Press & Media

By Abid Khan Introduction Over recent weeks, we have been told time and time again that we are living in ‘unprecedented times’. Despite the media’s propensity to exaggerate or sensationalise, this time their assertion feels right. Unlike Ebola or Zika or other viruses that caused panic and fear in recent years, Covid-19 has not been limited to a few nations or a particular region but has spread far and wide and, at the time of writing, is continuing to place much of the world in a state of paralysis. Speculative green shoots indicating light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel are slowly starting to emerge, wherein some countries are hopeful that the peak of the pandemic may have been reached. However, in reality, it is far too early to say and fears of a deadly second or third or even a fourth wave abound. The virus has also had substantial effect on the activities of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Jamaat events have been cancelled or postponed across the world. We have entered Ramadan unable to visit our Mosques. Yet, with the Grace of Allah, the direct link of Ahmadi Muslims with Khilafat continues through Huzoor’s Friday Sermon, which continues to be broadcast on MTA International – albeit in an empty Mosque for the time being. Almost every Ahmadi I have spoken to has said they have learned, above all, during this period that we must never take the blessings of Allah the Almighty for granted ever again. Each year, at this time, many preparations for the Jalsa Salanas in the UK and Germany begin in earnest. Yet, currently it remains entirely unclear when or if it will be possible for them to take place. Time will tell. Till then, I wish to share some memories of last year’s Jalsa UK and Jalsa Germany in the coming weeks. I start with a conversation I had with Syed Qamar Suleman sahib, Wakil Waqf-e-Nau, who attended the 2019 Jalsa Salana UK as an official representative of Tehrik-e-Jadid Pakistan. As the son of (late) Sahibzada Mir Daud Ahmad sahib and (late) Sahibzadi Amatul Basit sahiba, Syed Qamar Suleman is a member of the family of the Promised Messiah (as) and the maternal grandson of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra). He is also the cousin of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba). Qamar Suleman sahib, affectionately known as ‘Babbi’, to his friends and family, is also a relative – my Khaloo – the husband of my maternal aunt, Lubna Amatul Kabir, who also travelled to attend last year’s Jalsa. One of my earliest vivid childhood memories is of waking up one morning in the late 1980s to see my mother, (late) Sajida Hameed, panicked as news reached us that Khaloo Babbi had been shot by a burglar at his home in Rabwah. Thankfully, with the Grace of Allah, he recovered well. Furthermore, in the early 2000s, I spent some time with him during personal visits to Pakistan. In fact, he was the person who somehow persuaded me to take hold of a menacing looking snake and to abseil from a rather steep Rabwah mountain. Last summer, I took the opportunity to speak to him about his personal opportunities to observe Khilafat and some of the lessons he had learned during decades of service to the Jamaat. Childhood memories As we spoke, I asked Qamar Suleman sahib to share his memories of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) as a child. He told me how they had competed in Atfal competitions and how he remembered one particular competition about cleanliness in which Huzoor came first. He also reminisced about having had the opportunity to do overnight security duties with Huzoor in Rabwah during their late teenage years and early twenties. He told how he had been on walks with Huzoor to Ahmad Nagar, farmland near Rabwah, and how it would sometimes suddenly start pouring with rain. Instead of being perturbed, he told me that Huzoor would enjoy the rain even if he became drenched. As he told me these stories, I wished I could have been there as a boy to see and know Huzoor during his formative years. (Qamar Suleman sahib meeting Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) in Canada 2016) Qamar Suleman sahib said: “During childhood I saw Huzoor a lot as our families were close relatives and neighbours. Huzoor’s defining feature at that time, which made him stand apart from other children, was that he was mature beyond his years and whatever task or job he was given he would take seriously and complete it with diligence. Unlike most teenagers or youngsters who get excited or do things in haste, I always found that Huzoor approached things in a calm and meticulous way. Furthermore, even in our childhood and teenage years, I always found that there was weight to the words of Huzoor, even though he was a young boy like us.” Qamar Suleman sahib continued: “I am not saying that Huzoor was always serious or reserved. In fact, he displayed a very good sense of humour but his jokes were always decent and would never cross the bounds of decency or appropriateness. Furthermore, unlike some other children, Huzoor never made a cruel joke or spoke in a way that could hurt the feelings of others. This was something that always marked him apart.”  A different relationship After listening to his youthful memories, I asked whether his relationship with Huzoor had changed with the progression of time. In answer, Qamar Suleman sahib said: “I continued to have the opportunity to spend time with Huzoor in the years after he returned to Pakistan from Ghana. For example, once we travelled together along with two other people from Rabwah to Sindh by train. It was an extremely enjoyable journey in which the four of us booked a carriage on the lower level of the train. I recall that a Jamaat Murrabi (Missionary) also happened to be on the train but he had booked a seat on the upper level. The Murrabi was rather heavy-set and

