On 12 December 2021, Arab members of Lajna Imaillah and Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya Canada met Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa in a virtual mulaqat.
As the live stream started, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa conveyed his salaam and called Sarah Sahiba to recite a portion from the Holy Quran. A qasidah written by the Promised Messiahas was recited after.
Thereafter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa turned to Sadr Lajna Imaillah and asked if she would be conducting the session. Sadr Sahiba replied in the affirmative and requested that some members had a few questions they wished to ask . Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa graciously accepted this request.
The first questioner said that in her children’s school, often a prayer room was allocated for Muslim children to pray. She said that her child’s friends prayed in congregation and also invited them and asked them to join. However, when her children refused, they said, ‘Prayer is for Allah and if you refuse to perform it, it proves that teachings of Ahmadiyyat are against God’s will’. Upon this, she said her children felt embarrassed in this situation. She asked for Huzoor’saa guidance on this matter.
Huzooraa asked her how old her children were; to which she replied that she had four children, the eldest of whom was 14 years old.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Tell those children that ‘we have no issue with praying with you. We can pray with you. However […] we have accepted the Messiah and Imam Mahdi, about whom the Holy Prophetsa had prophesied and instructed us to accept when he appeared, no matter how many hardships one might have to endure in doing so […] [Tell us] will you speak against the Messiah whom we consider to be Imam Mahdi? Do you deem what we believe in to be true, whether you believe in it yourselves or not? Ask your parents what their view is on this matter. If they say, “No, these Ahmadi children have done wrong or their parents have done wrong by accepting the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, they are not Muslims, they are not true Muslims”, then how can we pray behind you? However, if you deem that you have not understood the claim of the Promised Messiah yet, but do not say that he is a disbeliever, then we can offer prayers with you and, in such a case, an option could be that we take turns to become imams [and lead the prayer] – one day, one of us shall be the imam, leading the prayer. Then [in this case] we will not have any issue with offering prayers [with you].’”
Huzooraa stated that initially, “Ahmadis used to offer prayers with non-Ahmadis. It was only when they issued a fatwa of disbelief against the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, and started saying he was a kafir [disbeliever] that the Promised Messiah said, ‘Now we shall not pray behind their imams, because the real Imam, myself, is the one whom Allah the Almighty has appointed the Imam of the time and sent as the Imam Mahdi’”.
This is how, Huzooraa said, praying separately started. Huzooraa added, “Confidence must be instilled [in your children]. If their tarbiyat is done properly at home, they will build trust and the children will be able to respond”.
Huzooraa added, “Instil courage in your children.”
Next, Sahar Sahiba asked if Satan was a separate creature and if so, whether Allah the Almighty created evil.
Answering this question, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained:
“If you mean to ask whether [Satan] was a physical creature, then just as the angels are not visible, so too is Satan not visible.”
Huzooraa said if one wished to understand the crux of the matter, then the encouragement to do goodness came from angels, and evil that arose in one’s heart was instigated by Satan.
Huzooraa stated that when Allah created Adam, He brought Prophet Adamas before Satan and the angels – this was in an allegorical term – and told them to prostrate. Upon this, Satan refused to submit to Allah’s command.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa further explained, “Satan and angels are two different states. One encourages to do good and the other instigates to do evil. Allah the Exalted has not created anything in vain. The Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said, ‘Satan flows through your blood.’ Now, there is no such creature literally flowing in a human being’s blood. The flowing of Satan in man’s blood means that there are features inside one’s soul [nafs] that can instantly arouse a Satanic state, and this is inside every human being. The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘The Satan in me has become a Muslim and he cannot influence me.’ However, Satan can wrongly influence the common man. Therefore, Allah the Almighty did not create man to spread evil. Allah the Almighty made man the noblest of creatures. He gave him intellect, He entrusted him a task to spread good and establish the oneness of God and to bow before God”.
Huzooraa explained, “The question should not then arise as to why Allah the Almighty created evil. Allah gave man wisdom and explained to him what were good and evil deeds […] Allah states that He had the power to make everyone pious but in that case, nobody would become entitled to either reward or punishment”.
Nada al-Shadanghli Sahiba asked Huzooraa if he helped in household chores such as cooking. She also asked what dishes Huzooraa cooked well.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa answered, “If I cook well or not can only be determined by the one who eats [what I prepare].”
Huzooraa, with a smile, said, “I do not claim to know how to cook everything, but I used to cook sometimes. Now, I do not get much time […] When I have the opportunity to do a task, and if it is necessary, I do it. That is why when men make excuses for being busy, they are often mere excuses. They should help out in their homes.”
