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JALSASALANAUK2017

APersonalAccount–Part1

ByAbidKhan

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Introduction

In2016,HazratKhalifatulMasihV(aba)graciouslyinvitedmetospendtwo

weekseithersideofJalsaSalanaUKincloseproximitytohim.JustasIhad

doneduringHuzoor’s tours abroad, I spent timewithHuzoor in London,

observed someofhis activities andmetmanyof thepeoplewhohad the

opportunitytomeethimduringthosedays.

I was unsure if this was a ‘one-off’ or something that I would have the

opportunity to do again. Indeed, during themonths preceding this year’s

JalsaSalana,anumberofpeoplecontactedmetoaskifIwouldbewriting

another‘UKJalsadiary’.IwouldrespondbysayingthatIwaswaitingtosee

ifIreceivedanyinstructionsinthisregard.

Itsohappenedthatduringtheafternoonof12July2017,asIwasleaving

Huzoor’sofficeafterMulaqat,Huzoorsaid:

“Youshouldwriteyourdiaryagainthisyear.Youcanstartthisweekend

attheFazlMosqueandthenfromnextweekendyoushouldcontinuethis

dutythroughouttheJalsaperiod.”

Iwas,ofcourse,extremelydelightedtohavetheopportunityonceagainto

spendmoretimewithHuzooranddespite,havingwrittenadiarylastyear,

overthecourseofthenextfewweeks,Iwasagainleftamazedwitnessing

Huzoor’sdailyroutine.

Huzoor’s schedule is relentless the entire year but the days around Jalsa

SalanaUKareevenmoredemanding.

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Asalways,AhmadisfromallaroundtheworldhadgatheredinLondonand

HuzoormetasmanyaspossibleindividuallyoraspartofJamaatdelegations.

Huzoormetcountlessdignitariesandnon-Ahmadiguestsandheldvarious

media interviewswith journalists fromaround theworld.Heheldofficial

meetingswith Jamaatrepresentatives fromdifferentcountries,answering

theirquestionsandguidingthemwithloveandwisdom.

In addition, Huzoor prepared, and then delivered his addresses, for Jalsa

Salana and all thewhile, he continuedwith his normal activities, such as

readingandrespondingtothethousandsoflettershereceivedeachweek

from Ahmadis around the world. He continued to review all official

correspondence from various Jamaat offices and missions and gave

instructionsandguidancetoall.

Furthermore, Huzoor is constantly concerned about thewelfare of every

singleparticipantofJalsaandsohetookdailyreportsaboutwhichpeople

andgroupshadarrivedandwhowasstilltocome.

Further, throughout the Jalsa itself, Huzoorwas kept informed about the

healthandwell-beingofthemembersoftheJamaat.Similarly,iftherewere

anyissuesorproblemswiththearrangementsinvariablyHuzoor’sguidance

andprayersweresought.

Whilst,IhopetogivereadersanideaofHuzoor’sactivitiesduringtheJalsa

UKperiod,IcanneverdojusticetothemandnorwillIeverbeabletotruly

portraytheemotionsofthosepeoplewhoattendedtheJalsaandwereable

tomeetHuzoor.

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AdaftariMulaqat

Thisyear,Eid-ul-FitrwasofferedintheUKon26June2017,whichmeantan

intervalofonemonthuntilthestartofJalsaSalanaUK.InthedaysafterEid,

peoplestartedtoarriveinLondonfromdifferentcountriesandwitheach

daythatpassedthenumbersincreased.

OneofthepeoplewhocamequiteearlywasSyedMubasharAyyaz(54)from

Rabwah,whohasbeenafamiliarfaceattheUKJalsaforthepastfewyears.

After qualifying from Jamia Ahmadiyya in 1987, alongside serving in the

Jamaat’sResearch Cell based inRabwah,MubasharAyyaz sahib has been

servingasPrincipalJamiaAhmadiyyaRabwahsince2015.

Afewdaysbeforethestartofthisyear’sJalsa,ImetMubasharAyyazsahib

shortlyafterhehadadaftari(official)MulaqatwithHuzoor.

Throughout the year Huzoor holds daftari Mulaqats, in which he meets

officials of the Jamaat from different departments, offices and from the

auxiliaries,aswellasrepresentativesofthedifferentinstitutionsestablished

bytheJamaat.

Normally it isHuzoor’sroutinetoholdsuchmeetings inthemorningand

theycontinueuntiltheZuhrprayers.Suchmeetingsareextremelyimportant

as Huzoor gives direct guidance to Jamaat officials and clarifies various

issues.

OnethingthathasalwaysstoodouttomeisHuzoor’sefficiencyandthisis

somethingMubasharAyyazsahibalsonoted.

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MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:

“WheneverIhavehadthechancetomeetHuzoorinadaftariMulaqat,I

presentvariousissuesandnormallyIanticipatethatitwilltakeanhour,

oratleast30minutes,togothroughthedifferentquestionsandpoints

thatIhave.However,mybeliefandexperienceisthatAllahblessesthe

timeoftheKhalifa-WaqtsothatwhatIexpectwilltakeanhourisoften

coveredinjust3or4minutes!Furthermore,nothingisleftandnordo

any questions remain in my mind, rather in that very short period

Huzoorclarifieseverythingandsolvesalloftheproblemsorworriesthat

Ihad.Huzoor’severyanswergivesfullpeaceofmindandsatisfaction.”

MubasharAyyazsmiledandadded:

“Sometimes I run out of things to say and then Huzoor says ‘Aur?’

meaning‘Anythingelse?’andthenIamstuckwithnothingelsetosay!”

RegardinghisMulaqatearlierintheday,MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:

“Thistime,Itook20pointsorquestionstopresenttoHuzoorandinafew

minutes,Iwasabletotakesuchblessedguidancethatwillbenefitour

Jamaatworkforyearstocome.AsIleftHuzoor’soffice,Ifeltsoblessed

andjoyousanditfeltlikeIhadbeengivenanewlife–thisishowKhalifa-

Waqtmakesyoufeel.”

AnotherthingthatMubasharAyyazsahibmentionedwashowsometimes

Huzoor’s guidance was contrary to his own expectations. This was

somethingImyselfhadexperienced.

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Speakingofonesuchincident,MubasharAyyazsahibsaid:

“Last year, I mentioned to Huzoor that something on the MTA

programmeFiqahiMasa’ilwasnotappropriateandIwasquitesurethat

Huzoorwouldagreewithme.However,Huzoor’sanswerwasdifferent

andmademerealisethatmyownthoughtprocesswascompletelywrong

andHuzoor’sapproachwasfilledwithsomuchwisdom.”

Ashebecamevisiblyemotional,MubasharAyyazsahibcontinued:

“Huzoor’smethodofguidingandteachingisfilledwithloveandsoeven

whenhecorrectsyouordrawsyourattentiontosomethingitincreases

yourloveforhim.”

Aswecontinuedtosittogether,IaskedMubasharsahibifhehadanyspecial

recollectionofHuzoorfrombeforeKhilafat.

Mubasharsahibpausedforasecondbeforesaying:

“BeforeKhilafat,I foundHuzoortobeextremelyquiet,almostsilent.If

HuzoorwasinvitedtoaJamaatevent,normallyhewouldattendbuton

theconditionthatsomeothereldershouldspeakandhewouldnot.How

beautifulandfaithinspiringitisthatheisapersonwhopreferrednever

to speak until that day when Allah the Almighty commanded him to

speakbeforetheentireworld.Thatsamepersonisnowthevoiceofthe

time,whotravelstheworldinordertoconveythemessageofAllahtothe

worldandsurelywhoeverfailstoheedhiswarningswillsuffergravely.”

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MubasharAyyazsahibtoldmethatduringhisMulaqathehadmentionedhis

desirethataproperbiographyispublishedaboutHuzoor’slife.Uponthis,

HuzoorsharedwithMubasharsahibsomeincidentsabouttheconditionsin

which Huzoor and his family lived in Ghana in the late 1970s and early

1980s.

MubasharAyyazsaid:

“IlearnedwhatasimplelifeHuzoorlivedandhowhealwaysremained

contentwithwhatever he had and never complained.Huzoor toldme

that I should follow this example because, as the Principal of Jamia

Ahmadiyya,IshouldsetanexampleforallthestudentsinJamia.”

TrustinAllah

A fewdays later, Imentioned toHuzoormyconversationwithMubashar

Ayyaz sahib and very graciously Huzoor also shared with me some

memoriesofhistimeinAfrica,whichexhibitedhissimplicityandcomplete

trustinAllah.

Huzoorsaid:

“WhenwelivedinAfrica,ourchildrenwereverysmallandsoweneeded

milkforthembutsometimesitwasnotavailableandfinishedbeforeI

couldgetmore.Iremembervividlyononesuchoccasion,themilkwas

finishedandSaboohi (Huzoor’srespectedwife)wasworriedbut I told

herthatwewillnotaskanyoneforhelporputanyburdenontheJamaat.

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Rather,IsaidweshoulddoIstighfarbecausetherearegreatblessingsin

thisprayerandweshouldleavetheresttoAllah.”

AsHuzoorsaidthesewordsIfeltmyselfbecomingextremelyemotional.The

thoughtofHuzoorandKhalaSaboohi(Huzoor’srespectedwife)livinginsuch

conditionswheretheywerestrugglingtofindthemostbasicnourishment

fortheiryoungchildrenwasextremelypainful.

Yetatthesametime,itwasalessonthatevenasayoungman, livingina

foreigncountryandfacinghardship,Huzoorneverexhibitedanypanicnor

expressedanyfearordesperation.

Continuing,Huzoorsaid:

“WecontinuedtopraytoAllahandtoofferIstighfarandaswedid,there

wasaknockatourdoorlaterthatevening.WhenIopenedthedoor,Isaw

anAhmaditeacherwhohadtravelledfromhundredsofmilesandwas

onhisway toKumasi city.He toldme thatwhilsthewas travelling it

occurredtohimthatwewouldbeinneedofmilkforourchildrenandso

hetravelledoutofhiswayonextremelypoorqualityanddifficultroads.

Hegaveusacartonofmilk,whichwassufficientforourchildrenforthe

nextfewdays.Alhamdolillah,Allahhadansweredourprayers.”

Speakingmore generally of the conditions in Ghana, inwhich he and his

familylived,Huzoorsaid:

“In Africa, there was a shortage of food and so Saboohi (Huzoor’s

respected wife) would have to improvise and we would eat curries

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without any meat or vegetables. For example, white beans were

availableandsowewouldgrindthemandmakeastockbyaddingwater

andsomesaltorspices.”

Huzoortoldmethesestorieswithasmileonhisfaceand,ratherthanlook

backatthatperiodwithanysadnessatthedifficultiesheandhisfamilyhad

faced,HuzoorlookedbackwithhappinessathowAllahhadfulfilledalltheir

needs.

EmotionsofAhmadis

A great blessing of Khilafat is the certainty and reassurance thatKhalifa-

WaqtimpartsintheheartsofAhmadis.Inthisregard,onepersonImetwas

Samir-ud-dinAliKhan(35)whohadbeenlivinginDubaiforsomeyears.

SpeakingofmeetingHuzoorafewdaysbeforetheJalsa,Samirsaid:

“Before today’s Mulaqat, I was extremely nervous because I had two

specificquestionsregardingmylifeforwhichIneededHuzoor’sadvice.

Forthepastsevenmonths,Ihadthoughtoverandoveragainabouthow

totackletheseissuesbecausebothhadthepotentialtohaveabigeffect

onmylife.WhenIpresentedthemtoHuzoorheansweredtheminjusta

fewsecondsinthemostperfectwayanditfeelslikeanincrediblyheavy

weight has been lifted frommy shoulders. It is amazing that Huzoor

respondswithasmileandveryinformallyandyetwhenyouthinkabout

hisactualwordsyourealisehowmuchwisdomthereisinthem.”

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AnotherpersonImetwasayoungstudent,ShahrukhKhan(23)fromNew

York, who was spending the summer doing an internship at Oxford

University.

Shahrukhsaid:

“Ever since I was a child, I have listened to Huzoor’s sermons and

consideredhimtobemyrolemodelbutmeetinghiminpersonhastaken

my love and understanding of Khilafat to a whole new level. I feel a

spiritualitythatIhaveneverfeltbefore.Ifeelanawakeninginmyheart

becauseIhavemettheholiestpersonintheworldtoday.”

