Note: The Alislam Team assumes full responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this translation of the Friday Sermon.
(Delivered on 21 March 1924) (Published in Al-Fazl, 1 April 1924)
Topics: Signs of truth, Surah Al-Fatiha, false claimants, Ahmadiyya community
After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta'awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatiha, Huzur(ra)1 spoke as follows.
Various religions exist in the world, each claiming to originate from God. Yet for the sincere and discerning person, God Almighty has provided sufficient means by which truth may be distinguished from falsehood. If the veil of prejudice does not cover one's eyes, if one is not blinded by heedlessness, and if one's mind is unclouded, one cannot be deceived. Among the signs that God has established, there is one particular sign by which not only can the truthfulness of any religion be determined, but also its vitality and living reality. That sign is set forth in Surah Al-Fatiha.
I have said on many occasions that Surah Al-Fatiha contains such perfections and such depths of divine wisdom that they can never be exhausted. I myself have experienced, on scores of occasions, that whenever I recite Surah Al-Fatiha, new meanings are opened to me. The occasion for this was a vision I saw when I was sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen years of age. In the dream, I heard a sound — like the ringing produced when something made of brass or copper is struck. That sound arose from within my heart, and my ears received it. Then it began to ascend, and as it rose, a vast open plain came into being. From within that plain, a form appeared — it was an angel — who came to me and said, "Shall I teach you the commentary of the Quran?" I said, "Yes, certainly, please do." He began teaching me the tafsir of Surah Al-Fatiha. When he reached Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in, he said, "All the commentaries of all scholars end here. None have commented beyond this point." In the dream, I was not surprised by this, even though I knew that tafsirs did indeed extend beyond this verse — I understood that he was about to tell me something of special significance. He then continued to teach me the tafsir all the way through to wala al-dallin. When he had finished, my eyes opened. At that moment, I still remembered one or two of the most subtle points from that commentary. I thought I would write them down in the morning, and went back to sleep. But when I rose in the morning, those too were forgotten.
In those days I was studying medicine under Hazrat Khalifa al-Awwal (ra). I related this vision to him, and he said, "My goodness, you should have written those things down at once!" I replied that I had expected to remember them until morning — but I did not. Later, however, I came to understand that what had been taught to me was not meant to be retained as a fixed record. Rather, it was a treasure deposited in my mind. After that vision, whenever I recite Surah Al-Fatiha, new meanings are unveiled to me in that very moment.
The Holy Prophet (saw) and thereafter the Promised Messiah (as) both placed great emphasis upon Surah Al-Fatiha and declared that its subtleties and spiritual insights are immeasurably vast. On the strength of faith, we could accept this. But on a personal and experiential basis, I could not previously claim it for myself. Now, based on my own experience, I have attained certainty — indeed, haqq al-yaqin — that from it flow commentaries of great depth, and that its spiritual insights and subtleties can never be exhausted.
Concerning the criterion of truthfulness, I have also seen that even without looking at the rest of the Holy Quran, Surah Al-Fatiha alone is sufficient to decide the matter. It presents a standard by which false claimants of prophethood can easily be tested and distinguished. It teaches us that no prophet is sent merely to display his own example before people and then depart, leaving nothing with them. If that were the purpose of a prophet's coming — if the sole aim of his mission were simply to serve as a model — then the Quran would not contain Ihdina al-sirat al-mustaqim but would instead say ihdini al-sirat al-mustaqim — "Guide me to the straight path." But God Almighty instructs the Holy Prophet (saw) to say: "O God, guide us — show us the straight path and grant us success." He is not taught to say "grant me success" alone. Moreover, God has not set apart different words for the Holy Prophet (saw) and different words for everyone else. He has placed one and the same words for all. Therefore, if a claimant to prophethood declares that he has received divine favour for himself, yet that favour is not passed on to his followers, every thoughtful person will conclude that he received nothing at all. What benefit can come from a claimant to prophethood who merely tells people in words that God has given him such-and-such, yet who does not in practice bring about anything for them?
Consider this example: a man comes to a child and says, "I have come from your father. He has sent you a shirt, a cap, and shoes" — but then gives him nothing and goes away. Everyone will say that what he claimed was false. But if he does in fact hand over those things, it will be understood that he spoke the truth. Since prophets come saying ihdina — asking God on behalf of others as well — it is therefore necessary that they give something to others too, so that it becomes apparent that they have indeed come from that God Who sent them for the betterment and welfare of His creation. But if someone claims prophethood yet gives nothing to those who follow him, it is plainly evident that he is not from God.
Some time ago, on a journey, we stopped in a certain place. A woman there had a son studying here in Qadian. She gave us some sweets to give to him — an expression of her love and affection. How much more, then, should someone who claims to come from God bring something for people? If he says, "I have come to you" but brings nothing and gives nothing, how can one accept that God sent him? For if God were truly sending him to His creation, He would surely entrust him with something to distribute.
It might be said that the scripture brought through a prophet is itself the gift bestowed upon the world. But let it be remembered: hearing subtle points and refined arguments alone cannot satisfy anyone. If someone hungry were to come and merely snap his fingers in front of a starving man and walk away, would the hungry man's hunger be satisfied? Similarly, if a prophet comes and merely recounts certain lofty words and then departs — however elevated those words may be — they cannot truly benefit anyone. When God Almighty sends a prophet, His purpose is that people, according to their respective stations, should be able to attain the kind of spiritual perfection that the prophet himself possesses — that a transformation and change should take place in them so that they develop a resemblance to and connection with the prophets.
