Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2017
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer Come to success Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is none worthy of worship except Allah.
Peace be upon you all, I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah He is alone and has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger After this I seek refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed.
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path
The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. By the grace of Allah Almighty the [Jalsa Salana] Annual Convention of UK commences today. Pay great attention to your prayers during these days
And whoever is able should give alms so that God Almighty may make this Jalsa successful and blessed in every aspect Furthermore, all those coming here to participate (in the Jalsa) and those living in other countries of the world, who are watching the proceedings of the Jalsa
Via MTA should pray for the success of this Jalsa in every aspect and for the protection from all mischief of the enemies. In the previous sermon I drew attention of the workers hosting the guests towards the hospitality of the Jalsa guests. Today I shall briefly draw the attention of the guests
To the fact that they too have responsibilities which they need to adhere to. Undoubtedly guests have many rights in Islam, nonetheless Islam is such a reasonable religion professing moderation that it does not only make one party aware of its responsibilities
By way of admonition, but it also tells the other party to fulfil its duties and fulfil the rights of others which are incumbent upon it. The reason being is that this will be the means of establishing a society based on love and brotherhood.
When the Promised Messiah (as) expressed his displeasure one year by not holding the Jalsa, it was because of the misconduct of those coming for the Jalsa, ie failure of the guests to uphold their responsibilities became a source of grief and discontent for the Promised Messiah (as).
He did not express his displeasure due to any direct affliction to himself from those coming to the Jalsa, but instead he did so because those participating in the Jalsa were not fulfilling the rights of others. Not only were they failing to fulfil the rights of others, they were also displaying selfishness and egotism.
They were giving preference to their own comfort over the comfort of others. They were coming to the Jalsa and acting in such a manner as if it is some worldly gathering, whereas the purposes of attending the Jalsa are to increase in Taqwa,
Strengthen the relat ionship with God Almighty, fulfil the rights of one another and increase the feelings and level of sacrifice for one another. The Promised Messiah (as) was much aggrieved when he saw that some people were not at this level and very plainly expressed it.
Therefore, when guests come to attend the Jalsa, they are not just simply guests, and only expect to be treated better than normal or expect comfort and ease. Instead, they should become those who attain to the high levels of sacrifice.
They should always keep in mind the purpose of holding the Jalsa, which, as I have mentioned is to strengthen our relationship with God Almighty, progress in our spirituality and to fulfil the rights of others. As far as the non-Ahmadi guests are concerned,
Of course we must take care of them and fulfil their rights by accommodating them with whatever means are available to us. We must pay special attention to the hospitality of the leaders of certain countries, who have also come as guests as it is the instruction of the Holy Prophet (saw) to honour
And entertain the leaders and chiefs of other countries. Similarly, there are many people coming in the search of truth. Whoever they may be, we must fully accommodate them. This is what the Promised Messiah (as) has taught us. Hence, he used to instruct his workers in the langar “whether you know them or not,
Be they old or young, rich or poor, you must accommodate them all’ However, when an Ahmadi comes to attend the Jalsa, he should consider himself both a guest and a host. Only then can the spirit of sacrifice increase and the atmosphere around the Jalsa become one of peace, love and affection.
It should always be the efforts of the guests not to cause any hardship for the hosts, but instead bring ease. This is the instruction of the Holy Prophet (saw). Seeing as there are temporary arrangements here, in the days of the Jalsa it is not possible
For those working in accommodation to provide the same luxuries and comfort which are provided in permanent arrangements. Here communal residences have been prepared and arrangements have been made for families to stay in tents. There may be many short-comings in this arrangement. Departments for communal hospitality hold the position of hosts,
For the guests attending the Jalsa. Therefore, instead of considering these departments of the Jama’at to be appointed merely for our service, and if we see any short-coming or weakness in them, then we have the right to say to them whatever we like, then this is an erroneous thinking.
Both male and female workers who are appointed to serve are not our servants. It is their spirit of humility and service that they display when they come forward to serve the guests of the Promised Messiah (as). Among those workers there are some very well-educated and prominent figures.
Hence, at the time of need, guests should speak to them politely and with love when making their requests and if the worker apologises due to some constraint, then accept his apology gladly and happily. In the same way our young boys and girls passionately give duties and are continuing to do so.
At times these youths are seriously misled by the misconduct of the elders and their manner of speaking. These people become a real source of their stumbling. Therefore, in this regard, we must all keep in mind that the elders should also be considerate to the youngsters.
