By Mukarram Muhammad Waa’iz Apooyin sahib
Bismillahir Rahmānir Raheem.
Interestingly, the Holy prophet (ﷺ ) roundly prophesized the advent of a great reformer who was to come in the latter days to rejuvenate faith and bring peace back to the world after all the bloodletting and gory killings mankind would have witnessed.
“The Prophet (ﷺ) said: If only one day of this world remained. Allah would lengthen that day till He raised up in it a man who belongs to me or to my family whose name will be akin to my name, and whose father’s name will be similar to my father’s, he will fill the earth with equity and justice as it has been filled with oppression and tyranny ” (Sunnan Abi Dāud, Kitābul Mahdi, Hadith No 4282).
In the fullness of time, Allah raised Hadrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as the awaited Mahdi and promised Messiah who was to fill the world with justice and equity, supported by numerous heavenly signs, and after an accomplished lifetime dedicated to the service of Islam, he passed on to the world beyond in the year 1908 leaving behind the institution of prophetic khilāfah (Khilafatun ‘ala minhājin Nubuwwah) in the fold of Ahmadiyyah which he had founded under divine commandment in the year 1889, and today is firmly established in over 220 sovereign countries of the world under the leadership of the fifth khaleefah, Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(A.T.B.A).
In his own words, the Promised Messiah(as) has stated in his book titled The Will: “I came from God as a Manifestation of Divine Providence and I am a personification of His Power. And after I am gone there will be some other persons who will be the manifestation of the second Power [of God].’ (Al Wasiyyah, The Will, p. 8)
“The Promised Messiahas has also stated: “It is essential for you to witness the second Manifestation also, and its Coming is better for you because it is everlasting the continuity of which will not end till the Day of Judgement.’ (Ibid, p. 7). This is in clear fulfilment of a grand prophecy of the holy prophet (ﷺ) wherein he says; “Hudhayfah bn Alyaman reports that the prophet[ﷺ] said Prophethood shall remain with you for as long as Allah will, then He shall take it away when He pleases. Thereafter comes successorship under the precepts of prophethood, then He shall take it away when He wishes, then there shall come to being cruel kings, and their rein shall be as long as He wills, after which tyrannical kings shall take their place, then they shall lord as long as He pleases and be taken away when He so desires, and finally, there shall be successorship on the precepts of prophethood(once again)then he( ﷺ) remained silent.[Musnad Ahmad Bn Hanbal, pg No 18406].
The promise of the institution of another rightly guided khilāfah is firmly rooted in the holy Qur’ān. Allah says in Qur’ān chapter 24 vs 56
” Allah has promised those among you who believe and do good works, that He will most certainly appoint successors (khulafāhu) for them on the earth, as He made successors for those who were before them, and He will most definitely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them, and He will most surely after their fear, give them security, they shall serve me not associating aught with me, whoever is ungrateful after this, these it is who are the disobedient ones”
In truth to these prophecies, the khilafat-e – Ahmadiyya has been in existence for the past 115 years, spanning through the eras of five rightly guided khulafāhu.
The modern world on the other hand which is the symbol of the latter days is rife with chaos, warfare, bloodshed, and a host of other palpable crises. In the 19th century, mankind witnessed two destructive world wars(WW1 and WW2) As a matter of fact, 75 million lives were lost in WW2 alone, sadly, majority of the victims were non-combatant civilians. Recently, we had the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and we’re currently witnessing a massive annihilation of the Palestinians by the Israelis, there is also a heightened tension between China and Taiwan, of course, we also have the cold war between The united States Of America and her cronies and China and her allies, and there is virtually no safe haven today in the whole world. As if all these are not enough, the possibility of a far more destructive WW3 is looming over the globe, it could be said that it is now a matter of when and no longer if. Coupled to this is a host of natural hazards, disasters and calamities across the globe in the form of hurricanes [like Katrina], earthquakes [like the vastly destructive case recently in Turkey and some parts of Syria.], tsunamis [like the Tohoku Tsunami in Ishiomaki, Japan], wildfires [like the one in Australia and New Zealand] and even the deadly pandemic [Covid 19 and her variants] which claimed millions of live globally.
Be that as it may, these aforementioned global unrests and natural disasters were meant to be divine fulfilments of many a prophecy about the latter days as contained in numerous scriptures. For instance, the bible says in Matthew 24 vs 7 that: “For nation shall rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places”
The Holy Qur’an confirms this in Sūratul Anbiyaah, 21 vs 100: ” And on that day we shall leave some of them in conflict with others, and the trumpet will be blown, so we will gather them all together”
Furthermore, indiscriminate killings will be one of the features of the latter days according to the holy prophet (ﷺ)
” And there shall be much killing” (Saheehul Bukhāri, Kitābu l Fitan, Bābu fi ashrātis sā’hah, Hadith No 1036).