Tuqaa Yousaf Sahiba asked if it was permissible to join peaceful protests. Answering, Huzooraa said:
“If it is guaranteed that it will be a peaceful protest and in the end, it will not turn into riots and extremism, then there is no harm in doing so.
“During Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II’sra era, there was once a protest in favour of the Kashmiris and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra allowed [participation in it]. So, if it is a peaceful protest and there will be no vandalism, government property will not be damaged and it remains within the constraints of law”, then it was allowed.
Someone stated that their family doctor, who was from Egypt and was a Christian, during an appointment once asked if she took vitamin D tablets, to which she replied in the affirmative. The doctor said that as she wore a veil and as the sun’s rays did not directly reach her skin, it was important for her to take vitamin D supplements. She asked whether Allah the Almighty could give any command, such as the veil, which went against our physical health.
Answering, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“In winter, when there is a greater deficiency of vitamin D, the days are usually shorter in Europe and Western countries. At that time, these people also cover their bodies, and the sun is not out as much. Even then, these people take vitamin D [supplements]. As far as summer is concerned, one’s face is usually not covered […] Now, these people go to the beaches in the name of taking vitamin D and in the name of bathing in the sun and lying naked on the beach in summer; they say, ‘We are taking in vitamin D and sunbathing’. So, these things are tantamount to spreading obscenity. Islam does not allow that.
“Acquiring [vitamin D] through the sun can be possible even while wearing clothes as your face is not covered, your hands and arms are bare, feet are kept bare, and in this way, the requirement of vitamin D is fulfilled. Allah the Almighty has designed the [body’s] system in this way”.
Huzooraa further explained that at home, one did not wear a veil and was able to sit near a window and absorb vitamin D in this way too. The commandment of wearing a veil and covering was for when one went outside.
Sarah Sahiba asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa if he had a vision or dream about the coronavirus and asked if it was a sign of the end of the world. Answering this question, Huzooraa said:
“Allah the Almighty knows best how the world will end. And as the coronavirus continues to grow and new variants are spreading, it seems that Allah the Almighty is nudging man to some extent [telling him], ‘Realise your purpose in life and the purpose of your creation and try to fulfil it, and recognise God Almighty.”
Huzooraa added that he did not receive any revelation from Allah or anything hinting at the virus. Huzooraa said that after the claim of the Promised Messiahas, heavenly and earthly calamities had been occurring and it was necessary for man to turn to God. Huzooraa said that plagues occurred and they even occurred during the era of the Holy Prophetsa and the Rightly-Guided Khulafa, and some companions even passed away after contracting the plague. The Holy Prophetsa said that whosoever died from the plague or a stomach illness was a martyr.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that Ahmadis were also passing away from this coronavirus disease. The plague that spread during the time of the Promised Messiahas was a sign for that time, Huzooraa said.
Huzooraa added that one should take precautionary measures to safeguard oneself from the coronavirus and follow the guidelines drawn out by the government. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa further stated that calamities befall the world to bring mankind closer to God.
Upon being asked whether it was permissible to repeat a prayer if, when performing the prayer, one is not able to achieve a state of humility or one’s focus deviated from Salat, Huzooraa said:
“When a person is praying, it is in that state [of Salat] that it is realised whether the state of utmost humility is being created or not. The Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, has said that when one offered prayer and one’s condition was not like this [in a state of fervour], one should at least make an outward appearance [of weeping]. When a person cries, their outward effect has an impact on their inner being and also on the soul […]
“Then while standing, when reciting Surah al-Fatihah, recite اِيَّاكَ نَعۡبُدُ وَ اِيَّاكَ نَسۡتَعِيۡنُ۔ اِهۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمَ over and over again. So, when you keep on praying like this, over and over again, a certain state overcomes a person and they begin to expeirence true humility.
“However, if it is done in such a way that you continuously repeat the prayer [to achieve the state of fervour], then you will just continue to perform the prayer. It is possible that even if you repeat the Salat 10 times, then there will be no feeling of humility; in such a case, one will stop praying because they feel tired.”
Huzooraa stated that the state of humility was not always experienced in one’s heart in all prayers. Such a condition did not always prevail and “different states occurred at different times.”
One should be fully determined and make the utmost effort to be in a state of humility when bowing before Allah the Almighty, Huzooraa said.
Another lady asked Huzooraa how one could make young children, who were less than 10 years old, understand that Salat was not a burden but a source of comfort.
