Official Transcript of Address by Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at the International Association of Ahmadi Architects and Engineers (IAAAE) European Symposium 2023 on Saturday 10th June 2023 from the Masroor Hall, Islamabad, Tilford, UK
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta`awwuz, and Bismillah, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (aba) said:
‘Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah [may the peace and mercy of Allah be upon you]. With the grace of Allah, today, the members of the IAAAE have gathered together for their annual symposium to review the various projects and activities they have conducted over the past year and to plan for the future. Furthermore, hopefully, this event will have enabled all of you to reflect upon the blessing of Allah the Almighty and to offer gratitude to Him for granting you the opportunity and ability to serve humanity.
Certainly, alongside providing technical and professional expertise to the Jama’at [Ahmadiyya Muslim Community], the core objective underpinning the establishment of the IAAAE was to serve the needs of the most vulnerable and weakest members of society. In order to fulfil this central objective, I initially directed you to focus on providing access to clean water to people living in extremely deprived and underprivileged parts of the world.
Alhamdulillah [all praise is due to Allah], the IAAAE has worked diligently to fulfil this directive by installing water wells and pumps in many remote villages and underdeveloped regions across Africa under the banner of its Water for Lifescheme. Similarly, the IAAAE has built homes and shelters for people living in impoverished areas through its model village scheme and other community projects.
Moreover, the members of the IAAAE have worked tirelessly to fulfil various needs of the Jama’at by offering their time, expertise and skills on many projects in different countries. Nonetheless, it is particularly in the field of serving humanity that the efforts of the IAAAE have grown exponentially.
With the grace of Allah, the scale of your ambitions and projects continues to increase. For example, the IAAAE has undertaken to build and administer a technical training institute in Nigeria in order to train young people in various skills so that they can stand on their own feet and contribute positively to society. In this regard, I hope and pray that Allah the Almighty enables you to complete this project soon and that it fulfils its underlying objective of playing a major role in the progress and development of the nation and the African continent at large.
Furthermore, in light of the world’s fragile geopolitical state, last year, I instructed the IAAAE to prepare for all possible eventualities and emergencies. Indeed, I said that the IAAAE should consider how it could play its role in rebuilding society if, God forbid, a large-scale world war was to occur.
According to my instructions, the IAAAE has formulated a plan detailing how shelter and accommodation could be rapidly constructed. They have also planned large-scale agricultural and food security projects. The IAAAE should continue to develop and refine these plans whilst at the same time furthering the scope of its existing projects.
Always remember that serving humanity is a core objective for a true Muslim, as Islam instructs us to serve those in need and to show sympathy and compassion for all mankind. It was to fulfil this great task that Allah the Almighty sent the Promised Messiah (as). Thus, where the Promised Messiah (as) directed his followers to fulfil the rights of Allah the Almighty and His worship, he also repeatedly urged his followers to be ever ready and willing to serve mankind.
In this regard, on one occasion, the Promised Messiah (as) said, “Each day, every person should analyse himself and see to what extent he is concerned for the wellbeing of others and to what extent he shows love and compassion to his brothers.” The Promised Messiah (as) further stated, “Sympathy for others is a huge demand and responsibility that weighs heavy on mankind.”1
Further, whilst mentioning a Hadith that gives light to the true magnitude and importance of serving others, the Promised Messiah (as) said:
“In one Hadith, it is narrated that on the Day of Judgment, Allah will say, ‘I was hungry, and you did not feed Me. I was thirsty, and you did not give Me water. I was sick, and you did not comfort Me.” Upon this, those being addressed will ask, “O our Lord, when was it that You were hungry and we did not feed You? When were You thirsty, and we did not quench Your thirst? And when were You sick, and we did not comfort You?” In reply, God Almighty will say, ‘A person dear to Me was suffering, and you did not show any compassion or kindness to him. To show love to him would actually have been to show love to Me.’ Similarly to another community, Allah the Almighty will say, “I applaud you as you showed love and compassion to Me. When I was hungry, you fed Me. When I was thirsty, you quenched My thirst. And when I was sick, you comforted Me.” The members of that community will ask, “O our Lord, when did we serve You in this way? We do not know ourselves.” In response, Allah will say, “When you showed love and compassion to a person dear to Me, you are actually manifesting your love for Me.’”2
Thus, the Promised Messiah (as) laid great emphasis upon the fact that serving humanity is a fundamental component of our faith and something that Allah the Almighty loves very much. Hence, whatever project our Ahmadi architects and engineers are working on, be they installing water wells, building affordable homes, constructing model villages, or providing energy and other essential services, their efforts should always be motivated purely out of love for humanity and a desire to attain the pleasure and nearness of Allah the Almighty.
Indeed, a primary objective of every organisation or body within our Jama’at is to benefit humanity. As members of the IAAAE, you must always keep this point at the forefront of your minds and strive to emulate the example of the Promised Messiah (as). In this regard, I shall present another quote of the Promised Messiah (as), which illustrates how deeply he felt the pain of humanity.
The Promised Messiah (as) states:
“My state is such that if I am offering prayers and I hear the voice of someone in pain, I would prefer to break the prayer if I can assist him.”
He says:
“My heartfelt desire is to alleviate his suffering and to show him as much compassion and sympathy as possible.”
The Promised Messiah (as) continues:
“It is against basic moral values to fail to support or help a person who is in any kind of difficulty or pain. If you are unable to practically assist, then at the very least, you should pray for them. Never mind one’s own people, I say that one must demonstrate the highest moral values and manifest great love towards others, be they Hindu or anyone else. One should never be indifferent or apathetic to the needs of others.”3
So, this was the magnificent standard of sympathy and sincere love for humanity manifested by the Promised Messiah (as). His example perfectly demonstrates our beliefs and teachings as Ahmadi Muslims, which we must reflect upon and strive to uphold. Thus, I reiterate that the water pumps or wells you install, or any other service you provide, should be purely for the sake of serving humanity.
In addition, by serving the Jama’at in its efforts to fulfil the needs of humanity, you are saving the Jama’at a lot of money, which we can utilise in the further service of mankind and for the benefit of Allah’s creation. May Allah the Almighty enable you to heed what I have said and serve mankind with ever greater passion and enthusiasm. Ameen.
I also wish to mention that I have been pleased to see that the number of volunteers offering their services to the IAAAE has steadily increased in recent years. With the grace of Allah, new people are coming forward with eagerness and a sincere desire to serve humanity. May Allah reward them for their good intentions and efforts.
I pray that many more people are inspired to serve the IAAAE in the years ahead and that its members are only ever motivated by an earnest desire to serve humanity with a spirit of selflessness and humility. With these words, I pray that the IAAAE continues to go from strength to strength and plays an outstanding role in fulfilling the objective for which the Promised Messiah (as) was sent in this era of serving humanity throughout the world, irrespective of caste, creed and colour. May Allah reward all of you for your sincere efforts and enable you to be an immense source of relief and comfort to those whose lives are mired by perpetual struggle, hardship and destitution, Ameen, JazakAllah.’
ENDNOTES
- Malfuzat, Vol. 7 p. 280 Edition 1984
- Ibid
- Malfuzat, Vol. 7 pp. 105-106 Edition 1984
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