Asourmeetingended,Shahrukhsaid:

“GrowingupintheWestisdifficultandwefacealotofchallengesand

obstaclesthatcantakeusawayfromourfaithbutKhilafat isashield

thatshowsusthatworldlythingsaredistractionsandweshouldfocus

onourfaith.HuzoorencouragestheyouthbyshowingusthatIslamdoes

not restrict us but encourages us to excel, whilst channelling our

passions in a positive direction. For example, when I asked Huzoor’s

guidanceaboutmyfuturestudies,hewasnotatallrigidandencouraged

metopursuethosesubjectsaboutwhichIampassionate.”

AnotherpersonImetintherun-uptoJalsawasYusufSayed(51)fromNew

JerseyintheUnitedStates.

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SpeakingaftermeetingHuzoorafteraperiodoffiveyears,Yusufsahibsaid:

“I can’t speak and can’t breathe! I am speechless! The feeling of

spiritualitythatemanatesfromHuzoorisunlikeanythingelse.”

Withwords,Iamunlikelytoforget,Yusufsahibcontinued:

“Withoutdoubt,Khilafathassavedme!IfIwasnotanAhmadi,IthinkI

would be the world’s biggest terrorist. I am not joking but am very

serious. There are so many frustrations in the world, especially for

immigrantsandtherearesomanythingsthatcanmakeyourestlessor

leadyoutothewrongtrack.Andso,Iamtheluckiestpersonintheworld

thatIhavebeensavedandrightlyguidedbyKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.”

Afaithinspiringnarration

Anotherperson Imet in the run-up to Jalsa SalanawasMahmoodAhmad

Malhi(27),ayoungMissionarywhohadgraduatedfromJamiaAhmadiyya

GermanyandwasnowpostedinCologne.

During,Huzoor’srecentvisitstoGermanyIhadseenMahmoodsahibona

fewoccasionsbuthadneverspokenwithhim.However,thistimeinLondon

heapproachedmehimselfbeforehisMulaqatwithHuzoorandsoughtmy

advice.

He toldme he had been very effected by an incident I had narrated in a

previousdiaryaboutanAhmadiladyinGermanywhohadsoughtHuzoor’s

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prayersforherchildren.IwroteabouthowHuzoortoldmetotellherthat

hehadprayedforherthroughoutthenight.

Inthisregard,Mahmoodsahibaskedmeifitwouldbeappropriateforhim

toaskHuzoortoprayforhimandhisfamilyinthesameway.

Inreply,Isaid:

“IneveraskedHuzoorexactlywhathemeantbutIdonotthinkHuzoor’s

commentmeantthatheprayedconstantlythroughoutthenightonlyfor

that lady.Rather, I thinkhemeant thatheprayed forheratdifferent

timesthatnight.”

Later, as Mahmood sahib came out of Mulaqat, I asked him if he had

requestedHuzoor’sprayersinthewayheplanned.

Inreply,MahmoodMalhisahibsaid:

“IdidaskHuzoortoprayformeliketheladyhehadprayedforandin

reply,Huzoorsaidthatthemeaningofprayingallnightmeantthathe

willhaveprayedatvariousstagesofthenightforthatindividualandit

didnotmeanthatheonlyprayedforherduringthenight.Anyway,when

IaskedHuzoortoprayformeinthesamewayhedidnotsayanything

buthesmiled.”

Thereafter,MahmoodsahibnarratedanincidentthatIfoundtobeextremely

captivatingandfaithinspiring.

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He told me that when he started at Jamia many years ago, one of his

classmates,Arsalan,whowasalsooneofhisbestfriends,wrotetoHuzoor

askingwhatthe‘secrettosuccess’inJamiawas.

Ratherthanrespondingthatheshouldworkhardorbygivingeducational

tips,Huzoorwrotebacksimplywiththewords:

“ThesecrettosuccessisthatyouarepunctualinofferingNamaz.”

Mahmood sahib told me that after receiving this response, Arsalan took

Huzoor’swordstoheartandwasalwaysoneofthefirstpeoplesittinginthe

Mosqueforeachprayerandcontinuedthispracticethroughouttheseven

yearsofJamia.

Continuingthestory,Mahmoodsahibsaid:

“Afterafewyears,ourJamiacollegemovedtoitscurrentpurpose-built

siteinRiedstadtandHuzoorcametoinaugurateit.Onthatoccasion,all

oftheJamiastudentsandteacherswereseatedinfrontofHuzoor.Iwas

seatednext toArsalanandwithgreat fervourandemotionheprayed

that‘OAllah,ifyoutrulyexistthenpleasemakeHuzoorremembermeat

thistime.’”

Mahmoodsahibcontinued:

“LiterallyafewsecondsafterArsalanprayedthis,Huzoorcalledoutfrom

thestage‘Arsalankahanhain?’meaning‘WhereisArsalan?’.Inastate

ofshock,Arsalanstoodup,Huzoorlookedinhisdirectionandthentold

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himtositdownagainwithoutsayinganythingelse.Iamwitnesstothis

amazingandfaithinspiringincident.Idonotthinkitislikelythatifother

peoplepraythatHuzoorshouldcalltheminstantlythatAllahwillanswer

theirprayersinthesameway.Rather,Ibelievebecausemyfriendtook

Huzoor’s advice to be punctual in prayers so seriously that on this

occasionAllahrewardedhimbyansweringhisprayerthereandthen.”

AWelshconvert

OneofthepeopletomeetHuzoorduringthosedaysfortheveryfirsttime

wasanelderlyWelshmancalledAshleyHowellThomas(77)fromCardiff.

AshleysahibhadconvertedtoAhmadiyyatin2016andsoIaskedhimhow

hehadcometoacceptIslam.

Ashleysahibsaid:

“I always consideredmyself to be quite a spiritual person and I was

heavilyinvolvedinChurchactivitiesandmostofmyfriendswerelinked

to theChurch.However,one thing I struggledwithwas theconceptof

Jesus,peacebeuponhim,havingthestatusofGod.ThiswassomethingI

couldnotreconcileandcausedincreasingdoubtstoentermymindasI

grewolder.”

Ashleysahibcontinued:

“Acoupleofyearsago,IcameacrosssomeAhmadiMuslimswhowere

preachingatastallinCardiffandIwasimmediatelyimpressedbyhow

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friendlyandwarmtheywere.Theywereagainstall formsofreligious

hatred or division and this really appealed to me. Over the next few

weeksandmonths,IstudiedIslamandIfoundthatinallaspectsoflifeit

providedwhatIconsideredtobean‘ideal’solution.Atatimewhenthere

is a lot of prejudiceandhatredagainst Islam, I read thebook ‘Life of

Muhammad’andwassoimpressedbythecharacteroftheHolyProphet

ofIslam(peacebeuponhim).”

AshleysahibtoldmethatafterafewmonthshehadacceptedIslaminhis

heartbuthadnotdecidedwhichsectofIslamtoalignwith,ashewasalsoin

contactwithsomenon-AhmadiMuslims.

Ashleysahibsaid:

“Initially, I was confused about which Mosque to attend but soon I

realisedthatAhmadiswerethemostopen-mindedandtolerantofallthe

Muslimsand theiranswerswere themost logical.Now,a year later, I

havenoregretsandamconfidentImadetherightchoice.”

Ashleysahibcontinued:

“IdofeeldisappointmentthatthereissomehostilitytowardsAhmadis

fromotherMuslimgroups.Forexample,onedayIwasinataxiwitha

MuslimdriverandhecondescendinglyaskedmewhyIwasgoingtothe

AhmadiyyaMosque.Inreply,ItoldhimthatmypurposeistoserveGod

andIbelievetheHolyProphetMuhammad(peacebeuponhim)tobethe

MessengerofAllahandthisismypriority.WhenIgavehimthisresponse

hisattitudesoftenedandhebecamemuchmorefriendly!”

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AshleysahibtoldmeabouthisfirstmeetingwithHuzoorandhowhehad

beengivenaMuslimnamebyHuzoor.

Ashleysahibsaid:

“MeetingHuzoorwasextremelyreassuringandmorethananythingIfelt

secureinhispresence.Iwassurprisedathowgenuineandhumbleheis!

IalsofeelveryluckybecauseIaskedHuzoorforaMuslimnameandso

he namedme ‘Nasir’. It is a really beautiful nameand one I feel very

happywith.”

MeetingwithAustralianMP

On 19 July 2017, despite being extremely busy preparing for Jalsa and

meetingtheAhmadiswhohadtravelledtomeethim,Huzooralsometwith

KevinConnolly,aMemberofParliament fromNewSouthWales,Australia

and his wife. The meeting took place at 1-pm and lasted for around

40minutes.

Onequality Ihavewitnessed inHuzoor ishowhenever forgetsanykind

gesturemadebyothers,nomatterhowsmall.Forexample,whenHuzoor

visitedJapanin2015,hewashostedforamealbyaJapanesebusinessman,

Mr.Sato,whohadbecomewellacquaintedwiththeJamaat.Afewmonths

later, Huzoor became aware that Mr. Sato was visiting London and so

personallyinvitedhimfordinnerandspentagreatdealoftimewithhim.

Inasimilarvein,whenHuzoorvisitedAustraliain2013,hewasreceivedat

theairportbyKevinConnollyMP,eventhoughHuzoor’sflightarrivedinthe

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veryearlyhoursofthemorning.Uponthis,Huzoorexpressedhisgratitude

toMr.Connollyandevenexpressedhisembarrassmentthathehadwoken

soearlytocometotheairport.

UponhisarrivalattheFazlMosque,IreceivedMr.Connollyandtalkedto

himforafewminutesbeforehismeetingwithHuzoor.Hetoldmehewason

apersonalholidaywithhiswifebuthaddesiredtomeetHuzoor,evenifonly

forafewminutes.

Later,whenthemeetingconcluded,heexpressedhissurprisethatHuzoor

hadmethimandhiswifefor40minutes,whenhehadexpectedonlyhave

fivetotenminutes.Inmyheart,IwasquitesurethatthereasonHuzoorhad

given Mr. Connolly so much time was not because of his status as a

Parliamentarian but because Mr. Connolly had come to the airport and

receivedHuzoorinthemiddleofthenightin2013.

Duringthemeetingitself,HuzoorandMr.Connollyspokeoftheincreasing

threatofterrorismintheworld.

SpeakingabouttherecentspateofterroristattacksinLondon,Huzoorsaid:

“Despite the attacks, I am glad to say that the situation in London

remainscalm,however,wearenowatastagethatitcannotbesaidthat

anypartoftheworldissafefromthethreatofterrorismandextremism.

EveninAustralia,therearerisksandsoyoumuststayvigilant.”

HuzoorexplainedhowtheJamaatwasseekingtoportraythetruemessage

of Islam and so whenever there were any terrorist incidents or attacks,

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Ahmadiswouldgotothescenetooffertheirsympathiesandtospeaktothe

mediatocondemntheatrocitiesthatweretakingplace.

Regardingthis,Huzoorsmiledandrecalledacartoonrecentlypublishedin

anAustraliannewspaper.Huzoorsaid:

“WhenourAhmadiyouthswenttooffertheirsympathiesaftertherecent

attacks in London some of them were wearing T-shirts bearing the

message‘IamaMuslim,askmeanything’andtheseT-shirtswereshown

in the media. As a result, I recently saw a cartoon in an Australian

newspaperinwhichitshowedaMuslimyouthwearingthisT-shirtbeing

approachedbyanon-Muslimlady.However,thequestionsheaskedwas

notabouthisfaithbutwhetherornothewasgoodattennis!”

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Mr.ConnollyinformedHuzoorthattheareawhereourBaitulHudaMosque

waslocatedinSydneyhaddevelopedalotoverthepastfewyears.

Hearingthis,Huzoorsaid:

“SuchdevelopmentisnotuniquetoourMosqueinSydney.Infact,when

this land for theFazlMosquewas identifiedourMissionary inLondon

wrotetoourSecondKhalifasayingthatit istoofarfromthecentreof

London.Inreply,theSecondKhalifasaidheshouldnotworryandthat

thecitywillcometoreachtheMosqueandovertheyearsthishascome

true,asLondonhasexpandedanddeveloped.”

Mr.Connolly informedHuzoorthathecontinuedtoserveasaMemberof

ParliamentinNewSouthWales.

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“Ourbeliefis‘onceafriend,alwaysafriend’andsowewillalwaysinvite

youtooureventsandconsideryouourfriendwhetheryouareanMPor

not.”

UponbeingaskedbytheMPwhathis‘priorities’fortheJamaatwere,Huzoor

said:

“We are passing through very challenging times where terrorism is

beingconductedinthenameofIslamandsoourpriorityistoshowthe

worldwhatIslamtrulyisandtospreaditsrealandpeacefulteachings.

