Khilafat Centenary Souvenir 1908-2008 — Page 89
CllQF WISDOM 0 Thus, if you are to progress and gain dominance in the ~ world, my advice and my message to you is to associate. . . . . yourselves with Khilafat. Grasp this strong rope of God 0 firmly. All our progress is dependent upon and contained within our association with Khilafat. May Allah be your Protector and Helper, and may He grant you guidance to forge an association with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya based on perfect fidelity. Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V< ha Al-Faz! International, May 23, 2003 examples from his life that clearly showed his love for mankind and his benevolence, even toward his staunch enemies. He instructed Ahmadis to respond in a manner consistent with the Promised Messiah as and his successors. He said, "These are the wa ys the Promised Messiah as has taught us; to counsel those who act improperl y, to relate the virtues of the Holy Prophet saw , to make the world aware of these beautiful and luminous aspects that are unknown to the world. Pray to Allah that He keeps them away from these improprieties or that He chastises them. " He instructed members to send Darud (invoke God 's blessings) on the Hol y Prophet saw and to defend his honor by promoting his high moral qualities. Relationship with the American Jama'at One of the greatest thrills for an American Ahmadi is to listen to Huzur ab a announce the financial results of the Tehrik-ej adid scheme. In what has become a perennial accomplishment , the USJama 'at has had the honor of finishing first in Tehrik - e- J adid and second in Waqf- ej adid over the pa st several years. Additionall y, members of the Americanjama'at have responded with great enthusiasm to ev er y financial scheme. Huzur aba has addressed these accomplishments in his sermons and speeches and offered prayers for the participants. In his Frida y sermon of March 31, 2006, he specifically mentioned the financial sacrifice of doctors in the US for taking on the bulk of the expenses for the Tahir Heart Institute in Rabwah , Pakistan. In the summer of 2006, US J ama 'at officials made great efforts to ho st Huzur 's aba first visit to the US. Jama 'at officials and members across the countr y worked tirelessly to plan Huzur 's visit and make sure it was enjoyable. When, due to circumstances be y ond our control, Huzur 's trip was canceled , the pain w as felt by all members. Huzur aba expressed his sorrow in a live broadcast during the 2006 US J alsa Salana: "Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih III rta used to say that the khalifa of the time and the Jama' at are but one entity. Then how can it be that I would not have felt the pain of the members of the Ameri c anjama'at. . . the fact that many members of the USJa m a'at had expressed their anguish du e to the last-minute cancellation of my trip, prompted me to address the US J alsa in this manner so that it can provide a little sense of consolation to both the Jama ' at and myself. " These words express the reciprocal connection that all Ahmadis have with the khalifa. American Ahmadis Addressed In that historic a ddr ess which was broadcast live from London, Huzur a ba expressed his affection for the Americanjama'at but also gave specific guidance on how to improve life in United States and throughout the world. He reminded the audience that they needed to take every opportunity and defend Islam from the misconceptions that are held by a large portion of the citizens of this countr y. He said, " An Ahmadi should be the hardest worker, should be the most truthful, should be the m ost mindful of the rights of oth ers, should be the most forgivi ng , should be the least interested in worldly pleasures. " He ask ed the Jama'at to propagate the me age of Islam by forming team s led by African American m em ber who wou ld focus the tab li h (propagation) efforts amon g the African American communi ti es. He added, "Even though Afri can