Address by the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), at the concluding session of the MTA International Conference 2021
The Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), delivered the keynote address at the conclusion of the MTA International Conference on Sunday, 27thJune 2021. His Holiness (aba) presided the final session from his office in Islamabad, Tilford, UK, whilst the attendees of the conference joined virtually from the Baitul Futuh Mosque in London and several other studios of MTA International from around the world. The conference was attended virtually by over 600 participants from thirty countries and included training on increasing productivity and setting goals for the future. The official transcript of the address delivered by His Holiness (aba) on this occasion is presented below:
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Bismillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) said:
‘Alhamdulillah [all praise belongs to Allah], MTA has been able to hold its International Conference this weekend and I hope and pray that all of you will have benefitted from the various programmes and training that have taken place.
In this era, the Promised Messiah (as) was sent by Allah the Almighty to revive the true teachings of the Holy Qur’an and the Holy Prophet (sa) and to convey those noble teachings to all parts of the world. In this regard, the Promised Messiah (as) himself stated that the era of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) was the age of the perfection of true guidance and that his era was to be the age of the completion of the propagation of the perfect guidance, through the utilisation of modern technologies and resources that were not available in bygone eras. In short, the great mission of the Promised Messiah (as) was to spread the teachings of the Holy Prophet (sa) to all nations and peoples and to achieve this great objective, Allah the Almighty Himself provided the means.
During his lifetime, the Promised Messiah (as) wrote many books in order to propagate Islam’s teachings and to defend it from the myriad of false allegations and criticisms levelled at it by its opponents. Each one of his books shone a timeless and illuminating light upon the pristine and magnificent teachings of Islam. The Promised Messiah (as) informed the world that only through Islam’s sublime teachings was it now possible to forge a loving and pure bond between mankind and his Creator. Only through Islam could human beings truly fulfil the rights of God Almighty.
Similarly, he taught that it is only by acting upon Islam’s teachings that a believer can fully discharge the rights owed to one’s fellow beings. It was these perfect teachings of Islam that the Promised Messiah (as) presented immaculately in his books, addresses and other discourses. According to the circumstances of his era, more than a century ago, the Promised Messiah (as) devised an outstanding scheme for tabligh [propagation the religion] and utilised various means to spread the message of Islam.
As the print media was by then established and was an efficient means of conveying information and sharing one’s beliefs, the Promised Messiah (as) regularly published articles or statements as adverts in newspapers so that the message and true teachings of Islam could be disseminated far and wide. Furthermore, for the sake of the spread of Islam, the Promised Messiah (as) instructed his followers to gain an in-depth knowledge of their faith and beliefs and to then devote their lives for the sake of propagating and preaching it to others. Most certainly, until his last breath, the Promised Messiah (as) sought to fulfil his divine mission to convey Islam’s teachings not just within his nation, but across borders and continents.
Indeed, history bears witness to the fact that the message of the Promised Messiah (as) reached the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom during his life through an array of media coverage. For example, the open challenges he made to the opponents of Islam were reported upon by famous newspapers in the West. It is not necessary to mention the details of those incidents at this time, but suffice to say, it is clear that the Promised Messiah (as) frequently utilised the print media for the sake of serving Islam and in the cause of imparting its noble teachings to a vast audience.
Thereafter, following his departure from this world, Allah the Almighty established the institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. From the very beginning, great efforts were made to continue the mission of the Promised Messiah (as) and to ensure that the teachings of Islam reached all parts of the world. For example, during the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra), a Jama’at [community] missionary was sent to the UK to introduce the teachings and beliefs of true Islam to the British people. Thereafter, during the era of the Second Khalifah (ra), tabligh efforts rapidly accelerated and the message of the Jama’at spread further and further afield and reached several European and African countries, as well as North America and various other nations and islands.
Great strides were taken as the Jama’at continued to flourish and expand. Yet, due to our limited resources, it was not possible for the message of Ahmadiyyat to reach every part of the world during the early years of the Second Khilafat. Nonetheless, Allah the Almighty continued to bless whatever limited means the Jama’at had manifold. During that early period, the most efficient means of spreading Islam’s teachings remained the print media and the publication of literature.
Then, in 1938, a new chapter in the history of the Jama’at commenced, when, for the very first time, the message of true Islam was delivered through the voice of the Khalifah of the time to a large audience through the means of a loudspeaker. On that historic occasion, the Second Khalifah (ra) delivered an address at Masjid Aqsa in Qadian. At that time, the use of the loudspeaker to amplify his voice was considered a revolutionary means of progress and a remarkable way of conveying the teachings of Islam. However, at that moment, where people were rejoicing over the loudspeaker, the Second Khalifah (ra) prophesied and declared that the time was surely near when the Khalifah of the time would deliver a speech in Qadian, whilst simultaneously his voice would be heard in every nation and every corner of the world.
