Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2018
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 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 displeasure and those who have not gone astray [Arabic, 7:158] The translation of this verse is as follows: “And ordain for us good in this world, as well as in the next; “we have turned to Thee with repentance.
“God replied, ‘I will inflict My punishment on whom I will; but My mercy encompasses all things; ‘so I will ordain it for those who act righteously, ‘and pay the Zakat and those who believe in Our Signs’.” It is evident from this verse that
God Almighty manifests His favours upon His servants in extraordinary ways. God Almighty states that, “My Mercy encompasses all things.” ‘Rahmah’ [mercy] means ‘to be lenient’, ‘to be gracious’ and it means ‘the coming forth of mercy’. It means that God Almighty treats people with leniency and forgoes [punishment] to an unlimited extent.
It means that God Almighty treats His servants with such kindness that has no bounds. The kindness of God Almighty and such treatment is so prevalent that it encompasses everything. His ‘Rahmah’ includes Grace and Mercy. His Grace is that He has created countless things in the world, without Man asking for them.
Then, He manifests His Mercy to those, who fulfill His rights, follow His commandments and implore Him with humility. Here, God Almighty says that my objective is not to punish people. Some people have this gross misconception [saying] that, “Why did He create Man, if He was to punish him.”
God Almighty says that, “This is not my objective. “However, those people become recipients of my punishment who exceed all bounds of evil deeds. “Moreover, my punishment is temporary and it serves to reform and to instil cautiousness. “Eventually, a time will come that even the dwellers of hell “will partake of My boundless Mercy.
“Their punishment will cease. “The punishment of hell will be a result of their evil deeds “and then it will become a means of their reformation.” Thus, if we ponder over this, we realise that in fact this punishment is also a kind of reformation.
This period of punishment is, in a way, a kind of mercy. However, Allah the Exalted is also the Master of the Day of Judgement. Thus, He can cover those people, who seem sinful to us, with the mantle of His Mercy and Forgiveness and let them pass by without any punishment.
Nonetheless, drawing our attention to the paths of righteous deeds, He has said that, “My Mercy encompasses everything and I will certainly bestow My Mercy upon those, “who become righteous, give zakat and believe in my Signs “those, who believe in the Signs of Allah the Exalted.” Thus, God Almighty has said that,
“I will, considering it a right, certainly bestow My Mercy upon those, “who follow the path of righteousness, give zakat and follow [My] commandments “with due diligence and having certainty, have complete faith in [My] Signs. “I will certainly cover them with the mantle of My Mercy.” Then, at another place God Almighty states: [ARABIC]
That is, “surely, the Mercy of Allah is nigh unto those who do good.” Those who do good are those people, who fulfil their duties in accordance with all of its requirements. Hence, the person who fulfils the requirements of righteousness, acts in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty,
Has absolute conviction in the signs of God Almighty and submits himself before Him, will partake of the mercy of God Almighty. Thus, a believer should try his utmost to act in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty, tread on the path of righteousness and be absolute firm in his faith.
Only then may a person be called a believer. Furthermore, he should try to acquire the blessings of this declaration of God Almighty that the Mercy of God Almighty is nigh unto those who act in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty as is their due right.
Furthermore, God Almighty has made it incumbent upon Himself and it has been decreed that if one adheres to this, then the breadth of His Mercy will encompass such people. How Gracious and Benevolent is our God! How can this be possible? We are the servants of God Almighty.
How can a servant demand his rights from his master? However, the Master of the heavens and the earth says that if we tread on the path of righteousness and if we continue to act in accordance with His commandments whilst believing in His signs, we will most certainly become deserving of His Mercy.
The very first aspect that has been mentioned by God Almighty here is righteousness. In fact, if a person truly comprehends righteousness, then all other virtues and acquiring strength in one’s belief are encapsulated within it. With regards to this, the Promised Messiah (as) states at one place,
“The entire spiritual beauty of a person lies in him treading “on all the subtle paths of righteousness. “The subtle paths of righteousness are the minute details “and pleasant features of spiritual beauty. “It is evident [that this is achieved through] upholding the trusts of God the Exalted
“and to act in accordance with one’s spiritual pledges to the best of one’s abilities (i.e. “to uphold them in their proper manner). “Furthermore, it is achieved through utilising every faculty and limb from head to toe, “which are outwardly visible in the form of eyes, ears, hands, feet and other limbs
“as well as those that are internal such as the heart and other faculties and moral qualities “on their appropriate occasion and to the best of one’s ability.” In other words, one must utilise all these faculties properly, and in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty and to fulfil their due right.
