On 4 December 2021, the national amila of Majlis Ansarullah USA met Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa through a virtual mulaqat.
The meeting started with a silent prayer led by Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa.
Speaking with Qaid Umumi, Mehfuz Sheikh Sahib, Huzooraa asked how many Ansar majalis there were in the United States. He reported there were 61 majalis, to which Huzooraa said:
“61 only? […] You [should] have at least 10 times more majalis than the states in the USA. Why not 500 majalis? This is your duty, the duty of your secretary tabligh to do tabligh and create majalis there.”
Zahid Mian Sahib, Qaid Maal (Finance) was next to report. Huzooraa asked about various aspects of the Ansar budget, including how it was prepared. During the conversation, Huzooraa said amila members should set examples for all ansar by paying the chanda according to the prescribed rate. Huzooraa said:
“At every level, if amila members start paying their chanda according to the rate and show their correct income, then I think your budget can increase at least by 30-40%.”
Sohail Kausar, Naib Sadr Saf-e-Awal reported about his responsibilities and said he oversaw a new scheme in Ansarullah USA which loaned up to $10,000, interest-free, to ansar starting small businesses.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa asked Abdul Hadi Ahmad Sahib, Naib Sadr Saf-e-Daum about his department’s achievements over the year. Abdul Hadi Sahib said they started activities to encourage ansar to cycle, run and exercise. Huzooraa asked how many ansar cycled, to which Abdul Hadi Sahib said they did not have the exact numbers; however, they knew 35% of ansar in the USA reported they exercised regularly. Huzooraa asked if national amila members exercised – Abdul Hadi Sahib said the amila members were very active and keen on exercising.
Huzooraa said the amila members should cycle to work in order to reduce air pollution.
Muhammad Daud Munir, Naib Sadr said he managed the Ansar Tahir Scholarship in which Ansar who wanted to get training for a job were given a scholarship of $4,000 per year, for a maximum of two years. Thus far, Ansarullah USA had given seven scholarships to Ansar this year and most of them were to refugees.
Huzooraa said ansar looking for jobs and who needed training could get training with other Ahmadis who owned businesses, like plumbing businesses, and in this way money from the budget would not be spent.
Qaid Tarbiyat (Moral Training), Muzaffar Ahmad Siddiqui was next to report. Huzooraa asked what his department’s plan was. Muzaffar Sahib said they first aimed to get 100% of ansar to offer their five daily prayers in congregation. The reports of this year (during the pandemic and while people were offering prayers at home) showed that 64% of ansar were doing so, said Muzaffar Sahib.
Regarding those ansar who did not offer their prayers, Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa said:
“Have you asked those who are not offering prayers, ‘What is the method of seeking excuse from Allah the Almighty for not offering prayer?’ At this age – the Ansar age – they should remember Allah more than anything else.”
Huzooraa asked how many ansar recited the Holy Quran every day. As he did not know the exact figure and that the qaid for talim-ul-Quran would have the accurate figure, Huzooraa said:
“The tarbiyat department should also know that this is the number of the people who are doing tilawat every day. Qaid talim-ul-Quran should know how many of them can read the Quran (that can read nazirah) and who can correctly read the Holy Quran with full tarteel and tajwid.”
Huzooraa stressed that amila members, at all levels, should offer the five daily prayers in congregation, recite the Holy Quran every day and listen to his Friday Sermons.
Bilal Khalid Sahib, Qaid Talim (Education) reported that the book, Ten Conditions of Bai‘at was assigned for all ansar to read during the year and at the end, an exam was taken. Bilal Sahib said 33% of ansar – about 1,200 of the total tajnid of Ansarullah USA – participated in the exam. To this, Huzooraa said “masha-Allah” and noted that the percentage and the number reported by Bilal Sahib coincided.
Qamar Zafar Sahib, Qaid Isaar (Sacrifice) was next to report. Qamar Sahib reported that the Tahir Scholarships and the loan projects were part of the isaar department’s budget as well.
