Friday Sermon delivered at Masjid Mubarak, Islamabad, Tilford, UK
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that today is the first Friday of November, as as is custom, the announcement for the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid. Allah Almighty showered His blessings over the previous years. In order for all works to continue there is a need for finances.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Promised Messiah(as) stated that in order to complete his objectives, there was a need for believers to make financial sacrifices. Allah Almighty has made it clear that the wealth one spends in the way of Allah becomes a means of blessings in this life and the next.
His Holiness(aba) said that in one instance Allah Almighty states:
‘The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:262)
His Holiness(aba) explained that Allah Almighty has send the Ardent Devotee of the Holy Prophet(sa) to this world to complete his mission, and in order to attain this, the believers must make sacrifices, and in doing so will acquire the bounties of God Almighty manifold.
His Holiness(aba) also said that alongside financial sacrifices, one must also strive to reform themselves, abstain from vain things, and do justice to their worship, otherwise Allah Almighty does not bless one in their wealth from a mere monetary sacrifice.
His Holiness(aba) said that one should therefore not be satisfied with merely making a financial sacrifice, and must analyse themselves. This is the sign of a true believer. There are many examples of those who have done so, within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and also those who came before. There is the example of Hazrat Rabia Basri, when once she was sitting at home and 20 guests came, when there were only two pieces of bread at home. Hazrat Rabia, out of the trust in Allah, told her servant to still give these pieces of bread to the poor. The servant was bemused by this, but a short while later a woman’s voice was heard. She said that she had brought 20 pieces of bread. Hazrat Rabia said that she sent these pieces of bread having trusted in Allah that he would give back tenfold.
His Holiness(aba) said that whilst Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) explained that at times Allah Almighty gives back tenfold, and at others He may even give back 700-fold, according to the situation and the nature of the virtue. Hazrat Rabia said that this is how Allah Almighty grants His blessings, but one should not test Allah in this way, but it should be purely for the pleasure of Allah.
His Holiness(aba) said that through the Promised Messiah(as) who has been sent in this era, service to faith is being carried out around the world. By the grace of Allah, millions of pounds are received and spent on those in need and on poorer countries. Allah Almighty then displays just how He blesses those who make sacrifices, be they rich or poor.
His Holiness(aba) said that he shall present a few examples of such people, even those who have recently joined the Community and understood the importance of financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that a previous Christian, Momin Johnson from Liberia, says that a few months ago after some outreach efforts in a village which was difficult to reach, and in which there were poor people, we decided not to press for financial sacrifices for Tahrik-e-Jadid too much this year. One day the Imam of the village came to the mission house and handed an amount of money saying it was from 21 members of the village. After being asked how he knew about it as they had not gone to ask for anything, he said that he was listening to the radio programme of the Community, and the people themselves decided to make this effort to present financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer [national president] of the Community in The Gambia said that when efforts were made for collecting alms towards Tahrik-e-Jadid, a 57 year old woman took out 200 dalasis, stating that this is the only way for the true teachings of Islam Ahmadiyyat to be spread, just as was the case in the time of the Holy Prophet(sa). She said that this was all the money she had left which she was saving towards buying food for the family, but she wanted to give it for the sake of the propagation of Islam. At that very moment she received a phone call from her son in Switzerland and he said that he was sending 12,200 dalasis to her. Crying before the people there, she proclaimed just how Allah Almighty had showered His blessings upon them, and then said she would sacrifice even further amounts of money. Seeing this, the people became convinced that Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam.
His Holiness(aba) said that there is an incident in the northwest of Tanzania. The local mu’allim there writes that there is a young man there named Abdullah who pledged his allegiance and had heard that it was the final month to donate towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Abdullah had no money at the time but promised to give some the next day. He therefore went out in search of work and began working in the fields. He worked all day with great effort and whatever amount he received, he gave towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that Allah Almighty enabled him to have pure intentions and to make financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that the missionary in Guinea-Conakry writes that he drew attention of the people to pay towards Tahrik-e-Jadid in his sermon and also whilst going house to house. A young man named Muhammad said he had 10,000 Guinean francs which he was saving for his next meal, but that he wanted to donate it and remain hungry if needs be. Four days later this young man called saying that Allah Almighty had accepted his sacrifice as he had applied for the job of a driver in a mining company and he received a five-year contract of 5.5 million Guinean francs a month, and in this way Allah Almighty gave him back thousands of times greater than what he donated. Hence, this is how Allah Almighty gives back manifold if He so pleases.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Sadr Lajna in Niger writes that many women participated in the first National Tarbiyyati Class, where they were also encouraged to donate towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Despite being told that there was still a little time to go before the financial year ended, there and then the women began presenting amounts of money. Consequently, more and more women came forward to make sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that in general, in terms of the amount, women make greater contributions than men. In fact, in some countries there is a need to remind the Khuddam and Ansar about making contributions as the women have excelled them greatly.
