Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2018
Peace be upon you all, 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. In the previous sermon, while speaking about the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw), I spoke on Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood. There are plenty of narrations about him, either narrated by himself or others.
Some of them were left out, which I will mention now. Some of the elder and more senior Companions used to say about Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood that he had an exceptional status with regards to his closeness to God Almighty and his relationship with Him.
In addition to the names of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) and Hazrat Umar (ra), the name of Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood was also among the Companions, about whom the Holy Prophet (saw) used to specially advise others to take them as a shining models.
And according to anther narration, the Holy Prophet (saw) used to tell them to hold fast to the way of practise of Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood. The Holy Prophet (saw) had special trust in him and Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood also had exceptional love for the Holy Prophet (saw).
I have previously narrated some of the accounts of his life. There are some more. Some are similar to each other but have been narrated by different narrators. It is written about him that, in terms of spirituality, the company of the Holy Prophet (saw) had transformed Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood
Into a righteous, pious, and worshiping individual. He was so fond of worshipping and nawafil [voluntary prayers] that, in addition to the obligatory prayers and Tahajjud, he would also observe the prayer at the time of Chasht [period between morning and noon]. Likewise, he used to observe voluntary fasts every Monday and Thursday.
Despite this, he would be worried that he may not be fasting sufficiently. Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood used to say that my body begins to feel weak due to Tahajjud prayer. He used to observe a lengthy Tahajjud prayer. If one observes Tahajjud and nawafil as they truly deserve to be offered,
Then one indeed feels very weak. Hence, he used to say that, “Giving precedence to salat over fasting, “I observe relatively less voluntary fasts.” Once the Holy Prophet (saw), after having addressed people briefly, instructed Hazrat Abu Bakr to to also give them some advice .
Hazrat Abu Bakr addressed them briefly. Then he instructed Hazrat Umar. He addressed them even more briefly than Hazrat Abu Bakr. Then he instructed another person, who began delivering a very lengthy speech. The Holy Prophet (saw) instructed him to quieten and to take seat.
Then the Holy Prophet (saw) instructed Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood to deliver a speech. Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood praised and glorified God Almighty then said only this much that, “O People! Allah is our Lord. Qur’an is our Guide. “The House of Allah is our Qibla. Muhammad (saw) is our Prophet.”
According to another narration, he said that, “We are content with having Allah as our Lord and Islam as our faith. “And I desire for you whatever Allah and His Messenger desire.” Upon this, the Holy Prophet (saw) said that, “Abdullah Bin Mas’ood has spoken the truth
“and I too desire for my ummah what Ibn Mas’ood has desired.” When Hazrat Ali went to Kufa, Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood, who had previously lived there, was mentioned during one of his sittings. People praised him and said that, “O Amir-ul-Mu’mineen [chief of the believers]!
“We have not seen anyone greater than Abdullah bin Mas’ood in terms of excellent morals, “teaching with kindness, keeping exceptional company and extremely God-fearing.” In order to test them, Hazrat Ali addressed all of them and said, “I swear by God Almighty and ask you to tell me truthfully,
“whether you give this testimony with a pure heart.” Everyone replied that indeed they do so. Upon this, Hazrat Ali said, “O Allah! Remain a witness to this. “O Allah! I also share the very same opinion of these people about Abdullah bin Mas’ood.
“As a matter of fact, I hold a far greater opinion of him.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood fulfilled the rights of the bond of brotherhood, as established by the Holy Prophet (saw), with his brother in faith, Hazrat Zubair bin Al-Awam, in an excellent manner.
Placing his entire trust in him, he bequeathed him to take care of all of his financial matters. In other words, [he said that] all of his affairs and the property that he will leave behind will be entrusted to Hazrat Zubair bin Al-Awam and his son, Abdullah bin Zubair.
Furthermore, their decisions in relation to domestic affairs will be final and they must be complied with. Abu Wa’il narrates that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood once saw the garment of a person tied around the waist in a manner that the cloth would reach the lower part of his ankles,
Upon which he asked him to raise it above his ankles. The person replied to him saying that he should also raise his garment above his ankles. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood replied, “I am not like you. “My calves are thin and I am also slim.”
