Voice of British Muslim Women

Fateha Khawaja, Tilford

Around 17 years ago, when I was 2 years old, we were lucky enough to be able to meet His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper), our beloved Khalifa for one of the first times as a family. Although I cannot remember this meeting, my father has told me about one particular moment in this meeting many times before, because it is something he says he will never forget. My parents had taken His Holiness a gift when going to meet him- it was a beautiful crystal ornament. However, His Holiness gifted this ornament back to us and said to place it in our house as a gift from him and he will come to our house to see it. My father was quite taken aback by this statement as when His Holiness resided in London, very rarely he visited people’s houses. Despite that, although we never spoke about it, we firmly believed that since our beloved Khalifa had spoken these words, they were bound to come true.

Growing up in London, close to Fazl Mosque, the former home of His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper), I had always felt a very strong connection to Khilafat and to our current Khalifa. As a child, I would go the mosque for Prayers quite regularly and as soon as the Prayers would finish, I would run outside to see if I could catch a glimpse of our beloved Khalifa as he was leaving the mosque. Even a small glance in my direction, or a small smile as he was leaving would make me feel at peace and fill me with joy. As I have grown up, this connection with Khilafat has only grown stronger. I found myself going to the mosque 5 times a day when I could, so I was able to catch these glimpses of His Holiness and feel that same childlike feeling once again. Khilafat has guided me to Allah and to always follow the right path, time and time again, whether it be staying consistent in my Prayers or finding an answer to a question I did not even know I had whilst listening to one of His Holiness’ speeches. Khilafat truly is a rope to Allah, a rope that if you ever let it go, it will catch you and pick you back up again.

In 2019, His Holiness relocated to Islamabad in Tilford after living in London for several years and people who served the Community were asked to relocate as well. We would never have imagined as a family that we would be one of those to move and be lucky enough to live in such proximity to His Holiness, in such a blessed and peaceful place. Nevertheless, we were also asked to relocate to Islamabad, making my connection to Khilafat and ultimately, to Allah ever stronger.

It was after moving to Islamabad that those words that His Holiness had said in our meeting with him over a decade ago came true. His Holiness visited our house multiple times and that feeling of joy and peacefulness overwhelmed me each time. He went through our house so lovingly, noticing every aspect and visiting every room. He even took such care in our house that he asked if he should remove his shoes when going upstairs. His footsteps are only filled our house with blessings and the radiance of Khilafat.

For me, Khilafat is like a beacon of light, a star in the sky which is constantly guiding us on the right path and reminding us of our purpose on this Earth- it is what keeps me anchored in this ever-changing world.