Muhammad Ahmad Sahib, Qaid Tabligh (Preaching) presented his tabligh plan. On the subject of Covid-19 and hurdles in preaching, Huzooraa said that tabligh could be conducted online. Muhammad Ahmad Sahib said they had encouraged and trained ansar to do tabligh online; however, many ansar objected and said preaching online, especially through social media, was not effective as people would just hurl abuse at the Promised Messiahas. For this reason, they were against doing tabligh online. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa responded by saying:
“But there are people who like it. Even if one person is guided on the right path, then you have achieved your purpose. So you should not stop doing tabligh because of this. There are quite a number of people who have been cursing us all the time, from morning to evening […] so should we stop doing work because of that? This is not an excuse.”
Huzooraa said other avenues of tabligh could be explored too. Huzooraa said:
“We don’t know how long this Covid pandemic will remain, right? So we cannot stop our work because of this. We have to explore new ways and means to expand our message, to spread our message.”
Tahir Sufi Sahib, Qaid Tarbiyat Nau Mubai‘een (Moral Training for New Converts) was next to report. Huzooraa asked if he was also a new convert, to which he said he was born an Ahmadi. Tahir Sahib reported there were 55 new ansar converts in the last three years. The department was trying to encourage the new converts to learn Salat in Arabic and its translation, Surah al-Fatihah in Arabic and its translation and Durood Sharif in Arabic and the English translation. Huzooraa asked what ethnic and religious backgrounds the converts were from. Tahir Sahib said they included African-Americans, Pakistanis, Arabs and Caucasians.
Huzooraa said Tahir Sahib should have a naib (deputy) from amongst the African-Americans and if he was to have more than one naib, they should be from amongst different ethnic groups. Huzooraa said there should be different groups of people in his team who trained the new converts “because if the people are from among them, then they know their problems better than you and they can tackle their problems, solve their problems. And they can make the plan of how to train them.”
Muda Shiraz Montara, Qaid Waqf-e-Jadid reported next. Huzooraa asked where he was from and if he was a born Ahmadi. Muda Sahib said he was from Sri Lanka and converted to Ahmadiyyat in 1994. During the conversation, regarding the contributions to Waqf-e-Jadid by Majlis Ansarullah, Huzooraa said:
“Ansarullah’s participation should be at least more than one-third of the total amount collected by the Jamaat.”
Munir Ahmad Malik, Qaid Talim-ul-Quran and Waqf-e-Arzi (Education of Quran and Temporary Waqf) reported next. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa said emphasis should be given on waqf-e-arzi too. Online waqf-e-arzi was possible in the current circumstances and jamaats around the world were holding them, Huzooraa said.
Munir Sahib said almost 55% of the ansar recited the Holy Quran every day and most could read the Holy Quran correctly. Huzooraa asked if there were classes held for those who could not recite the Quran correctly. Munir Sahib said a number of classes were held for them.
Rizwan Alladin Sahib, Muavin Sadr, who also implemented shura recommendations, reported next. Huzooraa asked how they addressed the flaws and shortcomings with the implementation of shura recommendations. Rizwan Sahib said they surveyed the participants who partook in the specific implementation of the shura recommendations and then tried to improve those programmes for the following year. Huzooraa asked what the success rate of the implementation of the recommendations from shura was. Rizwan Sahib said that one example was of a programme for the importance of observing Salat, held in all Ansarullah regional ijtemas. The ansar participants were surveyed afterwards and out of 380 members who filled out the survey, over 85% said the Salat programme increased their intention to better perform and observe Salat.
Iftikhar Ahmad Sahib, Qaid Isha‘at (Publications) reported to Huzooraa and said Majlis Ansarullah USA had an email newsletter that went out twice a month, an annual year-in-review book – An-Nahl – was printed and given out and the department maintained the content for the Ansar website.
Syed Tanwir Ahmad Sahib, Qaid Zehanat-o-Sehat-e-Jismani (Physical and Mental Wellbeing), reported next. Seeing him, Huzooraa smiled and said he had gained some weight and asked if he exercised. Tanwir Sahib said he did exercise regularly. With a smile, Huzooraa remarked, “Really? And despite that, you are gaining weight.”
