Walking Through the Gates of God - When Believers Join Aba Al-Sadiq

As believers in this religion, and men and women who have poured our hearts and souls into establishing a better world and a brighter future, we here at the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light are always excited, proud and absolutely delighted when a new member of our family walks in through the doors of our headquarters. The new member that joins our community is a precious brother or a sister - a soul that struggled and searched for truth, that was guided through the words and the voice of our Imam, Abdullah Hashem Aba-Al-Sadiq. One of us.

That connection, the bond we immediately feel when we see their face, that sense of familiarity, is something that never ceases to be our own personal family miracle.

So, what leads to this step in the believer’s journey and what does it mean?

It is a step that a believer decides to take once faith turns into certitude. It is that firm, solid understanding that settles into the heart of a person and makes it evident that the individual is on a journey, on a path, that leads somewhere very special. Because religion is not a stagnant experience - it is a dynamic journey of the soul.

And on this journey, a point must come where the student searches for the master - in the flesh. To observe him, to understand him, to learn from him.  It is the step of the disciples in following Jesus Christ - heeding his advice to “pick up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).

What does it mean to decide to walk into our holy household and dedicate life to this Call?

It is to choose a life of serving humanity. To preach the humane values that are our creed. To build a place that allows us to show the world that there is a way to rid society of its ills and evils - by creating our own mini Eden on earth. 

Believers walk through the doors of our Holy Basilica, and the whole experience is always other worldly. We, standing on the inner side of the doors, get to witness the first interaction between our Imam and the latest member of the family. In that moment, we witness awe, reverence, amazement - followed often by tears of relief and joy, and sometimes even a show of absolute submission to God by prostrating.

While we have had so many of these beautiful experiences, here we will share a few that have recently touched our hearts:

Isabel from Puerto Rico

39-year-old Isabel is Puerto Rican. Having spent a life of trials and tribulations, she had decided early on that her purpose in life was to serve others and protect the defenseless. Her struggles not only included severe abuse and trauma from close family, but also dire health conditions that were far from being resolved - in fact, doctors in Pennsylvania had already decided there was no hope. Isabel was told she had no longer than 6 months to a year left to live.

As much as Isabel was distraught by the circumstances she was in, it didn’t deter her from making that momentous step - a step towards her Imam, her Father.

The moment Isabel walked through the Basilica doors, something changed in her. She knew she was witnessing something great - a family that received her, a Father who would protect her, and a life filled with true purpose. 

“I felt super, something I can’t describe with words. I felt the love. It was something unimaginable and beautiful -like magic! There really are no words to summarize the beauty and the love when I met Aba Al-Sadiq.”

With so much hope, faith, and love surrounding her, Isabel now felt empowered, and is a dear part of our believing community. Her health has improved greatly and she is looking happier every day.

Admir from Switzerland

Admir, 42, is a brother from Switzerland, who joined the call in the beginning of 2024. Once he became a believer, his faith made him restless and he desired to come to the Imam of the time and dedicate life to serving this cause.

Before making this step, Admir busied himself in missionary work. He would go to different areas and spread posters and flyers, calling the people to the message of “Humanity First”. Expressing his faith is very important to Admir, something he made clear by traveling to Rome on Easter Sunday and raising the banner of the Mahdi in the Vatican - an act that led to the world learning that for us, the true pope and the new pope is Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq. This event preceded the passing of the late Pope Francis by a day, after the announcement of the believers that the new pope is Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq.

Soon after, Admir chose to make his way to the main headquarters and become a part of this blessed community. Walking through the Basilica doors, Admir began his journey with the Imam in person.

“I felt a lightness in my body…it was as if I was floating while walking toward the imam. It was an incredible moment, as if I had always been part of the scenery.”

We welcomed this brother into our fold, recognizing his work and bravery in insisting on expressing his faith and spreading the word.

Hussain and Valerie from the United States of America

Hussain and Valerie are 71 and 61 years old respectively. Both come from the United States, and are believers in this blessed call. 

Despite their age, and despite sister Valerie’s condition, they felt drawn toward Aba Al-Sadiq and this community and knew this was their true home. Hussain noted,

“It was overwhelming, it was magical. It fulfilled the expectation of meeting the qibla. Like going to the holy Kaaba. You’ve been seeing and hearing about it all this time….Then you’re finally there. It was very warm to be welcomed in the fashion that we were. Meeting Aba Al-Sadiq in person was the fulfilment of my dream that I had visualized, to connect with the person and personality. His voice was so familiar. I had learned that his voice is the voice of Imam Ali which was quite rewarding. Imam Ali’s Duas were what had nurtured my heart.”

The moment the Basilica doors opened for them, Hussain and Valerie walked in and expressed their faith and joy.

The believers around Aba Al-Sadiq greeted them with tears and smiles, and Aba Al-Sadiq honoured these two believers as members of the family.

We asked sister Valerie about her decision to make her way here.

“Well, we were supporting from a distance, but now that we're here, it's just so much love… and just being around Aba Al-Sadiq... and now we have the new lectures! I mean, we wouldn't be able to get this love just listening to it at home. At home, we were just watching it and listening to it, but to do that for the rest of our lives? No. If you can come, you should come."

Hussain and Valerie believe strongly in the message of Aba Al-Sadiq. Having lived a life of searching for meaning and purpose, they found no place that gave them satisfactory answers besides this one. 

Nadia from Iraq

Sister Nadia has been a dedicated spiritual soldier of Aba Al-Sadiq for almost 10 years. Having joined the call in 2016, Nadia has been researching, studying, and spreading the knowledge of the Imam amongst her people in Iraq.

Dire circumstances that stemmed from prejudice against members of the religion led to her being persecuted, and Iraq could no longer be Nadia’s home. She found herself forced out of her own country, simply for being a believer in Aba Al-Sadiq, and made her way to the only place she could - Turkey. There, she found many others in the same plight as her, and the famous incident took place known as the Attempted Border Crossing.

104 believing men, women and children, attempted to legally cross over the border of Turkey and Bulgaria, with the support of over 25 international human rights organizations, only to face severe illegal retaliation and push-back from Turkish authorities. Nadia was detained in inhumane circumstances, only to find herself soon released, and then finally, she found a way to her paradise on earth - the community of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light.

“I didn’t feel like it was true that I was actually coming here - not until I saw the statue of Imam Ahmed Al-Hassan right in front of me.”

Nadia recalls walking into the holy Basilica and tears filled her eyes as she recounted the story.

“I walked in, uttering the prayer that we are taught to recite when approaching the shrine of Imam Al-Hussain in Iraq. I was approaching the Imam of my time. Once I saw him, I couldn’t believe he was real. I smiled…all the years of suffering forgotten. Seeing him made me forget how I had ever been sad. Praise God.”

These are just some accounts of the beautiful family members that joined us recently. Men and women that we feel we have known forever. Souls from another realm that are reunited with us, whose faith and sincerity shines when they walk through the Basilica doors and they come face-to-face with the Imam, Aba Al-Sadiq, for the first time.

We thank God for these beautiful moments we get to share as a family, and eagerly look forward to the fulfilment of a great prophecy - a promise that many, many more will be joining us soon, gathering here with us, walking through those Basilica doors and responding to call of the Imam… “Is there anyone who will help us?”