M Adam Ahmad, Al Hakam
Allah the Almighty has established the institution of Khilafat for the religious and worldly progress and prosperity of the Jamaat of the believers and for them to attain new spiritual heights and unlimited blessings. Moreover, as it is established on the precepts of prophethood, Khilafat is an everlasting source of the divine light of prophethood. Now, it is our responsibility to adhere to Khilafat to not only witness the great blessings of Khilafat ourselves but also pass them on to the next generations.
Advising members of the Jamaat to firmly attach themselves to the Imam of the age, Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin, Khalifatul Masih Ira said:
“Your state in the hands of the Imam of the age should be like a dead body in the hands of a ghassal [one who bathes the body for burial]. All your aims and wishes should be dead and you should attach yourselves with the Imam as carriages are attached with an engine. Then, see for yourselves that you emerge out of darkness or not. […] We have been granted this age [of Khilafat] after thirteen hundred years and [if it is not safeguarded], it will never come again in future till the Day of Resurrection. Thus, be grateful for this blessing because thankfulness increases the blessings.” (Khutbat-e-Nur, p. 131)
Khilafat is that stronghold in which every inhabitant is safe and secure in every way. It is the soul of the community and every kind of progress, goodness and honours are associated with holding fast to this rope of God Almighty. Expounding on this point, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIra said:
“Be exceedingly mindful of the fact that Khilafat is Hablullah [the rope of Allah]. It is such a rope [of God] that holding fast to it alone will lead you to progress. The one who will let go of it will be destroyed.” (Nizam-e-Khilafat, Barakat aur Hamari Zimadarian, p. 77)
Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh said:
“Bind yourselves with Khilafat till the Day of Resurrection with such firmness as if you have got hold of a strong handle that is never destined to break […]. Thus, if you have a [strong] relationship with Khilafat, it will most certainly remain with you, and it is this mutual accord alone that shall ultimately result in the [spread of] tawhid [Oneness of God].” (Ibid, p. 78)
In the 10 August 1937 issue of Al Fazl, Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiqra delineated 14 points in an article under the heading “Khilafat ke sath wabastagi kiyun zururi hai” and explained that we need to build a strong relationship with Khilafat because:
1. Khilafat is an integral part of Minhaj-e-Nubuwwat and it was established and restored in the world through the Messiahas of Muhammadsa.
2. The Promised Messiahas in his writings mentioned the establishment of successive Khulafa.
3. At the time of the demise of the Promised Messiahas, the unanimous election of Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddinra by the entire Jamaat as their Khalifa was a proof of the fact that God Almighty was behind the establishment of Khilafat which would continue till the Day of Resurrection.
4. The first Khalifa, Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra, during his six-year period of Khilafat, emphasised in most of his sermons that the Khalifa was chosen by God.
5. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira made a will a few days before his passing that a Khalifa be elected after him, and the leaders of the Jamaat accepted it.
6. The prophecies of the Promised Messiahas about the birth of the Musleh-e-Maud [Promised Reformer] were fulfilled in favour of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II[ra].
7. We observe that we have gained so much strength of religious services only through the prayers of the Promised Messiahas and have made such advances in religious and worldly affairs that our fellow human beings are nowhere near them, so the prayers of the Promised Messiahas which were in favour of his own children and had been published beforehand must have been accepted and an example of the acceptance of those prayers is clearly visible in the personage of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra].
8. The prophecy of the Promised Messiahas that the Promised Reformer would be like him in beauty and benevolence was also fulfilled through Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra].
9. It is the sunnah [practice] of Allah the Almighty that in every era, He establishes a holy jamaat under His divine guidance and blesses them with His support. In this age, that Jamaat was founded by the Promised Messiahas and Allah the Almighty firmly established it through the institution of Khalifat.
10. The real purpose of establishing the Ahmadiyya Jamaat was to spread the message of Islam all over the world and that work was being done efficiently and with great enthusiasm, with the grace of Allah, under the guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih.
11. God Almighty opened insurmountable truths and verities of the Holy Quran upon Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] as were not given to any other person of his age in the entire world. Beyond any doubt, such wisdom and insights are only granted to the one who is chosen by Allah the Almighty and has a special relation with Him.