Part 1 – By Ibrahim Ikhlaf (life devotee of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) Introduction  Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah strengthen his hand), our beloved master and guide is like a whole of which we are just a part. Indeed we will perish if we break away from him. I am unable to fully describe my suffering and the near-death experience I went through when I was diagnosed with COVID-19 a few weeks ago. I am extremely grateful to all our brothers and sisters who prayed earnestly for us. The prayers of all our brothers and sisters who are like the limbs of the body of Khilafat were heard, because Allah the Almighty responded and accepted the supplications of our Imam, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah strengthen his hand). Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah strengthen his hand) supplicated earnestly and lo, Allah, the  Bestower of Life revived me from death and granted me a new life. During my illness, I deeply felt that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah strengthen his hand) beseeched Allah the Almighty with such sincerity, love, faithfulness and unshakeable resolve that Allah the Supreme created the antidote and changed His Destiny. His will took on a different shape and the cool breeze of the Healer and Protector started to blow. Indeed, I blame myself for my ailment. On different occasions in the past has Huzoor told me: “Ikhlaf sahib, you seem not to sleep more than 3-4 hours; you have to sleep 6 hours as the body has a right over you. I am telling people to work and as far as you are concerned I am telling you to sleep; buy a sofa bed for your office, close the door and sleep in the afternoon for half an hour to one hour to complete the 6 hours!” Although by Allah’s Grace I am extremely obedient to Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V’s (may Allah strengthen his hand) instructions, I somehow unconsciously and unintentionally continued to sleep 2, 3 or 4 hours maximum and worked around 18 or 19 hours daily.  Although my body is strong, it was impossible to maintain a strong immune system. “I was drowning” Some days before being admitted to Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey, I experienced some symptoms related to coronavirus, so I isolated myself completely. Every limb of my body was aching extremely. I could neither sit nor stand; I was extremely exhausted and gradually I started to wheeze. During the evenings I had a high temperature. My whole body would sweat and I started to feel drowsy and dizzy. In the meantime, my respected wife Reem also started to feel unwell and showed symptoms. We thought to ourselves: “Could this be the coronavirus? And if we are afflicted by COVID-19 then how will I disclose this?” This was because, unfortunately, some people considered this to be like the sign of the plague during the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him)’s lifetime. They assumed that one who gets infected is weak in faith. We prayed, cried and beseeched Allah the Almighty not to be afflicted with the coronavirus. While I isolated myself, I continued to perform my Jamaat work from home. However, the illness exacerbated and on Thursday morning I started coughing blood and had a fever reaching 40°C. Ultimately Allah the Almighty bestowed upon me such high resolve that I told my wife: “Whether it’s coronavirus or something else, it seems I can’t survive and I am about to leave this world; please call the ambulance and call respected brother Mian Waqas sahib (Sahibazada Mirza Waqas Ahmad) and tell him to humbly request Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih Vaba to pray for me.” Mian Waqas sahib later that day informed my wife that Huzoor is praying for Ibrahim. I was immediately admitted to the hospital where an X-ray and blood tests had been taken. Meanwhile, a throat swab was taken to detect for coronavirus. I informed brother Abid Khan sahib about my situation and he sent a text message informing me that Huzoor, not yet aware that I had COVID-19, was praying for me and recommended I should give Sadqa, while myself and my family should take homeopathy. This of course strengthened me and gave me hope. Throughout the day, my illness worsened as my lungs became filled with inflammatory material and were unable to get enough oxygen into the bloodstream, reducing the body’s ability to take on oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. It seems I ended up with severe respiratory conditions including pneumonia accompanied with restlessness and anxiety. I felt as if I was drowning and death was approaching me rapidly. As if the fever approaching 40°C was not yet enough, I discovered that the room temperature was extremely high as the nurses had forgotten to switch the heater off that was blowing hot air and I was unaware of it. I was gasping for air. In general, I love the weather around Fajr time as the level of oxygen is very high. I told the nurse to open the window and I felt the oxygen entering my lungs, which gave me some comfort. Beseeching the Almighty At that moment, I prayed fervently to Allah, while my eyes were filled with tears that coursed down my cheeks: “O, Allah the Most Supreme, throughout my life You saved me from all calamities. O, Allah, You know that I dedicated my Life to You and I am fully aware that You are my lifelong Friend Who has always been with me since childhood.  Because of my faith in the Promised Messiahas, the Imam and Prophet of our Age I, for Your sake, lost all my family members [with the exception of my mother and siblings who are Ahmadis]. “I was attacked once by 300 to 500 Sunnis in a mosque who severely beat me up and left me for dead because of my faith and You saved me. Moreover, there was once a conspiracy to kill me; someone attacked me, because of my faith, aiming with a brick to smash my head, but You made

