Note: The Alislam Team assumes full responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this translation of the Friday Sermon.
Topics: Lailatul-Qadr, Hadith Interpretation, Effort vs Complacency, Advent of the Promised Messiah(as)
Delivered on 2 May 1924
After Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz, and the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II(ra) recited Surah Al-Qadr and then said:
A note had been published in Al-Fazl. That note was based upon a narration in the book Seerat-ul-Mahdi, in which it had been related on the authority of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) [the Promised Messiah] that: "When the 27th of Ramadan coincides with a Friday, then that night is certainly the night of Lailatul Qadr." Upon seeing this narration, an enthusiasm arose among people of all classes within our Jama'at that, this time, by our good fortune the 27th of Ramadan falls on a Friday. Therefore it would surely be the Night of Decree. Firmly fixing this idea in their hearts, an extraordinary fervour was generated among the people of our Jama'at, and they understood it to be a rare and priceless occasion for prayers — that this is the very night in which spiritual blessings descend and prayers are accepted. So this fervour, this yearning to obtain blessings, and the restlessness for it increased on this day to such a degree that many people wrote to me requesting prayers. The requests for prayer accumulated with me to such an extent that when I rose to pray, in 45 minutes I was only able to read the names of these petitioners; and had I anywhere turned my attention to the contents of these requests, who knows how much time would have been spent and when I would have finished.
Despite the great number of these petitioners and despite the narrator of this report being trustworthy (thiqah), on the basis of those branches of knowledge which pertain to spirituality — whose ebbs and flows are constantly occurring in the world, and which are so intricate and abstruse that ordinary people cannot easily resolve them — keeping in view their intricacies and their abstruseness, and keeping in view the difficulties of relating a narration and of the narrator understanding a matter, I cannot say that whenever a Friday and the 27th of Ramadan come together, then certainly Lailatul Qadr occurs on that night.
Because I consider that there is great difficulty in understanding spiritual matters. Often, in these spiritual matters, recourse is taken to allusions; then sometimes there are certain exceptions among these matters; and sometimes metaphors and figures of speech are used in them so abundantly that ordinary people cannot easily understand them. Yet, in spite of these intricacies and metaphors, there is no doubt that Lailatul Qadr generally occurs on the 27th of Ramadan, because this was the position of the Sufis, and this also appears to have been the view of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as). And this belief was not held only by the Sufis and by Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as), rather it is also supported by continuous transmission (tawatur), and the view and belief of a large segment is in its support. Accordingly, sixty percent of the scholars and Sufis support this belief, while forty percent hold the view that Lailatul Qadr occurs in one of the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan; and then there is also another view that Lailatul Qadr may occur in the first ten nights of Ramadan as well.
Keeping all these narrations in view, we can say that the special qualities possessed by the night and day of Friday are not present in other days, and when the 27th of Ramadan also falls on that day, then those special qualities necessitate that Lailatul Qadr be on the night of Friday. But we cannot say with certainty that whenever the 27th of Ramadan and Friday come together, then Lailatul Qadr will necessarily occur on that night.
Then regarding this narration it is also possible that Hazrat Sahib [the Promised Messiah](as) may have stated that matter in some other manner, and the listener may have understood it in another manner. Then it is also possible that the listener made an error and did not grasp the intent which Hazrat Sahib(as) had in mind when stating this. Then it is also possible that the matter in the context of which this was said — he forgot it, and only this much remained in his memory. Thus, to understand any matter, knowing the occasion and context is extremely necessary, because the occasion, the context, the manner of speech, and the chain of conversation are all the most essential parts of speech. Sometimes a person says a thing within a chain of speech in such a way that, were he to say it otherwise, it would offend the listener. Thus it may be that the chain of conversation, the manner of speech, or the occasion and context did not remain in his memory and he forgot it. So this is one narration, and in narrations thousands of kinds of doubts can arise and do arise. But despite all these doubts arising, we do not consider it to be the case that this narration is incorrect, or that its narrator is not trustworthy and is such a person whose word should not be accepted.
