Published on Mar 07 2010 by Tommy Kallon, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

My dear brothers Khuddam and Atfal,

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah. May the Lord of mankind open unto you the gates of His mercy and may He so ordain that you are always accompanied by the supplication of His angels.

Allah, the Almighty, informs us in the glorious Qur’an that He never afflicts a people with the punishment of His wrath until after He has sent a Warner unto them:

“He who follows the right way follows it only for the good of his own soul: and he who goes astray, goes astray only to his own loss. And no bearer of burden shall bear the burden of another. We never punish until We have sent a Messenger.” (Ch.17: V.16)

The world has, in this age, witnessed and continues to witness pestilences, famines, wars, earthquakes and other calamities of unprecedented severity and unparalleled magnitude in such rapid succession as to embitter life. This, in itself, is testimony that Allah, the Exalted, must have raised that Divine Warner before these catastrophes visited the earth.

Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (as), the Holy Founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, was indeed that Divine Warner who was raised as the Promised Messiah of the Latter Days. His entire life was devoted to the establishment of the Unity of Allah and the truth of the Holy Prophet of Islam (saw). In light of Divine revelation vouchsafed unto him of impending chastisement for mankind and out of a deeply moved and disturbed heart, he admonished humanity to discard the worship of false gods and turn, in sincere repentance, to the One True God. In one of his famous writings, for example, he states:

“Bear in mind that God has informed me time and again about the coming of earthquakes… Such destruction will overtake the earth as has not happened since man was born. Most places will be turned upside down as if they had never been inhabited. There will also be other terrible afflictions, both in heaven and earth, and every sensible person will realise that they are no ordinary phenomena, and no trace of them will be found in books of astronomy or philosophy… Had I not come, these calamities might have been delayed for a while, but with my coming the secret designs of God’s wrath, that had long been hidden, have been manifested… But God is slow to wrath, repent so that you are shown mercy. He who abandons God is a worm, not a man, and he who does not fear Him is dead, not alive.” (Haqiqatul Wahi, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 22, pp.268-269, Quoted from Essence of Islam, Volume 5, pp.149-150)

It is a message that has been reiterated with similar compassion and concern, through the years, by the Successors to the Promised Messiah (as). In his last Friday Sermon, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V (atba), with reference to the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, said these were signs in support of the Promised Messiah (as). Huzur (atba) said the Chilean earthquake is the seventh most dreadful since records began and reminded us of a similar earthquake which struck Chile in 1906 which the Promised Messiah (as) had also described as a sign in his support. Huzur (atba) then quoted the passage above and added that this warning of the Promised Messiah(as)’s was especially for the Indo-Pakistan region and prayed that Allah may give sense and understanding to the world to recognise the one sent from Him and is thus spared Divine chastisement.

In an address delivered in Zurich in 1982, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ru) similarly cautioned against the dark aspects of the social tendencies of the so-called modern man and warns of the severe calamity which await him if, in his delusions of grandeur, he continues to violate the limits prescribed by his Maker. He went on to beautifully summarise the raison d’etre of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam and our determination to fulfil our purpose:

“We affirm that we have been brought into being to set the time right and rescue humanity from ruin and destruction. We claim that if the world will listen to us and will sincerely accept that to which we invite it, the dangers that threaten it would be averted. We have been raised for the purpose of pointing out the way treading along which humanity can safeguard itself against the terrifying end that threatens it and this world can become a region of peace, security, comfort, joys and delights. We desire intensely that we may be blessed with success in this effort and we are determined that we shall be ready and prepared to sacrifice our all in this struggle, and even if we are put an end to in the course of it we would deem it a great good fortune for ourselves.” (A Message of Hope, Part 1, The Review of Religions, January 2005 Edition, pp.25-26)

He concluded his address by reminding his audience that Allah has promised in the Holy Qur’an that His mercy encompasses all things (Ch.7:V.157) and with that faith in that Divine assurance implored towards the acceptance of Islam and hence ultimate salvation:

“Basing myself on this Qur’anic fundamental, I, Fourth Successor of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (as), Head of the Ahmadiyya Movement, call all of you to my Lord and your Lord and convey to you the good news that these grave prophecies of ruin and destruction can be averted and man can become heir to God’s mercy instead of earning His chastisement…

“Witnessing man’s miserable condition in the present age, my heart sheds tears of blood and the love of humanity and sympathy with my fellow beings compels me to invite you to the following of Muhammad (saw), the Chosen Messenger of Allah, who was raised as a mercy for the Universe. As a humble servant of his, it is my sincere desire that you should pay attention to this invitation of mine and should reflect on it with unprejudiced minds.” (A Message of Hope, Part 2, The Review of Religions, February 2005 Edition, p.21)

With the dream of world peace as elusive as ever; with grave tensions around the world threatening man with self-immolation and with natural disasters continuing to manifest Divine wrath, it is our responsibility as Ahmadi Muslims, as heirs to the modern day spiritual revolution initiated at the blessed hands of our Holy Founder, the Promised Messiah (as), to take responsibility for the furtherance of his mission and to continually invite mankind to tread the paths leading to Allah’s pleasure, peace and providence. It is my sincere hope, my earnest desire and my humble prayer that Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK leads in this. May Allah make it so and bless you all profoundly. Ameen.

Wassalam.

Yours humbly,
Tommy Kallon.
Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK