Voice of British Muslim Women

Khola Shah, Surrey

There are few occasions in life where I have simply been stunned into silence. It is no surprise that these have all been times when I have seen His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his Helper, the current Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Be it as a young girl rushing out of the ladies’ hall in Fazl Mosque after Prayers, weaving my way through a sea of burqas in the hope that His Holiness will notice me wave, or be it the fortunate moment which I am about to relate. I have always felt I fall short in expressing myself before my Khalifa, as I am sure many Ahmadi Muslims do. But somehow, even in the silence, it transpires as such that he knows. This is because a Khalifa’s personage is imbued with such righteousness that ‘…when they see, they do not see with their own concentration, as is the norm for others; but rather, their sight is free from human involvement and is illumined by the light of God Almighty – God shows them that which even the most scrupulous attention could not reveal to man.’[1] It is no surprise then that when words fail us, our Khalifa knows what we wish to say. As though by miracle he knows that which hitherto we have only shared with our Prayer mat; that which has remained between us and Allah Almighty alone.

In light of this I recall a precious memory of a private family mulaqat (meeting) with His Holiness. During my time at university, I requested His Holiness’ permission to write my dissertation about the human rights abuses against Ahmadis through the lens of poetry. I was especially apprehensive about being able to do justice to such a topic. But when I sat before His Holiness, stumbling over my words as I attempted to explain my research project idea, His Holiness expressed such enthusiasm that all my concerns dissipated. I felt so humbled by how attentively His Holiness listened. At the same time, I noticed His Holiness briefly write something with a beautiful silver fountain pen, whilst reaching for a box in the drawer of his desk. I felt extremely humbled that His Holiness then wrapped the pen in this box for me and gifted it to me. I was struck even more so by the blessed and symbolic significance of this passing of the pen by my Khalifa. A jihad of the pen.

It is certainly true that in moments such as these, our Khalifa’s care for us transcends the realms of language, it permeates the silence with a resounding, all-encompassing light declaring that he is Allah’s beloved. This care is indeed a reflection of ‘the love of God which possesses a believer [and] results in their being enveloped by divine light.’[2] It is unrivalled. It speaks heart to heart, soul to soul. So, as His Holiness greets us with his radiant smile, his gentle wave, his blessed hand over our heads, his passing of the pen, we ought to realise what a blessing to the world a Khalifa is. Our Khalifa cares for us more than anyone because where words fail, a Khalifa’s love prevails.

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[1] Malfuzat Vol.I, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on whom be peace). p.115

[2] Malfuzat Vol.I, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on whom be peace). p.117