50th USA Jalsa Salana Souvenir (PDF Format)

88 Pages·2016·15.26 MB·English

In the name of Allah. the Gracious. the Mcn:iful
ISIAM, THE PERFECT AND EVERIASTING FAITH
FOR MANKIND
Almighty Allah says In the Holy Qur'an:
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"This da) have 1 perfected your religion for you and completed my favors upon you and have chosen for you Islam ())) religion." (5:4)
The Holy Prophet (SA) said:
Hadhrat Abu Huraira (RAJ narrates that we were silling with the Holy Prophet (SA) when Sura AT-Juma was
revealed: "And he will appear among others who have not yet joined the companions of the Holy Prophet (SA)."
We asked: "Who are they, 0 Prophet of God." Among us the Salman (RAJ of Persia was sitting. The Holy
Prophet (SA) placed his hand upon Salman (RA) and said: "If faith ascends to the Pie ides some men from among
these will bring it back to earth." (Bukhari)
The Promised Messiah (AS) ttTote:
IJ.i' ...
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AHMADIYYA MUSLIM COMMUNITY, USA
SOth JALSA SALANA (Annual Convention)
SOUVENIR - June 1998
CONTENTS
Contcm/Glos~ary ............. .............. .......... ... .. ... .. ... .. I
Hadhrar Mir1a Ghulam Ahmed (AS) •..... ..•......•.•. .......•... ...•. •. 2
The Ahmad1yyn Muslim Community -An lntroduct1on ..... ........ ... ... ... 3
So said thl' Promi,cJ Me,,iah (ASJ ....... ..•.•...... ............. .... ... 4
Rai 'at Form I Condillons of Rai 'at .. ....... ... .. ............ ... .. .. .. ... 6
Khilnfat in Islam ........ .............. ... ........... ............ .... 7
Rc-Estahli<>hmcnt of Khilalat in 1.. . 1am through the Prrnmscd Messiah (AS) •.....•. 8
Hadhrat Khalitntul Mas1h IV (ABAJ A Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. ....... . 9
Keeprng Company with the righteou:-. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... ... ...... ... I0
The Blessings ,rnd Ohjccti\es of Jalsa Salana ........... .... .............. 11
lntcmauonal J a Isa S.llana UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ..... ........ 12
Message from /ladluar Khahfatul Masih IV (AHA) .•.......•.. .•... ........ 14
Some Retlect1on' by Anur. USA (Let us he -worthy) . . . . . . . . . ....... ..... 15
List of Jab.a S.tlana USA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... ... 17
Jalm Sala11a USA ( 1948-1998). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... .... 18
1983 llll::>ll Salcma. Rabwah. Pakistan (Centerfold) .... .................. ... 4-t
Proclamntmns (States. Congress. Counties. Cities) ......... ................ 46
Some Ahmadtyya C'ontrihutiom. and Service' ............................. 53
Message of hlam in USA in the time of the Promised Messiah (AS) . ...... ..... 54
Ahmadiyya Muslim Missionaries in USA ... ........ ....... .... .......... 56
Ahmadiyya Puhlications in USA ......... ... .. .... ............... .... .. 61
Prominent Ahmadi Mu,lim' in USA .... .... .... ... .......... ..... ... ... 62
l andmarks m the History of Ahmadiyyat in USA ..... .... .... .... ... ...... 64
Da 'll'at Jlallali m USA ................. .......... ............ .... ... 68
MTA/lnkmet m North America ... ........ .............. .............. 70
Waqf-e Nau in USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Fmanc1al Sacntice!. b) Ahmadi Mu~lim ... in USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........ ... 73
Talirik-e-Jadtd in USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. 76
Waqf-e-Jacl din USA . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... .... ... 77
UIJna lmaillali USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... . 78
