Featured Khilafat

Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya: A Sign for Today – A Sign for Tomorrow

Chaudhry S.A, Canada

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V
© Makhzan e Tasaweer

Thousands of signs bear witness to my truthfulness, and for a sincere seeker of truth, the door to divine signs has not closed.

Appendix of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya Part V, Ruhani Khaza’in Vol. 21, pg. 304

How could it be that after manifesting thousands upon thousands of inimitable signs for His Mahdi and Messiah(as), the Living God should suddenly become silent? It is inconceivable that the Messiah(as), whose mission it was to demonstrate the existence of the Infinite and Self-Sustaining God, should not be granted a divine sign through which later peoples could also attest to the truth of the Promised Messiah’s(as) claim. The Promised Messiah(as) himself explains,

A sign is such a vital matter that without it, it is not possible to fully believe even in the existence of God Almighty.

Nusratul Haqq, pg. 80 (B.A V)

When the demise of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian(as) drew near, and he received continuous revelations foretelling his passing, God the Almighty vouchsafed a timeless sign for His revered Messiah’s(as) truthfulness. As he wrote,

God’s Word informs me that many calamities will occur and many disasters will descend on the earth – some during my lifetime and some after I have gone. And He will promote and advance this Jama‘at [community] to the full. A part of it will happen at my hands, and some after me…Thus one who remains steadfast till the end witnesses this miracle of God. This is what happened at the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq(ra).

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, The Will, pg. 7

It is a well-established fact that Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq(ra) succeeded the Holy Prophet of Islam(sa), and through him, the second divine manifestation for the signs of God’s truth descended. Several prophecies which had been made by the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) found their fulfilment in the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra), and even more in the time of Hazrat ‘Umar(ra), Uthman(ra), and Hazrat Ali(ra).

To this effect, the Promised Messiah(as) writes about his own era,

There has been a continuous succession of signs with me from the very beginning…

In the future too, God Almighty will not leave this movement without signs, nor will He withdraw His support from it. Indeed, according to His holy promises, He will continue to manifest His fresh signs at their appropriate times.

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Essence of Islam Vol. 3, pgs. 341-42

And so, following the demise of the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi(as), Hazrat Maulawi Hakeem Nooruddin(ra) was elected as the first Successor to the Promised Messiah(as). Those who thought that with his demise, the fountains of fresh miracles and the streams of sacred signs had run dry were themselves astonished.

The world watched as mischief-mongers – some in the cloak of clerics and others in the guise of governments – sought to smother this flame of ‘love for all, hatred for none.’ Yet, every instance of opposition gave life to hundreds of divine signs through the Khilafat of the Promised Messiah(as). And this was precisely what he had foretold, saying,

I can never believe that these great signs will fail to appear…And, O dear people, be certain that, unless a person has the support of the God of heaven, he cannot have the courage to stand firm against the whole world and claim to do what is beyond his power. Can anyone who stands against the whole world with such strength and hearty steadfastness do so on his own? Certainly not.

Keynote Address by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V(aba) at the inauguration of Khilafat Hall in Sydney on 18th October 2013

The Inner Peace of His Holiness(aba)

The genius of true Khilafat, and a sign which captures the heart of every sincere person, is that it practices what it preaches. The Successors of the Promised Messiah(as) have been vanguards of virtue on this front, smothering the flames of extremism and radicalism for over a century. The proliferation of peace in a time so wrought with international instability is a grand sign in today’s age. To invite the whole world toward peace demands someone who is himself a shining beacon of inner peace; free from any malice or rancour. Today, people from all walks of life, levels of education, and countries of the world are bearing witness to these qualities in His Holiness above all other people of the world.

At the inauguration of Baitul Wahid Mosque in Hanau, an academic, Helga Daschelt, noted, ‘Your Khalifah is a man who does not just give guidance but he acts upon and lives his life according to what he preaches. I am honoured that he has travelled from so far in London to shine a light on peace and this proves how much he values peace.’

Due to his deeply humble character, His Holiness seldom mentions his own example. On one rare instance in 2015, however, he explained his own state of exemplary patience and tolerance, saying,

I myself was a victim of the anti-Ahmadi laws in Pakistan and was arrested, but I have no ill will or anger against those who were behind it.

Frankfurt, Meeting with German Academics, 26 May 2015

He Will Turn Fear into Peace

Such testimonies about the spiritual radiance and inspiring spirituality of his Holiness run well into hundreds of thousands, and each one is a fresh sign of the Promised Messiah’s(as) truthfulness. People repeatedly express the unrivalled level of tranquillity and serenity they’ve felt in his pristine proximity. Paul Kunz, a guest at the inauguration of the Baitul Wahid Mosque in Germany, observed, ‘I am a Christian. But today, the Muslim Khalifah has entered my heart and his message will stay there forever.’

Even humanists, who do not subscribe to the concept of God, admit to the incredible Godliness and spirituality that emanates from His Holiness. Mr. Coexter observed, ‘We humanists value secularism and logic, yet when I saw the Khalifah today and heard him I felt spirituality and I found myself agreeing with everything he said. If every person in the world was like the Khalifah the world would be an abode of peace. I also have to say he is extremely brave when he speaks about the double standards in foreign policies. This shows he is a man of truth.

The Promised Messiah(as) writes,

Bear in mind that the miraculous life of one righteous person evidences greater proof of the existence of God Almighty than the [entire] heavens and the earth insofar as no one has ever seen God creating the heavens and the earth with His own hand.

Nusratul Haqq, pg. 56

The very person of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V(aba) today is a glaring testament to the truth of the Promised Messiah’s(as) signs. The truth of the Khalifah today validates and verifies the truth of the Promised Messiah(as), for it was the First Messiah(as) himself who announced that:

…a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit.

The Bible, Luke 6:43-45 (KJV)

This is the litmus test for determining the truthfulness of prophets according to Jesus Christ(as) himself. Indeed, when the roots of a tree are firmly affixed in the soil and its branches reach gloriously in every direction, it is easy to forget the genius of the seed from whence it emerged. However, this beautiful community of God knows that every sweet fruit that grows on the tree of Ahmadiyyat, and every fragranced flower that buds on its branches, is but another heavenly sign in the ever-growing garden of Ahmad(as), the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi of the age.

Today, each one of the hundreds of thousands around the world pledging allegiance to Khilafat every year is a shining sign of the Promised Messiah’s(as) truth. The timelessness of the Promised Messiah’s(as) signs is one of the greatest manifestations of God’s mercy, since now God has manifested a continuous fountain of signs for people all over the world to come face-to-face with their God; before, for one to embark on a journey to quench his spiritual thirst, he had to travel the world over. Yet, today the water of God’s representative is literally streaming into homes globally through MTA International.

Today and forevermore, a sincere seeker of truth who leaves his home to find God need look no further, for the Ahmadiyya Khilafat will always stand ready to demonstrate – by God’s will – the truth of the Promised Messiah(as), Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian.