Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2020
Allah is the Greatest Allah is the Greatest Allah is the Greatest Allah is the Greatest I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah
I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah Come to Prayer Come to Prayer Come to success Come to success Allah is the Greatest Allah is the Greatest There is none worthy of worship except Allah Peace and blessings of Allah be upon you.
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. He is One 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 displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. [Arabic, Holy Qur’an 2:275] “Those who spend their wealth by night and day, secretly and openly, “have their reward with their Lord; on them shall come no fear, nor shall they grieve.” There are many instances in the Holy Qur’an
Where Allah the Almighty draws the attention of believers towards offering financial sacrifices. In this verse as well, we find that one of the key traits of the believers has been mentioned, which is that believers spend in the way of Allah Almighty
By night and day and they do so in secret and openly as well. Both methods of spending [in the way of Allah] secretly and openly are granted acceptance by Allah Almighty, for it is mentioned in another instance [in the Holy Qur’an], when believers spend in the way of Allah Almighty,
Their sole intention is to attain the pleasure of Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty states: [Arabic, Holy Qur’an 2:273] ‘You spend not but to seek the favour of Allah’ Meaning their only purpose is to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty. Thus, the signs of a true believer are that they do good deeds,
Spend in the way of Allah the Almighty out of their pure wealth, and they remain concerned with doing virtuous deeds by day and night. Sometimes they do good deeds openly and other times they do them in secret; sometimes they sacrifice their wealth openly and other times do so secretly.
Such sacrifices are granted acceptance by Allah Almighty, on the condition that the sole intent of these sacrifices is to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. If these sacrifices are merely for show, then such sacrifices are not accepted by Allah the Almighty.
The sacrifice of those who present them merely for show are rejected and thrown back in their faces. Thus, this is the spirit with which a believer should offer sacrifices, and this is the very spirit with which members of the Jama’at offer financial sacrifices by the grace of Allah the Almighty.
If this spirit is not present, then our sacrifices serve no purpose and will go in vain. If sacrifices are made with the thought that, “I must offer more than such and such person”, or they are worried that another chapter of the Jama’at may overtake them in this regard,
And so, what will people say; then such sacrifices are useless. Of course, the spirit of vying with one another is a good thing, however, it should be not be due to the fear of what other people will say. Instead, we should be concerned about whether our sacrifices
Will be regarded as more than others in the sight of Allah Almighty – this is the true spirit of vying with one another. If people offer financial contributions so that they may boastfully tell others the amount which they have given, or so that in the event of a dispute,
They may tell the administrators the amount which they have contributed, and thus feel entitled to having a decision made in their favour or being granted leniencies; or if one thinks that by sacrificing a certain amount of wealth they will be recognised and appreciated by the Khalifa of the time or by office bearers,
Then all of these thoughts are wrong, useless, vain, and completely contradict the true spirit of sacrifice. In fact, such thoughts become the means of incurring harm. Allah Almighty states that these are all wrong intentions. [He says] if you wish to truly spend in His way,
Then it can be for one purpose alone, which is to attain His pleasure. Of course, those who attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty are also granted honour by Him, but this honour should increase them in humility and meekness. In fact, such people should shy away from being complimented by others.
If they wish to be recognised by the Khalifa of the time, it is only for the sake of obtaining his prayers and establishing a firm connection with him. It is natural for one to seek the prayers of a person to whom they have pledged their allegiance.
If one has firm belief in the true Khilafat, then there is no harm in having this desire. However, the intention should not be ostentation, rather the sole intention should be to attain the pleasure of God Almighty and for the Khalifa to pray for ones increased nearness to God Almighty
And His pleasure on account of the sacrifice which has been made. Indeed, the prayers of believers for one another become the means of spiritual progress. Hence, this mind-set is in accordance with the teachings of Allah the Almighty. Allah the Almighty promises that
If one is sincere in their desire for His attention and His pleasure, and spend their wealth to attain His pleasure, then He will remove their fears and your sorrows; He will establish means to put their heart at ease, He will comfort them and will place them in His lap.
By the Grace of Allah the Almighty, this is the very mind-set of those who have accepted the Imam of the age, the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (as), who is the true servant of the Holy Prophet (saw). They present sacrifices for the sake of God Almighty’s religion,
And in turn, Allah the Almighty does not leave such sacrifice unrewarded. They spend in the way of Allah Almighty only for the sake of attaining His pleasure, and at times, Allah the Almighty rewards them in return right away; whether in the form of wealth or other bounties.
We find modern-day examples of this in our Community. There are not only ten, twenty, or hundreds of examples, rather there are thousands. In fact, I would even say that these examples are to be in hundreds of thousands of those who have attained the pleasure of Allah and experience such things,
As a result of which, their faith strengthens and increases. Those who offer financial sacrifices must also remember that they also have responsibilities which they owe to their families, and it is obligatory for believers to fulfil these responsibilities. It is a sin to neglect the rights and needs of one’s family.
At the same time, it must also be kept in mind that whilst adopting simplicity and stressing the importance of simplicity to one’s family, due attention must be given towards offering financial sacrifices. It is by the grace of Allah, that the progenies of these people reap such bounties from Allah the Almighty
Which leaves one astounded. At this time, I will present some accounts of those who offered financial sacrifices and the bounties which they received as a result; or those who were inspired by Allah the Almighty to spend in His way, and then the manner in which Allah the Almighty rewarded them.