His Holiness(aba) then said that the local mu’allim in a northern town of Cameroon writes that there was a very poor person named Abdullah, and he presented half a bucket, or 5 kg of maize, towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that in return Allah Almighty gave him 5 sacks of maize, of 350 kg-worth. He says that this year he was very worried as the prices of everything had risen a lot, and feared the crops would not turn out right. In any case he made efforts and Allah Almighty showered His blessings whereby twice the amount of crops were cultivated and so he contributed 70 kg of maize. He now reminds his family just how Allah Almighty blesses his cultivation by way of Tahrik-e-Jadid.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer of The Gambia writes that a man from a certain village had pledged his allegiance in 2014. He said that prior to joining the Community he was regularly unsuccessful in finding work, but ever since he joined, he became regular in giving chanda [alms], and in helping to propagate the message. He now has a stable job, a house and money. People would say that he was being helped by the Community financially, and he would reply that it was Allah Almighty Who was helping him by way of the financial sacrifices he was making.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer of Indonesia writes, there is an Ahmadi who owns a factory, but the circumstances had become dire. He says that listening to the sermon the previous year about Tahrik-e-Jadid had left a profound impression on him. Therefore, he doubled his promise and immediately made this contribution. A week later Allah Almighty blessed him immensely, and his sales began to increase greatly, and in this way his factory which was all but shut, became very successful.
His Holiness(aba) said that a missionary in Germany writes that a woman from Wiesbaden was fired from her job and she had no means of income. Her brother told her to pray and to give some financial sacrifice. She sold her jewellery and donated towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Four days later she found a good job where she would be paid 2,000 euros a month and thereby be able to sponsor her husband.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Wakil-ul-Maal in India writes that there is an Ahmadi who is always at the forefront in giving financial sacrifices. When he was asked to try to increase his contributions, he asked how much he should increase it by. He was told to do so within his means. He had already donated 5,000 rupees and made a pledge to give 10,000 rupees on top of that. He said that he had a shop which was not doing well at all and was afraid it would make a big loss, but after increasing his contributions, it began to bring in a lot more income and therefore did not incur a loss. His Holiness(aba) said that it is clear therefore, that Allah Almighty does not look to who is rich and who is poor, rather He gives to everyone according to their state.
His Holiness(aba) said that there is a person in Tatarstan, Russia, who stated that last year something strange happened to his phone. After checking his online bank account having received some income, all of a sudden the sermon of the Caliph about financial sacrifices appeared on his screen. This happened a number of times, and he understood that Allah Almighty desired to give him proof of His existence and remind him. He said that it is a great honour to have accepted the Promised Messiah(as) and to make financial sacrifices after joining his community.
His Holiness(aba) said that these were just a few examples of how Allah Almighty blesses those who make financial sacrifices. His Holiness(aba) said that he will now announce the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid. The 88th year of Tahrik-e-Jadid has come to an end on 31st October and the 89th has now begun.
Over the previous year the total amount contributed towards Tahrik-e-Jadid by the Community was £16.4m pounds. Despite the worsening situation around the world, this amount is £1.1m greater than the year before.
Germany stands first in the amount contributed. The Community in Pakistan has also made great sacrifices but due to the economic situation being worse, and the lower value of the currency, they have dropped further down. Despite standing first, according to their local currency their contribution is lower than before, and if the UK and the US continue to increase the way they are, then they could surpass them. There was also a large increase in Canada, Australia, India and Ghana.
His Holiness(aba) said that among the African nations, in terms of the total amount collected, the outstanding countries are Ghana, then Mauritius, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, The Gambia, Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Benin.
In terms of participation, the US stands in first position, followed by the UK and then Australia.
His Holiness(aba) said that by the grace of Allah, a total of 1,596,000 people participated. The greatest increase in participants in Africa was in Nigeria, then Guinea-Bissau, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Tanzania, Congo-Kinshasa, The Gambia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal and then Burkina Faso.
His Holiness(aba) then named the top ten communities within Germany, as well as local communities, in terms of their participation.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the total amount contributed, the top community in Pakistan was Lahore, followed by Rabwah and then Karachi. On a district level, Sialkot stands first, followed by Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Umarkot, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sargodha, Quetta and Lodhran. His Holiness(aba) said that despite the floods in some of these areas, the Community is still making great sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top cities in Pakistan in terms of the amount received.
His Holiness(aba) then said the top 5 regions in the UK were Baitul Futuh, followed by Islamabad, Masjid Fazl, Midlands and then Baitul Ehsan.
In terms of the contributions, the top 10 larger communities were Farnham, South Cheam, Islamabad, Worcester Park, Walsall, Gillingham, Masjid Fazl, Ewell, Aldershot South and Putney.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top 10 smaller communities from the UK in terms of contributions.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in the US, the top community was Maryland, followed by Los Angeles, North Virginia, Detroit, Silicon Valley, Chicago, Seattle, Oshkosh, South Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, North Jersey and York.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in Canada, Vaughan stood first, followed by Peace Village, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top 10 communities in terms of the contributions in India, followed by the top provinces.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in Australia, the top community was Castle Hill, followed by Melbourne Long Warren, Melbourne Berwick, Marsden Park, Pemworth, Perth, Parramatta, Adelaide West, ACT Canberra and Brisbane.
His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah Almighty immensely bless the wealth of all those who made financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) announced that the UK Community has launched a new website regarding the history of the Ahmadiyya Community in the UK. Work on the history was being carried out for a number of years, and articles on the instructions of the Promised Messiah(as) for the propagation of the message to the west. His Holiness(aba) said that the history of the Community in the UK is understood to have started in 1913 when Hazrat Chaudhary Fateh Muhammad Sial Sahib(ra) arrived there, as the message of the advent and messiahship of the Promised Messiah(as) arrived. His Holiness(aba) gave examples of famous figures in the UK who received the message, and which was covered in the newspapers even before 1913.
