Members of Majlis Ansarullah Switzerland were blessed to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, on 13 November 2022 through a virtual mulaqat. The ansar also included some aseeran-e-rah-e-maula (those who had been imprisoned due to their faith) and some who were meeting Huzooraa for the very first time. Huzooraa spoke to each of these members and asked them about their backgrounds. Thereafter, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa answered the questions the ansar had.
Rizwan Mubashar Sahib said that by Allah’s grace the Jamaat was spreading rapidly, he asked Huzooraa what country would convert to Islam Ahmadiyyat first and by what system it would be governed. Huzooraa replied:
“It is Allah’s grace that the Jamaat is spreading and Allah knows best what country will accept and it is our desire that an [entire] country accepts Ahmadiyyat, even if it be a small one. May Allah grant the opportunity to our missionaries and preachers to carry out tabligh and may Allah also open the hearts of people so they are able to accept the Jamaat and the Promised Messiahas and, as a result, come into the safety of Islam and under the banner of the Holy Prophetsa.
“However, I personally do not know what country will be first – Allah alone is the Knower of the Unseen and knows what country will be first and what exactly will happen.”
Regarding what system an Ahmadi country will be governed by, Huzooraa said:
“The governmental systems will continue as they are. Khilafat will not run a kingship, nor will the [parallel] system that was in place during the time of the Khulafa-e-Rashideen be reinstated. Rather, Khilafat and worldly governments will remain independent from one another. […] Those systems will continue as they are and this is the indication we find in the Holy Quran as well. […] Allah says in Surah al-Hujurat, that when two Muslim nations fight with one another, then you should make peace between them, and the nations that are establishing the peace between them should do it with justice and when peace has been established, there should be no retribution or injustice. This means there will be Muslim governments or rather a large number of them and everyone will be running their governments according to Islamic governance. And where matters of sharia, obedience and spirituality are concerned, they will consult the Khalifa of the time.”
Basharat Ahmad Anees Sahib said that in the last meeting with Majlis Ansarullah Switzerland, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa had instructed the majlis to spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat to at least 50% of Switzerland. Basharat Sahib said Majlis Ansarullah Switzerland was trying its best but faced financial hurdles in achieving this target, for example, higher budgets were needed for printing more literature. Basharat Sahib asked Huzooraa if Ansarullah Switzerland could seek assistance from the national Jamaat for more literature. Huzooraa said they could indeed seek help from the Jamaat for literature and then distribute it amongst the Swiss population. Huzooraa said a consolidated effort between Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, Lajna Imaillah and Ansarullah and the national Jamaat was required to spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat, and therefore Ansarullah could seek assistance from the Jamaat to acquire literature. Huzooraa said Ansarullah could request the Jamaat they needed a certain amount of literature, which they would then distribute in a certain amount of time and after the Jamaat provided it Ansarullah should ensure they distributed it.
“Therefore, you can seek help [from the Jamaat] and this requires cooperation between both of you. Allah says to help one another in righteousness and piety and spreading Allah’s message is a righteous deed, therefore you can.”
Tahir Mahmood Sahib asked how the Russia-Ukraine war could further impact the world and in the event of a world war, how Ahmadiyyat would spread after the war. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said: “The war has started, this is just the beginning.”
Discussing the current situation between Russia and Ukraine and its wider impact, Huzooraa continued:
“The claim that ‘Russia evacuated a Ukrainian city and therefore we are victorious’ has been responded to by the Ukrainian government as well, who have said not to be so jubilant; no victory has been achieved. It could also be a strategy of Russia that they purposefully evacuated a city, and you begin to think one city has been abandoned [by Russia] therefore more will be [abandoned] and Russia will withdraw as a result of which the war will end.
“This war will escalate further and blocs have begun to form. The friendship between Iran and Russia is increasing and China and Russia are developing relations – blocs are forming. Then tensions are developing between North Korea and South Korea and there’s the issue of Taiwan. The developing situation in the world is deteriorating the state of the world further. […]”
Huzooraa expressed that it was wishful thinking that these world powers were coming to their senses and the war would end just because Russia had lost a city, etc. Huzooraa said:
“These people will not come to their senses. The apparent facts and conditions indicate this war will escalate further. How many years it will take to escalate, Allah knows best. Even the first two world wars did not start out as international wars. First, blocs developed, they broke and new blocs formed, nevertheless blocs were made and the war continued. The relationship between Germany and Russia changed during World War II. Similarly, this can happen in modern times as well.”
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said, “I am giving this warning repeatedly,” that if the world does not pay heed and turn to God, a global war is very possible.
Huzooraa said:
“Allah has said in the Holy Quran that there are God’s promises and His warnings. The [eventualities of those] warnings can be averted.” Allah said that if people reformed themselves, sought Allah’s forgiveness and followed His commandments, they would be saved and would also realise why they were saved. Huzooraa said the people of Hazrat Yunusas were saved after seeking Allah’s forgiveness. Today, if the world sought forgiveness from God, paid heed and was saved, then it was “The duty of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya to further spread its preaching and inform people that ‘look, you sought forgiveness and you were saved. You fulfilled one part of seeking forgiveness and now, if you desire lasting safety, you must accept the Imam of the age and the last prophet of this age, the Holy Prophetsa. Once you accept to come under his safety and develop a true relationship with Allah then you will secure lasting protection. Otherwise, from time to time, you will continue to fall into such situations; destruction and discord will continuously appear’. At that time, you will be able to preach freely and you will need to preach.
