Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah strengthen his hands) delivered this Friday sermon on 28th October, 2016 at Baitul Islam Mosque, Toronto, Canada. After Tashahud and Surah Fatiha, Huzoor said:
By grace of Allah, the trend to dedicate children in the Jama'at is rising. I receive letters from parents daily. On certain days, the count reaches twenty to twenty-five. In them, the parents request their yet to be born children to be included in Waqfe Nau. When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) started this movement, it was not permanent, but later, he made it permanent. And Jama'at, especially mothers in every country, said, "Here we are!" Twelve or thirteen years ago, due to Jama'at's attention to this, the number of Waqfeene Nau was over 28 thousand. By grace of Allah this number has now neared 61 thousand. Out of this, the boys are over 36 thousand and the rest are girls. So, with the passage of time, the trend that they have to dedicate their children before birth, is on the rise.
However, the responsibilities of the parents do not end with presenting their children for Waqf before their birth. They rather become more than before. No doubt, the training of every Ahmadi child depends on parents and parents want good for their child. The parents who are inclined toward religion, want his secular education, training and religious education as well. But this should be remembered that every child, especially Waqfe Nau child is a trust of the Jama't with them. His training and making him the best part of the Jama'at and the society, is the duty of the parents. But, the training of the Waqfe Nau children, their secular and religious education with special attention and handing them over to the Jama'at after preparing them, becomes a responsibility for another reason as well. That, before birth, the parents pledge that whatever will be born, boy or a girl, they will present it for Allah's religion, for the completion of the mission of the true servant of the Holy Prophet (May peace be on him) which is the mission of the completion of the propagation of the guidance, which is the mission of spreading the Islamic education in the world, which is the mission of drawing the attention of the world toward fulfilling the right of God and which is the mission of spreading the Islamic education of fulfilling the mutual rights of every person in the world.
This is not an ordinary responsibility that the children's parents, particularly the mother assumes before the birth of her child, with a pledge to God. And they write to the Khalifa of the time that they are presenting their child into the Waqfe Nau scheme with a pledge to God like the mother of Mary.
"My Lord, I have vowed to Thee what is in my womb to be dedicated to Thy service. So, do accept it of me; verily, Thou alone art All-Hearing, All Knowing." (3:36)
That O' my Lord, whatever is in my womb, I am presenting it for you. I do not know what it is- boy or a girl, but whatever it is, it is my wish and I pray that it becomes the servant of the Faith. Accept this wish of mine. You are All Hearing and All Knowing, so accept this humble prayer of mine as well. You know that this prayer is the voice of my heart. This is the longing of the mothers for their children ahead of time and it should be so for an Ahmadi mother when she pledges her child for Waqfe Nau and the father is also included in it.
So, when the mother of a child joining Waqfe Nau, prays this, those responsibilities should also be kept in mind that fall upon the mothers and fathers for the fulfillment of the pledge and the acceptance of the prayers. The child is presented to the Waqfe Nau with the agreement of both mother and father. Allah the Exalted did not preserve this prayer in the Holy Quran with a purpose of telling a story of olden times. But, Allah liked this prayer so much that He preserved it for the future mothers also, so as to make their children doers of such extraordinary sacrifices for the Faith with this prayer. Every faithful pledges to prefer faith over worldly affairs but the Waqfeen should go to the ultimate limits of these standards. So what the parents will instill in the minds of their children from the beginning that they are the Waqfe Nau children and they [parents] dedicated them [children] purely to serve the Faith. And this is the purpose of their [children's] lives, and they will be praying along too, then the children will grow up with the mindset that they have to serve the faith. They will not grow up thinking to become a businessman or a player, or to go into a certain field. Instead, they will ask the question that they are Waqfeene Nau and the Jama'at or the Khalifa tells them what field they should enter. They have nothing to do with the world. The pledge that their mother undertook before his birth, the prayers that she said before he was born, and trained him in such a way that he should pursue faith instead of the material world. he is fortunate that God listened to the prayers of his mother and brought her efforts for my training to fruition. Now, without any worldly greed and wishes, he pledges himself to the service of Faith and only Faith.
Disclosure of this intent by the Waqfeene Nau is necessary at the age of fifteen while renewing their pledges. In this regard, I have issued a directive to the administration concerned to get in writing from them at the age of fifteen that they will or want to continue the Waqf. At the age of fifteen or twenty-one, those who have not joined the Jamia', when they have completed education, it is necessary for all of them to rewrite the pledge. And if, in between, they are asked to get training in some field, they should pen it again. So, at all stages, according to his heartfelt wish, the Waqfe Nau should express to continue his Waqf.
