Note: The Alislam Team assumes full responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this translation of the Friday Sermon.
Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (ra) Khalifatul Masih II April 27, 1923
Topics: Remembrance of Allah, Multiple Roles of a Prophet, Human Nature, Spiritual Nourishment, Ramadan, Fasting, Contentment of Heart, Battle of Badr, Abbas (ra), Justice, Animality vs Humanity
After the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and the noble verse:
"Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort. Those who believe and do good works — blessed are they and a happy return for them." (Al-Ra'd 13:29)
Huzoor (ra) said:
Human life comprises many aspects. Just as a person's intelligence has many facets, so too the judgments passed upon him vary accordingly. Therefore, a verdict cannot be passed on something based on only one aspect. Those who, when reflecting on a matter, fail to keep its various dimensions in view, stumble themselves and become a cause of stumbling for others.
A prophet has many capacities. In his capacity as a prophet, he is God's messenger to the people; therefore, he is their ruler and king. But he is also the son of a mother and father, and in that relationship, obedience and service to them is his duty. Then he is the husband of a wife or wives, so his relationship is that of a lover and beloved. Despite being a prophet, he must bear the whims of his wives and attend to their feelings. Then he is the father of children, so he must lovingly carry his children and attend to their needs. In this regard, he is, like other people, a servant to his children. Then he is a friend to certain people, and in that capacity, he must maintain friendly relations. If worldly difficulties arise, he may even need to take loans, and he must bear the demands of his creditors.
In short, a prophet too has many capacities. If someone fails to keep these various capacities in view, he will be deceived.
For example, it is narrated in Hadith that the Holy Prophet (saw) would place his lips at the same spot on the vessel from which Hazrat A'ishah Siddiqah (ra) had drunk water. If someone were to look at this incident and say — God forbid — "What blessing could the Holy Prophet (saw) have possessed, since he himself sought blessings from A'ishah?" — that would be his foolishness. Because his placing his lips at that spot was not in his capacity as a prophet, but rather as a husband. Thus, he established the example that this is how one should treat one's wives with kindness, tenderness, and consideration.
Similarly, he was the father of children. His sons passed away in childhood. He had daughters, and the sons of those daughters were his grandsons. They would climb on his back, and he would carry them. No one can say that those children insulted the Holy Prophet (saw) — that he was offering prayer and they climbed on his back and made him a horse. This was not in the capacity of prophethood. This was not the role of Muhammad the Prophet; it was that of Muhammad the Grandfather — because Hasan and Husain (ra) were his grandsons. So in his capacity as their grandfather, he bore their playfulness, because just like parents, grandparents also indulge the whims of their grandchildren.
Furthermore, the Holy Prophet's (saw) parents were no longer alive, but he had relatives who were worthy of respect, and he would show them due regard. Where his capacity as a prophet and messenger demanded that he treat every person with justice and fairness, he did not neglect these other relationships either.
In the Battle of Badr, Hazrat Abbas (ra) was taken prisoner by the Muslims. In terms of age, there was not much difference between the Holy Prophet (saw) and Hazrat Abbas (ra). Hazrat Abbas (ra) was born a few months before the Holy Prophet (saw). And Hazrat Abbas (ra) himself had this disposition — whenever the matter of seniority arose, he would say that the Holy Prophet (saw) was certainly the greater one, but he himself was born first. In short, by virtue of being his uncle, Hazrat Abbas (ra) held the position of a father.
When he was brought as a prisoner, he was shackled in chains along with the other prisoners. They were bound so tightly that they could not move, which caused them great distress. The Holy Prophet (saw) could not bear his uncle's suffering. He was restlessly turning in his bed. A Companion noticed this condition and asked, "Shall I loosen the bonds of Abbas?" The Holy Prophet (saw) replied: "The treatment given to all prisoners cannot be different for him alone." Finally, the Companions loosened the bonds of all the prisoners, which gave them comfort, and the Holy Prophet (saw) was also able to rest.
He did not allow any compromise in justice and fairness. Although Hazrat Abbas (ra) was not a disbeliever — he was a Muslim at heart — yet since he had come from the side of the disbelievers, the Holy Prophet (saw) treated him as the disbelievers were treated. In his capacity as a nephew, the Holy Prophet (saw) felt pain at Hazrat Abbas's (ra) suffering. But in his capacity as the ruler and leader of the Muslims, he did not give Hazrat Abbas (ra) any preferential treatment beyond what was given to all.
So a verdict cannot be passed by looking at only one aspect. The Holy Prophet (saw) showed respect to Hazrat Abbas (ra), but from this one cannot conclude that Hazrat Abbas (ra) held a higher rank than him. One capacity cannot be judged by the standard of another.
A messenger also eats and drinks. If his health is weak, a prophet may experience greater thirst or greater hunger. In a state of physical weakness, a non-prophet who is physically robust may have greater endurance — but from such matters, no objection can be raised against the dignity of his prophethood. As a human being, he has human conditions, and in his capacity as a prophet, he has prophetic conditions. Therefore, whatever a prophet does out of human necessity is not an affront to him, and those matters will be of one kind; and those matters will be of another kind which he does in his capacity as a prophet.
