On 12 March 2022, members of Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya, USA, were given the opportunity to meet Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in a virtual mulaqat.
The mulaqat commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran by Hassan Sheikh after which the translation was presented by Qasid Mian.
Then, Waleed Ahmad recited a poem composed by the Promised Messiahas. Azish Ahmad read out its translation. After this, a video about Baitul Ikram, the newly constructed mosque in Dallas, was presented before Huzooraa. The mosque, as stated in the video, can accommodate 450 worshippers, with an extra spill overcapacity of 250. The construction began in 2019. In the video, it was requested that Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa bless Dallas Jamaat with his presence and officially inaugurate the Baitul Ikram mosque.
After watching the video, Huzooraa smiled and said:
“Since you are sitting here. Now it has been officially inaugurated with your mulaqat.”
Thereafter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa asked Madeel Abdullah Sahib, Sadr Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya USA, what the programme was. Sadr Sahib replied that 106 atfal, aged 7 to 15, had gathered and added that there were some atfal who had questions they wished to ask Huzooraa.
A young tifl, Umar Mahmud, 8, was first to ask his question. Upon seeing this young tifl, Huzooraa said, “Yes, Masha-Allah, Umar Mahmud Sahib. What do you say?”
Umar Mahmud asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa that since Allah Almighty had knowledge of all things including what humans would do in the future, then why did He put humans through trials in life.
Huzooraa answered:
“Allah the Exalted has given you wisdom. You [human beings] are the only creatures of Allah the Exalted who have been given wisdom and fertile brains to use. So, although Allah the Exalted knows what is going to happen in the future, He gives you a free hand. He has asked you now, as a human being, ‘I have given you wisdom and knowledge as well. You can learn more, you can improve yourself and you can differentiate between right and wrong. So, I am telling you these things are wrong and these things are right.
Now if you practice the right things, I will give you a reward. If you do bad things, I may punish you.’
It is not necessary that Allah the Exalted always punishes everybody. He forgives as well, and He says He is All-Merciful. His Mercy encompasses everything. Just like you are studying in a school and some students are good, some are not very good in their studies. Your teacher knows very well that ‘this student will not get that many marks as the other student is going to get.’ He [the teacher] very well knows who are the clever students and who are the poor students in their studies. Despite that, all of you sit in the exam and you are given marks.
So, the teacher does not give different questions to the good students in their studies or some simple questions to the students who are not good [in their studies]. The same question paper is given to everybody […] In the same way, Allah the Exalted has given us the question paper, and He has even given us the answer that ‘these are the good things, these are the bad things. If you do good things, you will be rewarded.’
And it is not necessary that if a person is doing bad things, he will ultimately be punished. Sometimes it so happens – and there are quite a number of narrations in this regard – that sometimes Allah the Exalted forgives those people who commit sins throughout their whole lives but before the end of their lives they do something good which pleases Allah, and Allah the Exalted forgives them and sends them to paradise [after their demise].
This world is a world of trial. You can compare this to an examination hall. If you work hard, you will get better marks […]”
Mubashir Khalid, 15, asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa that since Allah knew that humans were His ultimate creation, why did He create animals before humans that are now extinct.
Huzooraa replied:
“He knew that those animals which are now extinct, their bodies will be used for you [human beings], as you see [in] the [case of] fossil fuel. Dinosaurs and other animals died […] Allah the Exalted created them to make proper use of their bodies, and now you are benefiting from that fossil fuel which was produced by those animals or all those creatures which were present in the olden days and now they are extinct.
This is why, Allah the Exalted made a plan in such a way that when human beings come to the stage where they have perfect knowledge of using good things or things that are buried in the ground, so He will let them make good use of it. Now this is the mercy of Allah the Exalted that He created some animals or some life on this earth and now that life is extinct, and now human beings are benefiting from it. Now you should thank Allah the Exalted that, before the invention of the cars and the engine, He had planned in such a way that you can get oil from the soil […] Allah the Exalted’s plan is such that whatever is buried underground, under the soil, is being used by us. Instead of asking questions, you should be thankful to Allah the Exalted that you came afterwards, and you are making use of those extinct animals by using their residue in the shape of fossil fuel.”