Syed Tanwir Sahib reported that most of the national amila members exercised – some were avid cyclists and others were runners. Overall, 35% of ansar in USA said they exercised regularly.
Seeing the next national amila member say salaam to him, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa, with a smile, said:
“Wa alaikumus-salaam, Abu Bakr Bin Saeed of Tamale. Masha-Allah, you are a nasir now. After having seen you as a nasir, then I can see myself as a very old person.”
Abu Bakr Sahib said he served as nazim-e-ala Midwest Region and had five majalis who were all active, with the exception of a few members.
Rizwan Ahmad Sahib, the auditor reported next. Huzooraa asked if sadr Ansarullah and secretary maal were cooperative. Rizwan Sahib responded by saying, “Yes, they are very cooperative.”
Nasir Bukhari Sahib, Nazim-e-Ala of Great Lakes region reported that he had five majalis over three states. The total number ansar of the region was 204. Huzooraa asked if he contacted the ansar over the telephone and online, to which Nasir Sahib replied in the affirmative and said most communication was over electronic media; however, visits were made too. With a smile, Huzooraa asked if the ansar knew their nazim-e-ala “by face”. Nasir Sahib said that they did.
Nasir Sahib sought permission to ask a question. He said that some of the office-bearers had the concept in their minds that there would always be 30% of ansar who would be very engaged with the Jamaat, but the rest would be “somewhat engaged”. Nasir Sahib asked Huzooraa how to change this perception. Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa advised:
“It is a continuous effort – you don’t have force. It all depends on their level of faith. So it is the job of secretary tarbiyat to increase the level of faith; do proper tarbiyat. And then the respective nazimeen-e-tarbiyat at every level should do this. So, it’s a consolidated effort of each and every nazim tarbiyat and qaid tarbiyat and other related departments.
“This is what we can do. Other than that we don’t have force and we cannot force them. This is a matter of their faith. If your faith is firm, and you believe that the Jamaat is the promised Jamaat which was to be formed by the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, then once they realise this fact, they will be active. So make them realise this fact.”
Shahid Malik Sahib, Nazim-e-Ala Virginia reported. Huzooraa asked if this was the biggest region of Ansarullah, to which Shahid Sahib said it was and included 529 members spread over five majalis.
Naveed Ahmad Malik, Nazim-e-Ala for the headquarters region (Maryland) reported next. Huzooraa asked if the weather was bad in the USA at the time as the connection was failing between the USA and the UK during the meeting. Huzooraa said that even in the remotest part of the world in Africa, the connection was better. Huzooraa instructed Naveed Malik Sahib to find out what the issue was after the meeting as he was the nazim-e-ala of Silver Spring. Naveed Sahib said he would do so and apologised for the disruption in the connection.
Khurram Shah Sahib, Nazim-e-Ala for Central West Region, Northern California reported. Huzooraa said the area he covered had a Spanish presence, to which Khurram Sahib concurred. Huzooraa asked how many majalis there were in his region and whether they were active. Khurram Sahib reported they had four majalis, 151 members and around 50% were active. Huzooraa asked if they had any missionaries present there. Khurram Sahib said there were two missionaries in his region, Sabahat Ali Sahib (who was recently posted to Silicon Valley) and Khalid Khan Sahib.
Zafar Abdul Basit Sahib, Nazim-e-Ala Southwest Region reported they had four majalis with a total of 343 members.
At this point, Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa had spoken to all the national amila members present.
Huzooraa turned to Sadr Ansarullah and said:
“[…] now, time is over. You have taken more than one hour. In this time only, I could get myself introduced to these people and know what they are doing and what is your plan, and that I have had.
“Allah the Almighty bless you. For the next year, work harder than before.”
Sadr Sahib thanked Huzooraa for his time and after Hazrat Khalifatul Masihaa conveyed his salaam, the meeting came to a close.
(Report prepared by Al Hakam)