Respected dignitaries, Distinguished guests, dear members of Jama`at Ahmadiyya Paraguay, and beloved brothers and sisters in humanity:
Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi! –
Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you all!
Before I begin, I wish to recite a verse of the Holy Quran that speaks directly about this blessed occasion. Allah the Almighty says, and I quote:
“And all places of worship belong to Allah; so call not on anyone beside Allah.“ (The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 72: Verse 19)
We are building a House of God, a place that belongs to Him alone, and a place where all of His creation, any person, from anywhere, may turn to Him in worship and devotion.
It is an immense honour and a deeply humbling moment for me to stand before you today on this blessed occasion. I have been appointed by our Beloved Huzoor, our Spiritual Leader, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, may Allah help him!, the worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, to lay the foundation stone of this mosque here in Encarnacion.
Our Beloved Spiritual Leader, whom we lovingly call Huzoor, has told us, “Whenever a new mosque is built, a new chapter for religious freedom is opened. It does not only give religious freedom, but it orders us to protect all the religions.”
Let me begin with a question, that is simple on its surface, but profound in its depth. What is a mosque?
The Arabic word for mosque, Masjid, literally means a place of prostration. It is derived from the root word Sajdah, the act of placing the noblest part of the human body, the forehead, upon the ground before the One Almighty God. This act is not one of humiliation. It is one of humility. It is the most liberating act a person can perform. When you bow before the Creator, you are freed from bowing before any creation. When you submit to the One God, you need never submit to injustice.
Beloved Huzoor (aa) has taught us that a person, who enters a mosque with this meek spirit, considering himself humble in the presence of the Almighty, is naturally prevented from harbouring malice against any other human being. The mosque, therefore, is a place that takes the raw material of human weakness and refines it into compassion, kindness, and service.
The guiding principle, in the words of our beloved Huzoor, is that “Our Mosques are built with the purpose of bringing people together and serving our neighbours and the local society. Our Mosques are beacons of light radiating peace, love and humanity.”
Dear friends in Paraguay, some may wonder why the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is building a mosque here in South America, in the heart of a predominantly Christian country, Paraguay. The answer lies in a vision that is both prophetic and profoundly relevant.
The Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (pboh), the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, saw in a divine revelation more than 130 years ago, that the sun would rise from the West. Beloved Huzoor (aa) has explained that this prophecy signifies the spread of the true teachings of Islam to every corner of the globe, including those lands where, historically, Islam had little presence. The construction of this mosque in Paraguay is a fulfillment of that grand vision. The light of Tauheed, the Oneness of God, is reaching the lands of South America. This is not a conflict of civilizations. This is a spiritual dawn.
Every mosque built by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama`at, anywhere in the world is a new chapter in the story of religious freedom. Beloved Huzoor (aa) has said that whenever a new mosque is built, it opens a new chapter for liberty of conscience and worship. This mosque, in Encarnacion, will stand as a beacon, a shining beacon of peace, love, and harmony, in a region that, like the rest of the world, is in desperate need of these values.
Islam teaches us that our obligations are twofold. The Rights owed to God, and the Rights owed to Mankind. A mosque that fulfills only one of these obligations is incomplete. Beloved Huzoor (aa) has reminded us repeatedly that any worship which does not result in a heightened commitment, to serving humanity, is spiritually stagnant. The Holy Qur’an warns that the prayers of those, who ignore, the plight of the orphan or the needy, bring Our Lord, accept this from us; for You are All-Hearing, All Knowing!
What does this mean for you, the members of Jama`at Ahmadiyya Paraguay? It means that this mosque must not only echo with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an and the voices raised in prayer; it must also be a center from which kindness flows into every street, every neighbourhood, every home within its reach.
Build this mosque and then let the people of Paraguay see what Islam truly is; not through your words alone, but through your deeds. Let them see that when disaster strikes, the mosque is the first to open its doors for relief. Let them see that when a neighbour is in need, the Ahmadi Muslim is the first to arrive with help. Let them see that the mosque is a fountain of peace from which springs of love and compassion flow ceaselessly.
A significant distinction of every Ahmadiyya mosque is that it is funded entirely through the personal financial contributions and sacrifices of the Jama’at members. Unlike many other organisations, no foreign government or external body funds our mosques. This financial independence ensures that our mosques remain true centers of peace, beholden only to the spiritual objectives of Islam Ahmadiyyat and free from any political influence.
When this stone is placed into the foundation, it will carry within it, the weight of a sacred covenant, that this mosque will be used to present the true teachings of Islam, the teachings of kindness, teachings of love, and teachings of compassion for all mankind; that this mosque will never be a source of division, but will always be a source of unity; that this mosque will always echo with the remembrance of God and the service of His creation.
I conclude with a prayer.
O Allah! bless this mosque and bless this land! Make this mosque a true House of Yours, a place where Your Unity is proclaimed, where Your creation is served, and where Your peace descends upon all those who enter it! O Allah, bless the people of Paraguay and open their hearts to the message of truth and the beauty of Islam! O Allah, protect our Beloved Huzoor, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V (aa), and grant him long life and good health, and enable us to fulfill the trust that he has placed in us! O Allah, make this mosque a shining beacon of peace in South America, and let it stand as a testament to the truth of the Promised Messiah (as) until the end of days!
We conclude with a prayer which Prophet Abraham and Prophet Ishmael (as) offered when they were rebuilding the Ka`bah, the First House of Worship of God, in Makkah, Arabia.
Our Lord, accept this from us; for You are All-Hearing, All Knowing! Our Lord, accept this from us; for You are All-Hearing, All Knowing! Amen!
Editor’s note: A full report can be read here
