On 26 June 2021, a group of Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya (Ahmadi Muslim girls), between the ages of 13 and 15, from the UK was fortunate to have a virtual class with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper.
368 Nasirat were present in the Tahir Hall, Baitul Futuh Mosque. After conveying salaam, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa asked about the Nasirat present, to which Sadr Lajna Imaillah UK said that all Nasirat were seated at a one-metre distance from each other and had all been tested for the coronavirus before coming.
The class then commenced with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by its English translations. After this, five Nasirat had the opportunity to present a tarana (choral poem).
During the class, Nasirat had the opportunity to ask Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa various questions relating to faith, mental health, divine decree etc.
The first question asked was with regard to keeping good company and how one could know whether the company and friends one kept were good.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa answered by saying, “Allah the Almighty has given you wisdom. Allah says to use that; you can judge between bad and good.”
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then asked the questioner if she was able to judge between what was good and what was bad, and asked if she was able to judge what food was rotten and what food was good. To this, the questioner responded in the affirmative.
Huzooraa said:
“By interacting with your friends, you will know how your friends talk. If they are talking in a way which is appropriate, which is according to the norms of morals, then they are good friends. If they talk in an inappropriate way, their morals are not good, their company is not good, they are mixing too much with boys, they talk too much about worldly things, then that means that they are not good friends.
“If you are in need of something and they [your friends] help you, they are sincere with you, then they are your good friends. There are so many other factors by which you can judge who is good and who is bad”.
On being asked how one could encourage another Muslim girl to wear a headscarf, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“You can simply tell them that according to the teaching of Islam, when a girl reaches the age of maturity then they should wear a scarf. If somebody is not following the commandment of Allah the Almighty, which is clearly mentioned in the Holy Quran, then that is up to her.
“There are quite a number of non-Ahmadi girls as well who do not wear scarves. If you collect data and find out the percentage, then, I think, [the percentage of] Ahmadi girls wearing scarves will be more than the non-Ahmadi girls who wear scarves, as far as the ratio of their number is concerned […]”.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said to the questioner that she could simply tell people that wearing a scarf, practising hijab and dressing modestly was the commandment of Allah the Almighty. Huzooraa added, “If somebody does not do it, that is up to her; and that is between her and her God”.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa was asked that if Islam taught men and women were equal, then why were women not treated equally in all societies around the world?
Answering the question, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa stated:
“We are not responsible for each and every society and nation. Islam says they are equal and Muslims should treat women as their equal partners […] I have spoken on this subject at length in my different speeches and addresses during Jalsa Salana and Lajna Ijtema, so you can find out the answer from there […]
“In a true Islamic society, men and women, boys and girls, should be treated equally.”
On being asked why Hazrat Ibrahamas (Abraham) was mentioned in Durood Sharif and not any other prophet, Huzooraa said:
“Hazrat Ibrahimas is called ‘Abul Anbiya’ [Father of the Prophets]. It is Hazrat Ibrahimas who had quite a number of prophets from his progeny. So, if you see the present-day known religions, most of the people are following the religion of Abraham, as Christians, Jews and Muslims. Christians and Jews are the descendants of Hazrat Ishaqas [Isaac], and Muslims are the descendants of Hazrat Ismaelas […] The last of the prophets who came to complete the Shariah and the law of Allah the Almighty was from the progeny of Hazrat Ibrahimas.
“This is why, while reciting Durood Sharif, we mention the name of Hazrat Ibrahimas because he was blessed more than any other prophet, and the coming of the Holy Prophetsa was the sign of him being blessed more than any other prophet.”
Next, a young girl asked Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa how one could stay true to their faith, despite being afraid to express their own ideas out of fear of being classified as rude or backward.
Answering the young girl, Huzooraa stated:
“The first thing is that you remove your inferiority complex. If you believe and if you think that your religion is the true religion, and it is the last of the religions and is the final religion, and it contains all of the good things which were revealed to the previous prophets, then there should not be any complex.
“Secondly, those people, who are worldly people, who do not want to listen to you with regard to religious matters, why should you force them to listen to you? Find some good friends, talk to them in a light mood, and when you think that they are ready to listen about God, about religion, about faith, then you can talk to them about the true teachings of Islam. And never say, outrightly, that Islam is the supreme religion and is better than any other religion. Although we can prove the supremacy of Islam over all other religions, there is no need to injure the sentiments of other people by saying this directly […] If you are just blunt, they will obviously say you are rude and backward. Don’t try to be blunt; be wise.”
A young member of Nasirat asked Huzooraa that if Allah had already decided one’s fate, why should a person try so hard to lead a better life.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa answered:
“Do you know what Allah has decided about you?” Huzooraa used his hands to indicate and said, “Allah the Almighty says these are the good things and these are the bad things. [Allah says] ‘If you do good, I will reward you. If you do bad, I will punish you.’