Answering, Huzooraa said:
“Pray so that they can see you and perform your prayers in front of them in such a manner that the children become interested in wanting to pray. I have observed that many parents who pray in front of their children, when their children see them, if it is a girl, and she sees that her mother is praying, she also wears a scarf on their head […] and starts praying with her mother, or if it is a boy [who observes his father offering Salat], he wears a hat and starts praying […] So, when they become interested in their childhood, they will realise, ‘Yes, this is a duty that my mother and my father are doing and they are enjoying it’.
“If you show a practical example in front of your children, they will become interested,” Huzooraa said.
Therefore, Huzooraa said, the Holy Prophetsa emphasised drawing the attention of children to Salat from the tender age of seven.
Sakeenah Sahiba asked if it was permissible to attend and take part in mixed sports with both boys and girls.
Huzooraa asked how old she was, to which she replied that she was 12. Huzooraa then said:
“Now you are quite grown up. You should not play [sports] with boys. If there is a separate team for girls, then you can play [sports], but make sure that that team should only play before women only, not in front of the boys.”
“Secondly, as you are now 12 years old, which is a mature age, [at this age] girls and boys should not play together, you should have separate sports. […] So, make it a habit, from now, to not play with boys, play if there is a separate team for girls.”
Huzooraa said, “This is the way of a strong Muslim believer.”
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said, “After reaching a certain age, it is better that Ahmadi girls should go to girls-only schools.”
Next, a Lajna member, whilst presenting her mother’s desire, stated that her mother had a great desire to be present at this mulaqat. However, she was in the hospital. She said that Huzooraa had prayed for her health. After the demise of her father, her mother had a great desire to spend her life near the Khalifa and become a servant of the Khalifa. She further requested Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa for prayers.
Huzooraa replied:
“May Allah the Exalted grant her health. I also received her message yesterday that she would try [to attend the mulaqat] as her condition was getting better and she might have been able to join. In any case, it is according to the will of Allah the Almighty. May Allah grant her a swift recovery and fulfil her pious desires. Convey my salaam to her and visit her on my behalf.”
Maria Sahiba asked what qualities a murabbi’s [Ahmadi missionary] wife should possess.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“First and foremost, the wife of a murabbi should understand that she is also a murabbi; and before this, a murabbi should realise that he is a murabbi. The meaning of murabbi is one who looks after the tarbiyat of others. And only those who have undergone good training can look after the tarbiyat of others well and set a good example [for others]. When a murabbi sets a good example, his wife will follow suit and try to set a good example too. And when she tries to set a good example, then she will play an important role in educating ladies in terms of good morals because of her good example.
“It is very important for a murabbi’s wife to offer the five daily prayers fervently. It is important for the wife of a murabbi to recite the Holy Quran and know the meaning and its commentary. The wife of a murabbi should also take some time to read the literature of the Jamaat, books on Islam, and tafsir so that she can preach wherever she gets the opportunity to.
“The wife of a murabbi should possess good manners. When people meet her, they should say, ‘Yes, she is a very moral person.’ The example of the wife of a murabbi should be such that, when others see her, they try to imitate [her good morals].
“All these qualities should be found in the wife of a murabbi. A murabbi’s wife should possess the quality of humility and humbleness. It should not be that she thinks, ‘I am the wife of a murabbi’, and thinks highly of herself; on the contrary, if she does everything with humility, then she is the best wife.”
A person asked if it was permissible for Ahmadi children to attend Catholic schools as during an exam, she said, students were asked to write the name of God as believed by Christians.
Answering, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said that generally, in some government schools, children were taught about immoral sexual practices which was very harmful for them. Huzooraa said that if caution was exercised in Catholic schools and this wrong kind of education was not given, “then it is better to send your children to Catholic schools,” instead of government schools. However, if the Catholic schools taught those things in equal measure, then government schools were better.
Huzooraa added, “According to Christian teachings, Jesus, peace be upon him, is their god. You should write [in the test] that ‘according to Christian teachings, Jesus is the son of God, but according to our teaching, God is One, Who is the Master of all powers.’ If marks are deducted, then there is no problem. What issue is there if the marks in one subject are deducted, and the marks are slightly lower? What difference does it make?
“Inculcate the habit of sacrifice [for one’s religion] in children. Should children not offer sacrifice? Inculcate the habit of sacrifice within children from now.”
In the end, Huzooraa said, “The best option is that there should be a school of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya. If God permits, if there is an opportunity, we will open a school, insha-Allah.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then conveyed his salaam to all nasirat and Lajna members and the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)
