Faran Shaheen, London
A widespread global catastrophe seems imminent. The UK government has officially started preparations for future wars and pandemics, a move some see as melodramatic and political. However, we should seriously consider this a prompt to prepare for potential global devastation in the near future.
Stock up on rations!
The government, with its long-standing commitment to short-sightedness, has only recently aligned with the emphasis of Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih Vaa, worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, on stocking up supplies in preparation for wars and natural disasters:
“Ahmadis should stockpile rations for two to three months in their homes, especially in those parts of the world where the impact of the war can be direct. Even if the war does not take place, this is beneficial. The stockpiles people made prior to this helped them through various troubles that came, and they reported that it was beneficial for them.” (Friday Sermon, 8 March 2024, “Muhammad (sa): The Great Exemplar”, www.alhakam.org)
The ‘Prepare’ website has been launched by the government, instructing households to ensure they have bottled water (three litres of drinking water per person per day) and non-perishable food that doesn’t require cooking. (“Britons should have three days’ worth of tinned food and water, government says”, news.sky.com)
‘O Europe, you are not safe!’
Beloved Huzooraa has persistently referenced potential global destruction in countless Friday sermons, speeches, and classes, based on the prophecies of the Promised Messiahas, who warned the world in the following words:
“O Europe! You are not safe! And O Asia! Neither are you secure! And O the dwellers of Islands! No artificial ‘God’ will come to your aid. I see cities falling and habitations in ruin. That One and Unique God remained silent for a long time. Abominations were committed before His eyes and still He remained silent. But now He shall reveal His countenance in an awe-striking manner. Let him who has ears hear that the Hour is not far. I strived to bring everyone under the protection of God, but the ordained decrees had to be fulfilled. I say it truly that this country’s turn is also drawing near. The age of Nuh [Noah] shall appear before your eyes, and you will witness with your own eyes the incident of the land of Lut [Lot]. But God is slow to wrath. Repent so that you are shown mercy. He who abandons God is a worm, not a man; and he who does not fear Him is dead, not alive.” (“The Philosophy of Divine Revelation [Haqiqat-ul-Wahi]”, p. 328)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa, when asked by a Swiss khadim in a virtual mulaqat on 15 October 2023 about the Israel-Palestine conflict, said:
“I have already spoken, in my Friday Sermon, on this issue. The effect on the world is quite clear; these people are trying not only to harm themselves, but they are also trying to doom the world. The world is going towards its destruction, and as I have already said, it is not going to stop here. It will escalate and more nations will be involved in it, and [it is] quite possible that a nuclear arsenal is also used in this war.
“So, we should pray to save the world from destruction, and we should pray that Allah the Almighty gives them wisdom and Allah the Almighty gives the capability and wisdom to the big powers to use justice.” (Al Hakam, 20 October 2023, Issue CCXCII, p. 3)
The rhetoric of Western leaders and prophecies
We now see that world leaders have begun to embrace the possibility of the world facing the destruction that the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa have long warned of. The UK Defence Secretary, Grant Shapps, outlined how Britain has shifted from a post-war to a pre-war world. (“Are we heading for World War Three – and is Britain’s military ready?”, www.chathamhouse.org)
The UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has warned that the world is “closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis.” (“Rishi Sunak warns of ‘nuclear escalation’ threat – as he refuses to set general election date”, news.sky.com)
World leaders openly discuss the prospect of war with other countries. Vladimir Putin has issued threats of a world war, mocking Europe for being “defenceless and unprepared for nuclear war.” (“Europe defenceless and unprepared for nuclear war, warns Putin”, www.telegraph.co.uk)
One may reasonably assert that this is not the sort of language one would expect from 21st-century world leaders, representing countries that were torn apart by the bloody world wars less than a century ago.
Inherent failure of mankind to learn from history
A familiar chorus has echoed through time: mankind never learns from history. If we examine the causes of the First World War, Germany’s desire for territorial expansion, the construction of alliances (as seen with the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance), and imperialism feature heavily. Despite the unimaginable atrocities of the First World War, the Second World War began due to the failure to resolve the messes of the previous war, as evidenced by failed initiatives like the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations, along with an increase in territorial expansion and imperialism, as seen through Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. This perfectly illustrates mankind’s colossal infallibility in rapidly forgetting past mistakes and repeating blunders at the expense of innocent lives.
Is it any wonder that we are in this global mess today? We are witnessing the dismantling and disintegration of the current world order as we know it. Injustice is rampant in global society. The West, a self-proclaimed advocate of global peace, supports a genocidal regime in the Middle East, launching unprecedented attacks on the UN, ICC, and ICJ, and thus bringing into question their commitment to international law. We see imperialism and a desire for conflict in its bloodiest forms in the words and actions of leaders from countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea, who senselessly brag about their nuclear arsenals while brutally suppressing their innocent citizens and illegally invading and obliterating lands beyond their borders. Domestic situations in many countries, especially in the West, are deteriorating at unprecedented rates, with increasing homelessness and a broken future for the next generation.
Great resolutions are needed, for the world is like a kettle, boiling uncontrollably and inevitably towards an unwanted catastrophe.
Flawed modernised philosophy of mankind
The root cause of this chaos is the lack of adherence to Islamic principles, which has given rise to immoral, incompetent, selfish, and vulnerable leaders who act in their short-term interests. The flawed modern philosophy of mankind, with its increasing decline of religion and God-fearing nations, has led to dangerous and ignorant beliefs that place human autonomy above everything else. Existentialist reasoning promoted by atheistic philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Friedrich Nietzsche has taught people that humans dictate how we should operate, as there is no God. This so-called power of man has created worldwide destruction and suffering. These atheistic scholars, who have misled people away from the path to God, are dancing within their reveries, confidently resting upon foundations doomed to shatter into a million pieces.
The solution
To those stranded in hopelessness and confusion amid current worldly circumstances, it must be acknowledged that God has sent down the means for our salvation through the Holy Quran and the sustenance of its teachings through the Promised Messiahas and Khilafat. Based on these teachings, one of the fundamental values needed for world peace is the establishment of justice. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa explained this in the following words:
“If there is no justice, there is no peace. If you have double standards, as we can see in today’s world, as shown by the big powers, you cannot maintain peace in the world. […] This is why you can see there is disturbance in the world today. So, if there is no justice, there is no peace.” (Al Hakam, 28 May 2021, Issue 167, pp. 1-2)
While there is great hope, let this not distract us from the dangerous times we are in and the need for the world to recognise its Creator. We must do everything to avert a nuclear war, a nuclear holocaust so petrifying that, as President Kennedy once warned, its “fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouth.” (President John F. Kennedy, Cuban Missile Crisis Address,”, loveman.sdsu.edu)
In the past, the world has witnessed countless nations and generations that sowed the seeds of their destruction by ignoring the warnings of our All-Merciful God. Just as God Almighty gave numerous warnings to the opponents of Prophet Noahas, the Egyptian opponents of Prophet Mosesas, and countless others who did wrong, He is giving us numerous warnings now. The same Omnipotent God is posing the question to us: Will we alter our course before our chances of redemption are terminated, or will we wait for the windows of full-scale devastation to open before our very eyes?