Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
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You [O people of Islam] are the best people ever raised for the good of mankind because you have been raised to serve others; you enjoin what is good and forbid evil and believe in Allah.(3:111)
Surah Al Imran, verse 111
Islam is a compassionate religion that requires its followers to care for all of mankind. Service to humanity is the essence of Islam and doing good to others is a prerequisite for being a true Muslim. The Holy Quran says:
And do not forget to do good to one another.
Holy Quran 2:238
Since its inception, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been engaged in serving mankind through its various humanitarian projects throughout the world. The motto of the Community Love for All, Hatred for None is expressive of its enthusiastic spirit to provide aid and social justice to all those in need, without exception. This inspirational and guiding principle, which alludes to compassion and sympathy for all creatures of God Almighty, is a theme and motto that has become synonymous with the Community over the years.
Khidmat-e-Khalq, meaning ‘service to humanity’, is a subsidiary of the Community that overlooks its various projects and programs in relation to serving mankind and is a representation of the motto that the Community abides by. It is primarily through this vital subsidiary that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community puts into action the very motto it promotes, in order to achieve its objective of establishing peace, serving society and supporting the social structure of the global community.
The spirit to serve humanity is inspired and impressed upon every member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community by teachings of the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammadsa. In the Holy Quran, Allah addresses Muslims by saying:
You are the best people raised for the good of mankind. You enjoin what is good and forbid that which is evil and believe in Allah.
“All men, whatever nation or tribe they may belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. Allah has made you brethren one to another, so be not divided. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; nor is a white one to be preferred to a dark one, nor a dark one to a white one.”
Striving for the good of mankind is a fundamental principle that the Holy Quran wishes to embed into the lives of every Muslim. The passion and zeal by which the Holy Prophetsa strived for the good of mankind is exemplary for all people. It is narrated that the Holy Prophetsa once said:
All of mankind is the family of God. So the most beloved to God are those who benefit humanity the most.
Al-Mujam al-Kabir
The Holy Prophetsa ardently desired for all people to become united like one family and act with one another in a just and peaceful manner. In what is known as the Farewell Sermon, addressing the Muslims, the Holy Prophetsa stated:
All men, whatever nation or tribe they may belong to, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. Allah has made you brethren one to another, so be not divided. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab; nor is a white one to be preferred to a dark one, nor a dark one to a white one.
In light of these Islamic teachings, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community subscribes to the view that service to humanity is not related to any religion or race. We believe that all mankind are God’s creation. Hence, to show sympathy, love and affection to the creation of God definitely guarantees the pleasure of God. The founder of the Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas had great compassion for mankind. He said:
Sympathy for all mankind is a moral obligation and a duty.
Arbaeen
He further says:
That religion is no religion which does no inculcate sympathy, nor does that man deserve to be called a man who does not have sympathy in him.
A Message of Peace
Again, he says:
The teachings of the Holy Quran can be divided into two major categories. The first being unity of God, love and obedience to Him. The second is to treat kindly your brothers and fellow beings… be kind and merciful to humanity…always work for the good of mankind.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is helping humanity by building and setting up small and big schools.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community runs clinics and hospitals worldwide. These include Noor Hospital in India, Fazl-e-Omar Hopital in Rabwah, Hospital Nasir in Guatemala and many more.
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community conducts various eye camps all across the country as well as worldwide. Besides, the Gift of Sight program under Humanity First assists tens of thousands of people to restore their vision.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community organizes several medical camps to benefit those who are in need of a better health care.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been offering financial sacrifice for the cause of humanity, for setting up schools, clinics and hospitals. Despite meagre resources, the members of the Community has always come forward and offered what they got. There are many ladies of the Community who have offered their jewellery whenever situation demanded such sacrifices.
In 1917, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community India established a hospital in Qadian to meet the needs of its local residents. This hospital, which was named Noor Hospital became a source of great blessing for the poor and needy of the locality as it provided medical assistance and health care at affordable costs.
Though established during the period of the First Caliph, the hospital traces its history back to the lifetime of the Promised Messiahas himself. At a time when there were no hospitals in Qadian, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas used to provide free medical assistance to the people of Qadian and its outskirts with great sympathy and openheartedness. He used to say:
To provide medical assistance to sick and patients is a work of great reward. A true believer should not be lazy or careless in these works.
Noor Hospital is the first allopathic hospital initiated by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Since then, the Community has been establishing multi-speciality hospitals and clinics in various parts of the world, especially in the third world and underdeveloped countries.
Over the period of a century, this medical institute has evolved to meet the changing needs of the people. The year 2017 marked one hundred years since its establishment.