It is beneficial to present such accounts from time to time because they inspire others as well. Some people write to me, saying that these incidents had an impact on them and inspired them to offer financial sacrifices, as a result of which they also witnessed the bounties of Allah the Almighty.
The Promised Messiah (as) states in one instance: “The Holy Qur’an guides that you should not hide all your [virtuous] deeds from others. “In fact, as you deem appropriate, “you should keep some good deeds hidden “when you feel that it is better for you to keep them hidden;
“and certain virtuous deeds can be done openly, “when you see that doing them openly will benefit others. “In this way, you will receive double the reward “and those who are weak will be able to follow your example and do good deeds.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states,
“Not only should you teach others with your words, but you should inspire them with your actions. “Words are not always impactful, “whereas in most instances, practical examples leave a greater impact.” As for the accounts which I present or those which I will present today;
People do not write to me asking that I present them, rather I choose to present them myself, so that these examples may have a positive impact on others. In fact, some people write to me, saying that if I am going to present their example, their names should not be mentioned.
Now, I will present some examples; may Allah these Almighty make these accounts a source of double the reward for those who experienced them – one source of reward is that they made sacrifices in the way of Allah the Almighty, and the other is that their examples and accounts are or can become
An inspiration for others to offer financial sacrifices and gain a true understanding of financial sacrifices as well. With regards to the zeal of a new convert to spend wealth in order to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty, a Missionary from Albania, Samad Sahib writes,
That an Albanian by the name of Jafar Koochi Sahib was listening to the concluding address which I delivered at the Annual Convention of 2020 on the blessings of Allah the Almighty. In this address, I related the story of his acceptance of Ahmadiyyat.
This Missionary writes that up until August, [Jafar Kochi] did not have any means of income. One day, after the Friday prayer, he asked to know more about financial contributions which he saw others making. Thus, he was re-introduced to the system of financial contributions, as it had been explained to him before as well.
Afterwards, he said that just that month, his flat was rented out and he had started receiving payments for the rent. He took out a portion from the first payment he received which was well above the prescribed rate [for financial contributions]
And said that once the rate prescribed by the Promised Messiah (as) had been paid, the remaining amount should be allotted to Tehrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid. The Missionary says that he informed him of Allah the Almighty’s promise in the Holy Qur’an, that He increases the wealth of those who present financial sacrifices.
He replied by saying that he had not offered financial contributions with this in mind, rather he did so only with the intention of attaining the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. Furthermore, he did so with the intention of fulfilling the instructions of the Promised Messiah (as)
That financial sacrifices should be made for the sake of the faith and it is a commandment of Islam to do so. Now, he regularly offers financial contributions every month. This is how a revolution suddenly comes about in the mind-set of those who were once worldly people. A Missionary from Argentina,
Sarwar Sahib writes that due the Coronavirus and general inflation in Argentina, people are facing extreme economic hardships. Despite this however, some new converts were informed that one of the pillars of Islam is spending in the way of Allah. In order to fulfil this Divine commandment,
There is a branch of the Ahmadiyya Community known as the Tehrik-e-Jadid scheme. The new converts came forward with great enthusiasm and offered sacrifices according to their means. Among them was Fatima Veronica Sahiba, who was able to present extraordinary sacrifices. She is a widow and has a meagre means of income.
When all of the new converts were informed that there were only a few days left before the end of the [Tehrik-e-Jadid] year, she sent a message to the Missionary saying that at the moment, she did not have the means to contribute,
But nevertheless, she would try to come up with some amount in the coming days. Hence, just a few days later, she made a contribution of five thousand Argentine pesos. The missionary writes that according to her circumstances, in fact, considering the general economic state of Argentina, this was an extraordinary amount.
The missionary says that seeing her passion, he told her that he was extremely grateful to her. Upon this, she replied, “There is no need to express gratitude. “I have accepted Islam from my heart, and I have done so after having understood it.
“One of its commandments is to make sacrifices for the sake of the religion. “In fact, I am ashamed that due to the engagement in my work, “I am not able to sacrifice my time for the religion as an Ahmadi Muslim should.” This is the transformation created by Allah the Almighty within those,
Who join the Jama’at of the Promised Messiah (as) with utmost devotion; in regards to how to acquire the pleasure of Allah the Almighty, the efforts they need to make for this and how to advance the mission of the Promised Messiah (as).
Indonesia which is in another part of the world in the form of Islands. The Amir Sahib there writes that a lady by the name Marceila, living in the city of Tangerang, said that her husband lost his job due to the coronavirus. He started a new business, which wasn’t profitable.
Following this, he started working for an online motorcycle taxi. The same difficulties were being faced there as well, so much so that they started wondering whether or not they would have anything to eat the following day. She says that they wanted to fulfil their promise for Tehrik-e-Jadid during the month of Ramadan.
She says that her husband would only tell her to pray that they be able to fulfil their promise. She says that during the month of Ramadan, she saw in a dream that a person was asking her whether she had made any promise. She says that replied in the affirmative.
