With Love to the Muslims of the World — Page 45
45 enjoyed a greater opportunity to travel more widely and successfully delivering the message of Ahmadiyyat. During that time he visited Samarkand, Bukhara and Tashkent and made some converts there, especially someone called ‘Abdullah in Tashkent and another person called Muhammad H ussain in Bukhara. One wonders if their progeny still belong to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a‘ at. One can only hope so. T HE R EBIRTH OF THE I NSTITUTION OF K HIL A FAT IN A H MADIYYAT The Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a‘ at is inciden- tally referred to as Imam but it does not have the same connotation as that of the Ithn a ‘Asharah or Ism a ‘ i l i Imams. It means only a spiritual and religious head. The correct title however is that of Khalifatul Masih , Succes- sor to the Promised Messiah. This also gives Jam a ‘at Ahmadiyya a unique position in the community of Mus- lim sects. After the break of the institution of Khil af at in early Islam, it is only the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a‘ at in Islam which has been blessed with Khilafat. And the institution of Khilafat has been established and the Khal i- fah plays the same role of head and heart as was played by the Holy Successors of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be on him). He does not succeed the previous Khalifah after his death by virtue of inheritance but is elected by an electoral college and immediately after his election, the entire worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a‘ at take the oath of allegiance at his hands as they had taken it at the hands of the earlier