The questions that readily beckon to the mind of every discerning man are where lies the headway? What is the solution to this global pandemonium and disarray? Can global peace and stability ever be achieved in the face of the current myriad of crises bedeviling our world? I make bold to claim that there is only one panacea that answers all these questions, and it is khilafate Ahmadiyyah being the harbinger of justice and peace in the latter days.
For the past 115 years, Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya has been making great efforts to foster peace in the world, and has granted the world valuable guidance in this regard. Coupled to this, the fourth khaleefatul Maseeh [Hadrat mirza Tahir Ahmad RA] had in 1994 launched “Humanity first”: An international non-governmental organization, to provide aid and relief materials to disaster-struck and socially disadvantaged individuals and families in the poorer communities of the world cutting across six continents; namely, Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America, and South America. As such, Humanity First was at some war-torn parts of Africa, Myanmar, Burma, Ishiomaki, Tohoku, Japan, Australia and New Zealand and a host of other places terribly befallen with natural hazards, war, famine and the likes. Need I say that all these services were rendered pro bono of course, without vested interests, preferential treatments, ulterior motives and primordial sentiments.
In 2004, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khaleefatul Maseeh V[aba] initiated the annual Peace Symposium in the UK where religious leaders, dignitaries, ambassadors, politicians, diplomats, civil rights organisations, parliamentarians, and stakeholders of different backgrounds are invited and Huzoor[A.T.B.A] delivers the keynote speech, addressing guests regarding the bleak situation of the world, the lack of peace, the need for justice and the way forward based on the teachings of Islam, with people from all walks of life who have proven to be good ambassadors of justice and peace also getting awarded.
For the past two decades, Huzoor Aqdas Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (A.T.B.A) has been granting valuable guidance to world leaders with regard to establishing lasting peace and harmony. He wrote letters to the leaders of various countries, delivered keynote addresses in several parliaments, and addressed various receptions held in his honour around the world. The point that he has always emphasized is that the only pathway for mankind to achieve peace is turning to the One God, the Creator of this universe.
It should be borne in mind that there can be no peace without justice been upheld, and that justice cannot be attained by an individual without God consciousness and piety.
Espousing on this point, On 20th of March 2010, addressing the peace symposium at the Baitul Futuh Mosque, Huzoor Aqdas ; Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(A.T.B.A) said: “I wish to make something very clear, and that is that a relationship of mutual love, affection and loyalty between one person and another cannot be established until a relationship of love, affection and loyalty with the Lord Who created us is developed. Distress and anxiety exist nowadays in a large part of the world’s population because the world has forgotten its Creator. People have forgotten the fundamental teachings of their faith. In fact, a great number of people even reject the existence of God.
“The Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community has also taught us that the majority of Muslims and non-Muslims have forgotten their fundamental teachings and have gone far away from God. This growing distance from God and religion is increasing the restlessness in the hearts of people. And he said that he had come, therefore, to remove such distance so that the rights of God may be discharged and the rights of God’s creation may also be discharged with feelings of love and sympathy. When these teachings are acted upon then we will observe real peace; otherwise, agitation will once again bring about utter destruction in the world.” (7th Annual Peace Symposium, www.reviewofreligions.org).
As such, one can only pay the dues of God and fellow humans justly and equitably after a state of piety has been achieved internally, and this is a fundamental requirement for peaceful coexistence both locally and internationally. It could also be said that natural disasters are as a result of Divine wrath, hence it is imperative for mankind to turn in repentance to God, fulfil His rights and the rights of His creations so as to ward off His anger against the world.