Salman Momin, 11, asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa if it was permissible to eat at a Christian friend’s house as they pray and may say the name of Jesus upon their food.
Huzooraa explained:
“When they are cooking, they might say they have taken the name of Jesus. Normally they do not do [this]. So, creating so many things in your mind, developing something in your mind that ‘they might have done this thing or that thing,’ [is unnecessary]. As I just mentioned in my last sermon, yesterday’s sermon (11 March 2022), Hazrat Abu Bakrra said to the army people that ‘whatever food is given to you by the local people, you say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم and eat it.’ So, instead of going into a detailed investigation and becoming curious about it, [thinking] ‘they might have done this thing or that thing,’ you just say بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم and eat it. Then the food is pure for you. You can eat it. No problem! Even if you do not go to a Christian’s house, you buy food from Nando’s or buy burgers or anything from service stations. Do you know [whether] the person who prepared that food might have said the name of Jesus Christ on that food? So, do not try to be so curious about these things. Just say Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim and eat it.
But, if you know – clearly know – that this animal has been slaughtered in the name of something which is other than Allah the Exalted, then do not partake [of it].”
Next, Wali Ahmad Nun, 10, asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa how to maintain a peaceful and loving environment with siblings. Huzooraa asked if his siblings were older or younger. He replied by saying that one was older and two were younger.
Huzooraa smiled and explained:
“You should show patience. You [should] respect your brother or sister who is older than you and also be kind to those who are younger. And whenever they say something wrong, you [should] always show patience. Your tolerance level should be very high. And, also at the same time, when you see something wrong in them, and they are teasing you, you get annoyed, then say:
اَسْتَغفِرُاللهَ رَبِّيْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ وَّاَتُوْبُ اِلَيْه
“And at the same time, you should pray in your prayers that you always get good things from your siblings, and neither you make them unhappy, nor they make you unhappy and that both of you may live together amicably, in a friendly manner, in a brotherly manner. So, the thing is that an Ahmadi boy or girl, man or woman, [should] show patience, and their patience level should be very high. If you develop that one, then you will not get annoyed or you will not take revenge from your brothers and sisters.”
Naweed Ahmad asked that since Allah initiated all religions, was it correct to say that all religions lead to Allah Almighty.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa responded:
“Yes. It is correct, provided they [followers of other faiths] do not deviate from the original teachings. All the prophets came with the message of prophethood from Allah the Exalted. And they all announced that ‘You [should] worship the One God and don’t make partners with Him’ and they clearly said that ‘we are the messengers of Allah the Exalted’ and they also said that ‘we have come for our people, to guide them’ and quite a number of prophets have prophesied that a prophet will come in the Latter Days and who will be the Prophetsa of God but not for the local people, [not only] for their own people, but for the whole of the mankind. And this prophecy was made by Mosesas, by Jesusas Christ, and so many other prophets. So, although Moses brought the same message, Jesus brought the same message, Krishna brought the same message, Confucius brought the same message, but they also prophesied about the coming of a prophet who will be the universal prophet. And none of their books has ever claimed that they are the prophets for the whole of mankind.
Even in the Bible, Jesus Christ has categorically said that ‘I am only the prophet for my own people, for my own tribes.’ But it is the Quran which claims that the Holy Prophetsa has come for the whole of mankind. He has been sent by Allah the Exalted for the whole of mankind. He is a mercy for the whole of mankind. So, despite the fact that all the religions are true religions, but, one thing is, that they have deviated from their true teachings.
Secondly, they never claimed that they came, or they were sent by Allah the Exalted for the whole of the mankind; but the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was sent – and it is a claim of the Holy Quran – it has been categorically announced by himself as well and it is written in the Holy Quran very clearly that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the mercy for the whole of mankind. He has been sent for the whole of mankind as the Warner and the Giver of glad tidings.