No Ahmadi guest should consider himself merely a guest, as I have already mentioned, instead he should come to participate in the Jalsa with the intention that my purpose of attending Jalsa is to be a recipient of the prayers of the Promised Messiah (as),
Benefit from the blessings of the Jalsa and to make spiritual advancements. It should not be to waste time in pursuit of insignificant worldly luxuries and in doing so spoil and ruin the atmosphere. Again I wish to tell the workers that whatever the situation, however the behaviour of someone,
You must display good manners, patience and tolerance. Guests should happily eat whatever food that is available during these three days. Consider the great passion of those people who are in-charge of their departments [at work] but they simply take time off work because there are blessings in serving the guests of the
Promised Messiah (as) and they serve by cooking food with great passion and enthusiasm. Hence, there is no need for complaining about any inconsistencies in the flavour of the food. The workers, who serve and distribute food, should also remember that they should treat people
With respect when they are serving food. If someone demands a certain kind of food and comes ten times for a serving even then you should accommodate that. Sometimes unpleasant incidents occur in dining areas over very trivial things. One should try to abstain from these .
Similarly, guests should also keep in mind to vacate the marquees serving food as soon as possible after eating in order for others to also come in and eat comfortably. The administration makes every effort to try and serve food to as many people as possible at one time.
They have also tried to increase the space in the serving area as well. However, despite this there are still some difficulties faced when there is a large number of people, but if guests are cooperating then it makes it even easier. [The management] tries to provide better facilities such as washrooms etc.
However, as I stated before, the guests also experience some inconvenience, as the arrangements are temporary. This should be tolerated. Now just last night I received a report that a drainpipe in one of the washroom areas broke and the gutter was blocked due to this and people had to face difficulty.
As a result the area had to be closed off for some time. Even though the management is trying to address this issue, however, guests might be further inconvenienced. Other than that, as I mentioned before that for the sake of convenience, some changes have been made in the transportation and parking system.
And according to the report [submitted to me] these changes are proving to be helpful and there is a significance decrease in rush and traffic jams. In fact, the flow of traffic is better. Those who are coming in should fully cooperate
With the department of parking and transportation in the remaining three days as well. Wherever and in whichever manner members are instructed to park their cars and get in queue, they should follow such instructions. As I mentioned that a bigger area has been obtained
To park cars and people will be transported on buses from this area. Cooperate as much as possible in this regard. If there is cooperation then everyone can get here on time without any traffic delays. Usually, people are late on Friday every year [during Jalsa] and they keep coming in until the last minute.
In fact, I would be asked to come late so that people can be in attendance. However, this year the system seems to have improved. So for this reason, you should continue to cooperate. This improved system will remain in place if you continue to cooperate. Otherwise, it could lead to further difficulties.
Similarly, as I said before, you should embark on your journey ahead of time in order to make it on time and find parking spots. And arrangements can be made to transport [people] on buses to the Jalsa Gah. Similarly, security issues are increasing every year.
In this regard, you should fully cooperate with the security checks. Have your AIMS cards available, and when that is not accessible and an ID card or an introductory letter is required as proof of identification, then make sure to show that.
Show it as many times as asked. Do not give your special area access cards to anyone else. Sometimes people give their green area cards to other people. Similarly, if you have a special access card do not give it to anyone else.
In previous years there have been certain incidents where people have given their green area cards or other special area access cards to their acquaintance or friends. At times senior and experienced office-bearers are found guilty of committing such wrong practise.
Therefore, one needs to be cautious of this. If someone has been issued a second card in addition to their Aims card then those who are on duty should check the names on both cards and see whether both cards have the same name printed on them.
Similarly, this year those on security duty will also stop and check those who bring water bottles with them and so you must co-operate with them in this regard also because we have been officially informed about this by the government. All of these measures have been placed for the purpose of security
Therefore everyone must fully co-operate. Also, those appointed to carry out the security checks should check everyone regardless of whether they know them or not and whether they workers or non-workers or office-bearers or non-office bearers. Thus, no one should take offence regarding this,
And nor should those carrying out the checks feel shy or uneasy. It is also very important for everyone to be vigilant of their surroundings as this is extremely important. As I have mentioned previously that most importantly we must pay special attention towards prayers. May Allah the Almighty bless this convention in every respect.
You should listen to the proceedings of the convention and not idly walk around. I would also like to mention to the administration and also the workers and have mentioned this a number of times previously which is that the administrations should strive to its utmost to provide comfort to the attendees.