So, accepting this narration, I ask you: you showed so much fervour for this Lailatul Qadr and wrote so many requests for prayer — but are you equally restless and concerned to obtain the blessings of that Lailatul Qadr which is in reality the era of the Prophets? Lailatul Qadr is no ordinary night; rather it is the night of the descent of angels and blessings, and it is the night within which Allah the Exalted has kept a special time for the acceptance of prayers; in that time He hears prayers and accepts them.
But in this Lailatul Qadr, Allah the Exalted has given us two lessons. First, that through creating dissension and engaging in quarrels and disputes, the blessings of Lailatul Qadr are removed, and a person remains deprived of those spiritual blessings which descend on this night — and his remaining deprived is a sign of great misfortune, because that honour and those blessings which descend in it and are obtained by a person are better than the worship of a thousand months, and this night is better than the nights of a thousand months. Secondly, that no bounty can be attained without labour and effort. Thus this night of such tremendous blessings, which has been declared better than a thousand months and has been appointed for the descent of blessings and mercies, is no ordinary bounty.
Keeping these very blessings and their descent in view, it occurred to the Holy Prophet(sa) that he should impart correct knowledge of it to his Companions, so that they could worship in it and become enriched with the mercies and blessings of God. Accordingly, keeping this very thought in view, he once came outside, and it was his intention to tell the Companions that secret. But as soon as he came out, he saw two men quarrelling and arguing. Seeing their condition, he forgot the appointed time of Lailatul Qadr, and his attention became directed towards the quarrel. The result of this was that the common people remained deprived of benefiting from its blessings.
From this it became known that quarrelling and dissension remove the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. And along with this it also became known that there was no fixed time of Lailatul Qadr in his mind — because had the fixed time and date been in his mind, he would not have forgotten it. His forgetting shows that there was some particular point in his mind on the basis of which he had given the interpretation, and that point was in his memory. But when he came out to convey that interpretation, then, upon seeing the quarrel and dispute, he forgot that point and it slipped from his mind. Accordingly he said that, "I came to tell you concerning Lailatul Qadr, but upon seeing this dissension and quarrel of yours I forgot. Now seek Lailatul Qadr in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan."¹
From this it is evident that the Holy Prophet(sa) too did not affix a date to Lailatul Qadr. Similarly, in the view of some of the revered Sufis and spiritual scholars, Lailatul Qadr may also occur in any of the first ten nights of Ramadan. So this means that the entire month of Ramadan is itself Lailatul Qadr and is an attractor of the mercies and blessings of God.
Now, since the Holy Prophet(sa) himself did not state any fixed night, nor have the revered Sufis and spiritual scholars fixed any particular night — rather, they differ on this, so much so that some declare it to be the 27th of Ramadan, and some declare it to be one of the first ten nights — and Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) says that when Friday and the 27th date of Ramadan come together, then Lailatul Qadr will be on that night: so, with all these narrations existing, we shall interpret this narration of Hazrat Sahib(as) and shall say that the special qualities of Friday necessitate that, when Friday and the 27th of Ramadan come together, then Lailatul Qadr be on that night. But we cannot say this as certain and definite, because God is not bound by any rule. It is not necessary for Him that He make Lailatul Qadr only on the 27th, nor has God made any covenant with you that, "I shall make Lailatul Qadr only on the 27th and not before it." Further, Allah the Exalted reserves to Himself the right of exceptions, and through exceptions He can bring about change in His sayings and His acts. You cannot compel God to necessarily do only according to what you say and according to your wish. Yes, you may seek it in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan, and you may obtain those spiritual blessings which descend in it — provided that you abandon dissension and quarrels and disputes. Because this very point has been taught in Lailatul Qadr: that quarrels, disputes, and dissension erase spiritual blessings and draw the wrath of God.
