The fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, consistently called for world peace. His actions showed that true Islam does not advocate war, but rather compassion.

May 26, 2025 | 20.53 WIB

The fifth supreme leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad at the 18th National Peace Symposium at the Baitul Futuh Mosque, London, on Saturday, March 9, 2024. JAI Doc.

NATIONAL INFO – A speech about world peace echoed from the largest mosque in Western Europe on March 9, 2024. This speech did not come from a head of state or leader of an international institution, but from a figure who is more often referred to as the “spiritual caliph”: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the supreme leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

At the 18th National Peace Symposium, he spoke to more than 1,000 participants, including 550 invited guests from 30 countries—from parliamentarians to ambassadors. The speech was no mere ceremony. For the past two decades, the Caliph has dedicated his life to one mission: calling for world peace.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in Qadian, India, has indeed brought a different breath to the global Islamic landscape. They affirm Islam as a spiritual, not political, religion of peace.READ ALSO

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Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the fifth caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, continued the mission with a unique approach. He spoke to hearts, not to power; he addressed consciences, not to dictate policies. And he did so patiently, slowly, and consistently—like flowing water, not pounding hammers.

Unlike the Caliphs in classical Islamic history who also served as heads of state and military commanders, the Ahmadiyya Caliph does not hold any political office. He has no army, no party, or legislative power. But it is precisely from this formal powerlessness that his moral voice gains power. He is like the Pope in the Catholic Church, but without a state like the Vatican. His mission is free from ambitions for power—and that is what often makes him heard more sincerely.READ ALSO

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Since ascending the throne in 2003, Mirza Masroor Ahmad has immediately launched various peace initiatives. One of the most consistent is the National Peace Symposium which has been held annually in England since 2004, and has now spread to various other countries. In each symposium, he delivered speeches that were not only rich in argument, but also spiritually touching. He refused to be just an orator. At the closing of each symposium he led a silent prayer — a symbol that peace efforts are not only a project of the mind, but also a project of the heart.

Not only words, he also encouraged real action. Since 2009, the Ahmadiyya Community has launched the Ahmadiyya Muslim Prize for the Advancement of Peace , an annual award for individuals or organizations that show extraordinary contributions to peace. 

In 2024, the award went to Nicolo Govoni, CEO of Still I Rise , for his dedication to educating refugee children. The Ahmadiyya caliph, in this case, shows that peace is not just a global discourse—but down-to-earth social work.

Mirza Masroor Ahmad’s intellectual contribution is no less important. He has published more than 20 books, many of which examine the roots of world conflict and the spiritual path to peace. One that is popular among Indonesian readers is The World Crisis and the Path to Peace , a compilation of his speeches in the British Parliament, the European Parliament, and UNESCO. These books can be accessed for free on the official website of the Ahmadiyya Community, alislam.org —a form of limitless intellectual da’wah.

For more than two decades, the Ahmadiyya Caliph has also been actively meeting with world leaders: from Capitol Hill in Washington DC, to the Dutch parliament in The Hague, to meetings with UNESCO in Paris. In all these forums, his message has been consistent: justice is a prerequisite for peace. Peace does not come from empty diplomacy or political slogans, but from respect for the rights of every human being.

At the 2023 Peace Symposium, he formulated three golden principles as global guidelines for peace. First, treat other people as we would treat our own brothers and sisters, and do good without any strings attached. This principle refers to the Al-Qur’an verse Surah An-Nahl verse 91, which calls for justice, virtue and social compassion. 

Second, true peace must be achieved through diplomacy, not provocation or domination. Third, peace will not be born without knowledge of God and devotion to fellow human beings.

These principles are simple, yet revolutionary in a world caught in a spiral of violence and nationalistic ego. The Ahmadiyya Caliph offers a quiet path: spirituality as the foundation of peaceful politics. He challenges the assumption that peace is the result of a balance of power. In his view, true peace is the fruit of justice, empathy, and recognition of human dignity—regardless of religion, race, or country.

The Friday sermon he delivers every week is also a channel for peaceful preaching. Broadcast live to the world via Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (MTA), the sermon is not just for internal consumption of the Jamaat. Everyone can access it via YouTube, radio, or satellite dish. In a world filled with digital hate speech, the peaceful voice of the Caliph is like an oasis.

Of course, all these efforts will not immediately stop war or armed conflict. The Ahmadiyya Caliph is not a holder of state power. He cannot command the military or issue a veto in the UN Security Council. But in an increasingly cynical global politics, this kind of moral voice is increasingly relevant. The world needs more than just strategy—it needs a conscience.

Some might dismiss such spiritual endeavors as utopian, even naive. But the history of social change often begins with quiet voices like these. Voices that are not pushy, but inspiring. Not shouting, but flowing. Like water slowly seeping into cracked soil, the voice of the Ahmadiyya Caliphate moves without fanfare, but penetrates.

In a world filled with news of war and hatred, the Caliph’s message invites us to take a moment to look back at forgotten spiritual values: justice, compassion, and love of peace. If the world wants peace, perhaps it is time to listen to the voices in the hallway that have been too quiet to be heard. (*)

Rafif Abdul Wahab | Young Ahmadiyya Intellectual

May 25, 2025 Edition

source https://www.tempo.co/info-tempo/khalifah-ahmadiyah-dan-jalan-menuju-perdamaian-dunia-1562315