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A letter of protest to His Majesty over cartoons of the Prophet and the early Ahmadiyya mission in Sumatra, 1925

Editor’s Note: The following letter, published in the November 1925 issue of The Review of Religions, was submitted to His Majesty’s Secretary for Home Affairs by Hazrat Abdur Rahim Dardra, MA, in response to the cartoon of the Most Holy Prophetsa printed in ‘The Star’ newspaper. In subsequent correspondence, The Star publicly expressed its regret regarding the publication.

A letter of protest to His Majesty over cartoons of the Prophet and the early Ahmadiyya mission in Sumatra, 1925
The British Foreign Office assured the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat (left) that their protest over a blasphemous cartoon in The Star was unofficially raised and that the newspaper published an apology on 9 September 1925. The official transcript of The Star’s published apology can be seen on the right. | National Archives of India – This image cannot be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the written permission of the National Archives of India

Letter to His Majesty

“Your Excellency,

“In my capacity as the head of a very big section of the Muslim community in England, I deem it necessary to convey to Your Excellency on their behalf, and on behalf of many Egyptian, Indian and African Muslims who have approached me for that purpose, the feelings of fierce indignation and deep mortification that a cartoon printed in The Star, dated 18/8/25 (of which a copy is attached herewith) has aroused.

“The cartoon depicts Mr. Jack Hobbs as a colossal figure. At his feet are shown to stand some very reputed historical personages, including among them Adam[as] and Mohammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him. Like all others, they are made to look at Mr. Hobbs apparently in astonishment and bewilderment at the latter scoring so many centuries in cricket. This ignominiously disgraceful cartoon has inflicted a deep wound on the religious susceptibilities of the Muslims.

“The Holy Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, is the most sacred personage for the Muslims. The love they bear towards him and the veneration with which they cherish his holy memory, transcends all barriers of colour, caste, and country. Of all earthly things, the most revered in their eyes is the honour of their Spiritual Master, for whose sake every Muslim, young or old, high or low, man or woman, is ready to sacrifice his life and his all. A Muslim can bear anything but an affront offered to the name of his beloved and revered Master.

“Your Excellency can, therefore, only imagine the intensity and the depth of the feelings that this manifold insult has stirred. Words cannot adequately express it. The greatest Monarch, of unequalled spiritual glory, the most perfect manifestation of God, the Cynosure of all eyes, the Prince of Peace, and a Mercy unto all mankind, painted as a pigmy lost in amazement, and as a monster of bloodshed and carnage with a drawn sword in his hand! No art could degenerate so low.

“Nothing could be more mischievous, on the part of a paper, than to play with the religious susceptibilities of a people. It is a disgrace to journalism. Could not the admiration of a cricketer be complete without heaping unmerited and unprovoked disgraces on the name of one who takes his stand in the first row of the greatest reformers of humanity?

“Surely this is the most malicious and insidious form of comparison. I need not draw Your Excellency’s attention to the storm of indignation and hatred which this cartoon would raise in India and all other Muslim countries.

“I protest, therefore, most emphatically, against this despicable indignity loaded on our Holy Prophet, may peace and blessings of God be upon him, and request Your Excellency to give your most earnest attention to this very serious matter and set the law in motion against the offenders, so that the world may know that England is justly proud of her traditional fairness and impartiality.

“Your Excellency’s most obedient servant,

“AR DARD MA.”

West Africa

The Nigerian Spectator writes in its editorial notes:

“The Ahmadiyas seem destined to work out a revolution in Mohammedan life in Nigeria. Started only a few years ago, the movement is working remarkable changes in the life and outlook of young Mohammedans not only in Lagos, but throughout Nigeria. And there is no doubt that the movement has come to stay.

“Among the local Ahmadiyas, professional men are springing up. They have already produced one lawyer and with two or three more to come in a year or two.

“In a few years, Mohammedan qualified medical practitioners will be arriving, and all these enlightened activities are traceable to the influence of the local Ahmadiyas. […]”

A prophecy fulfilled

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian published a prophecy in 1906 to the following effect:

“The Palace of the Shah of Persia shall be shaken.”

At the time when this revelation was published, nobody could imagine that such a strong wave of democracy would sweep over Persia. God’s words, however, are comprehended only when on being fulfilled, they manifest the Power and Might of God Almighty.

Sumatra

We learn with pleasure from the Al Fazl Qadian that our new missionary has reached Sumatra safely, and within a week of his stay there, eight persons have joined the fold of Hazrat Ahmadas. May the number increase! Amin.

Mysticism and Ahmadiyyat

The Rev. WW Cash writes in his latest book:

“Mysticism long ago found a home among Moslems, and in 1879 Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as], of the village of Qadian, in the Punjab, began to propound his new mysticism to his Moslem brethren. His teaching was chiefly based upon his personal claims. He declared himself to be the Christian Messiah, the Muhammadan Mahdi, and the final [avatar] expected by the Hindus.

“His claim at once brought him into conflict with orthodox Islam. The Mahdi (the final successor of the Prophet) was to be a man of blood; how, then, could Mirza Ghulam Ahmad[as] combine in his own person the character of Jesus, a man of peace, not war.

“The Ahmadiyya Movement is remarkable for the way it turned the attention of Mohammadans to the study of Jesus Christ.”

Dr Zwemer, reviewing his book, remarks in connection with the above passage as follows:

“We regret, where all is so good, to point out one important inaccuracy. The Ahmadiyya Movement is in no sense connected with Muhammadan mysticism, but is rather an attempt to rationalise Islam by a forced exegesis of the Koran and by going back to the swoon theory regarding the Crucifixion, to put Jesus Christ in an unknown grave in Kashmir, so that the Caliph of their new Promised Messiah may carry on propaganda in a literary bureau at Qadian, in the Punjab!

“Both the branches of the Ahmadiyya Movement now have a mosque in or near London, but neither dream of zikrs or mysticism in their worship or philosophy.”

We agree with Dr Zwemer in saying that the Ahmadiyya movement is not an order of howling and dancing Dervishes; nor is their mysticism a dreamy contemplation on ideas that have no foundation in human experience.

But we do not think the Rev. WW Cash means any of these conceptions by his words, “new mysticism.” He may, however, have confused it with Sufism, which in its truest sense means Islam pure and simple.

We regret to say that Dr Zwemer calls the tomb of Jesus[as] in Kashmir as “Unknown,” and our interpretation of the Holy Quran as “forced exegesis.” A glance at the photo of the tomb of Jesus[as] published in our previous issue and a cursory perusal of “The True Islam” will convince our readers that it is a wilful misrepresentation.

Why missionaries from the East

The East has been looked upon as being uncivilised and missionaries have been up till now sent from the West to educate it.

Why is it that the East now sends its missionaries to the West? What has caused this wonderful change?

A similar question was put to a Companion of the Holy Prophetsa in the Court of the Persian Chosroe. And the answer which he gave at that time applies in our case as well:

“The vices and iniquities that were ascribed to us did actually prevail amongst us. We were as weak as we were looked upon. But God, by raising a prophet amongst us, has wrought a great change in us and has elevated our hopes and aspirations. We are not now what we were before and the things that used to satisfy us before cannot satisfy us now.”

We have undergone a similar change. Thirty-four years before the condition of Islam was such that its devoted votaries could scarcely defend it, God then sent a prophet amongst us whose advent was foretold under different names; some called him the Messiah, by others he was known as the Mahdi, Krishna, or Masio Dar Bahmi.

He quickened the dead by the Divine Elixir of life that God sent from Heaven, and thousands who had been dead for years, left their tombs and scattered in the cities to bear witness to the glory of God and His sublime attributes that know no decline.

All our endeavours and movements, therefore, are regulated by the will of God. We are like a musical instrument, a flute, which gives out the voice of One who plays upon it.

We convey the voice of God to the world, and our mission is a mission of amity and goodwill and our sole object is that we have found out our Creator. Our fellow brethren should also see His face and should not lead a life of estrangement from Him.

We have come to the West to proclaim the second advent of the Messiah. Blessed are those who cast aside all prejudices and give ears to the voice of One who says that he has been raised by God.

(Transcribed and edited by Al Hakam from the original English, published in the November & December 1925 issue of The Review of Religions)

This Week in History: 5-11 December

A glimpse into the rich history of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat

This Week in History: 6 December 1953

5 December 2003: During his Friday sermon on this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa instructed that every Ahmadi must attain at least an FA degree (similar to the UK A Levels). Before this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh had instructed the Ahmadis in Pakistan to at least pass matriculation (equivalent to UK GCSE).

5 December 2008: During his Friday sermon on this day, delivered from the Baitul Hadi Mosque in Delhi, India, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated that there was a change of plan in his ongoing tour due to some law and order issues within the country and instructed the members of the Jamaat to cancel their plans of travel to attend the Jalsa Salana Qadian.

6 December 1953: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra inaugurated the newly constructed building of Talim-ul-Islam College, Rabwah. (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 16, p. 420)

6 December 2008: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa safely returned to London after shortening his tour of India due to law and order concerns. On 5 December, the final day of his tour, Huzooraa led the Friday prayer at Masjid Bait-ul-Hadi in Delhi. In his Friday sermon, he encouraged Jamaat members to pray for protection from trials and hardships. Huzooraa also met various guests and attended meetings on this last day. (Al Fazl Intl., 30 January 2009, p. 9)

7 December 1892: On this day, the Promised Messiahas published an ishtihar (announcement) titled “Assalamo alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu” in which he explained the importance of Jalsa Salana. (Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 1, p. 360)

7 December 1929: Hazrat Maulana Jalal-ud-Din Shamsra, a devoted missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, known for his pioneering efforts, not only helped establish the Jamaat’s chapters in Damascus and Haifa but also spent nearly five months in Egypt, where he worked tirelessly to spread the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat, support new converts and strengthen the faith of local Ahmadis. He entered Egypt on this day.

To read a rare glimpse into his day-to-day activities, see: “Preaching Islam in Egypt: The man who refused a singer’s handshake” at www.alhakam.org (7 November 2025, pp. 6-7)

8 December 1979: Mentioning the contributions of Dr Salam since the late 1950s, Nobel Laureate Sheldon Lee Glashow stated during his Nobel Lecture delivered on this day, “Another electroweak synthesis without neutral currents was put forward by Salam and Ward in 1959,” and “in a continuation of their work in 1961, they suggested a gauge theory of strong, weak and electromagnetic interactions based on the local symmetry group SU(2) x SU(2). This was a remarkable portent of the SU(3) x SU(2) x U(1) model, which is accepted today.”

To read more about the biography, success story and false allegations raised against Dr Salam, see: “From disowned to being ‘undeserving’: The painful story of Nobel Laureate Dr Abdus Salam” at www.alhakam.org (14 June 2024, pp. 6-11).

9 December 1955: On this day, Hazrat Sir Chaudhry Muhammad Zafrulla Khanra inaugurated the Mubarak Mosque, the first purpose-built mosque in the Netherlands. This mosque, with three minarets and a capacity of 500 worshippers, was designed by Frits Beck and was completed with funds collected from Lajna Imaillah.

On 3 June 2006, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands visited the Mubarak Mosque to commemorate the building’s 50th anniversary. (Al Fazl International, 2 June 2012, p. 9)

To learn more about this historic milestone, see: “Documentary Release: The remarkable story of Netherlands’ first purpose-built mosque, the Mubarak Mosque” at alhakam.org (18 November 2024).

10 December 1901: Amidst the devastating plague claiming countless lives across the Indian subcontinent, the Promised Messiahas, out of profound concern and sympathy for the masses, issued a written announcement on this day. To ensure his message reached a wide audience. The announcement was published in Arabic, Urdu and Persian, with a supplementary version in Pashto, guiding people on safeguarding themselves against the growing pandemic. (Majmua-e-Ishtiharat, Vol. 2, pp. 537-553)

11 December 1936: On this day, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra instructed members of the Jamaat to engage in fervent prayers and seek forgiveness from God Almighty. Whilst giving advice regarding prayer and repentance, Huzoorra said:

“At least one day in a year, you ought to shed tears before God Almighty for your sins as opposed to merely asking Him to fulfil your desires.” (Tarikh-e-Ahmadiyyat, Vol. 7, p. 324)

11 February 2014: On this day, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa delivered the keynote address at the Conference of World Religions, which was organised by Jamaat UK as part of its centenary celebrations at the famous Guildhall in the City of London. Around 500 delegates attended the conference. The conference also received messages of support from the late Queen Elizabeth II, the Dalai Lama, David Cameron and several other dignitaries. (“Historic Conference of World Religions Held at Guildhall, London”, www.pressahmadiyya.com)

The capacity to be influenced

It should also be borne in mind that listeners are influenced according to their capacity in a manner that is commensurate with the nature and power of the teacher himself—so long as their capacity has potential. Those people who have a greater affinity with God Almighty and have a fear for Him will be influenced more than others. The proof of this is that the soul makes haste and races uncontrollably towards God Almighty so that it may be purified. If one has a stronger connection with the soul that incites one to commit evil and is ruled by it, the disposition feels an anxiety, strain and aversion to listening to the words of a divine reformer. Such people do not feel comfortable sitting with them and listening to their words, and even feel disturbed. When an individual feels such restlessness and discontent in listening to the words of a divine preacher, it is crucial for them to begin worrying about their soul, for such a soul has reached the edge of the pit of destruction.

(Malfuzat [English], Vol. 2, p.117)

Every hardship erases sins

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عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلّى الله عليه وسلّم قَالَ‏: مَا يُصِيبُ الْمُسْلِمَ مِنْ نَصَبٍ وَلاَ وَصَبٍ وَلاَ هَمٍّ وَلاَ حُزْنٍ وَلاَ أَذًى وَلاَ غَمٍّ حَتَّى الشَّوْكَةِ يُشَاكُهَا، إِلاَّ كَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهَا مِنْ خَطَايَاهُ‏‏.‏

“Hazrat Abu Hurairahra narrated that the Holy Prophetsa said, “No fatigue, nor illness, nor anxiety, nor grief, nor hurt, nor distress befalls a Muslim – even the prick of a thorn that pricks him – except that Allah, through it, wipes away some of his sins.”

