By the grace of Allah the Almighty, I was granted the opportunity to perform Waqf-e-Arzi in Japan during the summer of 2024. The reason I specifically chose this country was because I learned basic Japanese in high school and due to my fascination with this incredible dream seen by Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (may Allah be pleased with him):
“The Japanese nation, which is currently in a completely lifeless state, will have a desire for Ahmadiyyat instilled in its heart by Allah Almighty. (Meaning it is spiritually lifeless.) Gradually, it will regain strength and power and will respond to my call just as the birds responded to the call of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him).” [Friday Sermon, March 18, 2011; Khutbat-e-Masroor, vol. 9, p. 134]
After witnessing the virtues and cleanliness of the Japanese people first-hand, I can attest that many aspects of Japanese culture are in line with the principles of the teachings of Islam – especially their cleanliness, modesty and respect. The most notable and unique aspect of Japan is its cleanliness. Almost everywhere the level of cleanliness was truly astounding. Unlike other countries, Japan maintains hygiene and cleanliness almost perfectly. From restrooms to convenience stores and even small alleyways, Japanese cleanliness was something I had never seen before elsewhere. Modesty and respect are also very prominent virtues in Japan. When conversing with people, there is never any hint of arrogance in their speech. Even when thanking someone, they often respond by saying “No, no, no,” as if they see themselves as not worthy of a thank you. In this respect, this prophecy has incredible significance, the fulfillment of which I can see may quickly become a reality, Insha’Allah.
To begin with, I landed at Narita Airport, Tokyo. My first goal was to make it to the mission house in order to get settled in and plan out tabligh. While navigating through different underground trains, it became necessary to ask for directions. Alhamdulillah, asking for directions was easy for me since it only requires a basic understanding of Japanese. There was never a time when I was turned down or treated with negativity while asking for help from locals.
It became apparent from the first day how easy it was to talk to the Japanese people. Doing tabligh to them is easier since most people eagerly pay attention and listen to you. After reaching the mission house, I settled in and began making my tabligh plan. Japanese people in public are usually in a rush and enjoy silence and privacy, especially on trains. After considering these factors, I decided the best places and times for flyer distribution and conversations at an appropriate time for my Waqf-e-Arzi. At the mosque entrance, there were hundreds of tabligh flyers. Almost every day, I would take a pile of these flyers and distribute them around Tokyo. Since the transportation in Tokyo is very convenient, I would walk for hours without worrying about getting lost. There would always be some train or railway nearby that made returning back to the mosque simple and convenient. Food was also not a problem since grocery stores in Japan sell fully prepared meals. The only concern was making sure the food was Halal since alcohol and pork are very prevalent in Japanese cuisine.
At the end of the first week, I met with the Jama’at members and one of my fellow Jamia students who is from Japan. Since they live so far from the Tokyo prayer center, Jama’at members were only able to gather once a week for Jumu’ah. On the day of Jumu’ah, the Japanese Jamia student, Syed Ghulam Ahmad, took me to Akihabara, a shopping district popular among locals and tourists, so he could show me around. While we were eating at a restaurant, the person sitting beside us was surprised to hear us speaking Japanese despite me being a foreigner. As we discussed our occupations with one another, the Japanese man explained that he was a professor who teaches Japanese at a Turkish university. Following our conversation, we established a wonderful friendship and exchanged contact information, which has allowed me to continue doing tabligh to him.
After that day, I led the Fajr prayer and gave dars to the people who were present. I would persist in flyer distribution in different areas. Eventually, the second week came to an end, and my duty in Tokyo was done. For the third and final week, I travelled nearly 600 kilometres away to do tabligh in secluded, less populated areas. The reason for this is that Huzoor (may Allah be his Helper) once advised the Japanese Jama’at to do Waqf-e-Arzi in remote, secluded areas since, in the cities, most people don’t usually care about religion or God. I took the bullet train to Kobe with a large amount of flyers. I spent two days in Kobe and then afterwards two days in Osaka.
Osaka was special because, just like in Tokyo, I was able to engage in more than just simple conversations and distribute flyers. I met a Muslim living in Osaka, to whom I explained that I was an Ahmadi missionary in training. Since they did not know what an Ahmadi is and they happened to be free at the same time as me, we had a long conversation in which I gave an introduction to Ahmadiyyat and explained the death of Jesus (peace be upon him) to them and the advent of the Messiah and Mahdi. I proceeded to show them a picture of me with Huzoor (may Allah be his Helper). They commented on how they could tell from the picture that Huzoor (may Allah be his Helper) was a person of high status.
Overall, Osaka is by far the best place for tabligh. People are very relaxed and approachable, making it a great place for tabligh, and Alhamdulillah I made many contacts in my short time there. After leaving Osaka, I decided it would be best to slowly continue doing tabligh to this individual since they lived a very busy life. I then spent 2 days in Kyoto, where I finally ran out of flyers. Although I had conversations with a great number of people, most would quickly lose interest. Regardless, they were still very respectful and kind. After my journey into the depths of Japan, I took a bullet train back to Tokyo for my return flight to Canada.
Looking back at my experience, I am incredibly grateful to Allah the Almighty Who granted me such an incredible opportunity to travel to such a distant country in order to convey the message of Islam. I plan to continue doing tabligh to the contacts that were made over there. May Allah enable me to be successful in this endeavour and may He guide their hearts to the truth. Ameen.