His Holiness(aba) said that a timeline has also been prepared on this website in this regard. Another timeline is also available regarding the pioneer missionaries. Alongside this and among other articles, there is also a very in-depth research regarding the prophecy of Piggott.
The website is www.history.ahmadiyya.uk which will officially be launched today. His Holiness prayed that this website be of benefit to all.
Summary prepared by The Review of Religions.
After reciting the tashahud, ta‘awuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V(aba) stated:
Today, is the first Friday of November and as is customary, the new year for Tahrik-e-Jadid is announced during the first Friday Sermon of November. Also, the blessings which Allah the Almighty has showered [upon the Jamaat] during the previous year are mentioned. As such, I will say a few words in this regard today. First of all, it should be kept in mind that for any task and in order to meet its expenses, funds are required. Expounding upon this, the Promised Messiah(as) stated on one occasion that every prophet has made appeals for financial contribution for the completion of their objectives. (Malfuzat [1984], Vol. 1, p. 233)
Even in the Holy Quran, the attention of the believers has been drawn towards offering financial sacrifices from various perspectives and in various ways.
Allah the Almighty has clearly stated that the sacrifices one offers and the wealth they spend for the sake of religion, Allah the Almighty will reward them for it in this world as well as in the hereafter. Allah the Almighty does not remain indebted to anyone. For example, Allah the Almighty has stated at one place in relation to how abundantly He bestows. He says,
مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِینَ یُنفِقُونَ أَمۡوَٰلَہُمۡ فِی سَبِیلِ ٱللَّہِ کَمَثَلِ حَبَّۃٍ أَنۢبَتَتۡ سَبۡعَ سَنَابِلَ فِی کُلِّ سُنۢبُلَۃٖ مِّاْئَۃُ حَبَّۃٖ ۗ وَٱللَّہُ یُضَٰعِفُ لِمَن یَشَآءُ ۚ وَٱللَّہُ وَٰسِعٌ عَلِیمٌ
“The similitude of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing. [Surah al-Baqarah, Ch. 2: V. 262]”
Hence, this is the example of those believers, who spend in the way of Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty does not remain indebted to those who sincerely spend in His way. Rather, Allah the Almighty provides for them in this world as well as in the hereafter. In this era, Allah the Almighty has sent the true servant of the Holy Prophet(sa) for the propagation of the faith. And those who believe in him have also been entrusted with the task of fulfilling their responsibilities in order to propagate the faith, spread the message of Islam across the world and to make the people of this world submit before the One God. If they [the followers of the Promised Messiah(as)] do so sincerely, they will become recipients of the blessings and favours of Allah the Almighty. In one of the narrations, it is mentioned that the Holy Prophet(sa) said, “Prayers, fasting and the remembrance of Allah the Almighty increase the wealth spent in His way up to 700 times.” (Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Jihad, Hadith 2497)
That is, along with the financial sacrifices one makes, these other aspects are also essential. Hence, in this Hadith, the image of a true believer has been described. A believer should not offer financial sacrifices simply so they can say to Allah the Almighty that “I have sacrificed such an amount of wealth, now increase it 700 times and return it to me in accordance to what You have stated.” Certainly not, in fact, along with this, one will have to elevate the standards of their worship as well. They will have to improve their inner state and continuously remain engaged in the remembrance of Allah the Almighty.
One will need to avoid vain pursuits and offer financial sacrifices purely for the sake of seeking the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. In return, Allah the Almighty bestows His blessings upon a person in such a manner that it leaves one astonished. At times, Allah the Almighty grants acceptance to even a small action of a person and bestows upon one in a manner that leaves one amazed. This is the special mercy of Allah that He bestows upon a person in this way, through which one can increase in their faith in Allah the Almighty and their faith increases in His words even more than before. However, one should try their utmost not to become elated by the fact that they have sacrificed such and such amount and think that even though they do not perform other acts, Allah will certainly bless them. Even the people who offer financial sacrifices must look to improve their spiritual conditions. Only then will they become the true recipients of the favours of Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty always bestows His blessings upon true believers and countless examples of this are present in the [Ahmadiyya] Community. We do not only present the examples of those before us; indeed we know the examples of the people of the past and their conviction that Allah the Almighty would bless them but we even find examples today. From among the people of the past, there is an incident of Hazrat Rabiah Basri. How great was her trust in Allah the Almighty. One day, she was in her house when all of a sudden 20 guests came. She only had two pieces of bread in the house. She said to her worker, “Go and give these two pieces of bread to a poor person.” This was an extraordinary example of trust in Allah. The worker was surprised and thought that these pious people are rather heedless; there were guests present in the house and despite there only being two pieces of bread in the house, she was ordered to give those to the poor. A short while later, when she was contemplating this and about to leave – or perhaps she had just returned – she heard a call from outside. An affluent woman had sent someone with 18 pieces of bread with her. Hazrat Rabiah Basri returned the bread saying that they did not belong to her. Her worker insisted that she should take them and said that Allah the Almighty had sent them, but despite her insistence, Hazrat Rabiah Basri refused to take them and said that they did not belong to her. Soon after, the affluent lady who lived nearby called out to her worker saying: “Where have you gone to? You were supposed to take 20 pieces of bread to Rabiah Basri’s house, these breads were not for her. I had sent this for someone else.” Rabiah Basri said: “In place of the two pieces of bread, I asked Allah the Almighty that He may grant me 10 fold in return. That is why I ought to have received 20 pieces of bread.”