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-marda, Bab ma ja’a fi kaffarati l-mard, Hadith 5641)

Friday Sermon – Tahrik-e-Jadid 2025: The power of sacrifice (7 November 2025)

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Friday Sermon

7 November 2025

Tahrik-e-Jadid 2025: The power of sacrifice

Friday Sermon

After reciting the tashahhud, ta‘awwuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa recited the following verse of the Holy Quran:

مَثَلُ الَّذِیۡنَ یُنۡفِقُوۡنَ اَمۡوَالَہُمۡ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ کَمَثَلِ حَبَّۃٍ اَنۡۢبَتَتۡ سَبۡعَ سَنَابِلَ فِیۡ کُلِّ سُنۡۢبُلَۃٍ مِّائَۃُ حَبَّۃٍ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ یُضٰعِفُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَاللّٰہُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِیۡمٌ 

The translation of this verse is as follows: “The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies [it] further for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing.” (The Holy Quran, Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.262)

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, as of 1 November, the Jamaat’s new financial year of Tahrik-e-Jadid commences. As such, the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid is formally announced, and the financial sacrifices made by various Jamaats in the financial year that has passed are mentioned as well. Similarly, the importance of making financial sacrifices is briefly mentioned as well.

Before mentioning the importance of offering financial sacrifices, I will briefly mention the background of Tahrik-e-Jadid. Tahrik-e-Jadid was established in 1934 – I will mention this history since there are some new Ahmadis, youths and children, who may not be aware of it. As I said, Tahrik-e-Jadid was started in 1934 by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. The need for this arose as the Ahrar movement started opposition against the Jamaat at that time. They had raised an uproar, creating a storm of opposition and claimed that they would eradicate Ahmadiyyat from the face of the earth, nothing would be left of Qadian and that they would completely destroy it. Similarly, they intended to desecrate the Bahishti Maqbarah [Heavenly Graveyard], where the blessed grave of the Promised Messiahas is located; this is typical behaviour for such people. At that time, the government was not protecting the Jamaat as it should have. In fact, it would be appropriate to say that it was supporting the opponents. At such a time, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra encouraged the Jamaat to establish a fund so that they may propagate the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat to the corners of the earth and strengthen the organisational structure of the Jamaat in order to counter the mischief and uproar of the opponents and refute the propaganda being spread against the Jamaat. Moreover, not only refute the propaganda, rather, to also fulfil the due rights of Tabligh [propagating the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat], because up until that time, the Jamaat had not effectively fulfilled the due rights of Tabligh as it should have. 

With this intention, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra announced the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid. He also said that we must propagate the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat within the country and throughout the world so that the opponents do not try to bring harm to our efforts in any place. If there is opposition in one place, then progress should be seen in another, and the administrative and organisational structure of Jamaat should continue to expand.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, today we can see that the message of Ahmadiyyat – the true Islam – has reached every corner of the world, and our missionaries are actively serving across the globe. In various countries, we have built mosques; our schools are running; our hospitals are operational; and our missionaries are being granted the opportunity to serve the faith. Literature is being published, MTA studios have been established in many countries in addition to the central studio, which broadcasts worldwide, and radio stations have also been established.

Although the expenses for all these efforts are partly met through other funds as well, Tahrik-e-Jadid plays a vital role in supporting them. It is under Tahrik-e-Jadid that missionaries are trained throughout the world, and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, Jamias have been established in almost six or seven countries around the world. From there, missionaries are trained and then are sent throughout the world, conveying the message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat.

As for the Ahrar movement’s claim – that they would destroy Qadian brick by brick and wipe Ahmadiyyat off the face of the earth – our opponents continue to raise the same slogans even today. Just recently, they held their conferences in Rabwah, and they repeated these same slogans yet again. But every year, the response to these slogans is given through the Jamaat’s progress and advancement – through the manifest blessings of Allah the Almighty.

Those who are pledging allegiance and joining the Jamaat serve as an answer to these opponents. And today, the expansion of the Jamaat spread across 220 countries also serves as an answer. They should realise that while they claimed that they would erase Ahmadiyyat from existence, Allah the Almighty’s grace continues to cause the Jamaat to flourish and progress ever further.

Thus, the practical support and help of Allah the Almighty is itself proof that the claim of the Promised Messiahas was and remains true. Ahmadiyyat, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, is not a tree planted by any man, nor by any organisation, nor by any government. It is a tree planted by God Himself – a mighty, flourishing tree whose branches have spread across the entire world, and Allah the Almighty continues to expand it and cause it to bear fruit. This movement continues and grows ever stronger.

In the verse I recited, Allah the Almighty states that the example of those who spend their wealth in His cause is like a grain – just as the translation was given earlier – that grows ten ears, and each ear contains a hundred grains; in fact, Allah the Almighty multiplies it even more. Allah the Almighty has promised that whatever you spend in His way, will never go unrewarded. Rather, He has the power to increase your sacrifice seven hundredfold, or even more.

Through this declaration, Allah the Almighty has inspired the hearts of believers to open their hearts and spend freely in His cause – to spend for the propagation of His religion. The very mission that was entrusted to the Promised Messiah and Mahdias in this age, and is now entrusted to his Jamaat. When we spend for this purpose, Allah the Almighty will bestow His blessings in our wealth.

We witness this every year, and I continue to mention such examples. This year too, there are countless instances of how Allah the Almighty opens people’s hearts – and in many places, people continue to sacrifice selflessly, without any worry for material constraint. In return, Allah the Almighty provides for them, or grants them contentment of the heart, so that even if the results of their sacrifice are not immediately visible, they still feel happiness in having offered it. And soon after, Allah the Almighty fulfils the very desires they had sacrificed in order to make financial sacrifices instead.

Allah the Almighty states that such people will be rewarded in this world as well as in the next. Many indeed experience the fruits of their sacrifices in this very life, while the reward of the hereafter is beyond measure. The early scholars have also interpreted this verse in the same way. 

For instance, Imam Razi, in his commentary, writes that Allah the Almighty has promised to return one’s wealth many times over. He writes that Allah the Almighty has presented arguments for His power to give life and to cause death. If this divine power did not exist, then the command to spend in His cause would carry no weight, for if there were no Being to reward or punish, spending in His way would be meaningless. If there were no reward or punishment, Allah Almighty would not say, “Spend in My way, and I will grant you in return.” It means that He alone grants reward to those who sacrifice in His cause, and likewise, He punishes those who commit sin.

In this context, he wrote that, in other words, Allah the Almighty says to those who spend: “Do you not know that I created you and completed My favours upon you? You are aware of My power to reward and recompense. Therefore, this knowledge of yours should inspire you to spend your wealth.” For God Almighty alone grants an abundance in return for little, and He illustrates this by saying that for the one who sows a single grain, He brings forth seven ears, and in every ear there are a hundred grains.

Further explaining this, he says that the verse: 

یُنۡفِقُوۡنَ اَمۡوَالَہُمۡ فِیۡ سَبِیۡلِ اللّٰہِ 

“They spend their wealth in the way of Allah”, noting that “the cause of Allah” means religion. (Imam Fakhr al-Din Razi, Al-Tafsit Al-Kabir, Vol. 4, p. 39, Dar Al-Kotob Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut)

Indeed, in the Ahmadiyya Jamaat we continuously witness how Allah the Almighty fulfils His promise and this divine assurance.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra also explained this verse:

“If you spend your wealth for the sake of the faith, then just as Allah the Almighty brings forth seven hundred grains from a single seed, He will similarly increase your wealth many times over and grant you even greater progress – as is indicated in the words: 

وَاللّٰہُ یُضٰعِفُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ 

[“and Allah multiplies for whom He pleases.”]

History bears witness that this has always been the case. Hazrat Abu Bakrra indeed offered great sacrifices, yet when Allah the Almighty made him the first Khalifah of the Holy Prophetsa, his sacrifices had no comparison to the immense reward He was granted. Similarly, Hazrat Umarra gave abundantly, yet he was rewarded to a much greater degree. Whatever Hazrat Uthmanra did, he was granted it, in return, thousands of times over in this world.

If we look at the circumstances of the Companions individually, we find the same treatment from God Almighty. Take the example of Hazrat Abdur Rahman bin Aufra – it is recorded that at the time of his passing, he possessed three million [dirhams], yet throughout his life, he had spent hundreds of thousands in charity. Likewise, when the Companions left their homelands, Allah the Almighty granted them better homes; when they left behind brothers and sisters, He granted them better brothers and sisters; when they were separated from their parents, they found in the Holy Prophetsa a being more loving than any parent.

In short, one who sacrifices in the way of Allah the Almighty is never deprived of a noble reward.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, 2004, Vol. 2, p. 604)

In the previous sermons, I have been speaking about the Companions of Badr. In the current series of sermons that mention the accounts from the life of the Holy Prophetsa in relation to the various expeditions and battles, the righteous deeds and sacrifices of the Companions also come to light. Reflect on how Allah the Almighty continued to reward them, and we observe from history that Allah the Almighty never abandoned them to waste away, but instead blessed them abundantly. Thus, Allah the Almighty has mentioned countless times about spending in His cause; Allah says in some places to spend out of the wealth which you love; if you spend from this, He shall reward you, He shall continue to expand your wealth, and He shall continue to bless you with His bounties. And we continue to witness these blessings of Allah the Almighty. Even today, every Ahmadi who sincerely sacrifices from the heart feels this. Those who make sacrifices also write their own experiences to me. It is astonishing to see how Allah the Almighty enabled them to offer sacrifices and how He strengthened their faith. I shall present some examples, but before that, I shall first mention some scholarly and historical references, and from the Ahadith as well.

Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra explained the following statement of Jesusas and said:

“‘But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.’ (This is the teaching of Jesusas in the Gospels). However, the Holy Quran says if you deposit your wealth in the treasury of Allah, then not only will no one steal it, but you shall receive at least seven hundred in return for one, and there is no limit against receiving more than this. Then, Jesusas says that in heaven, the grain cannot be eaten by insects; however, the Holy Quran states that it is not merely protected from insects, but rather it is returned seven hundredfold.

Surely, Allah the Almighty is not in need of any man’s assistance, but out of His mercy upon His servants, when He grants them the opportunity to perform a deed, He desires to raise their ranks by way of this.” (Tafsir-e-Kabir, 2004, Vol. 2, pp. 604-605)

In reality, Allah the Almighty can multiply the reward of their works seven hundred times even in this world, but He shall bestow the recompense of these good deeds manifold more in the next life. Thus, it is the promise of Allah the Almighty that He increases by seven hundredfold, not only for this world; rather, He continues to increase both in this world and in the next life.

This has also been explained by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira. He states:

“Bear well in mind that when the Prophets ask for financial contributions, it is not for themselves, but rather, it is to grant benefit to those who offer the contributions. That is, when the contributors make sacrifices, it is for their own benefit that they are told to offer financial sacrifice, so that Allah the Almighty may bestow His grace upon them and increase their wealth.”

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira said that there are many paths to attain nearness to Allah the Almighty, and this is also one of those ways, as mentioned at the beginning of the chapter (that is, Surah al-Baqarah) in the fourth verse: 

مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰہُمۡ یُنۡفِقُوۡنَ

[“They spend out of what We have provided for them”]

Then,

اٰتَی الۡمَالَ عَلٰی حُبِّہٖ

[“And spends his money for love of Him”]

is also a verse in Surah al-Baqarah. Then, in the same part, it is stated:

اَنۡفِقُوۡا مِمَّا رَزَقۡنٰکُمۡ

[“Spend out of what We have bestowed on you”]

This too a verse of Surah al-Baqarah.

Then Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira states that now the subject of spending in the way of Allah is elucidated in detail. In the Gospel, there is a phrase: “Whoever asks of you, give to him.” But observe how the Holy Quran encompasses this subject in five sections – it explained this in great detail. The first question is: to whom and why should one give? So, it is stated to give in order to propagate the word of God. One example of this is of someone who sows a seed in the earth – for instance, a millet – and many ears begin to emerge from it. Then Allah the Almighty says: 

وَاللّٰہُ یُضٰعِفُ لِمَنۡ یَّشَآءُ

And Allah multiplies for whomsoever He wills. That is, in some places, the mention is of one being rewarded tenfold, and in others, one to seven hundredfold. This difference depends upon the need, the time, and the circumstance. For example, a man is by the riverbank; it is winter, and rain is falling. If, in such a situation, someone asks him for water, and he gives him a glass of water when there is already water everywhere, then this is no great deed. But if a person gives water to another who is in the jungle at midday, burning with thirst, close to death, afflicted with fever and inflammation, and the person gives him water, then that is a magnificent deed. Thus, based on such distinctions, Allah the Almighty has allotted differences in rewards. Some sacrifices are much greater due to the demand, and thus, because the need is so great, Allah the Almighty increases the reward seven hundredfold or even more; whereas, at other times, the sacrifice is not as great, yet, since sacrifice is still required, Allah the Almighty does not leave it unrewarded. Rather, even there, He grants a reward double or tenfold.

These examples were given by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira regarding the spending of wealth. In this context, he also related another incident concerning Hazrat Rabi’ah Basri. One day, some guests visited Hazrat Rabi’ah Basri while she was at her home. There were only two pieces of bread in the house, and she told her maid to give those two pieces of bread in charity. The maid replied, “It is strange that guests have come to the house, yet you are saying that even this little bit of bread should be given to the poor?”

