On 29 January 2023, (Munira Salam Tari)the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad held a virtual meeting with members of MajlisAnsarullah (Ahmadiyya Muslim Elders Association) from Norway.

His Holiness presided the meeting from MTA Studios in Islamabad, Tilford, whilst the Ansar joined the meeting virtually from the Baitun Nasr Mosque in Oslo.

Following a formal session, members of MajlisAnsarullah had the opportunity to ask His Holiness a range of questions regarding their faith and contemporary issues.

One of the attendees who had recently converted to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community asked His Holiness about the need for Khilafat for the peaceful spread of Islam and how a person can build a bond with the Khalifa of the time.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:“It was a prophecy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that after a dark age of a thousand years within Muslims, the Promised Messiah will appear and he will claim to be the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi, the Guided One. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used the word for him that, he will stand at the status of Khilafat of the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him). So, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) is the Khalifa of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and after that, it was also the prophecy of the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings

be upon him) that the system of Khilafat will continue to spread the message of Islam because that is the right time when all the facilities are available for the spread of Islam andAhmadiyyat. Now, you can see the media and other sources are available.”

His Holiness highlighted that the Khilafat of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was to follow on the footsteps of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and establish an organised system to ensure that the message of Islam is conveyed to all people of the world in the most effective way.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said

“In other sects you won’t see this system (of Khilafat). Here, under the banner of Khilafat, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is spreading the message of Islam to all the corners of the world. So, this is why [Khilafat] is necessary. Otherwise, if you don’t have one leadership you are just like a herd without a person who is looking after them. So, now under the system of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya you are guided by one person, to whom according to our belief, Allah the Almighty’s favour is always given and he is guided by Allah the Almighty. And whenever he deems it necessary that [a certain action for the cause of Islam] should happen, then he asks the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community to do it accordingly. This is why the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that after my demise there will be a truly guided Khilafat, ‘Khilafat-e-Rashida’ and that then there will be a period of kingship and then the dark age. And after that, as I have already said, the person will appear as the Promised Messiah and the Mahdi. And after this, he said that Khilafat will continue till the last day. That is what we believe, that Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya will now continue till the last day.

And Allah the Almighty will guide and help Khilafat and that through the guidance of Khilafat, [Allah the Almighty shall help] the Community to progress and flourish, and that is what we are seeing nowadays.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further stated:

“Every year thousands and thousands of people are joining the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The one man, who claimed to be the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) in a small town, small village, now he is known almost all across the world. So, this is a system through which Allah the Almighty is helping us to spread the message of Islam.”

Answering the question of how a person can strengthen their bond with Khilafat, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“If you attach yourself with Khilafat and if you believe that the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) was indeed sent by Allah the Almighty to spread the message of Islam and if you believe that after his demise, his true Khilafat is continuing, then you should also help the Khalifa and the system of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community by learning more about Islam and spreading the message of Islam. So, this is the duty of each and every Ahmadi Muslim to spread the message of Islam, because the person has done his or her Bait [pledge of allegiance to the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)]. They have declared that they will help the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) in spreading the message of Islam. So, for that, you should learn more about Islam. You should learn how to read the Holy Quran, and learn the meaning of the Holy Quran, the commentary of the Holy Quran and the authentic sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and it is also necessary to learn more about the literature given to us by the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) by reading his books… This is how you can refresh your knowledge and even better your knowledge about Islam and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and then spread that message and this is how you will be the helper for the Khalifa and for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and for the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and ultimately for the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)… When you are doing all these things you will become close to Khilafat.”

During the meeting, His Holiness was also asked about whether the persecution faced by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community – a recent example of which was a barbaric attack on Ahmadi Muslims in Burkina Faso – will spread further into other countries.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad replied:

“As the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is growing, so too is the jealousy of its opponents. Allah the Almighty has already taught us the prayer to safeguard ourselves from jealousy of people in the last three chapters of the Holy Quran which contain prayers to safeguard ourselves from those who create disorder, mischief and who are of a deceitful disposition. They are aware that Ahmadi Muslims are the ones who truly worship the One God. Even though they seek to kill us in the name of Allah and His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), but in reality, they are motivated by their jealousy and envy. They are the ones who are rejecting the commandments of Allah the Almighty and this is a case that occurs with the community of every prophet; whenever they grow, the number of those who are envious and who create mischief also increases. They do not even desist from carrying out brutalities and this is what has occurred with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community as well.”

His Holiness explained that since the outset of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, there have been intense periods of opposition which have resulted in the persecution of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. His Holiness narrated the example of how some officials from the British government before the partition of India and Pakistan opposed the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and filed a case against the Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and even before that, false cases were brought against the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).

Speaking of what may lie ahead for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“All the opponents of religion, whether they are atheists or people of different faiths, will join hands in the future against the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It is possible that if they see the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community growing here in Europe, here too in some European countries we may see the same level of persecution [as other places]. Therefore, we must always be aware. First and foremost, we must try and avert any tribulations by seeking to come under the protection of Allah the Almighty with prayer and through the means of giving in charity.”

His Holiness also highlighted the need for ensuring the Mosques of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are as safe as possible and all Ahmadi Muslims should remain vigilant at all times.

An Ansarullah member asked Holiness what children should do when their parents grow old and are not able to take care of themselves.

His Holiness said that when parents are healthy and fine, their children should ideally move out of the home with their spouse to their own home when they get married, as it helps to avoid potentially disruptive issues that can occur due to a larger family living together.

However, His Holiness said that when parents become too old to live independently, the children should take care of them.

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:

“In western countries, people tend to leave their parents in ‘old people’s homes’ where carers look after them, and the children visit them every now and then and take a small gift for them and they think that they have taken care of the parents. However, we should properly look after our parents. Once, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said three times that your mother has a right on you, and the fourth time he also said that your father has a right upon you. So these are the rights that we must fulfil and this is what the society also demands. Parents should train their children in a way that they say to them that, ‘[Now that you are married,] we are separating you in your youth for your sake, or you are living separately now yourselves, and that is fine. However, when we become old, you should fulfil your responsibilities to us and come to our help if we need you. We firstly pray that we do not need your help in our old age, and Allah protects us from being dependent on you.’ This is why Allah the Almighty has commanded that you should pray to be saved from such an old age where you become completely weak and dependent on others. They should say to their children, ‘If we do become very old and weak and we are in need of you, then it becomes your moral and religious responsibility to look after the parents and to keep them with you.’ In such circumstances, the daughter-in-law should tolerate her father and mother-in-law as well.”

Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further stated:

“If the houses are too small then a house can be acquired for the parents near the children so that they can go to them in the morning and evening to take care of them. If someone has a big enough house, then a room can be spared for the parents and they can be looked after that way. This carries with it the reward of Allah the Almighty. If someone is truly concerned about the Hereafter and they have some knowledge of religion as well, then we should remember that such actions carry rewards in the Hereafter too. We must remember that we are going to die one day as well and this is something we will also experience ourselves as well. So vie to gain the blessings of Allah by looking after our elders in their old age