Al Fazl, 17 February 1921
The news of an auspicious occasion held on Sunday, 6 February 1921, at a special place in London called Putney, has reached the corners of the earth through the Reuters [News] Agency. The Ahmadiyya Jamaat has bought a spacious house and purchased a large piece of land to build a mosque there [in London]. Owing to the grace and blessings of Allah the Almighty, it can be called a permanent markaz (centre) for the spread of Islam in Europe.
The report of the proceedings of this event will be published when we receive more details. At the moment, we only have the Reuters telegram in front of us, which was published in the previous issue.
We have come to learn through [this telegram] that the inauguration ceremony of the Ahmadiyya mission was held at the premises of the new house in the presence of a well-attended gathering of Indian and non-Indian Muslims and European new converts to Islam.
The speech delivered by Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sayal Sahib on this occasion has been summarised [in the said telegram], which states that he presented the Ahmadiyya Jamaat as a ray of hope for establishing peace and harmony between Britain and India. Moreover, he expressed hope that, God willing, the people of the British Empire would eventually become true Muslims and as a result, the thinking of black-white racism and nationalism would no longer remain among them.
This will certainly be something out of the ordinary for the people of England. The only hope for real peace and harmony between India and Britain is the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. However, those people who are familiar with the rules and standards of our Jamaat and are aware of the conduct of our Community; they must have fully realised, at a time when India is going through a political storm, how peaceful our Jamaat is and how peace-promoting its principles are.
Those who are acquainted with the said conditions can easily gauge that the foundation of unity and peace between Britain and India can only be laid on the principles presented by the Ahmadiyya Jamaat and only this very foundation can prove to be long lasting and stable.
Be that as it may, this is the reality which the world will spontaneously witness and ultimately recognise in the future.
Now, the matter I would like to draw your attention to is the sincere hope of Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sayal Sahib that the British Empire would one day become a Muslim Kingdom.
There is not a shadow of doubt that given God’s promises to the Promised Messiahas, this hope is not an unrealistic hope. It will certainly be fulfilled and achieved at a much greater level than expected, insha-Allah. However, the question is, when will it be fulfilled and who will take part in it?
Every Ahmadi should ask themselves and answer this [question]. If you [Ahmadis] have a longing that is making you anxious to bring all the countries under the banner of Islam; if you have a passion that is steaming profusely to convert all the empires to Islam; if there is such zeal in your hearts that makes you prepared not only to sacrifice your wealth, but also your life for the sake of Islam, then blessed are you and blessed are your hopes. However, if you are not in such a state, i.e. you have no passion and zeal in you, then excuse my words but you are not of the ones who will witness the fulfillment of these promises of God Almighty which were given to the Promised Messiahas and which light up our faces with joy and happiness when we hear about them.
Those blessed persons will be other than you, who will sacrifice everything for religion and will then witness the fulfillment of God’s promises. They will come after you and leave you behind.
By the grace and mercy of God Almighty, the opportunity we have in our hands to serve religion is a very blessed one. Owing to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra], our trivial efforts are yielding such great results that we are embarrassed to call them the results of our own efforts. However, if we further expand our efforts and endeavours and every Ahmadi engages in the service of religion, then an extraordinary revolution can come within a short period of time and Ahmadiyyat can achieve recognition the world over.
Think about the effort that was carried out to build a house of God in London last year. The very first event in this regard has been so significant that the Reuters [News] Agency has considered it necessary to spread its news to distant countries. Consequently, the name of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat reached millions of people.
This shows that as we expand our tabligh efforts in foreign countries, our Jamaat will become more and more prominent and new means will continue to emerge to make our tabligh successful.
Thus, O followers of [Prophet] Ahmad’sas Jamaat! Rise and show the world that you have vowed to put religion before the world, not only by word of mouth but with every fibre of your being and that you are practically fulfilling it.
Behold that brother of yours, who has left his home, wife and children and is living in London to spread the word of God. An announcement has been printed and circulated through him to millions of people that the day is nigh when the British Empire will become a true Kingdom of Islam. Since he did not publish it on his own behalf, but on the basis of God’s promises to the Promised Messiahas, this announcement will be considered as the Promised Messiah’sas. Thus, you should prove it to be true and [exert every effort] to bring forward that day which has been mentioned, as fast as you can. If you stand up for the service of religion, remember that the succour and help of God Almighty will be with you and you will surely succeed.
Hence, those brothers who have the ability to carry out tabligh in foreign countries, should stand up, get ready and fully prepare and present themselves to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra]. The rest of the brothers, where they continue to carry out tabligh in their respective places, should also pay heed to provide the financial needs of the Jamaat.
If our entire Jamaat devotes itself to the service of Islam with all its zeal and energy, then with the grace of God, under the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih, very delightful and positive results can be achieved. May God Almighty grant us the strength to do so. Amin.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 17 February 1921 issue of Al Fazl)