Published on Oct 01 2010 by Tommy Kallon, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

Address to Majlis Atfalul Ahmadiyya UK, National Ijtema 2010

by Tommy Kallon, Sadr Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya UK

My dear brothers in Majlis Atfalul Ahmadiyya UK,

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.

I am pleased to join you at yet another wonderful National Ijtema filled with energy, enthusiasm and brotherhood.

To stand here in front of you, the members of Majlis Atfalul Ahmadiyya UK, is an inspiration for me. It is an inspiration because as I look at you today, I do not see a group of children; I see a beautiful vision of our future. Among you today I see future businessmen, doctors, lawyers, accountants, engineers, journalists and politicians. I see visionary leaders in the making; who will, Insha’Allah, one day be the ones who inspire the youth that follow you. You, my dear brothers, are the inspirational youth that, Insha’Allah, will in future serve the cause of Allah with determination and excellence.

With that in mind, I want to thank Mohtamim Atfal and his team for the significant effort and hard work that has gone into preparing for this Atfal Ijtema. May Allah bless them all profoundly. Events like this National Ijtema have a very specific purpose – to train you in moral and spiritual values and to prepare each and every one of you to become leaders for mankind. That makes each and every one of you very important

And it is because you are so important that Majlis Atfalul Ahmadiyya has it own National Majlis-e-Amila which, for the most part, is made up of the same posts as the National Majlis-e-Amila of Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya.

It is because you are so important that Huzur Aqdas (atba) was gracious enough to grant your National Majlis-e-Amila a Mulaqat with him at the start of the year to discuss how Atfal should be guided in the coming year.

It is because you are so important that we held a 3-day National Atfal Rally exclusively for you earlier in the year.

And, my dear brothers, it is because you are so important that I am addressing you here today separately and specifically.

As I look at the world around us I see that the challenges for you in society today are greater than ever. Outside of this Jama’at, society is full of confusion and contradiction. Many are confused about right and wrong, puzzled about good and bad, mystified about what is proper and what is improper.

These contradictions can be a problem for you because outside of this Jama’at, almost everything around you is designed to influence you in a way that is opposite to the path that Allah has set out. Violence, intolerance, gang culture and the mad pursuit of material possessions are all wrong no matter how much people attempt to justify them.

Naturally, you spend a large part of your time in schools and watching television programmes. You can learn a great deal that is positive in school and from some programmes on television. But, you must be able to tell the difference between what is positive and what is negative. When you see selfishness, dishonesty and misbehaviour, no matter how often it happens, it is always wrong. Sometimes, these things happen so often that a person can become used to seeing them and think that they are a normal part of life. You must avoid becoming involved in any of these at all costs. These negative influences will mislead you and take you away from the happiness that Allah has guaranteed the righteous and lead you to a life of disappointment.

It is because you are important that I am taking the time to explain these dangers to you today. I want to remind you to be mindful of any influence that takes you away from the moral and spiritual values that underlie the excellent behaviour that must be characteristic of every Tifl.

As you can see, you face some difficult challenges in the years before you become young men. And you may ask, how can you tackle these problems? I can tell you today that you can overcome these problems with two things: prayer and obedience.
It is important to maintain a strong relationship with your Lord and Creator. Prayer is the most essential way through which you can maintain that relationship with Allah.

The Promised Messiah (as) says:
 “So all ye people, counted as members of my Community! In heaven you shall be counted members of my following only when in all truth you actually begin to advance on the paths of righteousness. Offer your five daily obligatory prayers with such concentration and awe of mind as though you were seeing God in front of you, with your physical eyes.” 

[Our Teachings, p.7]

What the Promised Messiah (as) was saying is that when you pray, you should pray with real concentration as though you were seeing Allah right in front of you; standing straight thinking carefully about what you are saying. Your prayers should come from deep within your heart. You should thank Allah for what He has provided you and ask Him to grant you all that is best for you.

The second way of overcoming difficulties is through obedience. This is one of the reasons why obedience is the central theme of all our programmes this year, including this Ijtema. Obedience means to listen to the guidance that has been made available to you and to follow it. That does not mean that you should follow blindly. You should try to understand what you are doing and why you are doing it, but in the end, for the sake of Allah alone, you should obey Allah’s commands and those who He has put in authority over you.

Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:

“Worship none but Him, and show kindness to parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age with thee, never say unto them any word expressive of disgust nor reproach them, but address them with excellent speech. And lower to them the wing of humility out of tenderness. And say, ‘My Lord, have mercy on them even as they nourished me in my childhood.’” (Ch.17:Vs.24-25)

When it comes to obedience, it is important to understand the role and importance of parents. Allah regards them highly for good reason. They are the natural guardians and well-wishers of their children.

One dictionary defines a friend as:

“A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard, who gives assistance and support”

I can think of no better friend than your parents. Your parents love you and want the best for you. Because your parents will have been through many similar experiences as you, in many cases succeeding in overcoming them, it is only logical then that you should treat them as your friends, listening to them and taking their advice.

Whilst in their day there may not have been mobile phones, iPods, Internet communications or a hugely exciting PS3, the challenge of being accepted by your peers, having the latest things, liking what’s fashionable and being popular, were as much an issue for them then as they are for you now. So they have been through what you are or will be going through and they are best placed to guide you. You must therefore be obedient to them and never be disrespectful.

That obedience must also extend to your teachers, your elders, your Majlis-e-Amila, Nizam-e-Jama’at and your Khalifa. You must make every effort to maintain a deep and lasting relationship with your Khalifa because when you maintain the connection with the Khalifa of the time, you also maintain the connection with the Promised Messiah (as) and, by extension, with the Holy Prophet (saw). When you do that, you will further develop your relationship with Allah – the most important relationship of all.

You can maintain the relationship with your Khalifa by listening and understanding his speeches and sermons and also by writing to him regularly, asking him to pray for you, your parents and your service to Islam and Ahmadiyyat.

I would like all of you to leave this National Ijtema with a renewed determination. Take this opportunity to make a righteous change in your lives so that seeking Allah’s pleasure through prayers and obedience is among your highest priorities.

I pray that each and every one of you acquires righteousness and nearness to Allah. May Allah be your Guide and your Protector and may He enable you to become the very best of His servants and remain the delight of your parents’ eyes. Ameen.

Thanks for having me. Wassalamu Alaikum.