The central remit of the Khidmat-e-Khalq department is serving humanity and since the inception of Khuddamul Ahmadiyya, Khidmat-e-Khalq activities have formed an important part of its output. Throughout the years successive Khulafa have expanded and reiterated our responsibilities to the wider society and our responsibilities towards Allah the Almighty. I would like to draw your attention to some of the addresses by Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V^aba, which have guided us on how to better fulfil this responsibility. On the specific point of our responsibilities towards Allah and humanity Huzoor^aba stated:

“A righteous deed is a ladder to rise towards Islam and God. The reality of a good deed needs to be borne in mind… Satan misleads people in every way and leads them astray from the path of Truth. The Promised Messiah^as gave the example of a self-indulgent person, who chooses to donate left over bread to a hungry person, despite having a freshly prepared meal to hand. This does not comply with the Divine commandment that Allah the Exalted says: ‘And they feed, for love of Him, the poor, the orphan, and the prisoner.’ He did not feed the poor from what was Ta’am (means desirable food) for him, but from the left-overs. This is not a true act of virtue. To attain a true act of virtue demands a lot of self-reflection and endeavour. True virtue cannot be acquired without having absolute faith in God Almighty. True virtue is attained when one develops  faith in God Almighty as All-Seeing, Who is totally aware of everything and possesses knowledge of the unseen.”

This is an essential point that we all should follow when we are performing any services to humanity. Our responsibilities are not fulfilled unless we make them true acts of virtue. To achieve that level of virtue we need to constantly look at our actions and critically reflect on our intentions and our efforts. Huzoor^aba further highlighted the nature of worship and how it relates to serving humanity at the inauguration of Nasir Mosque in Kent:

“When we study the details of how to worship in the Holy Qur’an… A person’s prayers will not be accepted if they do not seek to help the poor and deprived. A person’s prayers will not be accepted if they are not fulfilling the rights of orphans. A person’s prayers will not be accepted if they are not striving to end all forms of slavery. And a person’s prayers will not be accepted if they do not show mercy to one another and indeed to all forms of God’s creation.

Furthermore, and as I have said, Islam teaches Muslims to fulfil the rights of God’s creation, and so it is necessary for a Muslim to fulfil the rights of those mired in poverty and to help those who are orphaned or enslaved. That is why for the cause of social welfare the Ahmadiyya Community has opened various hospitals, orphanages and schools, both in Africa, and in other under-developed parts of the world. In places where people do not have access to water the Ahmadiyya Community is devising plans and running projects to provide them with clean drinking water by installing hand-pumps and other devices.”

Here Huzoor^aba highlights just how important the concept of serving humanity is in Islam, so much so that it is an essential requirement for having our prayers accepted. Each and every one of us is urged to form a living connection with God and we cannot achieve that without caring for those in need.

At the inauguration of the Nasir Hospital in Guatemala in 2018 Huzoor^aba further stated:

“Ever since its foundation, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has always sought to be on the very front lines of serving humanity, whether it be directly through our own Community’s schemes, through Humanity First or through the support of other charities and good causes… we do not discriminate against any community or people and do not give any priority to our own members. We seek no praise and no reward for such efforts because we are merely doing what our religion has taught us to do. Our motivation and our desire to serve others is driven entirely by the teachings of Islam. The guiding light for any true Muslim is the Holy Qur’an, which was revealed to Islam’s Founder, the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa. Time and again, the Holy Qur’an has instructed Muslims to serve mankind and to fulfil the needs of those who are suffering or are deprived in any way. It requires Muslims to be selfless and consumed by a love for others. It requires us to be ever-ready to make sacrifices for the sake of the peace and well-being of other people.”

The key takeaway here for us is that our actions always need to be selfless and never with a goal of receiving a reward other than what Allah the Almighty grants us through His mercy.

Huzoor^aba also elaborated on how we should provide assistance to people and referencing the Holy Qur’an said:

“The hallmark of a true Muslim is that he should care for all of God’s creation and should comfort and support those in need, whether they seek their help or not. Hence, it is not enough for a Muslim to wait until someone asks for help; rather, it is his duty to recognise the suffering of others and to make whatever sacrifices are required in order to help them overcome their challenges or troubles.”

Huzoor^aba has also specifically highlighted that we should always keep the end goal in mind. We want to assist people to allow them to stand on their own feet. Huzoor^aba stated:

“In chapter 90, verses 15–17, Muslims are instructed to feed the hungry, to show empathy and love to orphans, and to help anyone in need, especially those mired in poverty or who are defenceless and weak. Muslims are taught to be the ones who comfort and love those people who have been failed by society and to carry the weight of their burdens on their own shoulders. Muslims are duty-bound to help underprivileged people, so that they can stand upon their own two feet, live with dignity, and be freed from their desperate circumstances. In return, the Qur’an states Muslims will be rewarded with increased spirituality, which in turn will take them towards God Almighty and make them recipients of His pleasure.”

In 2019, Huzoor^aba reiterated this at the historic address at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Headquarters in Paris. Commenting upon the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa, Huzoor^aba stated:

“He taught that spiritual advancement was intrinsically linked to serving humanity and so a Muslim could not attain the love of God Almighty just through worship and prayer, rather the love of God Almighty required Muslims to serve humanity.”

This specifically highlights some of the areas we need to think about when serving humanity and further it highlights the need to keep the dignity of people in mind whenever we help them. This process of helping will increase our spirituality and bring us closer to God. This is how we fulfil the purpose of our existence in this world. Huzoor^aba further highlighted the importance of keeping the dignity of those we are helping in mind:

“Even in small matters, the Holy Prophet of Islam^sa paid great attention to ensuring that the feelings of underprivileged people were protected. For example, he instructed Muslims to always invite the poor and needy to their dinner parties or social gatherings. If less affluent people were exploited by the rich or powerful, the Prophet of Islam^sa instructed his followers to help the weaker party attain justice.”

The eradication of suffering has wide ranging implication in society not least for the attainment of peace. Huzoor^aba summarised this in the following way:

“Where, out of human sympathy, we seek to eradicate poverty and destitution, we also consider it to be the key to developing sustainable peace in the world. Only if people have food to eat, water to drink, shelter, schooling for their children and healthcare will they be able to live in peace and escape the deadly clutches of frustration and resentment that lead people towards extremism.

These are all basic human rights and so until we help people flee poverty and destitution, we will not see true peace in the world.”

This shows the importance of Khidmat-e-Khalq work and why Huzoor^aba places such importance on it. It is central to our prayers being accepted and is itself a form of worship. Huzoor^aba has also highlighted how to serve humanity and what real service entails. This only scratches the surface of Huzoor’s^aba advice and guidance on how to serve humanity and what it means. I hope this will encourage you to dig deeper and further understand what is required of us and how to truly bring about a change in society.