Now I ask you: through your eagerness and your preparations you have shown how restless you are to obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. From your requests I could gauge your restlessness and anxiety — that you are greatly eager to obtain its blessings. But how many sacrifices did you make to obtain these blessings? How many dissensions did you remove? How many quarrels did you erase? Or in how many places did you exercise selflessness? If you have not erased the quarrels and dissensions and have not brought about a change within yourselves, then what benefit is it if you celebrated this Lailatul Qadr in a merely formal manner and displayed temporary fervour without generating real fervour? In such a case, who is the guarantor that the blessings of Lailatul Qadr will not be snatched away from you? When, in the time of the Holy Prophet(sa), the blessings of it were taken away because of the quarrel of those two Companions and the resulting dissension, then I ask: have you taken a covenant from God that it will not be taken away? Or is Lailatul Qadr some rope that you have grasped firmly, and it cannot escape from you, and you have come to know that we shall surely obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr no matter how much dissension exists among us? But it is not so. So it is your duty to abide by those conditions which God has declared necessary for obtaining its blessings — and they are these: that you abandon dissension and quarrels and bring about a change. Otherwise, remember: until you bring about a change, you will not be able to obtain its blessings, no matter if you remain awake the whole night of Lailatul Qadr and keep praying — they will slip from your hands just as a fish slips, struggling, from the hand of the fisherman, and as a bullet, whizzing, passes out of the body of the wounded.
Then the second point taught in Lailatul Qadr is this: that success cannot be attained along with sitting in comfort. You cannot obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr by sitting idle. When you endure hardship, then you will become worthy of being given a share of the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. Since its blessings are not ordinary blessings, therefore God willed to inform the Holy Prophet(sa) of it as a gift. Then the Holy Prophet(sa) willed that his Ummah should not remain deprived of it, and he wished to inform them. But since it was not the will of God that he should inform them, such causes arose that he forgot, and the time did not remain in his memory. Allah the Exalted's informing the Holy Prophet(sa) of it was not because that time had never been available to him, nor because it should become easy for him, nor in order that he should become acquainted with its reality and the descent of its blessings — because he was never heedless of the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and His mention at any time, nor did he waste any time of remembrance. Therefore, for him every time was Lailatul Qadr, and his very era was Lailatul Qadr. So, since his very era was Lailatul Qadr, then God the Exalted's informing him was just as one friend gives some present to another friend, in order to express his joy — as joy is generally expressed by giving a gift. Or this informing was just as when two friends return from some lecture, then on the way one says to the other, "The lecture was excellent" — although both have heard it and both are returning from the lecture. That friend tells the other because he wishes to express his joy over that lecture, not because the other does not know of it. Thus the only purpose of informing the Holy Prophet(sa) of Lailatul Qadr can be this one, and that is the expression of joy. Otherwise he used to worship night and day, and his very era was Lailatul Qadr. So the Holy Prophet(sa) intended that he should go and inform the people, but it was not the will of God — because God wished that the people should seek by striving in the nights of Ramadan. Therefore he was made to forget. But it is regretful that, generally, people did not understand this point.
And their ease-loving dispositions desire that they come to know some particular time in which they may offer prayers and have them accepted and be spared labour and effort. For this very reason they wish that the fixed time of Lailatul Qadr should become known. And I consider that, because of this very desire, when that narration concerning Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) which I have mentioned was published in Al-Fazl, then most of the people of our Jama'at understood that, now, the location of Lailatul Qadr has been found, and they became occupied in preparations for it. But these preparations of theirs were just like that which is well known among common Muslims: that whoever attends and offers prayer on the last Friday of Ramadan, it is as though he has offered all the prayers of the entire year — indeed, these people have even named the offering of prayer on this day "qada-e-umri" [the make-up of a lifetime]. And it appears that, on account of this same kind of absurd notions, today there is a greater crowd before me than usual. Although this crowd is not like the crowds of that day at places such as Lahore, Amritsar, and elsewhere — where, compared to ordinary days, several hundred times more people gather — nevertheless, here too there is certainly an increase of about five percent; and especially today there is an extraordinary increase among the women. This increase is on the basis of these very absurd notions.
