On 20 March 2022, members of Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya Norway, were given the opportunity to meet Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, in a virtual mulaqat.
As the live stream started, Huzooraa conveyed his salaam to everyone present. He then turned to Khizar Ahmad Sahib and said, “I see, Masha-Allah. So, you are now the Mohtamim Atfal,” to which Khizar Sahib replied in the affirmative.
The mulaqat commenced with the recitation from the Holy Quran followed by its Urdu translation by Danish Ahmad. Then, Faran Chaudhry had the opportunity to present a hadith. Ayan Chaudhry then read the translation of the hadith. Once Ayan had presented the hadith, Huzooraa asked, “Are you the brother of the one who just read out the hadith?” Ayan replied in the affirmative. Then Huzooraa asked, “Are you both twins?” To this, Ayan Chaudhry said they were.
Then, Aleem Ahmad presented an extract from Al-Wasiyyat, a book by the Promised Messiahas. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa asked him if he understood what was mentioned in the extract. Aleem Ahmad smiled and replied in the affirmative but added that he only understood a little. Huzooraa then explained:
“The Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, explained that ‘When I depart [from this world], the institution of Khilafat shall be established after me, and it is Allah’s promise to me that Khilafat shall be established and Khulafa shall continue to come one after the other at their appointed times. And this institution shall continue – as it was mentioned in the hadith – till the Day of Judgment and there shall be no hindrance in it. And those of you who are believers [mominun], those who have faith, and they are true believers […] should remain firmly attached to Khilafat and believe in Khilafat.’ This is the meaning of what you have read.”
Then, the atfal had the opportunity to present a tarana before Huzooraa.
Thereafter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa asked Khizar Sahib, Mohtamim Atfal, what the programme was. He replied that the atfal had some questions they wished to ask Huzooraa.
A young tifl, Kamran Munim, was first to ask his question. Upon seeing him, Huzooraa asked, “Are you Munim Khawaja’s son?” Kamran Munim replied in the affirmative. He asked Huzooraa if there was any connection between the death of Hazrat Jesusas in India and the birth of the Promised Messiahas in India.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that God knew best and explained:
“Fact is that the majority of Muslims lived in those parts [of the world], and people of different other religions also lived there, and other nations that had corrupted resided there too. The wisdom of Allah Almighty is that He sends Prophets to those places where more people have been corrupted. So, it means that the Muslims of those times were getting worse in that part [of the world]. The condition of the Muslims was such that they were forgetting Islam altogether while the propagation of Christianity was on the rise. The followers of Christianity were there in large numbers. Hundreds of thousands of Muslims had become Christians and had forgotten their religion. That is why Allah Almighty sent the Promised Messiahas to India […]”
Faran Nasir, before asking his question, asked Huzooraa how he was. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa answered that he was well and asked him how he was. Upon looking at him, Huzooraa said, “It seems you will become a maulvi. What do you wish to become [when you are older]?” Faran Nasir replied that he wished to become a murabbi. Huzooraa said, “This is what I said just now. You give the impression to me of someone who would want to become a murabbi.”
Faran Nasir asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa to pray for him and further sought guidance on how he should prepare himself for Jamia. Huzooraa said:
“Pray to Allah Almighty that, ‘My heart desires that I go to Jamia, [thus, O Allah,] make my heart resolute and firm upon [the intention] to go to Jamia’. Do not be double-minded: ‘Should I go to university or to Jamia? Should I pursue worldly education or [religious] education at Jamia?’ Make a plan and stick to it and ask Allah Almighty for help and pray to Allah Almighty.”
Mikal Ahmad asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa how he could be a good boy.
Huzooraa smiled and replied, “You are a good boy.” Mikal Ahmad said that he wanted to be even better than he was.
Huzooraa asked him how old he was, to which Mikal Ahmad replied that he was 8 years old.
Huzooraa said, “Now you should offer salat and pray to Allah that ‘Make me a good boy.’ Have you finished a reading of the Holy Quran, or are you still in the midst of it?” Mikal Ahmad said that he was still reading.
Huzooraa further said, “Say good things and study hard. To be a good child you should obey your parents. Do not quarrel with your siblings […] Do not be angry. If you go to school, do not fight with children. And learn about your religion as much as possible. […]”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said that he should read and learn what the Holy Prophetsa taught and what the Promised Messiahas and what the Khulafa have said. Huzooraa said that he should not be stubborn. “If you remember these things, you will be a good child,” Huzooraa said.