Ma;lis Anwrulla/i USA .... ....... .... .... .......... ... .. ... .. .. ..... 80
Ma;lts Kli1u/da111-11l-Al111wdi):rn USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....... ... .... .. . 82
Mosque\ and Miss10n Houses in USA - Dateline ............ ........... .... 84
Current Amir am.I bxe«.:utives in USA .. ... .. .......... ..... ....... ...... 86
Current .lama'ats and Prc,idents in USA .... ..... ...... .... .. ... ..... .... 88
ABA: ayyada Jiu//alw taala benasrelzil a:,ee:, Bai'at: Initiation
(May Allah, the Exalted, strenghthen hi~ hands Da'wat /la/Lah: Imitation loward Allah
with powerful support) HadI t rat: Revered
AS: alailri.1 salaam (Peace be on him) Hazoor: His Holiness
RA: rad/ii A//alw taala a11'10 (May Allah, the Exallet..I, Jama'at: Community
be pleased with him) Majlis-e-frfaa11: Q&A Sessin with Ha.wor
RT: raliema lruf/alw taa/a (M:iy Allah, the Exallcd, Mulaqaat: Audience with Hazoor
have mercy on him) Qiyyamali: Doomsday
SA: sa/ /af/aho a/aihe 11•a saf/am (May Peace and Tabligh: Preaching
Blessings of Allah he on him)
( Ill [)
I I
Hadhrar Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (AS), the Founder of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Mu.,lim Community, was
horn on 13 Februaryl1935')n Qadian, a small town in Northern India which totally lacked all modem facil
ities of communicationwith the rest of the world.
Hadhrat Ahmad (AS) received his elementary educa
tion at home. Sint.:e hi!> childhood, he showed an extra
ordinary indifference to material values and dedicated
most of hi!> time either in the study of the Holy Qur'an
and other Islamic literature or in supplication to God
Almighty. Although he accepted some domestic
responsibilities entrusted to him, his lack of interest in
worldly affairs remained a matter of deep concern to his
father.
The aggressive and often offensive Christian and Hindu
polemics against hlam and its Prophet (SA) was a mat
ter of deep concern and agony to Had/ml/ Ahmad. He
was extremely distressed by the vulgarity of the adver
saries of Islam and the pitiable state of the Muslim reli
gious scholars and masses who were unable to defend
the honor of their prophet and the glory of their faith.
Had/ma Ahmad (AS) took over the responsibility to
defend Islam and its glorious prophet Muhammad (SA).
From about 1872 he began to emerge as a reputable
scholar, an eloquent speaker and a distinguished
preacher of Islam. He began to receive Divine revela
tions from God Almighty at the age of 40 which he cou
tinued to receive till his last breath.
In 1882, he received a Divine revelation that he had been commissioned as the Reformer of the fourteenth
century of the Islamic era to re-establish upon the earth the faith which had vanished from it. ln 1889, he
claimed that he was the Promised Messiah and Mahdi whose advent in the latter days had been prophesied
by the Holy Prophet of Islam, Hadhrat Muhammad (SA).
Hadhrar Ahmad's claim to be the Promised Messiah raised a public outcry because the Muslims generally
believed that he was to physically descend from Heaven in the person of Jesus Chri<,t (AS). Orthodox
Muslim divines condemned him as a disbeliever whose assassination would be an act of high spirirual
merit.
On 23 March I 889, Hadhrat Ahmad (AS) laid the foundation of lhe Ahmadiyya Mu-.lim Communit}.
The signs mentioned in the Old Scriptures and the Holy Qur'an indicated that the Promised Messiah
and Mahdi would complete the task of re-establishing the superiority of [slam over all other faith'
[n Hadhrat Ahmad (AS) these prophecies were fulfilled. He firmly e<,tablished the superiority of
Islam over all other faiths. He passed away on 26 May 1908 in Lahore.
