Among the Divine attributes, one is Al Wali (The Friend).  According to lexicon it means, a helper, a Being that takes care of all matters of the entire universe and all creation. It also connotes a friend who is compliant. It is stated in Surah Al Baqarah ‘Allah is the friend of those who believe…’ God is the Helper of believers and fulfils their needs, guides them and establishes their reasoning and proofs. The complete verse is thus: ‘Allah is the friend of those who believe: He brings them out of every kind of darkness into light. And those who disbelieve, their friends are the transgressors who bring them out of light into every kind of darkness. These are the inmates of the Fire; therein shall they abide.’ (2:258). Truth is that God is the Friend of those who believe whose belief is free from worldly contamination and continues to traverse stages of development. It takes them out of darkness and into light; i.e. out of spiritual and physical weak points towards advancement and strength. God thus declares here that He will bless those who believe, with spiritual and physical success on an individual as well as communal level and will release them from troubles. This is conditional to continual spiritual advancement after the initial belief. Those who seek this through abiding by God’s commandments, God truly becomes their Friend and no opposition, no force on this earth can destroy them.

God states that a believer does go through difficulties and has to endure loss of life, property and children. How could it then signify that God takes believers out of physical weak points? Of course one may say that there could be spiritual advancement during difficulty, but not physical. It should be remembered that when a believer has firm faith in God he/she does not just have personal benefit in view. Rather he/she keeps a communal perspective and the personal loss can be a source of communal advancement, especially if it is in the cause of faith. In the days of early Islam the colossal sacrifices of Muslims made in the face of relentless persecution most certainly did not go to waste. Muslims were very few in number yet their sacrifices increased them in faith and communal advancement. The persecution did not stop other pious-souls to come into the fold of Islam. Then, the cruelty forced them to migrate and this opened further doors of advancement. They grew in numbers as well as financially until the time came when the once-fierce enemy was subjugated by the Muslims.

In the history of the Ahmadiyya Community each adverse chapter and phase of trial has also been a source of spiritual as well as material and physical progress. Had we not faced the tribulation of 1974, a section of the Community that left Pakistan and spread all over the world would not have done so. Among those who emigrated some worked on small agricultural holdings, some had small businesses, others held minor jobs. Great resources for the education of children were not there or if the resources were there, the environment was not conducive. The Pakistani counterparts of the young people who have attained further education and doctorates in Europe have not been able to attain similar education. They were either not inclined or they did not have the resources. The Ahmadis who have emigrated to the West should always remember that as they had to leave their homeland because of their faith, God has granted them prosperity and the Community has also grown in numbers as well as financially. With the individual academic achievements the communal level of education has also risen. This should take each Ahmadi closer to God and enhance them in faith rather than get embroiled in arrogance or conceit. God has proved to be The Friend, it is up to us now to prove ourselves to also be His true servants. This progress did not only fall into the lot of those who emigrated. The Pakistani Ahmadis whose businesses were ruined because of the troubles were also blessed with prosperity. Al Wali is a Friend and a Helper. God has been a real Friend and has bestowed us with success.

When our enemies tried to restrict us in 1984 and the Khalifa of the time had to migrate from Pakistan, who was it that helped? The very same Friend and Helper, the Being Who has power over everything. God helped Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) in a way that no worldly friend could. The Community progressed amazingly in numbers and spiritually through the medium of MTA. One voice of guidance could be heard simultaneously throughout the world. The aforementioned verse indicates promise of physical progress to those who believe and those who do not believe are indicated to move towards darkness, thus relating in principle that they are Satan’s associates.

At the time the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) made his claim of prophethood and called people of Makkah towards guidance, the leaders of the Quraish tribe were deemed sagacious who did some good deeds. However, in their rejection of the Truth, they were deceived by the Satan and as a result were also deprived from doing the good deeds that they did and were eventually destroyed. Abul Hakam became Abul Jahl and was disgraced and now till the end of time will be known as Abul Jahl and his friend was none other than Satan. However, the negro slave, Bilal became a friend of God due to the light of belief and now till the end of time will be known as Syeddna Bilal. Similarly those who rejected the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) were taken over by darkness whereas those previously ignorant, most notorious and corrupt, in accordance to God’s promise, traversed in spiritually after accepting him. Those who reject Prophets of God tumble down in darkness because of their rejection and Satan fills them with rancour and malice and God declares that their end is very bad.  They will burn in the fire of jealousy in this world.

According to lexicon waliullah is one who is a friend of God, that is, in His complete subservience. A believer is termed as waliullah but not molaAllah. God states in Surah Muhammad ‘That is because Allah is the Protector of those who believe, and as for the disbelievers, there is no protector for them.’ (47:12). In a verse before this God states, ‘O ye who believe! if you help the cause of Allah, He will help you and will make your steps firm.’ (47:8) This verse counsels the Muslims to come after the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that it is obligatory on them to help the religion of God and this alone will give them God’s help in return. In particular during the time of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), when revival of faith was to take place, it is their absolute obligation to help. Those who do not believe [the Promised Messiah] will meet a similar faith as those who rejected the earlier Prophets. This is serious food for thought for the Muslims. God’s promise of help and succour stands. In spite of being called Muslim many correspondents fill column inches writing that they are suffering from a lack of faith and are also going through a decline in the material sense. They acknowledge that somewhere along the line they have displeased God. There is still time for them to accept the Imam of the age, take the salutation of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to him and not lose out on the obduracy that the door to prophethood has closed.