In the years that followed, glimpses of that blessed future came into view, as the message of the Promised Messiah (as) and the voice of the Khalifah of the time continued to reach further afield. For example, Jama’at missionaries and other representatives appointed by the Khalifah of the time were sent to different countries from where they were able to transmit the message of Islam through the means of the radio. Our missionaries were able to acquire slots on public or commercial radio stations and were thus able to present the perfect teachings of Islam and Ahmadiyyat to a much wider audience. At that time, those radio programmes were considered a great achievement and a source of pride and joy for the members of the Jama’at. I recall that when the missionaries used to send the reports of their radio programmes to the markaz [international centre] they were published with great enthusiasm by the Jama’at newspapers, such as Al-Fazl, and were given a lot of prominence.
If we fast-forward to today, we see how, with the Grace of Allah the Almighty, it is no longer the case that we are dependent upon others to acquire occasional radio slots; rather, in some African countries and here in the UK, we are now able to spread the message of Ahmadiyyat through our very own radio stations and channels. Of course, we are also no longer limited to radio, but through the immense blessings and Grace of Allah the Almighty, we are now able to convey the message of Islam through the medium of television.
When TV first started it was a very limited platform where news and information was broadcast on TV channels at a local level within a country’s borders. However, when Allah the Almighty provided our Jama’at with the inspiration, resources and capability to launch its own TV channel, He also created the means, through satellite, for our channel to broadcast Islam’s exquisite teachings to every corner of the world. Unquestionably, this is a fulfilment of the grand promise and revelation of Allah the Almighty to the Promised Messiah that:
‘I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth.’
Alhamdulillah, with the sheer Grace of Allah, and in fulfilment of this revelation and prophecy, today, 19 MTA studios have been established globally. They are working under the supervision of the central administration of MTA International and according to the instructions and guidance of Khalifatul Masih. As you are all aware, the main international studios are based here in the UK from where the majority of MTA programmes are transmitted.
However, in addition, we have established full studios in Qadian, Ghana, The Gambia, Tanzania, Indonesia, Germany, Canada, USA, Kababir, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Australia and Uganda. Due to legal restrictions, our MTA Pakistan Studios is now less active but, where these unjust and cruel restrictions have sought to hinder our progress, Allah the Almighty has blessed us with a multitude of studios across the world that are each providing new and high-quality content. Apart from the full studios, MTA teams equipped with high quality production facilities have been formed in countries such as Sierra Leone, Nigeria and many other Jama’ats are also working on a smaller scale to produce reports for MTA.
With the Grace of Allah, a number of live programmes are now regularly broadcast from Qadian and from the Abdul Wahab Studios in Ghana. Similarly, the MTA Germany Studios has launched some new programmes in German. In fact, apart from our English and Urdu content, programmes are being produced in various languages, such as French, Swahili, Turkish amongst others. Therefore, with the Grace of Allah, the message of true Islam is reaching all parts of the world through MTA.
If we analyse our financial and human resources in purely worldly terms, the truth is that we could never have accomplished all of this on our own. In reality, whatever has been achieved has been the result and fulfilment of that divine promise and revelation that:
‘I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth.’
Each and every day we are witnessing with our own eyes the glorious manifestation of the help and favours of Allah the Almighty. Where initially there was just one MTA channel, now Allah the Almighty has enabled MTA to launch several channels that are broadcasting in different languages across the world. We have MTA-1 World, which is MTA’s flagship channel and is viewed worldwide.
Apart from this, there is MTA-2 Europe, MTA-3 Al-Arabiya, MTA-4 Africa, MTA-5 Africa, MTA-6 Asia, MTA-7 Asia and MTA-8 North America. These MTA channels are available to watch on smart TVs, mobile devices, desktops and MTA’s streaming platforms and applications. Through online streaming, any person, in any part of the world, can access whichever MTA channel they desire and listen, in whichever language they prefer. In addition, MTA is broadcasting on terrestrial television in some countries, such as Suriname and The Gambia. Recently, MTA Ghana also launched on terrestrial television. In these countries, MTA broadcasts alongside the national TV channels without the need for a satellite dish and efforts are ongoing to expand these terrestrial services to other countries as well.
In terms of content, with the Grace of Allah, the programmes broadcast on MTA are informing and enlightening the people of the world of the true and beautiful teachings of Islam. For example, religious, educational and other types of interesting documentaries are now being produced and broadcast on MTA. Also, more content aimed at educating and guiding children is being produced. Furthermore, there are various discussion programmes that aim to educate viewers about religion, as well as contemporary issues. There are programmes in which the books of the Promised Messiah (as) are narrated and explained. Also, the recitation of the Holy Quran is broadcast throughout the day at various times. There are many other programmes, which cater for the moral, spiritual and religious training of the members of the Jama’at and are proving extremely beneficial. MTA programmes are also serving to introduce the teachings of Islam to people outside of our Jama’at in an excellent way. Thus, where MTA is a constant means of tarbiyyat [moral training] for the members of the Jama’at, it is also proving an excellent platform for tabligh.
Moreover, over the past 18 months, a period during which nations around the world have grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen and witnessed even more than before the great blessings associated with MTA. During this period, I have not been able to travel on tours and nor have Ahmadis been able to visit me. Yet through the blessings of MTA, the direct contact and communication between Khalifatul Masih and the members of the Jama’at has not only continued but has increased and reached new heights, Al