The greatest of all the reformers and the purest of all the beings, the Holy Prophet Muhammad of Arabia, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, appeared in this world and laid the foundation of the peaceful religion of Islam, which was destined to flourish and advance under the guidance of Khilafat, established on the precepts of prophethood. Allah the Almighty states:
وَعَدَ اللّٰہُ الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا مِنۡکُمۡ وَ عَمِلُوا الصّٰلِحٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّہُمۡ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ کَمَا اسۡتَخۡلَفَ الَّذِیۡنَ مِنۡ قَبۡلِہِمۡ ۪ وَ لَیُمَکِّنَنَّ لَہُمۡ دِیۡنَہُمُ الَّذِی ارۡتَضٰی لَہُمۡ وَ لَیُبَدِّلَنَّہُمۡ مِّنۡۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِہِمۡ اَمۡنًا ؕ یَعۡبُدُوۡنَنِیۡ لَا یُشۡرِکُوۡنَ بِیۡ شَیۡئًا ؕ وَ مَنۡ کَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذٰلِکَ فَاُولٰٓئِکَ ہُمُ الۡفٰسِقُوۡنَ
“Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious.” (Surah al-Nur, Ch.24: V.56)
However, the followers of Islam deviated from the true teachings of the Holy Quran and turned a blind eye to the sayings of the Holy Prophetsa, who had clearly prophesied:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: تكون النبوة فيكم ما شاء الله أن تكون، ثم يرفعها الله إذا شاء أن يرفعها، ثم تكون خلافة على منهاج النبوة فتكون ما شاء الله أن تكون، ثم يرفعها الله إذا شاء أن يرفعها، ثم تكون ملكًا عاضًا فيكون ما شاء الله أن يكون، ثم يرفعها إذا شاء الله أن يرفعها، ثم تكون ملكًا جبرية فتكون ما شاء الله أن تكون، ثم يرفعها الله إذا شاء أن يرفعها، ثم تكون خلافة على منهاج النبوة، ثم سكت
“Prophethood shall remain among you as long as God wills. He will bring about its end and follow it with Khilafat on the precepts of Prophethood for as long as He wills and then bring about its end. Kingship shall then follow, to remain as long as God wills and then come to an end. There shall then be monarchical despotism which shall remain as long as God wills and come to an end upon His decree. There will then emerge Khilafat on the precepts of Prophethood. Then he became silent.” (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal)
The divisions and dissentions within the Muslim ummah are the consequences of turning away from the above mentioned basic guidance of Islam and key direction of God Almighty. Their present condition is like a flock of sheep without a shepherd to guide them and show them the right path. They are scattered like seeds on a barren land. Their so-called religious leaders are at odds with each other and issuing edicts of kufr [disbelief] is their custom and primary motivation. These types of clerics are a living testimony to the following sayings of the Holy Prophetsa:
علماؤهم شر من تحت أديم السماء، من عندهم تخرج الفتنة وفيهم تعود
“… Their religious leaders will be the worst people under Heaven and strife will issue from them and return to them [they will be the primary source of all ills].” (Mishkat-ul-Masabih) ِ
تكون فِي أمتِي فزعة فَيصير النَّاس إِلَى عُلَمَائهمْ فَإِذا هم قردة وَخَنَازِير
“There will be a great fear that will come upon my Ummah. The people will go to their religious scholars but will find them as apes and swine.” (Nawadir-ul-Usul-fi-Ahadith-ir-Rasul)
The Muslims of the time are experiencing dilemmas and confusion due to their self-centred and egoistic leader. For instance, in the present situation, when a global pandemic is attacking humanity irrespective of class, colour and creed, a group of mullahs are in favour of opening mosques and conducting religious processions, knowing full well that the Covid-19 virus can spread through touch, sneeze or even by talking to each other.
On the other hand, some religious clerics are opposing these ideas. These perilous circumstances and serious, contentious times, cry for the need of one Imam and Guide, who can steer the ship of Islam from the ravaging storm of evil and carry it peacefully towards righteousness and harmony.
Emphasising the need of unity and harmony, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, stated:
“Let the righteous persons of the Jamaat who have pure souls accept Bai‘at in my name. God Almighty desires to draw all those who live in various habitations of the world, be it Europe or Asia, and who have virtuous nature to the Unity of God and unite His servants under one faith. This indeed is the purpose of God for which I have been sent to the world. You, too, therefore should pursue this end, but with kindness, moral probity and fervent prayers.” (The Will, p. 8-9)
Soon after the demise of the Promised Messiahas, God Almighty fulfilled His promise mentioned in Surah al-Nur and established Khilafat in the heavenly Jamaat which was declared as the only successful sect of Islam by the Holy Prophetsa. Since the inception of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat in 1908, the Jamaat is progressing and spreading the message of God and true Islam with great unity at the hands of their Khalifas.
Members of Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya are fortunate to have a worldwide leader and Imam who advises and directs them every step of the way from the time when Khilafat was established to date. Every Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat leads by example and guides his followers in the right direction.
In the blessed era of the first Khalifa, when Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibrh was handed the reigns of a naïve and shell-shocked Jamaat by God Almighty, he unified the Jamaat and despite all difficulties, continued to work for the spiritual elevation and education of his followers.
