Hadeeqatul Mahdi, 27 July 2024: At around 4 pm Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa arrived at the main jalsa gah. The session then started with the recitation of the Holy Quran — Surah ar-Ra‘ad, Ch.13 V. 42-44. — followed by its Urdu translation from Tafsir-e-Saghir, presented by Abdul Momin Tahir Sahib.
Next, some couplets from “Aye khuda aye karsazo…”, an Urdu poem of the Promised Messiahas were presented by Musawer Ahmad Sahib. Then, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa came to the podium and conveyed his salaam to everyone. He then recited, tashahhud, ta‘awwuz, Surah al-Fatihah and delivered a faith-inspiring address on God’s continued blessings on the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, a brief summary of which is as follows:
In the beginning, Huzooraa said:
“In the second day’s address, the blessings of Allah Almighty upon the Jamaat are mentioned. I will briefly present them now. I have had a summarised report prepared, and a detailed report will be published later. Since this is a brief summary, some departments might not be mentioned in this report. Nevertheless, every department has performed excellently by the grace of Allah the Almighty.”
A new country: Taiwan
In the previous year, Jamaa-e-Ahmadiyyat extended into a new territory, Taiwan, bringing the total number of countries where Jamaat has been established to 214. Huzooraa highlighted the conversion of a distinguished scholar, Professor Chong Kuan of Taiwan University, who is well-regarded in Islamic studies across the country. After a thorough study of the Jamaat and its beliefs, Professor Kuan, known by his Islamic name Nabil, pledged his allegiance to the Promised Messiahas. The Jamaat’s influence in Taiwan is evident from the first-ever Jalsa Salana held there, which attracted thirty participants including twelve Taiwanese locals.
Establishment of new chapters (jamaats)
Huzooraa reported on the global expansion of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, noting that, apart from Pakistan, 384 new chapters were established over the past year. Additionally, Ahmadiyyat was introduced in 908 new locations. Over the same period, the Jamaat was blessed with the construction of 106 new mosques and the acquisition of 48 existing ones. Furthermore, 117 new mission houses were established.
Wakalat-e-Tasneef
They report that a new Latin American language translation of the Holy Quran was published for the first time, alongside the Finnish translation. Additionally, the first Hebrew translation was completed, contributing to a total of 78 Quran translations now available.
This year also saw the publication of English books including “Sachai ka Izhar,” “Siraj-e-Munir,” “Al-Huda,” “Araba‘in,” and some of the remaining volumes of “Malfuzat,”. Furthermore, various other significant works were translated and published in multiple languages. Huzoor also mentioned that Tafseer-e-Kabir, now expanded to 15 volumes from 10, was also published in a new computerised digital edition.
Wakalat-e-Ishaat
Wakalat-e-Ishaat has received reports from 72 countries, documenting the publication of 409 different books, pamphlets, and folders, amounting to over 4.9 million items in 51 languages. This includes the books of the Promised Messiahas, which were translated and published in several languages. Specifically, seven titles each were published in German and English, three each in Azerbaijani, Turkish, Spanish, and Bangla, two each in Persian, Hausa, Luganda, and Tamil, and one each in Arabic, Chinese, Bosnian, Polish, Telugu, Odia, Nepali, and Indonesian.
Wakalat-e-Ishaat Tarseel
Wakalat-e-Ishaat Tarseel reported distributing over 200,000 books across 40 languages. The department also facilitated the distribution of free literature on various topics, reaching over 10 million people with more than 7 million distributed items.
Distribution of free literature
The report highlighted the extensive distribution of free literature by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. Over the year, more than 7 million pieces of literature covering over 15,000 different topics were distributed across various countries, reaching over 10 million people.
Exhibitions, bookstalls & book fairs
Regarding exhibitions and book fairs, over 1 million people were introduced to the message of Islam through 4,700 book fairs, while 27,840 bookstalls helped reach an additional 1.4 million individuals.
Newspapers and magazines
The Jamaat and its auxiliary organisations are currently publishing 128 newspapers and magazines across 23 languages.
Raqeem Press
The Raqeem Press published 52 new book titles. This year also saw the publication of the Holy Quran in larger print for easier reading, now available in the bookstore along with other books.
Arabic Desk
This year, the Arabic Desk completed a significant publication milestone with the full release of the ten-volume set of Malfuzat. Additionally, they have completely published other key literature including Ruhani Khazain and Tafsir-e-Kabir. In addition to this, there are many other literature that they have published.