When Hazrat Umar came to know of this, he reprimanded this person for speaking and replying to Hazrat Ibn Mas’ood in the manner he did. It is also possible that this person was arrogant. It was a custom at that time to wear long garments as an indication of one’s pride.
Hence, he explained this to him and in response to this, without looking at how modest he was, how ardently he followed the commandments of God Almighty and how much he feared God Almighty, he replied in this manner. Hence, when Hazrat Umar came to know of this, he reprimanded him.
With regards to the obedience of Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood towards the Holy Prophet (saw), Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih II (ra) has stated on one occasion that, “We find an incident in the Ahadith, from which we are able to gauge the spirit of his obedience.
“A person may listen to this and consider it to be foolishness. “However, as I have mentioned,” Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih II (ra) states that, “the secret of his progress lied in the very fact that as soon as he heard an instruction “from the Holy Prophet (saw), he would immediately be prepared to comply with it.”
Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih II (ra) states that,“In the Ahadith it is mentioned that “Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood was once walking towards a gathering “which was being held in the company of the Holy Prophet (saw). “He was still on the path outside, when he heard the following words of the Holy Prophet (saw),
“’Sit down!’ It seems that the crowd might have been too big and people might have been standing “on the sides, upon which the Holy Prophet (saw) instructed them to take a seat. “Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood had not yet reached the gathering.
“However, he heard this voice of the Holy Prophet (saw) while he was on the path outside “and he immediately sat down and dragged himself to the mosque in this very posture, “similar to the way a child crawls. “When a person, who was unable to understand the secret of how obedience
“and the very spirit of it enables nations to succeed in the world, “saw Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood drag himself in this manner, “he criticised him and asked him what kind of foolishness this was. “He considered this to be a foolish act and was completely unaware of the fact
“that the primary principle for nations to succeed was in fact obedience. “Nevertheless, he told him that: ‘The Holy Prophet (saw) intended to say ‘that the people who are standing on the edges of the mosque should sit down. ‘However, you sat down on the path and dragged yourself to the mosque.
‘You should have entered the mosque and then sat down. ‘What was the point of sitting down on the path?’ “Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin Mas’ood replied saying, ‘Indeed, this might have been correct. ‘However, if I had passed away prior to reaching the mosque,
‘I would not have complied with this instruction of the Holy Prophet (saw) ‘and there would at least have remained one aspect, which I did not comply with.’” This was the passion of these people in that they desired to comply with every word of the Holy Prophet (saw).
He said, “I heard this instruction and I became worried that if would have passed away “at this moment, a statement would have been added to my ledger of actions of not complying “with this instruction, despite having heard it.” Nevertheless, he said to him that due to this he did not consider it appropriate
To continue to walk and to only sit down once he had entered the mosque. He said he thought of the unpredictability of life and whether he would reach the mosque or not. Therefore, he should sit down immediately in order to comply with this instruction as well.
Thus, these people assessed everything with such minute detail. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) further writes that: “There is another incident regarding the very same Abdullah bin Mas’ood. “During the Khilafat of Hazrat Usman, he once offered four Rak’as [units of prayer] in Mecca “during the days of Hajj [Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca].”
He had gone for Hajj, the stay there was short and he had offered four Rak’as. “When the Holy Prophet (saw) went for Hajj, he offered two Rak’as, “as a person on a journey is instructed to offer only two Rak’as. “Following this, when Hazrat Abu Bakr went for Hajj during his Khilafat,
“he also offered two Rak’as. “When Hazrat Umar went for Hajj, he also only offered two Rak’as.” In other words, whenever they were entitled to shorten the prayers, they did so. “However, Hazrat Usman offered four Rak’as. “As a result, this created some commotion amongst People.
“They said that Hazrat Usman had modified the tradition of the Holy Prophet (saw). “Hence, people approached Hazrat Usman and they inquired as to why he offered four Rak’as. “Hazrat Usman replied, ‘The fact of the matter is that I formed a decision
‘according to my understanding which is that presently, many people have entered Islam ‘from distant places and have also started coming for Hajj from those places. ‘Many of them are not as aware of matters related to Islam as people previously were. ‘Now, they merely look at our practise.