Muaz Ahmad asked Huzooraa why the disbelievers spread the false news on the occasion of the Battle of Uhud that the Holy Prophetsa had died.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa answered that those disbelievers spread this lie “because they thought that if we spread [the false news] that the Prophetsa had died and was martyred during the battle, then Muslims would lose heart and they would cease to fight. They would accept their defeat and start following them; they would obey the disbelievers and leave Islam because [the disbelievers] had killed the Prophetsa, God forbid, which would mean that he was not a true prophet. However, this does not matter as prophets can also be killed. However, Allah the Exalted was to keep the Holy Prophetsa alive until the sharia was fully established; until Allah had revealed the entire Quran to him.”
Next, Yunus Yilmaz asked Huzooraa how one would worship Allah in the next life. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained:
“After your death, in the next world, when you are in paradise, then you do not need any specific time for worship. Your every moment there will be as if you are doing ‘ibadat [worship]. So, there, you will always remember Allah the Exalted, you will always say good things, all your deeds will be good. This is why Allah the Exalted will also increase your status there in paradise. So, there will be no specific ‘ibadat like we do here in this world. Our every moment there will be ‘ibadat. So, we will be free from that type of ‘ibadat which we do here; but our every deed and action will be such that it will please Allah the Exalted, and Allah will be happy with us.”
Ayan Ahmad asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa about his view of the current war in Ukraine as the two presidents were not agreeing with each other’s terms.
Huzooraa said:
“They should come to an agreement and not engage in a war. I have been saying this continuously. In the beginning, when the war started, I issued a press release, stating that these people should not fight and they should come to an agreement amongst themselves, otherwise, this war would spread throughout and would ultimately become a World War. And if a World War breaks out, it would have horrific consequences. Therefore, the Russian president, the Ukrainian […] president, NATO and America should all act with sense and wisdom. America is deliberately trying to fan the flames. So, all of them should act with sense and wisdom, so that they may be able to save the world. If they do not [take heed], then there will be very horrific consequences. We can only exhort and pray, which is what we are doing. You should also pray that Allah the Exalted may grant them sense and wisdom, both to the President of Ukraine and Russia so that they may not escalate this war — which has already escalated quite considerably — any further. May they stop at one point, come to a peaceful resolution and settle the conflict in a civil manner. Otherwise, there will be terrible consequences; half the world will be destroyed. May Allah have mercy.”
Yusuf Yilmaz asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa how many angels were working for Allah. Huzooraa replied:
“There are quite a number of angels. We cannot count them. There are some angels who are the leaders: Gabriel and Azrael. Such types of angels are the leaders of all the angels and quite a number of angels are working under them. For each and every person, there is an angel. If they put something good in your mind, in your heart, that means that it came through the angel to you. If there is any bad thing that comes into your mind, [it means that] it came from Satan. So, try to follow the instructions of angels. Always do good deeds and whenever it comes into your mind that these are the good things that we should do [for example] we should offer five daily prayers, we should read the Quran, we should obey our elders, we should respect our elders and parents, and we should not fight nor quarrel with our fellow students or friends, we should work hard in our studies, we should obey teachers — all these things, whenever it comes into your mind — that means these things were told to you or came into your mind through the angels. So, numerous angels are working. We cannot count them. There is a team of angels under every big leader of angels.”
Zeeshan Sarwar asked Huzooraa how a waqif-e-nau could help the Jamaat other than by going to Jamia.
Huzooraa replied:
“You can serve as a doctor. You can serve as an engineer. You can serve as a lawyer. You can serve as a teacher. And you can study what interests you and which also benefits humanity. And even if the Jamaat does not utilise your services immediately and directly, you can still serve the Jamaat indirectly: Keep working in your field and propagate the message of Jamaat wherever you are. Preach the teaching of true Islam. Tell people what Allah Almighty desires from us; how a good human being should live; why we should worship Allah Almighty; what are the correct [meanings of] Islamic commandments; why Islam is the final religion and also [propagate] the virtues of Islam. So, preach good things about Islam. This is also a service to Ahmadiyyat and Islam that you would be doing. […]”
Ayan Quddus asked Huzooraa about Gog and Magog.