1 llF 111\IADI '\'. ll SI I 1 ('0 NI f\
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\ I I RODl ( 110
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a religious orgam1at1on within Islam. international in its
scope. which was e5tablished in 1889 by Hadlirut MirTa Ghulam Ahmad (AS) in a small. remote
and unknown village, Qadian. in the Punjah. India. He claimed to be the expected reformer of the
latter days, the Awaited One of the world community of religion-. and the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ (AS). The movement he started is an embodiment of the benevolent me-.sage of Islam -
peace, universal hrotherhood. and submission to the Will of God - in it!. pristine purity.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was created under divine guidance with the objective of reju
venating Islamic moral and spiritual values. Hadlm11 Ahmad (AS) proclaimed Islam as the future
religion of man. With this conviction and prediction, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. within a
century, has reached the corners of the Earth. Wherever ii is established, it endeavours to exert a
constructive intluence of Islam through Islamic publications, construction of mosques, sociul pro
jects. educutional institutes, and health services despite being bitterly persecuted in some countries.
In pursuance of Islam's true teachings, Ahmadi Muslims have earned the distinction of being a law
abiding, peaceful. persevering and benernlent community.
The Community cncoumges interfaith dialogue.
and diligently tries to correct misunde,-.,tanding.s
The Promised Messiah
about Islam in the West. It advocates peace. toler
writes in his book
ance. lo\'e and under.standing among followers of
different faiths. It firmly believes in and acts upon Tazkira-tush-Shahadataill
the Qur'anic teaching: "There is no compulsion in
"O mankind. hearken. This is the
religion." (2:257) It strongly rejects violence and
prophecy of God Who made the
lerroriMn in any form and for any reason.
heavens and the earth. He will
spread this movement in all coun
The Community offers a clear presentation of
tries and will give it :-.upremacy
Islamic wisdom. philosophy. morals and spirituality
over all. through rea-,on and argu
as derived from the Holy Qur'un and the practice
ment. Remember. no one will
( Swuwh) of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Muhammad
descend from Heaven. ... The third
(SA). Some Ahmadi members, like late Sir
century from today will not have
MuhJrnmad Zafrullah Khan (RA) (who :-.erved as
completed when all those who had
the first Foreign Minister of Pakistan: President of
been waiting for Jesus.... will
the 16th General Assembly of the UNO; President
despair of his coming. . . I came
and Judge of the International Court of Justice. at
only to sow the seed ... It will now
the Hague) and Dr. Abdul Salam (the Nobel
grow and blos<,om forth and none
Laureate in Physics in 1979). have also been recog
dare retard its growth."
ni1cd by the world community for their outstanding
(Roo/iani K/wzain 20:67)
services and achievements in spiritual and secular
fiel<l.s.
After the demise of its founder, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been headed by his elect
ed successors. The present Head of the Movement, Had/ma Mirta Tahir Ahmad (ABA), was elect
ed in 1982 a ... the fourth successor. His official Litle is Khalifatul Masih IV. He has launched sever
al social projects to help poor countries in Africa, and under his personal supervision and guidance
the Holy Qur'an ha.'> been trnnslated in 52 major languagl!s of the world. He has also initiated a
global satellite-hased television program (Mw,hm Television Ahmadiyya) which provides moral
and spiritual guidance to millions in more than 150 countries around the clock.
The Ahmadiyya Mu.,lim Community has e-.tabli-.hcd branches in I 53 countries in Africa.
America!>. Asia, Au-.tralia. and Europe. Al present. its total membership is about 15 million "'orld
wide. and the numbers are increasing day by day. More than 3 million people accepted
Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam. during 1997. This is the most dynamic denomination of Islam in mod
ern history.
