On Sunday, 28 March 2021, Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya USA were given the opportunity to meet Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa and ask questions.
The Atfal were seated in Bait-ur-Rahman Mosque.
Anoosh Ahmad, a young tifl, was called up by Huzooraa for a recitation from the Holy Quran and Al-Amin Adewusi was called to giveits translation. Huzooraa asked Al-Amin Adewusi if he was from Ghana, to which he replied that he was from Nigeria.
Iqan Malik read out a hadith in Arabic and Hamza Qamar presented its English translation. Qasim Malik recited an Urdu poem written by the Promised Messiahas, after which Kamran Asqar presented its translation.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa then asked Madeel Abdullah Sahib, Sadr Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya USA what they had planned next. Sadr Sahib said the Atfal wanted to ask Huzooraa questions, to which Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa granted permission.
The first question was by Al-Amin Adewusi from Baltimore. He asked whether the amount of time someone spent in Hellfire would be equal to the number of sins a person had committed. Responding, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“Allah knows better. When you die, you cannot calculate your days according to our worldly days. Right? So, it all depends on Allah. Whenever Allah feels that a person’s punishment is enough for the sin they committed, then Allah will bring him out.
“You should also remember that Allah’s mercy encompasses everything. So, even if Allah feels that He should forgive the person and bring him out of hell, He can even bring him out before he completes his punishment in Hell.”
Another tifl asked what ways there were to have prayers accepted by Allah.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“You see, the Holy Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, told us the way – that when you are praying, you should first send durood:
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَي مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَي آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَي اِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَ عَلَي آلِ اِبْرَاهِيْمَ…
upon the Holy Prophetsa […] And even in one hadith – tradition – it says that your prayers will remain suspended in the air if you do not recite durood with your prayer. So, the best way to get your prayers accepted by Allah the Almighty is that you say durood:
سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ وَبِحَمْدِهِ سُبْحَانَ اللّٰهِ الْعَظِيْمِ اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَي مُحَمَّدٍ وَ آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
“Or the complete durood which we recite in the prayers, and then say the prayer […]”
Roshaan Rashid asked why we recited Dua-e-Qunoot in witr prayer and why this prayer is called “witr”.
Huzooraa said:
“During the time of the Holy Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, two incidents happened when quite a number of Muslims were brutally killed by the enemies. And not only were they killed, but they were deceived and were not very well prepared for the war. Almost 70 people were killed at a time and 10 people at another time.
“Then, at that time, the Holy Prophetsa told the believers, ‘You should recite this Dua-e-Qunoot; this prayer is against the enemies.’ This is why we recite this Dua-e-Qunoot. Since then, it has been the tradition and the practice of Muslims that they recite Dua-e-Qunoot in the witr.
“Witr means ‘odd number’. All of our nawafil are in even numbers and witr is the only nafal that is an odd number – that is why it is called witr, because of its being an odd number.
“But also remember, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II’sra view was that now, the conditions are not the same and even if we do not recite Dua-e-Qunoot in our Witr, it does not affect our prayers. But since it is a tradition, it is better that we recite it. But if we forget, then there is no sajdah-e-sahw for it.
“You see, whenever you make any mistake in Salat, then after completing the Salat, you offer two sajdahs [prostrations], which are called sajdah-e-sahw – but if you forget Dua-e-Qunoot, it is not necessary to do those sajdahs.”
Roshaan thanked Huzooraa for the answer and requested for prayers as he and his brother were memorising the Holy Quran.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa asked how much he had memorised to date, to which he said he had memorised the last three parts of the Quran. Huzooraa then prayed, “May Allah the Almighty give you wisdom and knowledge to remember the Holy Quran in full and increase your capabilities to memorise the Holy Quran.”
Misbah-ud-Din, a Waqf-e-Nau tifl who is memorising the Holy Quran, asked Huzooraa how he could serve the Jamaat through his hifz (memorisation of the Holy Quran) and his waqf. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa responded by saying:
“Memorise the Quran. It is Allah’s word; memorising it increases mental capabilities and wisdom and knowledge also increases. For this reason, you should memorise the Quran and when you memorise it, learn its translation and meaning too […]
“You see, when you memorise the Holy Quran, it increases your wisdom, provided you are memorising it for the sake of gaining the pleasure of Allah and for the sake of acquiring knowledge of Allah’s book. When you do it with these intentions, then where Allah will be pleased with you, He will increase your intellect too. And when your intellect increases – when you will increase your knowledge and wisdom – then you will be a useful asset for the Jamaat.”