Today, Noor Hospital is well established and is famous in its locality. Ahmadi doctors specialized in various medical fields have dedicated their life to render their services at Noor Hospital. The hospital is also well equipped to meet every need of the patients. As it is our firm belief that man can only treat and that cure is in the hands of God, alongside providing medical treatment and care, doctors at Noor Hospital also pray to God for the recovery of the patients. Hence, the hospital has witnessed various instances of miraculous recovery of patients from critical diseases.
Presently, Noor Hospital provides medical care in specialities such as ENT, ophthalmics, orthopaedics, ultrasonography, dental surgery, physiotherapy, cardiology and nephrology among others. Besides, the hospital provides paramedical facilities which include x-ray and ECG centres, a laboratory, TMT as well as ambulance services.
As of 2017, Noor Hospital has a total of 98 staff which include ten doctors – four Ahmadi doctors and six visiting doctors – specialized in various fields.
Apart from this, the hospital also has a Homoeopathy department that offers treatment absolutely free of cost where three doctors render services (as of 2017).
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has also established many homoeopathic dispensaries across India which provide free treatment to people. Similarly, the Community also organizes several medical camps through which medical check-ups are conducted and medicines are provided absolutely free of cost.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has a vast history in the field of education. In 1898, the Promised Messiahas opened a primary school in Qadian, which he named Madrassa Taleem-ul-Islam or Taleem-ul-Islam School so that children can acquire both religious and worldly education. The Promised Messiahas intended to establish the fact that true knowledge leads to the perfect cognizance of God, a complete understanding of His attributes. Within a span of three years, Taleem-ul-Islam School was upgraded to the level of high school. It attracted students belonging to different religions and backgrounds from all over India as the school was known for its high standard of teaching. No fee was charged from the students.
In 1903, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community started a college in Qadian, named Taleem-ul-Islam College. The inauguration ceremony of the college took place on 28 May 1903. Despite meagre means and heavy financial constraints, the Community continued to provide education to students and even gave students monthly scholarships. The college was closed in 1905 following certain amendments made in the University laws of the country that necessitated the college to have strong financial background and well-paid staff, while the Ahmadi teachers and professors working at Taleem-ul-Islam were those who dedicated their lives for this cause and had left their previous jobs with lucrative salaries working in well-known institutions.
The college was re-opened in June 1944 under the auspices of the Second Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. During this period, the Community had started Nusrat Girls High School. At that time, new buildings were constructed for Nusrat Girls High School and Taleem-ul-Islam High School. Hence, the College started functioning in the building complex of Taleem-ul-Islam High School while the school was shifted to its new building. The college shaped the destinies of many successful academic milestones. It was closed in 1947 amidst the partition of India.
Presently, the Community runs three schools in Qadian – Taleem-ul-Islam Higher Secondary school for boys, Nusrat Girls High School for girls, and Iqra Kindergarten for kids. The higher secondary section in Taleem-ul-Islam is availed by both boys and girls. These schools are actively engaged in providing quality education at a very low cost for students from all backgrounds without any discrimination. These schools are also equipped with modern educational technologies, smart boards and laboratory facilities.
Apart from these, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is also running around 15 schools and educational institutes in different states of India, with 5 schools in Jammu and Kashmir, 3 schools in Kerala, 2 in Uttar Pradesh among others. All these schools are playing a vital role in the providing quality education to people from all backgrounds, irrespective of their cast, creed or colour.
Majlis Khuddamul Ahmadiyya is the young men’s auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. MKA India plays a vital role in offering humanitarian services in the country both at regional as well as national levels. Following are a few of the humanitarian activities MKA regularly engage in:
Medical camps: With the permission of the local authorities, MKA regularly sets up medical camps that provide free check-up and medicine for the deprived part of society. These camps include eye check-up camps and homoeopathic treatment camps.
Feeding homeless people: With the help of the members of the Community, MKA organizes food distribution programs to homeless people in all regions of the country.
Clothing and blanket: MKA also provides essential cloths, blankets and other necessary items to the homeless in all regions of the country. The members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community makes voluntary contributions for this.
Blood donation camps: Another hallmark activity of the Community under MKA is the organizing of blood donation camps, in which the Ahmadi youth actively take part. The purpose of such camps is to bring to practice the golden teaching of Islam that saving one life is akin to saving the entire mankind.
Tree planting projects: MKA has also been involved in various tree planting projects across the country.
Disaster-relief activities: MKA provides tremendous help and support whenever disaster hits an area. MKA responds to natural as well as manmade disasters and offer its services in restoring communities. MKA provides food, water and other essentials to the affected. MKA also works with the local administration, police and other disaster-response teams and actively works in reducing the harmful effects of hazards.
Humanity First is a non-political, non-religious and impartial international relief and development agency founded by the Fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community that focuses on protecting human life and dignity. Established in 1995, Humanity First is now registered in 62 countries across the world, including India.
Humanity First works to improve the quality of life for some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people and to promote and safeguard the preservation of human life and dignity. You can read more about Humanity First here.
