أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔

اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that prophethood would remain among you for as long as Allah the Almighty wills, then after it, Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood would be established—that Khilafat which would follow the way of the Prophet, which would have no personal interests, and which would advance the work of the Prophet. However, after a period of time, this Khilafat, which is the Rightly-Guided Khilafat, would come to an end. This blessing would be taken away from you. Then such kingship would be established from which people would feel distress. Then there would be even more tyrannical kingship. Then the mercy of Allah the Almighty would surge forth, and then Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood would be established once again. (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Volume 6, Page 285, Musnad al-Nu'man bin Bashir, Hadith: 18596, Alam al-Kutub, Beirut, 1998)

We observe that despite the fact that various Muslim heads of state in different eras of Islamic history called themselves Caliphs and claimed that their position was that of a Caliph, nevertheless, the majority of Muslims give the status of Rightly-Guided Caliphs only to the first four Caliphs after the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Only their era is called the era of Rightly-Guided Khilafat—that is, the era that was guided and spread guidance, and they continued to run their system in the way they had seen the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) run it. They ran the system according to the Quranic teachings. There was no hereditary kingship; rather, Allah the Almighty clothed them with the mantle of Khilafat through the community of believers. However, apart from them, the remaining caliphs continued to maintain hereditary kingship, and this prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was fulfilled to the letter. When this prophecy was fulfilled to the letter in the first two matters, then in the final matter that he had stated, the word of our Master, Hazrat Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), was also to be fulfilled—that seeing this worldliness and the deteriorated condition of Muslims, that God who had sent the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with a law to remain established until the Day of Judgment, His mercy would surge forth and He would re-establish Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood in the world. And we Ahmadis believe that Allah the Almighty, in accordance with His promise made to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), caused His mercy to surge forth. His mercy surged, and fulfilling the word of our Master and Lord, He established Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood through the Promised Messiah and the Awaited Mahdi. Where He granted him the status of a prophet within the Ummah, He also bestowed upon him the status of Khatam al-Khulafa (Seal of the Caliphs), meaning that now the system of Khilafat of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was to continue through his true servant and the Seal of the Caliphs. Thus, we are fortunate to be among those who share in this glad tiding of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), which he gave us regarding the establishment of Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood. In explaining the verse of Surah al-Jumu'ah, وَاٰخَرِیْنَ مِنْھُمْ لَمَّا یَلْحَقُوْا بِھِمْ (al-Jumu'ah: 4), the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) joined those who were to come later with the earlier ones—we have been included among them. Regarding his beloved one about whom the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that he would bring faith back from the Pleiades to earth (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tafsir, Surah al-Jumu'ah, Chapter on His saying وَآخَرِیْنَ مِنْھُمْ, 4897), we have been included among his believers. Regarding the Messiah and Mahdi to whom the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed that his greetings be conveyed (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Volume 3, Page 182, Musnad Abi Hurairah, Hadith: 7957, Alam al-Kutub, Beirut, 1998), Allah the Almighty granted us the opportunity to be among those who fulfill this duty. And then Allah the Almighty also bestowed this favor upon the members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya who took the Bai'at that they were included in the Bai'at of the system of Khilafat that continued after the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).

Thus, all these favors of Allah the Almighty demand from every Ahmadi that, while being grateful to Him, they bring about that change in their conditions which is the duty of the believers of this Envoy of Allah the Almighty. Only then can they fulfill the right of this Bai'at. The Promised Messiah and the Awaited Mahdi was to bring faith from the Pleiades to the earth and fill the hearts of his followers with it, and every Ahmadi is surely a witness that he demonstrated this work. But establishing this faith was not limited only to his lifetime or to a few decades; rather, when the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fell silent after giving the glad tiding of Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood, it meant that this faith was to remain established on earth with its glory until the Day of Judgment. And it is the duty of every person who counts himself in the Bai'at of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to instill this faith in their hearts and remain steadfast upon it forever. It is the duty of these believers that, by connecting with the system of Khilafat that follows the way of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), they become manifestations of this faith, spread it to every corner of the world, and establish Tawhid (monotheism) in the world. For this work, Allah the Almighty sent our Master and Leader, Hazrat Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and for this work, Allah the Almighty has sent his true servant. And for the accomplishment of this very work, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prophesied that Khilafat would remain until the Day of Judgment. And for this very reason, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) gave the Jamaat, along with the sorrowful news of his departure from this world, the glad tiding as well, and said: "From ancient times, it has been the way of Allah that He shows two manifestations so that He may trample underfoot the two false joys of the opponents. So now it is not possible for God Almighty to abandon His ancient practice." He said: "For it is essential for you to witness the Second Manifestation as well, and its coming is better for you because it is everlasting, the continuity of which shall not be interrupted until the Day of Judgment." (Risalah al-Wasiyyat, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 20, Page 305)

