed her desire that Huzoor himself comes to inaugurate the Nasir

Hospitalonceitiscomplete.


“IamgratefulforyourkindinvitationandInsha’AllahIhopeitispossible

formetoinaugurateit.”

Russiandelegation

Huzoor’snextmeetingwaswithasmalldelegationfromRussia,consisting

ofaRussianjournalistandaRussianconvert.

The journalist asked Huzoor a series of questions in a formal interview,

howeverbeforedoingsohementionedhowhehadenjoyedtheJalsaagreat

deal andhadbeensurprised toobservemore than30,000Muslims“who

followedall the rulesandwereextremelypatientanddisciplined”.He

addedthattheonlyproblemhesawwastherain,whichhadcausedsome

difficultiesfortheparticipants.

Uponthis,Huzoorsaidwithasmile:

“Ichallengeyoutofindmeaneventanywhereintheworldwherethere

areover30,000people,ofanyreligion,whoactwithsuchdisciplineand

morality at all times. You will only see such characteristics in the

77

AhmadiyyaMuslimCommunity!Yousawhowweremainedpatienteven

whentheweatherwasadverseandconditionsweredifficultandthisis

onlypossibleifyouhaveafirmfaithinyourreligionandvalueit.”

Intheformalinterview,thejournalistaskedHuzoor’sviewsontheriseof

terrorismandtheradicalisationofyoungMuslimsacrosstheworld.

Inreply,Huzoorsaid:

“Ihavespokenagainstradicalisationandterrorismmorethananyone

elseoverthepasttenormoreyearsandthereasonIhavespokenout

againstitisbecauseIfollowtrueIslam.

Nowthereareotherpeopleandgroupswhocondemnextremismandare

warningoftheriskstoworldpeacebutletitbecategoricallyclearthat

theAhmadiyyaMuslimCommunitywas thevery first towarnof these

dangers.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“As a journalist, you should ask yourself where the terrorists and

extremists get their weapons. They are rarely produced in Muslim

countriesandarebeingimportedfromtheWestandEasternEurope.

Allsides,Muslimandnon-Muslimmustshowwisdomandsense.Itisnot

impossible to stop terrorists. For example, in the past year theworld

powershavebecomemoreseriousintheireffortstostopDaeshandasa

78

result,theyhavebeenabletoneutralizeitsgrowthandnowithasbeen

almostdefeatedasanorganisation”

Mostbeautifully,Huzoorsaid:

“There are some worldly solutions to the problems of today but our

Jamaatfocusesonthespiritualsolutions.Thus,weconstantlybowdown

beforeAllahprayingforthepeaceoftheworldand,accordingtoIslam’s

teachings,weareengagedinthemoraltrainingofthemembersofour

community fromchildhood.Asa result,AhmadiMuslims,arewith the

GraceofAllah,spreadingonlypeaceacrosstheworld.”

Changingthesubject, the journalist thenaskedifHuzoorwas in favourof

womenImams.


“IfollowtheSunnah(practice)oftheHolyProphetofIslam(sa)andifhe

saidsomethingiswrongthenitiswrong,regardlessofwhattherestof

theworldmaysayorthink!Heisourmasterandourguide.”

HuzoorthenreiteratedmanyofthepointshehadmadeinhisLajnaaddress

atJalsaaboutwhy,practicallyspeaking,itwasnotpossibleforwomentobe

Imams.

79

Asourceofblessings

Asthemeetingconcluded,thePrivateSecretary,MunirJavedsahibinformed

HuzoorthathisnextmeetingwaswithadelegationfromSierraLeoneand

wouldtakeplaceintheMahmoodHall.

Inreply,Huzoorsaidhewouldcomeoutinaminuteandhethenturnedtoa

trolleybehindhisdesk,pickedupaglassandpouredalittlewaterandtook

acoupleofsips.

ItwasarareandfleetingmomentwhereHuzoorwasabletohaveaminute

tohimself,beforehe stoodandwalked the fewdozenstepsacross to the

MahmoodHall.

Overthepastfewdays,IhadseenonceagainhowKhilafatisthesourceof

trueblessingsinthiseraandthepurestreflectionofIslam’steachings.

Personafterperson,fromcountryaftercountry,hadspokenofhowHuzoor’s

wordshadimpacteduponthemandchangedtheirunderstandingofIslam

andremovedanyfearsorworriestheyhad.

Oneafteronetheyattestedtothefactthattheyhadneverseenanythinglike

the Jalsa Salana before with its unique spirit and peaceful atmosphere.

Huzoor’smeetingsandJalsaactivitiesweresettocontinueforseveralmore

days.

80

Justliketheprecedingdays,theywouldprovetobeextremelyblessedanda

pure manifestation of the mutual love between Khalifa-Waqt and the

membersof the Jamaat. Iwasvery luckytobeabletoonceagainwitness

suchscenes.

EndofPart2

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By Abid Khan · Thus, the vast majority is spent offering Istighfar, seeking forgiveness from Allah for all my mistakes and weakness and praying that He continued to ... emotion and