The Promised Messiah (as) continues, “Furthermore, this is achieved through restraining one’s faculties from unlawful use “and to remain mindful of their hidden onslaughts.” That is, to restrain them from improper occurrences and to remain mindful of them as Satan utilises these limbs and faculties in order to secretly attack.
This is the responsibility of man. Only then will he truly be able to tread on the path of righteousness and only then will he truly be able to fulfil the commandments of God Almighty. The Promised Messiah (as) states, “On the other hand, he should also be mindful of the rights of mankind.
“This is the path, with which the entire spiritual beauty of a person is attached. “Furthermore, God Almighty has defined righteousness as a garment in the Holy Qur’an. “Hence, ‘Libas-ul-Taqwa’ [garment of righteousness] is an expression from the Holy Qur’an. “This indicates towards the fact that spiritual beauty and elegance
“can only be attained through righteousness. “Furthermore, righteousness is that a person upholds and fulfils every trust of God “and spiritual covenant made with Him, “as well as the trusts and covenants made with His creation to the best of his abilities. “In other words, he should uphold and fulfil
“even the minutest aspects of it to the best of his abilities.” A person should uphold and act in accordance with even the subtlest aspects of it to the best of his abilities. Thus, when a person acquires this standard, he reaches the stage where the Mercy of God Almighty becomes incumbent upon His servant.
In other words, God Almighty makes this incumbent upon Himself. And as I mentioned earlier, what status does a servant have that he may seek something from God Almighty as if it is his due right? We are currently passing through the days of Ramadhan and only a week remains. In relation to this,
The Holy Prophet (saw) has said that when the month of Ramadhan approaches, the doors of heaven are opened, the doors of hell are shut and Satan is shackled. Even from this, only believers are able to derive benefit. Only a person who truly believes and acts in accordance with
The commandments of God Almighty is able to derive benefit from this. The followers of Satan do not refrain from their activities even during these days. Acts of indecencies and shamelessness in the world are carried out on a daily basis. These have not come to a halt during Ramadhan.
Hence, this is a glad tiding for believers, those who tread on the path of righteousness and those who partake of the Mercy of God Almighty. God Almighty has extended His Mercy for them in even greater abundance than before. Thus, derive benefit from this and try to fulfil the rights of God Almighty
And try to act in accordance with His commandments. Drawing our attention towards the fulfilment of these due rights, the Holy Prophet (saw) said on one occasion that the person who fulfils the requirements of faith and wakes up during the nights of Ramadhan
In order to pray with the intention of acquiring its reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. All of his previous sins will be forgiven. This is another demonstration and manifestation of the vastness of the Mercy of God Almighty whereas a person makes a small effort and God reward him manifold.
His graciousness and mercy is manifested in various ways. Thus, fortunate are those who derive benefit from these days. Furthermore, this is also one of His blessings in that He has drawn our attention towards seeking the ‘Laylat-ul-Qadr’ [night of decree] in these last days,
So that we may witness the signs of the acceptance of prayers even greater than before. This is also not our right. This too is His blessing so that He may encourage His servants to draw closer to Him. This is also an indication of the vastness of His Mercy.
Then, we find in a Hadith [tradition of the Holy Prophet (saw)] that the first ten days of Ramadhan are a period of mercy, the second ten days are a period of forgiveness and the last ten days are a period of being saved from the fire.
During Ramadhan, when a person observes the fast and along with it acts in accordance with the commandments of God Almighty greater than before, when he increases his worship and progresses in righteousness, he then becomes the recipient of God Almighty’s Mercy even greater than before.
The reason for this is that God Almighty says that when a person observes the fast for His sake, when he refrains from certain lawful aspects in these days purely for His sake, then God Almighty personally becomes the reward for such a person observing the fast. If God Almighty personally becomes the reward
Then surely such a person has acquired forgiveness. Furthermore, if he has acquired forgiveness, if God has forgiven him and accepted his repentance then a person shall surely also be saved from the fire; he is saved from the fire of this life as well as the fire of the hereafter.
