Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Ayatollah Syed Ali Hosseini Khamenei
Tehran, Iran
14 May 2012
Respected Ayatollah,
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahe Wa Barakatohu,
Allah the Almighty has enabled you to serve Islam in Iran and presently, the Government of Iran also functions under your auspices. This requires that we strive to our utmost to convey the correct Islamic teachings to the world. As Muslims, we should endeavour to teach the world to live in peace, love and harmony. In particular, Muslim leaders need to urgently pay heed to this. For this reason, it is my request to you to draw the attention of your Government towards its responsibilities to establishing peace in the world. If Iran is attacked it has the right to defend itself to save the country, however it should not instigate aggression and take the first step forward into any conflict. Instead, an effort should be made to leave aside religious differences and to try and unite upon common values. It is this very approach that we find was adopted in the history of Islam.
I am writing this letter to you for the reason that I am a believer, Successor and the Khalifa of the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him), whose advent in this age was prophesied by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Community he established is known as the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. With the Grace of Allah, the Community has now spread to 200 countries of the world and has millions of devoted followers across the globe. It is our ardent desire to guide the world towards living in mutual love and peace. To this end, I constantly draw the attention of people from all walks of life. Hence, I recently wrote to the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of the United States of America and also other world leaders. I have also written to Pope Benedict XVI in this regard.
As the spiritual leader of a large Islamic nation, I hope that you will come to agree that if the entire Muslim Ummah unites and works together, world peace can be established. We should not pointlessly add fuel to enmities and grudges, rather, we should search for opportunities to establish peace and tranquillity. Further, even enmity or opposition against others should not be devoid of justice. This is what we have been taught in the Holy Qur’an:
‘O ye who believe! be steadfast in the cause of Allah, bearing witness in equity; and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is aware of what you do.’ (Surah Al-Ma’idah, Verse 9).
May Allah enable the entire Muslim Ummah and all Muslim governments to understand my message so that they prepare themselves to play their respective roles in an effort to establish peace in the world.
It is my love for mankind, developed out of a love for the entire Muslim Ummah, and also because of being a member of the Ummah of the ‘Mercy for all mankind’ myself, that has led me to writing this letter. May Allah enable the leaders of the world to understand my words and may they actively play a role in establishing world peace. Otherwise, if the haste and recklessness of any nation leads to a full blown war between two nations, such a conflict will not be limited to only those countries; rather the flames of war will engulf the entire world. Thus, it is entirely plausible that a World War will break out, which will not be fought with conventional weapons, but rather with atomic weapons. A nuclear war will result in such horrific and devastating consequences that its aftermath will not only affect those present in the world at the time, rather the long-term effects of such a war would provide the terrifying ‘gift’ to future generations of being born with disabilities and defects. For this reason, no country should assume they are safe from the impending destruction.
Therefore, once again, in the name of Allah and His Messenger and out of compassion and love for humanity, I request you to play your role in establishing peace in the world.
With best wishes and with prayers,
Wassalam,
Yours Sincerely,
MIRZA MASROOR AHMAD
Khalifatul Masih V
Head of the worldwide
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community