Mosques around the World — Page 22
22. Message from the Amir of the USA Jama'at. Sahibzada Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad. I. It was in 1983 when Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV, Hazrat. Mirza Tahir Ahmadaba, the Supreme Head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community called on the U. S. A. Jama'at to collect 2. 5 million dollars, outside the regular budget, for the establishment of 5 centers (mosques and mission houses) for the propagation of. Islam and service of humanity. . Given the small size of the Ahmadiyya community in the. United States and its meager resources, the amount in question looked quite staggering and a challenge. . By Allah's mercy and grace, the United States' Jama'ats response was splendid. We had only 7 mosques and mission houses in 1982, but under Hazrat Khalifatul. Masih IV'saba new directive we have been able to build/acquire 22 new mosques and mission houses and the funds collected exceed the target many times over. . The newest addition is the Bait-ur-Rahman Mosque constructed on an 11-acre parcel of land at a cost of 4. million dollars. It is the largest mosque in the Washington metropolitan area. Bait-ur-Rahman's inauguration ceremony will be performed by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih. IVaba on Friday, October 14, 1994 with prayers, in the presence of thousands of participants and distinguished guests. . The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam was established in 1889 under Divine Command by the Promised Messiah,. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas of Qadian. He claimed to be the Promised Reformer of the latter days whose advent was predicted by the Holy Prophet of Islamsa and by scriptures of other faiths. He was all alone when he proclaimed his mission from a tiny unknown village. completely cut off from the rest of the world. Almighty. Allah then assured him in a revelation, "I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the Earth. " Today, the. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established in 144 countries of the world and its ever growing number is at present estimated at 10 million. . Ahmadiyyat has shifted into a new gear. At the last. . Annual Ahmadiyya Convention in the United Kingdom (August, 1994), over 400,000 new members joined the. Community in a worldwide Bai'at Ceremony which was broadcast all over the world via satellite transmission. . These new soldiers of Islam hailed from 93 countries representing 155 nationalities--again, in fulfillment of the. Promised Messiah'sas prophecy, "Every nation shall drink from this Divine fountain and Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam, will spread and flourish with vigor and ultimately dominate the entire Universe. " a. Our new center will be a minaret of light which will enhance the spirituality of this. region and remove misconceptions and misgivings about. Islam, so widely and unjustly held by so many through genuine ignorance of its true message and teachings. "Islam is the religion which does away with all discrimination between man and man and demolishes all barriers of race, color and creed which divide humanity. Islam neither preaches coercion for the spread of its message nor gives license to other religions to do so. Indulgence in terrorism even in the name of the noblest objectives is strictly incompatible with the teachings of Islam. " (From the message of Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad, Khalifatul. Masih IVaba during the Ahmadiyya Centenary Celebration in 1989). Sahibzada Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad. Amir of the U. S. A. Jama'at. Let us all rededicate ourselves to the service of the true. Islam and humanity--united, determined and with prayers in our hearts. We should mold our lives and work hard and tirelessly for the attainment of the Divine mission for the renaissance of the true Islam, and serve and save a suffering humanity from its maladies and ailments. . It may be recorded here that scores of volunteers have worked hard and devotedly for the construction of this mosque, while thousands of men, women, and children and in particular members of the Ahmadiyya Medical. Association have generously contributed to the Mosque. . Fund. We propose to publish a brief history of the. Mosque's construction wherein the services and contributions will be duly acknowledged. . Mirza Muzaffar Ahmad. Amir, USA Jama'at. September 11, 1993. Ahmadiyya Muslim Association USA: 1994 Souveni