However, the condition is that he observes the fast sincerely for the sake of Allah the Exalted and also acts [in accordance with the commandments of God]. Following this, these deeds become a permanent part of a person’s life and become the means of permanently remaining immersed in the mercy of God Almighty.
The mercy of God Almighty is not limited to the first ten days of Ramadhan. Rather, it also carries forward to the middle ten day period as well as the last ten days. As a matter of fact, it will permanently remain with him as long as
His deeds are performed with righteousness and strong faith. Similarly, His forgiveness is not limited to the second ten days. Rather, it remains with a person until the end of Ramadhan and even beyond that. As a matter of fact, it remains with a person for as long as he lives.
It protects a person from the punishment of God Almighty. Similarly, a person does not remain safeguarded from the fire in only these ten days. Rather, even if a person passes the month of Ramadhan, considering the fact that he derives benefit from the mercy of God Almighty
And seeks forgiveness from Him, he will continue to remain distant from the fire. Otherwise, if after the month of Ramadhan we fall prey to worldly affairs, forsake righteousness, do not pay heed to the commandments of God Almighty, become weak in faith and disregard the signs of God Almighty,
Then it is similar to the case of a person building a safe fortress and then ruining it and destroying it with his own hands. Therefore, God Almighty has made Ramadhan a source for obtaining His Mercy more than ever before and to attain His nearness.
The Mercy of God Almighty and His forgiveness is not limited to a few days. It is not possible to be delivered from fire if His forgiveness is sought only for a few days or a small period of time and it is accepted. Hence, we should always ponder over this on a consistent basis.
In this day and age, the Promised Messiah (as) has guided us at every step in regards to how we can obtain the nearness of God Almighty and what its true essence is and how we can become those who obtain His Mercy. How God Almighty provides the means to cover us in His Mercy.
How He grants us manifold rewards for just one action of ours and becomes a source of forgiveness. How we should strive towards obtaining His forgiveness in order to be surrounded by His Mercy forever. In light of this, I will present certain extracts and will elaborate upon them as well.
Whilst explaining the verses that I recited before you, the Promised Messiah (as) states: “God Almighty says that ‘I will inflict My punishment on whom I will and My Mercy encompasses all things. ‘Those who safeguard themselves from every type of Shirk (Associating partners with God), ‘disbelief and obscenities and they pay the Zakat
‘and those who have firm belief in our signs, I shall decree my mercy for them’.” Here the Promised Messiah (as) elaborated on the word ‘Taqwa’ (righteousness) in three words, that is, safeguarding from Shirk, disbelief and obscenities. Nowadays, immodesty and vulgarity can be found everywhere on TV, Internet and the sources of media.
Hence, protecting oneself from such vulgarities and vain programs can also lead one to attain the Mercy of God Almighty. During these days of Ramadhan, one has to wake up early to keep the fasts and there are other engagements as well.
Perhaps it is for this reason that a lot of people do not pay much attention to such things during the month of Ramadhan or they do not participate in vain endeavors or they protect themselves from it, however it is necessary to guard oneself from these things on a permanent basis.
Nowadays, complaints are received about the youth, in fact, also regarding the adults too that such vulgarities are polluting their minds and are corrupting morals and these people are moving away from faith. Hence every Ahmadi should pay close attention towards this and make every effort in this regard.
Also, they should utilize these various sources in proper manner and with great caution. In one place, the Promised Messiah (as) states: “It is evident from this verse that God’s Mercy is for everyone and is vast. “And His wrath that is His attribute of Adl i.e.
“that He is Just, only comes into effect in certain particular circumstances.” That is, this attribute is manifested when one violates the Divine laws. Therefore, the reason God Almighty punishes someone is when one contravenes His Divine law. As it has been mentioned already that such a punishment is carried out for the sake
Of reformation and the Mercy of God Almighty however prevails over all things ultimately. The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “Nevertheless, it is evident that if God Almighty’s wrath descends upon someone “then it must be because that person has exceeded all limits in breaking the law of God.
