Hadeeqatul Mahdi, 28 July 2024: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa arrived at the jalsa gah just after 4 pm. He then took a seat on the stage, accompanied by hearty slogans of takbir, and greeted everyone with assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullah.
Before the formal session, Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahib, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya UK, read out a message of goodwill, sent by King Charles III for the Jalsa attendees.
The concluding session of Jalsa Salana UK 2024 then commenced with a recitation of the Holy Quran – Aal-e-‘Imran, Ch.3: V. 191-196 – followed by its Urdu translation, both presented by Mahmood Wardi Sahib. Next, an Arabic poem [qasidah] of the Promised Messiahas, written in praise of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, was recited by Faraj Odeh Sahib, followed by its Urdu translation which was presented by Mansoor Zia Sahib. This was followed by an Urdu poem of the Promised Messiahas, recited by Murtaza Mannan Sahib.
Then, Secretary Ta‘lim UK was called to read out the names of Ahmadi students who had achieved academic excellence over the year. Next, Rafiq Ahmad Hayat Sahib, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya UK, announced the name of the awardee of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for Advancement of Peace for 2024. The 2024 prize is to be awarded to Nicolò Govoni, founder of Still I Rise.
Then, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa came to the podium and once again conveyed his salaam to everyone. He then recited, tashahhud, ta‘awwuz, and Surah al-Fatihah and delivered a faith-inspiring address on the Promised Messiah’sas love for his master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, a brief summary of which is given below.
Introduction
Huzooraa initiated his address by acknowledging the depth and breadth of the topic concerning the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He mentioned that despite the vastness of the subject, he would present key extracts illustrating the true status of the Holy Prophetsa elucidated by the Promised Messiahas.
Promised Messiah’sas love for the Holy Prophetsa
Huzooraa described the Promised Messiah’sas profound love for the Holy Prophetsa, stating it was characterised by complete self-effacement [fana] in the Holy Prophet’ssa being. He highlighted how the Promised Messiahas set a path for attaining true love and devotion to the Holy Prophetsa, providing guidance that could enlighten even those who opposed his message.
Huzooraa expressed that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat has faced ongoing opposition based on misconceptions that the Promised Messiahas – God-forbid – sought to diminish the status of the Holy Prophetsa. He pointed out that these allegations stem from the self-serving motives of certain Muslim clerics.
Huzooraa said:
“Since the time of the Promised Messiah’sas claim, the opponents of Ahmadiyyat have been accusing him of blaspheming the Holy Prophetsa by claiming to be the Messiah and Mahdi. They argue that this alleged insult is intolerable, and they have used this pretext to oppose the Jamaat until today, claiming that he dishonoured and disrespected the Holy Prophetsa.”
Allegations and realities
Huzooraa discussed how opponents use false accusations to justify persecution and deny Ahmadis their human rights, emphasising that these actions are driven by ignorance and a desire to exploit religious sentiments for personal gain.
Huzooraa explained:
“In reality, these so-called religious scholars are motivated by personal interests, disguising their aims under the guise of religion to strengthen their own positions. By leveraging these accusations, they have justified all forms of oppression against Ahmadis to secure personal and political gains. They refuse to contemplate or seek the truth in the Promised Messiah’sas words and writings, as doing so would jeopardise their interests. Instead, they have poisoned the minds of the public by exploiting their influence.”
Huzooraa added:
“The general public, lacking knowledge and trusting these scholars, believe that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadianias insulted the Holy Prophetsa, while the truth is entirely opposite. The claim of the Promised Messiahas is that whatever he attained was through the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa, and all his accomplishments stemmed from his love and devotion to him. He clearly stated that without Prophet Muhammadsa, he was nothing. From his early writings and discourses to his final days, his words and books are filled solely with the love of Prophet Muhammadsa.”
Huzooraa highlighted the Promised Messiah’sas assertions of his deep reverence for the Holy Prophetsa. He noted that the Promised Messiahas consistently proclaimed his achievements and spiritual status as blessings derived solely from his adherence and complete obedience to the Holy Prophetsa.
Holy Prophet’ssa unique status
Huzooraa reflected on the Promised Messiah’sas teachings regarding the unparalleled status of the Holy Prophetsa as the greatest of all Prophets, whose obedience could enrich one’s life both in this world and the hereafter.
Further elaboration was given on the unique spiritual beneficence of the Holy Prophetsa, which the Promised Messiahas frequently emphasised in his writings and speeches.
Promised Messiah’sas teachings
Huzooraa reiterated the Promised Messiah’sas view that the Holy Prophetsa was the epitome of prophetic perfection, unmatched in his devotion to God and his ability to reflect divine qualities.
Insights were shared on the Promised Messiah’sas portrayal of the Holy Prophet’ssa perfect embodiment of prophethood and his role as the ultimate intercessor for humanity’s salvation [najat].
