Understanding the True Essence of Khilafat Day
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta`awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmadایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that today is the 27 May which is known as Khilafat Day in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.
Fulfilment of a Divine Promise
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that on this day we hold gatherings commemorating Khilafat Day, but why? It is important to always keep that answer to this question in mind. This day first started on 27 May 1908 when, in fulfilment of His promise, God established Khilafat in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام had been informing the Community for some time that his time to pass on was drawing near, however, at the same time, he would give the glad tidings that God had promised this Community’s success which would be led by the system of Khilafat.
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that once, the Holy Prophetﷺ said to his Companions that he would remain among them so long as God willed and after his demise, Khilafat upon the precepts of prophethood would be established; these Caliphs would be in complete subservience to the Holy Prophetﷺ and then, this Khilafat would end whenever God willed. Thereafter would follow tyrannical monarchy and upon its end would follow monarchical despotism. The Holy Prophetﷺ prophesied when all this would take place in the Muslim Ummah, when God would manifest His mercy and establish Khilafat upon the precepts of prophethood once again. Then, the Holy Prophetﷺ remained silent.
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز explained that this prophecy of the Holy Prophetﷺ about the ending of cruelty was for those who accepted the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام and acted according to his teachings. If people do not avail this opportunity given to them by God, then the result is certainly that which is being seen with the rest of the Muslims world today. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز prayed that may Allah enable everyone to accept the True Servant of the Holy Prophetﷺ.
A Caliphate to Remain Until the End of Time
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that the fact that the Holy Prophetﷺ remained silent after mentioning the second establishment of Khilafat upon the precepts of prophethood shows that this second manifestation and system of Khilafat would remain for a long time. There are some who think that the Holy Prophet’sﷺ silence afterwards indicated that this Khilafat would end soon after the Promised Messiah’sعلیہ السلام time. However, the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام himself has explained that this institution of Khilafat would remain and persist.
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز quoted the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام who said that according to God’s promise to him which has been published in his book Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, the second manifestation after him – Khilafat – would remain until the end of time as God would continue to commission people for the safeguarding and progress of this Community and Khilafat. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that those of us who have always remained attached to Khilafat are fortunate, and unfortunate are those who wish to limit Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya to a certain period of time. Such people will only ever experience defeat.
A Second Manifestation to Continue the Task of the Prophet
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز quoted the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام who said that he was the first manifestation sent by God, and that after him, there would be others serving as the fulfilment of the second manifestation in the revival of Islam. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that thus, the promises made by God to the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام regarding the establishment of Khilafat and the success of this Community will surely be fulfilled and will certainly come to pass. The Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام said that according to God’s decree, His chosen ones are always victorious, as He states in the Holy Qur’an:
“Allah has decreed: ‘Most surely I will prevail, I and My Messengers.’ Verily, Allah is Powerful, Mighty.” (58:22)
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز further quoted the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام who explained that prophets are commissioned to present God to the people and so that they may sow the seeds, but these seeds do not grow fully during the prophets’ time. Rather, there comes after them a second manifestation which sees to the fulfilment of their mission. Hence, the institution of Khilafat established after the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام serves the same purpose. As such, God inculcates a special bond and love within the hearts of people for Khilafat. In fact, this bond and love are even established in the hearts of new Ahmadis. This is all only possible due to the blessings of God. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that in history we find that the sincerity and loyalty shown at the time of the First Caliph’sرضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ election is a clear indication of God’s help. Even though there was a very small number of hypocrites who wished to raise disorder, they were unable to so much as rear their heads.
Similarly, there were those who sought to create disorder at the time of the Second Caliph’sرضی اللہ تعالیٰ عنہ election. Yet, the world saw thereafter how rapidly the Community spread, with the establishment of mission houses and the publication of literature etc. Then, during the Third Caliph’sرحمہ اللہ تعالیٰ time, despite great opposition from the government, the Community continued to spread. The Fourth Caliph’sرحمہ اللہ تعالیٰ time saw new avenues being opened in the spread of Islam and though there were those who sought to hinder him, the Community only continued to flourish that much more. If these were not fulfilments of God’s promise then what were?
