After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Bismillah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V^(aba) said:

“A few years ago attendance at the Waqifaat-e-Nau Ijtema used to be of very young girls, but now with the grace of Allah, quite a number of Waqifaat-e-Nau have themselves become mothers. And as mothers they have come to include their own children in the Waqf-e-Nau scheme. Thus, you will realise that the Waqf-e-Nau scheme, which started around 29 years ago, has now, with the grace of Allah, entered its second generation. The scheme has reached a stage wherein those who receive moral training and guidance in accordance with their status as members of Waqifaat-e-Nau, are now catering for the moral training of the next generation. In light of this you should recognise and understand that the responsibilities of the members of Waqifaat-e-Nau have increased much more than before. Today perhaps around 25% of Waqifaat-e-Nau have reached an age where they are getting married or at least are near to marriage, and also quite a number of them are having children and in future this number will continuously increase, InshaAllah (God willing). On the one hand this is a means of happiness whereby we can see how Allah the Almighty is granting the Jama’at thousands of mothers who have pledged their lives for the sake of their faith. However on the other hand, it is also a means of fear and concern, because it is apparent that the responsibilities of such mothers have increased vastly. Most certainly, if they do not train their children or the future generation in the right way, they will be answerable before Allah the Almighty. Indeed, Allah the Almighty has very clearly stated that all people who have been entrusted with anything should fulfill the trust, and if they fail to honour their trusts, then they will be held accountable. Addressing the believers in chapter 23, verse 9, Allah the Almighty says:

“And who are watchful of their trusts and covenants.”

And so as members of that fortunate group of people who even amongst the believers have pledged to fulfill their trusts and covenants above all others, you must realise the gravity and importance of your responsibilities. You are the people who have devoted your lives for the sake of your faith. You are the people who have pledged to forgo worldly pleasures for the sake of God Almighty. It is particularly important for those girls, who are now over the age of fifteen, to understand the significance and value of their responsibilities. This is because they have willingly, in full maturity, renewed the pledge made by their parents prior to their birth. At their age they should now have a full understanding of what is truly meant by Waqf – that is devoting one’s life, and what it requires.

Those Waqifaat-e-Nau members who are now mothers will realise that over twenty years ago their parents pledged their lives for the sake of their faith. Indeed, they pledged the lives of their unborn children in accordance with chapter 3, verse 36 of the Holy Qur’an, where it says:

“Remember when the woman of ‘Imran said, ‘My Lord, I have vowed to Thee what is in my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So do accept it of me; verily, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All-Knowing.’”

Now today you, who are the fulfillment of that covenant made by your mothers, are yourselves reviving that pledge by stating that whatever is in your womb you dedicate for the cause of God Almighty. As I have just said, you have reached an age where your thinking should be very mature and you should understand your vast responsibilities. You should realise that being a member of the Waqifaat-e-Nau scheme is no ordinary thing. Therefore, as you go about your daily lives, you should not look at which direction the world is moving in and you should not have any complex about the country or culture you are living in, nor should you be unduly influenced by the latest trends or fashions; rather, you must pay attention to what your responsibilities are. This should remain your focus and direction at all times. You must understand both ‘who you are’ and ‘why you are.’ Hence, it is not merely enough to verbally proclaim that you are an Ahmadi, but you must question why you are an Ahmadi. It is not enough just to say that you have accepted the Promised Messiah^(as), but instead you must ask, why is it that you have accepted him? Similarly it is not enough just to say that you intend to fulfill your pledge of Waqf, but rather you must consider how you will fulfill it and why you will fulfill it? These are questions that you must ponder over and reflect upon. Surely then you will come to the realisation that as life devotees you have one principle duty, and that is to serve and dedicate yourselves to the mission of the Promised Messiah^(as) who was sent in fulfillment of the promises of Allah the Almighty and the prophecies of the Holy Prophet Muhammad^(sa). And what was the mission of the Promised Messiah^(as)? It was to bring mankind closer to God Almighty and to establish the rights of one another. It was to enlighten the world of the true teachings of Islam through his words, deeds and conduct. It was to spread the true message of Islam to the corners of the globe. And so as members of Waqifaat-e-Nau it is your duty and obligation to inculcate these teachings and to spread them far and wide.