The fears of non-Muslims are to some extent rational because of the

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terrorism perpetrated in different countries but they must also

rememberthat theextremistsare ina tinyminorityandthat thevast

majorityofMuslimsarepeaceful.”

Inreply,Mr.Connollysaid:

“Itiswonderfultoseehowthismessageofpeaceandtherejectionofall

extremism is coming fromwithin Islam through your leadership. You

andyourcommunityareshowingusthatIslamisameansofpeaceata

timewhenthismessageisneededurgently.”

As themeetingconcluded,Mr.ConnollyaskedHuzoorhisviewsaboutUS

PresidentDonaldTrump.

Again,Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“IthinkPresidentTrumpdoesnotbelieveintraditionaldiplomacy!”

As Huzoor said these words, I thought to myself how astute and true

Huzoor’sanalysiswasandhowin justa fewwordshehadhighlightedan

issue which was causing headaches for world leaders and governments

acrosstheworld!

70thanniversaryofIndependence

DuringthedaysaroundJalsa,IcontinuedtomeetHuzoorintheafternoonin

hisofficedaily.Despite,havingalistofMulaqatsthatwasincreasingbythe

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day,HuzoorstilltookthetimetolistentowhateverIhadtopresentandto

answeranyquestionsIhad.

Forexample,oneafternoon,ImentionedtoHuzoorthatsomejournalistshad

askedusourJamaat’sviewonthePartitionofPakistanandIndia,giventhat

the70thanniversarywasfastapproaching.Ihadparticularlybeenaskedif

Ahmadis regretted supporting Partition given that our Jamaat had been

persecutedformanydecadesinPakistan.

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“It is true that we Ahmadis are subject to cruelties and injustice in

Pakistanbutwealso firmly believe that oneday this persecutionwill

cometoanend.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“The Founder of Pakistan,Qaid-e-AzamacceptedAhmadis asMuslims

anddesiredforaStateinwhichallpeoplewouldhavereligiousfreedom

and sohewas fully supportedbyHazratMuslehMaud (ra).However,

even at that time, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) knew that eventually,

AhmadiscouldthemselvesbecomeatargetforpersecutioninPakistan

butthatdidnotstophimfromsupportingitscreation.”

Huzoorfurthersaid:

“Rather, Hazrat Musleh Maud’s (ra) objective was for all Muslims to

acquirefreedomandsohesupportedthemovementforthecreationof

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Pakistan,despitethepotentialrisks forAhmadis.Hence,wewillnever

saythatthedecisiontocreateanindependentPakistaniStatewaswrong

orsomethingthatweregret. Instead,wecontinuetohave full trust in

AllahtheAlmightythatonedayallAhmadiMuslimsinPakistanwillbe

freetopracticetheirfaithopenlyandwithoutanyfearofpersecution.”

AsHuzoorsaidthesewordsIfeltemotionalandinspiredatthesametime.

WhatreallystruckmewashowHuzoorsaidthatHazratMuslehMaud(ra)

understood that ultimately Ahmadis could be targeted by the Pakistani

Government and clerics, yet for the greater good of theMuslims hewas

willingtomakethatsacrifice.

Similarly, Huzoor’s comment that a day will come when our Ahmadi

brothersandsisterswillbefreefrompersecutionillustratedhiscomplete

trustinAllahtheAlmighty.

Afewmomentswithafriend

A few years ago, a young English man called Jonathan Butterworth (31)

acceptedIslamandenteredthefoldofthePromisedMessiah(as).Withthe

GraceofAllah,JonathonisnowservingasaNationalAmilamemberinthe

UK,responsibleforthetrainingofnewconvertsandisalsoaBoardMember

ofMTAInternational.

On22July2017,IsatdownwithJonathaninanMTAofficeattheFazlMosque

and he told me about his journey to Islam. Jonathan had recently been

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blessedwithasecondchild,whohehadjusttakenwithhiswifeandelder

childtomeetHuzoor.

Duringourmeeting,Jonathanbecameovercomebyemotion,ashenarrated

his personal relationship with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and to see a British

born,highlyeducatedyoungmansoemotionalandsoinlovewithIslamwas

veryfaith-inspiring.

At a timewhen Islam is beingdemonised andmisrepresented across the

world,thetransformationJonathandescribedinhimselfwasasignofhow

trueIslambestowedonlypeaceandsecurity.

Aswesattogether,JonathantoldmehisfatherwasaChristian,whilsthis

motherwasagnostic.Atschool,Jonathonwouldattendchapelthreetimes

eachweekandwouldprayandsinghymnsinthechoirbutallthewhilehe

didnothavearealbeliefinGod.However,ashematuredintohislateteens

andadulthoodhefeltaneedforspiritualitywhichledhiminitiallytowards

Buddhism.Thereafter,in2004,whilststudyingatKing’sCollegeinLondon,

hebecamefriendswithanAhmadiMuslimcalledQudsiRasheedwhotalked

tohimaboutIslamandAhmadiyyat.Asthefriendshipdeveloped,Jonathan

becamemoreandmoreinterestedinIslam.

Speakingaboutamajorturningpointinhislife,Jonathansaid:

“In 2010, I attended the UK Jalsa Salana for the first time and that

experiencehadaprofoundeffectonmeandIwasshakenandmovedby

theexperiencetotheextentthatitwasduringtheJalsathatIfirmlycame

to accept and believe in the existence of God. Once I came to this

24

realisationIwantedtoknowhowIcouldbecomeclosertomyCreator.

Thiswasthefirststageofmybelief.”

Jonathancontinued:

“IcontinuedtoprayandtoreadtheHolyQuran,aswellastheBibleand

thescripturesofothermajorreligionsaswell.Ialsostartedtoreadthe

EnglishtranslatedbooksofthePromisedMessiah(as)andwhatstruck

mewashowhesaidthatallreligionswerefromAllah.Thispointwas

uniqueandbeautiful.

In December 2010, I came to the realisation that the Holy Prophet

Muhammad(sa)wasthetruemessengerofAllahandthiswasthesecond

stageofmybelief.ThethirdandfinalstageofbeliefoccurredinJuly2011

whenIacceptedtheclaimofthePromisedMessiah(as)anddidBai’at.At

eachstage, I felt thatAllahHimselfwaschangingmyheartand I saw

dreamsthatguidedmetoIslamAhmadiyyat.”

Jonathan told me that during his initial period as an Ahmadi he still

consideredtheideaofhavingareligiousleaderassomewhatchallenging.

Jonathansaid:

“The biggest challenge for me in accepting Ahmadiyyat was the 10th

condition of Bai’at. To obey God is one thing but to pledge to obey a

humanbeing,asweareaskedtodointhe10thcondition,issomething

elseentirely.”

25

Jonathancontinued:

“Idistinctlyrememberthatoneday,shortlyafterdoingBai’at,Ilistened

toHuzoor’sFridaySermonandatthestartofthesermon,Ifeltasthough

Khilafatwasverydistantfromme.

However,duringthesermon,Huzoorspokeof theexperiencesofsome

converts toAhmadiyyatandeach incident increasedmy faithandas I

listened I felt a change in my heart that was happening beyond my

control.

There and then I bowed down before Allah in prostration and wept

beforehim,asIfeltasurgeofloveforKhilafatentermyheart.Thatwas

the moment when I realised that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya truly was a

Divineinstitution.”

AsJonathansharedthisverypersonalstorywithme,hebrokedownintears

andeachtimehewipedawayhistears,morewouldflowfromhiseyes.

Afterafewmoments,Jonathancomposedhimselftoanextentandsaid:

“IhavebeenluckytomeetHuzoorandtolistentohimonmanyoccasions

and in the early days, I sometimes tried to see if I could find any

weaknesses or flaws in his character. Yet, all I ever found were the

higheststandardsofmoralityandHuzoorhasonlyevergivenmeasense

ofcompletepeace.”

26

Jonathancontinued:

“My love forKhilafat isnot,God forbid,any formof shirk (associating

partnerswithGod).WeknowthatHuzoorisahumanbeingbutatthe

sametime,IbelievethathehasbeensentbyAllahHimselfasasignfor

usofGod’sexistenceandasameansforustobecomeclosertoAllah.

IstillremembermyfirstproperMulaqatwithHuzoorafterIdidBai’at

and during thatmeeting, Huzoor toldme our faith was like a never-

ending journey through a vast ocean and so there always remained

scopetobecomeclosertoourCreator.”

Asourmeetingended,Jonathansharedsomepersonalmemorieshehadof

hisexperienceswithHuzoor.

Jonathonsaid:

“WhenI firstbecameAhmadi, Iusedtositofteninapositionnearthe

frontoftheMosquewhereHuzoorwouldseemeandIusedtosmileat

him.Later,whenImetHuzoorinMulaqathesaidsomethingthattouched

myheartandfilledmewithgreatemotion.

HuzoorsaidthathealwayssawmesmilingathimintheMosqueandhe

wassorrythathecouldnotsmilebackbutatthesametimehehopedI

wouldcontinuetosmileathim.”

27

Jonathancontinued:

“Huzoor’scommentwasbeautifulandprofound,wherebyheappreciated

my gesture but at the same time he maintained the decorum of the

Mosque.”

Marriageadvice

TheotherincidentJonathannarratedreferredtohisweddingtoaSpanish

convert,Marissa(Maria)sahiba,whichHuzoorgraciouslyattended.Atthe

weddingreception,HuzoorwasseatedtoJonathon’s left,whilsthis father

wastotheright. Jonathansaidthatwhilsttheywereeatingtheirmeal,he

wasanxiousthateverythingproceededsmoothly.

Duringthisperiodofanxiety,Jonathan’sfatherwhisperedtohisson:

“CanyouasktheKhalifawhatthekeytoasuccessfulmarriageisbecause

aFrenchphilosophersaidthatthekeytomarriageisthatthehusband

shouldbeblind,deafanddumb.”

Uponthis,JonathansaidhewouldaskHuzoorthefirstpartbutwouldnot

quotetheFrenchphilosopherbecausehedidnotthinkitwasanappropriate

commenttosharewithHuzoor.

JonathanturnedtowardsHuzoorandsaidthathisfatherwasaskingwhat

wasthekeytoasuccessfulmarriage.

28

Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“The key to a successfulmarriage is that both the husband and wife

shouldbedeafandblind!”

ExplaininghisfeelingswhenheheardHuzoor’sresponse,Jonathansaid:

“When I heard Huzoor’s answer all I could say was ‘Alhamdulillah’!

HuzoorhadnotheardanyoftheconversationIhadwithmyfatherand

sowhenI toldmyfatherwhatHuzoorhadsaidhewas leftcompletely

speechless!Here,Iwasworriedaboutmyfathermakingtheatmosphere

light-hearted and on the other hand, Huzoor made such a beautiful

commentthatshowedmethattherewasnothingwrongwithlaughing

orsayingsomethinglight-hearted.Thatonecommentputbothmyfather

andmeattotalease.”

Jonathancontinued:

“That incident showed me that nothing ever phases Huzoor and he

alwaysknowshowtohandleeachsituation.Later,myfathersaidtome

that ‘Jonathan, you are so serious – why can’t you bemore like your

Khalifabecauseheisalwayssmiling!’”

MyconversationwithJonathanendedashesaid:

“BeforeAhmadiyyatIwasnothingandevennowIconsidermyselftobe

nothing,howeveratleastnowIhaveapurposeinlifeandwherebefore

Iwasspirituallydead,nowIamalive.Inourlives,theanswertoallour

29

problemsliesinKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya,Huzoorisourshiningstar.The

loveofKhilafatislikeanunstoppableTsunamithatcanneverbestopped

andcontinuestogrowandspread.”

Arighttoprivacy

A fewdaysbefore JalsaaphotoofHuzoor, takensome time in the1990s

begancirculatingontheinternet.ItwasaphotoofHuzoorwithsomeother

men taken at Islamabad in the UK and was a very nice informal photo.

However,byitsnature,itwasaprivatephotoandsoIwassurprisedtosee

itonline.

IhadoriginallyfirstseenthephotowhenHuzoorshowedittomeafewdays

earlierandsowhenitsubsequentlycameonlineImentionedittoHuzoor.

Atthatpoint,ithadbeenpublishedbysomeindividualAhmadisandwhilst

Huzoordidnotseemparticularlypleasedhedidnotgiveanyinstructions.

However, a day or two later, Huzoorwas informed by someone that the

officialJamaatTwitteraccountforJalsaUKhadpublishedit.

Uponthis,Huzoortoldmetotellwhoeverrantheaccounttohaveitremoved

andsoIcontactedthepeopleresponsibleanditwasremoved.