Upon this, the person told her to fulfil that promise. When she woke up, it was time for the Tahajjud prayer [pre-dawn voluntary prayer]. Following the Tahajjud prayer, she mentioned this dream to her husband during Sehri [pre-dawn meal, before observing the fast]. When her husband returned home a few days later,
He joyfully gave her a large amount of money and told her to fulfil the promise for Tehrik-e-Jadid as soon as possible. She says that when her husband went to the bank in order to collect the profit from the online motorcycle taxi business, which was fifty thousand Indonesian rupees,
He saw that an amount twentyfold as much was in his account. She says that they do not know where this money came from. However, she says that he was certain that this was nothing but the help of God the Almighty, which He blessed them with, having seen their intentions.
This is the manner in which Allah the Almighty removes people from worries and concerns. Amir Sahib Indonesia says that there is an Ahmadi lady, Nur Sahiba, living in a village in Lampung. Every day, she and her husband visit a shop in an elementary school and sell items.
She says that even though this not extremely profitable, it is sufficient for daily necessities and for paying their financial contributions [Chanda]. She passionately gives Chanda every month. She said that due to the coronavirus, schools had been closed for two months and there was no income.
She became very concerned as to how they would pay their Chanda. The thought came to her mind that she and her son had a money box and they had started collecting money in it. She thought to break it and contribute the money inside it towards Tehrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid,
As they had been collecting and saving money in it. They explained the importance of making financial sacrifices to their children and contributed this amount from their children towards Chanda. She says that before Ramadan commenced, they only had one cup of rice left, which was not sufficient even for two children.
She says that she made breakfast for the children and they had rice and water for breakfast. The children asked that why do they not eat the rice with them. (The rice was insufficient and the parents made a sacrifice). And so, they did not have any answer but simply smiled.
In the afternoon, the children were hungry again. A little bit of rice was left, sufficient for only one child which he ate and the other child became hungry and started to cry. She says that at the time, they could do nothing else but pray. They offered their prayers and supplicated profusely.
Only a short while later, the help of Allah the Exalted arrived. A person came, who needed a worker on his corn field. Hence, her husband was given the job and their needs were fulfilled. Hafiz ‘Ata-ul-Haleem Sahib is a missionary in Mali, and he writes that a seventy-year-old Ahmadi, Yatara Targore Sahib,
Regularly pays Chanda every month. He is also part of Nizam-e-Wasiyyat. He travels seven kilometres by bike, over an unpaved road, in order to pay his Chanda. A short while ago, the chief of the neighbouring village seized his land as a result of which he was greatly distressed.
He also wrote to me here requesting for prayers and started making additional contributions towards Chanda. Allah the Exalted blessed him and the very same judge, who had issued a verdict against him earlier, issued a verdict in his favour now and the piece of land was restored to him, which was completely unexpected.
The reason for this is that the chief of the village was a powerful man and had a lot of influence and no one could even imagine that the judge would issue a verdict against the chief. He did not only relate this account of Allah’s help to the people of his own village,
But the following Friday he came to the regional mosque and narrated it before all the people, as a result of which other people were also extremely inspired. Through this incident we see how Allah the Exalted transforms a state of fear into peace.
Amir Sahib France writes that one of the members told him that in comparison to last year, he had doubled his promise for Tehrik-e-Jadid this year to one thousand Euros. However, it so happened that due to the lockdown, his income decreased substantially
And he felt that he would not be able not fulfil his promise. He had taken a loan, which needed to be paid off as well, and he also needed to fulfil the promise of one thousand Euros, and all of this seemed very difficult. Prayer was the only option he had.
In his heart he made a resolve that regardless of how much his income was, and whether or not he had anything to eat, no matter was happened, he was going to fulfil his promise under any circumstance. He says that by the sheer grace and favour of Allah the Exalted, the very same week,
He received a bonus of one thousand Euros from his employer for working during the lockdown, which was exactly in accordance with his promise. He says that this was given to him by Allah the Almighty because of the promise that he had made with Him, otherwise he did not even have the slightest hope
That his employer would give him such a large bonus during such difficult times. The lockdown was mentioned in the previous account and I would like to add that as of today, the lockdown has commenced here [in the UK] for a period of four weeks.
As such, there are no worshippers presently sitting before me in the mosque during the sermon. The is because I am allowed to deliver the sermon but no one else should be present except for the Muazzin [one who calls the Adhan]. A Syrian Ahmadi from Canada wrote to me
And stated that if his account was to be mentioned, then not to mention his name. He says, “Upon the establishment of the new headquarters in Islamabad, “I made a promise of contributing five thousand Canadian dollars towards Tehrik-e-Jadid “as a way of expressing my congratulation and happiness.”
He says, “I made the promise the previous year. “During those times my income was 4,000 Canadian dollars per month “and I was passing through a period of prosperity. “I bought a new car within a few months and changed jobs, “which resulted in an increase in my income.
“Yet despite the good circumstances I was still finding it difficult to raise 5,000 dollars, “because I was sending a portion of my income to my family in Syria, “and I was praying daily to God Almighty to grant me means to pay my Chanda.
“In January 2020 I had an accident and was unable to work for a month. “Consequently, I had to take out loans to cover the monthly costs.” He says that his financial situation became even more difficult due to the Coronavirus, to the extent where in February/March,
Him and his wife had no choice but to suffice on the cheapest food. It would have taken an immense effort to fulfil the promise before the end of the year, and he was praying that he could fulfil it in Ramadan at the very least, not at the end of the year.
