Rafiq Ahmad Hayat, Amir Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya UK
On 13 February 2022, a virtual mulaqat was held with Hazrat Amirul Momineen, may Allah be his Helper, which was originally for the local presidents of the UK Jamaat, however, we sought permission from Huzoor-e-Anwaraa to invite the national amila, regional amirs and regional missionaries.
The virtual mulaqat took place in the main prayer hall of the Baitul Futuh Mosque. Social distancing measures were in place throghout the event.
We had 105 presidents, 11 Regional Amirs, 33 National Amila members, and 17 missionaries in attendance.
The programme started at 12:20 pm with the recitation from the Holy Quran.
Some of the impressions and feedback from the attendees which encapsulate the atmosphere of the mulaqat in depth are as follows:
Dr Bilal Bhatti Sahib, Sadr Bromley and Lewisham Jamaat said:
“Any interaction with beloved Huzooraa, whether it is receiving a signed letter or being able to offer salat behind him, is a highlight of any calendar. It is such an honour to be able to just sit in the presence of beloved Huzooraa, albeit virtually. Whilst I didn’t ask a question, it was enough for me to listen to the beautiful way beloved Huzooraa answered questions from the presidents, and to watch him smile. Beloved Huzooraa enlightened us about ways we can improve our services to the Jamaat. Beloved Huzooraa reminded us that as office bearers, our duty is to serve rather than be served. Thus, we should take this service with humility and offer people a very loving approach. There may be times when people don’t wish to speak to us because of some error of ours or some other office bearers. Even then, we should not give up hope and continue to try to engage these people, whether it be a monthly phone call to just ask how they are or knocking on their door just to say salaam, because we happened to pass by their house. Along with this, beloved Huzooraa emphasised the importance of prayers. Even with tasks that are seemingly out of our control, such as the emergence of WW3, prayer is the best tool that we have to save us. Beloved Huzooraa emphasised the importance of tarbiyat when it comes to matters of Rishta Nata. This is fundamental. Our men need to realise that girls are not like a commodity that you can buy and then ask for a refund. Such negative attitudes need to be addressed with tarbiyat beforehand. However, tarbiyat extends beyond Rishta Nata. Beloved Huzooraa made a very interesting point that if the secretary tarbiyat made as much effort in their work as the Secretary Finance, then many issues would be resolved. Beloved Huzooraa managed to deal with so many topics in such a brief space of time in a very succinct yet comprehensive way. Every minute was overflowing with wisdom. I only hope and pray that we are able to follow the guidance imparted by our beloved Huzooraa in its fullest form and insha-Allah, become better servants of Ahmadiyyat. May Allah make it so. Amin.”
Nisar Ahmad Hussain Sahib, Sadr West Croydon Jamaat commented:
“Alhamdulillah, I am very grateful to beloved Huzooraa and the organisers for providing this opportunity to the Jamaat presidents. […] I certainly have to admit that I did not know that one should perform istikharah prayers before the families of the boy and girl meet. Once Huzooraa explained it, it made total sense. What I heard from people previously was that they meet and then do istikharah prayers afterwards. I shall pass this on to the Jamaat members, insha-Allah, during an appropriate forum. One of the presidents asked about how to improve ties to members who have distanced themselves due to aggravations with office holders or the Nizam-e-Jamaat. I can certainly relate to this as we have a few such families in our local Jamaat as well. Huzoor’s guidance in this regard was very beneficial. I wish we had this meeting earlier and not towards the end of our term in June 2022, but again, Huzooraa has given answers to these questions in previous mulaqats and Friday Sermons as well. It was a great honour to be allowed to have this mulaqat.”
Ghaalib Khan Sahib, Sadr Manchester North Jamaat said:
“Today’s mulaqat was fantastic. Huzoor’s clear, open and wonderfully insightful answers to questions really made me think about my role and how much room there was for growth and improvement. Sometimes we focus on the difficulties and challenges presented by people and circumstances in fulfilling our roles. Instead, Huzooraa made me think about the some really simple steps that could make a big impact. For example, I drive past the homes of many people in my Jamaat during my day to day life. I could easily stop and check in on members without any inconvenience to me or them. Furthermore, Huzooraa gave us some eye-opening advice on the way focusing on tarbiyat in our local Jamaats could help to tackle a number of issues across Rishta Nata, Wasiyyat etc. Overall, I have left inspired to improve my own output as a president and the outcomes of Jamaat members. I will try to re-listen to this virtual mulaqat often.”
Shafiq Kusi Sahib, Sadr Peckham Jamaat commented:
“I felt highly honoured and elated to receive the call that I would be doing the translation at this mulaqat with our beloved Huzooraa. And it was so surreal that it actually came true when it happened and I felt so fortunate and emotional to be standing in front of our worldwide spiritual leader, that everyone is eager to get a glance of him. What made me more emotional and very humbled was when Huzooraa recognised that I was from Ghana. He made me feel so relaxed and at ease and the whole atmosphere became lively and very tranquil, when our beloved Huzooraa shared a joke with me. I felt very blessed to receive a direct message from Huzooraa with regard to tarbiyat. […] Long live Ahmadiyyat, long live Khilafat, and long live our beloved Huzooraa.”
Nadeem ur Rahman Sahib, Secretary Talim Jamaat UK said:
“It was so wonderful to see Huzooraa. As usual, he gave us some great points with his lovely sense of humour. Just shows how lucky we are in that we see how Huzooraa always works tirelessly for the community always in a quiet and unassuming way.”
Nisaar Orchard Sahib, Secretary Tarbiyat said:
“Fantastic mulaqat as always. Tarbiyat, tarbiyat, tarbiyat. That was the main theme to all the questions.”
Mujeeb Mirza Sahib, a missionary commented:
“Alhamdulillah, it was a great joy to see beloved Huzoor-e-Anwaraa live and an honour it was to be in attendance at the virtual mulaqat. Even though the mulaqat was mainly for the local presidents and Huzooraa mainly spoke to them, however, there was a great deal I learnt. Huzooraa spoke in great detail on how to reactivate those members who have distanced themselves from Jamaat, which can definitely help me in my work.”