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) mentioned this incident and referred to various verses of the Holy Quran. He stated: “At certain places there is mention that a person would receive 10 in place of one and in other places it is mentioned that they would receive 700 in place of one. This return depends on the virtue and the situation at hand.” i.e. on what occasion a person offers a sacrifice and how much they sacrifice, to what extent does the person who offers sacrifice go to.
As stated before, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) mentioned this incident of Rabiah Basri and said: “Allah the Almighty bestows blessings in this way. However, you should not test Allah the Almighty in this way every time.” (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 1, pp. 420-421)
i.e. it should not be the case that one decides to do this every time and test Allah the Almighty) Indeed, if you offer sacrifices sincerely for the sake of Allah the Almighty, then certainly He will bestow His blessings.
Thus, those who sacrifice for the religion of Allah and in order to seek His pleasure, are the ones who truly offer a sacrifice. Although the example of Rabiah Basri’s incident seems like a personal one wherein she received some guests, however, people would go to see her for the sake of [learning about] religion.
Nonetheless, in order to complete the purpose of propagating the faith, Allah the Almighty has sent the Ardent Devotee of the Holy Prophet(sa) and through him, today, Islam is being propagated throughout the world and services to humanity are being carried out.
By the grace of Allah Almighty, every year the Jamaat spends millions of pounds on distributing literature, constructing mosques and mission houses, and on other initiatives. The majority of wealth collected from Europe and other developed countries is spent in Africa, India and other poorer countries and this is aside from the expenses they are carrying out within their countries towards these objectives. It is the sheer grace of Allah Almighty that the scope of this work has increased so much that members of the Community are making sacrifices and fulfilling these needs, in spite of the worsening economic circumstances. Today too Allah the Almighty is showing how He treats such people, i.e., how He blesses those who make sacrifices. Those living in poorer countries and those in developed countries all have their own experiences as they sacrifice their own needs in order to give in the way of Allah.
I shall now present a few accounts which highlight just how Allah the Almighty treats those who make sacrifices and they demonstrate the passion with which these devoted people present their sacrifices. Even new converts who have recently accepted Ahmadiyyat and Islam are automatically drawn towards making financial sacrifices and this is because they have come to understand the true spirit of financial sacrifice.
Muhammad Johnson, a local mu’allim from Liberia who was previously a Christian and became a mu’allim having accepted Islam, he says, “As a result of our tabligh efforts a few months ago our Jamaat was established in a village of our county. The people of this village, including its Imam, all joined the Community. This is a very small village which has no proper roads leading to it. It was also difficult to reach there due to the rain. With regards to collecting donations for Tahrik-e-Jadid, we overlooked this village on purpose.” They had only just become Ahmadis, it was very difficult to get there as the journey was dangerous, and it was only a very small village, hence they would encourage them the following year. He says, “One day, out of the blue, the Imam Abu Bokai Sahib came to the Tubmanburg mission house and upon his arrival handed a sum of money, saying that it was from 21 members of the Community towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. When asked as to how he had known, as they hadn’t been urged to do so, he replied, ‘I regularly listen to the radio programme of the Community and heard you last week speaking on the radio introducing Tahrik-e-Jadid and highlighting its importance, I then relayed this to the people of my Jamaat. Thereupon, the members made this donation.’” This is how Allah Almighty places it in the hearts of the people and instils the spirit of sacrifice within them.
Ameer Sahib of The Gambia writes, “Efforts were made to encourage donations towards Tahrik-e-Jadid in a village where all the members are new converts. Sister Fato, a 77 year old woman, took out 200 dalasi (which is the currency there) and donated it. She said, ‘This is the only way for anyone to spread the teachings of true Islam Ahmadiyyat, just as it was done in the time of the Holy Prophet(sa).’ She said that it was the only amount of money she had left, which she was saving to buy food for her family (it is not the case that she was a wealthy woman). She donated 200 dalasi and said, ‘I am doing so as there is a need for it for the propagation of Islam. I shall sacrifice by going hungry and this is the amount I am donating.’” [Amir Sahib] says, “As this was being said, she received a phone call from her son in Switzerland, and he said that he had sent 12,200 dalasi. Thereupon the woman cried as she announced to those present there as to how Allah the Almighty had just blessed her. She said, ‘I shall donate even more,” and the people were amazed by this. Over six months had passed and her son had not been in contact, nor enquired about his mother, even though things were not going well for her financially. However, on this occasion it so happened that Allah Almighty brought about the means whereby she received his phone call along with the amount. This profoundly impacted the people to believe that Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam, and they all made an oath to remain firm in Ahmadiyyat until their last breath.”
The local mu’allim of the Jamaat in the Geita region, in the northwest of Tanzania, writes, “A young man named Abdullah Sahib pledged his allegiance a few months ago. One day he heard about Tahrik-e-Jadid in a Friday sermon. He learnt that it was the final month for its collections, and that every Ahmadi should try to participate in it by donating whatever they could within their means for the sake of attaining blessings. Abdullah Sahib had no money at the time. He promised that the by the following evening he would most certainly donate an amount towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. So the next day he went out in search of work. One man needed manpower to cultivate his land so he gave Abdullah Sahib the job. He worked with great effort throughout the entire day in the task assigned to him, and in normal circumstances it would have taken two days to complete, yet he was able to complete it by the evening. He took the money he was given and donated it towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Relating this incident he said, ‘Allah Almighty blessed my intentions and it was His sheer grace that I was able to make a financial sacrifice.’” This is how an awareness is also being raised.