But I ask: do people, by attending Jumu‘at-ul-Wida in this way, wish to deceive God, and to practise trickery and deception with Him and to pray, and thereby wish to show that "we are great worshippers and offerers of Tahajjud"? These people, by offering prayer once in a year, wish to place God under obligation and to deceive Him. The matter is that these people wish to obtain such a prayer which they may offer only once before dying — that is why they call it "qada-e-umri" — and they do not wish to make any effort. In the same way they wish to keep sleeping and yet obtain a share of the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. But I say: no one can obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr without effort and striving; nor can any Jumu‘at-ul-Wida or qada-e-umri be an atonement for anyone's sins; nor can Jumu‘at-ul-Wida alone grant them deliverance from sins. Rather, I say with certainty and conviction that qada-e-umri and Jumu‘at-ul-Wida will sink their remaining prayers too, and they will be left utterly empty-handed.
Their condition will be like that of the man concerning whom it is well known that he went to the river one morning to bathe. It was the cold season. On the way he went along shivering. When he reached near the river, then, seeing the river, he held back from bathing on account of the cold, and picking up a pebble he threw it and, saying this, returned: "Tu ra ashnan, mara ashnan" — that is, "Your bathing and my bathing are one and the same." On the way another man met him who was also going to bathe. He asked, "How did you bathe?" When he told him, that man too, right there from the road, picked up a pebble, and saying the same thing, threw it and came back. So this is the very condition of common people regarding Jumu‘at-ul-Wida and Lailatul Qadr — because they wish to remain lying in idleness and comfort and also become heirs to the bounties of God. But this can never happen.
They will obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr at the time when they keep awake at nights and sit in expectation of it — not that a particular time be told to them, and they easily rise at that time and obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. Those people who fall into such matters, and who, by giving comfort-seeking precedence over labour and effort, wish to obtain a bounty while sitting idle — they never progress. Only those nations progress which do work upon work and do not let leisure or comfort-seeking come near them.
Accordingly, look at the people of the time of the Holy Prophet(sa). They say to the Holy Prophet(sa) that, "We have found so much delight in the worship of Allah the Exalted during Ramadan that please tell us the method of worshipping in the same way in the other months too, so that we may not remain idle and may remain engaged in worship." This was the condition of the Companions. But look at the Muslims of these days. These are they who, even in place of the appointed prayers, seek out some such prayer as may be called "qada-e-umri" — which they may offer once and be finished, until the moment of death, with all prayers; and likewise that they may obtain such fasts as may suffice for the fasts of an entire lifetime.
Look at the resolve of those, and look at that of these. The Companions were such that, in a state of utter destitution and being very few in number, they shattered to pieces the thousands-of-years-old empire and grandeur of Chosroes. Chosroes before them was like a clay toy of such a kind that the slightest knock would break it. They blew away his mighty and ancient empire in the way carded cotton is blown about, and the Muslims, becoming dragons, swallowed up his kingdom. When this high-spirited, firm-footed, striving nation and untiring power confronted the numerous armies of Chosroes in the time of Hazrat Umar(ra), then for Chosroes — in spite of every kind of equipment and a vast empire — no place of safety remained. His own slaves and servants proved treacherous and faithless. His army could not stand firm in confrontation. Why did this happen? Because the empire of Chosroes was confronted with that nation which was never tiring, but rather did more work amid greater difficulties — a nation which had understood this secret of progress: that continuous labour and effort is necessary for it.