TheysaidthattheyhadonlyposteditonlineafterseeingsomeAhmadishad

posted it. I explained that there was a difference between individual

AhmadispostingthingsandofficialJamaataccounts,becausethelatterwas

akintoa‘sealofapproval’fromtheJamaat.

30

Thenextday,IinformedHuzoorthephotohadbeentakendownandthatit

hadbeenpostedbytheJalsaUKaccountonthebasisthattheyhadseenthat

otherindividualshadposteditalready.

Uponthis,Huzoorsaid:

“Do the office-bearers not have the wisdom to make decisions for

themselves? Justbecausesomeoneelsehaspostedsomethingdoesnot

meanthatJamaathastofollow.”

Huzoor’spointwascompletelyright.TheofficialJamaataccountsonsocial

mediashouldactasarolemodelforindividualAhmadis,asopposedtothe

otherway.

ThephotoitselfwasveryniceandoneIamsurethatHuzoorliked,giventhat

hehadshownittomehimself.

However,atthesametime,anypersonhastherighttodecideiftheirimage

ispublished,especiallywhereitisinaprivatesettingorhistorical.

ItissadthatsomeAhmadisandevenoffice-bearersseektoremovethisbasic

rightofprivacyfromKhalifa-WaqtwhoisourbelovedImam.

HuzoorgivestheJamaateverypossiblemomentofhistimeandsoitisan

obligationonAhmadistoaffordHuzoorandhisfamilyatleastsomebasic

levelofpersonalprivacy.

31

ExperiencesofJalsadelegates

Eachyear,HuzoorinvitesmembersoftheJamaatfromRabwahandQadian

andalsofromcertainothercountries,toattendtheUKJalsaSalanaasofficial

delegates.WhilstthisincludessomeseniorofficebearersorJamaatofficials,

italsoincludesgeneralofficestafforworkers.

Occasionally, people askwhy suchdelegates are invited andwhether the

costofinvitingpeopleisjustified.Inthisregard,thefirstpointtoremember

is that the delegates are all invited under the direction and guidance of

KhalifatulMasihandsothereareundoubtedlyblessingsandbenefitsthat

outweighanyfinancialconsiderations

Ontheonehand,thereareseniorofficebearerswhoattendandwhilst in

London, apart from reaping the spiritual blessings of Jalsa, they have the

opportunitytomeetHuzoorandtotakehisdirectguidancefortheiroffices.

TheyarealsoabletoattendvariousJamaatmeetingsandtolearnfromthe

experiencesofothersandthisisinaccordancewiththeobjectivesofJalsa

Salana,asthePromisedMessiah(as)said:

"AmongstthebenefitsofJalsaisthefactthatthecomingtogetherofthe

members of the Jamaat will increase the introduction of Jamaat

members amongst each other and it will strengthen the Jamaat's

contactswithoneanother.” (Majmoo'aIshtiharat,volume1,pages340-41)

Further,Ihavemetdelegates,whohaveworkedfordecadesinofficesand

have never had the opportunity to travel to meet Khalifa-Waqt or to

participateinaJalsaSalana.

32

Undernormalcircumstances, theywouldneverbeabletoaffordtotravel

andsoattendingtheJalsaisaonceinalifetimeopportunityandissomething

that is cherished and remains a source of pride for their families for

generationstocome.

Thus,duringthedaysaroundJalsaSalana, I tooktheopportunity tomeet

someofthedelegatesandtoheartheirexperiences.

OneofthedelegatesthisyearfromRabwahwasTahirAhmadShams(37),a

NationalAmilamemberinMajlisKhuddamulAhmadiyyaPakistanandalso

theVicePrincipalofJamiaAhmadiyyaRabwah.

ImetTahirsahibshortlyafterhemetHuzoor,whichwasthefirsttimehe

hadmetanyKhalifainhislife.

SpeakingabouthisMulaqat,Tahirsahibsaid:

“SeeingHuzoorinpersonisacompletelydifferentexperiencetoseeing

himonMTAandIfeelasthoughnowIknowwhatlifeisandthatbefore

Iwasdead.ThosemomentswhenIwasseatedbeforemyKhalifawere

indescribable,thoughtheywerealsotingedwithsadnessbecauseIkept

thinkingthatIamoneofthefortunateonesbuttherearestillthousands

andthousandsofAhmadisinRabwahwhoaredeprivedofseeingtheir

Khalifa.”

AnotherofficialJalsadelegate,meetingHuzoorforthefirsttimeinhislife,

wasNadeemAhmadMubasher(33),whoservedinWaqf-e-JadidRabwahand

HumanityFirstPakistan.

33

MomentsafterhisMulaqat,Nadeemsahibsaid:

“I cannot believe what just happened! I feel as though I am living a

dream.Huzoor’s faceradiatesnothingbutpure light! I cannotbelieve

thatjusttwodaysagoIwasinRabwahinmynormalroutineandnow

twodayslaterIaminLondonhavingjustmetthepersonIyearnedto

meetallmylife.”

Nadeemsahibcontinued:

“Letmetellyousomethingveryspecialthatoccurredinmylifeyesterday

–IwasabletoprayallfiveprayersbehindKhalifa-Waqt!Howfortunate

amI!Forme,myonlydesireandmyonlyobligationduringthisvisitisto

praybehindHuzoorasmuchaspossible.Itrytoarriveanhourbefore

theprayertimessothatIgetaplacenearthefrontoftheMosquesothat

hopefullyHuzoorwillseemeandIcanseehimfromnear.”

IalsometadelegatefromQadian,SheikhMujahidAhmadShastri(39), the

EditorofBadrMagazine(Hindiedition).

ExplainingthefeelingsofAhmadisinQadian,Mujahidsahibsaid:

“InQadian,wearealldesperatethatHuzoorcomesandblessesusonce

again. Uncontrollable tears adorn our prayer mats as we pray that

Huzoorisabletovisitusagain.Everythingisready,everyoneiswaiting

andwepraythatwedonothavetowaitlong.”

34

AsMujahidsahibsaidthesewords,IthoughthowQadian’sdesireforHuzoor

to visit is actually thedesire of the entire Jamaat. Personally, I cannever

forgetHuzoor’svisittoQadianin2005.

Atthetime,IwasastudentandtravelledtoQadianforjustoveraweekto

attend the Jalsa and each day is imprinted inmymind as though it was

yesterday.Theway the crowds flocked towardsHuzoor andhowHuzoor

wouldsmile,waveandmeetthethousandsofAhmadiswholinedthestreets

whereverhewent.Theyweretrulyunforgettabledays.

InspectionofJalsaSalanaUK

Aspertradition,theinspectionandofficialinaugurationofJalsadutiestook

placeonSunday,23July2017.

After spending themorning in his office, Huzoor departed from the Fazl

Mosque at 3.25pm. The inspection was conducted at three different

locations,firstlyattheBaitulFutuhMosque,secondlyatJamiaAhmadiyya

andfinallyatHadeeqatulMahdiitself.

At Baitul Futuh, Huzoor inspected the Langhar khana (kitchen), the

bookshopandvariousadministrativedepartments, suchas thosecharged

with managing Jalsa registration and car passes. Thereafter, Huzoor

proceededtoJamiaAhmadiyyainHaslemere,wherehearrivedat4.45pm.

Whilst,Huzoorwas at Jamia the heavens opened and the rain thundered

down.ThedutyworkersatJamiahadkeptastockofumbrellasandhanded

themtousaswearrivedbuttherainwassostrongthateventheumbrellas

35

hardlymadeanydifference.Yet,thisdidnotstopHuzoorfromconducting

the inspection and, so after lifting up his shalwar a few inches, Huzoor

walked through the Jamia grounds until he entered the Jamia building,

where he was greeted by dozens of Arab Ahmadis who raised naaray

(slogans)welcomingHuzoor.

As the Jamiapartof the inspectionconcluded,severalyoungMissionaries

lineduptowaveatHuzoorbeforehedeparted.

Uponthis,Huzoorsaid:

“Youshouldoffergreetingsofsalamwithyourmouthandnotjustwith

yourhand!”

Thiswasa lessonformetoobecauseIoftenhavethehabitwhenHuzoor

walkspasttowaveathim,whilstwhispering,almostinaudibly,thewords

‘AssalamoAlaikum’.

InspectionatHadeeqatulMahdi

OnthewaytoHadeeqatulMahdi,IwasseatedwithAhmadBhai(Muhammad

Ahmad)fromHuzoor’ssecurityteamandhetoldmethatitwaspossiblethe

inspection could be doneby car atHadeeqatulMahdi due to the adverse

weather.

However,withtheGraceofAllah,andinspiteofthegloomyweatherforecast,

therainsubsidedandthesunshinecameoutbythetimeHuzoorreached

HadeeqatulMahdi.Thegroundremainedmuddyandwetandso the cars

36

were ready but Huzoor said hewould conduct the inspection on foot as

normal.

Huzoor visited the different Nizamats (departments) of Jalsa Salana,

spendingmoretimeinspectingthelangharkhana(kitchen),rotiplantand

securityarrangements.

As Huzoor walked through the langhar khana at each station the duty-

workerseagerlypresentedHuzoorwithwhateverfoodtheywerecookingto

taste.Thus,whilststandingup,Huzoortastedaloogosht(lambandpotato

curry),daal(lentils)andzarda(sweetrice).

AfewminutesafterHuzoorvisitedthelangharkhanahisyounggrandchild

Saadapproachedmeandsaidhehadnoticedthatinthelangharkhanathere

wasalargesignthatsaid‘JalsaSalan’insteadof ‘JalsaSalana’.As‘salan’is

theUrduwordfor‘curry’welaughinglywonderedifthiswasanaccidental

37

omissionorwhetherthoseinthe langharweretryingtohighlightthefact

thattheywerecookingalotofcurries!

Huzoorvisitedthe‘stores’departmentandwavedatthedutyworkerswho

werelineduptogreethim.

AtonepointHuzoornoticedaseverelydisabledboy,Talmeez,whodespite

hisobviousdisabilitieswasalsolinedup,sittinginawheelchair,andproudly

displaying a Jalsa ‘Muavin’ badge. When Huzoor saw this young boy, he

stoppedandverylovinglypattedhimonhischeek.

Witnessing this scene, which lasted no more than 5 or 10 seconds, was

extremelyemotional.Ontheonehand,wesawthedeeploveofKhilafatina

young disabled child, who was clearly suffering from a lifelong ailment,

whilstontheotherhand,wesawhowmuchlovetheKhalifa-Waqthasfor

themostvulnerablemembersofsociety.

AsHuzoorcontinuedtoinspectthedifferentdepartments,henoticedthat

FirstAidwaspositionednexttoRishtaNata,whichisthedepartmenttasked

withhelpingarrangemarriagesforAhmadis.

Uponseeingthis,Huzoorsmiledandjokinglyremarked:

“IthinktheJalsaSalanaadministrationhasverycarefullythoughtabout

the positioning of these two departments, whereby if Rishta Nata

recommendssomepoormatchesitcouldleadtopeoplefaintingandso

thatiswhyFirstAidisrightthereonhandtohelp!”

38

VisitingPress&Mediaexhibition

HuzoorwalkedpastthevariousexhibitionsthatwerebeingsetupforJalsa

SalanaandashecontinuedwalkingIsawHuzoorwalkinthedirectionofour

Press&Mediaofficeexhibition.

Ourexhibitionwasrelativelysmall,certainlysmallerthanthosesetupby

theReviewofReligionsandMakhzan-e-Tasaweer,however,alotofefforthad

goneintothisyear’sexhibition.Hence,thefactthatHuzoorwalkedtowards

ourofficewasagreatrewardandblessingfortheteam.

Standing outside our exhibitionwas amember ofmy team,whowas in-

chargeofsettinguptheexhibition.AsHuzoorapproached,theteammember

welcomedHuzoorandinformedthatthisyearwehadaddedtwo‘games’to

ourexhibitionforpeopletoplay.

Ashesaidthesewords,ImustadmitIwasslightlyconcernedthatHuzoor

maywonderwhywewerearranging‘games’atJalsaSalana!

One of the games was a giant Jenga set, where each brick had different

componentsofworldpeace labelled.The topbrick itselfwasemblazoned

‘world peace’, whilst the supporting bricks below had labels comprising

different issues highlighted by Huzoor in his various addresses such as

‘justice’,‘tolerance’,‘morality’,‘humanrights’andmanyothers.

Thepointofthegamewasthatwhenpeoplepulledoutabrick,theentireset

became more unstable and eventually collapsed. Thus, the game was

39

designedtoshowhowmanythingscontributedtoalackofworldpeaceand

madetheworldlessstable.