There is an island called Solomon Island which is near Australia. The missionary in Australia writes, “During the tour of Solomon Island, aside from the moral training and tabligh programmes, with regards to the ending of the Tahrik-e-Jadid year, the people were also encouraged and their attention was drawn towards participating in it. There is a woman there whose husband is a non-Muslim and they both run a poultry farm. When the Tahrik-e-Jadid secretary visited their home to remind her about making a donation, she was not at home. The children therefore donated whatever amount they had. When the woman returned home her children told her that that Tahrik-e-Jadid secretary had come, so she immediately went to his house and donated 1,000 dollars towards Tahrik-e-Jadid, upon which the secretary said, ‘I have already collected the donations from everyone and sent off the list having filled it, so I can put this down for the next year.’ She replied, ‘No, I have made a promise to God Almighty that I would donate this amount, so count it for this year.’ Thus, upon her request a new list was prepared and the centre was informed of this late into the night.”
We also witness just how Allah the Almighty gives back manifold. The missionary of Guinea Conakry writes that he delivered a Friday sermon in a place called Kafilya, with regards to Tahrik-e-Jadid, drawing attention towards the scheme. He then went to visit houses individually. He met a young man named Muhammad Sylla Sahib and encouraged him to make a donation. There and then he took out 10,000 francs from his pocket and donated it towards Tahrik-e-Jadid, saying, “This is what I have, which I was going to use to buy my lunch and dinner, but today I shall go hungry for the sake of Allah.” Four days after this incident the missionary received a phone call from this man and he said, “Allah the Almighty has accepted my sacrifice. I sat an interview for a job as a driver at a mining company. By the grace of Allah I received a five-year contract with an income of 5.5 million francs a month. So in this way Allah Almighty has given me thousands of times more in return.” He had donated 10,000 francs for the year, and what he received in return for a year was 6,600 times greater. Allah Almighty states that He gives 700 times more, and if He so wills He can give even more than that. Hence, we have witnessed here how He gives manifold.
Then, the Sadr Lajna in Niger writes, “By the grace of Allah, Lajna Imaillah Niger had the opportunity to hold its first 3-day national tarbiyati class and many women participated in it. Their attention was also drawn towards donating to Tahrik-e-Jadid, as there only remained a short while before the end of the year, and they were encouraged to fulfil their promises as soon as possible.” She says, “There and then the women began to present their donations, and despite them being told that they were only being encouraged and that there was still time, they insisted on giving it immediately. Seeing them, other women also came forward and presented financial sacrifices, and in this way a large amount was received.”
By the grace of Allah the Almighty almost in every part of the world the women, in light of their numbers, fulfil their promises and do not remain behind anyone. At times, in certain countries the Khuddam and Ansar need to be reminded that the Lajna have surpassed them, and so they too should donate accordingly.
The missionary of St Petersburg, Russia writes, “A member by the name of Arsaan Baik Sahib lives in one of the Russian states. Upon the announcement of the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid that I made last year, Arsaan Sahib, who had previously contributed a 1000 Rubles to Tahrik-e-Jadid, stated, ‘This year, I pledge to contribute 10,000 Rubles. Furthermore, he said that he was about to start a business. Nonetheless, he fulfilled his pledge of 10,000 Rubles in July.’” The circumstances in Russia are quite difficult as a result of the war in Ukraine, however, he fulfilled his pledge. Apart from that, the value of the Ruble has also fallen considerably. This amount of 10,000 Rubles is equivalent to 178 Euros, however, in light of the circumstances [in Russia], this is a large sum. The missionary further states, “After donating this amount, he said, ‘I will continue to contribute 500 Rubles regularly. (He continued to donate 500 Rubles every single day and said) I am earning a lot because, by the grace of Allah, my business has been very fruitful.” He did all of this despite the dire circumstances there. Following this, he increased the amount to 1000 Rubles and donated this every day.
A mu’allim from Maroua, a city in Southern Cameroon, writes – This, too, is an incident related to how the faith of the poor was strengthened through the blessings of chanda. His name is Abdullah and he is a new convert. He is extremely poor and last year gave half a bucket of cornmeal towards Tahrik-e-Jadid (which is about five kilograms). He states, “As a result, Allah the Almighty has granted me five sacks (350 kilograms, meaning that it increased 70 times over).” He further said, “This year, I was very worried because the prices had increased and the fertilizer was much more expensive, due to which I could not purchase any. I feared that my crop would not have a positive outcome.” Regardless, he says, “I tried as much as I could, and Allah the Almighty blessed it in such a way that this year’s crop had doubled.” He even gave a 70-kilogram sack toward Tahrik-e-Jadid. He further says, “I even tell my family that through the blessings of contributing towards Tahrik-e-Jadid, God Almighty blesses my efforts and crop.”