But this seemed to be no more than a dream. He says, “Then I left the taxi business and started working in food delivery. “By the grace of Allah, my situation started to get better, “so we committed once again to fulfil the promise before the end of the month of Ramadan,
“so that we may also become the recipients of the prayers of the Khalifa. “I then increased my hours of work to 11 or 12 hours. “Thereafter, we started receiving income from places we were not aware of “and my income had increased to nearly 9,000 dollars per month. “And in this manner,
“by the grace of Allah we were able to fulfil the promise ten days prior to Ramadan.” He also wrote that if the promise had been three-fold the amount, he had firm belief that they would have surely fulfilled it before the end of the year
And still continue to aid his poor family in Syria. The Amir Sahib of Sierra Leone writes that Usman Sahib, an Imam in a Jama’at of Freetown, states, “We normally participate in Tehrik-e-Jadid ever year, “but this year I thought that the amount we normally donate is inadequate “because I do not have any work.
“All I have is a small shop which my wife and I run, “which does not generate much income, only enough to just about cover the cost of the home. “We would regularly hear announcements about donating towards Tehrik-e-Jadid,
“so my wife said to make a cash box in which we would place some money every day. “Then, in October we will donate towards Tehrik-e-Jadid whatever we have saved up. “We had never donated more than 20,000 leones in previous years,
“but by the grace of Allah, this year, in this manner we were able to donate over 200,000 leones. “My brothers also began adopting this method and they were able to donate 130,000 leones. “My wife in particular was very pleased that we did this
“whereby Allah Almighty enabled us this year to make a good financial sacrifice “and that our level of sacrifice had increased by doing so in this manner. “Furthermore, by the grace of Allah, our income also increased “and we will continue to use this method which God Almighty taught us.”
Marshall Islands is a far off place, even some distance away from the US. Sajid Iqbal Sahib, the missionary there writes, “In the Marshall Islands there is a Nasir called Kioshi Rakin Sahib. “When the Jama’at was being encouraged throughout the year to participate in Tehrik-e-Jadid,
“Kioshi Sahib said that he neither had a job, nor a place to stay. “He also depended on the langar of the Jama’at for food and drink. “Thereafter, we allowed him for some time to remain in the mosque
“and we told him that he should make a promise, even if it be for a small amount, “and that he should pray that God Almighty helps him. “Upon this he made a promise of 2 American dollars. “A few months later he came to the mission house and gave $50 towards Tehrik-e-Jadid.
“He said that God Almighty had answered his prayers, “whereby he found a job and an apartment to live in. “Now he is able to provide food and drink for himself.” To strengthen one’s faith, just observe how God Almighty grants His support, in a manner which at times even leaves our missionaries speechless.
The Amir of Gambia writes that Tehrik-e-Jadid programme was organised in Basse where we encouraged members to fulfil their promises. Musa Sahib was among the participants in this programme, who had nothing to give in Chanda. He became restless, so he would wake up for the Tahajjud [pre-dawn] prayers
And prostrate to God, seeking His grace, so that he may be able to be among those who spend in the way of Allah. God Almighty then accepted his heartfelt desire. After a few days, the company for which he did contractual work
Told him that they were going to have a two-day programme in Basse, in which they wanted him to participate. In return, he would be given 4,000 dalasis. He became so jubilant that after attending the two-day event, he increased his promise and donated 2,000 dalasis.
God Almighty granted further means for his income in order for him to give Chanda. And now, he also encourages other brothers with regards to the importance of Tehrik-e-Jadid and financial sacrifice. Talha Ali Sahib, the Sadr of the Philippines Jama’at and missionary
Says that one of the early Jama’ats in Philippines is the Simunil Jama’at where the majority of people work in the teaching profession. After receiving more than the target, the Sadr of the Jama’at messaged me to pray especially for three teachers because they had not received any income since March,
Yet all three fully participated in donating towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. Observe just how people from far-off places are making sacrifices to attain the pleasure of Allah Almighty, and the manner in which they are doing so. Shams-ud-Din Sahib, missionary of Kababir writes that al-Khalil is a new Jama’at in Palestine
Where the majority of the members of the Jama’at’s are facing a lot of financial hardship. But by the grace of Allah, each and every one of them participated in Tehrik-e-Jadid. Ibrahim Sahib is a new Ahmadi in al-Khalil, and after taking the oath of allegiance he has been making great financial sacrifices.
On this occasion he donated a large amount towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. He says, “A friend of mine was in debt to me but was unable to pay it off for certain reasons. “I waited a long time, but as I now had to donate towards Tehrik-e-Jadid,
“and due to the financial strains I had little hope of receiving the amount. “When I met Amir Sahib, “I made some arrangements and donated towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. “After learning about my situation, “Amir Sahib said now that I had participated in Tehrik-e-Jadid in the way of Allah, “God Almighty would most certainly shower His blessings.
“Thus, only a few hours after the departure of Amir Sahib, “the person returned my money and my financial worries were removed.” A member from Wiesbaden, Germany, went to the Tehrik-e-Jadid Office and told them that his asylum case was with a judge who would not pass his case.
And so, he had heard some faith-inspiring incidents with regards to Tehrik-e-Jadid. He says, “Having heard these, I decided to donate 1,000 euros towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. “God Almighty so willed that my case was passed on to another judge, “and by the grace of Allah my case was accepted.
