Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2016
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except God; He is alone and has no partner, and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger. After this I seek refuge with Allah, from Satan, the accursed. In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path; The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,
Those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. A short while back, I mentioned in one of the Friday Sermon’s that this year is the year of elections for the Community’s office holders. In many places, the elections have already taken place both at national and local level and
The new office holders have taken charge of their respective duties. In some places, new national presidents, presidents and other office holders have been elected, however in many places those who were working from before have been re-elected. Those who have been newly elected should be thankful to God,
For He has selected them to serve the Community and they should also seek help from God, while turning to Him with complete humility in order to effectively fulfil the responsibility they have been charged with. Similarly, those office holders who have been re-elected,
Should be thankful to God for again being given the opportunity by God to serve [the Community]. Also, they should pray with great humility that in the previous years if there was any lapse, indolence and oversight shown from them and as a result
They were not able to fulfil the dues of their responsibility properly, then may God overlook those and bestow His grace upon them and enable them to duly fulfil the responsibilities placed upon them for the next three years and not show the same lapse, indolence and oversight while discharging these responsibilities.
And may God enable them to fulfil these responsibilities. It should always be kept in mind that one should not consider serving the Community as an ordinary service and nor should it be taken lightly. Each and every one of us, whether it is an office holder or a normal Ahmadi,
Has made a pledge to give precedence to faith over worldly affairs. And so, when a person who serves faith or is an office holder accepts a responsibility to serve faith or is appointed for it, such a person has an even greater responsibility than
Others to fulfil his/her pledge and should always bear in mind that this pledge has been made to God and He has mentioned the fulfilling of one’s pledges in numerous places in the Holy Quran. Thus, it should always be remembered that God has very clearly stated that
Those who accept the responsibilities which they have been entrusted with, that becomes a pledge for them and one should fulfil his/her responsibilities and pledges. In one verse of the Holy Quran, God has mentioned the following trait of those who are truthful and tread on the path of Taqwa [righteousness],
[Holy Qur’an 2:178] “And those who fulfil their promise when they have made one.” Thus, this should be a basic quality, especially those who undertake a responsibility of the Community that they should fulfil it; by always upholding the truth and raising their standards of Taqwa [righteousness].
If they show even a slight weakness in the standards of their truth and their standards of Taqwa are not a model for the general members of the Community, then he/she is not paying attention towards fulfilling one’s pledge, responsibility and the trust placed in them.
Therefore, national presidents and local presidents should be the first to present their own models before their Aamla members administrative team] and the rest of the members of the Community. Secretary Tarbiyat [training and reformation] have the responsibility of Tarbiyyat and
The work of Tarbiyyat can only be done when those working in this department and who counsel others, present their own examples and act accordingly. Thus, the Tarbiyyat secretaries should present their own good examples before the members of the Community because the responsibility of Tarbiyyat falls upon them.
I have mentioned this on several occasions that if the Tarbiyyat department becomes active then the work of the other departments automatically begins to happen. The higher the level of Tarbiyyat of the members of the Community, the easier the task becomes for the other departments,
For instance, that of Secretary Maal [Finance], Secretary Amoor-e-Aama [general affairs], Secretary Tabligh [propagation] and other departments like Qaza [jurisprudential affairs]. I always say in the Aamla meetings held in various places that the work of Tarbiyyat should begin from one’s own home.
This is not just the home of the Secretary Tarbiyyat, in fact it should be every member of the Aamla’s home and the Majlis Aamla need to do their own Tarbiyyat more than anyone else. Whenever a new programme is devised, the national president, local president and
Secretary Tarbiyyat should first assess whether their own Aamla members are following it? Are the Aamla members adhering to the basic commandments of God and fulfilling the purpose of man’s creation? If not, then there is a lack of Taqwa .
Among the rights owed to God, the biggest of them is to worship Him. For this, men are instructed to offer Salat and Salat is to be offered in congregation. Therefore, national presidents, local presidents and office holders should safeguard their prayers by striving to offer it in congregation.
