Voice of British Muslim Women

Ghazalah Munib, London

As a six-year-old, I remember regularly attending classes organised for young Ahmadi girls, with the intention to provide a space for moral and social training. Here, a piece of lined paper would be handed to us, and we were asked to write a letter to His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper), the current Khalifa, worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. We were told we could say anything that was on our minds and let our Khalifa know what was happening in our lives. Although I didn’t have many words yet, and my handwriting was illegible, crossing over and under the lines, the feeling of knowing that my Khalifa would look over my letter, read it and know about me, was incredible to my young mind.

Knowing that I could share my happiness or sadness, my achievements, or my failures, and not have to worry about any judgement, but just receive a reply with beautiful guidance and prayers, was a great comfort. It cannot be found anywhere else other than with Khilafat.

The most important letter I wrote to my beloved Khalifa was when I was in Year 8, when I was deciding on which GCSEs to choose and which career path I wanted to pursue in the future. Making these decisions and with the aim to dedicate my life to Khilafat, I wished to receive my guidance solely from our beloved Khalifa. In response to my letter, I received a beautiful response, offering guidance on the subjects and path I should choose, why I should choose it, and alongside this, he mentioned some beautiful and amazing prayers that would strengthen and motivate me for the rest of my life.

My dreams and my future are still in the works, but I am determined as ever to achieve the best of my ability and follow the guidance and instructions given to me, by Khilafat. Those words in that letter, and all the other letters that I have written over the last 8 years have allowed me to remain focused and to achieve my personal best, but most of all, they have brought me closer to Allah. It is my personal bond, my love for Khalifat that has allowed me to stay strong when things got so hard that others alongside me gave up or it reminded me remember God when I was fortunate enough to excel. If it wasn’t for Khilafat, I would not know what to make of myself in this world.

I am lucky, beyond belief, to be an Ahmadi Muslim. Since I was a little child, my parents helped me build a bond with Khilafat. Conversations about Khilafat were a regular feature at home, and the importance of building a relationship with the Khalifa was always instilled in me. It is through such conversations that I have obtained what I cherish the most in my life: my bond with Khilafat.