Thus, to establish faith on the earth, Allah the Almighty continued this Second Manifestation after the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Allah the Almighty does not want the opponents of religion to rejoice that religion has once again vanished from the world. Allah the Almighty does not want Satan to roam about triumphantly. Allah the Almighty is to trample underfoot the false joys of the opponents. Therefore, He is to keep faith established in the world while supporting the system of Khilafat that continues after the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). However, Allah the Almighty has also made it the duty of those who claim to be connected to this system to become helpers of Khilafat in keeping this faith established in the world, and keeping their pledge of Bai'at before them, to firmly resolve that they must protect their own faith and also enlighten others with the light of faith. As the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said, it has been the way of Allah from ancient times that He shows two manifestations, and we all know well that this Second Manifestation is the system of Khilafat. Thus, the system of Khilafat has an important connection with religious progress, and it is an important part of Islamic Shariah. Religious progress cannot occur without Khilafat. The unity of the Jamaat cannot be maintained without Khilafat. And by the grace of Allah the Almighty, every one of us who is attached to Khilafat knows well that the continuation of Khilafat in the Jamaat is part of faith. And those people also knew this who, at the time of the demise of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him), wanted to remain attached to Khilafat by rejecting the words of those who created discord in the Jamaat. They knew that our faith cannot remain established if we do not have the system of Khilafat among us. It is due to Allah the Almighty's grace that because of the sacrifices of those people and because of the firmness of their faith, today many of us who are from the generations of those elders are benefiting from the blessings of the system of Khilafat. In this regard, the greatest effort and sacrifice was made by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II. Those who accused Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II leveled great accusations against him, but the condition of his heart in trying to save the system of Khilafat—I present a glimpse of it before you in the words of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II himself, because this is also part of history, and to protect ourselves from discord, we should also keep an eye on history. Similarly, this is also necessary for strengthening faith. This becomes a means of strengthening.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II (may Allah be pleased with him) says that in the house where Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I passed away, in one of its rooms, I called Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib and told him not to present any dispute regarding Khilafat—whether it should exist or not—and to limit his thoughts only to this extent: that such a Caliph should be elected in whose hands the interests of the Jamaat would be safe and who could strive for the progress of Islam. Since reconciliation can only occur in matters where sacrifice is possible, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II says that I told Maulvi Sahib that as far as personal matters are concerned, I can sacrifice my sentiments for your sake, but if it becomes a matter of principle, there will be no choice, because abandoning principle is not permissible under any circumstances. The difference between us and you is that we consider Khilafat to be a religious matter and deem the existence of Khilafat as necessary. But you cannot declare the existence of Khilafat as impermissible because you have just been freed from the Bai'at of a Caliph. That is, the intent was that you people had taken the Bai'at of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, and now he has passed away. You have been freed from this, meaning that after Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, you now say that we do not want Khilafat and we have become free from Khilafat.Hazrat Musleh Maud told them that for six years you maintained your Bai'at, and what was permissible for six years cannot become forbidden in the future, and especially something that is commanded by Allah the Almighty. The difference between your position and ours is that if you abandon your stance, you will have to adopt the same thing you had adopted until now—that is, the Bai'at of Khalifatul Masih I. But if we abandon our stance, we would have to abandon what is against our belief and religion, and against which we have never acted. Therefore, justice demands that you adopt the path you had adopted until today and do not compel us against our religion and principle. As for the question of who can be beneficial for the progress of the Jamaat and the establishment of Islam, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II told Hazrat Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib that whoever you agree upon, we will accept him as Caliph.