In this way, not only will the mosques and prayer centres be filled but they will also be able to attain the blessings of God and through their own practical examples they will be able to do the Tarbiyyat of the members of the Community also.
They will become the recipients of God’s grace and it will create ease in their works and they will not be just simply limited to talk. Thus, those who serve [the Community] should first carry out their own assessment to see whether or not there is inconsistency in what they say and how they act.
In this regard, God states, [Holy Qur’an 61:4] “O ye who believe! Why do you say what you do not?” The Promised Messiah (as) states, “It is evident from this verse that those who do not act “according to what they say themselves have, do and will continue to exist in the world.”
The Promised Messiah (as) further states, “Pay heed to my words and remember them well, “that until one does not speak from the heart and does not make a practical effort with it, “such words bear no effect.” He further states, “Remember that mere words and lip service cannot be of any benefit
“until one does not make practical effort towards it; such words have no value in the sight of God.” If one’s words are not followed by action, they have no importance. Thus, the Promised Messiah (as) has very clearly elaborated on this commandment of God
That there should be no inconsistency between our actions and our speech. The office holders should keep this most point in mind above all while assessing themselves. In those areas where the houses are at a long distance or there are only a few houses
In the area and there is no mosque or prayer centre, arrangement for prayer can still be made in people’s homes and this is not something that is difficult. There are many Ahmadis who do not even have any official Community role and
Nor are they members of any Aamla , however they have offered their homes for the local Ahamdis to gather together and offer congregational prayer. Thus, if one has the awareness of it then everything is possible. Every office holder of ours should have this awareness of offering prayer in congregation,
Otherwise they will not be able to fulfil the dues of their responsibilities which the Holy Quran has repeatedly drawn attention towards. Thus, every office holder should be mindful of the fact that one of the traits of a true believer which God has stated is that
They take care of their promises and the pledges that they have made and they assess whether or not they are showing and slackness or weakness in discharging the responsibilities entrusted upon them and the pledge they have made to serve [the Community].
As this is not an ordinary matter because God in the Holy Quran states, [Holy Qur’an 17:35] “for the covenant shall be questioned about.” Worship is the most basic thing and that is the purpose of our creation therefore we have to fulfil its dues and the office holders should especially
Not show any slackness in this regard at all. In fact, it should not be shown by any true believer. However, apart from this there are few other things which the office holders should take care of and these relate to the rights of others,
The conduct of the office holders with other Community members and they also relate to the pledges made by the office holders. No one is appointed to serve the Community owing to their desire to hold an office, in fact the concept of an office holder in Islam is completely different.
The Holy Prophet (sa) has explained this in the following way that, “The leader of the people is their servant”. Therefore, for an office holder to fulfil the dues of his responsibility in relation to other people is done by becoming their servant.
This can only happen when one has the spirit of sacrifice, humility and his/her level of patience is far greater than everyone else. At times, office holders have to listen to [harsh] words said to them. In such an instance they should listen to it, however only the office holders themselves
Can assess how high their level of patience is and how much humility they have. At times, certain cases of office holders are brought to attention, in which they have shown no patience and if the other person involved is being discourteous they also retaliate.
If a normal person becomes rude and offensive, it would make no difference to him as his morals will speak for themselves that such a person is very ill-mannered. However, if an office holder utters anything wrong from his mouth, then it will not only affect his own status and dignity
But will also have an impact on the members of the Community. The standard which the Community should be at and the standard which the Promised Messiah (as) wanted to see from us, if there is any such example of this nature then it can, and does, bring the Community’s honour into disrepute.
There are such cases where arguments start in the mosque and it has an extremely adverse effect on the children and the youth. What does God expect from us and how God has described those; who establish high standards of sacrifice? At one place He says, [ARABIC]
“Believers are such that they give preference to their brothers in faith over themselves”. The Ansar [Muslim Inhabitants of Madina at the time of The Holy Prophet (sa)] established this example for the Muhajireen [Muslim emigrants to Madina] and for us as well. Giving precedence over one’s self is no small matter,
Sometimes the due rights of others are not even fulfilled. Certain affairs of others are brought to the attention of officeholders, or some matters are sent to them so they can send a report to the headquarters, and when the report is submitted, it is done very carelessly.
