Ask a Murabbi

Born and raised in France, Nabil Ahmad Mirza currently serves as an Imam of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the city of Montreal, located in the French-Canadian province of Quebec.


In school, I had a keen interest in learning lan- guages so at first I decided that pursue my studies in languages, but soon after attending the Jalsa Salana of France in 2007, I decided to apply for Jamia Ahmadiyya UK. During that Jalsa we had a special marquee dedicated for Tabligh where during those 3 days, guests would come and ask questions regarding Islam. For 3 consecutive days, I attended those ses- sions that I can still recall where we could hear the beauty of Islam through the books of The Promised Messiah (as). After one of the sessions, some French speaking converts, who had accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat in their forties came to us (Waqf-e-nau) and said to us, "we were not fortunate enough to have accepted Islam Ahmadiyyat earlier in our life. If we had, we would have opted to get admission in Jamia just to learn, read and understand Islam through the lens of The Promised Messiah (as),". We often forget the blessing that we have of being born as Ahmadi muslims, Alhumdulillah that was the day I decided to pursue Jamia.

My beloved and dearest mother is my biggest inspiration. She faced lots of difficulties in her life, my father was ill but she always stood firm and put her trust in Allah. When I decided to go to Jamia, many people would try to persuade me to choose another field knowing my situation. But whenever I would share this with my beloved mother, she would tell me to not listen to them and to go to Jamia.

After coming to Jamia Ahmadiyya UK, every day, three students would have the opportunity to meet beloved Hazoor (aba). I was fortunate enough to have been blessed to see beloved Hazoor (aba) from very close. The love he showered upon us was not an ordinary love, his compassion, his kindness, his care shaped all of us. He cared for even the small- est details, he would ask if we were getting enough food, enough sleep. He would from time to time visit Jamia and see our rooms just to make sure that the facility was suitable for us. He changed us, shaped us and guided us.

During my time in the UK, one incident that stuck in my mind was when I was fortunate enough to serve as a translator during a private mulaqat of a couple that came from France. The couple could only speak and understand French. When we arrived at the office of beloved Hazoor aba, the mulaqat started with the basic introduction of the couple. Later beloved Hazoor aba asked for other details but suddenly beloved Hazoor aba asked him if he was the one who wrote him a certain letter to which I noticed the gentleman became overwhelmed with emotions. I was confused about his reaction considering that the details of the letter were fairly normal. After the Mulaqat I enquired from the gentleman as to why he was so emotional to which he replied since his conversion he had only written to beloved Hazoor once, and that was a long time ago. Yet beloved Hazoor knew me exactly and remembered me among the thousands of corre- spondences that he receives every single day. This special moment reaffirmed my faith in the truthfulness of Khilafate Ahmadiyya and Islam Ahmadiyyat.

It has taught me how to manage my time effectively, discipline. By staying with students of different nationalities, I realised that in many ways, we are all a product of our upbringing. This enhanced my social skills with people.

Without constant guidance of Khalifatul Masih aba, a missionary cannot function. We have to understand that Khilafat is the means through which the strengthening of Islam is destined. Without it, nothing can be achieved. As Missionaries, our primary goal is to spread Islam through the constant guidance of Khalifatul Masih aba. We have someone to whom we can turn to, to guide us, a divine blessing that is only found in the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Focus on building connection with Allah and with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya.

Since childhood, my mom always empha- sized on the notion that I am a waqf-e-nau and that I should in the future dedicate my life for the Jama'at, but when I left my country for Jamia the separation was difficult for her. She never opened up to me about it and kept praying. After 4-5 months, I had the blessed opportu- nity to meet beloved Hazoor aba, during the mulaqat beloved Hazoor aba said "Your mother should be feel- ing better now" I was confused and did not get what was meant. After the mulaqat, I called my mother and told her what beloved Hazoor aba had said. She said to me that this morning "I saw beloved Hazoor in my dream and he consoled me and put his hand on my head and told me not to worry. And since then, I was feeling much more relaxed."

"He will surely give them in exchange security and peace after their fear"

We observe in the world that many people even though they are living under the same roof, physically very close but they are in reality very distant from each other. In the spiritual realm, physical nearness amounts to nothing, what matters is the spiritual nearness. We cannot see God with our physical eyes but He does reach us through spiritual means. Physical nearness is for sure something that I wish for. Who would not want to be near Khalifatul masih? But are we near this blessed institution spiritually, this is what will matter and help us throughout our life as a Waqf.