So, this is why we say despite the fact that all the religions were true religions but now their teachings have been corrupted by their followers. And it so happened that some of the traditions also entered into the Islamic teachings. This is why it was the promise of Allah the Exalted to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, that in the Latter Days a person who will be the lover and the follower of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, will be sent by Allah the Exalted as the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, and if there is any corruption in the religious teachings in Islam then he will rectify it and he will revive the religion. So, now, Islam is the true religion that is in its original shape. There is no book of the previous prophets that is in its original shape. It is only the Holy Quran that is in its original shape. And our opponents even accept this thing that there has never been any change in the Quran despite the fact that there had been some temptations to change it. And it is the claim of Allah the Exalted, in the Holy Quran, that the Quran will never be changed, and this is why we see that even today the Holy Quran is in the same form as it was revealed to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
This is why we say that Islam is the final religion and that was the claim of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and that has been announced by Allah the Exalted and it was even prophesied by the previous Prophets.”
Taha Qureshi, 9, asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa what children should do to get closer to Allah.
Huzooraa stated:
“Now you should offer your five daily prayers […] We have five daily prayers – salat – that you offer five times; Fajr, Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha. Altogether, there are five prayers. So, offer your five daily prayers and pray to Allah the Exalted in your prayers that Allah the Exalted may make you a good Muslim so that you come nearer to Allah the Exalted.
Secondly, you [should] read the Holy Quran daily and, if possible, you [should] also read the translation of it. Try to learn the translation of it so that you may know what is written in the Holy Quran. And then, when you know what is written in the Holy Quran then you should try to practice it and follow what Allah the Exalted wants from you. […]”
Tamim Butt, 9, said that every Friday, he had a test in school. He added that if he was to attend Jumuah, it would have a negative effect on his grades. He asked Huzooraa what he should do regarding this matter.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa advised:
“[…] You can ask your teacher if it is possible to take your test one day before. Or if not then – okay, you can sit in your test. And Allah the Exalted knows your intention that you want to offer the Friday prayer but Allah the Exalted will – if you have a good intention and you want to offer the Friday prayer and because of your schedule in the school or the programme in the school or because of the test you cannot attend the Friday prayer – then Allah the Exalted will forgive you.
And you [should] also pray that they change the date of the tests so that you are able to attend Jumuah prayer. So, next year you will be free [to do so]. They will change your timetable next year. It is not necessary that next year you will also have tests on Friday. You can wait till next year. […] Pray to Allah the Exalted that he helps you to change this timetable.”
Fateh Ahmad Nun, 11, asked Huzooraa if ordinary people could see angels.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained:
“Angels do not have physical bodies, but whenever they are seen – by the prophets even – that is a vision […] Nobody can [physically] see angels. Only, sometimes the whole atmosphere is created in such a way that sometimes you are sitting with a prophet, you may see the angels as it happened during the time of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Sometimes, his Companions used to see the angel Jibrael while sitting in the company of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. But that was just the vision, not that some physical body was there who descended from heaven and made the shape of a human being, no. That was a sort of vision or ilhaam [revelation] or something like that. Nobody can see angels in a physical shape because they are not like human beings. You can only see angels in your dream if it is a true dream; or, whenever you receive any message from Allah the Exalted, or you see a vision.”
