Our Khalifa in the Quiet: The Greatness of Humility
By Yusra Dahri
There’s no denying that family can often influence your relationship with faith, especially growing up in a religious family. As a child, the way you see your most religious relatives can affect the way you view religion itself – for better or for worse. Only when we are older, and we understand Islam, can we discern the difference between the actions of Muslims and the pristine teachings of Islam. As a result, we might endeavour to become better than those who came before us. However, I grew up watching someone who I quickly recognised as following Islam as truthfully and sincerely as perhaps is humanly possible: Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper), the fifth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and my grandfather. Throughout my life, I have been sure of this: Hazur’s integrity. I do not say this lightly, because I do not believe there is a better measure of a person’s character than how they behave when they believe no one is watching. When there is no reason to believe that what they say or do will be recorded, or even remembered. And yet, Hazur’s example has always been unforgettable to me. I do not speak of sweeping events of grandeur or glory, but the quiet moments of humility and kindness, where I believe a person’s true character can be found. Those are the moments I know best.