In short, capacities are various. Just as prophets and saints have various capacities, so too, in the capacity of being human, there are various dimensions. Many people are greater or lesser in different respects.
A human being has a relationship with plant life as well. If he did not have a connection with plants, he would not enjoy vegetables and greens — because a species is nourished by its own kind. Then he also has a resemblance to animals: he eats animal foods, and he shares commonalities with animals — for instance, he breathes through specialized organs. Beyond this, other shared characteristics are also found: he must rest after work; for the preservation of his species, he must maintain a particular relationship with the opposite gender. If he does not do so, his lineage cannot continue.
In short, he contains both plant-like and animal-like elements. Then within him there are also spiritual faculties. He becomes absorbed in God, and God manifests through him. He becomes hidden in God, and God becomes hidden in him. The world begins to regard him as God through reason, even though he is a human being.
In view of all these different capacities of a human being, his nourishment is also varied. With respect to his plant-like matter, his food consists of plant-based items. With respect to his animal component, his food is composed of animal elements. If he does not eat these foods, his body cannot be sustained and nourished.
But in the capacity of being a human being, his food is neither vegetables nor meat. Rather, at that point, his food is the remembrance of Allah. If someone sees these people eating vegetables and meat, there is no deficiency in their humanity. What people observe of them relates to their plant-like and animal components.
For the survival and stability of humanity, the remembrance of Allah is the nourishment — and it is absolutely essential.
Bread does not keep humanity alive. Rice and vegetables sustain only the animal existence. The survival of humanity lies in the remembrance of God. Jesus (as) said: "Man does not live by bread alone, but by the Word of God." This means that if a person eats meat, his animality survives. If he does not engage in the remembrance of Allah, he will be an animal — not a human being.
It is toward this that the following verse points:
"Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of Allah. Aye! it is in the remembrance of Allah that hearts can find comfort." (Al-Ra'd 13:29)
Those who believe — they find contentment through the remembrance of Allah the Almighty. Within them there is human life, and for the survival of their humanity — or their spirituality — the remembrance of Allah serves as their bread. The humanity of that person alone is alive who remembers Allah. What happens through the remembrance of Allah? He said: Be alert and listen well — the contentment of hearts comes from the remembrance of Allah.
Those who are believers, and whose hearts are alive through the remembrance of Allah — for them He says: "Blessed are they" (Al-Ra'd 13:30). Does anyone do anything for a dead person? Everything is only done for the living. So because they are alive, glad tidings are for them. They are alive and have been given life. "And a happy return for them" — for them is an exalted station toward which they shall journey. Those who are spiritually dead are buried. And those who are spiritually alive — He gives them a place in the highest ranks.
This verse has a special connection to Ramadan. We give up food for the sake of God. Because of this, our bodies become weak. Can anyone say that by fasting, humanity dies? No — rather, humanity comes alive! Yes, the body becomes weak. When we give up food, the body weakens, but our spirituality does not diminish; rather, it progresses.
When we break the fast, we receive a lesson from it: when we drink water in response to hunger and thirst, the moisture spreads to our very fingertips. This proves that whatever is connected to a thing benefits from receiving it. So the body gains freshness when it receives physical nourishment, and spirituality advances when the remembrance of Allah is made. If the body is not given food, the body will die. If the life of humanity is desired, then the nourishment of the remembrance of Allah must be provided.
Thus, a lesson is derived from the breaking of the fast in Ramadan. Blessed are those who take this lesson. Blessed are those who are granted the ability to learn this lesson and who benefit from it. May Allah the Almighty grant us the ability to understand these wisdoms and to act upon them. Ameen.
(When Huzoor (ra) stood for the second sermon, he said:)
I had said last Friday that these days our Jama'at faces a jihad. Attacks are being made on Islam from all sides. The proof of the freshness of spirituality is the acceptance of prayer. Therefore, we must pray for this jihad — for those who have gone out for this work — that Allah the Almighty may show them His true paths, and may He teach and reveal to them such insights and spiritual knowledge as would have a deep impact on hearts. May those who oppose and show enmity toward them be guided.
Today, news has come from various places, and it carries glad tidings within it. Pray that the workers be granted sincerity, and that their example may become a means of guidance.
(Then he said:)
I had said that I would not generally offer the funeral prayer in absentia. However, today, news of the passing of a friend has arrived. His name is Sheikh Aziz-ud-Din Sahib, who was a resident of Dharam Kot. He was a very old and sincere devotee, and he was among those who had met the Promised Messiah (as) even before the publication of Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya. His rank is that of the Sabiqun al-Awwalun — the foremost among the first. I shall lead his funeral prayer after Jumu'ah. Friends should pray for him that Allah the Almighty may grant him a place in the highest ranks. Ameen.
(Al-Fazl, May 1923)
References: Tarikh al-Khulafa by al-Suyuti, p. 144, regarding Husain bin Ali (ra) Zurqani, Vol. 3, pp. 280, 479, regarding Hazrat Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib (ra) Matthew 4:4
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