The first Friday sermon of the year focused on how peace can be attained and how the world can liberate itself from the many conflicts that are taking place, mostly on the pretext of God.

Huzoor (aba) drew attention to the fact that this Friday was the first of both, the lunar and the solar calendars. The commencement of these calendars may have coincided at an earlier occasion as well, but for it to happen during the centenary year of Khilafat of the Promised Messiah (as) surely has never occurred in the history of mankind. May Allah make this a source of great blessings for the Jamaat Ahmadiyya worldwide, Ameen.

Huzoor (aba) said that he would like to take this opportunity to draw the attention of Ahmadis around the world to intensify their supplications to God. He reminded us that the importance and significance of Friday is related to the Messiah of the latter days’ era, when non-Ahmadi Muslims will have turned towards worldly and materialistic gains and will not revere this day as it is meant to be. In Surah Jumma’a, Allah Almighty has specified that Muslims should leave all types of businesses of the world and congregate to offer Jumma’a prayers. The same Surah also contains the glad tidings of the Messiah of the latter days, who was to resume the mission of the Holy Prophet (saw), spread the true teachings of the Holy Quran, show the way to purification of the soul and proliferate the Islamic wisdom to unite the world’s nations under one banner, all to gain the nearness and to win the pleasure of Allah. The Promised Messiah (as) has explained that the era of the Holy Prophet (saw) was “the perfection of guidance” (takmeel-e-hidayat) i.e. the complete and perfect Book was revealed to him, after which a new Law is not needed, and the universality of which shall remain till the end of days, and which contains the prophecies about all future discoveries; in short, it is The Book that contains perfect guidance for all humanity. The Promised Messiah (as)’s era, i.e. the present day, is the era of “perfection of propagation of the guidance” (takmeel-e-isha’at-e-hidayat) which means that the complete guidance that was revealed to the Holy Prophet (saw) will be spread to the corners of the world. We are witnessing this today that technological advancements are being used for this purpose. From the “press” in the age of the Promised Messiah (as) to the satellite, etc. today, all are being used to proliferate the true message of Islam. This becomes a source of increase in faith for the Momin (believer) who witnesses this in his lifetime. [As a side note, Huzoor (aba) mentioned that Dr. Professor Abdus Salam based his own research on Quranic teachings and found approximately 700 verses of the Holy Quran were related to science or scientific information. Muslim researchers should benefit from the treasures that the Holy Quran contains and reveal to the world the miracles of this Divine Book.]

Drawing attention again to the fact that both the lunar and the solar calendars are actually systems created by God, Huzoor (aba) re-emphasized the importance Ahmadis should pay to their supplications. May Allah grant prolific victories in worldly and spiritual advancements to Jamaat Ahmadiyya so that the entire world is a witness to the glorious favors that Allah has bestowed on this Jamaat. Huzoor (aba) said that these victories cannot be achieved unless and until each Ahmadi and each Jamaat turns its attention towards implementing the teachings of the Holy Quran in their own lives and spreading these teachings to the world around them with a greater zeal and effort, so that they truly become deserving of being named “khair-e-ummat” i.e. the best of nations. This is an immense responsibility placed on the shoulder of every Ahmadi, and if it is not carried out, we may fail to receive the favors of Allah. We must remember that God’s help and succor is always near, and His favors continue to increase after every adversity, on the condition that we turn towards Him and plead for His Mercy. Huzoor (aba) appealed to the entire Jamaat worldwide to bring about a new fervor and a renewed spirit in their efforts to implement Islamic practices in their lives so that God bestows His love on us and accepts our prayers to raise high the flag of Islam in the world.

The Holy Prophet (saw) and the Promised Messiah (as) have both guaranteed that the recitation of Durood is the formula for acceptance of prayers. But the recitation of Durood is not sufficient; we must meet the standards to become the recipients of the blessings of Durood.

Huzoor (aba) related a Hadith that Hadhrat Anas bin Maalik (rz) narrated that the Holy Prophet (saw) said: for every Durood Shareef that you recite, ten sins are forgiven, ten good deeds are entered into your sheet of actions and elevates his status by ten degrees (Nisai). In view of this Hadith, each and every one of us should strive to attain these blessings by abundantly reciting the Durood.

Hadrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (rz) said that I heard the Beloved Prophet (saw) say that he would intercede for anyone who recites Durood Shareef upon him, on the Day of Judgement. In light of this hadith, it is important to remember that not every person will be deserving of this intercession; only those whose hearts are pure and contain no malice or rancor will be the recipients of such an intercession.

The Holy Prophet (saw) came to the world as a Messenger of peace and unity. Are the Muslims of the world reflecting these teachings of the Prophet (saw)? We hear in the news every day that one Muslim sect has assaulted another, a Muslim suicide bomber has killed so many other Muslims, and so forth. All these groups are Muslims, all recite the Durood, but who will be the recipient of the blessings of reciting Durood? This is a detail we must ponder and reflect upon!

It is also a duty of those who recite the Durood to increase in their love for the Holy Prophet (saw) and his family (blood relatives as well as spiritual relatives i.e. his companions (contemporary and those who were to follow his teachings in the future)), and to also pray for the Ummah to truly understand and reap the benefits of reciting Durood. We can all become closer to Allah by following the example of the Holy Prophet (saw) and the example of those who loved the Holy Prophet (saw). If the Muslim Ummah understands this concept, all conflicts will be resolved. The responsibility of an Ahmadi, however, is to continue to pray and supplicate, and to recite Durood, and to beg for protection and mercy, and to strive to increase in love for the Holy Prophet (saw) and his dear ones, and to exhibit an unparalleled love for them. The Promised Messiah (as) has written abundantly on the truly saintly attributes of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw), (Huzoor (aba) read some extracts regarding the virtues of Hadhrat Imam Hussain (rz), Hadhrat Abu Bakr (rz), Hadhrat Umar (rz), and we regard and revere them as the spiritual and physical lineage of the Prophet (saw)).

Huzoor (aba) also mentioned the conflict that is taking place between Israel and Palestine at this time as imbalanced and disproportionate in every sense. The Palestinians should mend their ways and bow before God and beg for His help and implore His Mercy, and recognize the Imam of the present day. If the conflicts in the Muslim world today are not resolved in order to attain peace, Huzoor (aba) says that he foresees a world war not too far into the near future.

May Allah enable Ahmadis to vigorously pray for world peace and protection from war and enable the Ummah to become united, Ameen. Huzoor (aba) prayed for a successful and prosperous year full of blessings for all Ahmadis.