‘They look at what we, the older Muslims are doing. ‘Furthermore, they imitate what they see us doing and they say that this is the Islamic injunction. ‘As these people come to Medina very little and as they do not get the opportunity to stay there
‘and observe our prayers, I thought that if they observe me offering two Rak’as ‘on the occasion of Hajj, and if they see me shorten the prayer, they will return to their ‘areas and immediately announce that they observed the Khalifa offer only two Rak’as
‘and that the the actual Islamic instruction is to offer only two Rak’as. ‘When these people will return to their areas and announce this, ‘it will create a sense of dissention within Islam and people will be misled ‘as they will be unaware of the fact that the two Rak’as were offered
‘as a result of being on a journey.’” This was the decision of Hazrat Usman based on his understanding. Hence, Hazrat Usman said, “Due to this, I considered it appropriate to offer four Rak’as “so that they will not forget that there are actually four Rak’as of prayer.
“As for whether or not it was permissible or not for me to offer four raka’aat, “the answer to this is (Hazrat Usman (ra) answered why he performed four rak’aat “and why it was permissible for him) that I married someone here in Mecca.
“So seeing as the hometown of the wife is also my hometown,” All of his wife’s family, all of his in-laws lived there, “so for this reason I do not consider myself a wayfarer and I should perform the prayer in full.” This is a proof he gave in support of his reasoning.
Hence, Hazrat Usman (ra) explained why he offered four rak’aat with the purpose of which he stated was so that the people are not misled and do not stumble in learning the true teachings of Islam. This was a very exquisite explanation of his and full of wisdom
And when the Companions heard this most of them understood, but some failed to and remained silent. However, the others who desired to cause mischief made an uproar that Hazrat Usman (ra) had acted in contrary to the way of the Holy Prophet (saw).
Thus, some of those among the mischief-makers went to Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood telling him “Did you not see what happened today? “The Holy Prophet (saw) acted in such a manner whereas today “Hazrat Usman (ra) acted in a manner contrary to it.” They also mentioned to Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood that
“During the days of Hajj the Holy Prophet (saw) would arrive in Mecca “and only perform two rak’aat whereas Hazrat Usman has performed four.” Having heard this Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood replied, “Look, it is not our duty to create mischief
“as the Khalifa must have done so out of his wisdom, which we do not realise as of yet. “So do not cause conflict.” Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood said, “I also performed four rak’aat behind Hazrat Usman “but immediately after the prayer I raised my hands in supplication to God Almighty that
‘O Allah, accept from my prayer those two rak’aat ‘which we would offer with the Holy Prophet (saw) ‘and there is no need to accept the other two as a part of my prayer.’” Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud (ra) states that how wonderful is this state of adoration
Which was found in Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood that he performed four rak’aat but was not satisfied to attain any more reward than the two rak’aat performed by the Holy Prophet (saw). So he supplicated to God Almighty saying that ‘O God, accept only two rak’aat not four.’
As for those following they performed the four rak’aat behind the Khalifa of the time out of sheer obedience. So they attained the reward of the prayer and also the reward of obedience, however, the perspective of Abdullah bin Mas’ood was that he had obeyed but at the same time prayed to God Almighty that
“I do not wish to receive more reward than “what the Holy Prophet (saw) enabled us to attain when the prayed before us.” For this reason he prayed to God Almighty to accept the two rak’aat only. Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud (ra) then writes, “he also possessed an exemplary level of obedience to Khilafat.
“He was not aware of the reason why Hazrat Usman (ra) performed four rak’aat in place of two, “albeit this reason has been deemed correct by many. “For whenever he would go to his wife’s home, he would not consider it to be a journey.