French Desk
The French desk highlighted significant digital outreach, noting that their website has attracted over 5.8 million visitors to date. This year, they added 66 new topics or articles to the website, enhancing their content offerings to the French-speaking audience.
Chinese Desk
The Chinese Desk successfully completed the translation and publication of Jesus in India into Chinese, further broadening the scope of literature available to Chinese-speaking people.
Turkish Desk
On MTA, they broadcast a live one-hour program with a question-and-answer segment from the Frankfurt Studios every Sunday. Additionally, their Turkish radio station operates 24 hours a day on the internet, broadcasting 174 new programmes over the past year. The Turkish website also saw significant traffic, with over 127,000 visits.
Persian Desk
The Persian language website was launched this year, with several books of the Promised Messiah and translations, as well as Friday sermons, already uploaded to the site.
MTA International
MTA International operates with 544 workers across 16 departments, working tirelessly day and night. The team of volunteers from among them includes 293 men and 173 women. There are eight channels running 24 hours a day: MTA-1 World, MTA-2 Europe, MTA-3 Al Arabiya, MTA-4 Africa, MTA-5 Africa, MTA-6 Asia, MTA-7 Asia, and MTA-8 America. These channels broadcast globally through 11 satellites. Additionally, in Africa, local satellite channels such as MTA Ghana and MTA Gambia are also broadcasting. MTA can also be viewed without an antenna or satellite in Suriname and Belize through two terrestrial channels. Currently, programmes are translated simultaneously into 23 different languages.
MTA Africa has expanded to 13 branches. This year, construction of new studios began in Sierra Leone and Uganda. Furthermore, MTA has been included by an important African Union Broadcast Organisation, a highly reputable entity that represents all the major channels in Africa. This inclusion signifies increasing acceptance of MTA in Africa. Local Gambian TV stations have reported large viewership of people for MTA programmes.
Radio stations
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat operates 26 radio stations across Africa, broadcasting over 136,700 hours across approximately 200,000 programmes. In the UK, the Voice of Islam Radio can be heard in 10 cities and globally online. Throughout the year, over 8,700 hours of programming were broadcast, reaching over 10 million people in the UK.
In Germany, three radio stations operate under the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat. These include Al Ahmadiyya Sawt Al-Islam in Arabic, Islam Ahmediyet’in Sesi in Turkish, and Stimme des Islam in German. Collectively, these stations broadcast over 778 hours of programming.
Other global TV and radio broadcasts
Globally, aside from the continuous 24-hour broadcasts by MTA International, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat’s message is disseminated through 73 countries on various TV and radio channels. This year, over 2,751 TV programmes and over 2,800 hours of content were broadcast from Jamaat radio stations. Additionally, other radio stations featured over 15,000 hours of programmes related to the Jamaat. Overall, a conservative estimate suggests that the broadcasts reached over 180 million people.
Newspaper coverage
Over the past year, 3,295 articles about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat were published in various newspapers and magazines, reaching an audience of approximately 180 million.
Press and Media
The Press and Media Office successfully facilitated the publication of 112 articles reaching over 30 million people. Prominent platforms such as Sky News, ITV, BBC London, iNewspaper, BBC News, and The Guardian featured content about the Jamaat. This exposure also extended to various podcasts.
Over the past year, the message of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat reached more than 19 million people through various social media platforms. The media team engaged with over 1,400 journalists, held meetings with 240 journalists, and interacted with an additional 106 individuals. They also participated in numerous conferences, delivered lectures at universities and schools, and were featured in TV programmes to present and explain Islam. Moreover, they conducted tours for guests at mosques.
Alislam.org
Significant enhancements were made to the Jamaat’s digital resources, including updates to the Quran search engine, which now allows users to search Quranic verses by transliteration. A new digital library featuring English books and the Ruhani Khazain search engine, which hosts the literature of the Promised Messiahas, was launched. Forty new English books were published on platforms like Amazon and Google, bringing the total to over 190 English publications available. Additionally, 27 Urdu books from the Ruhani Khazain collection are now accessible on Apple and Google eBooks, making them easily readable on mobile devices.
The Review of Religions
Founded by the Promised Messiahas over 122 years ago, The Review of Religions magazine continues to reach a global audience. The English edition is distributed in 126 countries, the French in 26, the German in three, and the Spanish in 13 countries. Over the past year, the magazine’s website and YouTube channel accumulated over 2 million views, while its social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram garnered over 10 million views.
Al Fazl International
Despite restrictions in Pakistan, Al-Fazl International’s website, along with its social media platforms, received over 80 million views this year.