“Such a person falls under His wrath despite the fact that “God Almighty has expanded the scope of His Mercy.” Whilst elaborating on this further, the Promised Messiah (as) states: “When God admonishes one about His punishment, “it does not mean that it will most certainly occur. “Rather, owing to His Holy and Pure Being,
“it is necessary that He punish one who commits an offence. “However, when the offender seeks to fulfill the due right of imploring for “forgiveness and repentance, and supplicates “with utmost emotion then His Mercy overcomes His Wrath and conceals it with in it. “This is the meaning of the verse: [Arabic]
“That is, ‘I will inflict My punishment on whom I will; but My mercy encompasses all things’.” However, if one repents, seeks forgiveness, supplicates and prays, and if he fulfills the due rights of this, then the Promised Messiah (as) states that: “God Almighty has not made it incumbent upon Himself that
“He must mete out the punishment, rather, “He has made it incumbent upon Himself to grant His Mercy for such people. “His Mercy encompasses His wrath. “His wrath vanishes and is concealed behind a veil.” The Promised Messiah (as) states that one of the ways to attract the Mercy of God Almighty is
Through seeking forgiveness and repentance. What is the true essence of Istighfaar [seeking forgiveness]? What does it really mean? Regarding this, the Promised Messiah (as) says: “The true and essential meaning of Istighfaar [seeking forgiveness] is to request God “to conceal the mortal weaknesses and to seek God’s support from His strength
“and cause one to enter His assembly of help and support.” What is the objective of Istighfaar? It is to conceal a person’s weaknesses for humans are weak. It is so that God Almighty provides support to the human nature. So that He may safeguard humans from sinning and committing mistakes.
The Promised Messiah (as) says, “This word has been taken from ‘Ghafar’ which means to cover up. “Hence, it means that God covers the natural weaknesses of the person seeking forgiveness.” That is, the natural mistakes of a person seeking forgiveness, which are countless,
Are not made apparent to others and such a person does not commit sin due to those weaknesses. However, after mentioning this its meaning has been broadened even more for the ordinary people. It also means that God covers the sin which has already happened.
That is, He conceals (from others) the sinful act that has been carried out by someone. He safeguards one from its ill effects and the punishment that might result from it. However, its true and actual meaning is that with His Divine power, God saves the person who seeks forgiveness from his mortal weaknesses
And grants him strength from His power and grants him knowledge from His knowledge and grants him light from His own light. This is because God has not detached Himself from human beings after creating them. Rather, as much as God is the Creator of mankind,
And He is the one who created all their internal and external capabilities, in the same way He is also mankind’s Qayum [All-Sustaining] i.e. whatever He has created, He is one who then safeguards and maintains it with His special support. If God is Qayum that is,
He is the One who continues to protect His creation with His support, then it is necessary for mankind to safeguard itself from deterioration by virtue of this attribute. After creating Mankind, God Almighty did not forsake humanity. He is the All-sustaining. Hence, the creation of man is subservient to the Divine laws.
Despite the fact that God Almighty created mankind and has occurred through His Divine will, however the human endeavor is subservient to the divine laws and it must pass through the divine laws of God Almighty. Therefore, the Promised Messiah (as) says that: “It is integral for mankind after having been created
“to express God’s attribute of All-Sustaining by following His commandments.” One should focus his attention towards prayer and Istighfaar so that God Almighty manifests His attribute of All-sustaining and once again provides the strength through which man can follow His commandments. Whilst elaborating on this further, the Promised Messiah (as) says:
“This was a natural requirement for man for which there is the instruction of doing Istighfar [seeking forgiveness]. “Similarly, this has been indicated to in the Holy Quran that [Arabic] “Hence, He is the Creator and also Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. “When man was created the task of Khaliqiyyat (creation) was complete,
“Qayyumiyyat is always with man as long as he lives. “For this reason there is always a need to carry out istighfar.” In order to adopt this attribute of Qayyumiyyat there is a constant need to do istighfar. “Thus, every attribute of God Almighty has its grace
“and istighfar is the means of attaining the grace of the attribute of Qayyumiyyat. “Istighfar is there so that one can attain the grace of the attribute of Qayyumiyyat.” If one wishes to benefit from the bounty of God Almighty’s attribute of Qayyumiyyat
Then carry out istighfar so that God Almighty may enable one to properly utilise the God-given abilities, strengths and powers in accordance with His desire. The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “Another indication to this is in the verse of Surah Fatihah [Arabic]
‘Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help’. “That is to say we worship Thee alone and seek help from Thee alone so that “we can attain the succour of Your Qayyumiyyat [All-Sustaining] and Rububiyyat [Providence] “and that we may be protected from stumbling.