In this regard, as I have said in detail, no Waqfe Nau child should think that if they pledged, then, how are they going to survive materially, or this worry should bother them how they will serve their parents monetarily or otherwise i.e. physically. A few days ago I had a class with Waqfeene Nau. A boy asked that if, by dedicating, they present their full time services to the Jama'at, then how will they be able to serve their parents, financially, physically or generally. The very rise of this question is the expression of the fact that the parents did not put this in the hearts of the Waqfe Nau children that they have dedicated them (children] and they are only a trust of Jama'at with them[parents]. their siblings will serve in their place. they have only to present themselves to the Khalifa and go according to his directions. In the prayer of Mary's mother, the word 'verily' is used which means that she has separated the child from worldly responsibilities and she prayed that the religious responsibility should become its priority.
So, I want to convey to all such mothers and fathers that just the name of Waqfe Nau is not enough. Rather, Waqfe Nau is an important responsibility. It is the responsibility of the parents until Waqfe Nau becomes an adult and thereafter it becomes his own responsibility. Some boys and girls, who have got secular education, apparently show great enthusiasm and present their services. Later on, leave because they cannot survive with the allowance that the Jama'at pays them. When a larger objective is to be achieved, you have to sacrifice and bear hardship. So, from the childhood, this matter is set in the hearts of the Waqfeene Nau that nothing is greater than the Waqfe Nau life. Instead of thinking that a class fellow of his is earning hundreds of thousands with the same educational achievement as his (Waqfe Nau), and he (Waqfe Nau), cannot earn in a month what he (class fellow) earns in a day; the thinking should be that the status God has given him is a lot better than the worldly riches.
Keep in view the saying of the Holy Prophet that we should look at the one who is financially lower than us and look at the one who is spiritually higher than us so that we strive to go further in the spiritual progress rather than in the material progress. Therefore, the Waqfe Nau boys who have completed their education, should try to improve their spiritual condition rather than the outward and material condition. Hazrat Promised Messiah (may peace be on him), expects from every Ahmadi to have an extremely high status. The person whose parents dedicated him for religion before birth and prayed for him as well… how much he should try to reach those standards!
The Promised Messiah (may peace be on him) says, "I consider it my duty that I make a will for my Jama'at and send this message out... in future all have the right to accept it or not, that if one wants deliverance and wants a pious and eternal life, then, he should dedicate his life for God. And everyone should be engaged in this endeavor to achieve such a status and rank whereby he can say that my life, my death, my sacrifices, and my prayers are for Allah the Exalted. His spirit, like Abraham, should say:
"I have submitted to the Lord of the worlds" (2:132)
He said, "Until a man is not lost in God, and doesn't die belonging to God, he cannot get a new life. Therefore, you that have relationship with me, you see that I consider the dedication of life to be the essence and purpose of my life. This is the basis and this is the end. Then see in yourselves that how many of you like this act of mine for your selves and endear the dedication of life for God."
So, rising above the common Ahmadi, the Waqfeene Nau should try to achieve that status. Others also do the Waqf for the Faith and everybody cannot do the Waqf. Allah has said this as well that there should be a group among you, who should attain religious knowledge and then go and tell those people who are entangled in the worldly matters. But this is also told by the Promised Messiah that faith and fear of God should take precedence while doing the worldly chores. The Waqfeene Nau should improve a lot in the standards of contentment and sacrifice. They should not think that if they are financially weak, then, may be that their siblings will consider them lower or the parents will not pay attention to them as they do to others. In the first place the parents should never entertain the thought that dedicators of life are lower. They should have the view that the standard and status of Waqfeene Nau is very high. But Waqfeene Nau should always consider themselves to be the humblest persons in the world. Waqfeene Nau should improve the standards of sacrifice, prayers and faithfulness. They should employ all their capabilities and capacities to fulfill their parents' and their own pledges. Try to work to hold the faith high. Then Allah the Exalted blesses and He leaves none without rewarding.