“whenever he went to his son’s home, he never considered it to be a journey. “whenever he went to his parent’s home, he never considered it to be a journey. “Therefore, his [dealing of the] matter was correct. “This precaution of Hazrat Usman (ra) so that the people coming from afar are not misled,
“and to prevent any obstacle in [the progress of] Islam “is a proof of his extremely high level of righteousness.” This was the extraordinary state of his piety that his intention was for the people to not stumble. “Nevertheless, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood was not aware of the reasoning at the time
“as to why Hazrat Usman (ra) had offered four rak’aat, “yet he did not end his prayer abruptly. “Rather he completed the prayer and showed obedience to Khilafat “then supplicated to God Almighty saying ‘O Allah, accept two of my rak’aat, not four’.”
This was the extraordinary obedience and spirit of following the Holy Prophet (saw) in every step which he possessed. “This is why despite the fact that the Companions were completely illiterate;” and it was commonly stated that there were only 7 literate people in the whole of Mecca,
“in spite of this they triumphed over the whole world. Hence, as a result of their obedience “this is the station they attained and the success they gained.” Therefore, we must always remember this particular point. This incident not only displays the obedience of Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood to Khilafat
But also his ardent love for the Holy Prophet (saw). This is why the Holy Prophet (saw) praised the stance of Abdullah bin Mas’ood on many occasions and this itself is the way of avoiding mischief and disorder. Therefore, this is the example that every Ahmadi must try to follow.
On one occasion Hazrat Umar (ra) met a caravan of people. But because of the darkness he was unable to see them. Among that group was Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood. Hazrat Umar (ra) sent someone to ask where the group had come from. When he enquired, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood answered “Fajjul Ameeq”,
I.e. from a distant track. He then asked “where are you heading to?’” He answered,“To the Baitul Ateeq” i.e. to the Ka’bah. Hazrat Umar (ra) asked, “Is there any scholar among them?” and instructed someone to ask them which verse of the Holy Quran is the loftiest.
Upon the enquiry of Hazrat Umar (ra), Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood, who was in that delegation answered, (Arabic – Holy Quran 2:256). He stated; ‘Ayatul Kursi’. Hazrat Umar (ra) then asked, “Which is the most encapsulating verse of the Holy Quran?” Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood answered, (Arabic – Holy Quran 16:91).
Hazrat Umar (ra) then instructed the man to ask which is the most comprehensive verse of the Holy Quran. Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood answered, (Arabic – Holy Quran 99:7-9). He then asked which is the verse of the Holy Quran which causes one to tremor the most?
Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood answered, (Arabic – Holy Quran 4:124) Hazrat Umar (ra) told him to ask which of the verses of the Holy Quran is the most promising? Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood replied, (Arabic – Holy Quran 39:54)
After hearing all of this Hazrat Umar (ra) then said, “Ask if among them is Abdullah bin Mas’ood.” The group said, “Yes, by God he is among us.” Having heard all this Hazrat Umar (ra) was of the opinion of him that
He was full of understanding and after hearing all the responses Hazrat Umar (ra) was sure that it is only Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood who could give such scholarly answers. Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood relates, “On the day of Badr, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ‘What do you suggest regarding these prisoners?’
“Hazrat Abu Bakr said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, they are your people and your family; ‘keep them alive and give them respite, and perhaps Allah may cause them to repent.’ “Then Hazrat Umar said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, they drove you out and disbelieved you, ‘bring them forth and strike their necks.’
“Then Hazrat Abdullah bin Rawahah said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, ‘find a deep jungle and leave then in there, then set it alight.’ “The Holy Prophet (saw) heard everyone’s suggestions “but did not make any decision and returned to his camp.”
Hazrat Andullah Bin Mas’ood states that people began to discuss whose advice would be taken. “A short while later the Holy Prophet (saw) came out of his camp and said, ‘Allah makes some men’s hearts so soft that they are softer than milk,
‘and He makes the hearts of some men so hard that they are harder than rock. ‘Your likeness, O Abu Bakr, is that of Hazrat Ibraheem (as) who said, ‘(Arabic) – So whoever follows me, he is certainly of me; ‘and whoever disobeys me – Thou art, surely, Most Forgiving, Merciful.’”
