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

“With the grace of Allah, today you have been enabled to attend the UK Jama’at’s National Waqfe-Nau Ijtema. I expect that the organisers will have held beneficial and interesting programmes for each of the different age groups. There was a time when the majority of Waqf-e-Nau were very young and so the organisers of such events had to make programmes for children aged 7-10, or perhaps from the ages of 10-12 or to a maximum of 15. However now, with the grace of Allah, there are a very large number of Waqifeen-e-Nau who have completed their higher education and have entered various fields and professions. Some are doctors, some are engineers, some are scientists and we also have some very talented people who are working in research and establishing a good name in academic subjects. Thus, as I said, there are a significant number of Waqifeene-Nau who, having completed their education, are now embarking on the next stage of their lives and are working extremely well in their respective fields.

Amongst the Waqf-e-Nau there are also some who joined Jamia Ahmadiyya a number of years ago and have now graduated from it and are serving as missionaries in the field, both here in the UK and also in certain other countries, whilst others have been sent to serve in those Jama’at offices where there was a need. Therefore, it is clear how greatly Allah the Almighty has blessed this scheme of Waqf-e-Nau that started around 29 years ago. We can see how the seeds that were sown quite some time ago, as I have said, are beginning to produce extremely wonderful fruits, whereby Allah has provided the Jama’at with Waqif-e-Zindagi (life devotees) in whom the true spirit of Waqf (devotion) has been instilled from childhood. Having received religious education over a number of years, these Jamia graduates are now working diligently for the sake of the Jama’at. Apart from those who went to Jamia, we also have qualified architects and engineers from among the Waqfe-Nau, and with the grace of Allah, they are also working very well.

Anyway, you should all be aware that the Jama’at now has a huge need for the services of Waqf-e-Zindagi. And you are the people whose parents dedicated your lives for the sake of your faith prior to your birth. They prayed especially that you become loyal servants of Islam. Whilst a number of you have started serving the Jama’at, there are also a very large number of you, who despite being Waqif-e-Nau, are not yet directly involved in serving the Jama’at. Some have been advised by the Jama’at administration or by me personally to continue to gain further experience in their fields of expertise. This is so that they can later present themselves to the Jama’at when they are more qualified and well-trained. However, there are others who have not yet informed us of their current status. Anyway, those of you who are fifteen or above will now be starting to think about your long-term futures and career choices. You should certainly pursue options that are of interest to you, however I would also urge as many of you as possible to consider applying to Jamia Ahmadiyya. The reason for this is we have a huge requirement for missionaries throughout the world. Even though whole classes of Jamia Ahmadiyya UK have already graduated, the requirements of missionaries just here in the UK have still not been fulfilled. Furthermore, there are many other English-speaking countries where we need missionaries. And so I would advise you to consider joining Jamia with a spirit that this will be a great means of fulfilling your pledge of Waqf. Of course, we also require people in other fields as well. For example, we require architects and different types of engineers, such as civil engineers. Those of you who have interests in such fields should pursue them and once you have completed your education, you should present yourself to the Jama’at for service. We also need a large number of teachers. So those of you who are interested in teaching should complete the relevant training and then inform the Jama’at so that you can be sent to our schools in Africa and other places. Furthermore, we have hospitals in many different countries and there is a shortage of doctors in all of them. It was our expectation that many Waqifeen-e-Nau from the Waqf-e-Nau scheme would qualify as trained doctors. There are a few members of Waqf-e-Nau in other countries who are now qualified doctors; however, if there are any who qualified so far here in the UK, they have not submitted themselves as Waqfe-Zindagi (life devotees) to the services of Jama’at as of yet. Thus I would urge those of you with an aptitude and interest in medicine to become doctors and thereafter to come forward so that you can be sent to Africa or wherever else there is a need. Where on the one hand you will have the opportunity to serve your faith, you will also have the opportunity to serve humanity and care for those who are living in extremely tough conditions. You will have the opportunity to serve those people who do not have the facilities or means of comfort that are readily available in this part of the world. In this way you will reap countless blessings. We also require people with media and communication related degrees and training. The work of MTA continues to expand and we have also started our radio service, Voice of Islam, recently. The radio is currently in its formative stage, but we wish to constantly develop it and increase its scope and we will require suitable manpower. Thereafter apart from MTA International, other local MTA studios are either being opened or are currently being developed in a number of countries. Thus, those of you who have a talent and interest in these fields, should pursue broadcast media and other similar technical fields. We also require journalists and media professionals, because the impact of the mass media is ever-increasing. And so we need our people who can present the true teachings of Islam to the world through the media. Therefore as Waqifeen-e-Nau, you should keep in mind what the requirements and needs of our Jama’at are, and based on those requirements, you should educate yourselves and work as hard as you can. Once you have completed your respective degrees or training, you should make sure you inform the Jama’at and submit yourselves as Waqf-e-Zindagi (a life devotee) and be ready to serve.

