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 August 10, 1923
Topics: Prayer for Guidance, Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem, Sincerity in Supplication, True Yearning, Purpose of Human Creation, Worldly vs Spiritual Prayers, Surah Al-Fatihah
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta'awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Huzoor (ra) said:
A Muslim prays to Allah the Almighty anywhere from twenty-seven or twenty-eight times to fifty or sixty times daily, supplicating: "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" — "Guide us on the straight path" (1:6). Yet despite making so many supplications, we generally observe that in this age, this prayer is not accepted. He is not shown the straight path.
In contrast, we observe that when a woman's child falls ill and reaches such a state that physicians lose all hope of his survival, doctors become doubtful about his life, and onlookers become certain that the child will not survive — yet that woman weeps and pleads before Allah the Almighty and prays for the child's recovery, and the child is saved. Similarly, we observe that when a person becomes entangled in extreme difficulties and weeps and wails before God Almighty, his difficulties are removed. A person becomes entangled in lawsuits, and there appears to be no way out — yet he adopts humility and meekness before God Almighty and prays, and he is acquitted. Likewise, a person lying in prison prays and is released. Indeed, sometimes even one who is beneath the sword is saved through prayer.
Yet while these prayers are accepted — and accepted in abundance, and there is no person whose prayers of this kind have not been accepted more than once — even an atheist, when caught in afflictions, says: "O God! If You exist — I do not accept that You exist — but if You do exist, then save me from this calamity," and God Almighty accepts even his prayer and he is saved.
But all those who call themselves Muslim — among them those who pray — supplicate multiple times daily saying "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem," yet they do not attain the straight path. Now the question arises: what is the reason for this?
Does God Almighty prefer that someone's child be saved over that person finding guidance? Does God prefer that someone be acquitted of a lawsuit over finding guidance? Is it more pleasing to God that someone obtains employment rather than finding guidance? Is it more acceptable to God that someone be released from prison rather than being freed from the imprisonment of Satan?
If not, then why does He hear all other prayers but rejects the prayer made for guidance?
There are many people whose hearts contain a desire and yearning — or at least they think their hearts contain a desire — for guidance, yet they do not receive it. Though the question may not arise in their hearts as to why other prayers are accepted but this one is not, it is certainly an important question.
Many people's hearts will raise the question: they pray for a son, and if a son is not born, they ask why this prayer was not accepted. They pray for release from prison, and if they are not released, they ask why the release did not come. They pray for a wife, and if they do not find one, they wonder why their prayer was not heard. They pray that their wealth not be lost, and if it is lost, they worry about why the prayer was not accepted. They pray for wealth, and if it does not come, the thought of the prayer's non-acceptance occurs to them. And many even declare that prayer is never accepted at all — it is all a sham.
Yet very few — indeed almost none — say: "We pray for guidance, so why do we not receive guidance?" From this, I conclude that this question simply does not arise in their hearts.
Yet the purpose of a human being's creation is precisely to attain the straight path, because God Almighty says: "I have not created jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me" (51:57).¹ We have created the human being so that he may become Our servant. And how can anyone become a servant unless he is near the Master? And when he does not even know the path to the Master, how can he become a servant?
So if the purpose of the human being's creation is to become a servant of God Almighty — and indeed it is — then it is also his purpose to find the straight path. In other words, the prayer for finding the straight path means: let me attain the purpose for which I was created.
Then is it not strange that when people pray for things that are not the true purpose, those prayers are fulfilled, but the prayer made for the true purpose is not fulfilled? Furthermore, the person whose other prayers are not heard raises the question in his heart: "What is the matter — why was my such-and-such prayer not accepted?" — and he even mentions it to others. Yet this particular complaint has almost never reached me, or has reached me so rarely that it falls in the category of the extremely exceptional.
Therefore, I conclude that this question simply does not arise in people's hearts — why the prayer "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" is not accepted.
Now the question is: why does this question not arise? In my view, the answer is the same as I have already described.
When a thirsty person asks for water and does not get it, what does he do? He becomes irritated and angry. He says: "I have been asking for water for so long — why is it not being given?" A hungry person who is dying of hunger — does he just keep asking? No. Rather, when he gets nothing to eat, he becomes angry.
Consider a child: when he comes home, he is not the ruler over his parents. He does not earn anything. And if one looks at the apparent circumstances, he eats at his parents' charity. Yet when he asks and receives nothing to eat, he becomes angry. Why? Because the desire of hunger reminds him: "I have not yet been satisfied." And until it is satisfied, it does not let him rest.
In contrast, consider a person walking along a road who encounters a child. He wishes to show affection to the child, but the child turns away from him. Upon this, the man also turns away and walks on. Not a single thought about it arises for the rest of the day. The reason is that this person did not have a true desire to show affection to the child. Rather, while walking along, something before him created a false desire in his heart. Had there been a true desire in his heart, it would have caused him pain and distress until it was fulfilled.