“From what is apparent, it seems that if these nations do not come to their senses, this war will escalate. […] The time of when it will escalate, only Allah knows best. The conditions are not good, they are bad.”
Shamim Ahmad Qazi Sahib said that during Covid-19, communication was extremely limited and its effects have lingered in that some people are still not attending Jamaat events as they did before the pandemic. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said the UK Jalsa Salana was held so that people realised we are to meet one another, offer prayers together and go to the mosques. Only some conditions, like the amount of social distancing etc. had changed, but people attended in person. Huzooraa said that during his recent visit to the USA, people were adhering to Covid-19 protocols like wearing masks and social distancing, but they still attended the mosques for prayers, stood next to each other and met one another.
Huzooraa said he had set these examples for the Jamaat to follow and now it was the responsibility of the Jamaat to follow them and bring people to the mosques and Jamaat events. Huzooraa said the Jamaat must take people out of the habit of offering prayers at home, which was developed during the Covid-19 pandemic and children should be taught that prayers are to be offered at the mosque. Huzooraa said he participated in the UK Jalsa and also went to the USA on a tour; therefore, people should follow suit and catch on. Huzooraa expressed:
“The one who wants to reform himself does so even with the slightest hint and the one who does not want to, will not.”
Huzooraa said all the auxiliaries – Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya, Lajna Imaillah and Ansarullah – should strive to encourage their members to participate in Jamaat events and offer prayers. Parents should encourage their children and ansar members should encourage their whole family. Huzooraa said the habits of ease that were developed over two and a half years would at least take a year to rectify. Huzooraa said that with effort and exhortation, the situation of people not attending Jamaat events and prayers will, insha-Allah, get better again. However, constant efforts were required.
Naeem Ullah Sahib said that while preaching in Switzerland, they often experienced that members of the public accepted the arguments and teachings of Ahmadiyyat but would not take bai‘at. To this, Huzooraa responded by saying:
“Worldly people will accept the arguments, they will accept everything, however, when has Allah said that whomever you preach to will accept? Allah the Almighty said to the Holy Prophetsa as well:
بَلِّغۡ مَاۤ اُنۡزِلَ اِلَيۡكَ
[“convey (to the people)what has been revealed to thee”, (Surah al-Maidah, Ch.5: V.68)]
“The commandment is to do tabligh and Allah has said that giving guidance ‘is not your job, your job is to convey the message, Mine is to give guidance’.
“You should convey the message and pray for the person too. Do you offer any nafl for the tabligh contact with the same zeal and passion you have for carrying out tabligh itself? Do you prostrate [before God] for them? If prostrations and prayers are offered with the same zeal and passion, Allah blesses those efforts too. Therefore, prayer is essential along with preaching.” Huzooraa said that those preaching, would not be held responsible for why the people they preached to did not convert.
Huzooraa also gave an example from the Holy Quran where Allah mentioned a blind companion of the Holy Prophetsa and said to the Prophetsa that he did not know if the leader whom he was preaching to (while disregarding the blind companion) would even convert to Islam or not. [Holy Quran, Surah ’Abasa, Ch. 80]
“By giving these examples […] Allah made it clear that your duty is to convey the message, so convey it. Apart from this, giving guidance is Allah’s job.
“And take care of your own too, develop love and brotherhood amongst yourselves, as a result, unity and fraternity will be established in the Jamaat. […]
“You preach outside to people and are conveying the message in an excellent manner, but amongst some of you, lots of hostilities and ill-will have developed, or they don’t desist from talking against each other and resentment has developed in the hearts for no reason. Thus, try to remove those as well.
“You should be one and unified, then exert your efforts. Allah blesses it then as well. Also, pray! And pray together, then Allah will bless it as well.”
Huzooraa said that Allah commanded us to convey the message and if we did not convey the message then we would be questioned about it by Allah. However, nowhere had Allah said we would be questioned if we did not eventually manage to convert someone.
Preaching was essential for us and it was for Allah’s grace to guide someone. Huzooraa said preaching required hard work and prayers and then Allah blessed it.
Rafiu Idris Sahib said that in the commentary on verse 117 of Surah al-’A‘raf it was said that prophets generally never attacked first. Idris Sahib said that despite this, Hazrat Sulemanas attacked Queen Sheba without any provocation, he said this seemed like an exception to the rule and asked why Hazrat Sulemanas “was the aggressor”. In reply, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“He was not the aggressor. He sent the message to the Queen that she should not worship [others besides Allah] or make partners with Allah the Almighty or she should not worship idols. And he said that ‘I am sending you this message that you accept the omnipotence of Allah the Almighty and […] that He is All-Powerful. But if you did not do it, then, of course, I will come and give you the message […] Then, Queen Saba accepted the message and he never attacked her and let her remain at her position.
