أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ

أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔

اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔

Today is the blessed day of Friday and the first fast of the blessed month of Ramadan. Thus, today is a day beginning with countless blessings. The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave the news about the importance of Friday being a blessed day — and this news is for all time — that on this day comes such a moment in which whatever prayer a believer makes before his Lord is accepted. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Jumu'ah, Bab al-Sa'ah allati fi Yawm al-Jumu'ah, Hadith 935)

And then regarding Ramadan, he (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that when the month of Ramadan comes, the doors of Paradise are opened and the doors of Hell are closed. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Kitab al-Sawm, Bab Ma Ja'a fi Fadl Shahr Ramadan, Hadith 682)

So the mercy of Allah the Almighty comes with special fervor in this month, and there is a shower of Allah the Almighty's mercies and blessings upon the believers.

But along with this, the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated certain conditions for absorbing these blessings — that in these days there should be no vain talk, no clamor and noise, no abusing and quarreling. In response to every evil, the response of the fasting person should be: "I am fasting." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Sawm, Bab Fadl al-Sawm, Hadith 1894), and I avoid all these evils for the sake of God Almighty. When this is the condition, then there will be fasting in the true sense — that a person, for the sake of God Almighty, spends his life according to Allah the Almighty's commands in this month through effort.

Then, the matter of what the importance of the month of Ramadan is, upon whom fasting is obligatory, how it should be kept, and what the restrictions are — Allah the Almighty has tied this to the subject of acceptance of prayers in this manner, saying: وَاِذَا سَاَلَکَ عِبَادِیْ عَنِّیْ فَاِنِّیْ قَرِیْبٌ۔ اُجِیْبُ دَعْوَۃَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْیَسْتَجِیْبُوْا لِیْ وَلْیُؤْمِنُوْا بِیْ لَعَلَّھُمْ یَرْشُدُوْنَ (Al-Baqarah: 187) "And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.'" He said that the days of Ramadan are so blessed that after the worship of these days, when My servants ask concerning Me, tell them I am absolutely near. اُجِیْبُ دَعْوَۃَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ "I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me." So the Fridays that come in the month of Ramadan have double importance. The days are also days of acceptance of prayers, and the nights are also nights of acceptance of prayers. But Allah the Almighty says that you do not know which moment is the moment of acceptance of prayers, therefore spend both days and nights in prayers. We should benefit as much as possible from these days. First, generally in Ramadan, because in it, having chained Satan, God Almighty has opened the doors of Paradise and has drawn near to His servants. And then we should also fully benefit from the Fridays of Ramadan. But the most important prayer that needs to be made in these days is that with utmost humility and becoming pure, a person should pray to Allah the Almighty: "O Allah, include me not only in Ramadan but in normal circumstances as well among those whose prayers are accepted at night and during the day, so that Ramadan becomes one that creates a pure transformation; that leads to righteousness. May I be included among those who permanently find guidance." In the verses before the verse I have recited, when Allah the Almighty mentioned the virtue of fasting — that fasting was prescribed upon former nations, similarly it has been prescribed upon you — it does not mean that because former nations used to fast, therefore you should also fast. Rather, (the meaning) is what was said at the end of that verse: لَعَلَّکُمْ تَتَّقُوْنَ "so that you may adopt righteousness" and be saved from spiritual and moral weaknesses.

Then at this place, at the end of the verse that I recited, He said: لَعَلَّھُمْ یَرْشُدُوْنَ so that they may attain Rushd. Rushd means the correct and straight path. The path of correct action and guidance, correct morals. Maturity of intellect and wisdom and its use on the correct path, and attaining permanence and firmness in this condition. So when a person bows purely before God Almighty, where he witnesses the acceptance of prayers, he also becomes strengthened in his faith and conviction while remaining firm on righteousness and virtue, and thus becomes one who gathers Allah the Almighty's blessings.