However, I also wish to make it clear that it is not merely enough for you to gain educational qualifications; rather, as members of Waqf-e-Nau, there are other extremely important expectations that we hold. In short, the personal character of a Waqif-e-Nau should be completely in accordance with the true teachings of Islam. You should always bear the highest spiritual and moral standards. The question is how is this best achieved? Apart from our fundamental belief of the existence of God, the next most important thing Allah has taught a believer is that they must be regular in offering the five obligatory prayers, that is Namaz (Salat). Remember, Allah has said that a sign of a believer is that he or she offers their prayer with true humility. Thus make sure you are always regular in prayer, and as young men and boys, it is incumbent upon you to offer your prayers in congregation whenever possible. As Waqf-e-Nau we hold even higher expectations of you then other Ahmadis. You must therefore realise the importance and benefit of being regular in Namaz (Salat).

Another sign of a believer is that he stays away from indecent and immoral things. During youth, there is a risk, particularly when living in this Western society that a person can be exposed to indecency and be led astray. For example, immoral and indecent programmes are routinely shown on the TV and on the Internet. These are obscene and sinful things that a believer must stay far away from. Certainly a Waqif-e-Nau who has renewed the pledge made by his parents prior to his birth to spend his entire life serving his faith must always stay away from such immoral activities. Allah the Almighty has said such things take people away from their faith and so true believers must save themselves from such indecency and all forms of wrongdoing.

Further, Allah the Almighty has said that you should fulfil your pledges and your trusts. As members of Waqf-e-Nau, you have all made a solemn pledge to devote your lives for the sake of your faith. This pledge has not been made by force, but has been made by you in full maturity and entirely of your own volition. It is true your parents pledged you to this scheme prior to your birth, however when you reached an older age, the Jama’at administration asked you directly whether you wanted to continue in the Waqf-e-Nau scheme. Thus, every Waqif-e-Nau is given the opportunity to freely leave once they reach an age of understanding and maturity. In fact, they are asked not just once, but on a number of occasions. And so you have yourselves decided to fulfil that pledge made initially by your parents. As such it is now your duty to fulfil that covenant of Waqf and this cannot be done until you learn to fulfil your trusts. Of all your trusts the most significant is that you will forever safeguard your faith. For this you must establish a relationship with God Almighty and follow his commands. Primary among God’s commands, as I have already said, is to fulfil the rights of worship by being regular in Namaz. Thus you must pay great attention to this.

Furthermore, Allah the Almighty has said that there are many virtues that a believer should adopt and many sins they should avoid. For example, Allah the Almighty has commanded us to stay away from all forms of immorality and indecency. He has taught that we should stay away from sinful thoughts and other forms of transgression. These are the standards expected of a normal believer. But you are members of Waqf-e-Nau and so the moral expectations of you are even higher. As a life devotee it is up to you to prove a shining example for others to follow and learn from. In terms of the older boys present above the age of fifteen, you have reached an age of maturity and understanding. With the grace of Allah, you are intelligent, and so you should use the faculties that Allah has bestowed upon you to enable you to follow His commands and to live your lives according to Islamic teachings.