“This means that prophets never attack to snatch the power of somebody, never attack to capture the lands, never attack to destroy the people. Yes, of course, they fight when they are attacked. Here, it is a different thing, it was a way of spreading the message of Allah the Almighty and even then, he did not want to destroy the nation. He said that when the Queen will be captured, then the people will know that the god of the Queen or the idol she was worshipping or she was asking her subjects to worship, were wrong and they will accept the message of one God.
“So, here there’s a subtle difference, the purpose is not to destroy and capture the land or the nation – the purpose is to spread the message of Allah the Almighty, Unity of Allah, Oneness of Allah. And when it was accepted, he never attacked. Had he had some worldly desire, he would not have stopped attacking the Queen. So, in my view, this is the subtle difference.
“I don’t have the commentary in front of me now, so what I have understood from this is that there’s a subtle difference of attacking; attacking for worldly desires and sending them the message of Allah the Almighty. And he did not attack, he only said that ‘you only accept one God’. And he did not want that his neighbour should be the worshipper of idols.
“This is the subtle difference that I understand. It was not for the purpose of snatching the rights of others, it was not the purpose of capturing the land, it was not the purpose of making the nation a slave, the purpose was quite different; just to spread the message. Once it was realised by the Queen, everything was settled down and she remained the Queen of that area.”
Another questioner spoke about the continuing adverse condition of Pakistan and asked what one could do to improve the disorder there. In response, Huzooraa asked the questioner why he had migrated to Switzerland, if it was possible to improve the situation in Pakistan. Huzooraa noted that the questioner left Pakistan because it was not possible to improve its condition and desired a better life for himself by migrating to Switzerland.
Huzooraa said one could only pray for Pakistan, however, “Where the whole lot has gone astray, there is no hope that their ways can be corrected”.
Mian Nasir Sahib asked how the messages of the Khalifa would reach Ahmadis if a war erupted and communications were disrupted. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“Don’t worry, Allah the Almighty will create the means. Get a satellite phone and through it, the Amir Jamaat will get the [Khalifa’s] messages, so he will convey them to the Jamaat.”
Rehmatullah Zahid Sahib said there were good business opportunities in some Arab countries that people were benefiting from. He asked Huzooraa if investing in such countries was a good idea, particularly for those living in the West, keeping in mind the current condition of the world. Huzooraa said:
“We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow in the world. If the conditions for doing business in Arab countries are better, then one most definitely should. There is no harm. The conditions in Europe are worsening, right? Therefore, you will have to venture out of Europe somewhere.”
Mirza Usman Baig Sahib asked about climate change and what one could do about it individually, as a community and at the political level.
“I have instructed children and women as well that, individually, they can plant trees and pay attention to [reducing] carbon emissions. Try to use cars and other vehicles at a minimum. If you have to travel a short distance then instead of going in your car or motorcycle, you can walk there. Use cycles and plant more trees. […]
“Apart from this, it is the responsibility of governments to plant more and organise industry in a way that reduces carbon emissions the most.
“China now says it is 50-60 years behind the carbon emissions produced by Europe and America in the last 50-60 years as a result of their industrial growth, and so it [China] will continue and will see what changes to make in the future. Everyone desires their own benefit, so this is how people see things at the political or national levels.”
Huzooraa spoke about the recent floods in Pakistan:
“People also link everything to politics. People question why Pakistan is to blame for the recent floods that came. [They say] climate change is the result of the carbon emissions of the West, Europe and developed nations. However, what role has Pakistan played in this?
“Pakistan cut down all its forests. Landowners and politicians joined together and cleared all the mountains of Swat, Murree, Naran and Kaghan for their vested interests and destroyed all those areas. Then they didn’t even construct any dams and there were ways of harvesting water [that they didn’t utilise]. If they had used their God-given intellect, these people could have been saved from huge destruction.
“Some blame the West for everything that ‘the West did not do this or that’ – okay – but [the people of Pakistan] bear responsibility too.”
Huzooraa said developing nations like India and China questioned why they should reduce carbon emissions as they were developing their industries, whereas the West had already established itself (while also producing carbon emissions). Huzooraa said developed nations called on developing countries to reduce carbon emissions; however, in reality, rich or Western nations were not ready to reduce their own carbon emissions. This was wrong, Huzooraa said, and the West and rich nations should reduce emissions too. The wars currently taking place were adding to carbon emissions and climate change, Huzooraa said.
Changing the political landscape was not possible as countries were invested in their own interests, however, every Ahmadi could take steps to reduce their carbon emissions, Huzooraa said.
“We are only a small community and in this small community, whatever you can do [to reduce climate emissions] you should. Maybe, by looking at your examples, others will follow and this may slowly cascade further and people begin to be influenced by you and the whole country begins to realise this and pay attention to it.
“So, in every country, we can only exert small efforts. Then inform the people of the country, because the population of that country will bring real change. […]”
At the end of the meeting, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih conveyed his salaam and the meeting ended.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)