“It is Allah who knows if you will do good or bad. You don’t know. If you don’t know, then you should try hard to do good things so that you are rewarded. But it is not necessary that the person who is doing bad things will definitely go to hell […] Allah says, ‘My Mercy encompasses everything.’ […] Our job is to do good deeds. We do not know our fate; Allah knows it.”
Next, a young lady stated that in her religious education lessons in school, she was faced with obnoxious and abusive comments about the Promised Messiahas and her classmates spread lies about the nature of his demise. She asked Huzooraa about the best way to deal with such comments.
Huzooraa responded:
“This is the way opponents behave. You can tell them, ‘How do you know? As far as we know, he died on his bed. And there is proof; our history shows it’ […] This is the way they have been taught to behave. So let them do what they like; their morals are with them. Just pray to Allah the Almighty to save them.”
Following this, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa was asked if it was necessary for someone who wore a long, loose dress and a full headscarf to also wear a burqa over the dress.
Answering the questioner, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa stated:
“It is not necessary if your dress is modest. There was no burqa at the time of the Holy Prophetas. And even in the Holy Quran, it does not mention to wear a burqa and long coat. The Holy Quran stated that you should cover your head, your cheeks, your bosom, by covering your body […]”.
Upon being asked if one could marry a non-Ahmadi Muslim, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“If you want to save your children, train them according to your own beliefs, raise them up according to your own beliefs, then you should avoid marrying non-Ahmadi Muslims […]”.
Huzooraa explained that the majority of marriages where the husband and wife did not share the same religious beliefs were not successful and ultimately broke.
A Nasirat member expressed that at times, when parents advised their children, the children did not agree with the advice, but later the children realised that the advice was for their benefit. She asked how one could become more obedient to parents.
Answering her, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“Don’t make haste in taking any decision. When you hear anything from your parents, instead of just getting annoyed or refusing it outrightly, you can keep quiet. Think it over, ponder over it and then see what they are saying [and ask yourself], ‘Is it good for me?’ […] So, you should try to see the pros and cons of the advice your parents are giving […] Think twice before taking any action, or before denying [the advice], refusing it, or accepting it. Be patient, as I have said, and pray to Allah also […] Think twice, pray to Allah before making any decision.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa was asked about issues relating to culture, society, social media, which could have a negative impact on one’s mental health. He was asked what prayers could help in this regard.
Huzooraa responded:
“First, as I have already said, remove all the complexes with regard to your religion, with regard to your faith, with regard to your appearance, with regard to your family background. Develop some confidence within yourself. Pray to Allah the Almighty in your five daily prayers. Dedicate one full sajda [prostration] for this purpose, that Allah the Almighty gives you the strength to compete and overcome the bad things of present-day society. The best way is to pray while you are offering your five daily prayers […]”.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa then told her to often recite Durood Sahrif and quoted the following prayer
لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله العلي العظيم
[There is no might or power save with Allah, the High, the Great]
“Do istighfar as well:
اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللّٰهَ رَبِّیْ مِنْ کُلِّ ذَنْبٍ وَ اَتُوْبُ اِلَیْهِ
“and try to know the in-depth meaning of it. Then, it will also save you from bad things and create and develop confidence in you.”
A member of Nasirat stated that she was growing fruit and vegetables in her garden at home and asked if it was suitable to use=pesticides in their garden.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“If your garden is an organic garden, then do not use it. If you don’t want to make it an organic garden, then use pesticides. But there are some other ways also to save your plants from pests and insects. Burn some dry leaf, or dry wood, and make some ash, and then spread that ash on the plants.”
Huzooraa said Neem leaves could also be used to save plants from insects.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa was asked a question with regard to racism. The questioner said that racism had been extremely normalised over the years. She asked Huzoor’saa views on this.
Huzooraa said:
“When you clap, you cannot clap with just one hand; you have to use the other hand [also].
“The fault is from both sides […] migrants who do not try to integrate themselves into society and, apart from that, most of them do not work, and if they work, they do not pay taxes and try to isolate themselves from the local people. When the local people see that someone is not integrating with them – and also getting benefits from the government, from the tax they pay – then that makes them annoyed. So, this is why those leaders who have some ill will about immigrants or do not like immigrants, are trying to incite the general public. This is why racism is increasing. If the immigrants try to integrate themselves within the society, then you can remove the doubts of local people.”
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa was asked how one’s prayer worked if they themselves did not try to change.
Huzooraa explained:
“Allah the Almighty says that ‘you have to change yourself first. If you take one step towards Me, I will come towards you two steps. If you walk towards me, I will run towards you.’ So, first, you will have to make effort, then do dua […]”.
As the class drew to a close, Sadr Sahiba thanked Huzooraa for gracing the Nasirat with his time and advice.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then conveyed his salaam and the class came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)