His second question was why the Promised Messiahas and the Khulafa adhered to a special dress code – the sherwani and turban etc.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said:
“The turban was a tradition during the time of the Promised Messiahas, so the Khulafa only wore the turban just to continue that tradition. There is no special significance in wearing a turban; only that the Promised Messiahas used to wear the turban, which is why the Khulafa also wore it.
“And one thing you should also remember is that the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra and Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira never used sherwani – they used to wear a long coat. Only Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh and then I wore the sherwani. So the sherwani is not a tradition, but it is a good way to dress when you are wearing shalwar – sherwani seems to be an appropriate dress that matches shalwar kameez. This is why we wear it.”
Another tifl asked Huzooraa how he personally prayed during silent prayers.
In response Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that the normal tradition is to recite Surah al-Fatihah first, then durood and then any prayer in your own language for that particular event.
A tifl, Ibrahim, asked Huzooraa the best answer to give to naturalists who believe in the Darwinian theory of evolution – that humans evolved from apes – when the Quran tells us otherwise.
After asking the question, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa asked Ibrahim if his mother was “Maryam”, to which Ibrahim replied that she was. Huzooraa smiled and said, “This is why your question is very scholarly”.
Huzooraa then said:
“You see, this is not the only theory which is accepted nowadays by everyone. There are quite a number of scientists who believe that this Darwinian theory is not true. And it is not necessary that the evolution of human beings started from the monkey or a beetle – some people say it is from the beetle, some say the monkey, some say another insect.
“A rather lengthy answer is required for this. If you have the capability of understanding the answer to this question, there is a chapter in the book, Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge and Truth by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IVrh and there are quite a number of answers in Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II’sra literature too. But you can read Revelation, Rationality […]; there is one chapter there that gives the correct answer, and it is quite a long answer; so from there, you will be able to understand it. Or you can ask your mother to explain it to you.
“I want to make sure [you know] that this is not the only theory and all scientists do not believe in this theory – there is some opposition against this theory as well.”
Muhammad Ahmad, a young tifl, asked Huzooraa what his favourite subject was in school. With a smile, Huzooraa remarked:
“I was not a good student; I had no favourite subject. But you all must study; you cannot survive without studying.”
Faiz Alam asked what practical steps should be taken so that one can develop love for Allah and His Prophetsa more than anything in the world.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“If you want to get your prayers accepted, you have to invoke durood on the Holy Prophetsa. And to gain the love of Allah the Almighty and the Holy Prophetsa, you must practice all the commandments given to you by Allah in the Holy Quran, which was revealed to the Holy Prophetsa. So, there are quite a number of commandments and injunctions in the Holy Quran; almost 700 or more. If you are practising all these things, then you will gain the love of Allah the Almighty […]
“A very important thing is that you offer the five daily prayers regularly and devote your attention fully to Allah the Almighty. This is fundamental; that you offer the five daily prayers on time and your prayers should be very much with the intention of deep love for Allah the Almighty.
“Then, you should read the Holy Quran daily and learn the commandments of Allah the Almighty which have been given in the Holy Quran and try to practice those commandments. So try to make your life according to the teachings of Islam – this is how you can attain the love of Allah the Almighty and the love of the Holy Prophetsa.”
A young tifl, Hammad Chaudhry, asked why we were not allowed to do any Namaz at 12 pm.
Huzooraa replied by saying:
“This is what we were told by the Holy Prophetsa, that at noon, when the sun is at its zenith, you should not pray – this is the prohibited time. There are some other prohibited times as well; when the sun is rising, we are not allowed to pray, when the sun is setting, we are not allowed to pray; when it is noon and when the sun is directly over our heads, then we are not allowed to pray.”
Huzooraa further described the timings for prayers that were given by the Holy Prophetsa. Huzooraa said one could offer Friday prayers when the sun is at its zenith, so this restriction is not for Friday prayers.