Then during the fifth caliphate, we have seen the immense progress made by MTA with the establishment of new channels in more languages reaching further than ever before, as a result of which the message of true Islam is being introduced to those who had never heard of it. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that upon studying the history of Ahmadiyyat. We find that God Himself would guide people to accept the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام. This then continued into the first caliphate, the second caliphate, the third caliphate, the fourth caliphate and now the fifth caliphate. This is all due to promises made by God to the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام. There are innumerable incidents of the miraculous ways in which people are guided towards Islam Ahmadiyyat, such that God’s helping hand is evidently clear.
Miraculous Ways in Which Allah Guides Towards the True Islam
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز narrated various incidents about how people have been miraculously guided towards accepting Islam Ahmadiyyat.
For example, a Christian man in Guinea-Bissau saw a dream in which a man wearing a turban was delivering an address to a crowd of people. He saw this same dream three times but could not recognise who this was. Some time later, he was in a nearby town and saw the Ahmadis watching the Friday Sermon on MTA. He asked who this was and was informed that this was the Caliph. Afterwards, he prayed with the Ahmadis and then announced that he was accepting Ahmadiyyat because this man who he saw on MTA was the same person he had seen in his dream, addressing people in the same manner.
Hence, these are the ways in which God guides people, even if they reside in far-off places. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that some may ask why such incidents don’t occur with them. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that these are the blessings of Allah, and it is also necessary for one to be sincere and pure in nature.
His Holiness ایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز narrated that Ahmadis in Congo-Kinshasa had gone out to propagate the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat but were met with great opposition. Sometime later, one of the people who raised opposition called the mission house and said that he wished to accept Ahmadiyyat with his entire family. When asked what caused this change of heart, he explained that his wife had come across the MTA channel and insisted that he sit with her to watch His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز delivering his sermon. Though this person was at the forefront of opposition to Ahmadiyyat, upon hearing His Holiness’ایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز sermon, he became enlightened as to the truth and decided to accept Ahmadiyyat.
His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that this is the manner in which God Himself sees to the fulfilment of His promise made about the success and victory of this Community. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز narrated many more incidents about the miraculous ways in which God guided people around the world towards accepting the truth of Islam Ahmadiyyat. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that these are the ways in which God grants the Community sincere and loyal people and this will continue to happen by the grace of Allah. This is something which worldly people cannot understand. So long as people remain faithfully attached to Khilafat, they will reap the blessings of God.
However, to achieve this, it is necessary to always remain mindful of our actions and ensure that they are in accordance with the commandments of God and are for the sake of attaining the pleasure of God Almighty. As the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام explains, God has mentioned the doing of good deeds along with the mention of faith. Hence, we must always remain mindful of these things, so that we may all partake in the bountiful blessings promised by God to the Promised Messiahعلیہ السلام. We must ensure that we remain attached to Khilafat so that we may be united in spreading the message of God to the entire world. His Holinessایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ بنصرہ العزیز said that every Ahmadi must have a bond of sincerity and loyalty with Khilafat, which will in turn enable them to fulfil the purpose of their oath of allegiance. This in essence, is the true purpose of commemorating Khilafat Day.
Pledge at the occasion of 100 years on Khilafat
“Today at the completion of 100 years of Khilafat–e–Ahmadiyya, we swear an oath to Allah to vouch to spread Islam and Ahmadiyyat and to make the name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) reach the corners of the earth, we shall keep exerting till the last moments of our lives, and for the accomplishments of this cause and duty, will always keep of our lives dedicated to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and will offer every sacrifice, no matter how big is that, to raise the flag of Islam higher, in every country of the world, till the last day of the earth.
We also affirm that we shall strive till the last breath to safeguard the institution of Khilafat and its stability and shall direct our progeny after progeny, to always be bonded with Khilafat and be given the blessings of it, so that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya continues to go on safe and sound and the propagation of Islam may go on through Ahmadiyyat till the Day of Judgment and the flag of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) may fly higher and higher than all the other flags in the world. O God, grant us the capacity to fulfill this pledge.”
