Attiya Shaukat, UK
With the abdication of Edward VIII, the younger brother who was not destined to sit on the throne, became the king.
After King George VI’s demise, Queen Elizabeth II, as the eldest daughter, reigned for a prosperous 70 years. Throughout her years, the Queen has shown her true colours as a natural-born leader. The ability to be loved and respected by so many across the world is a testimony to her qualities.
It may seem strange to some eyes why someone South Asian in ethnicity, Muslim in faith and born outside the UK holds an affection for Her Majesty. However, this affiliation is rooted in a declaration of the Holy Prophetsa that “loyalty to one’s country is a part of faith” and since I have lived and breathed the air of freedom in Great Britain, my gratitude and loyalty have been the reason I have prayed with good wishes for the monarchy.
It is a loss to lose a Queen such as Her Majesty and therefore I would like to share a prayer written for Her Majesty by the Khalifa of my community. I share it in the hope that it might console all our souls.
“It is our prayer that Her Majesty comes to be loved by the Angels of God. May the All-Powerful and Mighty God shower Her Majesty generously with His countless spiritual bounties and blessings, just as He has granted her with worldly blessings in abundance. Through these blessings, may all citizens of this great nation be enabled to recognise the Supreme Lord and come to live in mutual love and affection. Irrespective of colour, creed, nationality or religion may all citizens of the United Kingdom show respect and honour to one another, to such a degree, that the positive impact and influence of this attitude extends beyond these shores and spreads to the people of other countries of the world also’’. (www.reviewofreligions.org/7084/letter-from-head-of-the-ahmadiyya-muslim-community-to-her-majesty-queen-elizabeth-ii/)
We are all different as humans, but the spirit which binds our humanity is connected by the One God. He is our Maker and we all shall return to Him.