The other game was a series of statements, such as ‘women’s rights’ or

‘religiousfreedom’,whereparticipantswereinvitedtodecideiftheywere

‘Islamic’ornon-Islamic.

Alhamdolillah during Jalsa, both ‘games’ provedpopularbut I did ask the

teamtorefertothemas‘educationaltools’ratherthangamestostayonthe

safeside!

Huzoor’saddressatJalsaInspection

After theconclusionof the inspection,Huzoorentered themain JalsaGah

andaddressedthevolunteersofJalsaSalana.

Duringhisaddress,Huzoorsaid thevolunteersanddutyworkersof Jalsa

SalanaUKwerenowverywelltrainedafteryearsofexperienceandhowhe

hadevenseenyoungchildrendoingdutiesveryresponsibly.

Atthesametime,Huzoorremindedthevolunteersthattheyshouldalways

manifestthehighestmoralsandneverdisplayanydiscourtesy.Huzoorsaid

thateveniftheirpatiencewastestedortheyfeltfrustratedthedutyworkers

shouldmaintainasmileontheirfaces.

Huzoorsaiditwasafactthatshortcomingswereoftenhighlightedbythose

who suffered any discomfort or problems. Huzoor said very few people

wrotetohimtopraisetheworkersatJalsaSalana,eventhoughmostpeople

40

hadverypositiveexperiences,whilstthosewhohadproblemswouldoften

write to him with their complaints and the most common complaint he

receivedwasinrelationtotheserviceoffood.

Hence,Huzoorsaiditwasveryimportantthateachpersonwasservedtheir

mealswithgraceandkindnessandnomatterhowmanytimestheycame

backformorefoodtheyshouldneverberefused.

Followingtheformalsession,Huzoorattendedadinnerwiththevolunteers

of Jalsabefore leavingHadeeqatulMahdiat8-pmandreturningtoMasjid

FazltoleadtheMaghrebandIshaprayers.Thiswasincontrasttoprevious

yearswhen the inspectionhad continueduntil later so thatMaghreband

IshawereofferedatHadeeqatulMahdi.

Ispoketopeopleafter,whohadlongjourneyshomeaheadofthem,andthey

werepleasedithadconcludedearlierthistime.Iwaspersonallygladthat

HuzoorwasabletoreturnhomebyMaghrebandIsha,ratherthanextremely

lateatnightashadbeenthecaseinrecentyears.

41

Iamsurethereisagoodreasonwhytheinspectionisconductedlaterinthe

day,butitdidoccurtomethatifitwasheldearlierinthedayandconcluded

in the afternoon with lunch, rather than evening dinner, it might be

preferabletopeoplewhohadtotravellongdistanceshome.

Anyway,asItravelledbacktomyhomeaftertheinspection,ittrulyfeltas

thoughJalsaSalanahadnowbegun.

ObservingHuzoorwork

OnMonday,24July,IwentinforMulaqatwithHuzoorinthelateafternoon

aspermynormalroutine.AsIentered,IsawthatHuzoorwasbusywriting

onaplainA4pieceofpaperplacedhorizontallyonhisdesk.

I could tell that Huzoor was writing one of his Jalsa addresses and so I

remainedsilentandkeptmyheaddownsothatIdidnotdisturbHuzoorin

any way. As he wrote line after line, I kept thinking to myself how this

seemedlikeamomentwhereAllahtheAlmightywasinspiringandguiding

Khalifa-Waqt.

Aftertenminutes,HuzoorputdownhispenandforthefirsttimesinceIhad

enteredhisoffice,helookedupandsmiledbeforesaying:

“ThoughtswerecomingfreshintomymindandsoIthoughtitwasbetter

tocontinuetowrite,whilstthewordswerecomingtome.”

42

HuzooraskedmeabouttheJalsainspectionthedaybeforeandIresponded

bysayingwewereluckythattherainstoppedbythetimeHuzoorreached

HadeeqatulMahdi.

Uponthis,Huzoorremarked:

“Evenifithadcontinuedtorainitwouldnothavemattered!Iwouldhave

continuedtheinspectionintherainaswell.Whyshouldalittlerainstop

usfromourwork?”

Huzoor’swordsremindedmehowmostpeopleallowinsignificantissuesto

slowthemdownortoproveanobstaclebutwhenitcomestofulfillinghis

duties,Khalifa-Waqtdoesnotletanythingstandinhisway.

Meetinganoldfriend

AsIleftHuzoor’soffice,IsawShirazAhmadsahib(50)whohadcomeasan

officialJalsadelegatefromQadian.

Forthepast11years,ShirazsahibhasservedasNazirTaleem(Directorof

Education) in Qadian and is now also the AdditionalNazir-e-Ala Qadian

(DeputyChiefExecutive).

ShirazsahibandIbecamefriends in2007,whenHuzoorsentmeandmy

wifetoQadianforthreemonths.Atthetime,Shirazsahibhadbeenserving

asaWaqf-e-Zindighi (lifedevotee) for justoverayearand Ihadalso just

startedservingasaWaqf-e-Zindighiandsowehadsomethingincommon

fromthestart.

43

Anothercommonfactorwasthat,apartfromme,Shirazsahibwasprobably

theonlyperson inQadianwhopreferred to speakEnglish and so twoor

threetimesaweek,Iwouldgotohisofficeandspendtimeinhiscompany.

MyabidingmemoryofthoseconversationswithShirazsahibwashowhe

wouldalwaystalkaboutKhilafatandquotethewordsofKhalifa-Waqtfrom

differentoccasions.

Givenourfriendship,Iwashappytomeethimafteralongtimeand,withmy

car substituting for his office, we revived the memories of our old

conversations.Justasin2007,everythingShirazsahibsaidrelated,directly

orindirectly,tohisexperienceswithKhilafat.

SpeakingaboutmeetingHuzooracoupleofdaysearlier,Shirazsahibsaid:

“Alhamdolillah,twodaysagoIhadthatopportunitytomeetHuzoorand

it was like experiencing heaven on earth. Huzoor is the living

representativeofAllahandsotobewithhimisbeyondcomparison.”

Shirazsahibcontinued:

“BeforeyouenterHuzoor’sofficeyouarefilledwithnervesbutassoon

as youenterand see the lookof kindnessonHuzoor’s faceall of your

nervesand fears instantlyvanish likemagic!Despitehisgreat status,

Huzoorspeakstouslikewearehisfriendsandundoubtedlynoonecan

haveabetterfriendthanHuzoorbecausehemakesyouforgetallyour

troublesandproblems.”

44

Speaking of his experience of working under Huzoor’s guidance and

supervisionformorethanadecade,Shirazsahibsaid:

“Huzoorisextremelyencouragingandhemotivatesusinwaysthatno

oneelseisableto.Hisstyleissuchthatyouwanttoworkevenmoreand

totrytoimprove.”

Shirazsahibcontinued:

“In2006,HuzoorgavemetheopportunitytoserveasNazirTaleemand

he wrote me a two-page letter replete with instructions and his

expectationsofourdepartment.Thatletterwassocomprehensivethat

eventhoughIwasthousandsofmilesawayfromHuzooritwasveryeasy

totransitionintomynewroleanditwasnotasthoughsomebodyhad

justleftmetolookattheoldfilesandtolearneverythingmyself.Rather,

itwasasthoughHuzoorwasholdingmyhandandguidingmeateach

step.”

In2007,ShirazsahibwascalledbyHuzoortoattendtheUKJalsaandhehad

theopportunitytohavehisfirstdaftari(official)MulaqatwithHuzoor.

Recountingthatexperience,Shirazsahibsaid:

“IexpectedthatHuzoorwouldonlyhaveafewminutes,yetthatMulaqat

lastedfor28minutesandduringthattimeHuzoorremoved,onebyone,

anylingeringdoubtsorsenseofconcernsIhad.Ipresentedmorethan

30 issues toHuzoor thatdayandheclarifiedeachandeveryone.The

45

guidance I received became a charter for our office, which we have

continuedtofolloweversince.”

Shirazsahibcontinued:

“FollowingtheMulaqat,IwrotedownallofHuzoor’sguidancepointby

point and sent the document back to Huzoor for his final written

endorsement. I was flying back to Qadian the next day and so before

departing,IwenttoaskthePrivateSecretaryifhecouldfaxmethenotes

onceHuzoorhadcheckedthem.

IassumeditwouldtakeHuzoorsomedaysorweekstogothroughthem

becausehewasverybusystillmeetingtheguestsofJalsa.Hence,youcan

imaginemyastonishmentwhenthePrivateSecretaryhandedmenotes

backandsaidthatHuzoorhadalreadycheckedandendorsedthem!Ihad

onlyhandedtheminthenightbeforeanditwasaverylengthydocument

andyetHuzoorhadsomehowbeenthroughthemalready!”

AgifttoIndia

Shiraz sahib informed that under the instructions of Huzoor, the Indian

Jamaatwasprovidingthemeansofeducationforthousandsofchildrenand

studentsfromdeprivedbackgroundsinallpartsofIndia.

Speakingaboutthevastproject,Shirazsahibsaid:

“HuzoortoldmethatwhenhecametoQadianin2005,hesawthatthere

was still somuchpoverty in Indiaand thatpeoplewere struggling to

46

provide education for their children. Thus, he instructed our office to

establishapropersystemofprovidingfortheeducationofboysandgirls

whootherwisecouldnotaffordschooling.Whatabeautifulgift to the

IndiannationbestowedbyKhilafat-e-Ahmadiyya!Alreadythroughthis

scheme,thousandshavebenefitedandsomeolderIndianstudentshave

qualifiedasdoctors,engineersandinmanyotherfields.Similarly,there

aremanysmallchildrenwhoareabletoreadandwriteandhaveregular

educationallthroughtheblessingsofKhilafat.”

Shirazsahibcontinued:

“Through this educational scheme, Huzoor has established a lasting

revolutioninIndia,wherebyhemadeitclearthatpovertyshouldnotbe

thereasonthatanychildisdeprivedofeducation.”

GuidanceofKhalifatulMasih

IwasalsointerestedtohearabouthowHuzoorguidedtheJamaatinQadian

andwas left astonished as I heard fromShiraz sahib the extent towhich

HuzoorwasdirectlyinvolvedineachJamaatdepartment.

Shirazsahibsaid:

“Huzoorlivesthousandsofmilesfromusbutineverymatter,nomatter

howsmall,wearerecipientsofHuzoor’sguidance.Honestly,sometimes

itfeelsasthoughHuzoor’sofficeremainsinQadian.Tobefrank,wehave

stopped thinking for ourselves and send every issue to Khalifa-Waqt

becauseweknowthereareimmenseblessingsinhiseverydecision.Our

47

heartandmindisKhalifa-WaqtandasfarasIamconcerned,ouronly

dutyistoactashislimbsandimplementhisdecisions.”

Shirazsahibcontinued:

“NeverdoesHuzooraskuswhywesendhimsomanyquestionsandnever

doeshefailtorespond.Ifwesendalettertohimtodaythenwithoutfail

wereceive thereply,withHuzoor’shandwrittenguidance,by thenext

day.

Speaking just for myself, I often send 16 or 17 reports to Huzoor

regardingthedepartmentsIamresponsibleforandifeverthereisany

delayincorrespondenceitisfromourendandneverfromHuzoor.We

arejustoneJamaat,andwhenyouconsiderthereareover200Jamaats

worldwidewhichHuzoorguides,yourmindboggles.

Huzoor’scapacityofworkisinmyviewasignoftheexistenceofAllah

becauseonlywithAllah’sHelpcansomeonemaintainsucharelentless

scheduleandcapacityforwork.Huzoorhasbeenworking18or19hour

daysnon-stopforover14yearsnowanditseemshisworkloadisgetting

heavierandheaviereachyear.”

Asourconversationended,Shirazsahib:

“Whenwesendareport toHuzoorseekinghisguidancewe feelgreat

anticipationknowing that tomorrow itwillbe returnedwithHuzoor’s

notesandguidance.Icannotdescribethehappinessandexcitementwe

feelwhenwegetthereportsbackbecauseitfeelslikewearehavinga

48

dailyMulaqatwithHuzoor!Iamwitnesstothefactthatarevolutionis

takingplaceinourIndiaJamaatbecauseineverysinglefield,whether

internal or in terms of public relations or dealing with the media,

everythingisbasedontheinstructionsofKhalifatulMasih.”

EmotionsofAhmadis

AftermeetingShirazsahib,IwenttospeaktosomeotherAhmadiswhohad

theopportunitytomeetHuzoor.

