Huzoor^(aba) delivered his sermon from the new Mosque at Birmingham, U.K. After the Sura Fatiha, Huzoor^(aba) recited verse 42 of Sura Al-Hajj. The translation is:

Those who, if we establish them in the earth, will observe Prayer and pay the Zakat and enjoin good and forbid evil. And with Allah rests the final issue of all affairs. (22:42)

Huzoor^(aba) stated that Alhamdolillah the scarifices of the members of Jama’at Ahmadiyya in Birmingham have borne fruit and the Mosque in Birmingham is being inaugurated today. Huzoor^(aba) presented a brief history of the Birmingham Jama’at and the new Mosque. Huzoor^(aba) stated that the Jama’at started with only 5 people in 1960. In 1980 the first mission house was established. In 1994, the Birmingham Council put this building on sale. The Jama’at contacted the Council and in October of 1994 the building was acquired for the nominal sum of 200 Pounds. This was a dilapidated school building but it was a Listed Building in the Council records. The condition of the Council was that the building would be maintained well. This 31,000 square foot building is built on 1.7 acre land and the renovation cost was 1.6 million Pounds. A lot of the expense was saved by volunteer work, otherwise the expense could have been a lot more. May Allah reward the members of the Jama’at who volunteered and also those who made the financial sacrifices. Aameen.

Huzoor^(aba) stated that those who made the sacrifices should remember that the spirit with which they made the sacrifices should not be dulled. The object of the struggle was to establish a place of worship that would help promote the spirit of unity among the people. Huzoor^(aba) stated that the Ahmadis are blessed that we recognized the Imam of the age and that Allah has united us via the Khilafat and made us strong. We pray to Allah that He should keep on blessing us in this manner and that He enables us to be thankful for His blessings and that we should be enabled to make use of the Mosque as it should.

Huzoor^(aba) stated that in order to obtain the blessings of Allah, it is essential to pay attention to the worship of Allah and to discharging our duties towards our fellow beings and by spreading the good in the world. This is the subject of the verse recited at the beginning where Allah says that when you are given the power in the earth then your preferences should not change. You should pay more attention to prayers so that you may be deserving of more blessings. Also, your future generations should be such that would attract Allah’s Blessings so that you may remain strong. The same subject has been stated in verse 56 of Sura Al-Nur.(24:56)

Huzoor^(aba) stated that if we are steadfast in out prayers and fill the mosque with worshippers then Allah will bless us with many more such mosques. It is also mentioned in the verse recited at the beginning that you will remain strong as long as you keep paying the Zakat and making financial sacrifices and enjoining good and forbidding evil. It is also mentioned that the end result is still in the hands of Allah. Our task is to obey the instructions with pure intentions and not merely for show.

Huzoor^(aba) mentioned that according to the Ameer Sahib of U.K., the Birmingham mosque would be sufficient for the next 10 to 15 years. However, Huzoor^(aba) said that if a large portion of the members of the Jama’at should start coming to the mosque and if the Tabligh efforts should be re-doubled then the mosque would become small.

Huzoor^(aba) stated that in order to obey the instruction in the verse recited with respect to enjoining the good , we should make a pledge that from now on we will live with each other with love and that the message of peace and love will always be delivered form this mosque. Also, we should inculcate the spirit of attachment to the mosque in our children. If we start to enjoin the good at home then we will be successful at inviting others to good. Those who want to transform others must transform themselves.

Huzoor^(aba) quoted a Hadith narrated by Hazrat Jabir^(ra) where the Holy Prophet^(saw) said that the distinguishing factor between a believer and a non-believer is the non-performance of Salat. Huzoor^(aba) explained that according to this Hadith, a believer is a person who is regular in the offering of his prayers. Otherwise there is no difference between that person and a non-believer.

Huzoor^(aba) quoted other Ahadith and passages from the writings of the Promised Messiah^(as) to illustrate the importance of offering prayers regularly and with due diligence.

In the end, Huzoor^(aba) enjoined us to pay special attention to offering our prayers in congregation and in the manner that would make us deserving of Allah’s Blessings. May Allah enable us to do so. Aameen.