Shortly afterwards, a voice was heard from outside. A woman came and said that a wealthy lady who lived in the neighbourhood had sent some food. When the food arrived, Hazrat Rabi’ah Basri counted and found that it contained eighteen pieces of bread. Her relationship with Allah the Almighty and her faith in Him were such that she was certain Allah would surely grant acceptance to what she had done; she had given two pieces of bread, and so there should be more in return, at least double or ten times more. She said, “These eighteen pieces of bread are not meant for me. I have twenty guests, and so I should have received twenty pieces of bread from Allah. These are not for me.” She said, “I will not accept this; send them back.” Her maid implored her to keep them, as they had been sent as a blessing from Allah; however, Rabi’ah insisted, saying, “No, these have not been sent for me.” Just then, the same wealthy neighbour called out to her maid, saying, “Where have you gone? I had prepared some other food for Rabi’ah Basri.” When that food arrived, it contained exactly twenty pieces of bread. Hence, this was the manner in which saintly people had firm faith in Allah the Almighty, and Allah the Almighty would fulfil their trust.

In this regard, the Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira explained why one should spend in the way of Allah. He said that firstly, it should be purely for the sake of seeking Allah’s pleasure. In other words, one should not give it as if they are doing a favour; rather, it should be to attain the pleasure of Allah and His happiness. Spend because Allah the Almighty has bestowed countless favours upon us. Then, spend for the sake of His religion, for it is necessary to give for the sake of His established faith. And how should one give? It should be purely for Allah’s pleasure. As mentioned before, it should not be for one to feel as if they are doing a favour. (Haqaiqul Furqan, Vol. 1, pp. 420-421)

One who sacrifices for the sake of the Jamaat is not doing any sort of favour upon the Jamaat; rather, it is Allah the Almighty’s favour that when a person spends sincerely in His path, He multiplies it manifold.

The Promised Messiahas states:

“Those who spend their wealth in the way of God find that God blesses their wealth just as when a single grain is sown in the earth, though it is only one seed, yet God brings forth seven ears from it, and in each ear a hundred grains. In other words, He grants more in return than what was initially given (the fundamental principle is that God increases that which was originally given). God has the power to do so; in fact, all of us live only by virtue of this very power of God. If God were not capable of increasing things by His will, the entire world would perish, and not a single living creature would remain on the face of the earth.” (Chashma-e-Ma’rifat, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 23, pp. 170-171)

The Promised Messiahas also writes:

“In the science of the interpretation of dreams, wealth is represented by one’s liver. (If one sees a dream in which they have removed their liver, it means that they have spent their wealth). This is why giving alms is equivalent to giving away one’s life, as it were, meaning offering financial sacrifices is of great importance. When a person gives charity, they exhibit an immense degree of sincerity and steadfastness. However, the fact of the matter is that mere words are of no use until they are supported by practice. The reason charity is called ‘sadaqah’ in Arabic is that it is the hallmark of the Truthful (Sadiqin).” (Taken from Mafluzat, 1984, Vol. 1, p. 238)

It is narrated in a Hadith that the Holy Prophetsa said, “Shall I not tell you who is the most generous among all those who are generous?” The people said, “Certainly, O Messengersa of Allah.” The Holy Prophetsa said, “Allah the Almighty is the most Generous of all who show generosity.” Then, with reference to himself, the Holy Prophetsa said, “Among all mankind, I am the most generous.” (Majma’ al-Zawa’id, Vol. 1, Kitab al-Ilm, Bab Fi man Nashar Ilma…, Hadith 760, p. 224)

Then, the Holy Prophetsa drew attention towards prayer, fasting, and financial sacrifice. In another narration, the Holy Prophetsa said. “Prayer, fasting, and remembrance of Allah increase the reward of wealth spent in the way of Allah seven hundred times.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-jihad, Bab fi tad’ifi dh-dhikri fi sabilillah, Hadith 2498)

Hence, this serves as guidance for those who offer financial sacrifices to also increase the standard of their worship. They should not think that merely giving financial sacrifice is enough; rather, they must elevate the standard of their prayers and worship as well. One should not think that after financial sacrifice, they are absolved of worship. The Holy Prophetsa said that prayer and fasting are also necessary alongside financial sacrifices, as mentioned in the Hadith cited. These are the very deeds that draw one nearer to Allah the Almighty, and then Allah the Almighty blesses them and continues to increase their wealth.

There are many people who offer sacrifices. Even today, we witness many examples of people who, despite being in need, spend in the way of Allah the Almighty, with the hope that spending in Allah the Almighty’s cause will earn His pleasure and that their sacrifice will not go in vain. And indeed, Allah the Almighty does not let such sacrifices go to waste. 

The Holy Prophetsa said in a Hadith that a man once came to him and asked, “O Messengersa of Allah, which charity earns the greatest reward?” The Holy Prophetsa replied, “The greatest charity is that which you give while you are healthy, in need of wealth, desirous of wealth, fearful of poverty, and hopeful for prosperity. When you are in this state, do not delay giving in charity.” One should give charity and alms in the way of Allah despite having worldly desires. The Holy Prophetsa continued, “Let it not be that you are approaching your death, at which time you say, ‘Give this much to so-and-so, and that much to so-and-so,’ for by then, that wealth no longer belongs to you; it has already passed to your heirs.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-wasaya, Bab as-sadaqah ‘inda l-mawt, Hadith 2748)

Hence, the Holy Prophetsa taught that true sacrifice is to spend in the way of Allah while in good health and while in need. If you do so, Allah the Almighty will grant you more in this world and in the next. 

The examples of the elders in our Jamaat were also similar. They never calculated their wealth when spending it in the way of Allah; rather, they gave freely and generously. Similarly, we find examples from among the Companions of the Holy Prophetsa. It is narrated that once the Holy Prophetsa advised his sister-in-law, Hazrat Asma bint Abu Bakrra, “Do not calculate when spending in the way of Allah; otherwise, Allah will also calculate what He gives to you in return.” The Holy Prophetsa further said, “Do not tie shut your money pouches out of miserliness. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab z-zakah, Bab t-tahridi ‘ala s-sadaqah, Hadith 1433)

In other words, wherever one has stored their money should not remain closed off or hoarded out of miserliness; otherwise, it will always remain closed, and no wealth will enter it. Thus, the Holy Prophetsa taught that if wealth is spent for the sake of Allah, then more will be received in return. Therefore, one should spend with an open heart.

We have many examples from the Jamaat before us. First and foremost, during the era of the Promised Messiahas, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira made remarkable sacrifices. During that era, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira spent generously in order to fulfil the mission of the Promised Messiahas and to assist him in every possible way. The Promised Messiahas himself mentioned this on one occasion and said regarding him that had he granted permission, he would give away everything.

That is, Hazrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen, Khalifatul Masih Ira, would have sacrificed all that he possessed for this cause. Just as he had shown complete spiritual devotion, he also fulfilled the right of physical companionship and constant attendance. The Promised Messiahas did not give him permission, otherwise, he would have given everything away. The Promised Messiahas then said that he would reproduce a few lines from some of his letters as an example. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira, Maulana Noor-ud-Deen Sahibra, wrote to the Promised Messiahas:

“May I be sacrificed for you. Whatever I possess is not mine – it is yours. O my guide and mentor, I submit with utmost sincerity that if my entire wealth and property were to be spent in the service of faith, I would have attained my true purpose.” (ath-e-Islam, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, pp. 35-36)

Observe how Allah the Almighty granted the Holy Prophetsa Companions, such as Abu Bakrra, Umarra and Uthmanra and others who made financial sacrifices. Similarly, owing to the Promised Messiah’sas complete servitude to his master granted him such devoted servants who were ever ready to sacrifice everything – who reflected the very example of Abu Bakr al-Siddiqra.

The Promised Messiahas states:

“These promises are also from Allah the Almighty – that whoso gives in the way of Allah, ‘I shall bless him manifold. He shall be granted abundance in this very world, and after death he shall behold the reward of the Hereafter, seeing how much peace and comfort are granted to him.’”

The Promised Messiahas further said:

“Hence, at this time I draw your attention towards spending your wealth for the progress of Islam.” (Malfuzat, 1984, Vol. 8, p. 394)

One shall receive blessings both in this world and in the next. These are not mere words; in fact, we find examples of this at the time of the Promised Messiahas and witness this even today. Even in this age, many people write to me expressing how Allah the Almighty blesses their wealth after they spend it in His cause – how He removes difficulties from their lives and strengthens their faith. I will mention a few accounts.

A missionary from Albania writes about an Albanian friend, Bilal Yusuf Sahib, a very simple and humble man of limited means. During the Jalsa there, he served every day for a week – from 8 am to 4 pm, without any remuneration, purely for the sake of Allah the Almighty’s pleasure.

Many volunteers around the world render similar service at Jalsas – some despite such personal constraints, and others without any constraints and whose needs are met. In Bilal Sahib’s case, after offering his services, he would then go to his regular job at 4 pm.

One day, he came with an envelope containing 75 euros as his Tahrik-e-Jadid contribution. Albania is a poor country in Eastern Europe. He said, “I have collected this sum for many days to offer as my contribution.”

On the envelope, he had written in Albanian: “Presented to the Jamaat with great joy.”

Some may say that 75 euros may seem insignificant, but the missionary writes that this amount represented 15% of his income, though he also needed to pay rent for his home. A worldly person may say, “How can these people possibly spread Islam with a meagre 75 euros? How will a few euros help spread Islam, whereas the organisations and governments that are against Islam possess billions upon billions of pounds? They are spending this money on Islam’s opposition.” Yet Allah the Almighty bestows so much grace upon these small sacrifices that through them, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat is able to establish missions. There are many such people – he is not the only one who offered 75 euros; there are others who give even less. But the Jamaat, through Allah the Almighty’s grace, continues to accomplish its tasks across the world with these very small amounts. Through these seemingly humble sums, it is spreading the message of Islam throughout the world. Its progress, by Allah’s bounty, far exceeds that of those who spend billions of dollars against Islam.

Likewise, in some countries that are even poorer, we witness scenes of sacrifice reminiscent of the early days of Islam – or of the time when the Promised Messiahas first called for financial sacrifices – or of that period when Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra launched Tahrik-e-Jadid and said, “Today, the enemy is fully prepared and has attacked us; therefore, spend in the cause of Allah.” Upon this appeal, the people made great sacrifices. Poor women sold their hens and the eggs of those hens to make their financial contributions. These were seemingly small sacrifices.

At that time, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra had said that 27,000 rupees should be collected within three years throughout India. Yet, due to the spirit of sacrifice, the Jamaat gathered one hundred thousand rupees within a single year. Even today, such examples of sacrifice can be seen, especially in poorer countries.

In Indonesia, there is a member, Jadi Muzaffar Sahib, who relates that one day, an elderly lady from the Jamaat came to his wife. She brought with her a few bundles of firewood, with the intention that they might purchase them from her. He says that they did not need any firewood, as they had already purchased firewood. They live in a small town or village. In such towns or underdeveloped countries, residents burn wood for cooking. Gas is not available there. Perhaps they use small kerosene stoves for their needs. In any case, firewood is still used.

He says that since they already had other means to utilise as well, they did not use much firewood, and so he told her that they did not need any more. Yet, seeing that the poor elderly woman had carried the bundles upon her head and brought them herself, his wife took pity on her and decided to buy the wood. The value of the Indonesian currency is very low, and figures are usually in the hundreds of thousands, so they bought that bundle of firewood for one hundred thousand rupees – which equals only a few Pakistani rupees.

He says that when they purchased it and offered her the payment, the elderly woman said, “I have not brought these so that I might take money from you and spend it on myself. I brought them so that I might offer my contribution for Tahrik-e-Jadid. Please count this amount as my Tehrik-e-Jadid contribution.”

His wife was also a Lajna office-bearer, and she handed over the entire amount right there and left without taking even a single penny for herself.

Similarly, another member from Indonesia, Sisila Sahiba, relates that a few years ago, her financial circumstances were extremely poor. She had a seven-year-old son, and the expecting another child. When the second child was born, Eid was approaching, and the amount that had been pledged for all three for Tahrik-e-Jadid – which was 12 lakh rupees – was still outstanding. As I have already mentioned, the value of the currency there is very low, but we find the same spirit that we have seen in the earlier elders.

She says that although their pledge was 1.2 million rupees, they wished to pay their Tahrik-e-Jadid contribution and write to the Khalifa for prayers. They made every effort, but due to their poverty, it seemed impossible. Her bank account had a very small amount in it, but one day, when she checked her account, to her surprise, there were twelve and a half lakh rupees in it.

She says that if they had given it all, they would be left with nothing – yet she decided to pay 1.2 million [rupees] on behalf of her husband, her, and their eldest child, and the remaining 50,000 on behalf of our newborn baby. Thus, they paid the entire amount, leaving them with absolutely nothing. Yet they felt no regret; instead, they experienced joy in their hearts that they had fulfilled their promise and included their newborn in it as well.

They say that Allah the Almighty bestowed His grace in such a manner that within a week, they received an income of 12 million rupees. Seeing this, they were convinced that Allah the Almighty had fulfilled His promise of granting tenfold in return. Allah fulfilled His promise instantly.

Similarly, the missionary from Ghana writes that when faith-inspiring incidents from the sermons of Khalifatul Masih were narrated to the members, a Ghanaian member, who was deeply moved by these accounts, donated the very last amount he possessed in the way of Allah. He relates that as soon as he stepped out of the mosque, he received two phone calls that would change the course of his life; two potential clients contacted him, each offering lucrative opportunities through which he earned more than twenty times the amount he had just contributed. This extraordinary incident serves as a powerful reminder of how Allah the Almighty swiftly and magnificently rewards those who sacrifice in His cause. It also greatly strengthened his faith.

Likewise, the wife of a local missionary from Kenya writes that when she was expecting her first child, many complications arose, which caused great anxiety. The doctors expressed grave concern. She says, “I shared all my worries with my husband and told him how worried I was.” Her husband replied, “Pray to Allah the Almighty, He alone is our Helper. But what we can do immediately is offer a sacrifice; as the year of Tahrik-e-Jadid is about to end, let us pay whatever remains of our pledge and entrust the matter to Allah. He will surely bless us.” The condition of these people’s faith is extraordinary. She did as he advised. A few days later, she saw the Promised Messiahas in a dream. He was wearing a black coat, a turban and was holding a staff in his hand. He said to her, “Do not worry. The delivery will be safe and sound, though it shall be from your side.” In due course, she gave birth to her child safely through an operation performed from one side of her abdomen, and no complications arose whatsoever. She firmly believes that this was purely the grace of Allah the Almighty bestowed upon her as a result of her sacrifice. She says this was despite the fact that whilst she was expecting, the doctors had raised many concerns. Thus, Allah the Almighty strengthens the faith of Ahmadis living in distant lands through such experiences and at the same time manifests signs in support of the truth of the Promised Messiahas.

The Missionary-In-charge from Guinea-Conakry writes that he was narrating faith-inspiring accounts from the sermons of Khalifatul Masih and drawing attention towards making greater sacrifices in financial contributions, especially as the Tahrik-e-Jadid year was nearing its end. He reminded the members that the budget had not yet been met and that they ought to strive to achieve the target. That same evening, a man came to the mission house and handed over an envelope, saying it was sent by Mr Muhammad al-Hasan Koubi. When the envelope was opened, it contained three hundred euros, amounting to nearly three million Guinean francs. Upon calling Koubi Sahib to confirm, he explained, “After listening to your sermon that our target had not yet been met, I returned to my office and found this amount lying in my drawer along with a long list of pending expenses which were to be paid for through this sum. I immediately threw that list into the bin and sent you this sum for Tahrik-e-Jadid.” He had already paid his Tahrik-e-Jadid contribution for that year in full, and it was a substantial amount. These are truly remarkable and extraordinary incidents of sacrifice from the people living in Africa. Undoubtedly, these deeds fill their hearts with faith and such acts are inspired by Allah the Almighty alone, as this cannot be the work of any human. Through these experiences, they personally witness how Allah the Almighty abundantly blesses their sacrifice, which in turn inspires them to make even more sacrifices. There are countless incidents, and it is not possible to mention all of them. I am not able to even mention all the ones I have selected. Nonetheless, I shall mention a few of them.

The Inspector of Tahrik-e-Jadid in India writes about a man from Telangana, Hyderabad, who had pledged 7,000 rupees, but due to losing his job, he could not fulfil his promise. Yet for the next year, he increased his pledge to 10,000 rupees. When asked why he had raised it despite not having paid the previous amount, he replied with firm conviction, “Allah Himself will provide the means, for I am giving in His cause.” Within a few days, he found employment which was better than before; he managed to pay off two years of arrears and, for the new year, raised his pledge from 7,000 rupees to 20,000 rupees, which he also fulfilled. Thus, Allah the Almighty rewarded him for his positive thinking.

Similarly, there is another account from Indonesia. These are truly remarkable incidents, and they are, by no means, mere coincidences, for those who experience them are fully aware of the circumstances under which they make their sacrifices, the conditions in which the thought of sacrifice first arises in their hearts and the manner in which they subsequently witness the power of Allah the Almighty manifest before their very eyes.

Nonetheless, he writes that some time ago, a very devoted and sincere Ahmadi, Bahadur Jan, purchased a car from a taxi company in order to continue his work as a taxi driver. He says that after buying the vehicle, he went to the traffic police office to get it registered. They informed him that the court had prohibited the registration of this car. He writes, “When I had purchased the car, I had verified every detail carefully, and everything was in accordance with the law. However, I later discovered that the taxi company from which I had bought the car was under heavy debt, and for this reason, the court had issued an injunction preventing the company from selling any of its vehicles.”

At that time, the company owned 35 cars, all of which had been placed under a legal ban. The former owners of the company said, “We have filed a case in court; please wait until the verdict is announced, insha-Allah, you will receive the car once the matter is resolved, and everything will be fine.”

He continues, “At that time, my pledge for Tahrik-e-Jadid was due. I thought to myself that I should pay it, before I become preoccupied with these worldly concerns.” Thus, he immediately paid his dues towards both Tahrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid.

He says, “Only a few days later, I happened to check the company’s website, and to my astonishment, I discovered that the restriction on the car I had purchased had been lifted. I could hardly believe it and thought perhaps I had made a mistake. Therefore, I went to the [traffic] inspector, who verified the record and confirmed that out of the 35 cars, the ban had been lifted from only one. The removal of restrictions from the remaining 34 vehicles was dependent upon the outcome of the court verdict. It was the very car that I had purchased for which the restriction was lifted. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the immediate blessing of spending in His cause was that Allah the Almighty bestowed His grace upon me.” He expressed that indeed, these are the blessings of Allah which his eyes have personally witnessed for themselves at how Allah the Almighty blesses Ahmadis.

Then, from the Sikasso region in Mali, the missionary writes that Allah the Almighty manifests wondrous ways for the moral training of new converts and inclines their hearts toward financial sacrifice. One of the new converts from the city, Musa Sahib, came with a sum of one million CFA francs and said that out of this amount, five hundred thousand should be counted as Hissa Jaidad for his house, four hundred thousand as contributions towards Wasiyyat, and one hundred thousand for Tahrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid.

When he was asked regarding this contribution and the reason behind it, he explained that he had been saving money for a long time for various worldly projects. His attention and prayers were entirely devoted to the fulfilment of these material plans. However, during the previous night, after offering Tahajjud [pre-dawn voluntary prayer], as he lay down, he saw in a dream that three men dressed in white garments came to him. The first of them addressed him and said, “Despite being an Ahmadi, your attention is focused entirely on worldly pursuits. (Reflect upon how Allah the Almighty morally and spiritually trains the believers) It is better for you to turn your concern towards the Hereafter.” Then the second person said, “You have not yet paid your Hissa Jaidad for your house – so fulfil this due.” Afterwards, the third person said to him, “You have four million francs in your account; immediately discharge the amount you had pledged for Wasiyyat.” Therefore, after having received this clear guidance from Allah the Almighty, he did not consider it permissible for him as an Ahmadi to use this money for any other purpose. He requested that the relevant amounts for the various funds be deducted from his account.

Such incidents not only strengthen the faith of these new converts, but also serve to reinvigorate the faith of long-standing Ahmadis. We, too, must reflect upon how Allah the Almighty guides these people.

Our opponents allege that the Promised Messiah’sas claim is false and that this is mere propaganda or a form of money-making business. Yet, observe how Allah the Almighty Himself guides those who live in far-off lands – people who have only recently entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat, who have even joined the institution of Wasiyyat, though perhaps they have never met or even seen the Khalifah of the time, except through MTA. Many of them may not yet have read much of the Jamaat’s literature beyond the basics, and yet Allah the Almighty continues to strengthen their faith in that when they make sacrifices, Allah the Almighty accepts their sacrifices and continues to guide them further.

There are many more incidents like these – a long list – but for now I will leave them. I will briefly mention some of the divine favours and blessings which Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon the Jamaat during this year through the spirit of sacrifice shown by its members and the reports of the sacrifice which have come through from the Jamaats. These are indeed the blessings of Allah the Almighty, and we must ponder how Allah the Almighty inspires both new and old Ahmadis alike to develop such sentiments and passion in terms of their moral and spiritual training and thereby inclines their hearts towards offering sacrifices. 

According to the annual reports received from various countries of the world:

Firstly, last year marked the 91st year of Tahrik-e-Jadid, which has now reached its completion, and today, I am announcing the commencement of the 92nd year. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the Jamaat had the opportunity to present a sacrifice of £19.55 million, which is an increase from the previous year of approximately £1.564 million. In terms of the position for overall contribution from around the world – aside from Pakistan, as they are not included in this ranking – Germany is currently number one, followed by the UK. The UK has made a significant contribution in the previous year and has reached very close to Germany. I feel that if they continue in their efforts like this, they may surpass Germany next year. Similarly, the USA has also made a significant increase; likewise, Canada has also made a significant increase from the previous year. India, Australia, Indonesia, the Middle Eastern Jamaats, and Ghana have likewise made notable increases. Mauritius and the Netherlands are also among those that have shown a significant improvement. 

Among other countries that have made a notable effort in terms of their overall contribution, though they may not have attained any position but nonetheless have done well, are Belgium, Sweden, France, Holland (which has already been mentioned), Kababir, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, New Zealand – the conditions in Burkina Faso are really dire – then there is Sierra Leone, Benin, Mali (the conditions in Mali are also very bad and the terrorists continue to carry out attacks), Niger, Turkey, Georgia, and the jamaats in the Middle East and Australia. 

In Africa, the top five jamaats in terms of their overall contribution are:

  1. Ghana
  2. Mauritius
  3. Nigeria
  4. Burkina Faso
  5. Tanzania

The list then continues. 

The total number of participants in Tahrik-e-Jadid this year has reached 1.7 million. According to the reports, 43,586 members joined Daftar Shashum [the Sixth Register], which was announced two years ago. Jamaats should note that all new participants in Tahrik-e-Jadid should be recorded under Daftar Shashum [Sixth Register] and then submit their reports to Wakalat Mal.

The top ten jamaats of Germany are as follows: Rodgau, Osnabrück, Pinneberg, Nidda, Flörsheim, Rödermark, Bremen, Neu Wied, Friedberg Mitte, and Koblenz.

As for the top ten Amarats, they are: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Gross-Gerau, Wiesbaden, Riedstadt, Mannheim, Dietzenbach, Mörfelden-Walldorf, Rüsselsheim, and Darmstadt.

In the United Kingdom, the top five regions are:

  1. Islamabad
  2. Baitul Futuh
  3. Fazl Mosque
  4. Baitul Ihsan
  5. North East Region

The ten large local jamaats of the UK are:

  1. Islamabad
  2. Ash
  3. Worcester Park
  4. South Cheam
  5. Walsall
  6. Farnham North
  7. Aldershot South
  8. Fazl Mosque
  9. Farnham South
  10. Ewell

Among the smaller jamaats which have done notably well are Leamington Spa, Spen Valley, Keighley, Bruntwood, and Jamia UK.

In the USA, the top ten jamaats in terms of contributions are: 

  1. North Virginia 
  2. Maryland 
  3. Los Angeles 
  4. Seattle 
  5. Chicago 
  6. Dallas 
  7. Silicon Valley 
  8. North Jersey 
  9. South Virginia
  10.  Central Jersey 
  11. Baltimore 
  12. Detroit.

In Canada, the leading local Amarats are: 

  1. Vaughan 
  2. Calgary 
  3. Peace Village 
  4. Vancouver 
  5. Toronto West 
  6. Brampton East 
  7. Mississauga.

The noteworthy jamaats of Canada in terms of contributions are Hamilton Mountain, Hamilton, Edmonton West, Hadiqah Ahmad, Ottawa East, Ottawa West, Winnipeg, Regina, Vaudreuil, and Yellowknife.

In Pakistan, based on overall contributions, the leading jamaats are:

  1. Lahore
  2. Rabwah
  3. Karachi

At the district level: 

  1. Islamabad
  2. Faisalabad
  3. Sialkot
  4. Sargodha
  5. Umarkot
  6. Narowal
  7. Mirpur Khas
  8. Rahim Yar Khan
  9. Toba Tek Singh
  10. Layyah.

Among the jamaats in the cities of Pakistan that have offered the notable sacrifices are: Amarat Township Lahore, Amarat Defence Lahore, Amarat Darul Zikr Lahore, Amarat Allama Iqbal Town Lahore, Amarat Baitul Fazl Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, Quetta, Bahawalpur, Lodhran, and Sahiwal.

In India, the top ten provinces are: 

  1. Kerala
  2. Tamil Nadu
  3. Telangana
  4. Odisha
  5. Jammu & Kashmir
  6. Karnataka
  7. Punjab
  8. Bengal
  9. Maharashtra
  10. Delhi.

Among the top ten local jamaats of India in terms of financial sacrifice are: 

  1. Hyderabad
  2. Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
  3. Qadian
  4. Calicut
  5. Melapalayam
  6. Manjeri, Kerala
  7. Bangalore
  8. Kerang
  9. Kolkata
  10. Kerolai.

From Australia, the top ten jamaats are:

  1. Melbourne Langwarrin
  2. Melbourne Berwick
  3. Marsden Park
  4. Penrith
  5. Melbourne West
  6. Castle Hill
  7. Adelaide West
  8. Melbourne Clyde
  9. Perth
  10. Melbourne East

Regarding the various years [of registers] of Tahrik-e-Jadid, as mentioned earlier, the 92nd has now commenced. The previous accounts of each register continue as follows:

  • Daftar Awwal (First Register) has entered its 92nd year,
  • Daftar Daum (Second Register) its 82nd year,
  • Daftar Saum (Third Register) its 61st year,
  • Daftar Chaharum (Fourth Register) its 41st year, and
  • Daftar Panjam (Fifth Register) 22nd year
  • Daftar Shasham (Sixth Register) is in its third year.

As mentioned before, all new participants in Tahrik-e-Jadid should be included under Daftar Shashum [Sixth Register]. 

The Promised Messiahas states:

“My dear friends! I assure you that Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon me a heartfelt zeal to show compassion to you, and He has granted me true cognisance of the Divine in order to increase your faith and divine cognisance. This insight is something you and your progeny are in great need of. Therefore, I stand ready to call upon you to assist with your pure wealth in the service of faith. Each person, according to the means and capacity bestowed upon him by Allah the Almighty, should contribute to this path and not show any reluctance in this cause and not give precedence to his wealth over Allah and His Messengersa. Then, to the best of my ability, I shall, through my writings and literature, spread in the countries of Asia and Europe those insights which Allah the Almighty has bestowed upon me.” (Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khazain, Vol. 3, p. 516)

It is our duty now to fulfil the mission which was entrusted to the Promised Messiahas by Allah the Almighty. Through these financial sacrifices, Allah the Almighty is enabling us to convey the message of Islam everywhere across Asia, Europe, America, Africa, Arab nations, South America and the Pacific Islands. It is not just the financial sacrifices presented by those living in Europe; in fact, people in other parts of the world, just as I mentioned, are coming forward and excelling in their financial sacrifices. May Allah the Almighty accept their sacrifices and bless them and their wealth. And may He grant manifold blessings to our efforts and bring about their best results. May we quickly witness the rule of the One God established across the whole world, and the flag of the Holy Prophetsa raised aloft in the world.

