Voice of British Muslim Women

Ayesha Naseem, Blackburn

Humans are curious beings. We are always looking for things to do, issues to talk about, and whether we openly ask them or we don’t, we also always question.

Searching, questioning, and having the desire for learning is an ability given to us by Allah the Almighty. And among everything He has provided us with to fulfil that desire, He has bestowed us with the most magnificent blessing of Khilafat.

The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) explains that after Prophets of God, it is only ‘their spiritual heirs, who are equipped with their high qualities and can set forth the verities and insights comprised in the Divine Book, under the guidance of revelation, and… can lead a seeker after truth to certainty.’ [2]

This entire prospect is so profound when one glances at all the responsibilities of the Khalifa of the time and all that he does for his Community. Delivering weekly Friday Sermons, addressing the Community and the general members of the public at countless events throughout a year, personally responding to all sorts of questions, matters and requests through written correspondence or private meetings, everything that the Khalifa does is effectively for seekers like you and me who long to attain that required level of certainty in our faith.

How many times we, as Ahmadi Muslims, have switched on the television to listen to Huzoor’s (may Allah be his Helper) Friday Sermon or have heard him answer a question or have been in his blessed company either in a private or a group meeting, and have thought to ourselves, “this is exactly what I needed to know today” or “how did Huzoor know that this is what I was thinking”?

Some hear his message from close, some see his picture from miles away, and then there are some who have never in their life seen the Khalifa of the time, yet their love for him is one of its own kind. No matter we live near him or far, he is our spiritual father, he is that one person who will always understand us even if the whole world doesn’t. 

When nothing makes sense, I am reminded of Huzoor’s repeated emphasis on maintaining a connection with Allah the Almighty and to pray to Him fervently always. Just this mere thought that I am regularly reminded of is a testament that a Khalifa indeed leads his followers towards certainty.

Writing a letter to him always comes next. There is no better feeling than that of having written to Huzoor for guidance and prayers. I still don’t quite understand how this works, but this must also be a proof of the truth of Allah the Almighty and His appointed Khalifa that I wouldn’t have even posted the letter and my worries and problems would begin to ease and disappear.

This ultimate connection between the Khalifa and an Ahmadi Muslim is itself an invaluable contributing factor for the latter’s attainment of certainty in faith. The compassion and the truest forms of affection and love that the Khalifa holds for his Community has no similar example elsewhere in the world. It is the unique and the special nature of this bond that no one can instil it in the hearts of people except God Almighty Himself. And ultimately, this is the living proof of the truth of Islam and Ahmadiyyat.

Here I am reminded of a saying of the third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Mirza Nasir Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), which I think would be quite a suitable ending for this piece. Explaining the nature of the connection between the Khalifa and his Community, His Holiness said:

‘Just as an injured finger causes the whole body to become restless, and just as mental stress causes the body to feel stressed, the same is the case with the Khalifa of the time and Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya.’ [3]

References

[1] The Promised Messiah, Testimony of the Holy Quran, p. 78.

[2] Ibid.  

[3] His Holiness Mirza Nasir Ahmad, the third Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (may Allah have Mercy on him), Al Fazl, 21 May 1978.