So Ramadan is a month of countless blessings, but these blessings are received by those who accept Allah the Almighty's commands and increase in faith. If the intention is only to maintain regularity on Fridays of Ramadan and afterward there may or may not be attention toward worship, then this is not accepting Allah the Almighty's command and is showing weakness in faith. And if this kind of weak condition exists, then we should also not have a complaint against God Almighty that our prayers are not accepted. So a true servant who is anxious to come under Allah the Almighty's refuge should spend these days in prayers with utmost humility and meekness and while acknowledging his weaknesses and mistakes. This attendance on Fridays and attendance at prayers in the month of Ramadan should not be temporary. Some people think that Allah the Almighty says that He draws near in these days, so worship only in these days is sufficient. This is deceiving one's own self. So we should avoid this. We should strive to attain nearness to Allah the Almighty while becoming His servant with complete humility. Allah the Almighty is never far; He is everywhere and at all times. But this nearness becomes manifest through the servant's own condition when he, becoming pure and leaving aside everything other than Allah, bows only and only before God Almighty. And when this condition exists, then our prayers will also be accepted, and we will receive all that we ask from Allah the Almighty or whatever is best for us in Allah the Almighty's sight.

So we should understand well that only by remaining firm on virtue and righteousness can we achieve our goal, and both personally and collectively, we will receive those fruits that Allah the Almighty has destined for us, God willing. And as I said, if we show humility and meekness, acknowledge our mistakes, and then try to find Allah the Almighty, then fruits will also appear by the grace of Allah the Almighty. A person may have mistakes, may be sinful, may be guilty, but as long as fear of God Almighty remains in his heart, he keeps acknowledging his mistakes, and righteousness remains in his heart, Allah the Almighty keeps covering the sins, and ultimately, one day, He grants him the ability to repent.

So most of all, during these days, we should pray for ourselves, for our relatives, and for the members of the Jama'at that each one of us may be granted righteousness by Allah the Almighty. When we pray with pain for one another, the angels will also join in prayers for us, and we will witness the true and permanent spectacles of the blessings of Ramadan.

What is Taqwa? Taqwa is the awe and fear of God Almighty. And as long as fear and awe of God Almighty remain in us, God Almighty will continue to cover our weaknesses and sins, and we will remain in His protection — except if we become so bold in sins (may God forbid that any of us be such) that the fear of Allah the Almighty is erased from our hearts or from anyone's heart. But if sin is committed due to our weakness and then fear of Allah the Almighty arises and awe develops, then Allah the Almighty is very forgiving. The meaning of awe of Allah the Almighty is itself the love of God Almighty. So as long as we continue to express this love, or if we keep this love in our hearts, we will remain saved from destruction. But the condition is that the love should be true, not a deception. Allah the Almighty knows the state of hearts; He cannot be deceived. If there is love in the heart too, then it is expressed at some time or another. The fear of Allah the Almighty restrains from certain things. Because of this love, if we continue to act upon His commands, stumbling and falling, then God Almighty, who has jealousy for the love of His servants, does not let the servant be wasted and grants him the ability to repent. But if a person, as I said, becomes completely bold in sins and removes the seed of righteousness from his heart and wastes it, then punishment comes. It is Allah the Almighty's favor that we believed in the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him). He repeatedly advised the members of the Jama'at to remain firm on righteousness. Then Allah the Almighty has granted us such a spiritual system that keeps drawing attention to maintaining the seed of righteousness. Then Allah the Almighty has appointed the month of Ramadan every year for this seed to flourish, for the means of flourishing. And then, while teaching us the methods for the development of this seed, He has also given us the glad tidings of making it fruitful.

So to benefit from the blessings of this month, each one of us should try to become a servant of Allah the Almighty. If Allah the Almighty delays our prayers for a while due to our unworthiness, it is like a loving mother who becomes slightly upset with the child for the sake of his reformation, and in this there is no severe anger. But when the child, due to love for the mother, goes toward her, the mother embraces him; rather, before that, she keeps watching from the corner of her eye many times to see what kind of movement the child is making, whether he is coming to me or not. In any case, when the child goes, the displeasure is removed. So Allah the Almighty, who is more forgiving than mothers, watches to see when His servants come to Him repenting so that He may forgive them. The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By God, Allah the Almighty is so pleased at the repentance of His servant that even a person who finds his lost camel in a wilderness is not that happy." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Da'wat, Bab al-Tawbah, Hadith 6309)

