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 June 1, 1923
Topics: Sacrifice, Propagation of Islam, Malkana Apostasy, True Servitude, Financial Sacrifice, Glad Tidings, Dreams, Missionary Work, Steadfastness, Devotion of Life
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta'awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Huzoor (ra) said:
First, I wish to make an announcement. The dars (lecture) that I used to give after Asr — which was discontinued some days before Ramadan due to my illness, and since during Ramadan I had entrusted the dars of the entire Holy Quran to Hafiz Roshan Ali Sahib, my dars remained suspended, and it remained suspended after Ramadan as well. Since I give a dars to the women on Saturdays, and due to the pain in my throat, both lectures cannot take place on the same day, it is my intention to resume that dars from Sunday.
After this, I draw the attention of the friends of my Jama'at to this matter: all types of achievements require sacrifice. The success for which Allah the Almighty created man — that is Allah the Almighty's purpose. But for that too, He has explained that sacrifice is necessary. What is that success for which Allah the Almighty created the servant? It is that Allah the Almighty establishes a relationship with His servant. But even for that, how much obedience is required!
Until a person reaches the station of Iyyaka Na'budu ("Thee alone do we worship" — Al-Fatihah 1:5), he does not arrive at Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqim ("Guide us in the right path" — Al-Fatihah 1:6). Complete servitude and total submission — these are two things after which a servant becomes worthy of reward.
Iyyaka Na'budu indicates becoming a servant in practice. It is possible that a person is a servant in practice, but harbors opposing thoughts in his heart. People carry out Hajj, Zakat, and other injunctions of the Shariah by hearing from their forefathers, but as long as they themselves do not have faith and their thoughts are not purified — it is possible that they are servants outwardly, but their hearts incline in another direction. That cannot be called true servitude. True servitude is when the heart is also inclined toward God. If any being is visible, it should be the Being of God. There should be no thought besides Him. Seeking help (isti'anat) requires words, because desire demands expression. When a person sacrifices all his thoughts, deeds, and words for the pleasure of God — only then can he be worthy of being called a true servant.
In short, even that purpose for which God created man cannot be achieved without sacrifice. So other matters — whether religious or worldly, any advancement whether religious or worldly — how can they not require sacrifice?
Some may think: "Where is it that sacrifice is necessary for every type of progress?" A rich man's son is rich; he becomes the heir to wealth and property without any effort. But I say this is not progress. If the rich father's son increases that wealth, then he certainly has to make sacrifices for it. And if he does not increase it, then he declines from the level at which his father stood. So the sons of the wealthy possessing their fathers' wealth is no proof that they have progressed without sacrifice. The question is whether they have progressed from the state they were in, or declined. Upon reflection, it will be found that those who do not make sacrifices are in fact declining rather than progressing.
In short, sacrifice is necessary for purpose — because "purpose" refers to something that is to be attained in the future, and that can only be attained when sacrifice is made. Nothing can be obtained without sacrifice.
We too have stood up for a purpose — to spread the name of God in the world, to propagate Islam. It is our duty to make every kind of sacrifice for the fulfillment of this purpose; otherwise, we cannot succeed. There are many friends who have zeal in their hearts. They also make efforts, but they have not understood the magnitude of the task. Therefore, they cannot devise the right strategy. There is hardly any Ahmadi who does not have zeal for the service of the faith in his heart. And there is hardly anyone in the Ahmadi Jama'at who has not made some sacrifice. But sacrifice alone is not sufficient; rather, success can only come when the sacrifice is proportionate to the purpose.
For example, a person studies for one hour — but to succeed in an examination, his one hour of sacrifice cannot be sufficient. Rather, to pass, it is necessary that he devote seven or eight hours to study; only then can he pass.
Consider: leaving aside the matter of bringing outsiders into Islam, even those people who claim to be Muslim, who claim to love Muhammad (saw), who claim to believe in the Quran, and who claim to make sacrifices for Islam — even all of them have not yet entered the Jama'at. Until now, we have not even been able to make these claimants of Islam into true servants of Islam, and from among Hindus, very few indeed have entered Islam.
This is the very reason that Allah the Almighty has raised the trial of apostasy — so that He may show you where you are heading. Those people who were within Islam but were sick — they began to apostatize. There is no doubt that those people had nothing of Islam except its name. But why does it depend on them alone? Everywhere, the general condition is that people are unaware of Islam. And not just others — even the Arabs are in the same condition. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) related that his teacher told him that the Arabs would cut flesh from a living animal and cook it — although cutting flesh from a living animal is cruelty — yet the Arabs are engulfed in such ignorance.