By Ibrahim Ikhlaf (life devotee of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community)  A Dangerous Incident On Monday the nurses reported that I, while in the ICU, removed unconsciously the tube which went all the way through the windpipe. They stated that two nurses tried to stop me but I was too strong. This dangerous act hurt my throat extremely and I am grateful to Allah that I did not damage my windpipe and throat. I had to suffer pain in my throat for at least three weeks and I am Alhamdulillah gradually recovering from it, although some pain still lingers. As mentioned in the previous part of this article, Huzoor (may Allah strengthen his hand) repeatedly told Farooq Aftab sahib to bring me some homeopathic medicines and that it should reach me even if a few drops had to be put in my mouth. However, despite much effort, it appeared to be an impossible task as many procedures were involved in this matter. But finally by Allah the Almighty’s Grace the consultant agreed and requested for a family member’s permission, in this case my wife Reem, on which she of course agreed and told the consultant that Ibrahim himself will be so happy to have this homeopathic medicine. On Monday afternoon around 3:45PM, Dr Tahir Nasser delivered the homeopathic medicine and one of the senior nurses who saw the happiness on my face asked me what I had. I responded that this is a homeopathic medicine. Strange enough, she became upset, her face changed and she turned away from me. I did not really like that and thought: “People are so strange; if they are unable to prove Allah’s existence then they deny Him and when they are unable to prove the benefits of homeopathy then they deny it.”   Insha’Allah this story will show that homeopathy is an extremely effective medicine. In order to please my most beloved Khalifa (may Allah strengthen his hand) and make him happy, while in a very weak state, I called Farooq Aftab sahib using a video call and showed him that I had received the homeopathic medicine and took them in front of him and in front of the nurse. The Miraculous Move to Islamabad My dearest brothers and sisters, reflect and reflect again; during those days some thoughts ran through my mind: “Who informed Huzoor to move from London to Islamabad; just imagine how extremely difficult it would have been during this pandemic if the move had not taken place!” London has become a “hotbed” for the coronavirus; academics have put London as the most ‘at risk’ of coronavirus compared to any other major European city. How difficult would it have been for Huzoor and his staff to perform all the Jamaat work in London in such a small, confined and narrow space without having immediate open spaces or parks, which are nowadays very unsafe and risky in London as it’s so difficult to keep at a distance from people among many other reasons! Is it not  a miracle that the move took place at the right moment and the right place?  Nobody knew how future events were to unfold; had anybody at that time predicted coronavirus? We can just say: Subhan’Allah how the Khalifa of the time is guided by Allah in every step he takes for the benefit of the Divine Jama’at. A Christian Nurse After this I had been moved to another ward, where I had to stay the whole night. There I became much more conscious and it was difficult for me to move physically as I discovered that the nurses had put four lines on my body to extract blood. Two lines connected to each of my wrists, one to my arm and one to my neck. In the late evening, a young nurse came as usual to give me some medicine and she seemed to be very moral and dignified. I was extremely exhausted and she asked me: “What can I do for you?” I said spontaneously: “Pray for me”. She responded: “I will, I promise!” She then went and before opening the door I called her and said: “You want to pray for me; can I ask you something: are you Christian or an atheist?” She responded: “I am a Christian and very strong in my faith. I grew up in a Christian home.” I felt that strength returned to my weak body as I was about to defend the honour of my God, Who is One and has no partner. I told her: “I want you to know that I am a Muslim. You as a Christian believe in God, the Father; Jesus the son and the Holy Spirit. We as Muslims also believe in God, the Father, who we call Allah, one and the same God. We believe that Jesusas was a great Prophet and a great Messiah,  but he was just a human being and metaphorically a son, while the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit. You see this is the reality of the Trinity, which has been misunderstood. Therefore, if you want to pray for me then pray to God, the Father and please do not pray for me to Jesus, as we respect him immensely, but he was just a human being and a Prophet of God. If you pray to God, the Father, then you will see that your prayers will be accepted and I will pray for you.” She looked at me in an extremely emotional way as if about to cry and said: “This is the first time I have come to know about Islam. I never knew this. And how did you know that I have faith?” She controlled her emotions and went! It was a strange occasion and I was not even aware of my wife’s dream in which she saw that a Christian nurse named Noora was taking care of me in the hospital with compassion and love. At the same time, she tried to convert me. By Allah the Almighty’s Grace I remained

