Iffat Mirza, London
Sadly for many years now it’s not often we see the Muslim world united. There’s plenty for it to disagree on, whether it’s as seemingly trivial as the moon-sightings before the festival of Eid, or issues of larger consequence, such as the political alliances of the Middle East. Yet there’s always one bone of contention that seems to unite all sects of Islam – that is all sects, except one.
The existence of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been a dilemma for the Muslim world, perhaps because with God’s grace unlike other sects, we have a strong sense of unity, under the blessed hand of the true Caliph of the time.
We recently saw an example of the Muslim world uniting in order to have Google’s algorithmic response to remove His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper) from the results upon searching ‘current Muslim Caliph.’
I suppose everyone believes they are doing God’s work from where they stand. Aren’t we all keen to do God’s work here in this world? Yet, perhaps before doing so we should read God’s words.
Chapter 24 Verse 56 of the Holy Qur’an states: “Allah had promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them;…” thus the promise of divine guidance and leadership is one made by God Himself. Does this not warrant to at least be honoured by looking into the longest running caliphate, now 112 years, since the time of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate of early Islam, that is the Ahmadiyya Caliphate?
The apolitical Ahmadiyya Caliphate is the finest example of true leadership that we can see in the world today. To the untrained eye, it seems almost bizarre that in a world with so much political instability and questionable political leaders, there is space for the unquestioned authority of the Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Community. The reality is, there is room for such leadership because it provides us exactly with what humanity is missing: genuine care and benevolence. I believe that anyone who wants power is exactly the person who should not have power. Power is far too great a responsibility, if one takes it seriously, to be something desired.
His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper) shows that the responsibility of the true Caliph is indeed one of benevolence. In his own words, “Before sleeping at night there is no country of the world that I do not visit in my imagination and no Ahmadi for whom I do not pray whilst sleeping and whilst awake. I am not doing any favour because this is my duty and may Allah enable me to ever increase in assuming my responsibilities.”[1]
This is the kind of love a true Caliph has for his people that cannot be replicated in any other context, nor can it be understood by anyone who shuts himself out from the blessings of the Caliphate by pre-emptively deeming it, God forbid, heretic.
Seeing so many people react so vilely in this particular instance of Google presenting such information is not only heart-breaking in regard to the sentiments of millions of Ahmadis across the world, but it is tragic to see that the Muslim world is more ready to denounce the Ahmadiyya Caliphate than to follow up with more research to see how God has indeed fulfilled the promise that he made in the Holy Qur’an.
They would rather blindly hate than search for God’s truth.
Others have claimed to be the ‘rightful’ leaders of the Muslim world, even blood is shed over the matter. We see the Muslim world around us is overrun with either tyrannical theocracies or instable governments grasping at the last vestiges of power as the dissatisfied and dishonoured people pour out onto the street in protest. Can it be any coincidence that nothing of the like can be seen under the Ahmadiyya Caliphate? The beautiful words of the pledge of initiation ‘…I will give precedence to my faith over all worldly objects. I will always remain loyal to the institution of Khilafat (the caliphate) in Ahmadiyyat…’ encapsulate precisely why the Ahmadiyya Caliphate has lasted like no other institution of leadership – it is all about putting faith and God above the world. When such is the goal of a leader, the community under him will also flourish.
In the words of His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper) ‘the tree planted by the hand of God continued to grow.’[2] Indeed, today we see Ahmadiyyat growing at a rapid rate and is making its mark on the world. Removing his name from Google won’t change that, but it will restrict one’s own opportunity to see God’s own promise fulfilled.
[1] Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper), June 2014, Frankfurt, https://www.alislam.org/press-release/world-muslim-leader-explains-true-concept-of-khilafat/
[2] His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, 27th May 2008, London https://www.khalifatulmasih.org/articles/ahmadiyya-khilafat-centenary-message/
Voice of British Muslim Women 
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