His holiness also said that: “True justice requires that the sentiments and the religious practices of all peoples of the world should be honoured and respected too. This is the way by which the peace of mind of people can be kept intact. We should remember that when the peace of mind of a person is disturbed then the peace of mind of the society is also affected. As I said earlier, I am grateful to the British legislators and politicians for fulfilling the requirements of justice and for not interfering in this way. This, in fact, is the teaching of Islam that is given to us by the Holy Qur’an. The Holy Qur’an declares that: There should be no compulsion in religion (ch. 2: v. 257). This commandment not only counters the accusation that Islam was spread by the sword, but also tells Muslims that acceptance of faith is a matter between man and his God, and you should not interfere in this in any way. Everyone is permitted to live according to his faith and to perform his religious rituals. However, if there are any practices performed in the name of religion that harm others and go against the law of the land, then the law enforcers of that State can come into action, because if there is any cruel ritual being practiced in any religion, it cannot be the teaching of any Prophet of God. This is the fundamental principle for establishing peace at the local level as well as the international level. Moreover, Islam teaches us that if as a result of your change of faith, any society, or group or a government tries to interfere in the observance of your religious practice, and thereafter the circumstances change in your favour, then always remember that you must carry no malice or ill-will. You should not think of taking revenge but should rather establish justice and equity. The Holy Qur’an says: O ye who believe! Be steadfast in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is aware of what you do (ch. 5: v. 9). This is the teaching for peace in society. Never depart from justice even for your enemy. The early history of Islam shows us that this teaching was followed and all the demands of justice were fulfilled. I cannot give too many examples of this but history bears testimony to the fact that after the Victory of Makkah, the Holy Prophet[ﷺ] did not take any revenge from those who had tormented him but forgave them and allowed them to adhere to their respective faiths” [World crisis And Pathway to Peace pg 14 – 15].
A clear violation of this Qur’anic injunction is responsible for the palpable bloodletting and heightened tension in Palestine and the entire Middle East today, It is wrong of the UNGA under every canon of justice and fair dealing to have voted a part of the Palestinian land to create the Israeli nation in 1947 as contained in the infamous document known as the Balfour declaration, the carnage, gory killings, endless chaos, bloody orgies that the world have always witnessed from that end could have been avoided by only allowing the Israelis to live peacefully in Palestine as foreigners or at best as countrymen to the Palestinians, that is justice and equity.
Still in his book titled; World crisis and pathway to peace, Huzur Aqdas (A.B.A) said “The Holy Qur’an has given some golden principles for establishing peace in the world. It is an established fact that greed causes enmity to grow. Sometimes it manifests itself in territorial expansion or the seizing of the natural resources or, indeed, in impressing the superiority of some upon others. This leads to cruelty, whether it is at the hands of merciless despots who usurp the rights of people and prove their supremacy in pursuit of their vested interests, or it is at the hands of an invading force. Sometimes, the cries and anguish of the cruelly treated people call out to the outside world.
But be that as it may, we have been taught the following golden principle by the Holy Prophet of Islam(ﷺ) which is: help both the afflicted and the cruel. The Companions of the Prophet[ﷺ] enquired that whereas they could understand helping the afflicted, how could cruel person be helped? The Prophet[ﷺ] responded by saying, ‘By stopping his hand from committing cruelty because his excess in cruelty will make him worthy of God’s punishment. So, out of mercy, you try to save him. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitabul-Ikrah, Babo Yaminir-Rajule Le Sahibihi, Hadith No : 6592) Then he goes further to say: “This principle extends beyond the smallest fibres of society to the international level. In this connection, the Holy Qur’an says: And if two parties of believers fight against each other, make peace between them; then if after that one of them transgresses against the other, fight the party that transgresses until it returns to the command of Allah. Then if it returns, make peace between them with equity, and act justly. Verily, Allah loves the just. (ch. 49: v. 10). Though this teaching is about Muslims, yet by adhering to this principle, the foundation of peace on a worldwide basis can be laid. In order to maintain peace, it has been explained at the outset that the foremost requirement is justice. And, despite abiding by the principle of justice, if efforts to make peace are unsuccessful, then unite and fight collectively against the party that has transgressed and continue until such a time that the transgressing party is ready to make peace. Once the transgressing party is ready to make peace, the requirement of justice is: do not seek revenge, do not impose restrictions or embargoes” [Ibid, pg 16]
He continues by saying “By all means, keep an equitable relationship between the warring parties, without fear or favour or giving to any kind of prejudice or primordial sentiment for none of the two warring parties”.
Had this been done in the saga between Israel and Palestine by the super powers of the world, a whole lot of innocent children including infants would have been saved from the throes of bloody death. It is regrettably sad, that, the big powers of the western world condemned the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, imposed sanctions and embargoes on the Russian government, but looked away in the case of Israel and Palestine, and visibly took sides with the Israelis.
He further said: ” Another principle that we have been taught for restoring peace in the world is not to covetously eye the wealth of others. The Holy Qur’an says: “And strain not thy eyes after what We have bestowed on some classes of them to enjoy for a short time—the splendour of the present world—that We may try them
thereby… (ch. 20: v. 132). Greed or any envy of the wealth of others is a cause of increasing restlessness in the world. On a personal basis, keeping up with the Joneses, as the saying goes, has resulted in unending greed and destroyed social peace. Greedy competition on a national basis started and led to the destruction of world peace. This is proven by history and every sensible person can assess that the desire for the wealth of others causes envy to grow and is the source of loss” [Ibid, pg 17-18].