II
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SO SAID THE PROMISED MESSIAH (AS)
Our soul and every particle of our being are prostrate before the Mighty. True and Perfect God from whose
hand every soul and every particle of creation. together with all its faculties. came into being. and through
Whose support every being is sustained. Nothing is outside His knowledge. or outside His control, or out-
side His creation. ( Naseem-e-Da 'wat)
Allah, the Lord of Glory, made the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to be bearer
of the seal. that is. He granted him the seal for the deliverance of spiritual perfection which has not been
granted to any other prophet. That is why he is granted the title of Khatamamzabiyyin. His obedience
grants the perfections of prophethood. Becoming the object of his spiritual attention. turns one into a
prophet. This spiritual power has not been granted to any other prophet. ( Haqiqatul Wahi)
All qualities of prophcthood and messengerhood reached their ultimate and were brought to perfection in
our lord and master (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). (/s/ami Usu! ki Philosophy)
The Gist and the essence of our faith is. "La llaha lllallaho Muhammadur Rasulullah," There is none wor
thy of worship except Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" The belief to which we adhere in this
world, and with which, by the grace and blessings of Almighty Allah. we will depart this temporary world,
is that our Lord and Master Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is
Khatamnumnabiyyin (Seal of the Prophets) and Khairulmursalin (the best of all the ones sent by God).
Faith has been brought to perfection through him. and the favor of God, which enables man to adopt the
right path and reach Almighty Allah, has been conveyed in full. ( /~alai-e-Auham)
The beauty and charm of the Holy Qura'n is the light of the existence of every Muslim
The Moon is the beloved of others; our beloved is the Holy Qur'an
We pondered long, but could not find anything like it
Why should it not be unique; it is the holy word of our Gracious Lord
Each of its discourses is pulsating with an eternal spring
Such beauty is not in any orchard; nor is any garden like it.
There is none that can equal the Holy Word of our Lord the Great
Be it a pearl from Amman or a ruby from Badaksh ( Bralzin-e-Ahmadiyya)
lf@not from the the Ummat (followers) of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and if I had not followed him. then even if my good deeds equalled all the mountains of the earth, I could
not have attained the honor of Divine communication and discourse, because now all prophethoods are
closed except the prophethood of Muhammad (SA). (Tajalliyat-e-1/ahia)
After God I am inebriated with the love of Muhammad. If this is infidelity, then by God I am a great inftdeL
( 0 I>ITI > S OF I ITI \TIO
INTO AHl\1\DIY\'.AT
by
HAZRAT MIRZA GHULAM AHMAD OF QADIAN
THE PROMISED MESSIAH AND MAHDI (AS)
THE INITIATE SOLEMNLY PRO~llSES THAT:
I. He/She shall abstain from Shirk (association of any partner with God) right up to the day of hi!Jher death.
II. He/She shall keep away from falsehood, fornication, adultery. trespasses of the eye. debauchery. dissipation, cruelty,
dishonesty. mischief and rebellion. and will not permit himself/herself to be carried away hy pass10ns. however strong
they might he.
III. He/She shall regularly offer the five daily pr.iyers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy
Prophet (SA) shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the Talwjud (pre-dawn supererogatory prayer) and invoking
Dam(}{/ (blessings) on the Holy Prophet (SA): <.hall make it hio.Jher daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins and
lo n:membcr the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.
IV. He/She shall. under the impul-.e or any passions, cause no ham1 whatsoever to the creatures of Allah in general, and
Muslims in particular. neither by hi,fher tongue or hands nor by any other means.
V. He/She shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life, in sorrow and happiness. adversity and pros
perity. in felicity and trial: and ~hall in all conditions remain resigned to the decree of Allah and keep himself/her
self ready to face all kind\ of md1gmties and sufferings in His way and shall never turn away from it at the onslaught
of any misfortune: on the contrnry, he/she shall
march forward.
VI. He/She shall refrain from following un
blamic custom' and lustful inclinations, and shall
DECLARATION OF INITIATION
completely submit himself/herself to the authorit) H&lr11 M.iru Tahr A!wNd, k.h.W.M MMth IV
of the Holy Quran: and shall make the Word of
God and the Sayings of the Holy Prophet (SA) the
lhinb,subm•ff'IY O..lM-'" tlln .,dutyr-i~ifoat.d.ard~ srwd ,.._.~me..,Chrfold
guiding principle in every wall.. of his/her life. ot~~''"'p~·.c..wtptavtor'""'
•J ;.~; ·~~ ~r ~f;'J .!I;_,.:.:,·~;~;!~!~ ~f~T
VII. He/She shall entirely give up pride and van •J;_~; ·~r~ ~1 ~1;'J .!I;_,.:.:,·~; :1J1 ;, ~'~ ~f~i
ity and shall pass all his/her life in humbleness.