“Let it not be that our weaknesses become manifest and that we are unable to worship Thee.” Hence, this is the fundamental point which we must always keep in mind. To merely think that just because God Almighty has said that His Mercy encompasses everything,
Therefore one can do as he wills and later will simply seek God Almighty’s Mercy and forgiveness, this is not correct. God Almighty has taken it upon Himself to show mercy on those who come to Him, who adhere to His commandments and who seek His forgiveness.
Then whilst further expounding on the topic of istighfar the Promised Messiah (as) states, “There are some people who are aware of the sins they are committing “and there are others who are completely unaware of them. “They do not even know they are committing a sin,
“they have become completely insensitive to it and they are completely oblivious to what sin is. “For this reason God Almighty has made it forever incumbent upon us to do istighfar “so that man may continue to seek forgiveness for every sin; be it outward or hidden,
“whether he is aware of it or not, whether it is the sin of his hand, his foot, his tongue, his nose, his ear or his eye or anything else. “However many body parts there are, there should not be a single sin carried out by any of them.
“Thus, one should continue to seek forgiveness.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “We should always recite the prayer of Hazrat Adam (as): [Arabic] ‘Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; ‘and if Thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, we shall surely be of the lost.’ The Promised Messiah (as) states,
“This prayer has already been accepted, so do not live a life of ignorance. “Those who live not their lives in ignorance, “it is impossible for them to be afflicted by a calamity which they cannot bear. “No affliction afflicts them without the permission of God, “just as the following supplication was revealed to me
‘O my Lord, everything is subservient to You, O Lord, protect me and help me and have mercy on me’.” Therefore, to come under the protection of God Almighty, to attain His succour and help and to gain His Mercy it is necessary to make an effort, do Istighfar and to pray.
We often use the terms Istighfar and Taubah, so in order to clarify the difference between the two the Promised Messiah (as) has stated, “Istighfar [seeking forgiveness] and Taubah [seeking repentance] are two different things. “One reason for Istighfar to be presiding over Taubah, “i.e. it has priority over it and comes before it,
“is that Istighfar is the aid and strength which is sought of God Almighty. “The aid and strength are granted by carrying out Istighfar by God Almighty “to protect man from sin, whereas Taubah means to stand on one’s own two feet.”
That is to say once one abstains from sin he must abide resolutely by the Istighfar he has carried out to protect him from his sins, and Taubah is to continue to pray to God Almighty and to carry on doing so. Taubah is therefore the prayer wherein one states that
“O Allah! enable us to remain firmly established on the prayers which we have made “whilst seeking forgiveness. “Make this salvation from the Fire You have granted us eternal. “Do not allow any of our actions or efforts we have made displease You, “lest we go back to our former state.”
Therefore Taubah is in order to acquire this and hence “And I turn to Him” has been stated. This is so that He may enable us to remain firmly established upon this and that we may continue to refrain from sin, attain His forgiveness and continue to be saved from the Fire.
The Promised Messiah (as) states, “It is the practise of God that when one seeks help from Him, He grants a strength, “and after granting it man can stand on his own two feet “and a strength will be granted to him to carry out noble deeds, which is called ‘and I turn to Him’.”
The Promised Messiah (as) state that “One is enabled to do Taubah once he has carried out Istighfar. “If one does not do Istighfar, then know that the ability to do Taubah will certainly die away. “So if one does Istighfar in such a way and then does Taubah then the result will be [Arabic]
‘He will provide for you a goodly provision until an appointed term’.” The Promised Messiah (as) states, “It is the established practise of God Almighty that “if you carry out Istighfar and Taubah then you will attain your objectives. “Every faculty has its own scope in which one can excel in its various levels.
“Not every person can become a Nabi (prophet), Rasul (messenger), Siddiq (truthful) or Shaheed (martyr). “Whatever bounds have been appointed in ones ranks, the levels to which one can reach, “it is necessary for him to make exerted efforts to attain that “and that can only be done so through Istighfar and Taubah.”
Then whilst further explaining Taubah, the Promised Messiah (as) states, “In Arabic idiom, Taubah (repentance) means ‘returning’, “and that is why in the Holy Qur’an God’s name is also Tawwab, “that is to say, He Who is Oft-Returning. “This means that when a person discarding sin turns to God with a sincere heart,
“God Almighty turns even more to him. “This is altogether in accord with the law of nature. “God Almighty has made it part of human nature that “when a person turns to another with a sincere heart, the latter’s heart is also softened for him.
