Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 120
Khilafat Centenary In 1977, Sahibzada Mirza Masroor Ahmad , who had obtained his Masters of Science degree in Agricultural Economics from the Agriculture University of Faisalabad, Pakistan, left for Ghana as part of the NusratJahan Scheme (scheme to build schools and hospitals in Africa). He was subsequently appointed as Manager of the Ahmadi yya Agricultural Farm in Depali, in the northern region of Ghana. There, in the mid 1980s, he initiated a series of experiments on growing wheat on Ghanaian soil. Although the early results were not very encouraging, Sahibzada Mirza Masroor Ahmad was persistent in his endeavors. The efforts of his team of Ahmadi agriculturalists finally paid dividends. The first successful experiment of planting, growing and nurturing of wheat as an economic crop in Ghana was exhibited at an international fair and the results were submitted to the Ghanaian Ministry of Agriculture. 20 It stands as great credit to his personal efforts and research that successive presidents of Ghana have commended the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for these highly successful experiments which revolutionized the country's economy and paved the way towards self- sufficienc y. Conclusion To fully appreciate the Creator, a sound understanding of nature is fundamental. This invariably leads to a profound love for the Maker of the universe. In addition, man must take heed of God 's commandment that as trustee of the natural world, he must look towards maintenance and protection of his surroundings. In the process, he must not, out of ignorance or greed, cause havoc by skewing the perfect balance that is present. All the Messengers of Allah have taught humans exactly the abov e. After their departure, their successors, the Khulafa, continued this mission of exhorting mankind towards greater insight and awareness. The task of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya in this sphere has been multiplied manifold simply because of the alarming severity and expansive nature of the problem in the present times. Under the guidance of Allah, they have all confronted this multi-faceted challenge effectively and in advance of others, providing germane solutions to it. It is our duty as members of the Community to carry out the instructions of the Khalifa and enlighten humanity. If we can do this, the future of the world would be bright indeed during the second and subsequent centuries of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyy a. ell REFERENCED C All References are from the Holy Qur' an unless otherwise noted. ~ 0 ~ (1) 7:55 (2) 23:15 (3) 67:4 (4) 11:7 (5) 95:5 (6) 30:31 (7) 31:21 (8) 45:14 (9) 2:31 ( 10) 27. 65 ( 11) 29:20 ( 12) 30:12 ( 13) Salam, Abdus. The Future of Science in Islamic Countries. International Islamic Summit, Kuwait, 1987. (14) 2:165 (15) 3:192 (16) 55:10 (17) Ahmad, Syed Hasanat. Hakeem Noor-ud-Deen: The Way of the Righteous. 2003: Islam International Publications, p. 56 & 79. ( 18) 23:50 ( 19) Washington A, Yigletu A, Andrews D. The Derived Demand for Imported Wheat in Ghana. Southwestern Economic Proceedings, 49-57. (20) This Day. Nov 16, 2004, Lagos, Nigeria