Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 17
Khilafat Centenary The Live Televised International Bai'at Ceremony The International Bai'at presents an annual display of unity and love unmatched by anything of a similar nature. Through this event the world sees a united Jama'at of Ahmadi Muslims obedient to one Khalifa, a Community that rises and sits at the indication of one hand. It is through these platforms that the world is beginning to see the emergence of a unified bod y of men and women dedicated to establishing peace and unity through service to God and His creation. Through MTA , Ahmadis living in all parts of the world listen to their Khalifa's sermons and speeches every da y and try to act upon his fresh and timely directions. In this wa y a worldwide Community is coming into being that is colored in the Attributes of Allah, all possessing similar natures because the source of their guidance is one and the rope to which they all hold strongly together is the rope of Allah and His Khilafat. Without a doubt, there are man y reasons for the lack of unity and peace in the world and especially among the Muslims; but I humbl y submit that if the advice of the Khalifa established in the earth by God is heeded and acted upon, all these dangers can be easily avoided. This is not an empty claim. It is amply established by the evidence of the daily manifestation of God's support in all projects and plans undertaken by this Jama ' at under the direction of the Khalifa. In contrast, much of what we see from the non - Ahmadi Muslims are mere demands and shouts for the rejuvenation of Khilafat. The Need for Religious Tolerance Religious tolerance is also needed for the establishment of peace and unity in the world. Again, by the Grace and Mercy of God and through the blessing of Khilafat and obedience to it, the members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community practice religious tolerance to an unmatched degree and champion this cause everywhere. In every countr y of the world where the Ahmadi yy aJama'at exists, whether in large numbers or small, the Community provides members of all religions with a common platform to come and present the beauties of their faiths - not once or twice but all the time and at least once a year in a grand manner at the occasion of the now famous Religious Founders Day events. In this wa y, interfaith respect and communication is established and continued among religions and religious leaders throughout the world. The Ahmadiyya motto of "Love for All, Hatred for None" illustrates our commitment to peace and interfaith harmony and our ongoing jihad to eliminate all forms of coercion, intolerance, hate and prejudice. It is only by virtue of Khilafat that all these values are being established and strengthened the world over, and it is only through such righteous leadership and virtuous living that people of all faiths are increasing their tolerance of each other and growing in their love and understanding for each other. A Historical Perspective to Consider In the early da ys of Islam, its enemies attacked Khilafat-e-Rashida (rightly guided successors) to destroy its unifying power. They sought to weaken the spread of peace made possible through the blessing of divinely-established Khilafat. Thus the enemies inside and outside of Islam succeeded in opening the door of disunity and discord in the Ummah. The members ofjama'at-e-Ahmadiyya need to pa y close attention to these events of the past and they need to pra y regularly that Allah bestow permanence to Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. The Holy Qur 'an tells us that this permanence will be there so long as we are mindful of our righteousness, and that our good actions are there as well. It is to this that Hadhrat Promised Messiah as drew our attention in his book, The Will: So be come righteous and adopt the ways of righteousness that y ou may be saved. The Will, page 5 Righte ousness [taq w aj is a tree which one should plant in on e's he art. Th e water which nourishes righteousness c an ind ee d f e ed the e ntire field of life. Righteousness is a root and ev er ything springs from it. If it is there, y ou get ever y thing. But if it is not there, then everything be comes null and v oid. It does absolutely no good to man if he claims to s ee k God with his tongue but shows no steadfastne ss in this way. The Will, page 9