Qasim Malik asked how Huzooraa was able to retain so much information and answer questions with great detail in the constant question and answer sessions Huzooraa held. With a smile, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“You see, I learn quite a lot of things from you. When you ask a question, then it comes into my mind that ‘this should be the answer.’ And if you are reciting the Holy Quran regularly, there are quite a number of points which immediately come to your mind that ‘this [question] has been explained in the Holy Quran.’ Or if you read the hadith, then sometimes you will remember the hadith in respect of that particular subject and sometimes, the books of the Promised Messiahas also cover some of the subject matters which are under discussion during questions and answers.
“And sometimes, when I feel I cannot answer the question fully and appropriately, then I try to learn more about that question. I don’t feel shy if a question is asked by a small child and I cannot answer it fully. Then I will go home and I try to read the book and find out the answer, and if possible, I will write back to the person, that ‘I answered your question, or I could not answer your question, and now this is the correct answer.’”
Qasim then sought Huzoor’s permission to read out an English poem he and his mother had written about Huzooraa.
After he read out the poem, Huzooraa said, “You are a good poet”. Huzooraa further said, “May Allah the Almighty bless you. Also try to be a practicing Ahmadi Muslim. Don’t only rely on words and don’t praise me only for the sake of praise, but also try to follow whatever I am saying.”
Another tifl asked Huzooraa whether he had seen the tomb of Jesusas. Huzooraa said he hadn’t and in fact, had never been to Kashmir.
A tifl asked Huzooraa where heaven was, to which Huzooraa said:
“Allah the Almighty in the Holy Quran has said this world holds Heaven and the Hereafter too. What is Heaven? When you do good works and please Allah, Allah the Almighty gives you its reward – the good works you do become your Heaven […]
“Allah the Almighty in the Holy Quran has said that Heaven is spread across the skies and the earth. At this, the Companionsra said Heaven was spread across the skies and the earth, but then asked where Hell was. The Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Hell and Heaven are like day and night.’
“Those souls who have been rewarded and sent to Paradise by Allah the Almighty and Allah is happy with them, are in Paradise and that Paradise is everywhere. Even Allah the Almighty has written in the Holy Quran that this world is also a Paradise for a believer – although it is a prison for a believer, but it is a Paradise for a believer as well. Because if you do good deeds, you are in Paradise here, and after death, in the Hereafter […]
“Allah the Almighty knows better where He keeps your soul; we cannot actually clearly understand or particularly specify that this part of the sky is Heaven and this is Hell.”
Another question to Huzooraa by a young tifl was what he could do to become a good Waqf-e-Nau. Huzooraa said:
“You must offer the five daily prayers, read the Holy Quran daily, memorise as much as you can from the Holy Quran, do good deeds, be polite and gentle to your siblings and to your fellow classmates and schoolmates. I have already spoken on this issue in my sermon in Canada in 2016 – where I gave some points as to what the characteristics of a good Waqf-e-Nau are. So, you should read that and follow those instructions.”
A tifl, Rahman Sajid, asked Huzooraa why the Holy Prophetsa said no to the angel when the angel said it could throw a mountain over those who persecuted the Holy Prophetsa.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa responded by saying:
“The Holy Prophetsa replied to those people, ‘It is my hope that if these people do not accept me, the progeny of these people will accept me.’ And that was his mercy because Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran that he is a mercy for the whole of mankind. Those people who are against Islam say that Islam is a cruel religion, but this shows that even those who treated him brutally and injured him, even then, he did not try to seek revenge – this shows how wide his mercy was and how merciful he was.
“The second thing is that he said to the angels, ‘Wait! If these people do not accept me, their progeny will accept me.’ And this was a prophecy also and that came true – after the Victory of Mecca, those people accepted Islam. Now you can see the progeny of those people are Muslims. So that was the purpose of not destroying those people.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa then spoke to Madeel Abdullah Sahib, Sadr Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya USA. Sadr Sahib thanked Huzooraa and requested for prayers, to which Huzooraa prayed.
Huzooraa asked Sadr Sahib why the questions asked were only from Atfal aged 10-12 (apart from one) and the older group – the 14-15 age group – of Atfal did not ask questions. Huzooraa asked whether they were told not to ask questions. Sadr Sahib said there were no such instructions.
Huzooraa said, “Those who have questions, but could not ask, can write their questions to me and I will try to answer them.”
With this, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa prayed for everyone and conveyed his salaam, before the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)