On 24 April 2021, Majlis Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya Baitul Futuh Region, UK were given the opportunity to meet with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa through a virtual meeting. For the mulaqat, the Atfal were seated in Baitul Futuh Mosque, London.
The meeting started with a recitation of the Holy Quran by Syed Jazib Shah. Hearing his recitation, Huzooraa remarked, “You have a good recitation”. Next, Jalees Ahmad Ahsan presented the English translation of the recited portion of the Quran.
A hadith was presented by Adeel Tahir in Arabic and its English translation was presented by Syed Khizar Safir.
An Urdu poem, written by the Promised Messiahas was then read out by Shayan Aman Raja and its English translation was given by Muveed Ahmad Khan.
A video presentation was then shown to Huzooraa that consisted of Atfal describing the purpose of Atfal-ul-Ahmadiyya, how it has helped them and also messages from Atfal to Huzooraa for prayers.
Next, Atfal were given the opportunity to pose questions to Huzooraa.
Nabeel Hayat asked Huzooraa the best way to get rid of bad habits and to stay away from them.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him, has given us a very good principle: If you want to leave any bad habit or any sin, you should first try to loathe that sin, hate that sin, and make a firm promise with yourself and with Allah the Almighty as well, that you will never commit this or do this bad thing again. And also pray to Allah the Almighty that He saves you from committing this sin […] or any bad habit […]”
“This all depends on your determination, prayer and dislike of that bad habit and sin.”
Fa‘ik Ahmad Basharat, 13, then asked Huzooraa regarding making money from games. Huzooraa responded by instructing:
“You see, all these types of games are a sort of gambling and Islam prohibits a true believer from gambling; therefore an Ahmadi child is not permitted to play those games online which can get you some money – whether you spend money on it or not.
“But if it is a competition type of thing, then that is different. If you participate in an event where if you give the correct answers, you will be rewarded this prize, then that is a different thing. But if you are playing any game for the sake of earning money, that is a sort of gambling and it is prohibited.”
Mahid Ahmad, 15, asked how one could differentiate between whether suffering was a punishment from Allah or a test from Him.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Suffering sometimes is a trial and mostly, it is a trial. If a young boy, who is doing all good things, and a person who is a pious and righteous man pass through any suffering, then it means it is a trial for them. Even the Holy Prophetsa has said that prophets suffer more than ordinary people. And about himself, he said, ‘My suffering and trials are more than that of any other believer’.”
“So if you are doing all good things, you are obeying all the commandments of Allah, you are following all the teachings of Islam, you are prohibiting yourself from all bad things, you are doing all good things, even if you suffer, it means that is a trial. But it all depends on your personal actions.
“And if you are not following all the commandments of Allah, then sometimes, if you pass through any suffering, that might be a punishment for you. Allah knows better and you, yourself, can know [by means of] whether you are following the commandments of Allah, practising the true teachings of Islam, following the true teachings of the Holy Quran, all the commandments of Allah the Almighty. [If you are doing all of this] then even if you pass through any suffering, it is a trial.”
“But if you are not practising good things, sometimes Allah puts you in some suffering just to shake you, so that you repent, change your life and [you] try to follow the teachings of Islam and Allah the Almighty.”
Next, another tifl, aged 15, asked Huzooraa why Salat was important.
Addressing the question, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Allah the Almighty has said in the Holy Quran:
وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِيَعۡبُدُوۡنِ
“‘I have created jinn and human beings […] – the big people, and the poor people, an ordinary person and a rich man – to worship Me’. Allah is not going to get benefit out of it. If we worship Allah the Almighty, we are going to gain something out of it.
“So many people have experienced that when they pass through some suffering, as the other boy asked, and when they pray to Allah the Almighty to remove that suffering, then He listens to their prayers and removes the suffering […] At the same time, we also gain the love of Allah the Almighty.