“And now I have come to fulfil the promise I made with God Almighty.” Hence, he gave the amount he had promised. The UK Tehrik-e-Jadid Secretary says, “A member of the Burton Jama’at was jobless, “but the day after donating towards Tehrik-e-Jadid he got a suitable job.”
Another member of the Burton Jama’at was facing financial difficulties, but still donated towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. Sometime later, he received a letter from HMRC Tax Department stating that he had paid too much in the previous year. Hence, this amount was much larger than the sum he donated in Chanda.
Another member who is a professional and had worries with regards to his job as someone had made a baseless complaint against him. After donating in Tehrik-e-Jadid, the one who made the complaint was fired, i.e. the opposite happened, whereby the one fired was he who made the complaint.
One member had his car driven into a pit. He thought to himself that if it were to be taken out safe and sound, he would make a further donation towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. Thus, the car was taken out with no damage and he donated a week’s worth of his income towards Tehrik-e-Jadid.
One child donated towards Tehrik-e-Jadid the amount he had saved for six months. Thus, children too are making efforts to increase their sacrifices. One Khadim had saved some money for going on holidays. He donated it all towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. The Sadr of the Barking & Dagenham Jama’at says
That he really wanted to reach the target this time for Tehrik-e-Jadid, even if he had to give extra from his own pocket. Hence, he gave whatever remained of the target. Thereafter, he was notified by his work this year he would receive a 70% increase in bonus as compared to last year.
This bonus was a much larger sum than the extra amount he donated in Chanda. Linar Abdur Rahman Auf of Kazakhstan says, “I regularly participate in Chanda Aam, Jalsa Salana, Tehrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid.” These are all people from different parts of the world. He says, “The blessing in these Chandas is such that
“my wife was able to complete medical college and received a job from a government programme. “On top of that, the government provided a loan “for the accommodation of the children, who are in nursery. “Now our financial situation is much better than before.
“I now have two cars and wish to build my own house. “This was all due to the grace of Allah and as a result of giving Chanda. “We were previously living in a rented flat and we had financial troubles,
“but still we gave Chanda, and as a result, God Almighty showered endless blessings upon us.” Muhammad Ahsan Sahib, the missionary of Guinea Bissau writes that when I made the announcement regarding Tehrik-e-Jadid last year, one member, Muhammad Ibrahim Sahib wrote down his promise that very day.
Having listened to the sermon he decided that he would now make a contribution every month. Hence, he continued to do so but in the days of the Coronavirus he was no longer receiving any income. He became worried and when the financial year for Tehrik-e-Jadid was coming to an end
He became even more worried. So he began praying even more. He says, “One morning I received a phone call from someone “who asked if I could make construction blocks. “I immediately agreed and in this way I managed to find work whilst still at home.
“Through this, Allah the Almighty enabled me to fulfil my promise “and also removed my financial difficulty owing to the lockdown.” Ibrahim Sahib states that all this was owing to the blessings of responding to the call of the Khalifa of the time. Amir Sahib of Tanzania states that the missionary serving in Zanzibar writes:
“Hamnah Bibi Sahiba, an elderly Ahmad lady, “is the first to pay all her Chanda despite having a low income. “This year, in the blessed month of Ramadan “when we advised members towards offering financial sacrifice, “she tried her level best to pay all her Chanda in the same month,
“however owing to some financial constraints she did not have the money to do so. “She told us that one night she was so perturbed by not being able to pay the money “that she woke up in the middle of the night and wept profusely before God Almighty
“stating that it was the time to respond to the call of the Khalifa, “but she was not able to do so. “Subsequently the next morning a relative of hers “who she was unable to reach for a long time called her.
“Her relative sent her some money as a gift through which she managed to pay her promise. “She states that owing to paying her chanda “God Almighty always manifests His love for her and never abandons her.” Wakil-ul-Maal Sahib of Qadian writes:
“One member of the Kerali Jama’at of Kerala has a promise of 500,000 [Indian] rupees. “He had set aside some money to purchase furniture for his [furniture] business “and if he did not pay that money [for the furniture] on time “he would have to stop work for a while.
“However, the time to pay the Tahrik-e-Jadid also drew close. “Understanding the importance of paying Chanda “he gave the amount he had saved towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. “This pure intention on his part was blessed by Allah the Almighty in such a way “that only a short while later whereby a sum which was significantly more
“than the amount he gave in chanda was deposited into his account. “Subsequently he was able to purchase the furniture he needed for his firm. “He was then offered a project worth millions [of rupees]. “As a result he offered a large amount in Tehrik-e-Jadid,
“which was in addition to his original promise and amounted to approximately 1.2 million rupees.” Abdul Wajid Sahib of, an Inspector [collector of Tehrik-e-Jadid] from India writes: “The Cocheen Jama’at in Kerala had the opportunity to hold a Jalsa for Tehrik-e-Jadid “in which the members were informed about
“the reasons and objectives of the Tehrik-e-Jadid scheme. “The members of the Jama’at were encouraged to fully partake in the Tehrik-e-Jadid scheme. “When the Jalsa finished, we went to the house of local president [Sadr Jama’at]. “His 8-year-old daughter came with her moneybox and said
“‘Maulvi Sahib, please put whatever money is in here towards Tehrik-e-Jadid.’ “At the time the money box had 864 rupees, which she presented for Tehrik-e-Jadid. “Her father told me that his daughter had been saving the amount for some time “with the intention of donating it to the Tehrik-e-Jadid scheme.