These are short and brief incidents, yet they are of utmost importance for Ahmadis who are poor. Amir Sahib of The Gambia writes that a member, Pathe Sisay lives in a village and took the pledge of allegiance in 2014 recounted, “I was unemployed before I entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat. I tried many times to find employment but I remained unsuccessful.” He continues, “When I entered the fold of Ahmadiyyat, I began to participate actively in chanda and propagating the message of Islam.” Now, he has two jobs, whereas before, not only was he unemployed, but he did not have a place to live. He has now also built a house for himself made of a solid structure. People claim that the Jamaat provided him with financial aid. In response, he says, “The Jamaat did not give me financial aid. Instead, Allah the Almighty has helped me through the blessings of chanda.”
Amir Sahib of Indonesia writes, “There is an Ahmadi here who owns a factory and has been struggling. Last year, when inspiring accounts in respect to Tahrik-e-Jadid were shared and the new year was announced, it had a great and deep impact on him. At the time, he immediately pledged double the amount he had from the previous year and fulfilled it as well. Just one week after that, Allah the Almighty rewarded him and his sales started to rise. Similarly, a company which had previously ceased their business dealings returned for business and requested large purchases. He says that this year, his company’s income has increased manifold from the previous years.”
Farhad Sahib, a missionary in Germany, writes, “A lady in Wiesbaden was made redundant from her job. She no longer had any income. She had also sponsored her husband to come to Germany but could no longer do so and expressed her concern to her brother. Her brother responded by saying that the only solution now was to pray and partake in chanda and to make a financial sacrifice. She gave chanda from the money she received after selling her jewellery. Just four days later, she received a message from her employer that she would be permanently employed and that her [monthly] salary would be 2000 Euros which would allow her to sponsor her husband.”
The Wakil-ul-Maal Sahib in India writes, “There is an individual here who is at the forefront in contributing towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. When he was encouraged to increase his contributions, he asked how much he should increase. He was told that he should make an increase based on his income and circumstances, however, he was insistent to the administration, rather to the missionary or representative from headquarters that they should give him an amount. Therefore, the representative said that he should increase his contributions by 1,000,000 rupees. He had already contributed 500,000 rupees. Nevertheless, he increased his pledge and also fulfilled it. He says, ‘I have a property for which I could not complete the registration. I thought that I would face a great loss as result of it, however, a few days after increasing my contributions, it worked out for me. The matter had been pending for some time, however Allah the Almighty saved me from any loss.’” Thus, Allah the Almighty does not remain indebted to anyone, neither the affluent, nor the poor; He rewards everyone based on their circumstances.
Once again, the Wakil-ul-Maal Sahib from India writes, “In Kashmir, there is a doctor who is a professor at the Sher-e-Kashmir University. After making contributions and fulfilling his pledge, he said, ‘I have been promoted as the Professor-cum-Chief Scientist in agronomy and my salary has also increased extraordinarily.’ Upon this, he increased his contributions toward Tahrik-e-Jadid.”
A lady from Mauritius writes, “Last year, after hearing about accounts of relatives in respect to Tahrik-e-Jadid, my husband said to me that we should pledge to contribute an amount that is slightly difficult to fulfil. Thus, we made a pledge for 75,000 rupees (these are Mauritian rupees). At the time, my husband worked for a medical company. In the past three years, there was an insignificant increase in his salary, however after pledging this amount, he received a job offer from a private hospital. At the same time, my husband had also gifted 1000 [rupees] to his mother. My husband said that with regards to the interview he had a feeling that he would get the job and his salary would be close to what he had pledged to sacrifice [for Tahrik-e-Jadid]. After the interview, he was hired and was offered a salary of 76,000 rupees (whereas he had pledged 75,000). He said that Allah the Almighty even returned the 1000 rupees that he gave to his mother.”
A missionary in Bangladesh writes, “An individual here faced a great loss during the Coronavirus pandemic. He also had outstanding amounts in his chanda. When a reminder for Tahrik-e-Jadid was sent, he gave 11,500 takas from his wife’s savings box, but that was only half of the outstanding amount.” Nonetheless, he says, “At the end of the month, his wife informed us that we could come and collect the remaining amount. When our team went there, they contributed three times the amount that they had pledged and also paid their outstanding amounts in obligatory contributions. They informed us that God had fulfilled a long-awaited need; for a long time, they had been searching for a plot of land for a property. When they started to partake in chanda, God miraculously enabled them to purchase a land for constructing their property. Their income increased, they were able to give chanda and Allah the Almighty enabled them to build their property.”
There is a teacher in Burkina Faso who writes, “I had the opportunity to purchase a car. Upon this, the other teachers said that as teachers, they could not afford to purchase a car and that the Jamaat had surely given me financial aid.” He continues, “I responded by saying that the Jamaat did not give me financial aid, but Allah the Almighty blessed my wealth due to the blessings of chanda.” He further states, ‘From my days as a student, I had made it a habit to give chanda and Allah the Almighty has always rewarded me for it.”
A member from Osnabruck, Germany writes, “There was an event held on the topic of Tahrik-e-Jadid.” He says, “I brought 500 Euros to contribute as an additional amount, but I was told that the receipt book had been filled.” He says, “I went back and gave the amount as wages for labour (he gave the amount to those he had employed).” That night, he saw me in a dream. He said, “You were telling me (I was saying to him) that you need 5000 Euros. I understood that this was referring to contributions for Tahrik-e-Jadid. I told my wife about the dream and she said that we will increase our contributions toward Tahrik-e-Jadid by 5000 Euros.’ He also says: ‘Sometime after this, an amount of more than 22,000 was deposited into my account for Corona Help which was something beyond our imagination.’
