On 4 March 2023, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered the keynote address at the 17th National Peace Symposium hosted by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK.
The event also served as the inauguration of the new five-storey building in the Baitul Futuh Mosque, which was rebuilt after a fire in 2015.Prior to the formal proceedings of the Peace Symposium, His Holiness unveiled a plaque and led the attendees in silent prayer to mark the inauguration of the new complex which includes two multi-purpose halls, office space and guest accommodation.
The event was attended by more than 1500 people including 500 dignitaries and guests who had gathered from 40 countries, comprising of Ministers, Ambassadors of State, and Members of Parliament. During the proceedings, His Holiness presented Barbara Caroline Hofman, founder of the charity ASEM, with the 2019 Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace, in recognition of her charitable work to provide for children orphaned by war. His Holiness also presented Dr. Tadatoshi Akiba, former mayor of Hiroshima, with the 2022 Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace for his efforts towards campaigning for nuclear disarmament.
In his address, His Holiness warned of the perilous trajectory of the war in Ukraine and urged world leaders to “strive to find mutually acceptable terms of agreement” and make urgent efforts to find peace, lest the “cycle of incessant violence” rotates with “ever greater fury.”
His Holiness said that a Third World War is dangerously close and presented verses of the Holy Quran to outline solutions that are direly needed to find a way out. During his address, His Holiness also highlighted the true purpose of building Mosques and drew attention to the link every Mosque must have with the Holy Kaaba in Mecca.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Muslims are commanded to build their Mosques in the direction of the Holy Kaabah, the Sacred House in Makkah, and to worship in its direction. Yet, it is not enough to merely turn one’s physical direction towards the Holy Kaabah. Rather Muslims and their Mosques must fulfil the objectives of the Kaabah, outlined in chapter 3, verse 98 of the Holy Quran, where it states that whosoever enters the Sacred House of Allah ‘enters peace’. This Quranic verse means that a true Muslim, upon entering a Mosque, shall himself enter a state of peace and, shall, by fulfilling the rights and commands of God, prove a beacon of peace and security for others.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further said:
“All our Mosques spiritually mirror the Holy Kaabah, wherein they serve not only as an abode of worshipping God Almighty but are also a means of fulfilling the rights of mankind and establishing peace in the world.” His Holiness mentioned that for several years, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been hosting events such as the Peace Symposium in its efforts towards establishing peace. To be cont...