Intercession and salvation
Huzooraa conveyed the Promised Messiah’sas assertions that the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, is the sole intercessor whose advocacy is essential for salvation, emphasising that every spiritual blessing is contingent upon following the Holy Prophetsa.
Promised Messiah’sas expression of love
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“The Promised Messiahas emphatically stated that our Prophetsa was sinless and the Seal of the Prophets, a status that no one else could achieve. He proved to the opponents the high moral standards of the Holy Prophetsa, established his divine light and glory, and clarified to the world that the position of the Seal of the Prophets meant no new sharia could come and no other prophet with a [new] sharia could appear; the sharia ended with him. The exalted status granted to him has never been given to anyone else.”
Huzooraa shared examples of the Promised Messiah’sas poetic expressions of love and respect for the Holy Prophetsa, which vividly illustrate his profound reverence and the deep impact of the Holy Prophet’ssa teachings on his life.
Huzooraa presented a Persian couplet of the Promised Messiahas in which he said:
“After God, I am inebriated with the love of Muhammadsa. If this is infidelity, then by God I am a great infidel.”
Huzooraa recounted instances from the life of the Promised Messiahas that demonstrated his immense love and respect for the Holy Prophetsa, refuting any claims of disrespect or blasphemy from his opponents.
Huzooraa encapsulated the essence of the Promised Messiah’sas teachings and his unwavering love for the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. He mentioned that the Promised Messiah’sas writings and actions consistently affirmed the supreme status of the Holy Prophetsa as the final law-bearing Prophet and the perfect exemplar for all mankind.
Next, Huzooraa shares several profound extracts from the writings of the Promised Messiahas that illustrate the exalted status of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa.
Praise
Huzooraa shared how the Promised Messiahas extensively praised the Holy Prophetsa, elucidating that all miracles and divine communications acknowledged in other religions as past events are actively experienced in Islam through the blessings of the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa. He emphatically refuted the misconceptions that the Promised Messiahas diminished the Holy Prophet’ssa status, instead asserting that his writings elevate it significantly.
Huzooraa recounted the Promised Messiah’sas responses to accusations against his claims, clarifying that true love and following of the Holy Prophetsa are the means to divine closeness, a point profoundly misunderstood by the opponents.
Huzooraa quoted the Promised Messiahas as saying:
“I say truly that no one can be held to be righteous and the winner of the pleasure of God Almighty, nor can he be the recipient of the bounties, blessings, understandings, verities and visions which are bestowed at the highest degree of the purity of the soul, till he is completely lost in his obedience to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him. This is affirmed in the Word of God, as it is said: ‘Say, If you love Allah, follow me: then will Allah love you.’ (Al-e-Imran, 3:32) I am the practical and living proof of this Divine promise.”
‘Thousands upon thousands of blessings and peace be upon him!’
Huzooraa explained the Promised Messiah’sas astonishment at how critics failed to grasp the elevated status of the Holy Prophetsa, even towards the end of his life. He emphasised the Promised Messiah’sas consistent reverence and declaration of the Holy Prophet’ssa unique closeness to Allah.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“I always wonder what a sublime Prophet this Arabian Prophet is, whose name is Muhammad (thousands upon thousands of blessings and peace be upon him). One cannot fathom the limit of his sublime status and it is not given to man to estimate the extent of his spiritual effectiveness. It is a pity that his rank has not been recognized as it should have been. He is the champion who restored to the world the Tauhid which had disappeared from the world; he loved God to the extreme and his soul melted to the extreme out of sympathy for mankind. Therefore, God, who knew the secret of his heart, exalted him above all the Prophets and all the first ones and the last ones and bestowed upon him all that he desired within his lifetime. It is he who is the fountainhead of every grace, and anyone who claims any superiority without acknowledging his grace is not a human being but is the spawn of Satan, because he (the Holy Prophetsa) has been bestowed the key to every exaltation and he has been given the treasure house of every understanding. He who does not receive through him is deprived forever. I am nothing and possess nothing. What am I and what do I amount to? I would be ungrateful if I were not to confess that I have found true Tauhid through this very Prophet. I have attained the recognition of the Living God through this same perfect Prophet and through his light. The honour of converse and communion with God, through which I behold His countenance, has been bestowed upon me through the same Great Prophet. The rays from this Sun of Guidance fall upon me like sunshine and I continue to be illumined only so long as I am facing towards it.” (The Philosophy of Divine Revelation, pp. 137-138)
Spiritual strength of the Holy Prophetsa
Huzooraa described how the Promised Messiahas defended the ongoing validity and superiority of the Holy Prophet’ssa spiritual teachings, which continue to inspire true reformers like himself, refuting claims that he sought to begin a new religion or diminish the Holy Prophet’ssa role as the Seal of the Prophets [Khatam an-Nabiyyin].