He was succeeded by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra, who raised the morale of members and lift ed the Jamaat to new heights through his visionary administration and divinely stimulated writings and speech.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra instilled a unique concept of unity and accord among Ahmadis. Advising the Jamaat to unite at the hand of one Khalifa for their success, he said:
“If, in the presence of an Imam and a Khalifa, a person thinks that we need an independent plan and demonstration, then there is no need for a Khalifa. The need of the Imam and the Khalifa is that a believer takes every step behind him, makes his will and desires submissive to his wishes and demands, makes his plans, intentions and resources subservient to his plans, intentions and resources. If the believers stand on this pedestal, then success and victory is certain for them.” (Al Fazl, 4 September 1937)
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further said:
“I advise you that no matter how wise and intellectual you may be, you will not be able to benefit religion by following your own tactics and intellects unless your faculties and plans are subordinate to Khilafat; unless you follow the Imam, you cannot get the help and support of Allah Almighty. Thus, if you seek the succour of God Almighty, then remember that there is no other way to achieve it unless you get up, sit down, stand, walk, speak or remain silent at my command.” (Ibid)
He added:
“Of course I am not a prophet, but I stand in the stead of prophethood and in his place. Any person who disobeys me is certainly disobedient of the Prophet … Obedience and submission to me is obedience and submission to God Almighty.” (Al Fazl, 4 September 1937)
Similarly, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIIrh and Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh further strengthened the bond of members of the Jamaat with Khilafat and Ahmadis progressed in every field under their leadership. Be it the noble works of the third Khalifa to promote the love of the Holy Quran in every young and old member of the Jamaat or the brave and courageous steps of the fourth Khalifa to keep Ahmadis strongly attached with the rope of Allah after his historic migration from Rabwah, every era of Khilafat appears to be striving for instilling love of God and Islam, unity, peace and harmony.
Explaining the reason behind the downfall of the Muslim Ummah and stressing the need for one Imam, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh said:
“The entire Muslim Ummah, which really should be one, is divided into so many sects, not just in the religious plane, but also in the political plane. When a people are divided, they cannot attain in the world what a united people can attain because their might is not only divided and split, their might is pushed against one another. When this happens, then sometimes the sum total is even less than zero.
“However big a people may be, if they are opposing each other over big or small issues, if they are fighting each other, if they are dividing their might against each other and unfortunately calling it Jihad, then what will be the outcome of this? What energy will be left to build themselves and to defend Islam and the Muslim interests against their enemies? So that is the need for unity and for one Imam to bring order, a single order in all of Islam. This cannot be done without Khilafat.” (Liqa Ma‘al Arab, 13 December 1994)
The current spiritual head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper. We are blessed to have a divinely guided Khalifa, who directs Ahmadi Muslims in every small and big issue.
Through his prayer and wisdom, he unites our community, which has now spread in over 200 countries. Under the leadership of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat, Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya is progressing by leaps and bounds and has built over 16,000 mosques, 500 schools, 30 hospitals and has translated the Holy Quran in more than 70 languages.
Huzooraa is a leading figure in the worldwide campaign for peace and has delivered keynote addresses at parliaments across the world including the UK, USA and EU. Huzooraa meets heads of state, presidents, prime ministers and faith leaders to urge the need for peace based on justice.
Following Hazrat Amirul Momineen’saa guidance, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community provides food, shelter, education, health services, disaster relief, clean water, electricity and much more to the needy across the world. Drawing the attention of the general public towards unity and promotion of peaceful teachings, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadaa said:
“You are seeing for yourselves that in these halls, there are thousands of men and women who are completely attached to Khilafat and through this unbreakable spiritual bond they are perfectly united. They speak only of how to spread love and affection and how to fulfill the rights of humanity … There are only two complete parts of faith. One is to love God and the other is to love mankind to such a degree that you consider the suffering and trials and tribulations of others as your own and that you pray for them …
“Islam teaches Muslims to free every person and every nation from all forms of slavery and servitude – whether physical, economic or social slavery. Islam teaches us that all people are equal and that one’s race and colour are not means of superiority or status … Instead of pointing fingers at one another and instead of hurting the feelings of each other, we should instead join together as one and work towards the progress of the nation and towards establishing peace in the world.” (Address to guests at Jalsa Salana Germany, 15 June 2014)
On another occasion, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Another objective of obedience towards the Holy Prophetsa is to become united, which cannot be achieved without the institution of Khilafat. Although other Muslims observe their prayers, however due to a lack of unity, their hearts are divided. Despite believing in the same essential doctrines, they have created divisions as a result of delving into the finer details of faith. In order to uphold their authority and fulfil their objectives – which now also include political objectives in the case of Pakistan – scholars constantly fight with one another. The same is the case of those who follow them.” (Friday Sermon, 25 May 2018)
Imam Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya helps us cure both our spiritual and physical ailments. With his regular Friday Sermons, classes and sittings etc. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa make every possible effort to increase our religious knowledge and create a bond with Almighty Allah.
On the other hand, in the present uncertain situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, Huzooraa advises his community on a regular basis and has prescribed homeopathic medicine as a preventive measure.
Hence, we are certain that those days are near when the unity of mankind will take place under the flag of Islam through the blessed institution of Ahmadiyya Khilafat and we shall witness the establishment of Allah’s unity all over the world.