He also said, “O Abu Bakr, your likeness is that of Hazrat Isa (as) who said, ‘(Arabic) – ‘If Thou punish them, they are Thy servants; ‘and if Thou forgive them, Thou surely art the Mighty, the Wise.’ And your likeness, O Umar, is that of Hazrat Noah (as) who said,
‘(Arabic) – My Lord, leave not in the land a single one of the disbelievers.’ The Holy Prophet (saw) then again said to Hazrat Umar that “O ‘Umar, your likeness is that of Hazrat Musa (as), who said, ‘(Arabic) – Our Lord! destroy their riches and attack their hearts
‘and they are not going to believe until they see the grievous punishment.’” The Holy Prophet (saw) then said, “Since you are all in need therefore the prisoners shall be freed if they pay ransom, otherwise their necks shall be struck. Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood states, “I said, ‘O Messenger of Allah,
‘exempt Sahl bin Baida from this ruling, for I heard him speak well of Islam.’ “However, the Holy Prophet (saw) remained silent.” Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood states, “I was never more afraid that a rock would fall on me “from heaven than on that day, but eventually the Holy Prophet (saw) exempted Sahl bin Baida’.”
He believed the silence of the Holy Prophet to be his displeasure and thus out of the fear of God Almighty and the fear of His wrath his state dramatically changed. The status of his fear of God Almighty was unbelievable. According to the practice of the Holy Prophet (saw), Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood would
Only deliver a talk on Thursdays which was short and concise. His words were so effective and eloquent that Hazrat Abdullah bin Murdas relates that: “When Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas’ood would finish his speech “it would be their desire that he would say something more.
“In the evenings he would often mention one saying from the sayings of the Holy Prophet (saw) “and whilst relating the Hadith his affection and love for the Holy Prophet (saw) would be evident.” His student Masruq states, “One day he narrated a saying of the Holy Prophet (saw) to us.
“When he said the words ‘I heard the Holy Prophet (saw) say’, “his body began to tremble out of fear so much so that his clothes began rapidly moving. “After that, to be more cautious, he added the words, ‘Perhaps the Holy Prophet (saw) said these words or used similar words.’
“Whilst narrating a saying of the Holy Prophet he would be extra cautions. “This was due to the warning of the Holy Prophet (saw) “that whosoever narrated a false Hadith would be accountable.” We find an example of this level of caution he would take from the following narration.
Amr Bin Maimmon narrates, “I frequently visited Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood for one whole year. “He would be very cautious when narrating a Hadith. “Once I saw that when he said, ‘the Messenger of Allah said’, “he went in to a state of anguish and sweat began to drip from his forehead.
“Then he said that ‘The Holy Prophet used the same or similar words’. “The state of his fear of Allah was such that he would say that ‘After death may I not be raised so that I am protected from accountability’” Hazrat Abdullah narrates, “Once Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood was feeling ill and became terrified.
“We asked, ‘We have never seen you this troubled at times of illnesses before this.’ “He responded, ‘I became sick suddenly and do not consider myself ‘as well prepared to face the afterlife and this is worrying me.’” Whilst speaking about his own death he stated, “That day shall not be easy for me.
“My desire is not to be raised up after my death.” It is narrated by Ibn Mas’ood, “He wrote ‘In the Name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful’ in his will.” Now days, it is quite common to write ‘In the Name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful’.
However, the fact that ibn Mas’ood has specifically mentioned this means that Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood possessed the true understanding of these words when he wrote them in his will. He understood the attributes of God Almighty as being Gracious and Merciful and for this reason he began this document by using these attributes.
He was cognisant of the fact that if there is anything in his will which can lead to the displeasure and punishment of God Almighty, then may the Gracious and Merciful God protect him from it. By the Grace of God Almighty Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood had become so affluent
That in the last years of his life he stopped accepting his stipend. In this condition of having no financial worries, when his financial worth was ninety-thousand dirham, he wrote in his will that at the time of burial, his shroud should consist of very simple cloths
Worth two hundred dirham and after death he should be buried alongside the grave Hazrat Usman bin Maz’un. As mentioned earlier, Hazrat Usman lead his funeral prayers and he was buried in Jannatul Baqee’ at nighttime. There is another narration that after the burial of Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood,
The person narrating this incident walked by his grave in the morning and noticed that there was water sprinkled on it. This displays the great respect people had for him. They solidified his grave overnight by sprinkling water on it. Abul Ahfaz narrates, “After the demise of Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood
“I was in the presence of Hazrat Abu Musa and Hazrat Abu Mas’ood. “One of them said to the other, ‘Has Ibn-e-Mas’ood left behind anyone like him?’ “They responded, ‘Right now there is no one amongst us like him. “Perhaps after we pass someone like him might be born.’”
