Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Concludes Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Ijtema with Faith-Inspiring Address

Just as the sun rises without fail each morning, our each and every day should give rise to glad tidings of the spiritual progress and advancement of the members of the Community.” – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

On 19 September 2021, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered a faith inspiring address to conclude the National Ijtema (Annual Gathering) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association UK (Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya).

The 2-day event which was held at Old Park Farm in Kingsley was attended physically by more than 3200 young men and boys, aged between 12 and 40 from across the UK.

The theme of this year’s Ijtema was ‘The Power of Durood” – invoking salutations on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).’

During the concluding address, His Holiness spoke about the real objectives of the Ijtema and the importance of understanding the spirit of service and duty.

Shining light on the true purpose of religious gatherings, such as the Ijtema, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It is very important to recognise that the primary objective of the Ijtema is not merely for the Khuddam and Atfal to gather together and enjoy each other’s company. Rather, the true and overriding objective of the Ijtema is the spiritual, moral and religious development of the participants.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“The Ijtema provides a place for you to take a step away from the material world and to focus your time and energy on absorbing and experiencing those speeches, competitions and activities that will increase your piety and standards of righteousness.”

His Holiness explained that another key objective of the Ijtemas (gatherings) of all the auxiliaries within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is to ensure that every individual recognises and realises their place, purpose and value within the Community.

In this regard Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“The various auxiliary organisations hold their Ijtemas to spiritually motivate their members through activities that are specially tailored for them, according to their age and understanding… They serve to address the particular challenges and issues that are faced by the members of each auxiliary organisation and to help them overcome those challenges so that they can fulfil the commands of God Almighty in the very best way.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Furthermore, the Ijtemas are held to ensure that every single Ahmadi, both male and female, and regardless of their age, ethnicity or social background, understand that they are each of great value and importance to the Community … Indeed, all Khuddam and Atfal should recognise that they are of great value and that each Ahmadi is a precious member of the Community of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).”

Having explained the incredible value that each and every individual is given in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness impressed the need for that same value to be recognised and justified as well.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“This value is not to be taken for granted, rather it can only remain intact and be justified if you recognise that each of you has a role to play in upholding the dignity of the Community of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and ensuring its continued progress and prosperity.”

Speaking specifically about the pivotal role that the youth had to play, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It is a fundamental truth that the children and youth of each nation have a great role to play in the progress and wellbeing of their community. Certainly, a community whose children and youth are instilled with a spirit of service and devotion to their cause are those that are destined to scale the highest peaks of success and progress.”

During his address Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad also spoke about the need for all auxiliary organisations to work together.

Extending this onus of responsibility beyond officials and office bearers, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Every member of the Community, irrespective of whether they are an office bearer, should always reflect upon the fact that they have a personal responsibility to the mission of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).  Each of you has taken the Bai’at [pledge of allegiance] of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and pledged to prioritise your faith and religion over all material and worldly matters. Such pledges on their own are meaningless and so you must make them meaningful by making every possible effort to fulfil your pledge.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“You must focus upon the grand objective of our Community, which is to spread the message of Islam to all parts of the world and to convey its teachings of peace, love and security to all peoples and nations.”

Directly addressing the members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

For the overall success of the Community, it is essential that Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya fulfils its role and duties in the best possible way…If the members of Khuddam display the highest morals, give priority to their faith, maximise their religious and secular knowledge and, above all, are those who act upon the commandments of the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and are fully obedient to the Khalifa of the Time then the rate of progress of our Community will increase manifold.”

His Holiness also impressed the need for members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to recognise their pivotal role in the raising of the next generation.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Many of you have been blessed with children of your own and so are now directly responsible for the next generation of our Community… The true role and value of a father is illustrated by the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) that there can be no greater gift that a father bestows to his child other than inculcating within them the best morals and virtues…If you truly wish to bequeath the best gift to your children, you must first look at yourself and ensure that you are acting virtuously and are a true role model for them.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

Do not think that your behaviour or conduct is something that does not impact others. Rather, the next generation is looking directly towards you and so do not let them down…if they go astray, you will be held responsible. “

Reminding all members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community about the zeal and fervour needed in their efforts to set their own examples to the world, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Always remember that we are the community of those people who have accepted the Imam of the Age, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and who claim that we will spread the true teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the corners of the earth…Therefore, we cannot afford to relax or rest easy until we are certain that every member of our Community leaves no stone unturned in their efforts to gain the nearness of Allah the Almighty.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Just as the sun rises without fail each morning, our each and every day should give rise to glad tidings of the spiritual progress and advancement of the members of the Community… Until that is our state, we cannot be content.”