The coronavirus is serving as an equalizer by revealing the broken parts of developed countries writes Ayilah Chaudhary. The latest shelter-in-home/stay-at-home mandates have fundamentally changed the lives of much of the world’s population by containing people in their homes. Yet the situation for people experiencing homelessness is uniquely vulnerable – lacking proper shelter, sanitation and healthcare, the peak rate of COVID-19 infection among the unhoused is 40 percent, according to data compiled by researchers at University of Pennsylvania, UCLA, and Boston University. Ever since the start of the worldwide outbreak, policymakers and advocates warned of the factors that place homeless people at far more risk than the rest of the population. Not only do homeless people often have untreated mental health issues and underlying medical conditions, but a considerable amount routinely abuse drugs and alcohol. Compounded with chronic stress, this weakens their immune systems while increasing the rampancy of conditions that worsen the virus’ symptoms, such as lung disease. To make matters worse, in the United States homelessness disproportionately affects people of colour, and shelters that are spacious enough to permit social distancing are virtually nonexistent. Ironically, the shelter-in-home mandates are inapplicable to the unsheltered, who often sleep on streets or in crowded tent encampments. The dire consequences of COVID-19 on the homeless have not gone unnoticed by local and state governments; some governments are subsidizing temporary housing costs, while others are resisting pleas to allocate funds. “Please consider the morality of those decisions. Consider the moment we’re in and the ethical question you’re being called and asked upon. Consider your station in life and in history. All of us will be judged,” said Gavin Newsom, Governor of California, when announcing the state’s “Project Roomkey,” an initiative in which the government will pay 75% of costs associated with housing certain homeless people. On any given day prior to COVID-19, upwards of 150,000 people were experiencing homelessness in California. Similar solutions were enacted across the world, particularly in major cities where homelessness is pervasive. In mid-March, London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office provided 300 rooms to vulnerable homeless people and began working with hotels to block-book rooms at a discounted rate for the coming months. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced at a press conference that 6,000 homeless individuals would be relocated into empty hotel rooms. Though sleeping bags and tents still dot the streets of these major cities, governments have even begun enforcing restrictions to prevent surges in homelessness. Predicting that the coronavirus-induced recession could leave many without jobs and with missed rent checks, certain cities are banning evictions or offering rental voucher money. In doing so, policymakers and advocates have begun to conquer homelessness, which was previously thought to be either impossible, inevitable, or both. But urban homelessness was a crisis well before the spread of coronavirus, and some have argued that the pandemic would simply replace the current homeless population with another post-recession tidal wave of rough sleepers. But after the failed attempts of activists pushing for quality-of-life laws to protect those on the streets, what has suddenly motivated governments to treat homelessness as a public health priority? In a matter of weeks, the people huddled in hallways or camping in metro station corners are now being offered temporary housing at scale. Up until now, homelessness was seen as both a sociopolitical inevitability or a human rights issue unacceptable in purportedly progressive countries. The unacceptable was tolerated, and arguably enabled by certain economic conditions, until the indiscriminate COVID-19 showed how it could threaten the livelihood of the remainder of the society. Then, homelessness evolved from a human rights issue to a public health issue, and solutions, however short-term, were enacted with little delay. In a certain sense, the pandemic has forced the government to consider protections for vulnerable populations that otherwise would not be at the forefront of the conversation. The contagious and indiscriminate nature of COVID-19 serves as an equalizer by revealing the broken parts of seemingly developed countries. Minimum wage workers in fast-food and grocery stores are often uninsured and underpaid, but are performing crucial tasks at this uncertain time. As Newsom emphasizes, COVID-19 can and will show the morality of society’s decisions in this point in history. When the pandemic subsides, will governments allow working classes, who many currently regard as first responders, remain uninsured? Will homeless people continue to be perceived as a tolerable inevitability and be expected to return to the streets, even after their vulnerabilities have been brought to light? Ayilah Chaudhary is a journalist based in California, who has written in the past for Al Jazeera, USA Today and other respected outlets