Status of the Holy Prophetsa
The Promised Messiah’sas writings, as shared by Huzooraa, portrayed the Holy Prophetsa as the epitome of divine light and spiritual perfection, unmatched in human history.
Huzooraa conveyed the Promised Messiah’sas profound distress over insults directed at the Holy Prophetsa by non-Muslims, emphasising his intense emotional pain and staunch defence of the Holy Prophet’ssa honour.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“That light of high degree that was bestowed on perfect man was not in angels, was not in stars, was not in the moon, was not in the sun, was not in the oceans and the rivers, was not in rubies, emeralds, sapphires, or pearls; in short, it was not in any earthly or heavenly object. It was only in perfect man whose highest and loftiest and most perfect example was our lord and master, the Chief of the Prophets, the Chief of all living ones, Muhammad, the chosen one, peace and blessings of Allah be on him. That light was bestowed on this man and, according to their ranks, upon all those who bore the same colour to some degree […]. This dignity was found in its highest and most perfect form in our lord and master and our guide, the immaculate Prophet, the righteous one, testified to by the righteous, Muhammad, the chosen one, peace and blessings of Allah be on him.” (A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 160-162)
Devotion and expression of love
Huzooraa recounted the Promised Messiah’ssa profound expressions of love and veneration for the Holy Prophetsa, presented during a gathering. He highlighted the unparalleled excellence of the Holy Prophetsa as confirmed by the Promised Messiah’sas personal spiritual experiences.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“The insults that have been offered to Islam and the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, the attacks that have been made against Divine Law and the apostasies and heresies that have become widespread, cannot be matched in any other age. Is it not true that in a short while in India alone a hundred thousand people have become Christians, and more than sixty million books have been published in opposition to Islam, and people belonging to high families have lost their religion, and those who used to describe themselves as the descendants of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] have put on the garment of Christianity and have become his enemies, and numberless books full of vile abuse of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, have been published?
“My heart cries out with tears that if these people had murdered my children before my eyes, and had cut to pieces my sincere friends, and had killed me with great humiliation, and had possessed themselves of all my property, I would not have been so pained and my heart would not have been so hurt as it has been pained and hurt by the insults offered to the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him.” (A’ina-e-Kamalat-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 5, pp. 51-52)
In his concluding remarks, Huzooraa reiterated the Promised Messiah’sas ultimate respect and love for the Holy Prophetsa, encapsulated in powerful prayers and salutations that call upon the highest divine blessings for the Holy Prophetsa.
The Promised Messiahas said:
“It is a strong argument in support of the truth of the Holy Prophet [peace and blessings of Allah be on him] that he was raised in an age when the world had fallen into deep darkness and called for a grand Reformer. He departed the world at a time when hundreds of thousands of people had abandoned paganism and idol worship and had adopted the Unity of God and the straight path. Such perfect reform was particular to him that he taught a people who were at the level of animals, the ways of humanity. In other words, he converted wild beasts into men, and then turned them into educated men, and then made them men of God, and breathed spirituality into them and created a relationship between them and the True God. They were slaughtered like sheep in the cause of God and were trodden under foot like ants, but they did not abandon their faith, and marched forward in the face of every calamity.
“Doubtless, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be on him, was a second Adam and indeed was the true Adam for the establishment of spirituality through whom all human excellences arrived at their perfection, and all good faculties were devoted to their proper task and no branch of human nature was left barren. Prophethood ended with him not only because he was the last Prophet in point of time, but also because all the excellences of Prophethood reached their climax in him. As he was a perfect manifestation of Divine attributes, his law had the qualities of both majesty and beauty. That is why he was named both Muhammad and Ahmad [peace and blessings of Allah be on him]. And there was no miserliness in his Prophethood; Indeed, it was destined for the benefit of the whole world since the beginning of time.” (Lecture Sialkot, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 20, pp. 206-207)
The Promised Messiahas said:
“How shall we express our gratitude to God who bestowed upon us the good fortune to follow the Prophet who is a sun for the souls of the righteous as there is a sun for the bodies. He appeared in a time of darkness and illumined the world with his light. He was neither tired nor fatigued till he purified all parts of Arabia from associating partners with God. He is the proof of his own truth for his light is present in every age and true obedience to him purifies a person as the clear and transparent water of a river cleanses dirty linen. Who has come to us with a sincere heart and has not witnessed that light, and who has knocked honestly on that door for whom it has not been opened? But the pity is that most people prefer the lower life and do not desire that higher light should enter into them.” (Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, pp. 301-303)
Conclusion
Huzooraa concluded his address by urging the Jamaat to intensify their expressions of love for the Holy Prophetsa through heartfelt recitations of Durood Sharif. He stressed the transformational impact of truly heartfelt prayers, encouraging all to imbibe a deep, passionate connection with the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him.
In the end, Huzooraa led everyone in a silent prayer, after which he announced the attendance of Jalsa Salana UK 2024 to be 43,460.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)