Assaalamu 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.

 

A fortnight on from the senseless and brutal massacre of nearly 100 Ahmadi Muslims in Lahore Pakistan as they were gathered for Friday prayers, there is a still a sense of sorrow, disbelief, anger and apprehension. Nevertheless, we take tremendous solace from the inspired and comforting words of our Beloved Hadhrat Ameerul Mumineen (atba) who has admonished us towards patience and prayers in his Friday Sermons since that event.

 

The dignified bearing maintained by our Beloved Huzur (atba) in the face of intense grief and pain is an example and inspiration to us all. This lofty example of Huzur Aqdas (atba) stands head and shoulders above the undignified and gross response, at the slightest provocation, we see from the very so-called custodians of Islam who seek to persecute us. 

 

The great accounts of steadfastness and patience shown by the families of the martyred are alike humbling and uplifting for us. As Huzur (atba) recently explained, rather than give expression to their own anguish, they have instead been writing to Huzur (atba) consoling him on the martyrdom of their own sons, fathers, brothers and husbands. They have, in true Islamic spirit, accepted and submitted to the wisdom of Allah which granted their loved ones the status of Shaheed (martyr) and hence everlasting life in the pleasure of Allah:

 

“Think not of those, who have been slain in the cause of Allah, as dead. Nay, they are living, in the presence of their Lord, being well provided.” (Ch.3: V.170)

 

In our own diverse but limited spheres there are many things we should be doing to play our own modest roles in easing the melancholy plight of our persecuted brethren in Pakistan and especially the families of martyrs and the prisoners of conscience. As directed by Huzur Aqdas (atba), we should devote ourselves to prayers and supplications. We should also be writing to the press and political leaders highlighting the situation of state-endorsed persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in particular and other religious minorities in Pakistan. Another way of fulfilling our responsibilities is by promoting and contributing towards the Syedna Bilal Fund.

 

In my message to you following this tragedy, entitled A Time for Service, Sacrifice and Supplication, I had drawn your attention to this blessed fund pointing out that a contribution to it could, in a way, demonstrate our solidarity with those who have fallen under the standard of Ahmadiyyat.

 

The Syedna Bilal Fund was launched by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (ru) on 14th March 1986 for the dependents of Shohadah (martyrs) and Aseeran (prisoners of conscience). 

 

Huzur (ru) was deeply concerned about the innocent victims of persecution and was known to spend whole nights in prayer for them. He admonished their dependants to persevere with patience, steadfastness, courage and, most of all, prayers. Anyone who leaves the world for the sake of Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam, should never be concerned for their family, Huzur (ru) added, as they are always the responsibility of the Jama’at and the Jama’at will continue to look after them with utmost care, since this was their right. 

 

It was against this background that Huzur (ru) invited members of the Jama’at to contribute, on a strictly voluntary basis to the Syedna Bilal Fund. He was very clear that this was not a tehrik as such or sadaqah and was a special kind of fund only for those who are inspired to participate in this noble cause.

 

Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V (atba) has himself repeated this call for those who wish to take part in this blessed fund. In his last Friday Sermon, before going in to give a detailed account of the martyrs in the Lahore attacks, Huzur (atba) reminded the members of the Jama’at of this fund and its blessed purpose, inviting those who wished to do so to contribute to it.

 

That this fund takes its name after Hadhrat Bilal (ra), one of the earliest and most persecuted of the early Muslims, is no ordinary coincidence. To this day, the story of Hadhrat Bilal (ra), from a helpless slave to a persecuted Muslim convert to muezzin at the Masjid Al-Nabi, Madinah to standard bearer of Islam on the day Makkah was conquered, remains as astonishing as it is awe-inspiring. His name will live forever and, Insha’Allah, so will the names of all those martyrs of Ahmadiyyat. Their status in this life and the next is guaranteed, having committed and entrusted the welfare of their loved ones in hands of the Jama’at.

 

It is our firm faith that Allah, the Almighty, will always provide for the families of Shohadah-e-Ahmadiyyat in accordance with His promise and the noble intentions of our Beloved Khulafa. Notwithstanding this, the Syedna Bilal Fund is a most noble cause and it is my sincere desire that the members of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK are among its foremost contributors. May Allah make it so and bless you all profoundly. Ameen.

 

Wassalam.

 

Yours humbly,

 

Tommy Kallon.