“Also remember this is not the only life […] There is another life to come, and that is the Hereafter, which is the eternal life. There, Allah will reward us for our worship and for following His commandments.
“So, when you have any problem, you should try to pray and seek Allah’s help in solving your problems. But at the same time, you have to be regular and punctual in offering the five daily prayers. It should not be that when you come across any problem, you go to the mosque and pray to Allah the Almighty, or you just stand in the corner of your house and then start doing Salat. No. You have to be regular in offering your prayers. Only then will Allah the Almighty listen to your prayers.”
Na‘il Jawab Khan, 14, said that there were many books of the Promised Messiahas available but were quite difficult to understand. He asked Huzooraa to recommend books for Atfal to start with.
In response, Huzooraa said:
“You are quite right, that there are quite a number of books of the Promised Messiahas and most of them are very difficult to understand. But there are some books which are easy to understand, such as Noah’s Ark, and even the Promised Messiahas has said that ‘my book, Haqiqatul Wahi, has been written in a very easy language’ and you can understand it; this has also been translated, so you can read these books.
“But just to develop and create an interest in the books of the Promised Messiahas, you should first start reading from the passages of those books which are of interest to you and you can see the contents list. For that, the Jamaat has also made this easy for you by printing some selected excerpts and passages of the books of the Promised Messiahas in the form of The Essence of Islam – there are five volumes and that covers different topics. You can just take the book and see the topic of your interest and then read it.
“By doing this, you will develop an interest in reading the books of the Promised Messiahas and at the same time, you will increase your knowledge also; what the Promised Messiahas has said or what he wanted us to understand with regard to our religion, with regard to our spiritual enhancement, spiritual level and with regard to our knowledge and wisdom.
“I think, for a young boy, it would be better if they read The Essence of Islam and then select the topics from that book of their own interest – that will help you to create and develop interest in the books of the Promised Messiahas.”
Samar Ahmad, 14, asked if he could lead Namaz at home as his father was disabled.
Huzooraa said:
“You are 14 years old; yes, you can lead Namaz if you know the verses of the Holy Quran and you have some religious knowledge – of course, you can most definitely lead Namaz. If you memorise parts of the Holy Quran, you can even lead Tarawih prayers even, not just at home, but even at the mosque – you can be appointed as the imam there.”
Sammar Malik, 14, asked what happens during Lailatul-Qadr, the Night of Decree.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:
“The Holy Prophetsa says that during the last 10 days of Ramadan, there is one special night in which Allah the Almighty accepts all the prayers of a person. But at the same time, you have to be a true believer.
“It cannot be as though an atheist comes to the mosque or a person who has never offered prayer and only on the night of Lailatul-Qadr does he fall in sajdah [prostration] and in his sajdah, he says ‘Allah, accept my prayers.’ No. If you are a true believer and follow all the commandments of Allah the Almighty, offer the five daily prayers regularly, read the Holy Quran, practise the teachings of Islam, then you can benefit from that night.
“And the Holy Prophetsa said that you should try to find that night during the last 10 nights of Ramadan in the odd nights – that is the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th. Even the Prophetsa did not precisely mention the night, for he said to try and find Lailatul-Qadr during the odd nights of the last 10 days of Ramadan.
“So this is Allah’s promise, that if a person is a true believer and whenever he beseeches His help, whenever he asks Him and prays for all his problems, Allah will listen to his prayers and accept his prayers. This is Lailatul-Qadr. But before that, you have to be a good believer.”
Ashir Ahmad asked how Huzooraa memorised the Quran.
Huzooraa responded by saying:
“We were taught Quran in our school. During our time, we were studying in a Jamaat school in Rabwah, so there was a special religious studies period where we were taught religious knowledge of the Jamaat and at the same time, our teacher would ask us to memorise some verses or small surahs [chapters] of the Holy Quran. This is how we used to learn.
