(Dr. Mohsin Ilahi)
1. Introduction and Motivation
This month we celebrate Khilafat Day. I felt a strong desire to write down for the first time some of my humble personal accounts regarding this matter on a public platform. There are mainly two reasons for this. Firstly, the intention is to document some of the blessings of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya that may become a way to express my gratitude to Allah, the Almighty. Secondly, there is a hope that it may benefit some of the readers in some way or the other. InShaAllah!
By the grace & mercy of Allah, the Almighty, I was born into an Ahmadi family and my maternal great-grandfather Hazrat Ghulam Rasool Khan (ra) was a pioneering companion of Promised Messiah (as) from Kashmir. That way some of the blessings and traditions of Jamaat were received as a form of inheritance. One such blessing was the early connection with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. Alhamdulillah!
Every born Ahmadi Muslim associated with families of companions of the Promised Messiah (as) has a lot of faith-inspiring stories to share. The same is the case here. One would like to restrict this article to some personal stories and memories worth sharing. How the love for Khilafat was evolving by the sheer grace and mercy of Allah, the Almighty from my early childhood days all the way up to the end of my teenage. A humble attempt is being made to recollect some of the cherished memories that helped greatly in fostering an early connection with Khilafat. Readers will easily notice that the central theme of all these stories and memories is a divine plan that was behind the scenes and was getting me connected with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya consciously or unconsciously.
2. Few Childhood Memories of Early Connection with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya
In my childhood days, it was a routine to visit my Late maternal grandfather Master Mahmood Ahmad Khan (May Allah have mercy on him!) on vacations whom we used to call Papa. He used to tell me historical stories about Khilafat in so many interesting ways that they are etched in my memory forever. Sitting on his bed alongside him was an amazing informal classroom setting where a lot was learnt about Khilafat. His bed was often surrounded by Weekly Magazine Badr, Monthly Magazines Mishkat and Review of Religions, and a bunch of local Urdu newspapers of the Kashmir valley for which he had developed a special taste over the years. In retrospect, one now realizes how these early experiences helped me to develop a special taste for reading literature especially related to Jamaat in my childhood.
I was perhaps in the 8th or 9th class and was visiting my grandfather as usual on vacations. Something unusual happened this time while exploring some old possessions of the grandfather. A collection of audio tape cassettes loaded with recordings of some speeches of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad (ra) was discovered by me. Such audio tape cassettes were medium to get connected with Khalifat Ul Masih before MTA came into existence. When one of those audio cassettes was played, perhaps for the first time the awe-inspiring voice of Khalifat Ul Masih IV (aa) entered my ears. The voice of the speech sounded so charming and the content was even more charming. It was listened to so many times that it simply got committed to the memory forever. The subject matter of that recorded faith-inspiring speech of Jalsa Salana Holland was about the triangular connection of Taqdeer, Tadbeer, and Dua. In retrospect, for me making sense of such a deep speech was like a miracle in itself and indeed a blessing of Khilafat.
3. First Meeting with Khalifat-Ul-Masih V (aa) and a Blessed Dream
After finishing the 10th class exams, I volunteered first time for Jalsa Salana Qadian, 2005. This was historic Jalsa as Khalifat Ul Masih V (aa) was visiting Qadian for the first time. The spiritually charged atmosphere of those days in Qadian can’t be described in words. Ahmadis were intoxicated in the love of Khalifa and no opportunity was missed to see the beautiful countenance of Khalifat Ul Masih (aa). The family meetings and mass meeting sessions of a large number of Ahmadis visiting this Jalsa were going on. I too got the first opportunity in life to touch the blessed hand of Khalifa in Majid Aqsa and was gifted a special pen. On this blessed hand, Ba’it (pledge of allegiance) was taken live on MTA back in April 2003 to sell soul and body like other millions of Ahmadi Muslims. Back then, the love of Khalifat in me was not evolved that much. However, the two blessed gifts, a pen and a picture with Huzur (aa) are the treasures in my treasure box preserved for posterity from this first blessed meeting. They are developing a love for Khilafat in me now more than ever before. Alhamdulillah!
In the 12th class, I saw a dream in which a warm hug by Khalifat Ul Masih V(aa) was blessed to the worthless writer. Upon sharing this dream with my family and expressing the spiritual cheerful feelings which are felt even now while writing about it, it was decided that a letter to Huzur (aa) must be written about it. This was my first humble letter to a Khalifa. Fortunately, our father is good at drafting letters, so it was a smooth process with his help to get started with letter writing. Indeed, it is a powerful personal channel for an Ahmadi Muslim to get connected with the spiritual powerhouse of the world. Then onwards, writing letters and watching live Friday sermons became a quite regular practice with ever-increasing seriousness. Alhamdulillah!