(Official Urdu transcript published in the Daily Al Fazl International, 28 November 2025, pp. 1-8. Translated by The Review of Religions.)

The battle between artificial and human intelligence

Ume Sabeekah
The battle between artificial and human intelligence

As I watch any toddler playing with a mobile in different waiting areas, it hurts to see how we have changed the perceptions of intelligence.

Giving artificial happiness through devices fueled by AI (AI) can lead to weaker eyesight, weak memory storage methods of the brain and last but not the least emotional/physical wellbeing.

Even toddlers are affected just like elders by the hype surrounding AI.

For context, AI refers to programming computers to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence and input, often by learning patterns.

AI is a human invention, and manmade stuff will always be lesser in comparison to the creation of God. With manmade things, there will always be flaws and disadvantages.

Like everything in this temporary abode of life, everything has its pros and cons. AI has the same plethora of advantages and disadvantages. For example, one of the advantages include artificially increasing supporting roles in countries or organisations with less manpower.

AI, with the help of algorithms lets you watch your favorite reels (short videos online)/videos, people and places in a way that your feed becomes curated to keep you engaged and makes you constantly return. This develops an unending thirst for that kind of content.

It tracks what you like and in a way makes you a prisoner of it, which consumes other aspects of your life which require time and energy, such as family, studying, health & fitness and last but not the least – prayer time – the reason behind human existence, as God Almighty says:

“And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.” (Surah adh-Dhariyat, Ch.51: V.57)

Below is an explanation of the benefits and disadvantages of AI, and how it can potentially adversely affect various aspects of life.

Education

The technology of accessing education of any field at your fingertips is both an advantage and disadvantage.

This abundance of knowledge may help a research student in the underdeveloped world with limited library/resource access. But it can’t be a direct substitute for the type of knowledge gained through hard work and research.

As a simple example, say I want to know the capital of a country. I type it in any world-famous search engine. The name of the country comes up with the correct spelling and all related videos and information about it.

Had I searched for the country in an atlas map, I probably would have learnt its location better, such as whether it is in the southern hemisphere or northern, which continent and land mass it is a part of, and the specific geographic location of that city within its country.

Many will testify that this old-school or seemingly outdated method helps a student memorise such facts the first time they search for them. This is called “Picture Superiority Effect”.

Medicine

As far as advantages are concerned, AI helped collect Covid data globally and continues to do so relating to other infectious and non infectious diseases.

Artificial Neural Network (ANN) is also used in predicting diseases accurately. With the help of AI, the lowest possible cost approach decreases financial pressure on patients and their families.

AI can help detect infrequent symptoms and help quicker decision making in healthcare industries and hospices. In endocrine and metabolic research, AI continues to support humans in precision medicine, therapeutic efficacy and patient monitoring. (B Ihnaini, MA Khan, TA Khan, S Abbas, MS Daoud et al, “A smart healthcare recommendation system for multidisciplinary diabetes patients with data fusion based on deep ensemble learning,” Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience, 2021, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 1-16)

Dental as well as ordinary surgeries and disease protection are being assisted with AI technology to prevent infection. (TM Ghazal, S Abbas, S Munir, MA Khan, M. Ahmad et al, “Alzheimer disease detection empowered with transfer learning,” Computers, Materials & Continua, 2022, Vol. 70, No. 3, pp. 50-65)

Despite all of this help provided by AI, the physician remains indispensable. AI can never give compassionate, patient centered care the way a human being can.

Cybersecurity

In the cybersecurity sector, AI has had an upward trajectory in helping humans. Cylance – owned by Blackberry – is an AI fueled endpoint security solution. It prevents devices from threats.

There is improved detection and response to external threats. Adaptability has increased due to AI in detecting widespread network traffic and consumer behaviour.

AI driven deception technology helps trick attackers and brings forth their identity. This helps in early warning systems in organisations.

Overall, for the time being it can be said that AI has had a net-positive impact in cybersecurity.

Despite this, effective, speedy and scalable cybersecurity will always rely on ethical judgement of humans.

Research

There are both advantages and disadvantages when it comes to research.

The lack of research abilities, decision-making skills, self-reliance and hard work in students who choose ChatGPT and other AI chatbots for educational purposes is ever increasing, even amongst educational institutions such as universities and think tanks.

AI is already replacing many jobs, and this added decrease in competence due to outsourcing critical thinking and research related tasks to chatbots can exacerbate this trend. This disadvantage alone will push back the livelihoods of many people in different segments of society. (“Impact of robots and AI on labor and skill demand: evidence from the UK”, springer.com, 26 August 2025)

When it comes to factual information, AI can at times be faulty and not provide sufficiently authentic information, jeopardising the credibility of such content even further.

There is no doubt that AI has sped up the process of finding references and citations, which can be accessed within minutes rather than the traditional way where one would have to go through books and encyclopedias. However, we must ask ourselves, is the cost worth it?

Governance

According to well-known and respected research and educational sources, governments should be cautious because if jobs are taken away, then the governments will receive less tax funds.

When people have an income, they pay taxes for the government to function. It is by virtue of these taxes that a government can run. When income decreases, economies will begin to collapse. Then, governments will say that AI should be shut down. The only solution is to develop contentment and fulfilment. (“Automation and taxation”, Oxford Economic Papers, 15 March 2024)

This prediction was in line with the opinion of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa when asked about the impact of AI on jobs in the future.

Although there may be many apparent advantages to reducing government spending by slashing jobs and replacing humans with AI technology, the resulting decrease in taxes would offset the benefit.

Disaster Management/ Pollution

Expert systems are being developed for mitigating erosion and sedimentation due to storm water during construction activities according to research. Data driven quick decision making is supported vastly by AI. (“Knowledge Based Expert System for Minimising Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation in Malaysian Construction Sites”, ijaseit.insightsociety.org, accessed on 2 December 2025)

More than a network connection

The connection to God Almighty that early Muslim as well as many non-Muslim scientists had – some of whom were true pioneers of science – helped in discovering new inventions, developing research analysis and improved decision making.

For example, behind every element of the Periodic Table is a story of human hands – a story of research, hard work, resilience, physical experiments and scientific examinations.

In addition, there has always been the unique guidance of the Greatest Creator and Inventor Who is Omnipotent and the most Powerful, Who helped Scientists and steered them to success and innovation.

If it wasn’t for God’s laws of nature, the apple wouldn’t have fallen on Einstein’s head and he would have never discovered gravity – let alone all other discoveries and inventions attributed to him.

The connection of the human soul to the Creator of everything, the Giver of life is the key element to true, ethical progress. God is what helps steer mankind to better decision making.

AI and technology do not have morals and ethics the way humans do, nor do they have a soul which holds them spiritually accountable. Souls are caring, comforting and connected to God. AI is not supposed to be that by design – thus there is a real possibility that it can mislead humans, organisations and maybe even entire countries to their destruction.

Conclusion

Just like an air freshener can never replace a tree, AI can never replace human intelligence and spiritual accountability.

What we can and should do is to use AI to support human intelligence to make decisions and not vice versa. Strong authority over AI decisions is quintessential.

Rather than letting AI make decisions for you, make them yourself after human consultations, analytical and critical thinking, prayers to the One Who guides, with AI acting as a supplementary source.

What would AI know about the love for one’s religion, family or country. It can never realise the depth of emotions involved the same way that humans do.

Travels through Spain: A Jamia graduate’s tabligh diary

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Tamseel Mushtaq, Graduate, Jamia Ahmadiyya UK
Travels through Spain: A Jamia graduate’s tabligh diary

Since 2014, each graduating class of Jamia Ahmadiyya UK would visit Spain for a month-long tabligh trip. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, these trips were paused. The programme resumed in 2024 after a four-year break. This year, the graduating class of 16 students visited Spain from 29 September to 5 November 2025. The following is a diary of one of the graduates. 

29 September 2025: I have just landed in Spain, completely unaware that the coming month would unfold stories and surprises that would prove to be life-changing. Unaware, also, that I was stepping onto a land carrying the traces of a forgotten Islamic past. The country is beautiful with vast landscapes – its horizons stretch across one of the world’s largest expanses of olive trees.

The drive from Malaga Airport to the Basharat Mosque in Pedro Abad was filled with questions. As I travelled through the roads of Al-Andalus, I found myself wondering why Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa has been sending newly graduated missionaries here since 2014, to a land once Muslim, now covered in the ways of the West.

Around me were Cordoba’s arches, Sevilla’s courtyards and Granada’s palaces; yet, I did not know the stories buried beneath their stones. The sign outside the Basharat Mosque read La Mezquita [The Mosque]. Yet I did not know that this strange, pleasing word would hold layers of history and emotion that I would take with me on a journey of writing.

What I did know, however, was that I came to fulfil a mission. The same mission that seventy-nine years before me, respected Karam Ilahi Zafar sahib had started: the revival of Islam in the Iberian Peninsula. 

Approaching the Basharat Mosque for the very first time was surreal – an emotional blend of pride and sorrow. Sorrow, because Islam had been torn from this land through deception, hatred and the cruelty of the Reconquista. For seven long centuries, this peninsula had stood barren without the call to prayer. And yet, in that very same moment, an immense pride rose within me, like the first vegetation emerging at the bottom of an ancient olive tree, long thought dead. Because it was Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya that revived the light of Islam here once more. 

This mosque stood before me as a living testimony that the prayers and guidance of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIIrh and the tireless efforts of Karam Ilahi Zafar Sahib had not been hollow. He had arrived in Spain with nothing, yet he left behind a house of God that still propagates peace and calls people towards God, a mosque whose quiet, golden presence feels like oil pressed from history itself.

As I stood there, I felt the weight of his sacrifices. Sacrifices that make my own struggles seem small, almost insignificant… if I can even dare to call what I do “sacrifice” at all.

1 October 2025: I was grouped with four colleagues for a journey through northern Spain. Each of us was given this assignment: to spread the message of God by distributing 1,000 leaflets every day. We were headed to the very region where respected Karam Ilahi Zafar Sahib had first entered Spain,1 and ironically also where Islam’s decline in Spain began.2 A local khadim was appointed as our guide and supervisor, and, as we would soon discover, someone with whom we would create memories none of us would forget.

Now, there was no turning back; seven years of Jamia training had prepared us for tabligh. Our journey began from the south, just like Tariq ibn Ziyad did in 711, when he crossed the Strait of Gibraltar with a small but determined army.3 Facing the mighty Visigoth king Roderic at the Battle of Guadalete, Tariq knew the enormity of the challenge. He urged his soldiers to sink their ships,4 leaving no option for retreat, declaring two options: victory or death. His army pressed on with courage, and in doing so, began the Islamic rule of Al-Andalus.

Today, the Khalifa of the time has called upon us to revive that light, especially in the West, which came with the advent of the Promised Messiahas. We advance into Spain just like Tariq’s soldiers, who crossed into unknown lands with courage. However, we were equipped not with weapons, but with tabligh and prayers. We stepped into this once-upon-a-time Muslim land as olive seeds: small, firm and full of curiosity. 

Remarkably, our assigned local khadim was also named Tariq, as if history itself had lent us a companion to symbolise the courage we would acquire on this journey.

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2 October 2025: Our first destination was Pamplona, the capital of Navarre. Immediately, I started picturing people running through the streets ahead of a herd of bulls, during the San Fermin Festivals. A sea of red and white, the beating of feet on cobblestones and an excitement that made me eager to discover the city for myself.

Two days had passed, and we realised that handing out a thousand leaflets a day was not going to be easy. With every pedestrian, we offered the same bright smile and warm “Hola! Mensaje de paz!” [Greetings! A message of peace!], and the initial surge of leaflets being handed out lifted my spirit. But as the rejections slowly increased, it affected my confidence. I prayed that our intention, namely, to bring these people a little closer to God, would somehow shine through. But when hearts are not ready to listen, what more could I do?

Then, while walking through the heart of the city centre, something unexpected grabbed my attention – a distant chant, faint but insistent, passing through the noise of the streets. I paused. It wasn’t music. It wasn’t chatter. As I walked toward the sound, it grew louder, stronger, until the words struck the air clearly:

Boycott Israel, Palestina Ascatu!
[Boycott Israel, Free Palestine]

The scene I stepped into amazed me. This was the largest popular protest in support of Gaza since the genocide began two years ago.5 I smiled with a strange blend of awe, respect and disbelief.

The historical accounts I read this morning flashed before me as I witnessed this. This was Navarre, the same land that once maintained close ties with the Muslim Kingdom of Cordoba,6 which allowed Muslims to serve in its army,7 the land that stood firm when the Spanish Inquisition tried to harass its Muslim citizens,8 a place where simultaneity once lasted centuries. Seeing thousands march now, determined by belief and compassion, felt like a quiet echo of that past, just like an ancient olive tree, distorted by time, yet sending up new shoots of memory from deep roots.

Before I knew it, I found myself stepping into the crowd. I pulled out my leaflets and began handing them out. One after another, barely able to keep up. Faces blurred past me. In just fifteen minutes, I had given out more than 400 leaflets. Alhamdulillah.

image 2

5 October 2025: I am standing on a beautiful bridge over the Urumea River. From this viewpoint, I can see more bridges along the coast, each one more outstanding than the previous. The place is alive with visitors: English voices, French conversations and a mix of accents from every corner of the world. Locals are taking leaflets with a warm eskerrik asko [Thank you very much (Basque)] instead of gracias [Thank you (Spanish)]. The curved bay, bridges and hills watching over it all make the picture clear: San Sebastian. 

Standing at the corner of one of the old bridges, handing out leaflets, I noticed a middle-aged man approaching. His posture hinted disapproval, yet I decided to offer him a leaflet. He declined with quiet pride: 

“No thank you, I’m a practising Christian.” 

His fluent English surprised me. He said he was from Malmo in Sweden, but when I mentioned our beautiful mosque in his city, he mumbled that there were “too many Muslims” there.