“Even in our Atfal classes, we were asked to memorise and there used to be a competition of tilawat and hifz-e-Quran – so this is how we used to memorise [the Quran] and this is the best way […]
“Here, we have the Al-Hafizoon class; therefore, those who can afford to go to the Al-Hafizoon class should try to learn the Quran by joining it.”
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that each person should develop an interest in memorising the Quran and a way to do this was to memorise the last 20-30 surahs of the Holy Quran. Huzooraa said:
“Remember that Atfal of the age of 13 and above, and Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya as well, should also try to memorise the first 17 verses of Surah al-Baqarah, and also try to learn the meaning of these verses. […] This is how you can increase your faith and you can save yourselves from the onslaughts of the environment and bad people.”
Muveed Ahmad Khan, 14, asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa about his favourite memory of his time in Pakistan.
Huzooraa remarked, “Why do you want to remind me of my memories in Pakistan?” and with a smile, said:
“Our memories were that in Pakistan, I used to live in Rabwah. Rabwah is a city where the majority of the people living there are Ahmadis. And when we were Atfal, we used to recite ‘Salle ‘ala…’ [durood in a melodious way] to wake people up for Fajr prayer. Our Atfal in each and every area where there was a muntazim Atfal and za‘eem, would recite ‘Salle ‘ala…’ before Fajr prayer.
“It was a peaceful city” Huzooraa narrated, but now, “because of the interference of the government people or mullahs, the peace of that city has been destroyed.”
“So, there were quite a number of good memories, which, if I start explaining, will take some time.”
Huzooraa also said it was difficult for him to pick and choose which memories to narrate. Lovingly, Huzooraa said he would narrate some more when Muveed came to see him privately.
Usman Khalid then asked why Allah had created angels to monitor us when Allah is All-Knowing and All-Seeing.
In response, Huzooraa said:
“Angels are also working as the servants of Allah the Almighty. You have the capacity to go to your kitchen and drink water –bring out the water from the fridge, take the glass and drink water. But if you have the facility of a person to help you to bring water for you in your room, you will ask him to do it. So Allah is the Malik [Master] – although Allah can do whatever He likes, but at the same time, He has appointed some angels for different duties.
“For instance, Gabriel’sas duty is to bring messages from Allah to the prophets and the commandment of Allah the Almighty is revealed through Gabrielas. So different angels have different duties, which is why Allah the Almighty has created angles and He has made a team.
“This is a system, evolved by Allah the Almighty, to help Him. Although Allah has the power to do everything on His own, but He is Malik [Master] at the same time; if He has developed a system, then who are we to object to it?”
Hammad Butt, 14, asked how the existence of Heaven and Hell could be proven.
In his answer, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa said:
“Worldly people say that they don’t know what is going to happen. Atheists say that they don’t know what is going to happen; there is no life after this life – this is what they believe. This is why they have left the belief in Allah the Almighty.
“If you are a true believer, you have to have firm faith in life after death. And if you have that firm faith – iman-bil-ghaib [belief in the unseen] in Allah the Almighty – then you will definitely understand that there is life after death.
“[…] You see, atheists do not believe in the existence of Allah and that there is life after death. For this, the books Our God and Ten Proofs for the Existence of Allah have been printed by Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya.”
Huzooraa recommended Hammad to read those books and further said that through the books, “You will learn more about the existence of Allah the Almighty. When you learn about the existence of Allah, then you will also know that whatever Allah the Almighty has said is true and after this life, in the Hereafter, a person is either rewarded or punished. I think you better read these books, which can give you a better answer.”
Sabih Salih Chaudhary, 14, asked whether those who did not believe in the Promised Messiahas would be held accountable.
Huzooraa said:
“The Promised Messiahas has said that there are quite a number of people who do not believe in the prophets. But you will not be punished in this world only because you did not believe in the prophet. If, however, you are doing bad things at the same time, alongside disbelieving, then you will be punished in this world as well as in the Hereafter and you will be held accountable for committing all these bad things.