A good example of the problem exposited herein by His holiness here is the case of the recent multiple coup de ‘tat witnessed in some French speaking countries of Africa, the military mutineers who dethroned democratically elected president cited massive exploitation of their mineral reserves by French authorities and the resultant poverty in their lands as the chief of the reasons for the rebellion.
He goes further to say “Nowadays, the world considers itself more sophisticated, conscious and educated than in the past. Even in the poor countries there are such intelligent souls who have greatly excelled in education in their respective fields. Highly intellectual minds work together in large research centres of the world. Under such circumstances, one should have imagined that people would have joined together and jointly tried to end the wrong ways of thinking and the follies of the past that had resulted in animosities and had led to horrific wars. The God-given intellect and scientific progress should have been used for the betterment of humanity and for devising permissible methods of deriving benefits from one another’s resources. God has bestowed each and every country with natural resources that should have been fully utilised to turn the world into a haven of peace. God has gifted many countries with an excellent climate and environment for growing different crops. Had proper planning been adopted to use modern technology for agriculture, the economy would have strengthened and hunger could have been eliminated from the earth. Those countries that have been endowed with mineral resources should be allowed to develop and trade at fair prices and openly, and one country should benefit from the resources of the other country mutually. So, this would be the right way, the way that is preferred by God Almighty”[Ibid, pg 19-20].
The Qur’an admonishes strong economic giants of the world to empower weak economies from their enormous resources and massive intellectual prowess and not exploit them further under whatever guise, this is another means of establishing justice and peace in the world. Allah [S W T] says “And when it is said to them, spend out of that which Allah has provided you, those who disbelieve say to those who believe, Shall we feed him whom Allah would have fed , if He had so willed ? You are but in manifest error.[Qur’an 36 vs 48]. Commenting on this verse, Hadrat Musleh Ma’ud [RA] says; “The verse seems to imply that Divine punishment referred to in the preceding verses which will overtake the materialistic Christian nations, will take the form of a revolt on the part of the suppressed and starved nations of the East. The Eastern nations will rebel and revolt because the Western nations will have mercilessly exploited them and carried all their wealth to the West and denied them even bare subsistence. It is to this exploitation of the weak Eastern nations by the strong western nations that the reference is made is made in the words “shall we feed him whom Allah would have fed, if He had so willed” [Five – volume commentary, volume 4, pg 2199].
Another guidance of the Holy Qur’an with respect to the subject matter is the equality of all humans, irrespective of race, caste, creed, and social status. Allah The Exalted says in Qur’an 49 vs 14; “O mankind, we have created you from a male and a female, and we have made you into tribes and sub-tribes that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable among you in the sight of Allah is he who is the most righteous among you, surely, Allah is All- Knowing, All – Aware “ Commenting on this verse, Hadrat Musleh ma’ud [RA] says; “From the subject of Islamic Brotherhood to which reference has been made in the preceding two verses, the surah proceeds to lay down in the verse under comment, the basis of an all-comprehensive, all -pervading brotherhood of man. The verse, in fact, constitutes the Magna Carta of human fraternity and equality. It has firmly laid the axe at the false and foolish notions of superiority, born of racial arrogance or national conceit. All men having been “created from a male and a female” as human beings have been declared equal in the sight of God. The worth of a man is not to be judged by the pigment of his skin, the amount of wealth he posseses or by his rank or social status, descent or pedigree, but by his moral greatness and the way in which he discharges his obligations to God and man. The whole human race is but one family. Division into tribes, nations, races, is meant to give them a better knowledge of one another, in order that they may benefit from one another’s national characteristics and good qualities. This, according to Islam, is the criterion of a person’s greatness and this is the only true and real criterion”. [Five – volume commentary, volume 5 pg 2463]
Beloved brethren, it is my ardent belief that the practical steps as given by His holiness from the guidance of the Holy Qur’an, and outlined above, are capable of upholding justice and potent at restoring the much-coveted global peace and stability even in the face of these current crises.
The mainstream Muslims claim that Islam is the religion of peace, but hold that we must kill the apostate, stone the adulterer/adulteress to death, kill a Muslim who refused to offer Salāh (Obligatory prayers) for certain number of days, lynch the blasphemer of the holy prophet(ﷺ), take to swords against the non-Muslims in jihad, and a host of other bloodthirsty notions ascribed erroneously to Islam. It should be stated very unequivocally that all these beliefs are alienated to the true teachings of Islam, and hence, the Islam practiced by such people can never be said to be a religion of peace, so it is not the true Islam, not to talk of being the harbinger of justice and peace in the world. If today the mainstream Muslims were to become the super power of the world; bearing sociopolitical, and economic ascendancy, whilst holding to those bloody notions earlier mentioned, they will further compound the pandemonium and disarray currently enveloping the planet earth, and fresh carnages potentially await mankind, hence there is no single fibre of solution in such Islam, rather it promises to be a bigger problem.