There are some people who do not eat or drink anything before coming, either they have left their homes in a hurry or they are simply not in the habit of eating in the mornings. Nonetheless, there is sometimes a delay in food and due to not eating anything for a long period
They begin to feel ill. There are also some people who are patients and cannot not go without food for a long period of time. Therefore, if there is anyone with this condition then there should be some arrangement in the food marquee and also someone should be on duty.
However, if the guests have such a condition then they should eat and immediately return back and listen to the proceedings of the convention. The administration should also ensure that the Bazaar should be completely shut and even the staff working at the stalls and shops should not be there either.
They all should be listening to the proceedings of the convention. Although there should be security arrangements and the department overseeing the Bazaar should take responsibility of its security but if some people are still not content and are concerned about their expensive items then they should not remain at their stalls
But there should be an arrangement for a TV on one side of the Bazaar area, where they should all gather and listen to the proceedings. I would also like to mention that like previous years there are some exhibitions which have been organised by the Jama’at which includes The Review of Religions’ exhibition
Which will also include an exhibition on the Shroud of Turin. There are some leading experts in this subject who are non-Muslims and will be attending and will deliver their lectures and will also answer questions afterwards. Those who are interested in this should benefit from this.
Similarly, the Al-Qalam project will be continuing under the Review of Religions, where each person has the opportunity to write a verse of the Quran. People have taken part in this with great enthusiasm. Therefore if anyone is interested they can take part. In addition to this under the Archive department there will be some
Tabaru kaat [sacr ed relics owned by the Promised Messiah (as) and the Khulafah] on display which will be worth seeing. Also there will be an exhibition of Makhzan-e-Tasaweer, however one aspect that should be remembered is that all of these [exhibitions] will remain closed during the Jalsa proceedings.
Everyone should listen attentively to the Jalsa proceedings and derive benefit from the speeches. By the Grace of Allah, the scholars prepare their speeches with great effort, therefore everyone should derive maximum benefit from them. It should not be the case that one chooses to listen to their preferred speakers
Or to the speeches that are on topics of their interest and they disregard the other speeches. The Promised Messiah (as) stated: “All distinguished people should be aware “that for my community and my own self I desire that we should not focus merely on the words
“of the speeches, nor should all the emphasis be placed on how enchanting the speaker is “or with what effect they use their words I am not content with this alone”. The Promised messiah (as) further states: “I desire that there should be no artificiality or
“pretence. In fact, it is part of my nature that whatever work is carried out, “it should be completed for the sake of God Almighty’ “Whatever takes place should do so for the sake of Allah”. The Promised Messiah (as) then further states: “Whatever we utter, we should do it for the sake
“of Allah the Almighty and in order to attain His pleasure. Whatever we listen to we should consider “it to be the word of God Almighty and take it to be something that one should act upon. “In such gatherings where we are granted counsel and advice we should not only derive benefit
“to the extent that we say ‘we received great advice’ rather we should listen attentively “with the intention that we will act upon them, and we should not listen to it simply “so we can offer it praise”. The Promised Messiah (as) further states: “This is one of the foremost reasons for the decadence
“and decline of the Muslims. “Why did decline begin amongst the other Muslims? “The foremost reason for this was that they did not listen with this intention” He further states: “Otherwise many conferences, committees and sittings are held “where great speakers and lecturers deliver their lectures and speeches
“and they mourn at the state of the poetic nation. Alas what is the reason that they have no effect”. He further states: “Day by day, the state of the nation is heading towards decline “rather than progressing. This is what we have been witnessing previously, “and now the situation is becoming more deplorable”.
He states: “The reason for this is that the “attendees do not participate in such gatherings with sincerity. Hence, every attendee should understand this fundamental point that one should sincerely participate in the Jalsa programme and listen to the speeches. One should listen to the speeches with the intention that we will endeavour
As much as possible to act upon them. It is a great blessing of Allah the Almighty upon the Ahmadi scholars wherein they are able to derive benefit from the writings of the Promised Messiah (as). They take benefit from what Allah the Almighty and His Prophet (saw) has stated
And they convey this to us. They narrate spiritual and educational content [to us]. If we are truly those who take advantage of this, then we can bring about a transformation in our lives. May Allah the Almighty enable all the attendees to fulfill the objectives of Jalsa. All praise is due to Allah.
We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls and from the bad results of our deeds. Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him;
And whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path. And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you.
Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one ‘s kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority. He warns you against being unmindful.
You remember Allah; He too will remember you; call Him and He will make a response to your call. And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.