Hazrat Ameen bin Haram narrates, “I have attended numerous gatherings “of the Companions of the Holy Prophet (saw) however, I never met anyone more disinterested “with the world and more concerned about the Day of Judgment than Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ood.” The other Companion who I shall mention today is Hazrat Qudama bin Maz’un.
Hazrat Qudama bin Maz’un was the brother of Hazrat Usman bin Maz’un and was the husband of Hazrat Safiya, who was the sister of Hazrat Umar. Hazrat Qudama bin Maz’un had multiple marriages. One of his wives was Hind bint Waleed who gave birth to Umar and Fatima,
Another wife was Fatima bint Abu Sufiyaan who gave birth to Aisha. Then there was Umm-e-Wald who gave birth to Hafzah and Hazrat Sufiya bin Khitab gave birth to Hazrat Ramlah. He was nineteen years of age when he accepted Islam so he accepted Islam at a very young age and
His entire family left their homes in Mecca and resettled when the Migration to Medina took place. His family was hosted by Abdullah bin Salma Ujlani in Medina. When the Holy Prophet (saw) migrated from Mecca to Medina, he arranged permanent residences for Hazrat Qudama and his brothers by allotting them pieces of lands.
Hazrat Qudama was amongst those early Muslims who had participated in both the migration to Abyssinia and to Medina. He was able to participate in the battle of Badr, Uhud and all other battles alongside the Holy Prophet (saw). When Hazrat Usman bin Maz’un passed away, left behind one daughter
About whom he advised his brother Hazrat Qudama regarding her. Hazrat Abdullah bin Amr narrates, “Both Hazrat Usman bin Maz’un “and Hazrat Qudama were my maternal uncles. “I visited Hazrat Qudama and requested for the hand of the daughter of Hazrat Usman bin Maz’un “in marriage and he agreed.
“Mughiyerah bin Shaba visited the mother of this girl and persuaded her for her daughter’s “by offering some financial incentive and the girl was also of the same opinion as her mother.” In other words there was a marriage proposal but the girl and the mother were inclined towards the other proposal that came.
“This matter was then presented to the Holy Prophet (saw) “and he called for Hazrat Qudama and asked him about this marriage proposal. “Hazrat Qudama replied, ‘O Prophet of Allah (saw)! This girl is my brother’s daughter. ‘I will not be negligent in selecting someone to marry her.
‘That is, she is the daughter of my brother who passed away. ‘I will find the best possible person for her to marry. ‘Therefore, I have agreed to the first marriage proposal as I consider it better.’” “The Prophet of Allah (saw) responded, ‘This girl is an orphan. ‘She will marry whomsoever she pleases.’”
She is fatherless and even though you might have agreed to the best match however her consent should be sought. “She will accept any one of the two marriage proposals that she prefers.” Thus, this was the decision of the Holy Prophet (saw).
The narrator himself was the girl’s relative and had sent a proposal for marriage first but he states that instead of him, her marriage was settled with Mughiyerah and they accepted the proposal which the girl and her mother had chosen. This is how the Holy Prophet (saw) established freedom of choice for women
And taught the Muslims to take special care of the orphan. He made sure that she is was not wronged because her father had passed. So the girl’s opinion should be considered [in matters of marriage]. Hazrat Qudama passed away on thirty-six Hijri at the age of sixty-eight years.
May God Almighty enable us to follow in the footsteps of these individuals who had deep insight about faith and through their loyalty and faithfulness they showed an outstanding level of love for the Holy Prophet (saw), and may He safeguard us from becoming part of any disorder.
After the prayers I will lead two funeral prayers in absentia. The first is of Mrs Amatul Hafeez Bhatti Sahiba – wife of Mahmood Bhatti sahib – of Karachi, who served as Sadr Lajna of the district of Karachi for a long time.