“Her father said that whenever he would return home from his shop, “she would take any coins from him and save them in her money box. “In this way, the girl managed to save money over a few months and give it as chanda.” This is the spirit of offering financial sacrifices
That Allah the Almighty has instilled within Ahmadi children. In relation to how people become passionate about offering sacrifice after performing the bai’at, Samad Sahib from Albania writes: “Dalib Jirge Sahib, who is a local Ahmadi resides in a village. “He is a pensioner and despite his limited income, he regularly offers his chanda.
“He does not own a car and instead comes to offer Jumuah prayers using public transport. “Owing to the current pandemic, he attended Jumuah after a long time. “After Jumuah prayers he said: “‘I felt it a great burden upon me that I had not paid chanda for many months.’
“He brought 8 months’ worth of chanda. “Aside from Chanda Aam, he also brought money for Tehrik-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid.” There are countless more examples such as these. For example, Hussain Sahib, who is a Muallim in Tanzania writes: “Saleh Motunga Sahib is a devout Ahmadi who always offers financial sacrifices.
“A short while ago he fell ill and did not have enough money for his treatment. “At the end of the month when he received his pension, “the first thing he did was to pay his Tehrik-e-Jadid promise.” Hussain Sahib says: “I tried to explain to him
“that he could get treatment using that money first and then he can pay his promise later. “However, he said that God Almighty was the one Who grants cure, “therefore, he would first fulfil the promise he made in the way of God, “then will go for his treatment another time.”
These are extraordinary levels of sacrifice which leaves one amazed. There are people living in distant areas and taking part for the first time, but through pledging allegiance to the Promised Messiah (as), God Almighty enables them to bring about a great change within themselves
And also grants them the understanding of the importance of financial sacrifices. Amir Sahib of The Gambia writes: “An event was held regarding the demands of the Tehrik-e-Jadid scheme, “in which members were reminded about sacrificing their lives for the sake of Islam,
“adopting a simple life and to never feel ashamed of doing even minor and trivial jobs. “After the event, one of the attendees, Ibrahim Sahib stated “that he would give 1000 Dalasi’s as part of Tehrik-e-Jadid. “He further stated that he would devote his only son to become a missionary of the Jama’at.
“At present, his son is in Secondary School, “but his [fathers] desire is for him to become a Missionary of the Jama’at, God willing.” Adam Sahib from Ghana, who is the General Secretary of the Accra Zone writes: “The Sadr of my Zone gave me 50 Cedi’s [currency of Ghana] for my travel.
“I gave this amount for Tahrik-e-Jadid. “The next morning I left with my In-charge for some work. “On the way back he asked how I intended to get home? I said that I will go by taxi. “Upon this my in charge asked for my phone and then said to check it.”
He further says: “when I checked my phone he had sent me 1000 Cedi’s through his phone. “I gave 50 Cedi’s and received 1000 Cedi’s.” These are just some of the incidents that I have presented, but there are countless others like these.
May Allah the Almighty greatly bless the wealth and progeny of all those who offered sacrifices. I will now briefly mention details of the total amount that was given, as is usually mentioned with the announcement of the new Tehrik-e-Jadid year.
By the grace of Allah, the 86th year of Tehrik-e-Jadid came to an end on 31st October and the 87th year has started. By the grace of Allah, the entire Ahmadiyya Jama’at contributed £14.5 million, which is an increase of £882,000 from the previous year.
Out of all the Jama’ats around the world, this year Germany stood first. The economic and political situation of Pakistan is becoming more and more dire. Although compared to the rest of the Jama’ats around the world it may not be as significant of an increase,
But on the whole in terms of their local currency and under current circumstances, the Jama’ats of Pakistan have progressed significantly and offered a large amount. May Allah grant peace and relief to those countries that are suffering from economic and political turmoil and ease their situation,
So that they too are able to offer more sacrifices. Nevertheless, overall Germany took first position, followed by UK, then USA, Pakistan’s position also falls in between these foreign countries [outside of Pakistan]. USA is third, Canada, then a country in the Middle East, India, Australia, Indonesia, Ghana, then another country of the Middle East.
As opposed to only competing with other African countries, Ghana is now competing with the other countries around the world, such as USA, Europe, etc. In terms of contribution per person, Switzerland is first, followed by USA, Singapore. These are the first three Jama’ats, the rest of the details will follow.
In terms of overall contribution, the outstanding Jama’ats from Africa are: Ghana is first, then Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, The Gambia, Sierra Leone. The Jama’at of Sierra Leone is very big and has been established for a long time. If Amir Sahib and also the relevant office bearers
Guide the members of the Jama’at in the right manner and encourage them to offer financial sacrifices, [they will find that] the members of the Jama’at are always willing to offer sacrifices. They ought to pay attention towards this.
After this it is Benin – by the grace of Allah Benin has also made great efforts. In terms of contribution per person, Niger and Benin made significant progress; Benin increased the amount six fold in terms of their local currency, and there was an eight-fold increase in Niger.