“In the Hereafter, Allah the Almighty says that He will ask these people, ‘When I sent these prophets, why did you not believe them?’ They will try to make so many excuses, and all excuses will be lame and flimsy excuses – Allah will not accept them and they will have to pass through punishment. So obviously, yes, those who do not believe in any of the messengers whom Allah the Almighty has sent, will be held accountable for not believing them.”
Umar Rashid Kamran asked why Zuhr and Asr were offered quietly whereas Fajr, Maghrib and Isha were offered aloud.
While responding, Huzooraa said that whatever we practised was because the Holy Prophetsa had taught it. Secondly, Huzooraa said, “Nowadays, the weather is changing, and if you go outside, you will feel that everything is quiet and calm – sometimes, people get depressed because of the change in weather during these timings [Zuhr and Asr]. So, in this timing, if you are offering your prayer silently, then you enjoy it more.”
Huzooraa said another reason was that during Zuhr and Asr timings, there was a lot of noise in cities and this was a reason as to why those prayers were not read aloud, as quiet prayer at this time allowed for more concentration. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said that for Fajr, a worshipper required some stimulating. Therefore, saying the prayers aloud helps with concentration at this time.
Huzooraa then noted the question down during the meeting and said to Umar that he would send a more detailed answer to him in writing with all the references included.
Abdul Mansoor, 13, asked whether all sins were forgiven, as many people pray to be forgiven after they have sinned.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Allah knows better. We cannot decide if that person will be forgiven or not.
“There is a story of a person who murdered 99 people and after committing such a heinous sin, he then tried to repent. He went to a person to ask whether he could be forgiven or not. That pious, righteous person said, ‘No, you have committed such a big crime by killing 99 people, therefore you cannot be forgiven.’”
Huzooraa said that in response, the person said that he would now kill another person and thus killed that righteous person too, making it 100. However, he still had a sense of remorse and so, went to another person and asked if he could still be forgiven.
That person said, “Yes, you can be forgiven” and told him to go and meet a certain person in a far-off city.
En route to that city, the man died. On his death, the angels from Paradise and the angels from Hell came to take his soul. The angel of Paradise said that since he wanted to repent, he would take him to Paradise. On the other hand, the angel from Hell said, “No, he has committed such a big sin and there is no way now for him to be forgiven.”
Ultimately, they decided to measure the distance of the land. If the man was closer to the city he was headed to for forgiveness, then he would be admitted to Paradise. But if the distance between his starting point and the city was far, he would be taken to Hell. Allah made sure that the distance to the city was short and thus, the angel of Paradise took the man to heaven.
After narrating the story, Huzooraa said, “It all depends on Allah the Almighty. Even Allah the Almighty has said, ‘I am the Malik […] I know whom I am going to forgive and whom I am not.”
Huzooraa then narrated another story.
There was a very pious person who said to another person, who was not very pious, that since he was not offering the five daily prayers and was committing sins, he would be sent to Hell. In response, the person said, “Who are you to say that I will be sent to Hell; it is Allah Who will decide.” The person who thought himself to be very pious and was arrogant, said “No, it is certain that you will be sent to Hell”.
It so happened that both of them died around the same time. When they were presented before Allah, He asked the so-called pious person what authority he had to condemn someone else to Hell and think that he himself would be admitted to Heaven because he thought he was pious. Allah said it was only His own authority that could do this and so decided that the person who thought himself to be pious was put in Hell by Allah and the other person who had sinned was admitted to Heaven.
Huzooraa said:
“It is Allah the Almighty Who decides who is going to Heaven and who is going to Hell, but our duty is that we should try to follow the commandments of Allah the Almighty.” Huzooraa then explained that we should not try Allah by purposefully committing sins with the expectation and hope that He will forgive us.
With this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said the time was over and any more questions could be written to him and he would send them a written reply.
Huzooraa conveyed his salaam and the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)