Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 86
Khilafat Centenar Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Khalifatul Masih yaba ------------------------Zahid Mian All Alunadis remember where they were when they learned of the death of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV 1 a. After coming to terms with that loss, the immediate reaction was to pray for the success of khilafat (line of succession to the Promised Messiah as ), for it is through this divine institution that our bond with Allah remains strong. Every moment was consumed with prayers beseeching Allah for a divinely- appointed khalifa who would lead us through the turbulent times ahead, especially in wake of the discord between Muslims and the secular West that was already underwa y. On April 22, 2003, those pra yers were answered with the announcement that Sahibzada Mirza Masroor Alunad had been elected as the fifth khalifa (successor) of the Promised Messiah as. Immediately after hearing the announcement, the community pledged its allegiance at his hands, ushering in a new era under the leadership of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih v aba. A Brief Biography Huzu~ ba was born on September 15 , 1950, in Rabwah, Pakistan, to the pious family of Hadhrat Sahibzada Mirza Mansoor Alunad and Hadhrat Sahibzadi Nasira Begum. He is the great-grandson of the Promised Messiah as and a grandson of Hadhrat Mirza Sharif Alunad ra, the youngest son of the Promised Messiah as. He attended Taleem-ul-Islam High School and Taleem-ul-Islam College in Rabwah, Pakistan. In 1976, he earned his master's of science degree in agricultural economics from Agriculture University in Faisalabad, Pakistan. Shortly after completing his studies, he dedicated his life to the Jama' at (Waqf-e-Zindagi) and under the Nusrat J ahan scheme, was sent to the Republic of Ghana by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih rn ra. He stay ed in the western African nation until 1985. During that period he held several positions, from headmaster of Alunadiyya schools to manager of the Alunadiyya Agricultural Farm in Depali. His educational background served him well as he was able to work with a team of agriculturalists to develop wheat as an economic crop. National leaders have commended the Alunadiyya Community for its efforts, in large part due to the personal efforts of Huzur aba. Upon his return to Pakistan in 1985, he