Blessings of Khilafat — Page 189
Glossary 189 Imam Mahd i i i i — The title given to the Promised Reformer by the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa ; it means: the Guided Leader. Istikh a a a a rah— A special Prayer made to seek guidance from Allah before making an important decision. Jalsah Sal a a a a n a a a a h— Annual convention or gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It was initiated by the Promised Massiah as himself. Jam a a a a ‘at— Jam a ‘at means community. Although the word jam a ‘at itself may refer to any community, in this book, Jam a ‘at specifically refers to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a ‘at. Khal i i i i fah and Khil a a a a fat— Caliph is derived from the Arabic word Khalifah , which herein means the successor. Khulaf a ’ is the plural of Khalifah. In Islamic terminology, the title ‘ Khal i fa-e-R a shid’ [righteous Khalifah ] is applied to one of the first four khulaf a ’ who continued the mission of the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa. Ahmadi Muslims refer to each successor of the Promised Messiah as as Khalifatul Masih. The institution of successorship is called Khilafat. Khal i i i i fatul-Mas ih ih ih ih I— Hadrat Khalifatul Masih I, H ak i m Maul a n a Nurud-Din ra (1841–1914), the first person to do the bai‘at at the hand of the Promised Messiah as , was elected as the first Khalifah after the demise of the Promised Messiah as. The Promised Messiah as has highly appreciated his faith, sincerity and sacrifices and has regarded him as a model for everybody in the ummah.