His Holiness also spoke about the importance and ethos of the motto of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association that was given by the Second Caliph of the  Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“On your banners, you proudly display the slogan bestowed to Khuddamul Ahmadiyya by Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) that ‘Nations cannot be reformed without the reformation of the youth… However, these are not just words or a motto to take pride in but should be a wake-up call for the members of Khuddam and should motivate and inspire you.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“This slogan is displayed prominently at your Khuddam events so that these profound words become deeply ingrained in the hearts and minds of every Khadim. Indeed, each Khadim, whether they are an office bearer or not, should view these words as a personal challenge for them to live up to, wherein they must play their role in the reformation of their nation by reforming themselves. Hence, you must strive to attain the highest moral and spiritual standards and to be a true asset for your nation and community, otherwise just to repeat these words without any action is utterly meaningless.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad also explained that in order to truly serve and sacrifice for one’s ‘faith, country and nation’ as all members of Khuddamul Ahmadiyya proclaim in their pledge, the first and most imperative action is the offering of the five daily prayers.

Elaborating upon how one should perform the prayers, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“You must be regular in offering the five daily prayers. And do not speedily offer them without due attention. Rather, your prayers should be offered carefully, with proper concentration and with a true love of Allah embedded within your heart.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Use that time of prayer to build your relationship with Allah and do not just pray for yourself or your family but also pray for your faith, for the Community and nation.”

His Holiness also gave practical advice on how one can bring about personal reformation within themselves.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“If every month, you make a resolute effort to leave aside one harmful thing, whilst seeking to adopt one quality or virtue taught by the Quran, then over the course of a year, you will be saved from a multitude of vices and will have replaced them with many virtues. The more you tread upon the path of virtue and righteousness, the more you will seek out goodness and avoid evil because goodness begets goodness, whilst evil begets evil.”

His Holiness made special mention of the qualitiy of truthfulness and quoted the words of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) in this regard:

“One must leave aside all forms of idol worship and falsehood. In fact, falsehood is also an idol and he who relies upon it is he who abandons trust in God. So, by speaking falsehood a person forsakes God.”

His Holiness also mentioned the importance of being kind, compassionate and considerate towards others.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“For a nation or community to be strong it requires its people to be united and to care for one another and to share in each other’s joys and sorrows. Regrettably, sometimes very minor things or insignificant quarrels escalate and cause serious issues and fights amongst those who should be like brothers.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“So, always treat each other with love and affection and seek to establish true harmony amongst yourselves… If we wish to enter the shade of Allah’s Mercy and Grace, we must show love to one another. We must leave aside all petty grudges and be compassionate and forgiving. This is how we can establish true bonds of mutual love and harmony in order to gain the love of Allah the Almighty.”

His Holiness also spoke about the crucial need for all those members in education to pay particular attention to their studies and to excel in whatever field they are pursuing.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“All students, whatever their age or level, should work diligently and seek to achieve the best possible results and, as you progress to adulthood, you should strive to reach the apex of your chosen profession. Indeed, our Ahmadi Muslim youths should seek to enter every good profession or career, whether linked to government service or otherwise and to reach the highest levels.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“It should not be that our Khuddam leave education after their GCSEs or A-levels in the pursuit of some easy money, rather they should enter higher education and gain the best possible qualifications.”

Motivating the Khuddam members to strive even harder in this endeavour His Holiness presented a challenge to the male members of the Community.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“In recent times, it has generally been observed in our Community that our girls are excelling boys in education. In light of this, I lay down the challenge to the members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya to strive to redress this imbalance and to endeavour to achieve the very best results in your academic careers.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“If you are successful, it will not only be to your benefit but it will also benefit the wider society and will be a means of pride for our Community and upholding its dignity and honour. Your success will also, Insha’Allah (God willing), prove to be the guarantor for the academic success of our future generations, who will learn from your example. In this way, a perpetual cycle of academic excellence will, Insha’Allah, be established within our youth.”

Concluding, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad prayed:

“May Allah the Almighty grant all of you the capability to truly comprehend your immense responsibilities and to fulfil your obligations as members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya. May you fulfil the rights owed to Allah the Almighty and His Creation and be those who illuminate the name of our Community in the world and who play a distinguished role in fulfilling the mission of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). It is my sincere and ardent prayer that you are successful in this. May Allah the Almighty continue to bless Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya in all respects. Ameen.”

Following his address, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad launched the brand new ‘Salat Hub’ web app, designed to make learning the Salat interactive and engaging.

The Ijtema concluded with a silent prayer led by His Holiness.]

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