“Then how can reason accept that when a servant turns towards God Almighty with a true heart “God should not turn to him? “Indeed God, Who is Benevolent and Merciful, turns even more towards His servant. “That is why in the Holy Qur’an, God’s name, as we have just mentioned, “is also Tawwab, meaning Oft-Returning.
“Man’s turning to God is through remorse and humility and meekness, “and God’s turning to man is with mercy and forgiveness. “If mercy were not one of the attributes of God Almighty, “no one would be able to attain deliverance from their sins.
“It is a pity that people do not ponder over the attributes of God Almighty “and depend entirely upon their own actions (i.e those who think that that can achieve everything their own actions). “But can it be the attitude of God, Who without any action proceeding from man,
“has created thousands of bounties for him upon the earth, that, when weak man, “being warned of his heedlessness should turn to Him, a turning which is like death “and should put off his old garment and should be consumed in the fire of His love,
“God should not turn to him with mercy? Is this the law of nature?” The Promised Messiah (as) is responding to those who claim that God Almighty does not show Mercy even if one supplicates and seeks forgiveness and turns to him, a turning which is like death and should put off his old garment
And should be consumed in the fire of His love, and purifies himself but will God still not turn to him with mercy? Such a view can only be of those people who utter falsehood “Curse of Allah be upon the liars.” “It can never be the case that a man fulfils his obligations
“and God Almighty does not reward him at all. “This is in conflict with the grand stature of God Almighty “and in contrast to God Almighty’s announcement that ‘My mercy is all-encompassing’ and this is against His law. “As I have mentioned it is against His pronouncement of His Mercy all-encompassing,
“however the duty which man must fulfil is that he must strive in such a manner as if he has died “and removed from his body the former unclean garment, “i.e. the garment of sin, and burns in the fire of His love.” The Promised Messiah (as) states that when these are acted upon,
This is something to greatly ponder over, then God Almighty will also turn to man in a way which he could never imagine. Thus, this should be the level of one’s seeking of forgiveness, which makes an individual deserving of God Almighty’s Mercy and God Almighty has ordained His Mercy for Himself.
The Promised Messiah (as) also outlined the conditions of how one can strive to seek true repentance. The Promised Messiah (as) says that there are three conditions for repentance. The first of these is that one should discard all those thoughts which arouse evil propensities.
This cannot be fulfilled until one imagines those evils to be repulsive and abhorrent. If those evils remain in one’s mind and one does not perceive it to be abhorrent, then it will be difficult to abstain from such evils. The first condition is that one has to remove these thoughts from one’s mind
And try to create a sense of abhorrence for them. The second condition is that at the thought of any evil or immoral act one should show remorse and regret. When such thought is aroused in one’s mind they should immediately show remorse and regret over that thought.
He should have the thought in his mind that the evil desires which he is indulging in are transient, and are such that can destroy his life. Soon a time will come wherein this transient passion will finish. In essence one should listen to one’s own conscious
As it is ones conscious which always guides one if a thing is evil or good. When ones thoughts become in line with this and one listens to their conscious, then gradually they can safeguard themselves from these evils. The third condition is that one should have a firm resolve that
They will never revert to these vices in future. Subsequently in order to remain firm on this one should use all their resolve and also pray in this regard, then these vices will disappear and one will perform virtues in their stead. Where the Promised Messiah (as) mentions about removing the tainted cloak [of vice],
This means that if one strives to their utmost ability, using all their resolve to do so, they will then become deserving of God’s Mercy. Further elaborating on how one can protect themselves from the fire through seeking forgiveness and repentance, the Promised Messiah (as) says:
“For man, repentance is not a futile act or something worthless. “Furthermore, its effects are not only confined to the Hereafter, rather, “through this ones worldly life as well as their faith are resolved. “They become blessed with peace and serenity in this life as well as in the Hereafter.
“Observe that God Almighty states in the Quran: [Arabic] ‘Our Lord, grant us comforts in this world as well as peace and serenity in the world to come, ‘and protect us from the torment of the Fire.’ “The truth of the matter is that there is a subtle indication
Towards repentance in the word Rabbana [our Lord]. “The word Rabbana requires [and implies that] a person has left other gods “which he had previously adopted, and turned towards this Lord. “Furthermore, this word can only be uttered from the heart of a person with true anguish and fervour.