I was surprised – how could someone so educated and civil still hold bitterness towards a faith rooted in peace, love and reason? I reminded myself that my purpose wasn’t to win arguments but hearts. So, I encouraged him, as a rational person, to explore Islam for himself and to read the Holy Quran with an open mind. His reply stunned me. He questioned how Muslims could claim to follow a “rational” religion when, in his view, they had offered “nothing to the world but terror,” while advancement and knowledge belonged to the West.

As he spoke, I instantly remembered the Islamic Golden Age, from Al-Khwarizmi’s groundwork for modern mathematics to Ibn Sina’s famous Canon of Medicine. From Al-Zahrawi, the father of surgery, to Ibn al-Haytham, the father of optics. Even the former American president, Barack Obama, once made the comment “it was Islam […] that carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europe’s Renaissance and Enlightenment” – this came from the president of one of the most powerful Western nations.9

I prayed rabbi zidni ilma [My Lord, increase me in knowledge]  in my heart and replied, “Let’s leave religious differences aside and please name one modern technology you admire the most, and I’ll show you how a Muslim contributed to it.” He looked at me, surprised. “Anything?” “Yes, anything!” I replied. He chose the automobile with the certainty that it was purely a Western invention.

So, I showed him on my phone how Ismail al-Jazari, in 1206, invented the crankshaft, a mechanism essential to today’s engines,10 converting rotary motion into reciprocating motion, and he designed the early camshaft as well. For a moment, he just stared at my phone screen, stunned into silence, as he started to rethink his beliefs about these inventions. 

9 October 2025: Today we are heading to the Basque city of Bilbao, where, with a renewed passion, we vowed to triple our daily leafleting goal. We left early in the morning with our breakfast and lunch packed, determined to triple our daily goal. With prayers in our hearts and leaflets in our hands, we spread out across the city. I chose a crowded, busy roundabout; the kind of place where people rush past without looking up. Still, I stood there with a bright smile, a warm voice, and a simple greeting: “Hola! Mensaje de paz!” [Greetings! A message of Peace]

Hours passed. Some people accepted the leaflets with curiosity, others with indifference, and a few tore them up right in front of me. Then, very unexpectedly, a young, Muslim man approached me and asked why I was doing this. When I told him that I had become a missionary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and dedicated my life to the propagation of Islam, his face lit up. He said it was beautiful that in such a fast-moving, materialistic world, our community still sends people to spread peace with sincerity. 

Then, he did something remarkable: he asked if he could help. I handed him fifty leaflets. He stood a little ahead of me and began distributing them. But half an hour later, he returned, exhausted. He said, “this is impossible”; he couldn’t understand how we continued smiling despite the rejections and even hateful looks. His words made me realise the following: 

This was the same Spain that built the Mezquita of Cordoba as a hallmark of its civilisation. The same Spain that produced Ibn Arabi and his monumental Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya. The same Spain that nurtured Ibn Rushd and his enduring rationalist legacy.

But today, the conditions are painful to witness. Many Muslims feel ashamed to openly embrace Islam before the Spanish public, which is hurtful to even mention. Those who once shaped Spain’s culture and history now struggle for acknowledgement. Those who were once leaders have become its servants.11 These historical turns are overwhelming; they cannot simply fade away. Eight centuries of Muslim rule is no small chapter, yet today, its legacy survives only faintly, as the last trace of oil from an olive pressed long ago.

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13 October 2025: A few days passed as we continued leafleting from morning to evening, moving through villages where previously leafleting had not been done. Each new stop meant new people, new streets and a fresh chance to let another corner of Spain encounter the message of the true Islam.

Our next stop was Santander, a breathtaking place full of warmth and smiling faces. I walked up and down the hills of the Palacio de la Magdalena, and it felt so unreal: the sea shimmering to my left, a palace rising ahead, children laughing in the parks, and I, in the middle of all this, handing out leaflets and calling humanity back to its Creator. Every few hours a bundle of 200 leaflets disappeared into the hands of the Spanish. My backpack grew lighter, but my feet grew heavier with the daily average of 20,000 steps.

Then, a moment occurred that I will never forget. A cabdriver called me over and asked what I was doing. I explained that we came to spread a message of peace, that the world’s problems can only be solved when people recognise its Creator, Allah. He paused while reading the leaflet carefully and shouted for the passenger he had just dropped off.

In that very moment, my heart skipped a beat, like an olive caught just before the press. Was this about to become an argument? A misunderstanding? Another heated exchange?

But God had written something completely different. The driver handed the leaflet to his passenger and declared, “Esta es la solución a todos tus problemas.”[This is the solution to all your problems.] He stated further, “Recognise Allah, and your dark days will turn into bright ones.” Then he hugged me, praised the work we were doing, and took a handful of leaflets from me. “I’ll keep these in my car,” he said. “Everyone who enters will get one.”

I stood there, overwhelmed. I realised, once again, that my responsibility is simply to obey the Khalifa of the time and deliver the message. The turning of hearts is entirely in God’s hands, just like He says: “Surely thou wilt not be able to guide [all] whom thou lovest; but Allah guides whomsoever He pleases…” 12

17 October 2025: Two weeks had passed since I arrived in Spain to spread the message of Islam, travelling from city to city to experience its rich culture and inviting them towards their Creator. Yet with every passing day, one question pressed harder on my mind: How did Islam disappear from this land where it once flourished for centuries? My curiosity led me to read extensively and look for answers during the long driving hours. 

I learned that the Muslims built one of the world’s greatest civilisations on this peninsula, reaching its peak during the Caliphate of Cordoba (929–1031).13 Abd al-Rahman III declared himself Caliph, although he was not divinely guided, and transformed Cordoba into a centre of knowledge, opposing Baghdad and Cairo.

The Great Mosque of Cordoba rose to glory, described as an “Ornament of the World”.14 But internal weakness began to undermine this greatness.15 By 1031, the Caliphate collapsed into dozens of “Taifa” Kingdoms or party kings: Seville, Granada, Valencia, Toledo, each competing for ultimate power.16 This destruction opened the door for the advancing Christian kingdoms of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Portugal.

And so, I understood that Islamic Spain did not fall because of mere attacks from outside; it crumbled from within, weakened by the very divisions that caused Muslims to forget the intentions and unity with which they had once set out.17 

Since it was a Friday, we decided to offer the jummah prayer somewhere special. We drove toward the Asturian mountains, and while driving, I admired the surroundings just like a tourist: the curving roads through the hills, the petrol stations standing silent in the middle of nowhere, and the narrow mountain paths. It all felt surreal. We arrived in Covadonga to see the famous lakes. As we ascended, the valley opened before us and the lakes became visible. We are all taken aback and in awe of the beauty before us.

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At the top, we searched for a quiet place to offer the jummah prayer. In the open field, we bowed our heads before Allah, unaware of the weight of history touching our foreheads.

After the prayer, Tariq shared a piece of history that changed the entire atmosphere. The land on which we had just prayed was not just a scenic viewpoint. It was Covadonga, the site of the Battle of 722, the pioneer battle of the Christian Reconquista. It was here that Don Pelayo withdrew with a small band of Asturians into the mountains, taking shelter in a cave with part of his force and deploying other detachments on either side of the gorge. The Umayyad commander Al-Qama, accompanied by Governor Munuza, attempted here to beat the last hope of resistance. Al-Qama besieged much of Asturias, but at Covadonga, he made the wrong decision by sending his troops into the steep valley. From the surrounding slopes, Asturians rained arrows upon them, and at the right moment, Pelagius led a surprise attack from a hidden cave. Al-Qama fell in battle, and his forces withdrew in confusion. Pelagius defeated Munuza as well, ending Umayyad control of the northern mountains.18 The monument of ‘La Santina’ stands as a memory of that turning point.

Standing there, we realised that this was the soil where the plot to erase Islamic civilisation from Spain first took root. The very mountains around us had witnessed the birth of the resistance that would eventually repossess Toledo in 1085,19 triumph at Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212,20 and cause the fall of Granada in 1492.21

At that moment, I understood our Jamaat’s mission more clearly than ever. The land where history once recorded swords and battles, today it records tabligh and prayers, and the quiet revival guided by the Khalifa of the time.

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21 October 2025: Today, I experienced something I never would have imagined happening to me. I was leafleting in a town called Carballo, near A Coruña. At one point, a man approached me on his own and asked for the leaflet I was handing out. He took it and began reading it as he walked away.

About half an hour later, when I passed that same spot again, a small group of men noticed the leaflets in my hand. One after another, they began shouting abusive words and insults at me; words I had never experienced before. It was shocking, but at the same time, strangely moving.

In that moment, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’sra words to the missionaries came to my mind:

“The Companions gave their lives for the faith; at the very least, one should not fear hearing insults. Pity on the disciple whose ears have not heard the insults directed at his spiritual master, and pity on the follower who did not bear the hardship his master bore.”22

What happened today felt like a blessing from Allah, an honour to bear even a small portion of the trials faced by those before me. Just as the finest olive only reveals its true richness when pressed, faith too shows its quality when placed under pressure. And in that sense, I felt grateful to be among those who are tested because they believe in the truth.

26 October 2025: Santiago de Compostela – the destination of pilgrims walking the Camino and home to the grand Cathedral of St. James. A city overflowing with Christian believers, where travellers arrive to pray, take pictures, eat the famous almond cakes and seek spirituality. And there we were: right in the middle of this Christian hub, handing out leaflets, inviting people to recognise their Creator, calling them toward Islam with nothing but words of peace. 

As I stood there, I couldn’t help reflecting on the layers of history beneath my feet. Inside the Cathedral, in a stone niche, stands the dramatic effigy of St. James in full medieval armour, seated on a horse, sword raised above his head. Legends claim that he appeared during the Battle of Clavijo in 844, leading Christian soldiers to victory against a much larger Muslim army.23 For the next seven centuries, Santiago was adopted as the divine mentor of Christian forces. 

Santiago y cierra, España!”[St. James and strike, Spain!] This became the war cry of the Christian armies as they fought to repossess Iberia from its Muslim rulers.24 The slogan survived long after the battles ended, even being revived in the 1930s through Ramiro de Maeztu’s right-wing magazine Acción Española.

And here we are, centuries later, standing in that same city with leaflets, prayers and a message of peace. Our target is not to take over any land; our task is merely to win hearts. This is the same spirit that Khalifatul Masih III, Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmadrh, expressed to the whole world when asked by a reporter: “How do you conduct your mission in Europe?” He replied, “We try to win the hearts.”25

31 October 2025: This was our final day in the northern stretches of Spain. A month ago, when we began this tabligh journey, I could not have imagined how far Allah would bring us. We had walked through rain-soaked mornings and sun-drenched afternoons, our efforts pressing on like olives pressed in a mill. We had faced days of rejection and others where we exceeded our targets threefold. There were moments of ease, tasty meals, kind smiles, and days that ended with aching feet, hunger, and stressed hearts. Yet every step, every leaflet, every encounter had shaped us, much like the legacy of Al-Andalus, where Islamic Spain once breathed knowledge, art, and faith.

Tomorrow, we begin our morning in Madrid, and by nightfall, we will return to the south. Granada, the anchor of Islamic Spain, awaits us. Respected Karam Ilahi Zafar Sahib entered Spain from the north and spent his final five years serving in Granada.26 In the same spirit, we will conclude our leafleting journey there.

2 November 2025: We are fortunate to stay in the very apartment which was blessed by the presence of Khalifatul Masih IV, Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh, and where Karam Ilahi Zafar Sahib once resided. In the morning, we set out from here, just as he did for his mission of tabligh, stepping into the streets of Granada, a city that was once the pinnacle of Al-Andalus. Walking through its narrow streets, the smell of Arabic bakeries mingling with the scent of fresh mint tea, and people sitting leisurely along the streets, I could almost imagine walking through Muslim Granada. But the reality soon returned that the city’s past magnificence is now merely a memory.

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Alhambra | Pexels

From a modern mosque in Granada, we could admire the Nasrid palace Alhambra. And its magnificence became clear, indicating the time when Granada stood as the last upholder of Muslim Spain. While the Christians had conquered every other Muslim kingdom, Granada resisted. The last Muslim king, though ruling only this city, still wielded such influence that, even with France supporting the Christian forces, the city remained unconquered. King Ferdinand of Castile, realising the difficulty of taking Granada, offered peace – the citizens could leave with their belongings.27

The Christians allowed the Muslims to load their ships with their possessions alongside their libraries and depart from the city. But only a short distance from Granada, the ships were deceivingly sunk. A few survivors reached their homeland by small boats, while countless others drowned, taking with them centuries of knowledge. During the Muslim era, Granada was dotted with thousands of gardens and hundreds of libraries, some holding even up to 150,000 books. This was not a loss for Islam, but a loss for the advancement of mankind.

Modern scientists get puzzled today by the Muslim technologies of that time, like the complex water system that boosts water from the rivers upwards to the Alhambra and defies gravity, as the palace is constructed on an elevated plateau, the Sabika Hill.28 It is a testament to the brilliance of a civilisation that once enlightened the Iberian Peninsula.

4 November 2025: Today marks my final day in the land of Al-Andalus. Our flight to London departs tomorrow morning. And just as the night before leaving for Spain seemed long and restless with excitement and curiosity, so does this very night. I remember that night searching, reading and wondering about the coming month. Spain, whose horizons stretch across one of the world’s largest expanses of olive trees, is a land which is blessed by the footsteps of three Khulafa of the Promised Messiahas. In those late hours before coming to Spain, I had come across the divine revelation given to Khalifatul Masih IIIrh 29:

وَمَنۡ یَّتَوَکَّلۡ عَلَی اللّٰہِ فَہُوَ حَسۡبُہٗ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ بَالِغُ اَمۡرِہٖ ؕ قَدۡ جَعَلَ اللّٰہُ لِکُلِّ شَیۡءٍ قَدۡرًا

This stayed with me through every town I visited, every article I read and every person I met. And now, on this final night before departure, after all that I have witnessed and learned, I understand one aspect of the revelation. Today, it is only Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya which is united under the umbrella of a divinely guided Khalifa. Centuries ago, a Khilafat was declared on this very land, yet the people were divided, and so the lamp of that Khilafat dimmed. But now… now is the age of Islam’s revival. Our mission is to sow the seeds of Islam’s true message under the guidance of the Khalifa of the time. Just as Spain’s horizons are lined with endless olive trees, so too will these seeds of peace, unity, and tauhid take root.