Oneperson,ImetwasChaudhryMunirAhmad,an87-yearelder,whowas

servingasateacherstillattheNusratJahanCollegeinRabwah.Hehadcome

asanofficialdelegateinwhatwashisfirsteverJalsaSalanaUK.

ChaudhryMunirsahibsaid:

“AteacherinRabwahhasonlyasmallallowanceandsoIcouldnever

affordtocometotheUKmyselfandsoitisthepuregraceofKhalifatul

MasihandtheJamaatthatIamhavingthisopportunity.”

IwassurprisedthatChaudhryMunirsahibwasstillworkingasateacherand

hadnotyetretired.Uponmyenquiringaboutthis,hesaid:

“Whenmymotherdied,HuzoorwasNazir-e-AlainRabwahandhekindly

cametomyhousetoofferhiscondolences.Atthattime,Iwas72andsoI

mentionedthatperhapsthetimehascomeformyretirement.Inreply,

HuzoorsaidsinceIwasaWaqf-e-ZindighiIshouldbereadytoserveuntil

the Jamaatneededme.Thatwas15or16yearsagoand Ihavenever

49

asked for retirement since and I feel very lucky to have been able to

continuemyservice.Eventoday,duringmyMulaqat,Huzooraskedmeif

Iwasstillwellenoughtocontinuetoteach.”

AsmybriefmeetingwithChaudhrysahibconcluded,heturnedtomeand

confirmedmyname,beforesaying:

“Abidsahib,mayGodblessyouandIprayyouarestillservingtheJamaat

whenyoureachmyage.”

ItwasaprayerIwasextremelygratefulfor.

AnotherpersontomeetHuzoorthatdaywasKhalidAhmad(52),whowas

employedby the Jamaatasa full-timedriver inPakistan.He toldme that

before Khilafat, he had the opportunity to serve as Huzoor’s driver on

variousoccasionswhenHuzoorwouldvisitSindh.

Khalidsahibsaid:

“I cannot express how I am feeling at this moment. When I entered

Huzoor’s office he recognisedme instantly and it felt like I had been

transportedbacktothoseblesseddayswhenIwasabletoserveHuzoor.”

Khalidsahibcontinued:

“IwillneverforgetthewayHuzoorusedtotreatuswithsuchloveand

regard.Hewouldneverconsiderhimselfsuperiortousandwouldoften

eatwithusandputfoodonourplateswithhisownhands.”

50

ThateveningIalsometAftabAhmedPatel(65)whowasservingtheJamaat

asa localMuallam (religiousteacher) inavillage inSindh.Hewasborna

HindubuthisfatheracceptedAhmadiyyatandhissonsoonfollowed,whilst

othermembersoftheirfamilyremainedHindu.

Aftabsahibsaid:

“Today,wasthemostblesseddayofmylifebecauseIwasabletotouch

theblessedhandofthatpersonwhoseeveryFridaySermonIlistentoand

whichisthemeansbywhichItrytolivemylife.IheldHuzoor’shandfor

afewsecondsandIwishIcouldholditforever.”

Speaking of his experiences since converting to Ahmadiyyat, Aftab sahib

said:

“MostofourfamilyremainsHinduandovertheyearstheyhavetriedto

boycottmeandcausevariousproblems.However,thisneverweakened

myfaithandifanything,itincreasedmycertaintythatIhadmadethe

rightdecision.NowwiththeGraceofAllah,amongstmyownprogenyare

JamaatMissionaries.”

Aftabsahibsaid:

“IserveinadeprivedvillageofPakistanwhereoftenthereisnoaccess

towaterbutitdoesnotmatter,asouronlyobjectivesaretofollowthe

teachingsofthePromisedMessiah(as).Thus,weshowlovetotheentire

village,whether theyareMuslim,Hinduorofanyotherbelief. I try to

51

sharewithotherswhatAhmadiyyathasgivenme,whichispeaceofmind,

contentmentandaboveallthetruth.”

Huzoor’sreassurance

ThateveningIalsometImtiazAhmad,ayoungMissionaryfromCanada,who

hadspentthepastfewyearsservinginOttawa.Hetoldmethatrecentlyhe

receiveddeaththreatsduringtwophonecallsreceivedathishome.

The person making the threats said that his brother had been killed in

Afghanistanandsohewasnowdeterminedto‘takerevenge’.

IcouldseefromthelookonthefacesofImtiazsahibandhiswifethatthey

hadbeenunsettledbythesethreats,asanyonewouldbe.Imtiazsahibsaid

thathehadrecordedthecallsandtherecordingswerewiththepolice,who

weretakingthematterseriously.

However,despitethepolicereassuringthem,truepeaceofhearthadbeen

giventothemonlymomentsearlierwhentheymetHuzoor.

Imtiazsahibsaid:

“I told Huzoor about the death threats and he listened very carefully

before praying thatmayAllah protect us. Then, in themost beautiful

way,HuzoorlightenedthemoodbysayingthatIhadnowbeenreposted

toadifferentcityandsoIshouldbesafe!Uponthis,Huzoorsmiledand

bothmeandmywifelaughedandenjoyedHuzoor’skindhumourandwe

feltextremelyreassured.”

52

Huzoor’smediaguidance

WehadreachedTuesday25JulyandIwasbecomingconcernedaboutalack

ofmediainterestintheJalsaSalana.

WiththeGraceofAllah,ourPress&MediaOfficehadalargerteamthisyear

andtheyhadbeenworkingdiligentlyoverthepastmonthreachingoutto

journalistsandmediaorganisations.Certainly,theteamhadputinalotof

hoursbutaswegotclosetoJalsa,therewasasenseoffrustrationatthelack

ofresults.

Hence, that afternoon, duringMulaqat, I soughtHuzoor’s prayers for our

media efforts and informed him that so far, we had not received many

positiveresponses.

Uponhearingthis,Huzoorsaid:

“Donotworry,thereareover30journalistscomingfromabroadandso

theywillcovertheJalsaevenifthelocalonesarereluctant.”

With these fewwords,Huzoorputmymindateaseandprovided instant

comfortandreassuranceinthewaythatonlyhecan.

Somemediaoutletshadsuggestedtheirlackofinterestwasduetothefact

thattheJalsawasan‘annualevent’,whichwehadinvitedthemtoinprevious

yearsandsotheyasked‘whatwasnew?’andiftherewerespecificreasons

theyshouldcomethisyear.

53

WhenImentionedthistoHuzoor,hesaid:

“YoushouldtellthejournaliststhatiftheywishtofindoutwhetherIslam

reallyisareligionofextremismandterrorismtheyshouldcometothe

Jalsa.Iftheywishtofindouttherealitythenitistheirdutytocoverit–

puttheballintheircourt!”

Huzoorthensmiledandsaid:

“Youcanalsotellthemtherewillbenewthingsatthisyear’sJalsaand

thattheywillonlyfindoutmorewhentheycome!Youshouldnotgiveall

thedetails inadvance, ratheryoushouldkeep the journalists insome

suspenseasitmightarousetheircuriosity!”

Apart from putting me and my team at ease, Huzoor’s advice itself was

extremely valuable. For the next few days, our media team followed

Huzoor’sadvicewhenapproachingjournalistsandtheresponsewasmuch

morepositive.

Several journalists confirmed their attendance, whilst others said that

thoughtheycouldnotattend,theywouldpublishreportsaboutJalsaandthe

majorityfulfilledtheirpromises.

Alwaystakingnote

OnethingIhavenoticedduringmytimeservingKhalifa-Waqtisthateven

whereHuzoordoesnotspecificallycommentonsomething,hetakesnoteof

it.

54

Forexample,afewweeksbefore,IhadinformedHuzoorofamediastoryin

Sweden,whereawomanhadstatedthattherewasaneedtohold‘women-

only’musical festivals becausemen couldnot be trusted after a series of

rapesandincidentsofsexualabuseatrecentfestivals.WhenIpresentedit,I

thoughtHuzoorwouldtake interest in thereport,butHuzoordidnotsay

anything.

However,weekslater,thatevening,Huzoorbroughtupthereporttoconfirm

thecountrythestoryreferredto.

Huzoorsaid:

“IneededtocheckasIamgoingtomentionthisincidentinmyaddress

toLajnaattheUKJalsa.”

Thereafter,Huzoorsaid:

“Today,myplanwastocompletemyLajnaaddress,howeverafterlunch,

Iclosedmyeyeswiththeintentionofsleepingforjustafewminutesbut

Iendedupsleepingalittlelongerthanplanned.Asaresult,myspeechis

notyetready.”

I was very happy that Huzoor had been able to rest a little longer than

plannedandinresponse,Isaid:

“Huzoor, it isverygoodthatyouwereabletorestbecausewhenJalsa

comesyouareevenmorebusythannormalandhaveevenlesstimeto

sleep.”

55

Huzoorsmiledandsaid:

“Allahenablesmetoberefreshedevenafterjustafewminutesofsleep

andsothereisnoneedtoworryaboutmyrest.”

Notanordinaryholiday

AsIwasleavingHuzoor’soffice,heenquiredifIhadmetsomeoftheguests

whohadcometoattendtheJalsaandwhowerestayingnearMasjidFazl.

IsaidthatIhadnotreallyhadtimetomeetthem.

Withaserioustone,Huzoorsaid:

“Ifyougetachance,youshouldaskiftheyhavecometoattendtheJalsa

oriftheyhaveonlycometosocialiseandholdlatenightdiscussions.”

As Huzoor said thesewords, it occurred tome that perhapsHuzoor had

receivedsomereportsorhadnoticedforhimselfsomething.

Anyway,itreinforcedthepointthatpeoplewhocomeforJalsashouldensure

that the Jalsa remains their priority and they should seek to use every

opportunity to increase in spirituality and become closer toAllah, rather

thantreatingtheexperienceasanormalfamilyholiday.

EmotionsofAhmadis

56

Laterthatday,ImetKhalilMubasharsahib(72),theMissionary-in-chargein

CanadaJamaatmomentsafterhehadmetHuzoorandhetoldmeaboutsome

ofhisexperiencesduringhislongservicetotheJamaat.

KhalilMubasharsahibsaid:

“I served in Africa for 24 years and the love for Khilafat and for the

JamaatamongsttheAfricanAhmadiswasextraordinary.Togivejustone

example,oncewhenIwastheNationalAmirofSierraLeoneJamaat,an

elderlyAfricanAhmadicametomeandaskedmetoputmyhandonhis

head.

Naturally,IfeltveryembarrassedbutIwasmovedbyhiswords.Hesaid

thatbecauseIhadrecentlybeentoLondonandhadtouchedthehandof

theKhalifa-Waqt, hedesired forme to touchhisheadwith that same

hand.Hesaidhedoubtedifhewouldeverhavethechancetomeetthe

KhalifaashewasoldandsopleadedwithmethatIdidnotrefusehis

request.”

ThateveningIalsometwithayoungPakistaniMissionary,ShahabAhmad

(27)whohadrecentlybeenpostedinTanzania.

MomentsaftermeetingHuzoorforthefirsttime,Shahabsaid:

“IhadwrittenawhileagotoHuzoorthatIwastryingtolearnSwahili

andsotoday,assoonasIenteredHuzoor’sofficeandmethimforthefirst

time,heaskedme‘HowisyourSwahilideveloping?’Iwasawestruckat

57

Huzoor’s memory as he receives thousands of letters and yet he

rememberedmine!”

Shahabcontinued:

“AtfirstgoingtoAfricawasdifficultandIwasworriedbutIknewthatI

wasgoingthereontheinstructionsofKhalifa-WaqtandsoIwouldbe

goingwithhisprayers.

This knowledgehelpedmeadjust and settlewell. Also, I havealready

beenrewardedbyAllahbecause itwaseasier togetavisa for theUK

fromTanzaniathaniteverwouldhavebeenfromPakistan!”

After being composed throughout ourmeeting, suddenly Shahab became

overwhelmedbyemotion.Tearsbegantofallfromhiseyes,whichhewiped

awaywithhissleeve.

Shahabsaid:

“IamemotionalbecauseIcannotbelievethatKhalifa-Waqtknowsmy

nameandwhoIam!IcannotbelievethatjustaminuteagoIwasstood

withHuzoorandhowhemostlovinglyputhishandonmyshoulderwhen

wemet.

TheimpactoftodayisthatIamreadyforanytrialandanydifficultyfor

thesakeoftheJamaat.MyKhalifahasshoweredhisloveuponmeandso

Iamreadyforanysacrificeforhissake.”