So this month of Ramadan is also for this purpose — that if a servant, keeping the love of Allah the Almighty in his heart, despite the weaknesses and mistakes of the entire year, comes toward Allah the Almighty with the intention that He accept his repentance, then Allah the Almighty runs to embrace him. The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that Allah the Almighty says: "Whoever draws near to Me by a span, I draw near to him by a cubit. If he draws near to Me by a cubit, I draw near to him by two cubits. And when he walks toward Me, I run to him." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Tawhid, Bab Qawl Allah Ta'ala wa Yuhazdhirukum Allah Nafsahu, Hadith 7405)

So if such a God, who is more merciful than mothers, who has made various arrangements for accepting repentance and being pleased with His servant — if a servant does not benefit from them, then this is the servant's misfortune and his hard-heartedness. Although the picture of Allah the Almighty's love for His servant has been drawn through these examples, in reality, the picture of Allah the Almighty's love is much greater than these examples. We cannot draw the picture of the love and affection with which Allah the Almighty looks at His servant. It is also clear from these Hadiths that despite giving examples, in reality, although these examples establish a highest concept of love, Allah the Almighty's love for His servant is much higher and loftier than this worldly example as you can conceive, and it is truly difficult to encompass it. Man is very weak and possesses limited knowledge. Allah the Almighty is a very exalted being. We cannot even understand the inner state of beings like ourselves. We can form our opinion based on someone's outward actions, but to describe and know what the state of someone's love for someone in their heart is, or what is in their heart, is very difficult.

Hazrat Muslih Mau'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) presented this point — about how much capacity man has to understand the state of Allah the Almighty's love — in a very beautiful manner by saying that God Almighty, whose actions even we cannot understand, how can we understand the state of His love? We cannot even understand His outward things, so how can we understand the state of love? In any case, as I said, it is very difficult to encompass it. But still, through examples, an attempt is made to bring its reality closer, and the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also tried to explain Allah the Almighty's love through examples. I have given the first two examples. Let me present another example of this love that the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) described. In the Battle of Badr, when the enemy had been defeated and the battle was nearly over, and the great brave soldiers of the disbelievers were sitting on their mounts, whipping them to flee from the battlefield as quickly as possible and get away from the Muslims, at that time a woman was roaming in the battlefield without any fear. She was in a state of frenzy and passion, sometimes picking up one child and sometimes another. When the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw this woman, he said to the Companions that this woman's child has been lost and she is searching for him, and the mother's love is so overwhelming that she has no concern that this is a battlefield and destruction is spread all around here. That woman kept roaming about like one possessed. Whichever child she saw, she would embrace him, but when she looked carefully, it would not be her child. Then she would leave him and move on. Finally, she found her child. She embraced him, clung to him, kissed him, and then, oblivious to the whole world, sat right there with him. She had no concern that this was a battlefield. She had no concern that corpses were scattered all around. It did not occur to her that the battle had not yet completely ended and she too could be harmed. The Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "You saw that when she found her child, how peacefully she sat down. But before that, when she was searching for her child, she was expressing anxiety and was running about restlessly." Then he (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that this is the example of Allah the Almighty's love for His servants; rather, He loves even more than this. When a servant loses God Almighty because of his sins and mistakes, God Almighty feels such grief as this woman felt at the loss of her child. And then when the servant repents and returns, Allah the Almighty is more pleased than the pleasure this woman felt at finding her child. So our God is always ready to forgive, provided we are also ready and willing to seek His forgiveness. He is watching when we move toward Him. If there is any delay, it is from our side. The shortcomings are only from our side. Whoever inclines toward God Almighty, goes to His presence repenting, seeks forgiveness from Him for sins, the forgiveness of God Almighty covers him. In this regard, Hazrat Muslih Mau'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) mentioned an important point at one place: that Allah the Almighty's forgiveness not only covers a person's sins but forgets his sins; rather, it does not only forget itself but also makes others forget. That is why God Almighty's name is not Satir but Sattar, and Sattar is one in whom the quality of covering is found repeatedly and intensely. In whom the quality of covering is found repeatedly with great intensity. The world can only be Satir. That is, it is possible that if someone knows of someone's sin, he may not mention it. He may cover it up. But no one can remove the knowledge of someone's sin from others' minds. But since God Almighty is the possessor of all attributes, He has said about this attribute as well that I am not Satir but Sattar. That is, I do not only forgive the sins of servants, but I also remove the memory of those sins from people's minds, and they do not even remember that such and such person once committed such and such sin. If God Almighty were not Sattar, there would be no peace for the sinner even in Paradise. He would look at every person and say that he knows of my sin.