4. Second Meeting and First-Ever Friday Prayer Behind Khalifat-Ul-Masih V (aa)
The second meeting was in 2008. Due to some circumstances it became most likely that Huzur (aa) may go back to London from Baitul Hadi Mosque directly without participating in Jalsa Salana Qadian, 2008. This was a special Jalsa Salana as it was also the Khilafat Centenary year for which there was a wait for a century and thus, once in a lifetime opportunity was apparently going to be lost.
I had joined Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) for B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics in August 2008. We were a few Ahmadi students at AMU and became restless to meet the most beloved Huzur (aa) in Delhi before Huzur (aa) leaves for London. We hurriedly boarded a train on the night of 3rd December 2008 at Aligarh railway station without having seats. We were standing throughout the 3-hour night journey. This sacrifice of sleep was nothing in comparison to the reward awaiting all of us. We reached Baitul Hadi Mosque at Fajr time.
We were given a meeting opportunity outside Huzur’s office door when he was leaving for Magrib Namaz. Even meeting at the door was a huge blessing for us and of course the best moment of our lives to cherish. All students from AMU had made a line. One by one we were meeting at the door and blessed pictures were being taken. Within a minute my turn came in. One cannot describe the condition of the heart in those blessed moments. The Nur of Huzur’s (aa) blessed countenance was radiating like a full moon. One couldn’t make slight eye contact with the Nur-filled blessed eyes of his. Then Huzur (aa) in a usual loving tune asked “Kis Jamaat say ho” and I replied back “Nasirabad Kashmir”. While touching my eyes to the blessed hand and delivering a kiss on that cozy hand, it felt as if a spiritually charged current had passed through my body. The strange and special calmness that was felt on witnessing this unique spiritual current through my body has left an indelible mark on my heart and mind.
The next day, that is, 5th December 2008 was Friday and we decided to offer Friday prayers behind Huzur (aa) for the first time. There was a competition to stay as near to Huzur (aa) as possible. By the grace of Allah, the Almighty a place in the third or fouth row was secured. Towards the end of the Friday sermon, Huzur (aa) announced that I have instructed based on indications from Allah, the Almighty no Ahmadi should come from outside India to attend Jalsa Salana Qadian 2008. Upon hearing this, the hearts of Ahmadis were broken. One still vividly remembers the person beside me was former Sadr Khuddamul Ahmadiyya Bharat. He wept there and then upon hearing this from Huzur (aa). I was surprised and awe-inspired to see his love for Khalifa. It was my first such experience to see how much Ahmadis love the Khalifa and left a profound effect on me. This was indeed a unique experience. Even to this day, whenever I meet that person, it reminds me of that spiritual experience, and a lot of spiritual energy charges me.
The treasure received in this meeting is a photograph with Huzur (aa) while kissing his hand. This photograph has been glass framed recently and sits on my study table with all its glory and majesty. One sees it day in and day out and receives a spiritual light that is impossible to describe in words.
Conclusion
In short, there is a lot to share as Huzur’s Friday Sermon on Shaheed Syed Talaay Ahmed’s life showed us recently that the love of Khilafat and the connection with it cannot be completely hidden. It naturally comes out in various forms. However, one must always remember it’s actually Allah, the Almighty Who puts by His hands the love for Khilafat in the hearts of people. We Ahmadis are so fortunate and blessed to be the only community in this day and age to have this great blessing. Alhamdulillah!
However, reaping all the blessings from the institution of Khilafat comes with the responsibility of building and nurturing a strong connection with the Khalifa of the time. Every Ahmadi Muslim should write letters to develop a personal connection. Watch live Friday sermons and various other programs and speeches on MTA to receive divine guidance directly. Then it should be followed in true letter and spirit throughout one’s life to receive maximum blessings. May Allah, the Almighty bless all of us to develop a strong connection with Khalifat-e-Ahmadiyya! May we contribute to the best of our abilities to pass on this connection safely to the next generations and live up to the expectations of the pledge that was taken at the hands of the Khalifat Ul Masih V (aa) in 2008. Ameen!!
About the Author: Dr. Mohsin Ilahi is a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) where he is currently working as a post-doctoral fellow. He is leading operations for academic programs of Kashmiri Institute of Mathematical Sciences (KIMS) and is Chairperson for KIMS AMU Outreach Chapter. His current research interest is the applications of quantum computing in various branches of physical sciences. He is involved in many research projects.