Regarding the fulfillment of the pledges, at an occasion, The Promised Messiah (may peace be on him) says that God has praised Hazrat Ibrahim (may peace be on him) in the Holy Quran. As he says:
"And of Abraham who fulfilled the commandments." (53:38)
That he fulfilled the pledge that he made. Therefore, fulfillment of pledges is not an ordinary thing. And the pledge to dedicate life, for which we have heard the heartfelt words of the Promised Messiah (may peace be on him) …What a great pledge it is! If every Waqfe Nau boy and girl fulfills this pledge faithfully, we can bring a revolution in this world. Some young couples come to me and say, "I am Waqfe Nau, my wife is Waqfe Nau and my child is Waqfe Nau" or a mother says that she is Waqfe Nau. A father would say that he is Waqfe Nau and his child is Waqfe Nau. It is praiseworthy; but it will be beneficial to the Jama'at in reality only if they fulfill their pledges faithfully.
At another place, referring to Abraham (may peace be on him), the Promised Messiah (May peace be on him) has further explained the topic of faithfulness. He says that the way to achieve nearness to Allah is to show faithfulness to Him, and be steadily truthful. Your faithfulness to Him should be true. The reason that Abraham (may peace be on him) got closer to Allah was the same. So, He says:
"And of Abraham who fulfilled commandments" (53:38)
Meaning that Abraham is that Abraham (peace be on him), who showed faithfulness. Showing loyalty, truthfulness and faithfulness to Allah requires a 'death'. This virtue cannot be created until a man is prepared to forego all the pleasures and magnificence of this world, and is ready to bear all kinds of disgrace, hardship and paucity for the sake of God. Idol worship is not that a man worships a tree or a stone. Everything that prevents the attainment of nearness to Allah and is preferred over Him is an idol. And, he has so many idols in his self that he is not cognizant of his worshiping of idols. In this age, at some places, dramas have become idols, somewhere internet is an idol, somewhere earning material has become an idol and sometimes other wishes have become idols. The man doesn't know that he is engaged in idol worship and he is doing it invisibly. So, he (the Promised Messiah-may peace be on him) said, "Unless (he) becomes purely for God and is ready to face all tribulations in His way, the hue of faithfulness and truthfulness is difficult to create. Abraham (may peace be on him) did not get his name for nothing. The voice, "And, of Abraham who fulfilled commandments" did not come until he was ready to sacrifice his son. Allah demands action and is satisfied by action; and action comes out of pain. A man has to sacrifice to perform the righteous deeds and do the actions that please God. One has to go through sorrow and suffering. But, (the Promised Messiah peace be on him) said that though there is difficulty in deeds but a man does not stay permanently in sorrow. He further said that when a man is ready for the sorrow, then, Allah does not put him in it.
Obeying the commandment of Allah, when Abraham got completely ready to sacrifice his son, God saved his son. Son's life was saved and the father was also delivered from the sorrow that would have been caused by the sacrifice of the son. He was thrown in the fire, but fire could not do any harm to him. If a man is ready to bear hardships in the way of Allah, then, Allah saves him from the suffering. This is the standard told to us by the Promised Messiah (may peace be on him) to absorb the love of Allah and receive His blessings and he expected us to attain it. This is the standard that every Waqfe Nau should not only try to reach but also remember that until our measures of sacrifice will rise higher, our claims of dedication of life will be shallow. Some mothers blurt out that they have come to Canada. Their son is a Murabbi or Waqfe Zindagi in Pakistan, send for him or assign him here. He joins us here. When dedication has been done, then why these demands, why these wishes. Wishes are done with.
As I said, the trend to join Waqfe Nau is rising. This is very pleasing. Further this trend, making it purely for God and don't become those who break or weaken their pledges due to changes in the circumstances. The Promised Messiah (may peace be on him), said that sacrifice cannot be done without sorrow and suffering. If the circumstances have changed, we have to bear it, especially those who have presented themselves for dedication: or parents presented their children and they (children) renewed it to continue their pledge. The Promised Messiah has said that when a man is ready to make all kinds of sacrifice for God, then Allah blesses. Allah does not abandon and blesses tremendously. May Allah make all Waqfeene Nau and their parents the ones who understand the reality of Waqf and fulfill their pledges and those who keep on raising the standards of faithfulness.
