More than 125,000 people join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

55th Jalsa Salana UK concludes with an inspirational address by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

“If governments and leaders do not understand their responsibilities, particularly with regards to warfare and conflicts, and if they do not fulfil the rights of others, I fear the onset of an unthinkable global war, the destruction of which will be beyond all comprehension.” – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

On 8th August 2021, The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad concluded the 55th Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

More than 8,800 people from across the UK attended the Jalsa Salana, which took place at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Alton, Hampshire.

Prior to last year’s global pandemic, over 35,000 people from all over the world attended the last full Jalsa, held in 2019. This year, only UK residents aged 18 to 65 who had been double vaccinated were permitted to enter the ballot to attend this gathering.

In addition to the thousands of Ahmadi Muslims who attended the site physically, provisions were also made in regional hubs across the country and worldwide for people to attend the Jalsa virtually. The entire event was also broadcast live on MTA International.

In his concluding address Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad enlightened the attendees on the rights owed to different groups within society including friends, the sick, orphans, those with whom covenants are made and those against whom war is fought, all in light of the teachings of Islam.

His Holiness stated that his address was a continuation of his concluding address of Jalsa Salana 2019 in which he focussed on the rights of other groups in society including parents, children, spouses, widows, the elderly, non-Muslims, neighbours and others.

Speaking about the concept of gratitude and the fulfilment of one another’s rights, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It is a matter of fact that the rights of the different groups within society cannot be truly established until and unless it is realised that we are all created by One Supreme Creator and that we must also fulfil His rights.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Gratitude to Allah the Almighty who is All Powerful, The Provider and Sustainer of the whole world is essential. Further, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has stated that if someone does good by you, and you do not show them gratitude, then you are also ungrateful to Allah the Almighty. So, Allah has told us at every instance that, ‘You must fulfil one another’s rights and that only then can you fulfil My (God’s) rights’. So, this is the beautiful teaching of Islam, and this is the God of Islam, Who admonishes us to fulfil the rights of one another.”  

His Holiness also shone light on the true significance of ‘friendship’ and explained the lofty standards required to fulfil the rights of those we call our friends.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“True friends can only be those whose hearts are pure and who are sincere. If one’s heart is not pure then what kind of friendship can it be? Once you make friends with those people whose hearts are pure, you must also fulfil the rights due to them.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

Fulfilling the rights of friendship should be for the sake of God and this alone can maintain true friendship. Friendships that are void of the love of Allah the Almighty are but temporary friendships.”

 His Holiness narrated a saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who said:

“Whichever Muslim prays for his brother in his absence, an angel says, ‘may it be so in your case as well.’”

His Holiness also reiterated the immense importance of fulfilling the rights of a friend, regardless of the situation that they may find themselves in.

Quoting the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) states, ‘Our principle is such that even if one of our friends has become intoxicated with alcohol and is lying on the ground in the marketplace and there is a crowd of people around him, we would go to his aid and bring him back without any fear of criticism or reproach…’ This is the standard required of real friendship, that once you have declared someone to be your friend then you must fulfil his rights and be loyal with them till the very end, through thick and through thin.”

During his address Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad also discussed the importance of visiting and caring for the sick, as well as the significance placed on fulfilling the rights of orphans in society.

His Holiness quoted Chapter 93, verse 10 of the Holy Quran, “So the orphan, oppress not” and explained that protecting and safeguarding the vulnerable is a fundamental requirement for being a true believer.

Elaborating upon the verse Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“‘Allah the Almighty has drawn attention of mankind towards fulfilling the rights of orphans, who are a weak and vulnerable part of society – in fact they are amongst the most weak and vulnerable. A true Muslim must protect them until they reach the age of maturity and also protect and safeguard their rights.”

His Holiness also reiterated the importance of fulfilling the rights of those with whom a covenant or an agreement has been made and stated that a true and righteous Muslim is one who faithfully fulfils his oaths and promises with integrity.