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the majority of the Jamaat wanted the system of Khilafat to be established. The clear directive of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was before the Jamaat. When this meeting became too prolonged and Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib kept insisting, people began knocking on the doors and making noise, demanding that a decision be made quickly and their Bai'at be taken. In any case, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II says that I told Maulvi Sahib that I have removed your concerns, so now the question before you should be who should be the Caliph, not whether there should be a Caliph or not. To this, Maulvi Sahib said, "I know that is why you are insisting, because you know who will be the Caliph." Hazrat Musleh Maud said, "But I told him that I do not know who it will be." Khalifatul Masih II said, "I will take the Bai'at of whomever you, Maulvi Muhammad Ali Sahib, select. When I take the Bai'at of your chosen one, then because the supporters of Khilafat—that is, those who support Khilafat—follow my word, there can be no fear of opposition." But Maulvi Sahib was not going to agree, and he did not agree. Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) says, "I told them, 'The suspicions you keep having about me—how can I cut open my heart and show it to you? I am ready to make whatever sacrifice is within my capacity.'" And then a short while later, when this door was opened and they came outside, Maulvi Muhammad Ahsan Amrohi Sahib proposed the name of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II, Hazrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad, and the Jamaat compelled him to take their Bai'at. He said repeatedly that he did not even remember the words of the Bai'at. Maulvi Sarwar Shah Sahib, probably, said that he would keep reciting them, and thus, in the establishment of this Second Manifestation, this attempt by the mischief-makers to create discord was rendered unsuccessful and failed by Allah the Almighty while fulfilling the word of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and Khilafat on the precepts of prophethood was established for the second time after the demise of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And those who had distanced themselves from Khilafat were great religious scholars, worldly scholars, educated, experienced, wealthy and influential, and had all the treasures of the Anjuman under their control, but those people continued to fail and become unsuccessful. After the election of the Second Khilafat, Maulvi Sahib not only left from there, from Qadian, but these non-Bai'at members also continued to engage in great mischief afterward to end the system of Khilafat. But they always had to face failure. Why? Because Allah the Almighty's promise was to continue the system of Khilafat. When these people were leaving Qadian after failing in every way, and they had also completely emptied the treasury, while leaving they pointed to the building of the Talim-ul-Islam School and said that ten years would not pass before Aryas and Christians would take over these buildings. (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 72-75)