A Lajna member from Canada says:
“I was facing financial difficulty and was very concerned as to how I would be able to fulfil my promise [for Tahrik-e-Jadid] and was also praying for this as well. My intentions were virtuous, however I could not see any hope and I continued to pray. One evening, my daughter was searching for her birth certificate and found an old purse.”
She says, “Before going to USA (they had travelled to USA eight years ago), I had kept some money to spend there and whatever had been leftover from that I had put it in this purse and had completely forgotten about it. When I took the money out it was exactly the amount I needed to pay my chanda.”
Thus, Allah the Almighty also helps in this way as well.
The president of Guinea Conakry writes:
“There is a very poor Ahmadi lady, who sells very basic items in order to get by. During the period where members were being specially encouraged to contribute to Tahrik-e-Jadid, they also visited her house and reminded her about Tahrik-e-Jadid. Upon this, she said, ‘I am very concerned due to my very meagre income. I took a loan in order to start my business and my income is almost next to nothing and I cannot even repay my loan.’ In any case, they explained to her [the importance of Tahrik-e-Jadid] and also told her to pray. The lady donated 20,000 CFA towards the chanda. This was a very large amount for this lady, who was struggling due to her circumstances. After a few days later when one of our missionaries went to see her again for some other matter, she said in a passionate manner and filled with joy that ‘Allah the Almighty had resolved all my difficulties. My small business has started to flourish and I have also repaid my loan. This is all due to the financial sacrifice I made.’”
Farid Ibrahimov from Tatarstan, Russia, says, “In the summer of last year, something rather strange happened with my phone. After receiving money in my online account from my passengers, the sermon of the Khalifa of the time regarding financial contributions began to play on my smartphone by itself. This did not just happen once, in fact whenever a large amount would be transferred to my account, an incident like this would occur. From this I learnt that by giving proof of His existence, Allah the Almighty is reminding me that it is a matter of great honour for me to be part of the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah(as) and have the opportunity to offer financial sacrifices.”
Thus, it so happens that a sermon comes on by itself or some form of message is received on the phone and in this way it serves as a reminder for the person to pay their chanda.
A very devout lady from Tanzania says that upon returning from Jalsa, she realised that some of her chanda for Tahrik-e-Jadid was yet to be paid. She could not think of any way how she would be able to pay it. Someone had taken a loan from her and she was hopeful that they would return it and through that she would be able to pay her chanda. However, the person was neither responding and nor answering her call. She was unwell and due to her medications, her expenses were continuously increasing by the day. She was very worried as she also had to pay for her children’s school fees. She told her children to also pray and as she was saying this, the sound of the Azan appeared and her child said that they should go for Salat and ask from God. (Through this, Allah the Almighty also strengthens the faith of the children as well.) The child said, “We do not have any money and Allah the Almighty may accept our prayer and may influence his heart and thus he repays us.” Subsequently, both mother and son performed the ablution and fervently prayed before Allah the Almighty. Allah works in such ways that even before they had finished their prayer, the phone started to ring and the person calling was the one who had borrowed money from them. The person calling said that he was standing outside the door in order to return the money. He then said that he was standing at the bus stop waiting for a wagon, when he heard the Azan and along with this he felt as if someone was also saying that he should first repay the loan he had taken. And so, he said he had come to return the money. The mother and the child heard this entire incident and their hearts were filled with praise for Allah the Almighty. They expressed their gratitude to Allah the Almighty and the child stated, “we offered our prayer and Allah the Almighty also retuned our money.” They then used that money to fulfil their various needs.
Ikram Jaan Sahib from Saint Petersburg says, “I always pray to be financially well-off so that I can help those in need and particularly so that I can pay towards the various chandas. This prayer is always fulfilled in miraculous ways. Last time, I was short of 3,000 Rubles and it was the last day to pay the chanda. Whilst at work, two people came to me suddenly and one of them gave me 1,000 Rubles and the other gave 2,000 Rubles. This has never happened to me before because normally I receive around 300 to 500 Rubles from work. Now, I always give my extra income in the way of Allah the Almighty.”
These are just a few accounts which I have presented which show that how Allah the Almighty treats those people who offer financial sacrifice in a sincere manner.
Now, I shall announce the commencement of the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid. The 88th year has come to an end on the 31 October and the 89th year has now started from 1 November. This year, the members of the Jamaat have presented a total financial sacrifice of 16.4 million pounds towards the financial scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid, alhamdulillah. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, despite the increasingly deteriorating economic situation of the world, there is an increase of 1.1 million pounds from the previous year’s collection. Just like the previous year, Germany Jamaat has stood first amongst all the jamaats of the world by the grace of Allah the Almighty. Pakistan has also made a great sacrifice, but since their economic circumstances are not good, therefore they have fallen behind in their position, but only due to the drop in the value of their currency, however, in terms of their level of sacrifice, they have continued to make progress.
Although Germany is first, however with regards to their local currency they have had less collection [from before]. And if UK and USA continue with the progress they are making, they could go ahead of them. Similarly, there has been significant progress by Canada, Australia, India and Ghana.