Perhaps we will not live to see their fruit. But neither does the olive tree yield its bounty quickly. The prophecy of Khalifatul Masih IIIrh will unfold, and one day Spain will once again echo with the chants of ‘la ilaha illallah’. And the lamp of God’s tauhid will light this land again, because:

“Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is as a [lustrous] niche, wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a glittering star. It is lit from a blessed tree – an olive – neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would well-nigh glow forth even though fire touched it not. Light upon light! Allah guides to His light whomsoever He will. And Allah sets forth parables to men, and Allah knows all things full well.”30

And, pondering on this night about the past and the future, I have realised: the story of Islam in Spain has most definitely not ended.  

image 3

Endnotes

1.  “Letter from the Northern Border of Spain”, alhakam.org, 13 April 2018

2.  “Battle of Covadonga”, britannica.com, 11 November 2024 

3.  “Tariq ibn Ziyad”,  ebsco.com, 2022 

4.  Spain aur sicili me Tabligh-e-Islam aur Jama’at Ahmadiyya, Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 18, pp 354 [Translated by the Author]

5.  “Spain: two million on the streets against genocide in Gaza say – enough is enough!”, marxist.com, 6 October 2025 

6.  W. Montgomery & Pierre Cachia, A History of Islamic Spain,  2017, pp. 34 

7.  The New Cambridge Medieval History, 2002, Vol. 2, pp. 289

8.  Brian A. Catlos, Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, c.1050–1614,  2014, pp. 220

9.  “Remarks by the President on a new beginning”, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov, 4 June 2009

10.  “Ismail al-Jazari”, en.wikipedia.org, 22 October 2025 

11.  Spain aur sicili me Tabligh-e-Islam aur Jama’at Ahmadiyya, Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 18, pp 357 [Translated by the Author]

12.  Surah al-Qasas, Ch. 28: V. 57

13.  Brian A. Catlos, Muslims of Medieval Latin Christendom, c.1050–1614,  2014, pp. 30

14.  “Cordoba”, lotzintranslation.com, 19 December 2017 

15.  W. Montgomery & Pierre Cachia, A History of Islamic Spain,  2017, pp. 31

16.  W. Montgomery & Pierre Cachia, A History of Islamic Spain,  2017, pp. 74

17.  Spain aur sicili me Tabligh-e-Islam aur Jama’at Ahmadiyya, Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 18, pp 353 [Translated by the Author]

18.  “Battle of Covadonga”, britannica.com, 11 November 2024

19.  “Siege of Toledo”, britannica.com, 29 July 2024 

20.  “Battle of Las Navas de Toloso”, britannica.com, 9 July 2025 

21.  “The conquest of Granada”, britannica.com, 9 July 2025

22.  Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Zarreen Hidayaat (Baraei Muballigheen), 2020, Vol. 1, pp. 3 [Translated by the Author]

23.  “The Battle of St. James the Greater at Clavijo”, artic.edu, 2025

24.  “¡Santiago y cierra, España!en.wikipedia.org, 28 August 2025

25.  “Winning Hearts the Might of Morals”, annida.ca, 1 October 2024  

26.  “Maulana Karam Ilahi Zafar Sahib”, issuu.com, October 2020 

27.  Spain aur sicili me Tabligh-e-Islam aur Jama’at Ahmadiyya, Anwar-ul-Uloom, Vol. 18, pp 353 [Translated by the Author] 

28.  “The Spanish city where water defies gravity”, www.bbc.com, 29 April 2022 

29.  “A Vision Realised”, www.alhakam.org, 6 April 2018 

30.  Surah an-Nur, Ch. 24: V. 36

Celebrating 30 years of serving humanity: Keynote address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V at the Humanity First International Conference 2025

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Celebrating 30 years of serving humanity: Keynote address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V at the Humanity First International Conference 2025

Humanity First is a charitable trust established to promote and safeguard human life and dignity. Since its foundation in the UK in 1995 by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih IVrh, it has assisted more than 16.7 million people and operates in 67 countries, with projects in many more. Humanity First’s programmes include Disaster Relief, Community Care, Orphan Care, Food Security, Knowledge for Life, Water for Life, Global Health, Gift of Sight, and much more.

30 years of Humanity First: In numbers

In the past 30 years, Humanity First has responded to over 284 disaster events in 111 countries across six continents, and assisted over 2.9 million victims of earthquakes, floods, droughts, conflict and other types of disaster events. It assisted over a million people during the Covid-19 pandemic across 78 countries.

When it comes to “Community Care”, Humanity First operates an elder home in Sao Tome, a clothes bank in Nigeria, and operates in 57 cities, supporting homeless people and refugees. Overall, this project has seen over 197,000 beneficiaries.

It has also established three orphanages in Benin, Uganda and Indonesia and assisted over 13,000 orphans with shelter, healthcare, education, clothing and food.

Many people around the world lack food security; Humanity First aims to make a difference. As such, it operates 11 food banks and meal points in Canada, Georgia, Greece, South Africa, Sweden, Mexico, the UK and the USA. It has over 50 crop processing machines deployed to process cassava, maize, rice, cous and palm oil, and distributes meat from Muslim animal sacrifices in 67 countries. In total, 6.3 million people have been helped under this programme.

With its “Knowledge for Life” programme, Humanity First has built or runs 100 schools across the world, and has 56 training centre projects covering IT, tailoring, languages, construction trades, hair dressing, and livestock management. The aim is to get people to work for themselves, and thus, Humanity First has helped over 289,000 students, and over 72,000 people have graduated from its training centres.

The “Water for Life” programme has done over 6,100 water installation projects, including wells, hand pumps, and solar boreholes, serving over 5.9 million people. The programme offers a range of clean water solutions for villages and small towns in low-income countries, as well as proper sanitation facilities.

Humanity First also runs 11 hospitals and clinics in Bangladesh, Benin, Cambodia, Congo Republic, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, with 2 more hospitals under construction in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. It has held medical outreach clinics in 27 countries and treated over 880,000 patients. Its “Gift of Sight” programme operates in 25 countries, where over 65,000 patients have been treated. It also operates two mobile surgical units in Benin, Burkina Faso and Togo.

The conference

This year’s conference celebrated 30 years of service to humanity, and was held on 28-30 November 2025 at the Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden. Approximately 500 delegates from over 50 countries were in attendance. The theme for this year’s conference was “Peace, Compassion & Humanity.”

After Jumuah prayers at Masjid Mubarak in Islamabad, the first day of the conference officially began after the Maghrib & Isha prayers on Friday, 28 November 2025. In the first session, Ahmad Yahya Sayed Sahib, Chairman of Humanity First International, reflected on the past 30 years and spoke about the strategy for the next five years. During the session, the chairmen of various countries spoke about some of Humanity First’s projects around the world, including the Gaza Relief Mission in Palestine. There was a panel discussion, after which awards were distributed.

The second day of the conference featured many speeches and presentations of interest, including several panel discussions for men and women. Speakers included Atif Mian, Professor of Economics at Princeton University, USA, Dr Gabriela Mota, Medical Director at the Nasir Hospital in Guatemala, and Dr Charles Bouchard, MD, Chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at Loyola University in Chicago, USA. In the evening, another session took place, as well as a meeting of all the chairmen and several breakout sessions.

After the morning session took place on day 3 of the conference, the delegates prepared to transfer to Islamabad for the final session.

Final session

On Sunday, 30 November 2025, the concluding session of Humanity First International’s 2025 Conference was presided over by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa at Islamabad, UK. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa arrived in the Masroor Hall in Islamabad at 17:22 GMT, and the concluding session commenced.

Huzooraa invited Dr Shabir Bhatti Sahib to recite a portion of the Holy Quran. He recited a verse from Surah al-Baqarah (Ch.2: V.178), after which Dr Habib Yaqeen Sahib presented its English translation. Ahmad Yahya Sayed Sahib was then invited to present a report of the conference.

He thanked Huzooraa for gracing the event with his attendance at the Humanity First International Conference 2025, which celebrates 30 years of service to humanity. He mentioned that this year, approximately 500 delegates from over 50 countries had participated, and members from over 20 countries had joined virtually.

After this report, a video summarising the 30 years of Humanity First was shown. The video presentation detailed highlights from the charity organisation’s journey and what it has achieved so far, starting from helping those in need in Bosnia in the late ’90s, all the way to the current crisis in Gaza.

Following the video presentation, Hon Stephen Lecce, member of Provincial Parliament in Ontario, Canada, took to the podium to thank Humanity First for all their work as a long-standing volunteer of the organisation. Afterwards, a video message from Sir Ed Davey was also played, who highlighted the important work that the organisation was doing all over the world. After this, many of those who volunteer for the organisation were recognised and given awards and certificates by Huzooraa.

Huzooraa then took to the podium to deliver the concluding address. After reciting tashahhud and ta’awwuz, Huzooraa said that the attendees had gathered not just to celebrate 30 years of service, but to express their deep gratitude to Allah the Almighty.

Huzooraa said that the members should never lose sight of the noble objective with which the organisation was established.

Service to humanity was a core objective of the advent of the Promised Messiahas. He repeatedly emphasised helping those in need, and stated that kindness and compassion must be shown to everyone without discrimination, as this is the teaching of the Holy Quran. Huzooraa quoted the Holy Quran:

“And they feed, for love of Him, the poor, the orphan, and the prisoner.” (Surah ad-Dahr, Ch.76: V.9)

Elaborating on this verse, the Promised Messiahas explained that a true believer does not only help his own, but rather serves all those in need to the highest possible degree, noting that this was an unparalleled extent of Islam’s compassion for all people. (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 7, pp. 94-95)

Huzooraa affirmed that the perfect moral teaching has been granted to only Islam. Huzooraa presented the example of the Holy Prophetsa, who was always ready to help those in need, regardless of which faith they followed. In this era, the Promised Messiahas was sent to revive and uphold this example, and it was to further this objective that Humanity First was established. Huzooraa said that every Ahmadi must consider it his sacred duty to personify these benevolent teachings and tirelessly strive to alleviate human suffering.

Huzooraa stated:

“Do not consider Humanity First to be just another charity or aid agency. Rather, directly underpinning its mission are the commands of Allah, the blessed practice of the Holy Prophetsa and the teachings of the Promised Messiahas. Unlike worldly organisations, Humanity First does not serve humanity to garner fame or recognition. Rather, its every act of service rises purely from a devotion to Allah the Almighty and is inspired by His command to tend to the wounds of His creation.”

Huzooraa reminded that unless Humanity First remained firmly attached to the Jamaat, nothing would distinguish it from other aid agencies. Instead, Huzooraa said:

“The reality is, and always shall be, that Humanity First’s direct association with the Jamaat is a source of divine blessings and a means of pride and honour for it. Accordingly, never discard or sever your link with the Jamaat of the Promised Messiahas, as our objective is one and the same: to serve humanity without distinction of caste, creed or colour.”

Huzooraa said that, “Be in no doubt that as long as you maintain this link and prize your association with the Jamaat, and continue to seek the guidance and instruction of Khilafat, your work and efforts will continue to be blessed, insha-Allah.”

Huzooraa said that Humanity First had progressed by leaps and bounds from its humble beginnings, recalling that its initial projects were greatly limited in scope. Whereas its budget was a few thousand pounds at its inception, today, the annual budget of the branches of Humanity First in some countries alone is now in the millions. Huzooraa emphasised that this was purely due to the grace and mercy of Allah.

The achievements of Humanity First are also due to the fact that it is the sole objective of those who serve in this organisation is to gain the nearness and rewards of Allah, and to be the inheritors of the prayers of the Holy Prophetsa. Far bigger charities and organisations approach Humanity First and wonder how they achieve their objectives or gain access to places where they could not go. Huzooraa reminded them that their every success flows directly from the boundless grace of Allah the Almighty, and because they are supported by the prayers of the Khalifa of the time and Ahmadis worldwide. As long as the organisation remains attached to the guidance of Khilafat and continues to work with an earnest desire to serve others for the sake of Allah, it will keep progressing.

Huzooraa noted the organisation’s many programmes and projects worldwide to help others, and noted that the UK, Germany, Canada and the United States have made particularly significant contributions over the years.

Noting the hospitals that Humanity First has built, Huzooraa said, “Far more importantly than the bricks and steel are the compassionate hearts that serve within them – the doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers.”

Huzooraa emphasised that the doctors and staff must not just be professionally competent but must also hold a heartfelt commitment to serving humanity and easing human suffering. Huzooraa said that Humanity First does not have the resources to build large state-of-the-art hospitals everywhere, and advised that Humanity First should focus on maximising impact by building smaller hospitals or clinics to minimise costs. This strategy would ensure a broader reach into local communities, where they could access primary care and be referred to larger facilities if needed.

Over the past two years, Humanity First UK has provided excellent care in those areas which are most affected by the war in Gaza. Huzooraa recognised that the local team on the ground in Gaza were most deserving of our gratitude and prayers, since they had set aside their own comfort for those in need with remarkable dignity and courage, driven by a profound desire to demonstrate the mercy and compassion at the heart of Islamic teachings.

Huzooraa remarked that he had witnessed those on the ground physically weaken over the course of the disaster in Gaza for the sake of others. Huzooraa affirmed that, “Every penny spent by Humanity First in Gaza has reached the people on the ground, bringing them desperately needed comfort and relief.” Thus, other well-known aid agencies and organisations have commended Humanity First’s efforts in this regard.

Huzooraa also recognised the work done by the women serving in Humanity First UK, and prayed that Allah should enable them to increase their services in the future.

