Warda Firdous, Raynes Park

Since a young age I have always admired the institution of Khilafat and the Khulefa (plural for the term Khalifa). After visiting him in an audience and standing beside him with my fancy pen and my Twix bar which he graciously gifted me, I understood the immense love Ahmadis have for our Khalifa, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) and Khilafat. It brought us peace. It gave us that candle lit of hope in this dark, dark world.

During my life I have seen and experienced many key moments where it has been evident that Khilafat is my hope. One example is my GCSE exam results. After the exam cancellation due to the pandemic, I was very scared that I wouldn’t be able to achieve the grades I felt I deserved, therefore at that time, my mum advised me to call the Khalifa’s personal secretary to request prayers and continue to write letters to His Holiness. Subsequently, I started to call his secretary around few days. By the grace of God, I was able to receive very good grades. I realised that I was less scared as I got closer to my results day because I had hope. I believed in my prayers as well as my hope in the prayers of our beloved His Holiness.

Khilafat is a hand, a helper, and a communication portal between humans and the divine Allah the Almighty. God’s grace has caused this hand to reach a wider community and has garnered many people worldwide of different races, ethnicities, and backgrounds, but all have one thing in common; they are holding onto Khilafat, the rope of Allah. His Holiness said in the sermon of the 103rd anniversary of Khilafate Ahmadiyya: “The fears or difficulties of those who stay close to Khilafat will transform into peace and tranquillity… Today if you look at the majority of the Muslim world then you will see that the vast majority of Muslims are filled with turmoil and anxieties. May God grant the Muslim community the capability of recognising the truth.” (Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Celebrates Khilafat Anniversary, 2011)

Thus, one can see that Khilafat is the peace that Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon this Earth. It is the key to the locks of hostility and hatred in this world. Love for All, Hatred for None. This memorable iconic slogan was derived in 1980 by His Holiness Khalifatul Masih III (may Allah have mercy on him), when he was addressing a congregation, after laying the foundation stone for the first mosque in Pedrobad, Spain. He stated: “My message to everyone is that you must have ‘Love for all, Hatred for none!” (“Love for All, Hatred for None” – Historical Trip to Spain, 2008)

Khilafat can unlock broken locks and hearts, it can give a new purpose to the hopeless, it can be the light in the dark to those that have lost their ways. Khilafat is our hope. Khilafat is the rope of Allah.

Bibliography

“Love for All, Hatred for None” – Historical Trip to Spain. (2008, March 1st). Retrieved from Review of Religion: https://www.reviewofreligions.org/1966/love-for-all-hatred-for-none-historical-trip-to-spain/

Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Celebrates Khilafat Anniversary. (2011, May 27th). Retrieved from alislam.org: https://www.alislam.org/press-release/ahmadiyya-muslim-jamaat-celebrates-khilafat-anniversary/