Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 115
By the grace of Allah, the Ahmadi yya Muslim Community continues to flourish throughout the world, despite the hurtful and slanderous abuse made toward Islam. It is increasingly difficult to practice and restore the reputation of Islam when there are still people who continue to cause damage through senseless acts of violence. But Ahmadi yy at , the true Islam, has managed to prevail thanks in large par tjalmost exclusively to the divine institution of khilafat (line of succession to a prophet of God). Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad r ta, the fourth khalifa of the Promised Messiah. . , described khilafat as " the successor after the prophet in the form of a person who is representing th e deceas ed prophet and the khalifa is th e v ic egere nt and his subordinate. He is th e ce ntral authority. " The khalifa must maintain the spirit of the message of the prophet while carrying it into the future. Onl y with the community's unity, dedication and strength-aided by the institution of khilafat-will this mission be achieved. It is the duty of each khalifa to caution Muslims, with the help of Allah, to stay on the right path. Allah has said in the Holy Qur 'an: Allah had promised to thos e among 115 you who believe and do good works that He will surely make them Successors in the earth, as He made Successors f ram among those who were before them; and that He will surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and that He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear: They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then who so is ungrateful after that, they will be the rebellious. Surah Al-Nur (24:56) Women especially need to pay heed as they play a vital role in the Jama' at. They give birth to future generations and are largely