Upon entering the Mosque, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
As-salam-o ‘alaikum wa rahmatullah (May the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you.) I have just unveiled the plaque to commemorate the opening of the mosque and the inauguration has now taken place. Usually, the tradition has been that whenever I unveil a plaque for an inauguration, we offer silent prayer. However, today, keeping in line with that practice, instead of a du’a, I will perform sajdah-e-shukar and all of you should join me for God Almighty has granted us this modest headquarters (markaz) and also this mosque. Following this, the Friday sermon shall commence. After this brief announcement, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) recited the Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz, Surah Al-Fatihah and verses 30-32 of Surah al-A’raf and then stated:
The translation of these verses is as follows: Say, ‘My Lord has enjoined justice. And fix your attention aright at every time and place of worship, and call upon Him, making yourselves sincere towards Him in religion. As He brought you into being, so shall you return.’ Some has He guided, and as for others error has become their desert. They have taken evil ones for friends to the exclusion of Allah, and they think that they are rightly guided. O children of Adam! look to your adornment at every time and place of worship, and eat and drink but exceed not the bounds; surely, He does not love those who exceed the bounds.
Alhamdolillah (All Praise belongs to Allah) today, God Almighty has granted us the opportunity to offer the Friday prayers at this mosque in Islamabad. This complex has the capacity for the congregational prayers, meeting, teaching and training sessions and ample office space. Owing to the grace of Allah the Exalted, in the past ten or fifteen years, Jama’at’s have paid special attention to the construction of mosques and as a result of this special attention, mosques are being built. However, this mosque, which I have named ‘Masjid Mubarak’, is significant because the residence of the Khalifa is located here. Similarly, for those serving the Community, there is adequate residence for approximately 29-30 families. May Allah the Exalted enable this mosque to be a reflection of Masjid Mubarak (in Qadian). May it attract and attain the blessings of Allah the Exalted and may it be blessed in every regard.
I have named this mosque based on a Divine revelation of the Promised Messiah (as). The translation of this in the very words of the Promised Messiah (as) is that this mosque is the source and recipient of blessings and every blessed deed will be performed therein. May Allah the Exalted enable the prayers of the Promised Messiah (as), which he offered in Masjid Mubarak in Qadian, as well as his desires and yearnings for Islam to spread across the world and become victorious, be received by this mosque as well. And may this mosque and this centre always remain established, through which the unity of Allah and the message of Islam will be spread across England, Europe and the entire world. May the move of the headquarters here prove to be a blessing in every regard. The progress of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at is a result of the blessings of God Almighty. Neither can any worldly government halt the progress of the Jama’at, nor is Ahmadiyyat in need of support from any worldly government. As long as we follow the commandments of God Almighty, and as long as we endeavour to acquire His pleasure, we will continue to be the recipients of the blessings of God as well as a part of these progresses. Hence, we should continue to assess our conditions.
The attention of the local community is turned towards us now, so you will have to set an example of good behaviour creating an excellent impression on the locals. Our neighbours should not be disturbed by our noise, constant traffic or due to any other reason.
God Almighty has provided us with guidance in the Holy Qur’an in relation to mosques as well. In short, the essence of the principles of worship are that one ought to stand before God as if they are beholding Him or that God is watching them. He should be free from all types of impurities and shirk (associating partners with God) and should keep in mind God Almighty’s grandeur and providence. One should seek forgiveness and repent often and express one’s weakness over and over so that the soul may be purified. Also, so that one may develop a true bond with God Almighty and that they may be submerged in His love.
Thus, in offering our gratitude at the establishment of the new headquarters here, we should raise the standard of our worship and also our moral conditions. Particularly, now in this new environment, the non-Ahmadi neighbours will be observing us with a particular focus, therefore we need to strive even more than before to demonstrate the beautiful teachings of Islam through our practise and our speech. If we lead our lives whilst being mindful of this objective, this alone can become a huge means of our Tabligh (preaching the message) and moreover this will enable us to become grateful to God Almighty and become the recipients of His blessings.
I would also like to mention here that some people display an excellent conduct towards their neighbours and towards others in their society, however their conduct at home towards their wives and children is extremely poor. This does not just impact them alone – although on a personal level God Almighty will punish them for these injustices – however their actions also have an impact on the unity and harmony of the Jama’at. The discord in the home impacts the children and instead of becoming an excellent asset of the Jama’at in the future, they become distanced from the Jama’at and their faith.
Thus, through the establishment of this headquarters, God Almighty has rewarded us both spiritually and from a worldly perspective as well. Thus, we should be grateful to God Almighty by keeping in view all these various aspects. When a worldly person witnesses the scale of the mission of our community, they are left astonished. However, they are even more astounded when they learn that this is all happening purely due to the blessings of God Almighty and the sacrifices of the members of the Jama’at – because in reality we are a very small community whose resources are extremely limited. Such people then realise that the Living God exists even today, and grants help and succour to whomsoever He wills. Thus, through this means as well a worldly person becomes inspired by our teachings and receives the message of Islam. In order to demonstrate the existence of God Almighty, it is essential for our speech and actions to be such that they inspire others.
Thus, this responsibility is not only for the residents of Islamabad or those who have taken residence nearby, rather, every Ahmadi residing in this country, and Ahmadis around the world ought to strive to find ways how one can wave the flag of the Unity of God and how one can bring the world under the flag of the Holy Prophet (sa); they ought to strive as to how they can further aid the mission of the Promised Messiah (as); how they can assist the objectives of the Khalifa and how they can support him through prayers and their own efforts.
God Almighty has granted us the opportunity to inaugurate this mosque in the month of Ramadan. I am not aware during the era of any previous Khalifa, however, in my time, this is the first occasion in which I have inaugurated a mosque in the month of Ramadan.
I will also speak briefly regarding the mosque and the construction project overall. By the grace of Allah, in this mosque, the prayer hall is approximately 314 square meters and can accommodate approximately 500 worshippers. Similarly, adjacent to this there is a hall which can accommodate 1200 people and another place in which 110 people can offer their prayers. In addition to this, there is a covered area in front of the entrance to the hall in which a further 300 people can offer their prayers. Combining these, 1200 and 300 makes it 1500 worshipers, but the total number of people who can offer their prayers here is over 2000 people.
As I mentioned earlier, houses have been constructed as well as offices. Although there are only 3 office blocks, however, there are almost 5 offices in these blocks. This space should also suffice for MTA for their studios etc. There are adequate facilities to perform ablution and washrooms etc. Furthermore, solar panels have been installed and they have tried to install all present-day facilities in order to provide ease.
Nonetheless, may God Almighty continue to shower His blessings. May He enable us to complete all the projects currently under construction and may He enable us to continue with more projects in the future. God Almighty has instilled within the members of the Jamaat to offer financial sacrifices. It is through these sacrifices that all these projects are completed and are being completed and God willing, shall be completed in the future.
May God Almighty increase the financial capacity of the members of the Jamaat and may He bless their wealth and offspring. As there was no special appeal for this project and were carried out using the overall budget of the Jamaat, therefore all the Jamaats around the world have a part in this. There is no distinction that certain Jamaats gave more or less. May God Almighty reward everyone and bless their wealth and offspring.