As such, our beloved huzoor[A B A] has said that: “ In this troubled time, where clouds of tensions, fears and dangers hover overhead, let humanity gather under the Divine umbrella of khilafat-e- Ahmadiyyah. It is the umbrella of safety from fear, and of peace and security” [www.theglobaloutreach.net].
Beloved brethren, it is our duty as members of the community of the promised Messiah(A.S) and subjects of the khaleefah of the time(A. T. B.A)who practice the true Islam which radiates peace and harmony to uphold justice at all levels and foster peaceful coexistence in our immediate environment and beyond.
Let me leave you with the words of the Second Khaleefatul Maseeh, Hadrat Mirza Basheeruddin Mahmud Ahmad(R.A). During his Friday Sermon on 26 October 1923, Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih II (ra): “said that Allah the Almighty grants certain names to the prophets, and the reflection of those names is also manifested in certain members of their communities: “God Almighty had granted various names to the Holy Prophet (saw). When contemporary Muslims deviated from the right path, this act of theirs displeased God Almighty. Therefore, in order to reform them, He granted all those names of the Holy Prophet (saw) to his perfect reflection [Promised Messiah as], and granted such meanings [to those names] which God Almighty desires to propagate in this era. Therefore, it is the duty of our Jamaat to ponder over those names, and to strive to fulfil the prophecies [which have been indicated therein].
“One of the names that have been granted to the Promised Messiahas is: “The Prince of Peace.’ [Tadhkirah [2009], p. 1061)
“Thus, as I have stated earlier, the [Ahmadiyya Muslim] Jamaat is to become the manifestation of that ‘seed’ which is enclosed therein. And when the Promised Messiahas is called ‘The Prince of Peace’, it implies that the ‘seed’ that has been sown through him, will be manifested in his Jamaat, and that his Jamaat will establish peace in the world at a time of great disorder. As a seed, this characteristic was only present in the Promised Messiahas, however, it will be manifested as a tree within his Jamaat. [ www.alhakam.org/library].
“Therefore, remember that you have been created [as a Jamaat] to establish peace in the world. Currently, we witness that there are disputes and disorders everywhere. It is quite possible that our current generation or the next one might get the opportunity and honour of establishing peace and conciliation during these disputes and disorders, however, it will surely be granted to the Promised Messiah’s (as) Jamaat.
“Hence, I advise you to ponder over this point, keeping in mind this revelation [‘The Prince of Peace’] of the Promised Messiah (as). During the time of the Promised Messiah (as), individuals were united [on his hand], and he emphasised them to inculcate mutual harmony and hence laid the foundation of peace. Now, it is the duty of the Jamaat, which has been gathered at the hand of this ma‘mur [God’s appointee], to foster harmony among nations. And it is quite possible that this responsibility might be given to your current generation. [Ibid]
“Therefore, God desired for the Promised Messiah’s (as) Jamaat to be a source of conciliation between enemies, regardless of the huge numbers of those enemies in comparison to the small number of this Jamaat. This age has exceeded the other eras in terms of the number of disorders; nations and countries are clashing with each other. [www.alislam.org]
I am the tree that bore fruits resembling Dawud [David]; I became Dawud and Jalut [Goliath] is my prey.” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V [English], p. 171).
Commenting on this, during his address at the annual Ijtema of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya on 24 October 1959, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said: “Jalut [Goliath] implies the one who creates disorder and shatters the peace of society. Therefore, it means that Allah the Almighty will establish peace in the world through the Promised Messiahas, and eradicate all kinds of mischief and troubles. Thus, continue to propagate Islam and hold fast to the system of Khilafat with complete sincerity.[Ibid]
In conclusion, it is evident from the foregoing, that the Khilafate Ahmadiyyah is the panacea to global crisis, nay the harbinger of justice and peace in the latter days. May Allah direct the hearts of the world leaders to embrace the practical steps to uphold justice and thereby promote peace in the world, May He also direct the mainstream Muslims to the ingenuity of khilafate Ahmadiyyah and ultimately accept the Imam of the age, so that together we may all be part of the solution and not the problem, May He unite all mankind and make way for true justice to prevail in the world that we may yet the spared the scourges of another global nuclear war: the consequences of which is better imagined than experienced.
Jazaakumullaahu Khayran for listening!
Was Salaamu Alaykum Warahmatullaahi Wabarakaatuhu.