His Holiness went on to speak about the conditions of warfare and the shining example in this regard set by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the four Rightly Guided Caliphs who succeeded him.

Comparing their noble example with the hypocrisy of many modern-day leaders and governments, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“The state of the major governments of the world – who declare themselves to be the standard bearers of justice and fairness and whose existence is considered to be the guarantor of world peace – is such that they are perpetually (whether openly or covertly) threatening to destroy any nation that opposes them with nuclear weapons. In fact, in the last world war, nuclear bombs were dropped on the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Japanese men, women and children. Moreover, even in the present time so many wars and unjust attacks take place – for example the war in Iraq, the cruelties inflicted in Palestine, in Syria and the brutalities taking place currently in Yemen. Yet, these abhorrent cruelties are being extolled proudly as a grand achievement for the sake of world peace!”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Yet in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the four Rightly Guided Caliphs, never can even a single case of injustice or cruelty be found. Yet, today those people who have bloodied their hands with the unjust murder of hundreds of thousands of innocents are labelled as the ‘embodiment of fairness and justice’, whilst those innocent and noble Muslims who never ever harmed even an insect or a fly have been labelled as ‘raiders and plunderers’.”

Towards the end of the address, His Holiness reiterated the need for world leaders to fulfil the rights of others and warned that if this advice was not heeded, the world may very soon once again come to witness a catastrophic global conflict with unfathomable ramifications.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It is through the fulfilment of these rights that I have spoken about that we can establish peace in society and the world. Otherwise, there can be no guarantee of world peace. If governments and leaders do not understand their responsibilities, particularly with regards to warfare and conflicts, and if they do not fulfil the rights of others, I fear the onset of an unthinkable global war, the destruction of which will be beyond all comprehension.”

 

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Thus, we should all pray that may Allah the Almighty grant sense to these worldly people and governments so that they recognise the folly of their ways and satisfying their own egos and instead focus all their energies upon protecting and safeguarding humanity.”

Reminding Ahmadi Muslims of their responsibility in this regard, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Today, it is the responsibility of every Ahmadi Muslim to pray that the world is safeguarded from chaos and destruction and comes to believe in the One True God and comes to understand and implement the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). For this is the true salvation, the guarantor of salvation of mankind and indeed the guarantor of the salvation of the future generations.”

 

Over the course of the Jalsa Salana, His Holiness delivered five addresses, including the Friday Sermon, an address at the Lajna (ladies) side of the Jalsa and an annual report of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

During the Friday Sermon on 6th August, His Holiness spoke about the immense blessings of attending the Jalsa and explained that although many would not be able to physically attend due to COVID related restrictions, those participating virtually could still benefit from the blessings.

In this regard Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Due to the current pandemic, the number of attendees here is greatly reduced, but many people are joining from their homes through MTA, whilst many will view the Jalsa together in mosques or halls. Whatever the case may be, anyone who is virtually attending the Jalsa in this way should listen attentively to the proceedings, spend their time in prayers, and attend the Jalsa with the mindset that they are actually present inside the Jalsa marquee itself.”

Encouraging people who had been invited to the Jalsa Salana to make every possible effort to attend, His Holiness advised Ahmadi Muslims to develop a sense of firm resolve and fortitude in the face of the wet and rainy conditions of this year’s Jalsa weekend.

Narrating his own personal example, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“I remember once when I was attending the Jalsa, rain had seeped into the main marquee and a portion inside the main marquee had become wet. The edges of the marquee were all heavily waterlogged and so those people who would be offering their prayers there, would have their foreheads and knees drenched in the water and covered in mud. This happened to me also. After lifting our heads from prostration, we would have to first wipe our foreheads to stop the water and mud getting in our eyes and to prevent the dirt and water entering our eyes – yet still I saw that every single person attended that Jalsa with a special passion and zeal and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, this passion still exists today amongst us.”