So God Almighty is Sattar. He says: I not only forgive people's sins but I also have control over people's memories, and when Allah the Almighty wants to cover someone, others do not even remember his sin. And people always consider him — whose sins Allah the Almighty covers — to be righteous and pure. So our God is Sattar-ul-'Uyub (the Concealer of faults) and He is also Ghaffar-udh-Dhunub (the Forgiver of sins). He is not only our Forgiver but is also the One who restores our lost honor and establishes honor in this world. (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 513-515)

So when our God is so loving, how much we need to make sacrifices and move toward Him! How much we need to become His servant! So in this blessed month, we need to run toward this Sattar-ul-'Uyub and Ghaffar-udh-Dhunub God. We need to make a full effort to bow before Him. Satan is standing at every corner, trying to trap us in his temptations. But we have to, while competing against him and striving for Allah the Almighty's refuge, save ourselves from his every attack and defeat him, and make ourselves true servants of Allah the Almighty. Only then will we be able to benefit from Ramadan in the true sense. And as I said, from this we will gain personal benefits as well as collective fruits. The reformation, virtues, and righteousness of the members of the Jama'at result in collective progress. The more we attain nearness to Allah the Almighty, the more we will play a role in collective progress while obtaining Allah the Almighty's blessings.

We also know that the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said that my progress and victories will come through prayers. (Derived from Malfuzat, Volume 9, Page 58) So while asking for collective progress, we should also bow greatly before God Almighty, and in these days of prayers, we should pray fully for this as well. We should not limit our prayers only to ourselves or our near ones; rather, there is a need to greatly expand them. Only then can we fulfill the right of being in the Jama'at of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Only then can we be grateful for this favor that Allah the Almighty has done to us by including us in the Jama'at of the Promised Messiah (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Our work is not finished by including ourselves in this Jama'at. After becoming an Ahmadi, it is not sufficient that we have become Ahmadis and have pledged allegiance; rather, Allah the Almighty has placed a great responsibility upon us, and to fulfill this responsibility, the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has drawn the Jama'at's attention toward prayers so that we may become helpers and supporters in the collective progress. We are humble, weak; we acknowledge our mistakes. We also acknowledge our unworthiness. But despite all this, we are those upon whom Allah the Almighty has placed the responsibility of achieving a magnificent purpose, and this responsibility cannot be fulfilled without absorbing Allah the Almighty's grace. So we need to pay much attention to prayers.

Hazrat Muslih Mau'ud (May Allah be pleased with him) explained or taught this subject in a very beautiful manner at one place: that if we are truly weak and powerless, and if the task entrusted to us is truly very important and difficult, then the question is how can such a task be accomplished by us. On one hand, this task requires a very great power for its completion, i.e., to accomplish it, and on the other hand, we are weak and powerless. So we will have to accept one of two things. Either we accept that one of our two claims is false — either our claim of humility is false, that we are not that humble, or the claim of the task being difficult is false. And if both are correct, then it will have to be accepted that Allah the Almighty has appointed some means other than our efforts. This is the word of God Almighty and His promise that this task entrusted to us must certainly be accomplished. The purpose for which the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) came — that purpose must certainly be fulfilled, and Allah the Almighty is to have it fulfilled. The triumph of Islam and Ahmadiyyat over the world must happen, God willing, and we have not the slightest doubt in this. So for its achievement, Allah the Almighty has taught us the method of prayer — that pray: "O Allah! This purpose is not going to be fulfilled through our hands, i.e., through our efforts. We are weak, humble; the task is very great, and our efforts alone cannot accomplish it. Yes, we are ready for every sacrifice under Your command. But You also, by Your grace, reveal those hidden means and employ them in our support that You have appointed for the accomplishment of this purpose, so that this impossible task becomes possible." The reality is also this: that Allah the Almighty has made us an outward instrument; otherwise, the real instrument that is to conquer the world is some other instrument. But the pain for achieving these victories should certainly be in our hearts, and that pain should emerge from our hearts in the form of prayers.