Huzooraa explained:
“This refers to the great powers. In some places, the Promised Messiahas has also written that it refers to Russia as well as European powers. It can be America. It can also be the United Kingdom, and the Christian powers when the Christian government was in power [at that time].
“All those major powers that are in opposition to Islam or deviating from religion; those that are deviating from religion and their eyes are fixated on the world and they look at things from a materialistic point of view are Gog and Magog; whose eye of religion is blind and only the eye of the world works, [they are Gog and Magog]. And then because of them, the evil schemes of dajjal are also carried out. Dajjal and Gog and Magog are two or three names of the same entity.”
Farid Minhas asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa when he would visit Norway. Huzooraa said, “Whenever Allah Almighty gives the opportunity, then I shall come. Pray that an opportunity arises, then Insha-Allah I shall come to meet you. Otherwise, you can come here to meet me.”
Faran Ahmad requested Huzooraa to explain ethics and morals and how these are a part of one’s daily activities and life.
Huzooraa explained:
“[…] There are more than 700 commandments given in the Holy Quran, and Allah the Exalted has told us what the good things are and what the bad things are.
“So, all those things which Allah the Exalted has commanded us to do are the good things, are the good morals. And all those things which Allah the Exalted has asked us to refrain from, they are the bad things.
“You must understand that you claim yourself to be a Muslim. A good Muslim should be morally good. Allah the Exalted says that you have two duties: one, to worship Allah the Exalted and discharge the rights of Allah the Exalted, that is, all the rights you owe with regards to Allah the Exalted. Secondly, you [should] discharge your duties towards your fellow beings. Always think good of and do good to your fellow beings, [and] every creation of Allah the Exalted.
“There are some moral duties; you have to be good with your friends, as I have already said, worship Allah the Exalted, obey your parents, respect your elders, respect your teachers, give due attention to your studies and try to excel in your knowledge, both religious and secular. So, these are the things that make you morally good. And always see what are the bad things which can corrupt your morals.
“In this present-day world, if you are watching television shows which are not good for your education and they are deviating you from doing good things, they are morally corrupting you and they are trying to involve you in the evil things of the society, then never watch them. Never watch those programmes on the internet or on social media which can spoil your morals, which are not good for you, which let you go astray, and cause you to deviate from your fundamental religious teachings.
“You are a grown-up now, being almost 15 years old. So, you should know what the good things are, and the good morals you have to adopt in order to discharge your duties accordingly.
“Always see what Allah the Exalted likes from you. We claim ourselves to be Muslims. So, if you are a true Muslim, you [must] discharge your duty to Allah the Exalted and you [should] discharge your duties you owe to your fellow beings, and always be good and kind to your fellow beings. Then [if you do all these], it means you are morally good. And never ever indulge yourself in bad things of the society and always try to find out the commandments given to us in the Holy Quran. We have a guideline before us and that is the Holy Quran. Now, you should try to learn the meaning of the Holy Quran. Find out all the dos and don’ts given in the Holy Quran and then follow them.”
Next, Ibrahim Ahmad asked Huzooraa what else he could do, after offering salat and reading the Holy Quran, to gain closeness to Allah.
Huzooraa said:
“Supplicate in your prayer that Allah Almighty may grant you His nearness and bring you closer to Himself. Then, do good things. Do not abuse anyone, do not call anyone bad [names], do not fight with other children, obey your mother and father and show them respect. You have to treat your teachers well and you have to be kind to your classmates. Do not quarrel with them. You should tell them that ‘I am an Ahmadi Muslim and I do good things; I do not talk nonsense, I do not watch filthy movies, I do not watch dirty shows and I do not spend my time [all day] sitting on the Internet, or iPad, or tablet, or cell phone, or sitting watching nonsense on television. I do not waste my time. I play outdoor games on the ground.’ So, these things will make you a good person; and when they make you a good person, then you will be closer to Allah Almighty.”
Danish Ahmad asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa who was considered a martyr [shaheed] in the eyes of Allah. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained:
“There are various people; those who do jihad [struggle] in the way of Allah are also martyrs. Sometimes, those who travel on a path, who do not fight a regular battle, but they undertake their journey for the sake of Allah, [to do] some work in the way of Allah, and if [on this journey] they die, they also become martyrs. Sometimes, someone who may die in an accident is a martyr, if their journey was in the cause of Allah. And similarly, sometimes those who die from certain diseases are martyrs. So, there are different people [who are considered martyrs]. When one embarks on some work for the sake of Allah Almighty and for the sake of gaining His pleasure, if at that time death comes to such a one, however, it may be, he or she will be considered a martyr.”