One virtue Allah has taught is that you should not freely mix with women or girls inappropriately and should not look towards them unnecessarily. We say to our women that they should observe purdah. But remember that, first of all, Allah the Almighty has said to men that they should lower their gazes so that their state of mind remains pure at all times.

This quality of moral virtue and chastity is something that I wish to emphasise very strongly because in this society issues can easily arise. A lack of moral virtues is the root cause of countless other ills, whereby if a person is not morally chaste, it leads to many other sins and vices. To keep your eyes lowered does not merely mean that you should not look directly at women as you pass them. Rather it means you should avoid all activities or things that can negatively affect your state of mind. As I said before, you must avoid indecent films or TV programmes. If you follow this Islamic teaching your thoughts will remain pure and you will be in a position to worship Allah and fulfil other commandments.

Remember, Allah the Almighty desires for us to excel in righteousness and virtue and so a Waqif-e-Nau has a great responsibility to always try and improve and to stay away from all forms of wrongdoing. Similarly, Allah the Almighty has instructed that a Muslim should control his anger. It is quite common for boys or young men to be overcome by their emotions and to say things in anger. But a believer must always try to keep control of his emotions and nerves. He should remain calm at all times because anger often leads to fights and disputes and this can easily destroy the peaceful atmosphere of a society. I would also like to remind those children and youngsters who are under eighteen or under fifteen, that they should now realise that as members of Waqf-e-Nau their primary objective should be to develop a personal relation with God Almighty. The way to achieve this is being regular in Salat or Namaz. Hence, I remind you all once again that you must pay particular attention to safeguarding your prayers at all times. Whether you are at home, school or anywhere else, Allah the Almighty has also said that we must love our parents and treat them kindly and listen to what they say. Normally, upon entering teenage years youngsters tend to think they are free and independent and their peers can also sometimes wrongly influence them. As a result, they are sometimes rude to their parents or fail to listen to them. However, our Waqf-e-Nau should display the best standards, so that people can clearly distinguish between you and others. Further, Allah has said that a believer must not mock other people or make fun of them in a way that can hurt their feelings. Therefore, you should never be unkind; rather a Waqif-e-Nau child should always care for the feelings and sentiments of others. They should never say anything that could offend other people or could escalate into a bigger argument or fight.

Another a very major sin Allah has warned us of is falsehood. No matter the circumstances, all Ahmadis should avoid lying and certainly Waqifeen-e-Nau should set the very best examples of honesty, truth and integrity. This is of fundamental importance because you are the people who have pledged to spiritually reform your societies. Thus to be completely truthful at all times is an extremely important part of being a Waqif-e-Nau. Similarly, another important point is that Waqifeen-e-Nau should be diligent in their school studies and education. They should always work hard and try to get the best results possible. They should not waste their time on pointless video games that have no benefit or playing games incessantly on their iPad or tablet; rather they should try to develop the habit of reading books and increasing their knowledge. They should read educational books and religious books and can read novels as well. I have seen children here who are just eight or nine but due to the good influence of their schools are very keen readers.

Anyway all children and youth should read as much as possible and develop this good habit. As I said you should also read religious books and you should ask your parents questions about religion so that your knowledge is constantly increasing. If for some reason your parents do not know the answer you can ask your local missionary and you can also write to me with your question. It is my desire that you all learn as much as possible about your religion and continue to study it. I am confident that InshaAllah [God willing] you will listen to what I have said and will seek to be the very best possible Waqif-e-Nau that you can. I hope and pray that you will forever seek to fulfil that pledge and promise that your parents made before you were born. I pray that you will continue to fulfil the demands of your pledge throughout your lives. I pray that the spirit of selfless service and devotion to your faith remains with you and indeed increase at every stage of your life, whether it is when you turn fifteen, or when you turn twenty one, or when you complete your education or at any other point in your future. May Allah enable this to be the case. May Allah bless all of the members of Waqf-e-Nau in all respects – Ameen.”