Despite the fact that owing to the current situation, their total number of participants decreased, their overall collection was more than previous years or remained the same. The total number of overall participants was 1,600,800. The prominent Jama’ats of Africa who have increased the participants from last year are as follows:
Ghana stood first, Burkina Faso, Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Congo Kinshasa, Tanzania, Liberia, Kenya, Central African Republic, Sao Tome, Congo Brazzaville and Zimbabwe. The other large Jama’ats where there was a significant increase in the number of participants are Bangladesh, Germany, Canada, India, Australia and UK.
By the Grace of Allah the accounts belonging to Daftar Awwal are a total of 5927, 33 of whom are still alive and pay the Chanda themselves, 3129 accounts are continued by their heirs and 2775 are continued by sincere members of the Jama’at. Since Germany stood first in all the Jama’ats around the world,
Their details will be mentioned first. The first ten Jama’ats of Germany are: Mahdi-Abad was first, followed by Rödermark, Neuss, Nieda, Koln, Pinneberg, Osnarbruck, Flörsheim, Kiel, Freinsheim. The Local Amarats in Germany are: Hamburg, Dietzenbach, Frankfurt, Gross-Gerau, Wiesbaden, Mörfelden, Mannheim, Riedstadt, Russelheim and Darmstadt. UK is in second position.
The position of the regions in UK is as follows: Baitul Futuh, Fazl Mosque, Islamabad, Midlands and Baitul Ihsan. The top ten positions of the larger Jama’ats of UK, in terms of total collection is as follows: Aldershot, Islamabad, Fazl Mosque, Worcester Park, Birmigham South, Gillingham, Putney, South Cheam, Birmigham West and Cheam.
The top five position of the smaller Jama’ats in UK is as follows: Spen Valley, Keighley, Swansea, North Wales and Northampton. The next details are of USA, but before this I will read out the details for Pakistan. The positions of Jama’ats in Pakistan are as follows: Lahore, Rabwah and then Karachi.
The ten districts with the most contribution is: Islamabad, Sialkot, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Faisalabad, Toba Tek Singh, Umerkot, Chakwal Kotli. I don’t know why they have written Chakwal and Kotli together, they should have been written separately, unless they both had the same position.
The position of the local Jama’ats in regards to highest contribution is as follows: Amarat Defence Lahore, Amarat City of Rawalpindi, Amarat Drigh Road Karachi, Amarat Mughalpura Lahore, Amarat Township Lahore, Amarat Azizabad Karachi, Amarat Gulshan Abad Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Amarat Dehli Gate Lahore The position of the Jama’ats in the USA is as follows:
Maryland, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Central Virginia, Seattle, Oshkosh, Detroit, Chicago, South Virginia, Houston, Atlanta, Boston. In terms of total contribution, the position of the local Amarats in Canada is as follows: Vaughan, Peace Village, Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto West, Mississauga, Brampton, Brampton East, Saskatoon, Toronto.
The position of the smaller Jama’ats in Canada is as follows: Bradford, Hamilton Mountain, Edmonton West, Regina and Hamilton East. The top ten Jama’ats in India for their total contribution are: Coimbatore, Karulai, Qadian, Pathapiriyam, Hyderabad, Kinanoor Town, Calcutta, Calicut, Bangalore and Mathatum. The top ten districts are as follows:
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Carnatic, Jammu Kashmir, Telangana, Punjab, Odissa, Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra. The top ten Jama’ats of Australia are as follows: Melbourne, Long Warren, Castle Hill, Melbourne Berwick, Marsden Park, Adelaide South, Penrith, ACT, Canberra, Adelaide West, Mount Druitt, Parramatta. These were the respective positions of the Jama’ats.
May Allah the Almighty grant countless blessings to them and their wealth and accept their sacrifices. With this I would also like to announce the start of the 87th year of Tehrik-e-Jadid which started officially from 1st November, God willing. Now, I would like to draw attention towards offering special prayers these days.
We pray for ourselves and for the Community, but we must also pray for the entire Muslim world. These days, there are certain world leaders of non-Muslim nations who harbour malice and hatred against Muslims. In this current age of democracy, these leaders consider the public to be their god
And make their policies and statements in accordance to their wishes. Or, they intentionally lead them astray by proclaiming that there is no God and that the public is all that really matters. Even when they do not explicitly make such comments, they harbour prejudice towards Islam and have reservations regarding it.
A large section of the general public is also against Muslims due to being unaware of the true teachings of Islam. Hence, through prayers and a concerted effort, we must inform the world of the true teachings of Islam. Whenever the leaders in the West speak [against Islam]
They formulate their sentences in a particular political context and say it in a rather ambiguous and vague manner, but in recent days the French President openly made comments against Islam, saying that Islam was in a state of ‘crisis’. If any religion is in crisis it is their own,
In fact they do not even follow Christianity anymore, or any other religion. Their religion is in crisis, whereas Islam by the grace of Allah the Almighty is a living, growing and prospering religion. God Almighty has ensured the means to safeguard and protect it in every age.
Even in this day and age, through the Promised Messiah (as), its teachings are spreading to all the corners of the earth. The reality is that these anti-Islamic forces and individuals are able to act in this manner or make such statements because they know that there is no unity in the Muslim world.