Fundamental to fulfilling this objective is prayer and the worship of God Almighty. Only when you personally have a relationship with Allah and only when you are fulfilling the rights of your worship, in terms of both the five obligatory prayers and voluntary Nawaafil, will you be in a position to morally guide others and to show them the true teachings of Islam and to bring them closer to their Creator. Always remember that as an Ahmadi girl, and especially as a member of Waqifaat-e-Nau, your foremost priority must always be to seek the pleasure of God Almighty. The question is how do you achieve this? As I said, the primary way is to fulfill the rights of the worship of God Almighty and thereafter to follow all of his commandments. Furthermore, it is essential that you continually increase your knowledge of Islam.

Once you have learned about your faith, it is incumbent upon you to pass down such knowledge to your own children. This is the means of fulfilling the great trust that has been placed in you. This is the means of fulfilling that solemn pledge that your parents made before your birth. However, it is not enough for you to only guide your own children or your family members; rather, as a Waqifaat-e-Nau it is your responsibility and indeed obligation, to spread these perfect teachings amongst the wider society so that others can benefit and so that the truth of Islam is established far and wide. It is very clear that in today’s world the distance between mankind and God Almighty is increasing by the day. People are becoming less interested in religion and an increasing number say they do not even believe in the existence of God. In fact, many people view religion as a joke or something that is to be mocked and ridiculed. It is in such a challenging climate that you must learn your faith and be firm in your conviction of its truth. You must build a personal connection with God so that you can prove His existence to others and so you can demonstrate that he continues to listen to those who seek Him.

Only when you have a personal connection with Allah will you be able to convince others that He answers the prayers of those who have a relationship with Him and save them from wrongdoing and evil. Furthermore, you must educate society about what is right and what is wrong. For example, it is your duty to explain to others that promoting immodesty in the name of so-called freedom is a means of lowering human values, rather than raising them. It is a means of reducing self-respect, rather than increasing it. You must prove that religious people are those who exhibit the very best moral standards. It is your duty to inform others that the pursuit of worldly pleasures is not the primary goal of one’s life; rather the most important objective is to establish a relationship with their Creator. When a person establishes such a relationship with their Lord, then he or she will naturally be reminded towards fulfilling the rights of other people and will manifest the very best morals and virtues at all times.

Thus, having a connection with God Almighty is the means of creating a beautiful, tolerant and peaceful society. We are very fortunate because the Holy Qur’an has guided us about all aspects of our lives. On the one hand it informs us of many virtues that we should adopt, whilst on the other hand, it also highlights many vices and sins which we should avoid at all costs. For example in the Holy Qur’an Allah the Almighty says that a believer must take care of the poor and should feed the hungry. Allah the Almighty says that a person should be willing to make personal sacrifices for the sake of others. Allah the Almighty says that a person should avoid all forms of arrogance and ill-thinking of others. Allah the Almighty says that a person must always hold firm to the truth and save himself from all forms of falsehood. Allah says that a person should show gratitude to both Him and to His Creation. Allah the Almighty says that a person should manifest forgiveness and should exhibit patience and forbearance as much as possible. Similarly, Allah the Almighty has given many other commandments and if we act upon them we will purify and beautify our society in the very best manner. Certainly, it is the responsibly of Waqifaat-e-Nau members to decorate their homes with piety and morality. The way to do this is to be regular in offering Salat and by upholding all forms of virtue and righteousness. If you are successful in this then these qualities will automatically pass on to your children and it will ensure that they remain firmly attached to Ahmadiyyat and to the worship of God Almighty. If you achieve this you will have been proven successful in fulfilling that pledge that was first made by your parents and later renewed by you yourselves. Through your conduct you will spread virtues and goodness throughout your environment and society.