Briefly, I want to draw the attention toward certain administrative matters and the line of action of Waqfeene Nau as well. Some people raise questions and some Waqfeene Nau have certain misconceptions in their minds that by joining Waqfe Nau they have got a new identity. No doubt the identity is made, but with that identity they will not receive an extraordinarily preferential treatment. Instead, they will have to raise their bars of sacrifice with that identity. Some people infuse into the minds of their Waqfeene Nau children that they are very special children. The result is that even when they become grown-ups, this 'being special' sticks to their minds. These queries and such matters have reached me here as well. They push back the essence of Waqf and make the title of Waqfe Nau as the aim of their lives that they have become special. Some of them have developed the idea in their hearts that since they are in Waqfe Nau, they need not attend the programs of Nasirat and Lajna if they are girls, and they need not attend the programs of Atfal and Khuddam if they are boys-they have a separate organization. This is a wrong idea, if someone has it. Any office bearer, even the Amir Jama'at, is a member of a related auxiliary organization.
Therefore, every Waqfe Nau boy and girl should remember that they are the members of their organizations according to their ages and it is incumbent upon them to attend their programs, and if someone doesn't attend, then, the president of the relevant organization should report about him. If that Waqfe Nau doesn't improve, then such a child, boy or a youth will be removed from the Waqfe Nau scheme. Yes, if there are some programs of the Jama'at, Waqfe Nau program, or programs of the auxiliary organizations, then, with mutual understanding, such timings can be set that auxiliary organizations and Waqfe Nau do their programs separately and there is no clash.
Waqfeene Nau, as I said are very special. But they will have to prove that they are ahead of others in their relationship with Allah; only then they will be called 'special'. They will be called special if they have fear of God more than others. They will be called special if their standards of worship are a lot higher than others. They will be called special if they offer supererogatory prayers along with the obligatory ones. It is a sign of being special if their degree of general conduct is extremely high. There is a marked difference in their language and talking manners. It is clearly observable that there is a genuinely trained person who prefers faith over worldly matters. Then they will be 'special'.
If they are girls, then, their dress and purdah is symbolic of true Islamic education. When others see it, they will be envious and say that despite living in this environment, their dresses and purdah are an extraordinary model. Then they will be special. If they are boys, then their eyes will be looking down due to bashfulness and not wandering toward culpable actions. Then they will be special. They will be special if they will be spending their time to attain religious knowledge rather than looking at the useless things on the internet. If the appearances of the boys will be distinguishable from others. Then they will be distinguishable. Boys and girls of Waqfe Nau could be called special if they recite from the Holy Quran, look for its commandments, and after finding them, would act upon them. If they regularly take part in the programs of the auxiliary organizations and the Jama'at more than others, then, they will be special. It is the special status if they excel their brothers and sisters in treating their parents well and praying for them.
At the time of matrimonial match, if they look for faith rather than worldly material, and then get along with their relationships, and can say that while acting upon the religious directions they are the ones who carry on with their relationships. Then they will be called special. They are special if are more forbearing than others and in case of altercation and disorder, they not only refrain from them but become peacemakers. If, in the field of propagation, they take the lead position to fulfill this duty, then they are special. If they are in the front row to obey the Khilafat and acting upon its decisions, then they are special. They are definitely special if they are the ones who are more rugged and sacrificing than others. They are very special if they excel in humility and selflessness, hate arrogance and wage jihad against it. They are very special if they are among the ones who listen to my sermons and watch other programs of mine on MTA so that they keep on getting guidance. If they act upon these and all those matters that are liked by Allah and keep away from all those things that Allah has forbidden, then they are distinctly and rather very special. Otherwise there is no difference between them and others.
This should be remembered by the parents also that they should train their children on these lines: if these things are there, then, Allah has made you a source of bringing a revolution in the world. If it is not so and the world is not looking toward you as a role model, then, what to talk of being special, then in the sight of Allah, they will be counted among the unfaithful and pledge-breakers. So, while passing them through the process of training, the parents are responsible to make them special, and, when they grow up, the Waqfeene Nau themselves achieve this status of being special. As I said that while going through the different phases of the religious and secular education, ask the Jama'at about what line you should follow or decide by yourselves. I have said before that the Waqfe Nau boys, should give it the first priority to go to Jamiaat to become a Murabbi or a preacher. It is the need of the hour. Jama'at is expanding. New Jama'ats are forming not only in the countries where the Jama'at was established long ago, but Allah is bestowing the Jama'at with new countries too, and Jama'ats are being established there. And, in every country, we need a great number of Murabbis and preachers.