But look at the Muslims of these days, who number in the crores. Look at their condition. They have lost everything; everywhere they are degraded and disgraced. Neither does honour remain, nor grandeur. Why? Because they wish to win through amulets and charms. They wish to keep sleeping and obtain a share of the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. They wish to obtain bounties without effort and struggle, which is an entirely vain and absurd notion. If the Muslims wish to be successful, then they will have to abandon shirking from work and do work. Instead of sitting with broken hands and feet, they will have to make an effort; and when they make an effort and fulfill the true purpose of man's creation, then they will succeed. Allah the Exalted states the purpose of man's creation thus: (Al-Dhariyat 57) — Man has been created so that he may become a servant ('abd); and an 'abd cannot become one until he works like slaves. Does a slave ever rest? Never. Rather, he works night and day, and it is on account of his work that the master is pleased with him. In the same way, only he can become a servant ('abd) of Allah the Exalted who makes effort and strives for Him, abandons his ease and comfort, and remains at all times in anxiety to find Allah the Exalted.
Look, those who work to obtain the ease of the self attain the ease of the self; and those who strive to meet God find God. It cannot be that you do not exert yourself for God and then succeed in your longing to meet God. In whatever field you walk and make effort, in that very one you will be able to attain success. So whoever wishes to obtain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr while sitting idle absolutely cannot obtain those blessings, because for it effort and striving are a condition.
Then I say that Islam has described another Lailatul Qadr, and that is such a Lailatul Qadr that, in terms of blessings, it is so far surpassing that even the blessings of the Lailatul Qadr of Ramadan cannot compete with it. This Lailatul Qadr is that concerning which the Holy Prophet(sa) has said: "Innallaha yab‘athu li-hadhihil-ummati ‘ala ra’si kulli mi’ati sanatin man yujaddidu laha dinaha"² — This Lailatul Qadr comes in the era of that Reformer (mujaddid) who comes at the head of every century. But there is yet another Lailatul Qadr greater even than this, which came after thirteen hundred years, and that is the era of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as). This Lailatul Qadr surpasses those thirteen hundred Lailatul Qadrs which came in Ramadan, and those eleven Lailatul Qadrs which appeared at the head of every century in the form of the era of the Reformers. So the era in which Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) was raised is the greatest Lailatul Qadr of all.
Foolish are those who, in comparison with Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as), present Ghazali, Bukhari, and Razi(rh). They are unaware of his station, because he is that Imam who is greater not merely than any single Reformer but than all those Reformers who passed in thirteen hundred years. For this very reason his Lailatul Qadr is greater than the Lailatul Qadrs of others, because the era of his Lailatul Qadr begins from the era of the Lailatul Qadr of prophethood, and this is the second Lailatul Qadr after the Holy Prophet(sa).
But I ask: on the basis of that note which was printed in Al-Fazl, how much rejoicing did you do, and how much eagerness did you display? But did you display the same eagerness and the same joy for that Lailatul Qadr concerning which the Quran says that, after thirteen hundred years, a Lailatul Qadr will come? Tell me: what preparation did you make for it, and how much honour and esteem does it hold in your heart? If there is no honour for it in your heart, then I shall understand that you accorded a merely formal honour to this Lailatul Qadr and celebrated a merely formal joy for it, and did not display real eagerness for that Lailatul Qadr — to obtain the blessings of which many holy ones died yearning, but could not attain it. Such holy ones awaited this Lailatul Qadr whose own era is itself a Lailatul Qadr, and whose every moment passes in the worship of God and His remembrance, and for whom every time is Lailatul Qadr. Then such pure souls awaited that Lailatul Qadr of which the Lailatul Qadr [of Ramadan] is a servant; and then those people passed away while awaiting it, and departed from the world while watching for its path — they who possessed the special nearness of Allah the Exalted. Then, not only such people, but hundreds of scholars and reformers passed away from the world weeping, who longed for the sight of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) but did not behold his countenance.