Al Hakam
Huzooraa said:
“Al Hakam is a weekly publication with a significant readership from outside the Jamaat as well. The number of readers has increased, necessitating an expansion of the website’s capacity. On average, the number of readers over three months is one million.”
Waqf-e-Nau
The total number of Waqf-e-Nau members now exceeds 83,000, with 2,947 being in active Jamaat service as life devotees, including as missionaries in various capacities.
Makhzan-e-Tasaweer
This department has preserved over 1.4 million photos, with 5,464 available on its website. Its social media presence has attracted over 500,000 views.
Majlis Nusrat Jehan
Under this scheme, 40 hospitals and clinics operate across 13 countries, staffed by 36 central doctors, 53 local doctors, and 74 visiting doctors. Additionally, 620 primary schools in 13 countries and 81 secondary schools in 10 countries are operational. Projects such as the establishment of new facilities in Burundi, Sierra Leone, Benin, Zimbabwe, Finland, Italy, Cameroon, Portugal, and Spain were noted.
International Association of Ahmadi Architects and Engineers (IAAAE)
This year, the association installed 31 new solar wells and 29 hand pumps, benefiting over 70,000 people.
Humanity First
Now operating in 65 countries, Humanity First treated over 100,000 people for various conditions and aided another 100,000 affected by war in nine countries. In Gaza, Humanity First provided shelter, water, medical aid, and supplies.
Reconnecting with new Ahmadis
Over the year, over 38,000 new Ahmadis were contacted and their contact was reestablished with the Jamaat. 38,185 talim, and tarbiyat classes were held for the new Ahmadis.
Bai‘ats
In terms of bai‘ats, the number of individuals who joined Islam Ahmadiyyat, with the grace of Almighty Allah, was 238,561 this year—an increase of 21,393 from the previous year. These new members span 117 countries and come from 482 different nations. Among the countries with notable numbers, Nigeria leads with over 40,000 bai‘ats. It is followed by Guinea-Conakry with over 25,000, Congo-Brazzaville with over 24,000, and Guinea-Bissau with over 23,000. Many other countries also contributed to this substantial increase in bai‘ats.
Huzooraa then narrated a few incidents in this regard:
An incident in Nairobi: Adnan Sahib, a missionary in Nairobi, reported that while conducting regular bookstalls in an area of a city, the Jamaat faced significant opposition from Christian priests who attempted to disrupt their activities through complaints to authorities and social media campaigns. Despite these challenges, a local intervened during an attempted attack at one of their stalls, offering protection and asserting his support for the missionaries. This incident did not deter the Jamaat’s efforts; they continued their tabligh programmes, resulting in over 40 bai‘ats.
Preaching in Ivory Coast: Waldo Ahmad Sahib, a missionary in Ivory Coast, recounted a challenging tabligh tour in a village. Despite initial resistance, the sincerity of the missionaries in overcoming difficult terrain and weather conditions to share the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat impressed the local imam and villagers. Their dedication led to a heartfelt reception of the message and the conversion of over 140 villagers, leading to the establishment of a new jamaat in the area.
Conversion of a Christian priest in Congo Brazzaville: In Congo Brazzaville, a local Christian priest, after participating in the annual Jalsa Salana and engaging in multiple religious debates, declared his acceptance of Ahmadiyyat. He was convinced of the truth of the message and subsequently held a seminar to announce his bai‘at, which also led to 50 members of his congregation joining the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat.
A scholar’s encounter with Ahmadiyya literature in Nigeria: Abdul Fattah Sahib from Nigeria shared an interaction with a non-Ahmadi scholar who was initially resistant to the teachings of Ahmadiyyat. After being given The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam, he returned, deeply affected by the book’s content, questioning why such profound teachings were met with false accusations of kufr.
[These were just a few from among the incidents that Huzooraa narrated in detail.]
Huzooraa concluded his address with the following words of the Promised Messiahas:
“O ignorant people! This Jamaat has been established by the Divine. Do not fight against God. You cannot annihilate this Jamaat; it will always prevail. Do not wrong yourselves and do not look with disdain upon this Jamaat, which has been established by God for your reformation. Understand that if this was the work of man and had no hidden divine support, it would have perished long ago, and such a liar would have been destroyed so thoroughly that even his bones would not be found. Thus, reconsider your opposition. At the very least, consider that you might be mistaken and that perhaps your fight is actually against God.”
After this, Huzooraa conveyed salaam to everyone and the session came to an end.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)