Ansarullah From France Have Honour Of A Virtual Meeting With Head Of The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
“The fact is that the sooner Muslims turn towards Allah the Almighty and beseech Him, the sooner Allah the Almighty will create better conditions for them.” – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad
On 7 January 2024, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad held a virtual meeting with Majlis Ansarullah (Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association) from France.
His Holiness presided over the meeting from MTA Studios in Islamabad, Tilford, whilst the Amila members joined the meeting virtually from Masjid Moubarak in Paris, France.
Following a formal session which began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, members of Majlis Ansarullah had the opportunity to ask His Holiness a range of questions regarding their faith and contemporary issues.
During the meeting, His Holiness emphasised the importance of prayer and of establishing a living relationship with God Almighty.
A member of the audience asked His Holiness how love for Khilafat can be instilled in the hearts of the youth, particularly their own children.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad explained:
“Of foremost importance is establishing a relationship with God Almighty. Build a personal relationship with Allah and pray for your children. The prayers of parents for their children are accepted, and so too are the prayers of children for their parents. Pray that God Almighty grants your children His nearness and brings them closer to their faith and to the Community of the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (peace be upon him) which was prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) according to the Promise of Allah the Almighty, as well as with Khilafat.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
“When you reach this threshold and when you supplicate to Allah and lead by example and advise your children with love, they will then begin to develop the connection [with Khilafat]. Do not expect your children to establish this relationship once they are older, rather you should instil this in their hearts from childhood.”
His Holiness also said that prior to the early teenage years, children are nurtured and specially cared for by both parents, but when they start to become teenagers, fathers in particular start to become a little distant from their sons, whilst mothers build a closer relationship with their daughters. Therefore, His Holiness reminded members of Majlis Ansarullah to maintain a friendly and close bond with their children even as they become older and this will help ensure they remain attached to their faith.
One person asked His Holiness about how to create a stronger relationship with Allah the Almighty.
His Holiness advised him to offer voluntary prayers in addition to being regular in the five daily prayers and said that he should recount the favours of Allah upon him and make sacrifices for Allah’s sake.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Offer financial sacrifices in remembrance of Allah’s favours and offer two voluntary prayers daily. Allah the Almighty says that if one is grateful to Him, He will, surely, bestow more favours upon him. Thus, if you are grateful to Allah the Almighty, He will raise you in your relationship with Allah and will increase you in your wealth and blessings. To establish a relationship with Allah, it is essential you strive for it. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said that when a person takes one step towards Allah the Almighty, Allah takes two steps towards the person. When a person draws close to Allah the Almighty by one space of the hand, Allah draws closer to him by two, and when a person walks with pace towards Allah the Almighty, Allah comes running towards him. So, man ought to first make an effort himself, and when you do make an effort, Allah the Almighty will then further develop the relationship.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
“There were companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who had businesses worth millions. For instance, Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) once donated 300 camels at a time of war. When there was a famine, he donated many camels laden with provisions. They were tradesmen, yet they did not forget Allah, which is why they offered these sacrifices. Thus, if we also offer such sacrifices and instil the spirit of sacrifice within ourselves, Allah the Almighty will bestow blessings in our wealth and will also increase us in our nearness with Himself.”
Another member of the audience asked His Holiness for guidance on how to offer the five daily prayers with meekness and humility.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad stated:
“When you stand for prayer, repeat the words of the prayer. Recite the words ‘All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds’ several times when you are offering your voluntary prayers and keep repeating the words ‘Guide us to the right path’. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has said that one may make a facial expression as though you are crying – because one’s outward appearance also has an impact on one’s inner state. When you display an expression of crying, and manifestly try to immerse yourself into such a state, it will leave an impact on your heart too, which will in turn bring about humility and meekness, and as a result, you will begin to cry.”
His Holiness continued:
“You may have experienced such a condition in prayer, but this state does not always remain, and no one’s condition can be like this at all times either. However, you should always remember that whenever you stand for prayer, you are standing before Allah the Almighty. When you stand before Allah the Almighty, you become cognizant and fearful of Allah which in turn brings about tenderness in your heart as well as humility. Slowly but surely, you will at times become emotional and increase in humility, but other times such may not be the case. Nevertheless, you should always strive to supplicate and pray that you obtain God Almighty’s Protection when standing before Him in prayer. Your heart will naturally become tender and when this happens it will slowly become a habit. Besides, constant upward and downward fluctuations [in spirituality] are normal. Sometimes you can retain more attention during prayer and so you offer prayer with more humility. But at other times this may not be the case. This is something that happens to all people. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said that even prophets encountered this.”
An attendee asked His Holiness about the current situation in Palestine and enquired when peace will be established. His Holiness explained that when Muslims become the “righteous people” they will once again inherit the land peacefully.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“How will this come to be? Not through weapons and wars. Allah the Almighty has prescribed a condition that “righteous people” will be born, and they will acquire the land. When this will be the spiritual state of the Muslims, the conditions in Palestine will become better… This is the very Promise of Allah the Almighty. The fact is that the sooner Muslims turn towards Allah the Almighty and beseech Him, the sooner Allah the Almighty will create better conditions for them.”
Thereafter, an attendee asked His Holiness what measures need to be taken by international organisations to uphold peace after witnessing continued failures in establishing peace across the world.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad stated:
“In the First World War, the League of Nations was founded in order to preserve peace in the world, to keep the world united as one and to prevent wars and destruction. They said they would not allow for another war to happen, but what was the outcome? These very institutions in the world failed to uphold justice, which consequently led to the commencement of the Second World War in 1939. Subsequently, they founded the United Nations and granted veto power to a few countries. How could justice be upheld after that?”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued and said:
“This situation will last for as long as there is no equality or fairness (in international relations). Chaos continues to stem from veto power. What is the case now? Israel is committing injustices… Hamas killed 1,300 of their people, but Israel has killed ten times as many innocents in retaliation… Nobody has the courage to condemn the Israeli Government… (Historically), it was the Germans and the Europeans who committed injustices against the Jews – it was not the Palestinians. They are having to pay the price for the fault of others.”
His Holiness said that although the war is not a religious war, however, it has brought together all the nations that are opposed to the idea of religion and have targeted Islam in particular as it is the most practised religion. This, His Holiness said, has all been done for vested geo-political interests.
His Holiness said that in such an unjust system it is not possible for the oppressed to attain their rights.
Giving an example of how the natural resources of African countries have also been exploited, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“In Africa, [the oppressed] are not Muslims, they are Christians or pagans, yet these nations have also looted and usurped them. All their resources and minerals have been looted. African nations have also begun to raise their voices against this. They have started exclaiming that they have been exploited by the Europeans. Sometimes the name of religion is used but in reality, the true reason is geopolitical gain. They do not uphold justice, but still proudly proclaim themselves to be the ‘champions of justice’ and ‘champions of peace.’”
His Holiness provided solutions and instructed the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on what steps to take in order to bring about a change.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad stated:
“True peace will only be established when Allah the Almighty spreads Islam through the Community of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Thus, we must continue making a personal effort – through prayer and by working hard… For as long as this solution does not come into fruition, the oppressed will continue to suffer in the same way.