But the special grace and mercy of God was upon you, that God gave you the opportunity to obtain a share of the blessings of this Lailatul Qadr. But this was not because you performed any such deeds as were especially pleasing to Allah the Exalted, or because you made any such sacrifice as was accepted in the presence of Allah the Exalted. Rather, the opportunity to obtain a share of the blessings of this Lailatul Qadr was given because you were born in an era of very great darkness. On this account God had mercy upon your weaknesses and gave you a share of its blessings. You were born in such an era of darkness that resembles, on account of its darkness, exactly the 27th date of the moon — because on the 27th date the whole night becomes dark, and the moon does not come out the whole night. So, on account of being born in this dark era, you obtained the opportunity to attain the blessings of Lailatul Qadr. But I ask: what benefit did you derive from these blessings? If you did not derive benefit and did not make effort for it, yet you go searching for Lailatul Qadr on the 27th of Ramadan, then your condition is exactly like that of the man who squanders jewels and gold coins and gathers coals — rather, instead of coals, straws. I have said this for the reason that coals still come into some use, but straws are a thing of even lower grade and less use than them. In such a case, should I not say to you: "O you who rejoice over this Lailatul Qadr! You wasted the real Lailatul Qadr and paid it no heed."
No doubt, you will attain worldly progress, because Allah the Exalted has already stated that you will attain dominance. So the time will come, and will surely come, when you will be granted government. You will be rulers and people will be your subjects. You will decide the rights of people, and people will make demands of you. But that era of progress will not be better than this Lailatul Qadr which was the Lailatul Qadr of the lifetime of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as). That was the night when, for you, there was nothing but peace and security. If any kind of doubt arose in you, you submitted it to the Prophet, who removed it; or if any quarrel occurred, then at once he decided it. So I say truly that the era of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as) was for us an era of peace and security, and that night was for us better than the day, because in it no dissension existed; there was no Paighami, nor any Babi. At that time there did not exist among you those holding differing beliefs. That era of yours was an era of peace and security, and that time was among the most restful of times for you. Therefore that night, which was the night of the 27th — that is, a night of extreme darkness — was better than those days in which there will be progress and governments will be obtained and Ahmadis upon Ahmadis will spread throughout the world, but in which dissensions too will arise. At that time you were fearless and in security from all dissensions, because the Prophet of God existed among you, and your condition was exactly in accordance with this couplet:
In the mirror of the heart is the image of the Beloved;
The moment I bent my neck a little, I beheld it.
The Beloved of God existed within your heart. When any doubt arose, you turned your attention towards Him, and that doubt was removed. This opportunity is obtained by people of every class in the era of a Prophet — that their doubts are removed. But after the demise of a Prophet, this blessing is obtained only by select people, and only their doubts are removed; the rest remain in their same condition, and at that time they cannot remove doubts in the way they could easily do in the era of a Prophet. For this very reason, that which today is available to the great was, in the lifetime of Hazrat Masih-e-Maud(as), available even to the lowly, and those blessings which today are obtained by the great were obtained by them.
So what is Lailatul Qadr? It is the era of a Prophet and the time of the advent of a Prophet. Benefit from it and obtain the nearness of God. In this Lailatul Qadr, the ones sent by God become a seed which afterwards grows and flourishes and increases. And this is the very night concerning which Allah the Exalted says, "Tanazzalul-mala’ikatu war-ruh" [the angels and the Spirit descend]. In the Quran, Hazrat Isa(as) has been called "Ruh" (the Spirit); but I say that the Word of God has also been called "Ruh," and so has the Reformer (mujaddid), because he is the bearer of the Divine Word. So that Reformer who is called "Ruh" has been raised for your guidance, and this era is that era in which the descent of angels too has occurred. And this night is a night of peace and security, in which the descent of the angels continues until dawn. So now, since it is about to become morning and sunrise is near, and that day is about to break in which government will be given into your hands — you will be made rulers over people, people will be your subjects, you will fulfil the rights of people, and they will demand of you the fulfilment of those rights; at that time you will be rulers, not the oppressed — but those blessings which you obtain at this time will not be obtained, because that will be a day filled with dissensions and ijtihads [differing exertions of judgement]. So become alert before the dawn breaks, because the dawn is about to break. Benefit from this time and reform yourselves spiritually. May Allah the Exalted grant you the ability.
References:
(Al-Fazl, 20 May 1924)
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