Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 211
Khilafat Centenary Centenary of Ahmadiyya Khilafat 1908-2008 Nasir Mahmood Malik, Secretary, Khilafat Centenary Celebration Committee, USA Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as of Qadian founded the Ahmadiyya MuslimJama'at (Community) on March 23, 1889, by accepting bai'at (initiation) into theJama'at. In 1890, under Divine command and revelations, he claimed to be the Masih (Messiah) and the Mahdi (Guided), as promised and prophesied in the earlier scriptures. Hadhrat Ahmad as also claimed to be a subordinate prophet of the Holy Founder of Islam, Hadhrat Muhammad saw, to serve and rejuvenate Islam. The history of religions shows that whenever God Almighty sends His prophet, the mission is to bring about a moral and spiritual transformation in the target people. Obviously, such a mission cannot be accomplished in the limited lifetime of the prophet. Therefore, the mission continues after him through his divinely chosen Khulafa (Caliphs or Successors). Thus after Moses as, Joshua was his Khalifa (Caliph); after Jesus as , Peter was his Khalifa; and after Hadhrat Muhammad saw , Hadhrat Abu Bakr ra was his Khalifa. Thus, Hadhrat Ahmad as was no exception to this time- honored Divine practice. In his 1905 book, Al-Wasiyyat (The Will), Hadhrat Ahmad as foretold his disciples about his impending demise and comforted them by writing, "I am a manifestation of God's Power. And, after I am gone there will be some other persons who will be the manifestations of the Second Power (of God). . . lt is essential for you to see the Second Manifestation too, and its coming is better for you because it is everlasting, the continuity of which will not end till the Day of Judgment. " His Wasiyyat (Will) was, "Let the righteous persons of theJama ' at, who have pious nature, accept bai'at in my name. " Hadhrat Ahmad as , the Promised Masih and Mahdi, passed away on May 26, 1908. On May 27, 1908, Hadhrat Maulvi Nooruddin ra was elected as Khalifatul Masih I. Thus, the Institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya, the Second Manifestation of God's Power, was established in May 1908. Since then, Hadhrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad ra was elected as Khalifatul Masih II in 1914, Hadhrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad ra as Khalifatul Masih III in 1965, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmadr ta as Khalifatul Masih IV in 1982, and Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahinada ba as Khalifatul Masih v in 2003. Thus, May 26, 2008 will mark the completion of the first century of the Institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. Insha'Allah. To express our deep gratitude to Almighty Allah for this unique and invaluable gift and to commemorate His countless favors and blessings on the belovedJama'at of Hadhrat Ahmad as , through this Institution, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih y aba kindly declared 2008 as the year of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya Centenary. Also, H~b a graciously approved a program of celebration to be observed by every Jama'at ~ocal community/chapter) with the following two major objectives: A. Express our deep gratitude to Almighty Allah through humble prayers for the continuity and success of the blessed Institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya till the Day ofJudgment. B. Educate the world, especially our younger generation, about the necessity, importance and blessings of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya and our personal relationship with Hadhrat Khalifatul Masihab a. To implement this scheme of celebration, Huzur ba instructed each countryLJama'at to form a National Khilafat Centenary Celebration Committee (KCCC). Thus, onJune 11, 2005, H~ ba kindly approved the followingJama'at officers to serve on the KCCC for the USJama'at: • Ahsanullah Zafar-Amir (Chairman of the committee) • Daud Hanif-Na'ib Amir & Missionary in Charge • Nasir Mahmood Malik-Sadr, Ansarullah (as the Secretary of this committee) • Zaheer Ahmad Bajwa-Na'ib Amir • Masoud Ahmad Malik- General Secretary • Nasim Rehmatullah- Na'ib Amir & Audio;Video Secretary • Falahuddin Shams- Auditor