Ramees Mirza, 14, said that the Holy Quran states, “I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” He added that since Allah was not in need of man’s worship, it seemed like a contradiction. He asked Huzooraa to elaborate on this.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained:
“There is no contradiction. Allah the Exalted says:
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
“‘I have not created Jinn or the men but to worship [Me].’ That is the duty of a human being. ‘Jinn’, here, means the big people, the people whom an ordinary man cannot see, the people who consider themselves something above the ordinary man. They are the Jinn, here. And ‘the men’ [means] human beings, normal men, ordinary men, general people, the general public. So, Allah the Exalted says ‘I have created them to worship Me so that they may be rewarded. [If] they will worship Me, they will be rewarded,’ Allah says, ‘I will not get any benefit from it.’ In another verse, Allah says that He does not need our worship. It means that this worship will not benefit Allah the Exalted, or it will not increase the status of Allah the Exalted. Rather, it is we who will get to benefit from worshipping Allah the Exalted. So, there is no contradiction. On the one side, Allah the Exalted says, ‘this is your duty.’ On the other side, He says why [it is so] ‘because I want to reward you, I want to bless you abundantly with manifold blessings. But do not think that I need your worship. I have asked you just to make you understand that it is going to benefit you.’ Allah the Exalted says ‘My status will remain the same. By worshipping Me, you will not increase my status. I am God. I am Omnipotent. I am the Only God who created the heavens and the Earth and all the universes. So, I do not need your worship but you need My help and if you need My help to get the benefit from My blessings, or you want to get rewards for your deeds, then worship Me.
So, on the one side He asks us that this is your duty. [On] the other side He has told us that ‘don’t think I have given you this duty to increase My status, no. I have given you this duty to reward you, to increase your status. It is not going to affect My position or status, rather, you are going to benefit from it.’
Okay, do you understand now? There is no contradiction. Both commandments are for us to practice and to make us realise that we need Allah’s help. It is not Allah [Who] needs anything from us.”
Chaudhry Abdullah Cheema, 12, said that people in the USA believed that Prophet Jesusas was the son of God. He asked Huzooraa how he should reply when he was asked why he did not hold this view of Jesusas being the son of God.
Huzooraa said:
“You can tell them that, ‘we only know that Allah is All-Powerful and Omnipotent, and there is no match [to Him] and He can do everything.’ You can ask them ‘do you think Allah needs somebody’s help? If He does not need anybody’s help, then why should He have a son?’ […] We believe that Allah is Ever-Living, and He will never die. Everything is going to finish but Allah the Exalted will remain there all the time. Even before He created this world, heaven, and earth, He was there. So […] why should He have a son? You can tell them that ‘we do not understand the logic behind it’ […]”
Huzooraa further said, “If they say it is written in the Bible that ‘Jesus is the son,’ [then, one can reply that] all the pious people Allah the Exalted has considered them as their children.” Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained that there were so many places in the Bible where noble men had been called “sons”. It was not only Jesus. “[This title] does not mean that they are [God’s] real children. It means they are the true followers of Allah the Exalted,” Huzooraa said.
Huzooraa further encouraged Abdullah to study the Holy Quran and read the last three surahs which declare the Oneness of God.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then turned to Sadr Sahib and said that there was only time for one last question.
Haris Goraya, 12, said that he had a non-Ahmadi Muslim friend in school who had invited him to his mosque. He asked Huzooraa if he recommended visiting the mosque.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“You may visit his mosque, but you should tell him that, ‘ask your imam that I believe’ – you believe – ‘that Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian is the Promised Messiah.’ So, you tell him that ‘I believe that the person who was to come in the Latter Days, according to the prophecy of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, has come.’ That is your belief. So, you can tell him that ‘Okay, I can go and see your mosque, no problem, but ask your imam that if he gets the chance to pray behind an Ahmadi imam, will he pray?’ If the imam says, ‘yes I will pray behind the Ahmadi imam,’ then you can pray behind him. But if the imam says that ‘no, I will not pray behind the Ahmadi imam,’ then you can tell [your friend] that ‘how can I pray behind such an imam who does not believe that the Imam of the Age has come according to the Prophecy of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. So, this is the matter.
You see, in the olden days, Ahmadis used to go to the non-Ahmadi mosques and they used to pray behind the non-Ahmadi imams but later on when non-Ahmadi imams started saying that the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, is nauzubillah [God forbid] a ‘kafir, he is a disbeliever,’ then the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, said that ‘we should not pray behind them.’ […]”
Huzooraa added, “If they say that we are ‘kafir’ then how can we offer our prayer behind them; but, there is no harm in going to the mosque, just to see the mosque.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then conveyed his salaam to all the atfal and the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)