Keeping all of this in mind, always remember that it is a great responsibility on your part to forever give precedence to your faith over all worldly matters. If you become too involved in the latest fashion trends you will naturally move away from religion. Similarly, if you become consumed by worldly interests or pursuits, your faith will suffer and become of secondary importance to you. Thus, I repeat that you must each understand your personal responsibility as a member of Waqfaat-e-Nau. As I said before, you must always keep in mind that you will be held to account for those pledges and covenants you have made.

I think more than half of those attending today will be above the age of fifteen. And so they have all reached the age of maturity. Consequently you should be aware that it is only through your good conduct and pious deeds that you can fulfil the pledge and the trusts that have been placed in you. I am confident that you will not attend Ijtemas or Jalsa simply for the sake of attending. But rather you will attend such events with the sincere intention of improving spiritually and seeking to incorporate whatever good things you learn into your daily lives.

May Allah enable this to be the case. Before moving on, I wish to say that within our Jama’at there is a particularly strong need for Ahmadi women doctors and teachers. Also, we require media graduates who can work in MTA or in any other way. And we also need Ahmadi journalists. Thus, those of you who have interests in these fields should try to pursue such avenues and paths. Today there are also younger Waqifaat-e-Nau girls aged between twelve and fifteen who are present here sitting in front of me. This is an age of understanding and to some extent maturity. At this age you should leave behind child-like behaviour and think seriously about how you can be good Ahmadis and positive role models. You should think about your faith and your pledge and should not be adversely influenced by school friends towards worldly or immoral things.

Your goal and ambition should always be to please Allah the Almighty and you should understand that it is your task to reform others. Instead of following the trends, our Ahmadi girls should set the trends of goodness and morality for others to follow. Only if you start thinking in this way will you come to understand the importance of your role as a member of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme. Even at your young age you should try to learn as much as you can about Islam. Today the only way to learn the true teachings of Islam is by studying the literature or books produced by the Promised Messiah^(as) and the Khulafa. Having been sent by Allah the Almighty, the Promised Messiah^(as) has presented the true interpretation of the Holy Qur’an for us as well. Thus, the Lajna and elder Nasiraat should regularly read the Promised Messiah’s^(as) books and seek to implement what they learn in their daily lives. There are also some very young girls seated before me, as I have said, who are under the age of twelve. They should remember that every Ahmadi girl must protect their modesty, and so even girls who have reached the age of eight, nine or ten should adopt modesty in their dress. Their mothers who have pledged their lives for the Waqf-e-Nau scheme should inculcate within their daughters the importance of always maintaining modest and dignified standards of dress. Of course the clothing worn by all Ahmadi girls should be modest and decent. But it is especially important for members of Waqifaat-e-Nau to be conscious of this. Only if they have this training from a young age will they feel no hesitation or complex in observing purdah when they become older.

Thus, as I said, even the girls aged eight, nine or ten should dress in an appropriate and modest fashion. With the grace of Allah, even the young Ahmadi girls are very intelligent and so they should all seek to learn about their faith and utilise intelligence in a good and positive fashion. For a young girl this requires that she listens to the good things her parents teach her and tries to follow them. As some mothers are also present here, I would like to remind them of their responsibilities as well. Your children will only learn good things from you if you yourselves set a positive example for them. Thus, you should act righteously and beautify your homes with virtue and piety.

At the end it is my prayer that all members of Waqifaat-e-Nau come to fulfill the expectations that their parents had of them when they pledged their lives for the sake of the Jama’at.

I pray that they also fulfill the very high expectations that the Jama’at has of them or the Khalifa-e-Waqt (Khalifa of the Time) has of them. May the members of this blessed scheme come to fulfill their noble purpose for which their parents devoted their lives. May they forever live their lives according to the beautiful teachings of the Holy Prophet^(sa). May Allah the Almighty bless all the members of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme in all respects, Ameen. Now you will join me in silent prayer.”