But see how magnificently Allah the Almighty fulfills His promises. How He fulfills the word of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). How He not only fulfills the glad tidings given through the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) but continues to fulfill it to this day with a new splendor every day. They spoke of ten years, that before then Aryas and Christians would take over, but the works of Allah the Almighty have their own grandeur. Those ten years also passed, and after that several decades passed, and today 101 years have passed since that statement, but not only is Qadian progressing despite extremely unfavorable circumstances—which includes the event of Partition when the Jamaat had to leave from there and only a few hundred Dervishes were left there to live a life of poverty—but now brand new modern buildings are being constructed in Qadian. They spoke of taking over a school; new schools worth several crores of rupees are being built. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the work of Tabligh has also expanded greatly there. And not just Qadian, but in many countries of the world, multi-story buildings of the Jamaat attached to Ahmadiyya Khilafat are giving testimony to Allah the Almighty's support and help. The beautiful teachings of Islam are reaching people of every religion in the world. Thus, this is the support of Allah the Almighty with Ahmadiyya Khilafat, the scenes of which we witness daily. Germany is also not devoid of these blessings that Allah the Almighty is bestowing upon those connected to Ahmadiyya Khilafat. Just a few days ago, two auxiliary organizations of Jamaat Germany—Ansarullah and Lajna Imaillah—together purchased a five-story building worth approximately 1.7 million or seventeen lakh euros. That treasury in which the opponents of Khilafat had left less than even one rupee and laughed saying, "Let's see how the system will run now"—today, two auxiliary organizations of one country attached to this Khilafat have purchased a large five-story building by spending more than approximately nineteen crore rupees. Now, if this is not the grace of Allah the Almighty and the support of Ahmadiyya Khilafat, then what is it? Those who separated from Khilafat—their central system also fell apart. Their noble-natured ones, even at that time when they realized, and even today when they or their generations realize, from among them are joining Jamaat Ahmadiyya, the Bai'at-taking members, and coming under the banner of Khilafat. Then today, the work of preaching Islam in the world is being done only under the system of Ahmadiyya Khilafat. When the name of Islam is being defamed in the world, it is Jamaat Ahmadiyya that is showing the beautiful picture of Islam. And this is why God Almighty Himself is also proving the truth of Ahmadiyya Khilafat to the world. Some incidents are astonishing—how Allah the Almighty informs people not only about the truth of the Jamaat but also about His support and help with Khilafat. Not just the truth of Jamaat Ahmadiyya, but also the support and help that Allah the Almighty is showing with Khilafat, He shows to others as well, and thus opens the hearts of those with noble natures. I will mention here one or two incidents and events. Niger is a country in Africa; our missionary there wrote that in a training class for new converts, along with ten Imams, the chief of a village called Ougna also attended. When he was asked why he himself had come instead of the Imam, he said, "I know this is a class for Imams, but last night when I gave the Imam the message to attend the class, he refused and told me that the Sunni scholars of the city—who were Wahhabis—had told him that Ahmadis are disbelievers." This chief says, "I was greatly surprised and also saddened—how can Ahmadis be disbelievers? And if they are disbelievers, then I, as chief, gave them permission to preach in the village. So I have become doubly a disbeliever. Therefore, I prayed a lot during the night." People say that the inhabitants of Africa are uneducated people without sense. These chiefs living in villages would not be very educated either, but they had the fear of Allah the Almighty—they have noble natures. He says, "I prayed a lot during the night and fell asleep while praying for guidance from Allah the Almighty." Great scholars do not understand this matter. Then he gave a sworn statement that during the night he saw in a dream that first stars descended from the sky into his house, and then the moon followed behind them. He was looking at them from close by, but they had no light. And then suddenly a personality dressed in white garments descended from the sky into his house, and as soon as this person entered, the stars and the moon became astonishingly illuminated, and the entire house lit up with lights, and this thought forcefully entered his heart that this is some personality of the Ahmadis. And he moved forward and asked, "Are you a missionary of the Ahmadis or the Caliph?" And then he woke up. The missionary showed him photographs and an album, and he immediately placed his finger on my picture and said, swearing repeatedly, "This is the one I saw descending from the sky into my house, and it was with his arrival that my house became illuminated."

Amir Sahib from Gambia writes that when Tabligh was done in the village Samba Mbayen, people were told about the coming of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and the conditions of Bai'at were read out to them for joining his Jamaat. The village Imam and the chairman of the village development committee spontaneously said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had prophesied the coming of Imam Mahdi, and today they were hearing for the first time about the coming of Imam Mahdi. And since they had seen Ahmadiyyat, they were very impressed. Then they said that only Ahmadis are true Muslims because they have the power of Khilafat which has strung everyone together. And when they were told about me and shown the picture, they said, "We see him, and I see this person on TV every day." And then all the individuals, who were approximately 350, accepted Ahmadiyyat by taking the Bai'at. When they saw the translation of the Holy Quran in three local languages, they said that Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam. No other sect has been blessed with this good fortune as the Ahmadis are doing. And finally they said that, InshaAllah, they will remain steadfast on Ahmadiyyat and will not turn back because this is the true Islam, and other Mullahs deceive us.

Then, during this very tour, at the inauguration of this mosque in Aachen and at the inauguration of the mosque in Hanau, local people from various backgrounds—politicians, businesspeople, teachers, and other educated people, men and women—many of them expressed their views. One said, "I know many Ahmadis, and I thought I understood Ahmadiyyat very well because of this familiarity and knew a lot about it." But she told the one speaking to her, "The effect that hearing the words of your Caliph has had on me was not there before. I have now truly come to know the reality about Islam that has entered my heart." So these are the favors of Allah the Almighty that are associated with Khilafat. I am merely a humble person. I am aware of my own condition; I have no excellence. But Allah the Almighty has promised support and help with Khilafat, and God Almighty is certainly true to His promises. He has always continued to support and help Khilafat, and InshaAllah, He will continue to do so in the future as well.

