“There is no Khilafat among other Muslims, only among Ahmadi Muslims there is a Khilafat and people are coming to join us day by day” – Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad

On 27 November 2022, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad held a virtual online meeting with members of Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya (Ahmadiyya Muslim Children’s Auxiliary) from Ghana.

His Holiness presided the meeting from MTA Studios in Islamabad, Tilford, whilst the Nasirat joined the meeting virtually from the MTA Wahab Adam Studios in Accra.

Following a formal session which began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, members of Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya had the opportunity to ask His Holiness a range of questions regarding their faith and contemporary issues.

One of the Nasirat members asked His Holiness how children can develop a good relationship with their parents.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Your parents always want good for you. They do not want anything bad for you. So, whenever they give you any advice or they ask you to do something, that is for your good. So, you should obey them. If they ask you to go to school and study hard and get good marks, that is for your betterment. If they ask you, when you come back home, that you complete your homework first, then it is for your good. If they ask you to keep yourself clean, it will benefit you because this is how you can have good health. If they ask you to offer your five daily prayers then it is for the betterment of your spiritual level. So, you will get closer to Allah the Almighty in this way. Always think that your parents are the people who are the best people in the world, who love you, who care for you and who desire good for you. So, always obey them.”  

Another attendee asked His Holiness why the first chapter of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha has several names.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad replied:

“Because this is the chapter which contains the gist and the summary of the whole of the Holy Qur’an. This is why it has different names and this is the basic Surah that asks you to praise Allah the Almighty and to seek His Refuge. Then it also has so many other Attributes of Allah the Almighty which it contains. [Surah Al-Fatiha is called], ‘the Cure’ because it gives health to your spiritual diseases. You recite Surah in Al-Fatiha, ‘All praise belongs to Allah, who is the Lord of the world, He is the Provider and Sustainer of everything and He is Merciful and Ever Gracious’, and…there are so many other things written in it. So, it has been given the [various] names because it is the Surah which contains all the subject matters which are given in detail in the other parts of the Holy Quran.”

A Nasirat member asked what Islam says about applying make-up and nail polish, braiding hair and wearing wigs.

 Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Islam says that you can wear make-up. But always remember that there are some other duties of a Muslim; you have to offer your daily prayers. When the time for prayer comes, then you should not bother that you are wearing make-up that you should not perform ablution. You should do ablution and offer your prayers and you should not bother about your make-up then. If you only care for your make-up and leave your prayers, and do not fulfil all the requirements which are needed in the prayer, then you are committing a sin, you are doing wrong. Otherwise, there is no harm in doing make-up. You can also use nail polish. It covers your nails, so there is no place between the nails and the nail polish. So, you can perform your ablution with nail polish. There is no harm in it. And also, the way African women braid their hair, there is no harm in it. And using the wigs also, there is no harm in it. So, Islam permits all these things but with the condition that it should not stop you or hinder you from offering your daily prayers or worshipping Allah the Almighty.”

Another girl, aged nine, asked His Holiness what the best is way to build a strong relationship with Allah for children.

“Allah the Almighty says that from age seven to ten you should try to observe your daily prayers. So, the first thing is, if you want a good bond with Allah the Almighty, you should offer your daily prayers and also read the Holy Quran. And if possible, you should try to learn the meaning of the Holy Quran, or at least the meaning of some chapters of the Holy Quran which you recite in your prayers. So, in this way you will strengthen your relation with Allah the Almighty and if you keep on doing it, as you grow up you will get better knowledge and better relation with Allah the Almighty.

During the meeting, an attendee asked His Holiness what subjects young Ahmadi Muslim girls should study and which career paths they should pursue.

Advising her, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“Whichever subject you like, you can study. You can be a doctor, you can be a teacher, you can study law, you can study some other subjects. So, whichever you wish, you can study, and they are all beneficial for you. Always see that you study those subjects which are beneficial for your fellow countrymen, your nation and for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. If you can help your nation and if you can help the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after studying, then all those subjects are good for you.”

Another member of Nasirat-ul-Ahmadiyya asked why there was a division in Islam after the demise of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“It was not immediately after the demise of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). There was a Khilafat-e-Rashidah [Rightly Guided Khilafat] for 30 years and during the time of Hazrat Usman the rift started between Muslims and it was because of the hypocrites of that time who did not want Islam to flourish. It was also prophesied by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that, “after my demise, there will be a true Khilafat – that is Khilafat-e-Rashidah – for some years, and then there will be a rift and division among Muslims.” There is a narration of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that then there will be a rift for a longer period, for almost a thousand years. And after that, the Promised Messiah will come and he will again try to unite the Muslims. So, this is what we Ahmadi Muslims have been doing, that we are trying to unite the Muslims, and this is the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that after the demise of the Promised Messiah, the institution of Khilafat will start and that is what we are saying, that now there is no Khilafat among other Muslims, only among Ahmadi Muslims there is a Khilafat and people are coming to join us day by day. Every year hundreds of thousands of people come to join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. So, this is how we are increasing and others are decreasing.”  

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further said:

“So, this was the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whenever there will be some worldly desire among Muslims, there will be a division, and that is what we saw. There were kings after the thirty years of Khilafat-e-Rashidah. Although it is called ‘Khilafat,’ it was not [true] Khilafat. It was a sort of kingship. So, there were kings and the Khilafat was inherited Khilafat, whereas there is no concept of inherited Khilafat in Islam. But now, since you have accepted the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, you have joined the Community of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and you are the person who has fulfilled the prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). You have accepted the desire of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So, you are a lucky person.”