She passed away on 27th September at the age of 93; to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. Her father’s name was Dr Ghulam Ali and was among the companions of the Promised Messiah (as). Due to the fact that her father served as a Doctor in the army,
They lived in several cities, as he was stationed in various places. Wherever he would stay, he would ensure that there was a spiritual atmosphere around them. This was a unique characteristic of the companions, in that wherever they would reside they would establish a spiritual atmosphere around them.
After a few months of preaching, most of the people under him would become Ahmadi. Dr Sahib would then establish a Jamaat and use his house as a centre. In this manner he established several Jamaats. It was his desire for his family to derive benefit from the spiritual atmosphere of Qadian
And therefore his family settled in Qadian. Amatul Hafeez Sahiba’s mother also dedicated her life for the service of the Jamaat. Amatul Hafeez Sahiba derived benefit from the atmosphere of Qadian from 1936. Having completed her Matriculation examination, she pursued Religious Studies until the 4th Class.
During this time, she had the good fortune of regularly attending the Darsul Quran lectures delivered by Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra). She had been serving the Community for as long as she could remember. She was married to the son of her maternal aunt, Mahmood Bhatti. There is a long incident connected to their marriage.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says, “I saw in a vision that the girl’s mother sent me a letter “through her daughter and enquired about a certain marriage proposal “and also mentioned his name.Thereafter exactly what had been seen in the vision “then happened wherein the girl came with the letter enquiring about the proposal”.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) approved this proposal and said, “Exactly what I saw in my vision is now “being fulfilled in exactly the same manner as I had seen.” Thus, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) also agreed to this proposal. After their marriage in 1948, they settled in Karachi
And she served diligently in Lajna Imaillah of Karachi. Alongside this she continued her studies and at a mature age she obtained a Masters in Arabic from the University of Sindh in 1972. She achieved this with an excellent First Class result. In 1975, Amatul Hafeez Sahiba’s husband went to Africa for work purposes
And from time to time she would also go to Africa. She worked as the National President [for Lajna] in Liberia, (West Africa). Then due to the [civil] war they had to leave the country and returned to Karachi. She is counted amongst the five thousand Mujahideen for Tehreek-e-Jadid.
In 1991 she was elected as Vice President and also Secretary for Education of the district. During the Jubilee celebrations, she was awarded a degree for her 15 years of service from the Lajna Markaziyya [Central Women’s Association/Body]. From 1997 – 2018 she had the opportunity
To serve as Sadr Lajna [Women’s President] for the district of Karachi. She carried out many events throughout Karachi, which is a vast city. She held meetings with different offices and strengthened their administrative organisation. Her services ran from 1938 – 2018, a span of seventy years.
Amatul Noor Sahiba, who is serving as the president for the Lajna in Karachi, said, “She rendered a great service for 70 years.Extremely kind hearted, “meeting others with a smile and softly spoken was ingrained in her nature. “She was very punctual and whatever duty was assigned to her, s
“he would note it down in her diary immediately, so that she would not forget. “Whenever she received any directive or instruction from the headquarters, she would call the relevant department and immediately notify them, “she would not wait for the office to open and then convey the message.
“She fulfilled her duties with great devotion and showed a true example “in her complete devotion and obedience to Khilafat.” Amatul Bari Nasir Sahiba has also worked along with her and she also wrote, “She would get the work done in a very loving manner
“and would not let her subordinates feel as if she was asserting her status of an officer upon them. “During her tenure, 50 books were published by Karachi Jama’at and the book “which has the entire collection of the Promised Messiah (as)’s Persian works “was published by Karachi Lajna during her tenure as their president.
“She had great patience “and I believe that one of her greatest qualities was her patience and calmness. “She had the ability to ponder deeply into the matter, particularly in instances “of domestic issues, she would listen to both parties and accordingly give advice. “Her effort would always be to bring about a reconciliation.”