Then, we need doctors for our hospitals. In Pakistan, we need many doctors who have specialized in different areas. Doctors are needed in Qadian for the hospital. If they cannot go from here, as the people are listening to my sermon throughout the world in their countries, the Waqfeene Nau should pay attention to this. We need specializing doctors. There is a big gap, we have very few specialists. Doctors are needed in Africa in all fields. As we are building a big hospital in Guatemala, the doctors are needed there and they can go there from Canada. In future, we need them in Indonesia. The need will grow with the expansion of Jama'at. The Waqfeene Nau children who are becoming doctors, should come forward, get specialization, higher education and experience from these countries, and go to the countries where it is easier to go. Present yourselves and the Jama'at will send you. Similarly, teachers are needed for schools. Both boys and girls can work as doctors and teachers. Therefore, pay attention to it. We also need some architects and engineers who are experts in construction, so that they can save Jama'ats' money by better planning and supervising the construction work of the mosques, mission houses, schools, hospitals etc. Better facilities can be provided by spending less. Then, we need paramedical staff as well. They should also join. These are the few important departments that the Jama'at needs now. The future needs will also change according to the circumstances.
Waqfeene Nau are more interested in certain areas, and when they ask me, I allow them to study, keeping their interest in mind. But, here, I will advise the students that they should go into research in different disciplines of science as well. And in this, generally, both Waqfeene Nau and other students are included. If, in various departments of science, our best scientists are produced, then, in future, whereas the Ahmadis will give the religious education and the world will depend on us to learn about the faith; there will be Ahmadis who will be imparting the secular knowledge as well. In such a case, no doubt, Waqfeene Nau will be working in the world, but their purpose will be to prove the unity of God to the world through their knowledge and work and to spread His faith.
Similarly, Waqfeene Nau can go to other departments, but their basic purpose is, and it should be known by all that you are a Waqfe Zindagi and, if, at any time, you are asked to leave the secular job and present yourself to work for the religion, then you will come without making any excuse. An important matter that every Waqfe Nau should remember is that the permission to do the secular work is granted to them, but it should not be such a job that will deprive them of Allah's worship and the knowledge and service of faith; rather acquiring their high standards should be their first preference. The study of the commentary of the Holy Quran and the books of the Promised Messiah (May peace be on him), is necessary for every Waqfe Nau. The syllabus that probably has been made for up to 21 years of age, by the Waqfe Nau department is available. After that, it is necessary to increase your religious knowledge.
I want to tell the parents that no matter how much training they impart verbally, it will ineffective until their words and actions do not conform to that. The parents will have to model their praying conditions. They will have to establish the patterns of reciting and teaching of the Holy Quran. They will have to become a role model of high morals. They themselves will have to turn to acquiring religious knowledge. High standards of hating falsehood will have to be founded. Despite harm done to some by some office bearer, they will have to refrain from talking in their homes, against the Jama'at system or the office bearers. On MTA, at least my sermons will have to be listened to regularly. These matters are not necessary only for the parents of Waqfeene Nau. Rather, every Ahmadi, who wants his future generations to be attached to the Jama'at, should make his home as an Ahmadi Home and not the home of world mongers. Otherwise the next generations, absorbed in the material world, will not only go away from Ahmadiyyat, but will also turn away from God and will destroy this world and the hereafter. God willing, not only the Waqfe Nau children should be the ones who achieve nearness of Allah and tread on the path of Taqwah but the deeds of their dear ones should also be such as to save them from earning bad names for them. Every Ahmadi should become that genuine Ahmadi that has been impressed upon by the Promised Messiah (peace be on him), again and again. So, that, very soon, we see the flag of Ahmadiyyat and the true Islam fluttering in the world.
The Promised Messiah (peace be on him), says at a juncture: "A man, by doing one or two deeds, thinks that he has pleased Allah. In fact, that is not the case. Obedience is a very difficult task. Obedience of the companions (May Allah be pleased with them) was the obedience . That was the real obedience. It Is not an easy matter. One who does not obey completely, brings a bad name to this movement. There is not just one commandment. There are many commandments. As there are many doors to Paradise, that someone enters from a certain door and another enters from another door. Similarly, Hell has many doors. Such should not be the case that you close one of the doors of Hell and open another one.” He further says, "After doing Bai'at, do not think that you have believed in the Truth and that is enough and you will be blessed. Belief and good deeds are required to please Allah. As you have joined this movement strive to be noble, to be righteous, refrain from every vice, keep your tongues soft, make asking for forgiveness your routine, and supplicate in your prayers." May Allah the Exalted grant us the capacity to act upon these pieces of advice. May it be that we and our progeny should be such as to hold on to good deeds and Taqwa and are the ones to complete the mission of the Promised Messiah (peace be on him). Ameen!