Faith and technology: With Divine design Pakistan made to put up with "Promised Messiah"

“When we started tweeting at 1am EST, it was a blast with tweets pouring in from all around the world – it was simply amazing. My heartbeat went up! I could not even read the tweets so I just focused on tweeting myself.” 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Twitter / Ahmadiyya Times
By Imran Jattala | March 25, 2012

When God Almighty wrote the attribute Malik-e Youm-ud Din (مالک یوم الدین) [Lord of the Day of Judgment] for Himself in the opening chapter of the Holy Qur'ān, the Muslim Holy book, He certainly wasn’t kidding – we have learned repeatedly.

The nearly 14 billion years of the universe’s history stands witness that every turn of time, every day of reckoning, every hour of decision, every moment of judgment, all have - always - belonged to God, and  God alone.

For few young techie-types, this past March 23rd again stands as a testament to God’s ultimate lordship over the ‘hour of decision’ as they continue to marvel in their own failure – seriously.

Let me explain.

This past March 23rd was the 123rd anniversary of the founding of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community by Hadhrat Mirzā Ghulām Ahmad of Qādiān, India, who claimed to be the Promised Messiah – the so-called  ‘Second Coming’ of Christ as awaited by billions – especially among the Muslims and Christians worldwide.

Hadhrat Ahmad founded the Ahmadiyya community - and gave its teachings the name and title of ‘Islām Ahmadiyya’ – which is now found in 200 countries of the world with 160 million estimated followers.

The message – a revival of Islām as it was originally revealed - has certainly reached every corner of the globe; just  as Hadhrat Ahmad had predicted based upon a revelation he said he had received from God.

A few weeks ago some social media enthusiasts of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, Twitter users specifically, started discussing that how about if on March 23rd, the Promised Messiah Day, the term ‘IslamAhmadiyya’ is popularizeed over Twitter, a concept usually referred to as ‘trending’.

 Masood Nāsir (Twitter handle: @MasoodNasir), a volunteer developer for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s official website AlIslām.Org, decided to pitch the idea to their management for the official sponsorship. Nāsir was delighted to learn, he says, that the idea “was blessed with approval to commemorate The Promised Messiah Day on twitter using #IslamAhmadiyya hashtag.”

The idea was also sent for blessing and prayers to His Holiness Mirzā Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Masood Nasir has learned.

As the word got out, several teams of avid Ahmadī Tweeple (people who tweet) started to form to carry out the #IslamAhmadiyya Twitter campaign.

Right on key, at 1:00 am Eastern Time,  AlIslam (Twitter handle: @AlIslam_Org) Tweeted out several dozen one liners containing varying Islamic teachings as explained by the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community, Hazrat Ahmad, the Promised Messiah.

Each line, containing the term “IslamAhmadiyya” was re-tweeted as is, or with some variations by the enthusiastic Tweeple worldwide.

There was some apprehension about the idea too, as Masood Nasir explains, because this was perhaps the first time Ahmadi Muslims were trying to trend a topic and many had no idea how it would work out – so some raised eyebrows and some even raised questions.

“When we started tweeting at 1am EST, it was a blast with tweets pouring in from all around the world – it was simply amazing,” says Masood Nasir. “My heartbeat went up! I could not even read the tweets so I just focused on tweeting myself.”

The whole focus of his effort at that moment was, further explains Masood Nasir, to give glad tidings to the world about the second coming of the Messiah.

A Divinely guided failure

With hundreds tweeting the #IslamAhmadiyya hashtag, the term did not show up in Twitter Trends leaving many disappointed until they noticed an anomaly, a very pleasant anomaly.

“In about 10 minutes past I noticed that "Promised Messiah" is trending as the phrase in worldwide trends,” writes Masood Nāsir. “I could not believe my eyes. Instantly tears started flowing in Thanking God for His Blessings.”

Nāsir and many of his fellow Tweeple instantly knew it was a sign from God.

“Although we planned for #IslamAhmadiyya to trend, it was a Divine Sign that ‘Promised Messiah’ started trending- very appropriately indeed.”

The terms, #IslamAhmadiyya also started trending but 'Promised Messiah’ remained most popular in parts of the world where it was most needed - say in Pakistan.

#islamahmadiyya is getting popular, +700% the last hour : t.co/I1wRMnz1

— Statweestics (@statweestics) March 23, 2012

In Pakistan the term ‘Promised Messiah’ trended for nearly 36 hours, a period longer than everywhere else.

Pakistan  - where the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is most persecuted and the Promised Messiah is officially renounced as a matter of constitution and the law - was made to put up with the term “Promised Messiah’ which many believe to be a sign from God.

The ‘trend’ stayed for over 30 minutes globally, however, according to Nāsir, locally in Canada, UK, Pakistan and Germany the trend continued for hours during day time and stayed in top stories with the photo of the founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hadhrat Ahmad of Qādiān linked to a news article.

Many non-Ahmadi Muslims and Non-Muslims commented on this trend in both positive and negative way.

“So the message has been delivered,” says Masood Nasir.

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This is a partial list of Tweeple who actively participated in the 'trending' effort: @IslamAhmadiyya; @SabahatAhmad; @Omaidus; @MaudoodBhatti; @LAhmad08; @Al_Ufaq; @BashaNazir; @NaeemShamim; @MoRafi; @AtifAhmadS; @Lutfislam; @Ahmadiyya; @Ayesha_NR; @Simutx; @SabahatMS; and many more in this list compiled by @LAhmad08;

  -- Faith and technology: With Divine design Pakistan made to put up with "Promised Messiah"
  -- Ahmadiyys Times
  -- Imran Jattala. Follow on Twitter: @IJattala




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