There is no doubt that the Malkana people are Muslims in name only. Among them are many Hindu customs. But this does not prove that they were not part of the Muslim body. Although they are non-Ahmadis, they are counted among Muslims. Therefore, I have not abandoned the thought of protecting them, because this is an instructive warning. They are called Muslims. Their apostasy is making our hearts bleed. We too are responsible.
A woman, no matter how many children she has, cannot sit calmly and patiently at the death of even one child. She certainly receives a blow. Who could be more patient than the Holy Prophet (saw)? One of his grandsons was dying. His daughter called him. Seeing the child in the throes of death, tears came to his eyes. A Companion who had heard the teaching of patience said: "Huzoor, even your eyes have filled with tears?" He replied: "There is compassion in my heart."
In short, the heart feels the blow. The person whose heart does not feel the blow — consider that his heart has died. If someone's child is drowning, or dying, or caught in fire — how great would be his anguish? Then can we bear to watch as those thousands who recite the Kalimah of Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (saw), leave his fold and begin to abuse him? Can we endure this? The heart that cannot bear the misfortune of one person — how can it bear the misfortune of thousands?
If someone is not affected by such a great calamity, then this absence of feeling is one of two things. One: it is a sign of disbelief — that, God forbid, we have no love for Islam. Because if one loves someone, it is impossible not to feel their suffering. If we do not even feel the suffering of our benefactor, or our fellow citizen, or our neighbor, then it means there is a defect in our faculties. In short, this condition cannot be free of one of two states: first, it is disbelief and irreligion; second, if one has no feeling of love and sympathy for anyone at all, then it is a sign of madness. It is impossible for a true Muslim not to feel this.
(Someone spoke during the sermon. Huzoor (ra) said: "One does not speak during the sermon.")
In short, this is not the kind of occasion where one should merely exercise patience. Nor is it such that one should avoid making sacrifices over it. Rather, this is precisely the occasion that demands every kind of sacrifice, and only the one who makes every kind of sacrifice can be worthy of reward.
In Agra, people from many communities went, and they returned either before Ramadan or after Ramadan. And some are those who stayed there for one day and then made announcements in the newspapers. This is a mockery of the faith and a desire for showing off. If the work needs to be done, it should be done properly. And if it does not need to be done, then it should not be done at all.
Our work cannot be completed until the apostates return to Islam. Rather, we say that until the entire world comes under the banner of Islam, our work is not finished. When I made the announcement about beginning this work in a dars, I said: The communities of God's messengers, when they begin a task, do not turn back until they succeed or die in that very work. Therefore, it is the duty of our Jama'at to devote its full strength to this work. If our men die in the service of faith, then it will be the duty of our women to rise and serve Islam. If the women also die, then our children should rise and carry on the work. Until this spirit and this passion exists in our Jama'at, we will be mere imitators and buffoons who mimic the communities of prophets.
When God has guided us, it is our duty to bring His lost servants to His feet and to lay down our lives in this work — or to raise the banners of victory and triumph. Regarding the propagation of Islam, the matter is not limited to the Malkanas alone; rather, we must bring the entire human population into the servitude of God. Until this work is accomplished, it is our duty to strive as long as we are alive. And then the obligation falls on our children as long as they are alive. And this chain must continue until Satan is eradicated from the world. Until this purpose is achieved, there is no rest for us. This world is the place of work; the Hereafter is the place of rest.
In my view, this work has only just begun, and success, God willing, is destined for us — because it cannot be that a person rises for God and God abandons him. Allah the Almighty is Ghayur (possessing the attribute of honor). A person of honor does not abandon the one doing his work. Then how can God abandon him?
So since we have set out for God, and our purpose is nothing other than that the world comes into His servitude, we hold not just hope but certainty that He will not abandon us and will not let us fail.
The question our Jama'at should consider is not when this work will end — rather, they should think about when they will receive more work. Yes, we should see how much of the work before us we can undertake.
At this time, the work is taking a particular shape. We do not face only the Aryas; we also face the Ulema, who have considered opposing us more necessary than opposing the Aryas. They say: "Becoming an Arya, becoming a Chuhra or Chamar, is better than becoming an Ahmadi." These are the people who have gone to preach to the Malkanas!