Similarly, when a Muslim says "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" in his prayers, and this is not fulfilled, yet no pain and anxiety arise in his heart — what is the reason? When he prays for a child to be born and the prayer is not accepted, he becomes angry and says: "Why is my prayer not being accepted?" But the one who finds consolation when his prayer for guidance is not accepted — he does not find consolation when his prayer regarding a child is not accepted.
Likewise, the one whose child is ill prays for his recovery, and when the prayer is not fulfilled, he asks others to pray. And sometimes he even goes so far as to say: "God does not accept prayers at all." This does not mean he does not believe in God. Rather, it means he is expressing anger like a child — just as when a child is hungry and upon asking receives nothing to eat, or does not receive what he desires, he says: "I'm not eating anymore!" Similarly does the person behave whose prayer is not accepted. Although his anger is unjustified — and I do not declare his action permissible — I do draw this conclusion: there is a true desire in his heart that he should have a son, or that his child should be healthy, or that he should obtain wealth, or that he should be freed.
But the person who asks for the straight path — and has been asking for years upon years — yet does not receive it, and upon this he feels no pain or anxiety — what conclusion is drawn? Simply this: he has no true desire for it. And when there is no true desire, what need has God Almighty to fulfill it?
The absence of pain, distress, and yearning in his heart when this prayer is not accepted is proof of the fact that he had no true desire for it. And this is the very reason it is not accepted.
Hazrat Masih (as) (Jesus) says: "I do not cast my pearls before swine."² God Almighty likewise does not give guidance to such heedless ones in whose hearts there is no true desire for it.
Their hearts contain a true yearning that a son be born. A true yearning that wealth be obtained. A true yearning that difficulties and afflictions be removed. That is why these prayers are accepted. But they recite the prayer "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" while having no true desire for it. That is why guidance is not found.
They recite this prayer only because the Holy Prophet (saw) placed these words in the prayer. Had he (saw) not placed these words in the prayer, months and years would pass without these words ever coming to their lips.
So when a person says "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" in prayer, in reality he is not saying it — rather, the Holy Prophet (saw) is saying it through him. If the one reciting knew that his prayer would still be valid even without reciting these words, he would never recite them. But since the religious scholars have taught him that if he does not recite this, his prayer will not count, he recites it — not for the purpose and desire of guidance.
And as long as there is no true yearning, no prayer at all is accepted.
If the same yearning existed for this as exists for a sick child to recover, or for release from prison, or to be saved from loss, or for a son to be born, or for a loved one to be found, or regarding the fulfillment of other desires — then this prayer would be accepted far more quickly than all those prayers, because this is the very purpose of human creation.
No one would be released from prison as quickly as this prayer for "Ihdinas Siratal Mustaqeem" would be accepted. No one would have a son born as quickly as this prayer would be accepted. In short, no other prayer would be accepted as quickly as this one — because it is perfectly in accord with God Almighty's will and intention. Because God created the human being for this very purpose: to find guidance.
And when a true desire for guidance arises in a person's heart, this prayer is accepted very quickly. Consider: if a person is standing near a tower and another person wishes to reach him, the second person will not reach him as quickly as he would if the first person also began walking toward him — then they would meet in the middle.
Being released from prison, or having a child born, or obtaining wealth, and so forth — these are not the human being's true purpose. Therefore, for the attainment of these things, a person must traverse the entire journey himself. But when he prays for the straight path, from one side God advances toward him, and from the other side he advances toward God Almighty, and they meet in the middle. Since God Almighty's desire and his desire become one, it is fulfilled quickly.
So if there is a true desire for this, its fulfillment is not difficult at all. And if this prayer is not accepted, then remember: there is no true yearning for it. Rather, the prayer is being made as a mere show. And such a prayer is not worthy of acceptance — rather, it deserves to be thrown back in the face of the one praying.
So I advise my friends: there are many who think they have a true desire to find guidance, but let them reflect — is the yearning of the same intensity as the yearning for worldly matters? If the yearning is not of that kind — if eating and drinking do not become forbidden on account of it, if peace and comfort do not vanish as they do for worldly matters — then understand that you do not have true yearning within you.
And when this is the state, then absolutely do not hold the expectation that your prayer will be accepted.
However, since this is the very purpose of human creation, I counsel you: cultivate a true yearning and a genuine desire for it, so that you may attain this purpose. Because the one who dies without it is destroyed. No one will be created a second time for this purpose. Therefore, do not let this opportunity go to waste, and strive to attain the purpose of your creation.
May God Almighty, by His grace, show our Jama'at the true path, and purifying us from worldly impurities, make us His beloved.
(Al-Fazl, August 21, 1923)
References:
¹ The Holy Quran, 51:57 — "And I have not created the jinn and mankind except that they may worship Me."
² A saying of Hazrat Isa (as) (Jesus), recorded in the Gospel of Matthew 7:6 — "Do not cast your pearls before swine." The original text references both Matthew and Luke (Matti wa Luqa).
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