lb.MwatalN,,,,,,,,.,a~.wch.,o/~ "4' .-~'Hr· ,.O,.~hAS"°f»llM'I
cheerfulness. forbearance and meekness. Attd I bNf" 9'hl '1m ~ t'" ""'..,,, .Jfv1 "....,,
I enter lfu. . ~... ..,..... A,IWhn'wI divr• ,.,,,. ... i.n hi.Im .. IN h.tnd al T. .. HIR ... Hl\\1\0. I tw.... firm fach .....
aVnIdII . thHee /cSahues e shoafl l Ishloalmd fdaeitahr.e trh eto hohnimor/ hoefr fathitahn, o~Hl& M.illrh itlh ~ed P rPorpohneunt.« I1 .~111!"0t bweh fw~hrpo rwh«.1r 1~M Htudrb. ilwtr Ms."s1 riPrni11p 'oClh~Au'it~•."h' b/b\\rt.·ui mHp.u.uJfr )lip tlttlm! '/.\1iiJ<u "rt Alb.ulrwM Ml.u IMdh iU~mMI) > NwOl..tuii ltrtnWwlw Q(nrpl, rll«~h eflm' S~.eun.ndJ
bleulnp ol Alloh b< ._.h "111.
his/her life. weallh. honor, children and all other
dear ones.
• lw1ll.tw<ry\ rymyt.'11 WJ~br-..,, cO"dllkltllole.i'.r £1ncL.tUOnl .n P'e'Wl'ibtdby~
PromlWd ~ (,pP«T br on hlfD!.
IX. He/She 'hall keep himself/herself occupied in
the service of Gou\ creatures fur His sal.e only:
• I will .JWJllYJ ,~j" k:P;M to lhf' lnlol luhOl'I. of «h1l.1t•t .n Ahm~1rv• .00 Wtll obftyi yOu •S
and shall endeavor to benefit mankind to the best l<h~lifatul ""~ih 1n ~u'tfl 1t>00 th.it 'fOlJ ~ r~.utf! of lflf'. 1,,sJN'•llah
of hi!Jher God-given abilities and powers. _;j! ~;Jlj ~:JS:,.:;.,; JJ1~1
..:ii ~ ;;i J ..:.::. :JS ..,. -;.J J.(,• . :.:..:.l
X. He/She shall enter into a bond of brotherhood _;j!:,,. ;JI, ;.i :JS:,. ;J JJl~l
with this humble ~ervant of God. pledging obedi
ence to me in everything good, tor the sake of I,,.., pia/dWI #rone Al' tr: nf • ,, Mid fun'l to H*'t
:.:;. ::;:,:;1; :......u. :,.:1
Allah. and remain faithful to it till the day of ~ ~ !._';
h1!Jher death: he/she shall exert such a high uevo ~I j!-...,j_J~ ~ ·.1, ;:.:_;:.; ~~L.
tion in the obser. ance of this bond as is not tu be
found in any other wordly relationship and con _,_,,_0~11~_1y-Llo_tld ,_.IJ1_.*<"~'_l.,w.r.. ._r.t!p),d._...,.>.. _1_'N, I_.M~f/dr l:r .... ..,1t.m,, N~. -
nections demanding devoted dutifulness. --..,
°""'-----
!Tmnslated from /shtelwr Takmeel-e· Tabl(~h.