Some among us are anxious, but I give them glad tidings that, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the opponents will not be an obstacle in our path. I have seen in a dream — and members of my household have also seen — that fragrance is coming from the direction of the Malkanas, and sounds of joy are coming from that direction. I understood that first, news of sorrow would come, and after that, glad tidings would follow.
During the Baisakhi festival, some apostatized. Their apostasy caused us grief. But I was informed that this village should not be abandoned; maintain steadfastness — these people will return. The condition is that sacrifice must be made. God willing, more will also come.
Chaudhri Fateh Muhammad Sahib had not yet gone back when I related this dream to him. It is the grace of Allah the Almighty that only a few days have passed since Chaudhri Sahib went back, and today the news has arrived that from the village of Charli Ganj, the entire village of Saara and Akran — 32 households — have re-entered Islam.
This is the very place where Hindu officers had previously opposed our missionaries and told them: "Leave, or a case of vagrancy will be filed against you." Our Jama'at, by the grace of God, is not one to be frightened, because we do not do any work against the law. Therefore, a protest was lodged against the action of the station house officer, and a delegation went to the Diwan of the state. He gave assurance that the station house officer would be held to account.
Akran had another special distinction. The entire village had apostatized, but one eighty-year-old woman remained Muslim. The entire village persecuted her. Even her sons boycotted her. They would not even let her harvest her crop. We made arrangements for our missionaries to harvest her crop, or to send a party from here to harvest it for her. But Allah the Almighty made other arrangements.
A watch was kept over her. She was not allowed to meet the missionaries. At midnight, she would come to the missionaries and find joy in meeting them. She had such zeal for the faith that she said to Mian Yusuf Ali Sahib, B.A. — who is our missionary there — "Son, even if you, who have come to teach the Malkanas the faith, abandon Islam — even then I will not abandon it." This is a sincere woman, and she is braver than the men.
Now this very woman — whom the apostatized Malkanas considered weak — has proven to be the strongest. These people will honor her.
During the Baisakhi occasion, we received a cause for grief. Now Allah the Almighty has given us glad tidings. But until the entire region returns, we cannot be satisfied. We cannot attain contentment and silence merely from the return of Akran, because many times conquered territories are also lost again. Rather, our responsibility has now increased. This victory has made the situation delicate and our responsibility more important. Therefore, we must prepare for the coming dangers.
For this reason, our Jama'at should know that those friends who have not yet devoted their lives should devote them. And those who, despite having the means, have not given at least one hundred rupees, should give. Our farmer brothers have not taken much part in this so far, and their excuse was reasonable — the harvest had not come in. If the Punjabi proverb is correct that "half the population is Jat and the rest are all Rajputs," then I draw the attention of the Rajputs in particular — more than other Muslims — to the condition of their brothers, that they should give donations.
Although our missionaries work on an honorary basis, and they work in a manner for which others can hardly find a parallel — if one looks at the travels of Brother Abdul Rahman Sahib of Qadian alone, he covers thousands of miles on foot per month and travels continuously for four days at a stretch. Despite this, if one looks at the journeys undertaken specifically under our direction, and the expenses of books, tracts, and announcements, and calculates the average expenditure of these two months, more than three thousand has already been spent. This means we will need at least eighty to ninety thousand. If we do not work with special determination and sacrifice, how will this work be accomplished?
There is no doubt that our Jama'at makes great financial sacrifices. But in comparison to the rewards that we will receive, one feels ashamed to call them sacrifices. I break into a sweat at the thought. It is the grace of Allah the Almighty that He considers it a sacrifice; otherwise, everything we spend belongs to Him.
The angels of God are spreading glad tidings. Just today, a letter has been received from a person in Bannu, in which he has written about a dream of his — that an envelope came through a skylight, and in it was written that a person has become Muslim. He says that it was put in his heart that this glad tiding would come on the day of Jumu'ah — and indeed, this good news has arrived on the day of Jumu'ah. Others too have received glad tidings. In short, the angels of God are working vigorously.
Therefore, we must accelerate the pace of our sacrifice. May Allah the Almighty bless our work and our determination, and make us inheritors of His favors, and may we spread and establish His faith in the world, and may He be pleased with us and may we be pleased with Him. Ameen, and again Ameen.
(Al-Fazl, June 11, 1923)
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