They should study the sayings of holy men of Islam of the past and not follow the so-called religious leaders. In his book, ‘Futûhât al-Makkiyya’, Hadhrat Muhiyudin ibn Arabi said that the prophethood that was finalized on the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was law-bearing prophethood, however a prophet, who is in complete subordination of the Shariah (religious law) of Islam, can come in the future.  He said that prophethood had not completely ceased to be. With reference to the Hadith of ‘la nabi ba’adi’ (there is no prophet after me) Hadhrat Muhiyudin ibn Arabi wrote that the connotation of this Hadith is exactly the same as the connotation of the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) ‘when this Kaiser will be killed there will be no other Kaiser’. Hadhrat Imam Sherani wrote in ‘Al Yawaqeet wal Jowahar’ that the Hadith of ‘la nabi ba’adi’ signifies that there will be no law-bearing prophet after me.  Hadhrat Mullah Ali Qari wrote in his book ‘Mauzuat Kabir’ that the Holy Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) saying that had Ibrahim (the Holy Prophet's infant son) survived, he would have been a prophet is not contrary to the belief of Khatamun Nabiyeen (finality of prophethood) because the term Khatamun Nabiyeen signifies that after the Prophet no such prophet can come who will abrogate his Shariah and who is not from his ummah.  Indeed Hadhrat A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said that you may say that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is Khatamun Nabiyeen but do not say that there will be no prophet after him.

If people reflected on the verses of the Holy Qur’an and these references everything would come to light. How else would God give respite to one who attributed revelations to God, who claimed to receive Divine revelations and also have clear Divine help and succour with him? God revealed to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), ‘God is my Guardian and my Providence.’ (Tadhkirah p. 479).  In 1883 God revealed to him, ‘Hearken, there is no fear on the friends of Allah, nor do they grieve.’ (Tadhkirah p. 128). It was on numerous occasions that God gave proof that He was a friend of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). In 1886 He revealed to him, ‘God…will convey thy message to the ends of the earth’. This is a separate revelation from the latter revelation about Tabligh taken to the ends of the earth. In 1886 Qadian had no semblance of any means of proper transport apart from horse-driven carriage. Yet, God made this promise to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) in that village. Today, some say that what if your message is being transmitted via MTA, we too have our web sites and our TV channels to broadcast against you. What is worth thinking is that did any of them, without having any resources and after being told by God announce that their message will be carried to far flung parts of the world? Let alone a hundred years, which is a long time, did any of them make any such claim just a few years ago? If there, let him come forward. Truth is, no one has ever been able to come forward in this regard, but of course it is very easy to object and protest. It is in fact the torment of jealousy that they cannot bear. Indeed God has stated that from light they will go towards darkness.  Our Protector is God and He demonstrates to us that He is also our Friend, Helper and Guardian at every step and continually blesses us with His grace. May He also enable us to honour His rights so that we continue to have His beneficence for He has consoled us with: ‘…What an excellent Protector and what an excellent Helper’ (8:41).

Next Huzur announced the funeral Prayers in absentia of the following: Zulfiqar Mansoor sahib of Quetta was martyred by some extremists on 11 October. He was kidnapped a month ago and a huge ransom was demanded. The ransom was being arranged but it was discovered that his body was found in the woods. He was a very active Khadim, naib qaid Khuddam and was an honest person. Two of his uncles had also been martyred in the past. His great-grandfather was a companion of the Promised Messiah. He leaves behind an elderly mother, a widow and two children. May God stand them steadfastness.

Our friend from Egypt, Muhammad Ashwa sahib passed away on 14 October, He was an elder from Syria and was an exemplary Ahmadi. He had a bond of ardent love with Khilafat. He was a pious, righteous person who worked extremely conscientiously. He had great emotional devotion to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He was a lawyer and had helped many Ahmadis in his professional capacity. Huzur related the incident of his bai’at in detail. May God elevate his station and may He enable his family to stay firm on Ahmadiyyat. Muhammad Owais and Muhammad Malas are two of his grandsons, currently in the UK working for MTA.

Mian Rasul sahib from Okara, Pakistan. He was a Moosi, son of a companion of the Promised Messiah. He was possessed of extraordinary good qualities. Many non-Ahmadis attended his funeral Prayer and said that they felt as if they had been orphaned.

Zafar Ahmad Mansoor sahib who passed away on 9 October at the age of 60. He was a missionary who had served in Western Africa. He was a very hard working person, Huzur knew him from childhood. He leaves behind a widow two sons and daughters. May God keep them all in His protection.