January 12, 1889)
KUil AFAT I ISi AM
Almight) Allah sa)s in the Holy Qur'an:
"'Allah has promi'>ed to those among you who helicvc and do good works that He will ~urely make them
sm:cessor'> in the earth. as He made succe-.sors from among those who were hefore them; and that He will
surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them and that He will surely give them in
exchange security and peace after their fear: they.,.., ill wor-,hip Me. and they will not a~sociate an) thing with
Me. Then whose is ungrateful after that. they will he the rebellious." (24:56)
The Holy Prophet (SA) said:
"O Muslims, this prophcthood will remain with you as long as Allah wishes it to remain. Then it would
come to an end, to he replaced with Khilafat which would be on the pattern of prophcthood (as it is sup
plement to it) and would remain a.'> long as Allah wills. Then this Khilafat would also come to an end. The
rulers who cut (are cruel to people) will replace them for as long as Allah wills. Then this period will abo
come to an end. Then there will be the rule of usurpers. and that period too will come to an end. After that
Khilafat, on the pattern of Prophethood. would re-emerge. After saying this, the Holy Prophet (SA) did not
add any further comments." (Ma.\'llad Ahmad: Vol. 5, Page 404)
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
In accordance with the promise of Almighty Allah and the prophecy of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (SA). Khilafat was established in Islam after the demise of the Holy Prophet
(SA). But it lasted only about thirty years and was followed by the kingship and foreign
rule. All Muslims eagerly looked forward to the re-establishment of Khilafat on the pat
tern of prophethood as prophesied by the Holy Prophet (SA).
II
RE-ESTABLISII:\llE T o:F KillLAI 1\.1"' I ISi \i\I
TllRC>UC,.11 THE PRO:\llSED l\IF..SSI \II (AS)
In his book Al-*1siyyat. the Promised Mes\iah (AS) informed his Community that he had received revela
tions ahout his demise in the near future. Then he added:
So. therefore, my dear friends. when this has always heen the way how the will of Allah works, show
ing two manifestations of His power. so that He should demolish two false joys of the opponents. is it
possible that now He '>hould proceed to alter this long established divine practice?
You should not, therefore. grieve over what I have told you, nor should you let yourselves be heartbro
ken. for you are destined to '>cc the second manifestation of God\ power as well. And the coming of that
manifestation would be better for you, for it would he everlasting. of which the chain shall not hreak
until the Day of Qiyya111a'1.
(Al-Wasiyyat, Page 6)
This prophecy was fulfilled in a magnificent manner. when. on the demise of the Promised Messiah (AS) in
1908. the Ahmadiyya Mu.,lim Community elected Hadhrat Maulana Nuruddin (RA) a& the first Khalifa of
the Promised Messiah (AS). The blessing of Khilafat has continuously remained with the Community.
Hadhrat Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin, Khalifatul Ma'.'.ih I (RA) was a descendant of
Hadhrat Umar Farooq (RA), the second Khalifa of Islam. He was a very learned
man and studied for a long time at the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. He was
also a talented physician and an expert theologian. When the Promised Me~siah
(AS) initiated the Bai 'at on march 23, 1889. he was the tirst to take the pledge. He
served as the fir-.. t Khalifa of the Promi-..ed Messiah (AS) for six years. He is well
known for the lessons he gave on the Holy Qur'an.
Hadhrat Mirta Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (RA) wa' born in 1889 in fulfillment
of a great prophecy vouchsafed to the Promi-.ed Messiah (AS). He was elected as
Khalifa in 191.f and championed the cause of Islam for 51 years. He is well known
for the larger and the shorter Commentary on the Holy Qur'an. He also initiated
many schemes and organised the auxiliaries within the Community. He opened the
missions to spread Islam throughout the world and opened schools and hospitab
in Africa.
Hadhmt MirLa Na~ir Ahmad (RT}, the eldest son of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih II
(RA), was elected as the third khalifa in 1965. He committed the entire Holy
Qur'an to memory in early childhood. He was educated at Oxford and then served
as the head of auxiltary organizations and as Principal of the Talimul Islam
College, Rabv. ah. He initiated the Nus rat Jahan Scheme for the up! ift of health and
education in six West African countries. He also initiated the centennial Jubilee
scheme. He lead the Community for 17 years.