Next, a young tifl, Danish, asked Huzooraa how Allah was created and what His colour was.
Huzooraa replied:
“No one can see Allah Almighty [physically]. Allah Almighty has always existed […] We cannot see Allah Almighty because He is a light [Noor], and a different being that is not a physical body. So, we cannot even recognise His colour. […] Pray and ask Allah, ‘Tell me how You will speak to me’. Pray to Allah Almighty that ‘Instil Your love in my heart.’ When you begin to love Allah, you will find out for yourself what Allah Almighty looks like […].”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa further said, “God is everywhere,” and added that when he grew older, he would understand more. “Masha-Allah! you are quite smart,” Huzooraa said.
Faran Anas asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa how he should respond when schoolchildren teased him and called him dirty for being a foreigner.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Say [to them], ‘I am not dirty. I perform ablution five times [a day], I offer salat. I am cleaner than you because you do not even wash after going to the toilet, while I keep myself clean and pure.’
“If they say to you that you are a Muslim, you are a foreigner, and that’s why you are not good, and by calling you ‘unclean’ they mean to say that you are not good, then say [that this is all irrelevant] the fact of the matter is that [to be good] one should be morally good.’
“[Say] ‘My morals are good. I also worship Allah Almighty. I also speak well with you. I think good things about you people. I do not fight with you. I also study hard so that I can get good marks, so that I am able to serve the country when I grow up. So, I do my best to improve myself so that when I grow up, I can serve my country. So, I am not unclean.
‘No matter what you think of me, I do not think badly of you because if we think badly of each other, then hatred will be created in our hearts and our slogan is ‘Love for all, hatred for none’. You may say whatever you wish to say to me, I will not harm you and I will pray for you that Allah may change your mentality.’ You can say these things to them.” Athar Ahmad asked Huzooraa if the international Jalsa Salana would take place in England this year.
Huzooraa answered:
“Jalsa shall be held, Insha-Allah. The decision as to whether it will be an international [Jalsa] and whether people [from abroad] will be allowed to attend it or not, shall be disclosed at a later time. If it is [an international Jalsa], it will be for a limited number of people. Not everyone will have open permission [to attend].”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then asked him if he desired to come, to which he replied in the affirmative.
Qasid Ahmad asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa how long it took him to prepare his Friday sermons. Huzooraa replied: “It can take anywhere between four to twenty hours.”
Muhammad Hamza asked Huzooraa if it was permissible to paint a picture of oneself.
Huzooraa explained:
“Do not have it made by a painter. If you are very fond of pictures, then take them with a camera. In paintings, there definitely remain some or the other shortcoming that does not reflect your true expression. No matter how good the painter, there will be some shortcomings somewhere. Therefore, it is permissible to take pictures with a camera. Paintings should be avoided in general. Only and unless the painter is perfect in his or her craft, then you may have your own portrait created by them if you so desire but only keep it with you. Do not make one of anyone else. However, it is better to take it with a camera.”
Muhammad Umar asked Huzooraa what he could do to become the delight of his parents’ eyes.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa explained:
“Do good things, as I have already said. Offer your salat.” Huzooraa then asked him how old he was to which he replied by saying that he was 10 years old.
Huzooraa then said, “Offer salat, in this way you will please Allah. Do good deeds and Allah will be pleased. Speak good words, recite the Holy Quran, and Allah will be happy. Treat people with good manners, and Allah Almighty will also be pleased. Obey your parents, and Allah Almighty will be happy, as I have said before. Pay attention to your studies. Participate in good exercises. Do not waste time watching many shows on TV and the Internet, and Allah will be pleased with you too. And the things that please Allah will also please your mother and father if they are pious people; and, in this way, you will become the delight of their eyes.
“And it is the duty of parents to pray for you so that you may be the delight of their eyes. This is the prayer that the Holy Quran has taught. Parents should pray that their children become the delight of their eyes. So, tell your mother and father to pray for you that you may become the delight of their eyes.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then conveyed his salaam to all the atfal and the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)