Here, I would like to commend the Canadian Prime Minister, who gave a very good response to the comments made by the French President. He stated that this was wrong and we should respect the sentiments people have for their religions and their religious figures. If only other world leaders could ponder over this perspective
And statement of the Canadian Prime Minister and act upon it in order to ensure the peace and security of the world. In any case, the Canadian Prime Minister is commendable for this and we ought to pray for him that may Allah the Almighty further open his heart [to the truth].
It is evident that all of this is happening because there is no unity amongst the Muslims. The Muslim countries are against one another and their religious sectarianism has shown to the world that there is division amongst the Muslims. If the Muslims were united, who believe in one God and one Messenger (saw)
And were ready to offer sacrifices for this, then the non-Muslim world would never carry out such actions, nor would any newspaper have the courage to publish caricatures of the Holy Prophet (saw). A few years ago, when such caricatures were published in Denmark and France,
The Muslims momentarily raised a hue and cry and announced they would boycott their products, but then after just a few months they went silent and did nothing else. At that time as well it was the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which responded in the correct manner
And presented to them the beautiful life and character of the Holy Prophet (saw) and this was praised and appreciated by many non-Muslims, including intellectuals, various leaders and also the general public. We are continuing these efforts today as well and state in our response
That the wrongful actions done in the name of Islam by a few misguided people should not be regarded as true Islam. It does not behove any world leader to label the Islamic teachings and Muslim world as being in “crisis” owing to the wrongful actions of one person
And thereby further inciting their own people and making it appear as if they are at war against us and they will continue this fight. In fact, they themselves are the ones who provoke such people to carry out these ill acts.
I mentioned once before as well that no Muslim, who has honour and respect for his faith, can accept such caricatures of the Holy Prophet (saw) or him being dishonoured in any way. Owing to their provocation, certain Muslims become so impassioned
That they wrongfully take the law in to their own hands and commit unlawful acts, but it is these non-Muslims and their governments and the so-called freedom of expression that are responsible for this. Thus, it is the non-Muslim world which incites their emotions and provokes them.
When this issue [of caricatures] first arose, I delivered a series of sermons, explaining what the true response to this should be and what our conduct should be. As I mentioned earlier that this had a very positive impact on people and we are continuing these efforts in this manner.
Similarly, when a Dutch politician spoke [against Islam], I delivered a sermon in Holland in which I warned him of the punishment of Allah Almighty. In response to this he pleaded with the government of Holland to ban me from entering their country
And that a lawsuit should be filed against me as I threatened him against his life. In any case, whilst remaining within the bounds of the law, we strive to defend against every act carried out against Islam and the honour of the Holy Prophet (saw) and will continue doing so.
This has had a positive impact no doubt and this is the solution we present to others as well that whilst remaining within the boundaries of the law, we should take every step that we can. Above all, we must invoke salutations [Durood] upon the Holy Prophet (saw) and remain engaged in prayers.
I have drawn attention towards this in many of my previous sermons as well that despite the intense opposition of the non-Ahmadi Ulema [clerics] against us, we must continue in our efforts to defend Islam in light of its true teachings, God willing.
The killing a few people is an act of momentary and misguided passion, but these acts do not present a real solution. If the Muslims world desires a true and permanent solution, then the entire Muslim world must unite as one. In response to the French President’s comments,
The President of Turkey and a few other leaders have given a response, however, the impact of their comments is nothing compared to the impact if a response was given from a united Muslim world. Although it is said that in response to the Turkish President’s comments,
The French President slightly softened his stance and said that this is not what he meant, but despite this he remained firm in saying that whatever they are doing is right. If the 54 or 55 Muslim countries united and raised their voice as one, then the French President would not have offered justifications
And instead would have been compelled to apologise. At this moment in time, I would just briefly like to say that we ought to pray that the Muslim countries become united and at least against the non-Muslims, should raise their voice as one,
Then they will be able to witness for themselves the impact it can have. We will continue in our efforts, God willing, for this is the duty of the followers of the Promised Messiah (as) to propagate the beautiful teachings of Islam all over the world
And to show them the beautiful example of the Holy Prophet (saw). We should not rest until we have not gathered the entire world under the flag of the Holy Prophet (saw). We must inform the world that their salvation lies in recognising the One, True God and end all acts of injustice.
A few months back during the pandemic, I once again wrote to certain world leaders, including the President of France, in which I warned them in the words of the Promised Messiah (as) that such calamities and afflictions are sent by Allah the Almighty in the world
Due to the grave injustices being carried out, therefore they ought to pay heed towards this. They should end all injustices and seek to establish true justice, and only such statements should be made which are based in the truth. We have fulfilled our responsibility and will continue doing so.
Now it is up to them if they wish to take heed or not, but nevertheless we must not forget the Muslim world in our prayers. May Allah the Almighty also enable them to accept the true servant of the Holy Prophet (saw) [i.e. the Promised Messiah (as)].
The world in general also needs to understand that if they continue to move away from Allah the Almighty, it will only result in their ruin. And we must also strive to bring the world in recognising the Unity of God and to gather them under the flag of the Holy Prophet (saw).
This in fact is the very purpose of Tehrik-e-Jadid; may Allah the Almighty enable us to fulfil this task. Also, pray for the general state of the world as well because they are rapidly deteriorating and let it not be the case that after passing through the calamity of this pandemic,
They are struck by another calamity in the form of a world war. May Allah the Almighty enable the world to come to its senses and recognise the One, True God and fulfil His rights. 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 w o rshipped 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.