As the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has also said, this Second Manifestation is established by God Almighty, and we continue to see the expressions of His support. Thus, those who remain firm in their faith will continue to see signs and support. So keep strengthening your faith. Connect your relationship with Ahmadiyya Khilafat and also pay attention to fulfilling that right which God Almighty has made a promise to those who obtain the blessing of Khilafat. The blessing of Khilafat was taken away in the early period of Islam when worldliness increased. Now, InshaAllah, God Almighty will continue this blessing, but those people will be deprived of this blessing who do not fulfill the pledge of giving precedence to religion over worldly matters. If they do not act upon those conditions that Allah the Almighty has placed with the blessing of Khilafat, they will be deprived. Allah the Almighty has promised through Khilafat to turn fear into peace, but this is for those people who fulfill the right of Allah the Almighty. And the first right is یَعْبُدُوْنَنِیْ—they will worship Me. So if you want to benefit from this blessing, fulfill the right of worshipping Allah the Almighty. Protect your five daily prayers and pay attention to offering them in the best manner. Then He said, لَا یُشْرِکُوْنَ بِیْ شَیْئًا—they will not associate anything with Me.

So in this world where people have various priorities, and especially in these developed countries where there is a race for materialism, some people have begun to give precedence to these material things over the commands of God Almighty, or they do give them precedence. To gain worldly benefit, they also resort to misrepresentation and lies. This is also a type of shirk. So such people cannot truly benefit from Khilafat. Someone from here in Germany wrote to me that he had a friend under Tabligh who became convinced of all the issues and the truth of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). When this person told his friend, "Then take the Bai'at and join the Jamaat," he said, "I know many Ahmadis. Some around me who are close to me also evade taxes. They also resort to lies; they are also involved in other wrongdoings. But I do not do any of these wrong things anyway. I pay my taxes in full. If I drive a taxi, I also pay its full dues. So how can I join them? Therefore, I am better than them despite accepting all your other beliefs." Although his answer is wrong—by not accepting the command of Allah and His Messenger, he himself has become guilty. Allah the Almighty will surely say to him, "When the reality came before you, why did you deny it by looking at a few people? Why did you not obey My command that was for you?" But such Ahmadis, by their wrong conduct, are committing a double sin. They themselves will remain and are remaining deprived of Allah the Almighty's blessings, and they are also pushing others away. And about such people, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has said that these people, by being attributed to us, are defaming us. So those who are defaming the name of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—what share do they have to take from the blessings of his continuing Khilafat? So such people need to assess themselves. Similarly, I say to workers and office-bearers that this blessing in your work, or the ability that Allah the Almighty is granting you for work, is solely and only due to attachment with Khilafat. Without it, one cannot do even a penny's worth of work. If anyone considers the good results of some works to be due to worldly knowledge, intellect, and hard work, this is merely their delusion. In work done in the name of religion, without Khilafat, not even an iota of blessing will be found. As I have mentioned, those who separated have seen the result. Day by day their numbers are decreasing. Their centrality is ending. Their system is becoming helpless. So it is this love and obedience with Khilafat that is attracting Allah the Almighty's blessings and better results are emerging, because this is a system established by Allah the Almighty. Therefore, He has connected every effort for the progress of religion to Khilafat.

So if ever ego or self-admiration arises in the heart of any office-bearer, they should turn their attention to seeking forgiveness. Thus, in the progress of Jamaat Ahmadiyya, neither the scholarship of scholars is working, nor the intellect of the wise, nor the knowledge and skill of those with worldly learning. If the scholarship of someone with religious knowledge, the intellect of someone wise, the learning of someone with worldly knowledge, or the skills of experts are producing extraordinary results in the Jamaat's work, it is purely and solely due to Allah the Almighty's grace and remaining attached to Khilafat, because due to this attachment, Allah the Almighty has promised these results and therefore He is granting them. In worldly matters or worldliness, knowledge, intellect, and skill can certainly work, but one who remains in the Jamaat must, for the best results in Jamaat work especially, make themselves obedient to Khilafat.