Hazrat Muslih Mau'ud gave an example that our example is like that of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) picking up pebbles and throwing them on the day of Badr. Allah the Almighty says: وَمَا رَمَیۡتَ اِذۡ رَمَیۡتَ وَلٰکِنَّ اللّٰہَ رَمٰی (Al-Anfal: 18) "And thou threwest not when thou didst throw, but it was Allah Who threw, that He might overthrow the disbelievers." On one side, the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)'s hand moved to throw the pebbles; on the other side, God Almighty says that We set a storm in motion, and because of that, the storm picked up millions and billions of pebbles and threw them into the eyes of the disbelievers. As a result, their eyes closed, and they failed in their attack. In short, the real power behind those handful of pebbles was the power of God Almighty. So our status is also like those pebbles of Badr that the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took in his fist and threw toward the disbelievers. Those pebbles that the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) threw did not blind the disbelievers; rather, those pebbles that Allah the Almighty blew in the form of a storm blinded them.

So we will have to accept that there is some instrument other than us that is to do this great work and bring out its best result. And we will have to accept that for this best result, some other means have been created that are to make Islam triumph over other religions. And that instrument and those weapons by which Islam can be made to triumph over the world are those prayers of the servant that draw Allah the Almighty's grace toward them. And it is only by Allah the Almighty's grace that the impossible task becomes possible. And as the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said, this is the thing upon which our success is destined.

So in these days of prayers that Allah the Almighty has provided us, we should always remember this and pray with regularity that He may soon create the means for the victory of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. May we become those pebbles in the fist of the Holy Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) for whose support Allah the Almighty had set in motion a storm of millions of pebbles, and the disbelievers had to face defeat. May Allah the Almighty, removing our weaknesses, overlook our mistakes and shortcomings, and by His grace, create such means that we may achieve our goal. And may Allah the Almighty's glory not be hidden due to our weaknesses and negligence. May our shortcomings not provide opportunities for joy to outsiders. Rather, may Allah the Almighty, by His grace, for the manifestation of His glory and His honor, create in our weak hands that power which is necessary to accomplish this task. (Derived from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Volume 18, Pages 509-511)

So pray a lot during these days — for yourselves, for one another, for the progress of the Jama'at, and for the failures and frustrations of the enemy. Also for the manifestation of Allah the Almighty's glory and grandeur. The world is increasingly denying the existence of God Almighty; may God grant that it becomes one that recognizes Allah the Almighty. May Allah the Almighty forgive our shortcomings and mistakes and create in us such power that, using it, we may make Islam triumph over all religions of the world. May each one of us become a true servant of Islam, and may worldly desires become secondary for us. May our hearts be filled with the passion that we are to employ all our abilities for the exaltation of religion. May Allah the Almighty create in our deeds and abilities such power and strength that the enemy's power and strength becomes insignificant and humiliated in comparison to us. May Allah the Almighty not only forgive our faults but create in our hearts such hatred for sins that we may never be ones who break Allah the Almighty's commands. May we be included among those about whom Allah the Almighty said: You people should also act upon My commands, have perfect faith in Me. May we develop love for virtues and goodness. May righteousness become firmly established in our hearts, and may the love and devotion of Allah the Almighty become our nourishment. May our every action and our every word and deed become according to Allah the Almighty's pleasure, and when we appear before Him, may He be the One to give us the certificate of His pleasure. May Allah grant that Ramadan truly makes us attain all this.