When judged by this standard, false prophets can never withstand scrutiny. No prophet can reach every single person in the world. He operates within a particular stratum of society. It is possible, therefore, that a man might gather some gullible people around himself and make them accept his claims, and those followers then persuade others like themselves — and in this way a certain number of people may be drawn in. For one kind of person or another will always be found to accept any claim. As Ibn Arabi relates: "I once saw a crow and a pigeon sitting together, and I wondered what the reason for their companionship could be. I paused to find out. After a little while, when both of them walked away, I observed that both were lame. Their companionship was on account of their lameness."² Whatever kind of person someone is, they find companionship with their like.
True prophets also cannot reach all of the world's people, nor do their works remain visibly prominent for all times to come. This is why God sends them with signs that are living and luminous in every place and every age. As the Promised Messiah (as) himself declared: these signs that have been given to me must be received by you as well. Otherwise, if after my passing my signs remain merely as stories, they will be no different from what others already possess — and how will people believe them? For instance, if our people go to foreign lands and tell the people there about these signs, those people will say: these are the same kind of stories as those concerning Jesus the Messiah. Then what would distinguish our accounts from theirs? The distinction can only arise when the one narrating carries within himself that very distinction and sign that belongs to prophethood — when he himself has received a share from the bounties granted to the prophet. This is the sign of truthfulness, and it is to this that ihdina points. The Holy Prophet (saw) conveys the meaning: O God, guidance having come to me alone is not sufficient for the world to be guided — it must reach my companions as well. For the followers of the prophet, wherever they go, can demonstrate in living fashion: "Behold this favour — it is the proof of the truthfulness of the prophet through whom we received it."
By this standard, no false prophet can ever endure. For whoever claims prophethood also claims to have received the favours that prophets receive — and those favours must then be seen in his followers. But no follower of a false claimant, nor the false claimant himself, will ever be able to demonstrate this. In contrast, within the Jama'at of the Promised Messiah (as), there are thousands of people to whom signs are shown. Since they are not divinely commissioned, they do not proclaim these to others. But if their signs were to be collected and compiled, they would fill a very large book. For there is no sincere Ahmadi who has not been shown signs by God — signs also witnessed by others. Such a person, if he sees the signs of the Promised Messiah (as) shining like the sun yet refrains out of modesty from speaking of his own, that is one thing. But if one were to say, "Set aside humility — tell us of the signs you have witnessed," there is no Ahmadi who possesses even a trace of moral character and who has not, for that very reason, witnessed God's signs. Only the rarest of exceptions might be someone who made no effort to strengthen their relationship with God — but otherwise, there is no such person. Can any other claimant say the same of his followers?
Take, for instance, the Baha'i movement. Is there a single one among them who can display a sign? None can. Some time ago, someone wrote from Rangoon saying that the Baha'is also claim to show signs. I wrote in reply: let them bring their Khalifa to stand in competition with me, and then we shall see whom God aids and supports — for whom He shows signs. If God does not help me and helps him instead, then he is true. But if God helps me and not him, it will be established that the founder of our movement is true and chosen by God. All other claims are mere tales — for the founders of those movements gave nothing to their followers.
I make this open challenge: if any claimant exists, let him come forward and see whether God vindicates us or him; whether He shows signs for us or for him. If God does not help us and helps another, then that other is true. But if He helps us and not him, it is evident that the founder of our movement is true and beloved of God.
As for the Holy Prophet (saw) — his very name was Qasim (the distributor).³ Just as the signs shown to a prophet manifest also in his community, similarly, if those same kinds of signs appear in the followers of a claimant to prophethood, he is a true prophet — and if they do not appear, he is not. Certainly, there will be a difference in quantity and degree between the signs of the prophet and those of his community — just as fresh oranges are only available directly from the orchard, yet those available from a market are still oranges. This is such a powerful standard that it clearly differentiates the true from the false.
If the members of our Jama'at keep this in mind, they will never be led astray. From every person who claims to follow a false claimant, one should ask: "What have you received?" To such a person one should say: "Through the Promised Messiah (as), we have received these signs. Compare the signs witnessed by your community with those witnessed by ours — no one will be able to stand before you in such a comparison."
May Allah grant every member of our Jama'at an abundant share of those signs that He bestowed upon the Promised Messiah (as), so that no false claimant can stand before them. And may God open the eyes of the world, so that people may distinguish between falsehood and deception on the one hand, and truth and righteousness on the other — and abandoning falsehood and deception, may they embrace truth and honesty.
References and Footnotes
¹ Huzur — a term of respect used to address the Khalifa.
² This anecdote is attributed to the Sufi mystic and philosopher Ibn Arabi (1165–1240 CE), drawing upon the well-known principle in Arabic and Persian wisdom literature that people of similar nature are drawn to one another. A direct textual source in his published works for this specific incident has not been identified; it is recorded here as attributed to him.
³ The Prophet Muhammad (saw) bore the kunya Abu al-Qasim, meaning "Father of Qasim," and described himself explicitly as al-Qasim — "the distributor" — meaning that God is the Giver and the Prophet is the one who distributes God's bounties and blessings among people. This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari: "Allah is the Giver and I am al-Qasim (the distributor)." See: Bukhari 3116.
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