Similarly, it is also the responsibility of scholars that those people who have accepted the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)—meaning new converts, new youth, and children who do not have awareness of the true relationship with Khilafat—should inform them about it, tell them about it. Similarly, office-bearers are also responsible. Some office-bearers are such that they become office-bearers after being elected, but they have no knowledge of religion. They consider their position to be like a worldly office. When some people say before me that they have such an office, I always tell them not to call it an office but service. And if Allah the Almighty has given you the opportunity to serve religion, then also increase your religious knowledge, increase your sincerity and loyalty, increase your Taqwa (righteousness), and increase your connection with Khilafat. There are also such office-bearers who make full effort to draw attention to their own importance—that we are office-bearers—but regarding Khilafat, they think that by celebrating Khilafat Day once a year, they have fulfilled their duty. I had mentioned once before, with reference to Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him), that the emphasis that should be given to the Jamaat regarding the relationship with Khilafat is not being given. Now, after my saying so, speeches have started at Jalsas, but there is a great need to firmly establish this matter—to listen to the words of the Khalifa of the time and try to act upon them. Increase your connection with Khilafat. Those who understand this matter also feel an extraordinary change in their conditions. A few days ago, approximately over 100 Khuddam from Canada and over 200 Khuddam from America of various ages came to meet me in London. Among them were also new converts. They stayed for three days. After that, their impressions were completely different. A strange sincerity and loyalty was being expressed by them, which was astonishing to see and hear. And afterward, when they went back, they also expressed these things and expressed the change in their conditions. They pledged that they would be regular in their prayers. They pledged that they would maintain regularity in their attachment with the Jamaat. They pledged that they would continue to increase their connection with Khilafat. Before this, neither had they been told so much about the connection with Khilafat, nor did they have the experience. Certainly, through personal meeting, a special color of relationship and love is created on both sides, but if scholars and office-bearers continue to narrate the importance of Khilafat in the Jamaat from time to time through various incidents, then firmness and further brightness are created in faith. Office-bearers want to emphasize their own importance in the name of being representatives of Khilafat. Wherever an office-bearer stands, he will say, "I am a representative of Khilafat"—and among these office-bearers are men, and the presidents of Lajna are also included, and other office-bearers are also included—but they have not instilled the connection with Khilafat in mind the way they should have. If these office-bearers make an effort to strengthen the importance and connection with Khilafat, the importance of these office-bearers will automatically increase. So this is the responsibility of scholars. This includes everyone, whether they are missionaries, office-bearers, or those who have knowledge of religion—that they become the arm and support of the Khalifa of the time. They should make their own actions subservient to the Khalifa of the time and also advise others. This notion is wrong that once something is said, the matter is finished. This advice and expression of connection should be mentioned repeatedly.

In one Friday sermon, Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a very important piece of advice to missionaries and scholars in this regard. He said that every believer who has pain for religion and sincerity toward the Movement, and who wants the Movement of God Almighty to remain established in the world with good repute, and Islam to attain that honor again which it had during the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the efforts of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for this work should not be wasted and futile—it is his duty to cooperate with the Khalifa day and night and engage in this work so that the Jamaat is reformed mentally as well. It is the duty of such people that just as at weddings people spread out their laps (in some places there is a custom of distributing dates and people spread out their laps) so that dates may fall into them, similarly, when the Khalifa says something for the reformation of the Jamaat, they should take it and repeat it before the members of the Jamaat—and repeat and repeat—until even the dullest of minds understands and finds the path to properly follow religion. (Derived from Khutbat Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 214-215)

May Allah the Almighty grant both the members of the Jamaat and the scholars and office-bearers the ability that they not only be listeners of the words of Khilafat but also act upon them. May these people not consider themselves to have fulfilled their duty merely by expressing loyalty on Khilafat Day or congratulating each other on Khilafat Day. May Allah enable us to uphold the blessing of Khilafat according to Allah the Almighty's will.