Nearly 5,000 Muslim Youths attend National Convention in Surrey
Three-day event ends with inspirational speech by Fifth Khalifa (Caliph) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered a faith-inspiring address to conclude the 42nd National Ijtema (Annual Gathering) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association in the UK (Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya).
His Holiness attended all three days of the Ijtema which was held at ‘Islamabad’ in Tilford, Surrey with the aim of increasing the moral standards of the participants and promoting a spirit of peace, unity and love for one’s country of residence.
At a time where terrorists and extremists are falsely attributing their evil acts to the religion of Islam, the Khalifa, who is the spiritual leader of millions Ahmadi Muslims worldwide, once again led the call for all forms of extremism to be rejected and condemned absolutely.
He said that all Ahmadi Muslims must seek to build a personal relationship with God and to serve mankind. He also led all of the participants in a pledge in which they reaffirmed their commitment to both their faith and to their country.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad told the 4,750 Ahmadi Muslim youths attending, as well as a vast worldwide audience watching live on MTA International, that they must always strive for greater success.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya [the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association] should always remember that successful nations and successful people are those who do not stand still but who always try to move forward with firm conviction and who seek to continually improve and spread far and wide.”
His Holiness went on to speak in depth about the claim of the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian.
He narrated various accounts of how people in different parts of the world had been guided to the truth of Ahmadiyyat through divine guidance in the form of dreams.
He said that each year hundreds of thousands of people were joining the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and that it was now established in more than 200 countries.
His Holiness said whilst those with worldly or political ambitions often used powerful and destructive weapons to achieve their goals, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community would only ever follow an entirely peaceful path.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“An Ahmadi Muslim’s weapon of choice will never be a worldly weapon but rather Ahmadi Muslims require only spiritual weapons and prayers to fulfil their spiritual goals.”
His Holiness said the success of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was dependent on its members building a personal relationship with God Almighty and by serving mankind as taught by Islam.
Concluding his address, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad repeated his call for Ahmadi Muslims to attain the very highest moral standards.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“It should be that your character is so good that it is an example to the entire world…. By making a positive example of yourself you will be doing a silent form of preaching through your good character. Rather than looking at others, you should look at yourself, and consider how you should behave and without any deceit or hypocrisy you should fulfil the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah.”
The theme of 42nd National Ijtema was the ‘Purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah’. Events across the weekend saw Ahmadi Muslims compete in recitation of the Holy Quran, poetry and speech competitions, cricket, football, volleyball and various other sports.
A new addition this year was the Discovery Marquee where 24 talks were held on a range of subjects, whilst an on-site library allowed attendees to study books and an Indoor Games Marquee allowed the youths to play table tennis, chess and other games in an informal environment.
An exhibition on the history of Islam was also enjoyed by many.