“When a person recites Rabbana in its true sense, “it is not uttered by the tongue, rather it is from the heart.” There are people who say Rabbana and offer this prayer superficially. Only if a person offers this prayer whole heartedly will the word Rabbana be uttered in its true sense.
The Promised Messiah (as) says: “‘Rab’ means the One Who enables a person to reach their pinnacle in stages “and also the One Who nourishes. “The fact of the matter is that a person creates multiple gods for themselves. “They have utmost faith in their schemes and deceptions, as those are their gods.
“If they are proud of their knowledge or power then that is their god. “If they are proud of their beauty or wealth then that is their god. “In short, there are thousands of such gods which are attached to them.
“Until they do not forsake them all, bow their head before the One True Lord “and fall at His threshold, supplicating the words of Rabbana, with true heart-wrenching emotions, “they will not be able to understand the nature of the True Lord. “Thus, when one accepts their sins and supplicates with true pain and fervour,
“and then addresses their Lord, ‘Rabbana’ i.e. O my Lord! You were in fact the True God! ‘Yet out of my error I wandered away from You, but now I have abandoned those false gods ‘and I sincerely proclaim your Providence and come to Your threshold.’
“Until one removes from his heart the grandeur and dignity of all other gods, “he will not be able to call upon the Providence of the True Lord. “Certain people have adopted falsehood as their lord. “They believe that without uttering falsehood it will be difficult for them to get by.
“Others have made theft, robbery and fraud as their lord. “They believe that besides this there is no other means for their livelihood and sustenance. “Thus, these are their lords” The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “Such people who solely rely and trust their own sources of earning livelihood,
“what need do they have to pray and seek help from God Almighty? “One only is in need of prayer when all other means are not available except His alone, “only such a person supplicates from his heart. “Thus, the prayer ‘Rabbana Aatina Fi Dunya’ (Our Lord, grant us comforts in this world)
“is only recited by those who consider God as their true Lord “and they have firm belief that all other false gods are completely worthless before Him,” The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “The hellfire does not only refer to the fire that will burn on the Day of Judgment.
“However, one who lives a long life is able to witness that there are thousands of fires in this world. “Those who have experienced this will know that there all kinds of different fires that exist in this world. “Various forms of calamities, fear, murder, poverty, illnesses, failures,
“fear of humiliation and deprivation, numerous kinds of grief and sorrows, “affliction relating to one’s wife, children, etc. and relations turning sour with near relatives all constitute as fire. “Therefore, a Momin [believer] prays to be saved from every kind of fire. “Since one has attached himself to God Almighty and prays to be saved
“from all kinds of calamities which can cause one to experience difficulty “and hardship in their life and are in likeness to the fire.” The Promised Messiah (as) once drew the attention of the Jama’at to frequently recite the following prayer:
“Our Lord, grant us good in this world as well as good in the world to come, “and protect us from the torment of the Fire.” Therefore, we also need to pay heed to this, so that God Almighty
Out of His Mercy may save us from all forms of fire in this world and in the hereafter. The Promised Messiah (as) states, “The essence of this [prayer] which God Almighty has mentioned in the Holy Quran is that,
‘O Servants of Mine! Do not lose hope in Me for I am Merciful, Gracious, One Who Covers Faults, ‘Most-Forgiving and will bestow My Mercy upon you in such abundance that ‘no one else can show so much mercy as I shall.
‘Love Me even more than your own fathers for I am even more loving than them. ‘If you come towards Me, I shall forgive all your sins ‘and if you repent I will accept your repentance. ‘Even if you slowly tread towards Me, I will come running. ‘One who searches for Me, shall find Me.
‘One who turns towards Me, shall find My doors to be open. ‘I forgive the sins of one who repents even if they are as high as the mountains. ‘My Mercy for you is greater than My wrath because you are My creation ‘and I have created you and My Mercy encompasses you all’.”
May God Almighty enable us to sincerely devote ourselves to God Almighty. May we attain His Taqwa and grow stronger in our faith and belief, so that we always partake from His Mercy. May it never happen that we are deprived of His Mercy and receive His punishment on account of our ill deeds.
May God Almighty always bestow His Mercy upon us. 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.