12. The past 30 years (written in 1937) were a testimony of the fact that those who wanted to annihilate the institution of Khilafat or opposed the Khilafat of Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad Sahib[ra] had always been unsuccessful and such people would always be among the failed and hopeless.
13. The prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih are fulfilled on a daily basis in favour of members the Jamaat.
14. Hazrat Mufti Sahibra personally observed on many occasions that the prayers of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih were accepted in his and his family’s favour and they received such blessings through him that could not be obtained from anywhere else.
A Khalifa is the successor of a prophet and thus, the status of the Khalifa is very high. When Allah the Almighty places someone on the throne of Khilafat, then that person who is an ordinary human being in the eyes of people, with the grace of God, becomes an enlightened individual from whom the light of Allah begins to spread the world over. Due to this distinguished position, the Khalifa is granted a special closeness to God Almighty and is blessed with divine succour and support. Allah the Almighty helps him through the miracle of acceptance of prayers and guides him Himself. Consequently, those who build a strong relationship with the Khalifa are given a fair share of the bounties and the blessings of Khilafat.
Explaining the above, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IIIrh said:
“I am a human being like you and Allah the Almighty has instilled in my heart so much love for each of you that you cannot even imagine. Sometimes in sajdah [lying prostrate during Salat], I pray for you and for the Jamaat that, ‘O God! Fulfill the desires and wishes of those who wanted to write a letter to me but could not do so due to some indolence. And O God! Those who have not written a letter to me and have not even thought of writing for prayer, if they have any problem or any need, please resolve their problems and fulfill their needs.’” (Al Fazl, 21 December 1966)
We must have a strong relationship with Khilafat because it is the only unifying force that can unite the entire world on one hand and rid the people of the earth from the injustices caused by division.
In a special message for members of the Ahmadiyya Community at the start of the Fifth Khilafat, the worldwide head of the Jamaat, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, said:
“The second manifestation [Khilafat] is a great blessing of God with an objective to unite a nation and protect it from discord. It is that string in which the Jamaat is threaded like pearls. If the pearls are scattered, they are neither safe nor do they look beautiful. Surely, only the pearls threaded in a string are secure and look the best.
“If there is no second manifestation, Islam cannot advance. Thus, keep a strong relationship of sincerity, love, loyalty and devotion with it, and develop a never-ending zeal for obedience to Khilafat. Moreover, enhance the fervour of your love for Khilafat to such an extent that all other relationships appear trivial compared to it. All the blessings are in adherence to the Imam and this alone is a shield for you against all kinds of strife and trials.” (Al Fazl International, 23 May 2003)
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh said:
“When a nation divides into two sects or splits into three, four or five sects, and none of them attach with Khilafat or hold fast to this rope of God in a way that they are all united and joined at one hand, then, according to the decree of the Holy Quran, their bond with the rope of Allah breaks. The fact of the matter is that except for the institution of Khilafat, no other system of this world can unite [people]. You must have seen many sects, but no sect possesses the unity that you observe under the institution of Khilafat.” (Friday Sermon, 13 November 1987)
Moreover, our relationship with Khilafat should be based on our relationship with Allah the Almighty. One’s love for Allah must grow stronger as one progresses in nearness to God Almighty. Expounding on this matter, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh said:
“The relationship of every Ahmadi with the Holy Prophet Muhammadsa and his Khulafa or the Promised Messiahas and his Khulafa, should be based on the relationship of Allah. If the foundation of their relationship is not built on the relationship of Allah, then this relationship is artificial, fake and meaningless. If the love of Allah gives rise to that relationship and as they grow in their love for Allah, the said relationship with the Holy Prophetsa [and others] also grows, then rest assured that such people are not in any kind of danger, neither in this world nor in the next. Those who possess this kind of relationship, as I have explained, will remain safe from every strife.” (Friday Sermon, 23 November 1990)
Hence, we must keep in mind the following words of the pledge that we took on the occasion of the Khilafat Jubilee and never forget our responsibility of building a strong bond with Khilafat:
“We solemnly affirm that we shall strive till our last breath for the safeguard and stability of the institution of Khilafat and shall continue to instruct our children and coming generations to form an everlasting bond with Khilafat and benefit from its blessings, so that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya continues safely till the Day of Resurrection.” (Al Fazl International, 25 July 2008)