Even today, these domestic disputes and issues are increasing in our Jama’at; may God Almighty guide both parties and they should seek to resolve these issues and may He also guide the office-bearers so that they can effectively resolve these disputes. He daughter-in-law writes, “She treated all her daughters-in-law like her own daughters
“and we could approach to her and speak about any issue of ours without any kind of hesitation.” The General Secretary for the Lajna has also written, “While running the office she would treat us all equally and would always guide us.” Her daughter-in-law further writes,
“She paid great focus towards the recitation of the Holy Quran. “She taught all her grandchildren how to read the Holy Quran and provided them their religious “ knowledge. She treated the workers in the house and also the poor with great kindness.
“In fact, if any of them passed away she would take care of their family members too “and would always strive to fulfil their rights.” May God Almighty grant her His forgiveness and mercy and elevate her status. May He also enable her progeny to follow in her footsteps.
The second funeral is of Adnan Vandenbroeck Sahib, who was the National Secretary Amoor-e-Kharja [External Affairs]. He passed away on the 29th September; ‘To Allah we belong and to him shall we return.’ His father was Rizwan Vandenbroeck Sahib who was the first Belgian Ahmadi in the Belgium Jama’at who accepted Ahmadiyyat in 60s.
Adnan Sahib did not accept Ahmadiyyat because of his father, in fact he said he wanted to research it for himself and thereafter he did the Bai’at 1994. After accepting Ahmadiyyat he was very active in the field of Tabligh. In 1998 there was a Tabligh gathering in Belgium
And Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) referring to him said to the gathering, “I have a translator, who can translate from English into French and Dutch.” By the grace of God Almighty, he was extremely helpful in this regard during those days. Dr Idris Sahib, the National President of Jama’at in Belgium, writes,
“He was suffering from cancer and when by the grace of God Almighty “his condition began to improve, he started coming to the mission house again. “He would always say that ‘It is due to the blessings of God Almighty ‘that his health had improved because all the other patients
‘of this same illness had passed away.’ “Right from the beginning he was a member of Belgium’s public relations’ team. “In 2016, I appointed him as the National Secretary Amoor-e-Kharja “and he rendered this service with great diligence. “He played a huge role in introducing the Jama’at at the government level.”
Amir Sahib further writes, “He would go to the governmental offices with me “and he would tend to the administrative work of Amoor-e-Kharja “even while he was ill in hospital during his last days. “He was also a member of the Dutch translation team. “He spent great effort in translation various books into Dutch
“and did the final review of the sermons. “Similarly, he would review the translation of all the press releases.” Amir Sahib further writes, “During my various travels, he would express that his illness “has proved to be a source of mercy for him
“because during this time he had the opportunity to read the books of the Promised Messiah (as) “and other literature of the Jama’at and my faith in God Almighty has further increased. “Even during the course of his illness, he remained content with the will of God of Almighty.
“During his last days, he would always advise his elder brother “that he should spend less time in worldly endeavours and devote more time to Jama’at work.” Amir Sahib further writes, “He also used to tell me that his brother could be very useful “in the Amoor-e-Kharja team, therefore I should get him to work.”
His mother says, “Ahmadiyyat entered their family through Adnan Sahib’s father, “who lived in Iraq for 7 years and there he had the opportunity to read the Holy Quran “and he also accepted Islam there. “When he came to Holland, he met Imam Bashir Sahib and as a result of his preaching, “he accepted Ahmadiyyat.
“He once met Hazrat Khifatul Masih IV (rh) in Belgium “and requested him to pray that may God Almighty enable him to remain steadfast.” Adnan Sahib’s mother further states, “His father had no interest for worldly material.” She says, “My son Adnan also followed in the footsteps of his father.
“He offered his prayers regularly, served the Jama’at “and was loyal to the institution of Khilafat. “He would listen to the Friday Sermon every week and would also make his children listen to it too. “He would always remain ready to serve the Jama’at and had a deep bond with Kihilafat.”
May God Almighty elevate his status and grant him His forgiveness and mercy. May God Almighty grant the Jama’at with many devoted induvial like him. He leaves behind his wife, one son and one daughter; may God Almighty enable them to remain established on their faith and increase the strength of their faith
And enable them to follow the footsteps of their father. 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.