58

AnemotionalKhadim

Duringthatweek,IspoketoaJamiastudentfromCanada,whoIhadbecome

friendlywithduringtheprecedingweeks.

Hetoldmehehadfacedsomedifficultiesandstrugglesduringhistimeat

Jamia,whichcontinuedtotroubletohim.

He said he had considered discussing the issues with Huzoor during his

Mulaqatbuthaddecidedagainstitbecausehedidnotwishtobeguiltyof

complainingorofincreasingtheburdenonKhalifa-Waqt.

Nonetheless, as hewaited outsideHuzoor’s office he felt a deep sense of

frustrationanditoccurredtohimthat‘Huzoorwillneverknowthetroubles

andproblemsIhave’.

TheyoungmantoldmethatwhenheenteredHuzoor’soffice,hefeltasense

ofdespondencyhavingmadethedecisiontoremainsilent.

However,hewasleftastoundedwhenHuzoorhimselfsaid:

“IknowyouhavesomedifficultiesinJamiabutdonotworrybecauseI

prayfortheyoungMissionarieslikeyou.”

Thestudent toldme thathewas left completely stunnedbecauseHuzoor

himselfmentionedalltheissuesthathadbeentroublinghimanditseemed

asthoughHuzoorkneweverythingalready.

59

Thestudentsaid:

“ThisMulaqatwithHuzoorconfirmedtomethatAllahtheAlmightyis

above all human superiors, and He informs His Khalifa about the

conditionofHisservants,evenwhenitisimpossibleforthemtotellhim.

Also,itprovedtomethatKhalifa-Waqthasthemeanstowashawayall

thepainandsadnessapersonfeelsinjustafewminutes,whereasifall

the world’s best therapists tried it would take them many years to

achievethesameresults.”

Notwhatitseemed

Ontheeveningof26July,Iwasveryhappy,as,duringmyMulaqat,Huzoor

gavemesomechocolatestotakewithme.

Ashehandedmethepacket,Huzoorsaid:

“IhopeyoudonotmindbutIhavealreadyopeneditandtriedoneofthe

chocolates.Theyweregood.”

Again and again, Huzoor’s humility leaves a person embarrassed and

amazed.

Inresponse,Isaid:

“Huzoor,knowingyouatefromthesechocolatesmakesthemevenmore

specialforme.”

60

IthenleftHuzoor’soffice,andasIwalkedout,astaffmemberinthePrivate

Secretary’sofficehandedmeaboxwhichhesaidwasagiftfromHuzoorfor

me.Itookthegifttomycarandwasverycurioustoseewhatwasinsideand

soratherthanwaitinguntilIreachedhome,Iopeneditthereandthen.

Inside,wasabottleofArabfragrance,whichwasverybeautifulandsome

small roundballswrapped inagoldenwrapper.Uponseeing them, Iwas

verypleasedbecausetheylookedlikeFerreroRocherchocolatesandIhad

noteatenforhoursandwasveryhungry.

Withoutpauseforthought,IunwrappedoneoftheFerrerochocolatesand

tookalargebiteoutofit.However,Ireceivedahugeshockasittastedbitter

and its texture was more like grainy powder than a chocolate. I knew

instantlythatitwasnotedibleandspatitout.

ItwasonlythenthatIlookedcarefullyagainatthecontentsandrealisedthat

itwasdhooni,aformofincensethatisheatedupwithcoalsandemanates

very attractive aroma. Thankfully, I had the real chocolate Huzoor had

handedtomehimselfwhichIatetotryandremovethebittertaste.

Anyway,IwasextremelygratefulthatHuzoorhadrememberedme,evenat

a timewhen hewas so busy and so later that evening I sent amessage

professingmythankstoHuzoorforthegiftandIalsoinformedofhowIhad

mistakenthedhooniforchocolate!

Thenextday,27July2017,wasthedaybeforethestartofJalsaandwhenI

enteredHuzoor’sofficeforMulaqatintheafternoon,IcouldseethatHuzoor

wasextremelybusypreparinghisnotesforoneofhisJalsaaddresses.

61

Yet,assoonasIentered,Huzoorstoppedhisworkandlookedupatmeand

said:

“Abidonlyyoucouldeatthedhooni(incense)!WhenIsawthewrapping,

IalsoassumeditwasFerreroRocherbutthenIopenedthewrapperand

thetexturewascompletelydifferenttochocolate!Youshouldalwaysbe

carefultoreadwhatsomethingisbeforeyouuseitorconsumeit!Now

youshouldtakesomeNuxVomicahomeopathybecauseeatingincenseis

dangerousandcanbepoisonous!”

Huzoor then smiled and used an Urdu saying which meant that ‘even

educatedpeoplesometimesdothemostfoolishandignorantthings!’

IhavetoadmitwhenHuzoormadethiscomment,Iwasquitepleasedtobe

includedintheclassoftheeducatedpeople,evenifIwasalsobeingclassed

inthefoolishandignorantatthesametime!

Sincethedaybefore,Ihadbeensufferingfromasevereheadcold,feverand

mythroatwasextremelysore.ItwasreallybadtimingconsideringtheJalsa

wasstartingandourdutieswereatapeak.

During the Mulaqat, Huzoor noticed and asked if eating the incense had

mademeill!However,IclarifiedthatIhadbeguntofeelunwellevenbefore

Ihadconsumedit.

Huzoor took out some homeopathy, which he gave to me and then also

handedmeaherbalremedyandsomethroat lozenges thathekept inhis

office.

62

Nodoubt,asaresultoftheblessingsandprayersofHuzoor,Istartedfeeling

better later that evening and by the time Jalsa started I was mostly

recovered.

FridaySermonatJalsaSalana

WiththeGraceofAllah,the51stUKJalsaSalanabegunon28July2017at

HadeeqatulMahdi,whenHuzoorledtheFridayPrayers.

Duringhisaddress,Huzoorspokeoftheresponsibilitiesoftheparticipants

ofJalsaSalana.

Huzoor remindedhowoneyear, thePromisedMessiah (as) cancelled the

Jalsa Salana in Qadian because of his displeasure at the conduct of the

attendeesatJalsa.

ThePromisedMessiah(as)saidtheparticipantshadtreatedtheJalsaasa

worldly event and were more concerned about their comfort than of

obtainingthespiritualblessingsassociatedwithJalsa.

63

Huzoorsaid:

“HereatHadeeqatulMahdiallofthearrangementsaretemporaryand

soitisnotpossibletoprovidethesamelevelofcomfortasisavailablein

permanentbuildingsorcentres.

Thus, despite the best efforts of the volunteers, there will be some

weaknessesandIhopethatinsteadofcomplainingtheguestsremember

thatthevolunteersarenottheirservants.

Rather,theyarehumblepeoplewhohavepresentedthemselvesforthe

serviceoftheguestsofthePromisedMessiah.Thus,Ihopeandpraythat

theguestsdisplaygraceandkindness.”

Nonetheless, Huzoor reiterated the importance of hospitality and in

particular the need to treat dignitaries and non-Ahmadi guestswith due

respect.HesaiditwasthepracticeandteachingoftheHolyProphet(sa)to

showrespecttoleadersandtofulfiltheirneeds.

Furthermore,therewereotherguestswhocametolearnmoreaboutIslam

andsoitwasthedutyofthehoststolookafterthemasperthepracticeof

thePromisedMessiah(as).

Meetingthemedia

During theafternoonbreakand the subsequentbreakperiodsduring the

Jalsa,IspentasmuchtimeaspossibleatourPress&Mediaofficeandmet

someofthejournalistswhocametoattendJalsa.

64

With the Grace of Allah, the Jalsa had a very positive effect on all the

journalistswhocameandmanystayedformuchlongerthantheyoriginally

planned.

Under Huzoor’s guidance, our teamwas assisted very ably by a team of

Lajna,whowouldtakethefemalejournaliststotheladiessideandspenda

lotof time indiscussionwiththem.Suchmeetingswere invaluableasthe

journalists saw for themselves thatourLajnawere completelyunlike the

stereotypicaldepictionofoppressedMuslimwomenconfinedtothehome.

Rather, they were able to see that Ahmadi ladies and girls were very

educatedandthatHijabwasnotforceduponthembymen,rathertheytook

prideinit.

Similarly, the journalists took interest in thedifferentexhibitions,suchas

the Review of Religions exhibition, which included a replica of the Turin

Shroud.

Aswasthecase inpreviousyears, the journalistsalsoverymuchenjoyed

visitingtheRotiPlantandseeing(andtasting)thefreshrotisthatwerebeing

bakedcontinuously.

InourPress&Mediaexhibition,oneofthethingswehadondisplaywasaTV

screenplayingvariousclipsfromHuzoor’saddressesandonefemaleMuslim

journalistspentalotoftimewatchingclipsfromHuzoor’sspeechesandalso

talkingtodifferentAhmadisandlearningaboutourteachings.

65

Afterconcludinghervisit,shetoldusthattheexperienceofJalsaSalanahad

aprofoundeffectuponher.Shesaidithadaffectedhermindandhearttothe

extentthatshewasconsideringacceptingAhmadiyyatandhadtakenaway

thebook‘ConditionsofBai’at’tostudy.

Anotherfemalejournalist,whohadjuststartedhercareer,said:

“AsawomanandasaguestIfeelIwastreatedwithenormousrespect

andkindnessandIwasmadetofeellikemyattendancewassomehow

reallyimportant,eventhoughIamnotaveryprominentjournalistyet.

Thehoststreatedmeasavaluedguestbutalsoasapartoftheirfamily.”

Iwasparticularlypleasedtohearhercommentthatshefeltasthoughher

attendancewas ‘important’ despite the fact shewas not yet a prominent

journalist.

WhenIfirststartedworkinginthePress&MediaOffice,Ibelievedthatwe

should target mainstream media or those journalists who were more

influential but, after some time observing my approach, Huzoor said

somethingtomewhichwasalessonthathasstayedwithmeeversince.

Huzoorsaid:

“Idonotcareifajournalisthasareachof25millionor25,000,weshould

seektoengagewiththemall.Ifthemessagereachesevenafewthousand

peopleitissomethingtobepleasedaboutandsodonotdisregardthe

smalleroutlets.Evenifajournalistdoesnothaveanyfollowing,atleast

heorshewillhavelearnedthetruemessageofIslam.”

66

ThatcommentthatHuzoormadetomeyearsagohadadeepimpactupon

mythinkingandIhaveseengreatwisdominfollowingthisinstruction.

Upandcomingjournalists,whomaynotbewellknown,areoftenmuchmore

receptive. Justasourguestat this Jalsahadnoted, theywerenotused to

beingtreatedas ‘important’,andsobeingtreatedwithrespecthadavery

positiveimpactonthem.

Further,theyoftenspendmoretimewithusandsoareabletolearnmore

about the Jamaat’s teachings than more prominent media figures who

normallyjustwishtocomeandtaketheirstoryandthenmoveon.

Also,therearesomejournalistswhomaynothavebeenwellknownwhen

weinitiallymeetthembuthavegoneontoforgesuccessfulcareersandare

nowwellawareoftheJamaatanditsteachings.

FirstSessionofJalsaSalana

At 4.25pm, Huzoor raised the Liwai-e-Ahmadiyyat (Flag of Ahmadiyyat)

beforeproceedingtotheJalsaforthefirstsessionofJalsaSalana.

Momentsbeforeenteringthemarquee,HuzoorbrieflymettheUK’sMinister

ofEducation, JustineGreeningandZacGoldsmithMP,whowereattending

theJalsaasguests.

Duringhisaddress,Huzoorspokeabouttheneedformoralreformationand

improvementandquotedvariousteachingsofthePromisedMessiah(as)in

thisregard.

67

Huzoor said that true and sincere love of Allah was selfless and pure,

wherebypeopleactedaccording toAllah’s teachingsdue to their love for

Him, rather than for a desire for reward. Huzoor contrasted this with

extremistsandterroristswhoconductedheinousactsinthenameofIslam.

Huzoorsaid:

“No matter what they claim, terrorists have no love for Allah the

Almightyandarenotmotivatedby Islambecause Islam teachesus to

loveallofhumanity.”

Laterinhisaddress,Huzoorprayed:

“MayallmembersofourJamaatprovetobetrueambassadorsofIslam

andtrueexamplesoffulfillingtherightsofAllahandofmankind.”

68

Huzoor also asked Ahmadis to especially remember persecuted Ahmadi

Muslims,whoweredeprivedoftheblessingsofJalsaSalana,intheirprayers.

Following the conclusion of the afternoon session, Huzoor visited the

langharkhana(kitchen)andtherotiplanttocheckthefoodbeingprepared

fortheguests.Huzoortastedfoodfromdifferentpansandseemedsatisfied

thatthefoodwasbeingwellprepared.