Later in the day, His Holiness delivered a second address to the attendees of the Jalsa Salana in which he reminded Ahmadi Muslims to be ever conscious of their conduct and character and to utilise the blessed atmosphere of Jalsa to display and develop the loftiest examples of good morals.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“During these days everyone should assess and critique themselves…The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has stated that every Ahmadi Muslim must be an example of mutual love and brotherhood. There should be such love and brotherhood that is exemplary. And this is among the key objectives of the Jalsa.” 

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“May this spiritual atmosphere be one that creates within us the loftiest examples of piety, righteousness, restraint, kindness, mutual love, brotherhood, humility, humbleness, and truthfulness.”

On Saturday 7th August His Holiness delivered an address to the Ladies side of the Jalsa Salana in which he expounded upon the honour and great status and high rank afforded to women in Islam. Throughout his address, His Holiness advocated, according to the teachings of Islam, women’s rights, including the right to education for all girls.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“If a woman attains good education for the purpose of safeguarding the future generations, then this in itself gives her glad tidings of entering heaven as it is also mentioned in the Hadith, ‘heaven lies beneath the feet of one’s mother’. So, the good upbringing of children and attaining a good education does not only serve as a means for the mothers to enter heaven but for the children too. How grand is this honour and station, which is reserved for women and not given to men!”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“A pious believing woman is such that she can progress many steps ahead of men. A nation whose women are advanced in terms of piety, who are well nurtured and educated and are such that raise their children in light of the true teachings of Islam, is a nation whose future generations will consist of both boys and girls that will continually advance and vie with one another in their levels of piety and righteousness.”

His Holiness explained that the teachings of Islam established and secured the lofty status of women far beyond that of any so called ‘modern’ man-made laws, and so Ahmadi Muslims should feel no hesitation or complex in presenting them as a means of lesson to the rest of the world.

Speaking to the women of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community about their role and responsibilities in this regard Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Every Ahmadi Muslim woman and girl should recognise and understand her status and should beautify her life by adhering to the teachings of Allah the Almighty and as shown by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as opposed to blindly following worldly people under their hollow claims of ‘freedom’ and ‘rights’.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“Today it is the responsibility of every Ahmadi Muslim woman and girl to tell the world about the true status, honour and rank of women. Each and every individual should endeavour for this purpose without any sense of inferiority complex. May Allah the Almighty enable us all to do so.”

On Saturday afternoon Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad presented the annual progress report of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

A few key points from the report of His Holiness are as follows:

  • The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community over the past year has been established in 403 new locations.
  • Despite the pandemic which restricted outreach activities, with the Grace of God, 125,221 new converts from across the world entered the Community. This is an increase of over 13,000 from the previous year.
  • In total, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has acquired and built 211 mosques this year, with Ghana (31) leading the way.
  • Raqeem Press in Farnham, UK has printed more than 315,000 books and pamphlets.
  • MTA International is now running 8 channels – 24/7.
  • A total of 27 Ahmadiyya Muslim Radio stations around the world have been established, with the most in Mali (17) and a new internet radio in the Turkish language.
  • The various international language desks are continuing to translate the Holy Qur’an and the books of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).
  • Through the Nusrat Jahan Scheme, 37 hospitals and clinics of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are running in 12 countries. In these facilities, 49 Markazi (Central) and 14 local doctors are serving. 593 school are being run with 21 Markazi teachers serving along with local teachers.
  • Majlis Ansarullah UK have built an eye clinic in Burkina Faso – the Masroor International Eye Clinic – which will be ready soon to treat patients.

After presenting the report, His Holiness quoted the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) who said:

“Day by day, you [the opponents of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community] are diminishing. Do you not see that your numbers are reducing and yet we are ever increasing?”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:

“May Allah the Almighty grant sense to the opponents [of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community] and enable the people of the world to recognise and understand the message of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and the true message of Islam.” 

The Jalsa Salana UK 2021 concluded with a silent prayer led by His Holiness.

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