The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, visited the Bait-un-Nasir Mosque in Columbus, Ohio on 19 June 2012, where he was greeted by hundreds of Ahmadi Muslims.
On the fourth day of his USA tour, His Holiness arrived at the Mosque at 10.45am and immediately unveiled a plaque to mark the occasion. His Holiness then inspected the Mosque before planting a tree to further commemorate the event. Thereafter His Holiness spent the day meeting with the local Ahmadi Muslims, who were all eager to spend a few moments in the company of their beloved Imam and to seek his prayers and counsel.
It was a historic day for the local Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, as it was the first visit by a Khalifa to the Bait-un-Nasir Mosque which opened in 2008. The Mosque was the only Ahmadiyya Mosque to be built during the Khilafat Centenary year of 2008, having opened on 21 April 2008.
14 year old Faizan Ahmed from Kentucky could not contain his emotions. Speaking a few minutes before meeting His Holiness, he said:
“No matter what, I expect that today when I meet the Khalifa it will be a life changing experience. I have only ever seen him from a distance before but even then I saw a light in him that I had not seen in anyone else ever before. I cannot even imagine how wonderful it will be to see him from close. Even though I have not met him yet, I know that meeting him will inspire me to become a better Ahmadi Muslim and will lead me to try and spread the message of Ahmadiyyat as much as I can. When I do meet him, I am also going to ask him to pray that God blesses my family in Pakistan with peace and security because I know that his prayers have so much power.”
Zohaib Zafar, 16, from Cleveland Ohio spoke of his feeling of anticipation as he waited to meet the Khalifa. He said:
“It feels great to have the opportunity to meet the Khalifa, because he is our spiritual leader. He is our connection with something that is greater than anything else. For more than 1300 years there was no Khilafat in the world and so I feel so fortunate to be born in an era where there is a true Khilafat and to have an Imam who unites all of us. I once shook the hand of His Holiness and just through that I knew that he was a person who loves all of us so much.”