Huzooraa said: “Irrespective of finances, it is essential that all members of Humanity First always manifest an unwavering passion and commitment for serving others. Serving humanity is not a fleeting objective that comes and goes like the wind. Rather, it is a lifelong challenge, one that requires consistency and unshakeable steadfastness.”

Huzooraa emphasised that all their work must be conducted with humility and prayers. Instead of worldly praise, the only motivation should be gaining the nearness of Allah and His pleasure, and fulfilling the commands of the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiahas.

Huzooraa urged that their humanitarian services should increase exponentially in the years ahead. Addressing them, he stated, “Now is the time to plan for the next three decades. Now is the time to develop a clear vision for the future and to set ambitious goals. Now is the time to take Humanity First to the next level.”

Towards the end, Huzooraa mentioned that as conflicts are erupting all around the world, a world war could be nigh, and resources will be scarce. Money and valuables will be of little value. Thus, Humanity First should prepare accordingly and make a comprehensive plan for how it will function and provide aid for those in war zones and affected areas, as the fallout from the war would be unprecedented. The priority should remain saving lives and alleviating suffering.

Thereafter, Huzooraa led everyone in du‘a (silent prayer), and the conference formally came to a close.

(Report prepared by Al Hakam)

The importance of holding fast to the rope of Allah – Khilafat

Hafiz Yunus Omotayo, Missionary, Nigeria
The importance of holding fast to the rope of Allah – Khilafat

We are currently passing through a challenging time in which humanity is stuck in precarious, tribulation-laden situations. Where, from Washington to Moscow, and from London to Beijing, the world is rife with a crisis of power imbalance and power struggles among the domineering world leaderships and powers, pushing the world to the brink of a world war.

True, we are living in a disturbing time where inhumanity is trumping over humanity and materialism over spirituality, where the forces of atheistic humanism and trans-humanism are seeking to ban the presence and influence of religion and of God from the world He, Himself, created. And, ultimately, where the growing global socio-economic and geo-political crises are deepening the experiences of instabilities and deprivations and lack of peace and security across the world, from Palestine and Ukraine, to Yemen, Sudan, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, among others.

More particularly, it is such a difficult time where the Muslim world, declared by the Quran as “the best community raised for the good of mankind (Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.113), is currently divided against itself, with each of its constituents at loggerheads with the other. It is presently wallowing in the whirlpool of moral, spiritual, intellectual, social, economic and political crises. More appallingly, it is locked in devastating intra-religious ideological skirmishes, inter-state and inter-community feuds and wars and inter-sect rivalries and hostilities.

This abysmal scenario highlights the question: why is our world, particularly the Muslim world, in disarray? And the answer is not far-fetched: it is, frankly, as a result of the absence of an Islamically established global leadership system within the mainstream Muslim world.

No doubt, in a demanding time like ours, there is no gainsaying the relevance of having conversations on an important injunction of Islam: the need to hold fast to the rope of Allah. This is an apt and compelling desideratum, whose importance, in turn, justifies the rationale and relevance of this write-up.

Rope, in the language of the Holy Quran, translates to habl. And habl, according to authoritative Arabic lexicons, means a rope or cord or anything with which a thing is tied or made fast; a bond or cause of union or link of connection, such as a bond of love or friendship; mutual connection by such a bond; a covenant or compact; an obligation by which one becomes responsible for the safety of a person or thing; a promise or assurance of security or safety; an artery, vein or verve (Arabic-English Lexicon by EW Lane). It also means alliance and protection (Aqrab al-Mawarid by Sa’īd al-Khauri al-Shartūti).

To safeguard and protect the Muslim world against the current abysmal state of its affairs, in the Holy Quran, Allah enjoins the Muslims thus:

“And hold fast, all together, by the rope of Allah and be not divided; and remember the favour of Allah which He bestowed upon you when you were enemies and He united your hearts in love so that by His grace you became as brothers; and you were on the brink of a pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus, does Allah explain to you His commandments that you may be guided.” (Surah Aal-e-Imran, Ch.3: V.104).

The Holy Prophetsa is reported to have said that, “The Book of Allah (i.e. the Quran) is the strong rope of Allah which has been extended from the heavens to the earth. (Jami‘ at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3788)

“Broadly speaking,” writes Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra, Khalifatul Masih II, in his exegesis of the foregoing Quranic verse, there are three things which may be taken to have been here meant by the rope of God, by holding fast to which Muslims may remain united and be safe against disunion and disruption: (1) the Quran; (2) the Messenger of God; (3) the Successors to the Messenger of God.” (Five Volume Commentary [2002], Vol. 2, p. 433)

Of course, while the Holy Quran and the Sunnah (the practice) of the Holy Prophetsa would continue to remain preserved till the end of life on earth, the continuity of the physical presence of the Holy Prophetsa was not guaranteed by the law of death. Alternatively, however, through the wisdom and grace of Allah, the Muslim world was destined to continue to feel the presence of the Holy Prophetsa through the chosen Successors that would be appointed through the divinely established institution of Khilafat to lead the Muslim world, as long as the Muslims collectively fulfil the conditions set for its establishment. In this context, Allah declares:

“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 an-Nur, Ch.24: V.56)

Alongside this promise of Allah, the Holy Prophetsa also prophesied:

“Prophethood shall remain among you for as long as Allah will. He will then cause it to end. Then a Khilafat (Caliphate) will be established in the footsteps of prophethood which will last for as long as Allāh wills. He will then cause it to end. Kinghood will follow which will inflict great pain and misery on its subjects. Its rule will last for as long as Allah wills. He will then cause it to end. After this, tyrannical monarchies will follow. Their rule will last for as long as Allah wills. Then He will cause it to end. The Khilafat will be re-established in the footsteps of prophethood. Thereafter, the Holy Prophetsa became silent.” (Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 5, Hadith 17939)

It is thought-provoking to note that, based on the foregoing Quranic and Prophetic prophecies, in the wake of the event of the death of the Holy Prophetsa and the ensuing atmosphere of heart-rending fear and grief that gripped the Companionsra, coupled with the heavy cloud of anarchy and uncertainties that had overshadowed the sudden headless state of the Muslim world of the time, the Companionsra did not let the day pass before electing a Khalifa of Rasul Allah (Successor of the Messenger of Allah).

In The Will, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi and the Founder of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, recapitulated the historic development that trailed the death of the Holy Prophetsa:

“This is […] what happened at the time of Hadhrat Abu Bakrra. The death of the Holy Prophetsa was considered untimely and many ignorant Bedouins turned apostate. The companions of the Holy Prophetsa were consumed with grief. At that critical hour Allah made Hadhrat Abu Bakrra stand firm and through him He once again showed a manifestation of His Power. Islam was thus saved from annihilation and His following promise was fulfilled, which said: ‘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. (Surah Al-Nur, Ch.24: V.56).” (The Will [1997], pp.9-10)

The institution of Khilafat was, thus, established to succeed and sustain the blessings of the Prophethood of Muhammadsa. Notably, beginning with the period of Abu Bakrra and through those of Umar bin Khattabra, Uthman bin ‘Affanra and Ali bn Abi Talibra, the affairs of the Muslim world were steered by a single Khalifa who safeguarded their moral and spiritual tenacity, administered justice, settled internal disputes and conflicts, maintained law and order, interfaced in their international relations with other worlds and spread the Islamic religion across the then known world. The Muslim world lived in happiness, peace and security, and gloried in prosperity, stability, development and progress.

It is indisputable that the above-noted historical fact, among other implications, clearly demonstrates a powerful point that underscores the necessity of Khilafat as a rope of Allah to which all members of the Muslim world must always cling. This is because not only does it connect humanity with the Divine, but it also facilitates the unity, cohesion, solidarity and brotherhood of the Muslim world under a divinely established leadership.

Sadly, the generations of Muslims that succeeded the golden epoch of the Rightly Guided Khilafat showed ungratefulness to and rebellion against the pristine Khilafat system earlier established. Consequently, the Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood was replaced by the despotic kinghood, and decades later, by tyrannical monarchies which extended for centuries, in different nomenclatures (Caliphate, Imamate, Sultanate), forms, scopes and regions, until 1924 when the Turkish Uthmaniyya (Ottoman) Caliphate was abolished by Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. Today, over a century later, the mainstream Muslim world has continued to fail in its various efforts aimed at re-establishing Khilafat to bring back the ideal Islamic leadership system for Muslims and their unity, solidarity, cohesion, brotherhood, prosperity, peace, security and development in the world.

At this juncture, it is essential to note that, by the first decade of the 20th century – precisely on 27 May 1908 – when the sun of the ultimate collapse of the Turkish Caliphate was beginning to set on the horizon of its beleaguered empire, Allah the Almighty reinstituted Khilafat on the footstep of prophethood as earlier prophesied by the Holy Prophetsa. However, this time around, the fulfilment was divinely materialised within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat – an Islamic revival and Missionary movement established in 1889 by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas in whose person the Quranic and prophetic prophecies of the advent of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi were fulfilled.

Ever since then, the world has continued to witness unbroken peaceful successions of five eras of the divinely chosen Khulafa (Caliphs), beginning with Hazrat Hakeem Noor-ud-Deenra (1908-1914), followed by Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmadra (1914-1965), then Hazrat Hafiz Mirza Nasir Ahmadrh (1965-1982), Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadrh (1982-2003), and presently we are in the blessed era of the Fifth Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah be his Helper.

Importantly, over a century since the institution of this Khilafat, it has established Islam in all corners of the world through the establishment of missions and mosques across 210 countries and territories. It has translated the Holy Quran into and published it in about 80 world languages. In addition, thousands of Islamic literary works have been published in various languages.

In 1992, this Khilafat established the first Islamic satellite TV channel (MTA) in the world and, thereafter, an Islamic website (www.alislam.org) to propagate the pristine, peaceful teachings of Islam. It has built over 30 hospitals and clinics and over 500 schools across many countries. Its international humanitarian NGO – Humanity First International – is recognised by the United Nations and has been providing humanitarian services globally, regardless of recipients’ religious, racial, ethnic or political backgrounds.

This Khilafat has continued to make its presence, influence and impacts felt across the world by constantly providing leadership direction to world governments, leaders and their citizens; proffering viable Islamic guidance aimed at solving contemporary issues; and establishing initiatives and schemes for world educational, religious, social, economic, political, communal, and environmental development, peace, security and progress. Above all, it has been striving vibrantly and impactfully to re-establish moral and spiritual values and to reunite humanity with its Creator, the Divine.

In light of this re-institution of Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood for the contemporary Muslim world, and the positive impacts it is perpetually making within and outside the Muslim world, it is imperative that members of the mainstream Muslim world should earnestly hold fast by this rope of Allah in our time in response to the divine commandment that Muslims should cling to the rope of Allah and be not divided.

Majlis Ansarullah UK’s Muqami Region holds 8th Charity Walk

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Masood Nawaz Malik, UK
Majlis Ansarullah UK’s Muqami Region holds 8th Charity Walk

This year’s East Hampshire Beacon of Peace Charity Walk was held on 25 October 2025, attended by over 250 people at Hogmoor Inclosure in Bordon.

The day began early with Fajr prayer. Over 138 participants had registered in advance and many more joined on the day, making the crowd even bigger. It was heartening to see so many volunteers from diverse backgrounds, helping to make the day run smoothly. The funds raised will make a tangible difference for 38 local charities supporting causes in community support, education, health, disability and wellbeing. The event also drew coverage from local media, helping spread our message of peace and unity even further.

The opening session began with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a welcome speech by Adeel Shah Sahib, a missionary, and a speech by Ms Julie Butler, who shared how the walk had grown from supporting just four charities in 2017 to now assisting 38. She reminded all the participants about the wonderful work of Beacon of Peace and that every penny raised goes directly to the charities. Among the dignitaries present were Cllr Catherine Clarke, Mayor of Whitehill and Bordon; Mr Gregory Stafford MP, Member of Parliament for Farnham and Bordon; and Rt Hon Damian Hinds MP, Member of Parliament for Petersfield.

Cllr Graham Hill, Chair of East Hampshire District Council, recalled his connection with the Jamaat and attending Jalsa Salana UK. He expressed his admiration for the Ahmadi Muslims supporting society and all humanitarian work. Both MPs present, Mr Gregory Stafford and Rt Hon Damian Hinds, offered heartfelt words of encouragement and gave special mention to all the charities in attendance.

Lutf ur Rehman Sahib, Chairman of Beacon of Peace, thanked all the guests and participants who had come for this great cause. He expressed gratitude to Sahibzada Mirza Waqas Ahmad, Sadr Majlis Ansarullah UK, for his participation and support. He also praised the Muqami Region’s team for organising and hosting the event and invited all participating charities to the cheque presentation ceremony on 5 December in Islamabad.

Before the walk began, Julie Reid delivered helpful health and safety guidance. The formal session concluded with a silent prayer led by Sadr Majlis Ansarullah UK. Around 11 am, everyone gathered at the starting line and with the cutting of a ribbon, the walk officially launched.

The route took walkers through scenic woodland paths, sandy tracks and open stretches. The drizzle added a touch of adventure as participants navigated muddy patches and shared laughter along the way. Marshals were posted at key points throughout the route, guiding walkers and offering cheerful encouragement. At the finish line, medals and smiles were exchanged, and participants had refreshments.

Several local charities also shared their reflections from previous years. Home-Start, which supports families with children under five, expressed a heartfelt thank you, noting that it costs around £1,000 to support one family with a dedicated volunteer. They shared their deep gratitude for the continued support and said they look forward to taking part in future years. Representatives from East Hampshire District Council commented that it was “a pleasure and privilege” to join the event, describing it as “a great success” and highlighting that the real purpose of the day is to support the charities we raise money for.

As Rt Hon Damian Hinds later remarked with a smile, “No one ever leaves a Beacon of Peace Walk hungry or thirsty,” a reflection of the warmth, generosity and hospitality that make this event so special year after year. His words beautifully captured the spirit of the day, where community, charity and compassion come together not only to raise funds but also to nourish hearts and build lasting bonds over shared food, friendship and purpose.