Some of the other jamaats who have made a notable effort are Holland, France, Sweden, Georgia, Norway, Belgium, Burma, Malaysia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kiribati, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Philippines and a jamaat from the Middle East.
In terms of total collection among the jamaats in Africa, the notable jamaats are Ghana, Mauritius (this is also part of Africa), Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Gambia, Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Benin.
In term of contribution per capita, USA is first, then UK and Australia.
By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the total number of people who have participated is 1,596,000. The notable jamaats from among Africa who had an increase in participation is Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Tanzania, Congo Kinshasa, Gambia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal and Burkina Faso.
The contributions from the members of Daftar Awwal are still being paid by the grace of Allah.
The first 10 jamaats of Germany are as follows: Rödermark, Rodgau, Mahdi-Abad, Nieda, Köln, Flörsheim, Neuss, Pinneberg, Osnabrück and Friedberg.
The position of the local Amarats is as follows: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Gross-Gerau, Wiesbaden, Dietzenbach, Riedstadt, Mörfelden, Rüsselsheim, Darmstadt and Mannheim.
In terms of total collection in Pakistan, Lahore is first followed by Rabwah and then Karachi.
The position of the top ten districts [in Pakistan] is as follows: Sialkot, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Sargodha, Quetta and Lodhran.
The areas of Umerkot and Mirpur Khas were recently affected by the floods and rain. By the grace of Allah the Almighty people in these areas have offered great sacrifices.
In term of the highest contribution amongst the local jamaats in Pakistan is as follows: Amarat Township Lahore, Amarat Dar-ul-Zikr Lahore, Amarat Model Town Lahore, Amarat Mughalpura Lahore, Amarat Allamah Iqbal Town Lahore, Amarat Baitul Fazal Faisalabad, Amarat Azizabad Karachi, Amarat Delhi Gate Lahore, Amarat Karimnagar Faisalabad and then Amarat Sadr Karachi.
The top five regions in UK are as follows: Bait-ul-Futuh, Islamabad, Fazl Mosque, Midlands and Bait-ul-Ihsan.
The top 10 positions of the larger jamaats of the UK, in terms of total collection, is as follows: Farnham, South Cheam, Islamabad, Worcester Park, Walsall, Gillingham, Fazl Mosque, Ewell, Aldershot South and Putney.
The position of the smaller jamaats of the UK in terms of their total collection is as follows: Spen Valley, Keighley, North Wales, Northampton and Swansea.
The top 10 positions of the jamaats of the USA, in terms of total collection, is as follows: Maryland, followed by Los Angeles, North Virginia, Detroit, Silicon Valley, Chicago, Seattle, Oshkosh, South Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, North Jersey and York.
In terms of total contribution, the positions of the local amarats in Canada are as follows: Vaughan, Peace Village, Calgary, Vancouver and then Toronto.
In terms of total contribution, the top ten jamaats of India are as follows: Coimbatore Tamil Nadu, Qadian, Hyderabad, Karulai, Pathapiriyam, Calicut, Bangalore, Melapalayam, Kolkata and Kerang.
The top ten provinces [in India] in terms of their total contribution are as follows: Kerala is first, followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Jammu Kashmir, Telangana, Odissa, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi, Maharshtra.
The top ten jamaats of Australia are as follows:
Castle Hill, Melbourne Long Warren, Melbourne Berwick, Marsden Park, Penrith, Parramatta, Adelaide West, ACT Canberra and Brisbane Logan East.
These were the positions, may Allah the Almighty greatly bless all those who have offered financial sacrifices and also bless their wealth.
The UK jamaat has prepared a new website which is about the history of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in UK. Work on researching and collating the history was being done for many years and now a website has been prepared which includes research articles in relation to the efforts of the Promised Messiah(as) in propagating the message of Islam to the West. The history of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in UK is generally considered to have started in 1913 when Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sayal Sahib came here. However, the message of the Promised Messiah(as) had already reached UK and other European countries from the moment he announced he was the Mujaddid [reformer]. The Promised Messiah(as) published 8,000 copies of an announcement in English in order to inform people of his claim. These were distributed amongst the well-known and highly respected priests in India and England. They were also sent to various societies and religious leaders and this message was sent to as many places as it was possible to send in those days. For example, a politician in the UK, Charles Bradlaugh, who was an atheist, received the message of the Promised Messiah(as) in 1885. This has been mentioned in the newspaper, Cork Constitution of 8 June 1885. Similarly, one of the founding members of The Theosophist Society, Henry Steel Olcott received this message in 1886, which he mentioned in the September issue of his journal, The Theosophist in 1886.
A timeline of the blessed era of the Promised Messiah(as) has also been published on the website, which includes various facts about the propagation of Islam in the West. Also, another timeline has been prepared under the title of Pioneer Missionaries which includes the early missionaries of the community among whom were also companions of the Promised Messiah(as) and it includes their introduction and information about their missionary efforts in the UK. There is also a detailed research, along with references, on the prophecy of the Promised Messiah(as) regarding Piggott. There are some further research articles based on the history [of the UK jamaat] through which the youth will be able to clearly learn about the true objective of why they and their forefathers had come to the UK. The address of this website is history.ahmadiyya.uk. Although the website has started but they want to formally inaugurate it today. May Allah the Almighty enable this to be a source of benefit for our members and also the non-Ahmadis.
(Official Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 25 November 2022, pp. 5-10. Translated by The Review of Religions.)
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