ImpactofJalsa

In theevening, I returned toourPress&Media officeandmetwithsome

moreguests.

Onefemalejournalistsaidshewasamazedatthefactthatmenwerecooking

thefoodforthewomen!

Shealsosaidshewas initiallyapprehensiveaboutthesegregationofmen

andwomenbutherconcernshadbeenremovedverysoon.Shesaid:

“When I first arrived I was worried that men and women were

segregatedbut,afterhavingatourofthewholeJalsaandtheladiesside,

I saw that segregation gave the women their own freedom and

enjoymentandmoreimportantlyitgavethemthepowertorunthings

basedonhowtheyfeltbest.”

Anotherfemalejournalisttoldusshefoundtheexperienceofattendingthe

Jalsatobeextremely‘humbling’.

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Shesaid:

“At this event, everyone was working very hard, being helpful and

cooperativeandIcouldn'tbelievethattheywereallvolunteers.Inever

saw a single person or volunteer shout or get angry. If I could ever

imaginehowapeacefulworldwouldlooklike,itwouldbeexactlyhow

yourJalsawasandshesaidthiswastheonlywaytheworldcouldcome

topeace.”

Spiritofservice

TheweatheratHadeeqatulMahdithatfirstdaywasnotidealtosaytheleast.

Asafternoonturnedtoevening,thelightdrizzleturnedintoheavyrainthat

lastedmanyhoursandintothenight.

IkeepanotepadinmyhandandbecauseIamoftenwritingitisinconvenient

tokeepanumbrellaandsoIwasoneofthousandsofpeopletogetsoaked

thatevening.

Nonetheless,ifanything,suchdifficultiesincreaseaperson’senjoymentof

Jalsa,ifnotalwaysatthetime,thencertainlylookingback.Isawhundreds

of people doing duty in the pouring rain, many of whom did not have

umbrellasoradequateclothing,yettheinhospitableconditionsdidnotdeter

themintheslightest.

TherewasayoungKhadim,originallyfromKazakhstan,whobychanceIkept

walkingpastashedidsecuritydutyatagate.Whenever,Isawhimhebore

thewidestpossiblesmileandwelcomedmewithaloudgreeting‘Assalamo

70

Alaikum’andtherewasnosenseatallthathisdutywasdifficultorofany

fatigue.

Therewereotherpeople,whowerecleaningtoilets,adifficultdutyinthe

bestofconditionsbuttentimesharderwheneachpersonusingthefacilities

entered with wet and muddy shoes. Yet not one of the duty workers

displayedanysenseofworryorangst,onlypridethattheywereabletoserve

theguestsofthePromisedMessiah(as).Alhamdolillah,thespiritofservice

continuedtoamazethroughoutthethreedays.

Huzoor’sLajnaaddress

On the second day of Jalsa Salana at 12-pm Huzoor travelled from his

residence to the main Lajna marquee to address the members of Lajna

Imaillah.

In the most beautiful way, Huzoor explained the high status of women

accordingtotheteachingsofIslamandthehugerewardsgivenbestowedby

Allahinreturnforensuringthegoodmoraltrainingoftheirchildren.

Further,Huzoorsaidthat Islamhadinstructedmentoassistwomenfulfil

their duties within the home, however nowhere had Islam placed a

responsibilityuponwomentoassistmeninprovidingfortheirfamilies.

Huzoor also referred to the so-called ‘liberalMosque’ opened recently in

GermanybyaMuslimlady,whowishedtoopenmoreinothermajorcities.

Huzoor said that suchprojectswere the result of a failure to understand

Islam’s true teachings and due to an ‘inferiority complex’. He said such

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schemeswereanattempttocreatedivisionanddiscordwithinIslamandso

wereameanstoweakenitratherthantostrengthenit.

SpeakingabouttheneedtostayfirmtoIslam’strueteachings,asopposedto

seekingto‘modernise’orhideourreligion,Huzoorsaid:

“Wecannotputourfootintwodifferentboatsotherwisewewillsurely

sinkandsowemustfollowIslam’soriginalteachingswithoutanyfear

orcomplex.”

Constantguidance

Afterhisaddress,Huzoorproceededtothemen’smarqueetoleadtheZuhr

andAsrprayers.BeforeenteringtheJalsaGah,HuzoorcalledtheManaging

DirectorofMTAInternationalandsaidthathehadbeeninformedthatthe

previous day the MTA live broadcast cut off for some time in parts of

Pakistan.

UponbeinginformedthatMTAwascommunicatingwithMTAinPakistanto

find outwhat the issueswere,Huzoor pointed out that theHead ofMTA

Pakistan, Syed Tahir Shah sahib was attending the Jalsa and so MTA

Internationalshouldspeaktohimdirectly.ItwasclearthatHuzoorwasnot

satisfiedthattheconnectionhadfailedandsopeoplehadbeendeprivedof

partakingintheJalsathroughMTAforsometime.

ThroughouttheJalsa,theOfficerJalsaSalana,NasserKhansahibandAmir

SahibUK,RafiqHayatsahibwouldspeaktoHuzooraftereachsessiontogive

72

areportoftheadministrativesideofJalsaandtoseekHuzoor’sguidanceon

anyproblemsthatarose.

Forexample,afterZuhrandAsrprayersonSaturday,Huzoorwasbriefed

aboutthewaterpressurebeingweakatcertaintimesoverthepast24hours.

Inresponse,Huzoorgavevariousideasandsaidthatifnothingelseworked

thentheyshouldnegotiatewiththewaterauthoritiessothatwaterusage

couldbeincreased.

Forthesakeofthecomfortoftheguests,Huzoorsaidthatifsomeextrafees

hadtobepaiditshouldbedone.

That afternoon, I spoke toAmir Sahib about the badweather,which had

causedvariousproblemsanddifficulties.

Inreply,AmirSahibsmiledandsaid:

“Huzoorhastoldusthatnomattertheweather,nomattertheconditions,

theJalsawillalwaysgoaheadandtakeplace!Hence,thereisnopointus

worrying about the difficulties, rather it is our objective to make

everythingassmoothaspossibleandtotryandlimitanydiscomfortto

theparticipants.”

Huzoor’s comment to Amir Sahib illustrated the vast importance of Jalsa

Salana.

73

Aconfusionremoved

Later, Huzoor graced the afternoon session of the Jalsa Salana with his

presenceanddeliveredthetraditionalreporthighlightingtheblessingson

ourJamaatduringthepastyear.

Huzoorannouncedthat,with theGraceofAllah,over600,000peoplehad

joineddoneBai’atoverthepastyear,themajorityofwhomwereinAfrica.

Furthermore, Huzoor also announced that the Jamaat had now been

establishedin210countriesoftheworld.

TheissueofnumbersofcountriesinwhichtheJamaatisbasedissomething

thathasbecomeslightlycontentious.Duringthepastyear,afewpeoplehad

approachedmeaskingaboutthis.Thepeoplewhohaveaskedmehaveall

saidthat,accordingtotheUnitedNations,therearelessthan200countries

intheworld,yetourJamaatisestablishedinanumberexceedingthistotal.

WhenImentionedthistoHuzoorafterJalsa,hesmiledandsaid:

“Wearenotapoliticalgroupwhochoosesto‘officiallyrecognise’some

countries, whilst deciding not to recognise others. There are many

Islandsintheworldthatconsiderthemselvesindependentcountriesbut

accordingtotheU.N.orofficialagenciestheyarenotindependent.”

Huzoorthentookabreakfromthemailhewascheckingandtookouthis

iPad,whichwasplacedonacabinetbehindhisdesk.Huzoorwentto‘Google’

andtypedin‘Howmanycountriesarethereintheworld?’.

74

IstoodbehindHuzoorashelookedattheresultsandheshowedmehowthe

U.N.hadits‘officiallist’butthattherewerealsodozens,ifnotmore,islands

orterritories,thatconsideredthemselvesasnations,eveniftheywerenot

officiallygiventhisrecognition.

Huzoorsaid:

“Now you can explain to peoplewho ask you this question and if you

remindmebeforenextyear’sUKJalsathenInsha’AllahIwillalsoclarify

itinmyreport.”

It sohappened thata fewdays later Iwas looking through theBBCSport

website and there was an article about an upcoming boxing match. The

article referred to the fact that the fight would be televised in ‘over 220

countries’.

Hence, the BBC, which is considered one of the most trustworthy news

organisations, also considers many countries that may not be officially

recognised!

Meetingswithdelegations

FollowingtheconclusionofHuzoor’saddress,hereturnedtohisresidence

forafewminutesbeforeproceedingtohistemporaryofficeatHadeeqatul

Mahdi.

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Itwasatentdividedintothreesections.Ononeside,wasareceptionarea,

inthemiddlewasthePrivateSecretary’sofficeandontheothersidewas

Huzoor’soffice.

That evening, Huzoor held meetings with delegations from Greece,

Switzerland, Uruguay, Spain, Ireland, Holland and Sierra Leone. The

delegationsincludedpoliticians,dignitaries,journalists,non-Ahmadiguests

andnewAhmadiconverts.

TheGreekdelegationincludedajournalistwhoaskedHuzoorwhetheritwas

‘difficult’tospreadapeacefulmessageintheworld.

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“Ourwork is to spread themessage of Islamand an inherent part of

Islamispeace.Today,thereisagreatdealofdisturbanceandconflictin

theworldbutthatwillneverstopusfromourmission.”

AyoungguestfromSwitzerlandaskedHuzoorwhyhewasreferredtoas‘His

Holiness’.Fromthetoneofhisquestion,itseemedthatheperhapsobjected

tothis.

Huzoorsaid:

“Ihaveneveraskedanyonetocallmethis,ratheritisthechoiceofthe

membersoftheJamaat.Outoftheirlovefortheirspiritualleader,they

desiretoshowrespect,however,ifsomeonewastoaddressmeasMirza

76

MasroorAhmadIwouldnottakeanyoffenceormind.Certainly,youare

freetocallmebymyname‘Masroor’.”

Upon this, any senseof objectionwas removedand the guest smiled and

said:

“Thatiswonderful!Thankyou.”

Amongst the Spanish delegation were some national Members of

Parliament.OneoftheminformedHuzoorthattheywereChristiansbyfaith.

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“Itmakesnodifference touswhatyourreligion isbecausewebelieve

thatashumanityweareallone.Thus,nomatterwhataperson’sbelief

weshouldloveandrespecteachother.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“Therehasbeenalotofrainandthishascausedsomedifficultiestoour

guestsandforthis,Iapologisetoyou.”

The other Member of Parliament said she had really enjoyed Huzoor’s

addressesandlearnedagreatdealaboutestablishingreligiousfreedom.She

addedthatbeforetheJalsasheknewverylittleaboutAhmadiyyatbutnow

had a much clearer understanding of Islam and how it was completely

differenttothemediaportrayal.

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WithintheSpanishdelegation,therewerealsosomeguestsfromArgentina,

includinganAhmadiconvertandsomeArgentiniannationaljournalists.

AnArgentine journalist askedHuzoorwhat the Jamaat’s responsewas to

terroristattacksconductedinIslam’sname.

Inresponse,Huzoorsaid:

“We always categorically condemn them andmake it clear that such

attacksarecompletelyagainsttheteachings.Ihavetravelledtodifferent

countriestogivelecturesinwhichwedonotjustcondemnbutwealso

give solutions to the lack of peace in the world based on Islamic

teachings.Ihavewrittentoworldleadersandwarnedthemaboutthe

risksintheworld.”

Huzoorcontinued:

“ThisverygatheringofourJalsaisalsoasymbolofhowweareshowing

Islam’s true teachings. Here there are thousands of people gathered

togetherforthreedaysand,duetotheweatherandthefactthatthisis

beingheldoutdoorsonafarm,meanstheconditionscanbedifficult.Yet,

you will only see smiles on the faces of the participants, there is no

disorder and everything is conducted smoothly and without incident.

ThisisallaresultofIslam’strueteachings.

Followingtheconclusionofthemeetings,Huzoorgracedadinnerreception

hostedbyWakalat-e-Tabshir,attendedbydozensofdignitariesandguests,

aswellashundredsofJamaatrepresentativesfromaroundtheworld.

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Thereafter, Huzoor led theMaghreb and Isha prayers andwith that, the

seconddayofJalsaSalanaUKhadreacheditsconclusion.

However,wheretheJalsaonlyhadonedayleft,Huzoor’sJalsaactivitiesand

meetingswouldcontinueformanydaystocome.

EndofPart1

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