Reception Held for New Ahmadiyya Mosque Opened in Karben, Germany, by Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
On 30 August 2023, the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa (Caliph), His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered the keynote address at a special reception held to commemorate the opening of the Sadiq Mosque in Karben, Germany.
His Holiness officially inaugurated the Mosque prior to the reception by unveiling a commemorative plaque and offering a silent prayer in thanks to God Almighty. Thereafter, His Holiness led the Zuhr and Asr prayers at the Mosque and inspected the new premises.
Later, more than 90 guests including dignitaries, politicians and local neighbours of the Mosque attended a special reception held in the Karben Town Hall.
During his keynote address, His Holiness spoke of significance of mosques and the emphasis Islam lays upon helping those in need.
Speaking of how the Mosque is situated near the town centre, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“This mosque is in the town centre and this is a very good thing because where there are facilities in towns for material pursuits, there should also be a place for those who desire to remember God too so they can gather together and worship the One God. In towns, there should be a mosque, a church and other places of worship too. When all faiths come together, it will be manifest that religions teach their followers to come together and live with one another in harmony. No Founder of any of the major religions taught their followers to be extremists or to create disorder.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad further stated:
“According to our belief, all Prophets came from God Almighty and they were sent with the teaching to inform people about worshiping God and fulfilling the rights of others. In this way it is good that we have found a space for the mosque in the centre of the town so that we may be able to inform the people around us of the beautiful teachings of Islam.”
Speaking of the emphasis Islam lays on fulfilling the rights of others, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad outlined a golden principle of prioritising the rights of others over one’s own rights.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Fulfilling the rights of others is a basic teaching of Islam. Islam does not say that you should merely strive for your own rights. Islam commands that we must fulfil the rights of others. When you try to fulfil the rights of others, there will be peace in the world and an environment of cohesion and harmony shall prevail. This is what we need in our world today.”
His Holiness referred to the remarks of one of the earlier guest speakers in which he mentioned how some places in the world are wrongly carrying out injustices in the name of religion.
Highlighting the practice of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in light of the teachings of Islam, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Religion never permits people to carry out bloodshed. Rather, religion commands people to serve others. Wherever the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is established, we serve people regardless of their faith… In Africa we have established schools and hospitals and model village projects to provide facilities such as water. At least 80% of the people who benefit from these initiatives are not Ahmadi Muslims.”
Speaking of the hardships people face in some parts of the world, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“In the developed world we cannot understand the value of clean water despite the fact that the government regularly reminds us of the importance of using water with due care. There are people [in the developing world] who do not have access to water and so their children have to travel several kilometres to fetch water. They carry the water in buckets on their heads for their basic needs. Thus, in order to prove such people relief, our Ahmadi Muslim volunteers travel to such remote places and install water facilities in their villages.”
Painting a picture of how people feel when they are provided with water, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“When the people see a water tap from where they can access clean drinking water at their doorstep, their joy is beyond measure. Perhaps people in the developed countries will not feel such joy even if they were to win a large sum of money as these people are when they see accessible drinking water. They feel overjoyed at the fact that they no longer need to walk long distances for water that is filled with dirt and is a cause of diseases. Instead they are blessed with clean water at their doorstep.”
His Holiness also referred to remarks made by one of the speakers about women in Afghanistan not being given their due rights.
Clarifying Islam’s teachings, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Islam and the Holy Quran teach us to show kindness towards women. In fact, they command us to show the highest morals towards women. Islam makes it clear that women have the same feelings and desires as the men do and so men should look upon them with respect and should try to fulfil their needs. Whilst following the teachings of Islam, women have freedom and equality. Many Ahmadi Muslim women are doctors, engineers, agriculturalists, economists and in various other fields and they go to serve the people and they offer their time and lives for the service of humanity. Islam has given women all the rights, including that of inheritance.”
Prior to the address, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Germany, Abdullah Wagishauser, introduced the Mosque, Nathalie Pawlik, Member of the German federal parliament, Tobias Utter, member of the Hessian State Parliament and Guido Rahn, Mayor of Karben spoke about their appreciation of the mosque and the efforts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the local community.