The report is sent without properly investigating the matter. Or, the matter is delayed so much that if there is a request to fulfil the need of someone, the due to the delay that person suffers a loss or he has to endure hardship. Some officeholders present their busy schedule as an excuse.
Some [officeholders] have no excuse, it is only due to negligence alone. If these are their own affairs or matters of those close to them, then priorities are different. Therefore, true passion to serve [others], passion to offer sacrifice, fulfill one’s trust sincerely would be,
That one should be of benefit to others with similar concern. When this spirit of sacrifice [is procured], and one serves as if hardships of others as his own, then the level of offering sacrifice in the Community will also increase. The attention will be towards fulfilling each other’s rights instead of usurping them
We say to others that world peace will be established when the passion to offer sacrifices is procured instead of claiming one’s rights and usurping rights [of others] on every level. However, if we are not on this level then we will be doing something which Allah dislikes.
One attribute which the officeholders should have in particular is humility. Allah Almighty has mentioned a quality of the servants of the Gracious God, [ARABIC] “They walk on earth with humility”. Therefore, an excellent example of this [attribute] should be in our officeholders. The higher the office of a person, the greater the humility
Should be exhibited while meeting others with the passion of serving others. This is true greatness. People observe and feel the attitudes officeholders. Sometimes people write to me that, “A certain officeholder had such an attitude. “However, I am very happy today because that officeholder not only said, ‘Salam’ to me,
“rather, he also asked me how I was doing and he presented himself in a good manner. “I was happy to observe this and this showed his greatness.” Therefore, a majority of the Community members is such that due to the loving, gentle and affectionate treatment of the officeholders [towards them]
They are happy and ready to offer every sacrifice. If there is any type superiority or arrogance developed in the heart of an officeholder due to his office, then he should remember that such a thing takes one away from Allah.
When a person becomes distant from Allah Almighty, then there is no blessing in his work and religious work is purely for the sake of Allah Almighty’s pleasure. When there is no pleasure of Allah Almighty, then such a person becomes a cause of loss for the Community instead of providing benefit.
Therefore, officeholders should always assess themselves if they are humble or not. If they are humble then to what extent? The Holy Prophet (sa) said that the more humility and meekness a person adopts, the higher the status he is granted by Allah Almighty.
Hence, every officeholder should keep in mind that if Allah Almighty has granted him the opportunity to serve the Community, then this is a favour of Allah Almighty. To develop further humility and meekness is being grateful for this favour.
If humility and meekness is not developed further, it is being ungrateful for this favour of Allah. Generally it has been noticed that when certain people meet under normal circumstances they express great humility. They meet people in a very good manner. However, when they have a disagreement with their subordinate or an ordinary person,
It provokes their authoritative nature instantly and the vanity of being a superior officeholder leads to the expression of haughty behaviour towards their subordinate. Hence, it is not humility when a person acts humble with someone who is always agreeing and there is no disagreement. This is artificial humility.
The actual reality is manifested when there is a disagreement or when a subordinate says something contrary to the officeholder. In such an instance, if one makes a decision while observing justice and takes that opinion into consideration then such humility also reflects one’s great level of courage.
When this will happen, this humility will be known as real humility. An officeholder should always remember the following commandment of Allah Almighty, [Holy Qur’an 31: 19] “And turn not thy cheek away from men in pride nor walk in the earth haughtily.” I mentioned about the issue of disagreements.
So in this regard I would like to ay that despite the fact that the rules and regulations allow the national president to reject the opinion of the Aamla and make a decision according to his own opinion sometimes. But this right should not always be exercised.
However, there should always be an effort to keep everyone on board and decisions should be made and work done by mutual discussion and majority opinion. In some places, national presidents use this right unnecessarily. This right should be practiced in extreme situations. When it is known that it will benefit the Community and
That should also be clarified to the Aamla. This should be practised while keeping in mind the broader benefits for the Community. For this reason one should seek Allah Almighty’s help through prayers. One should not only rely on his own intellect.
It should be clear that this right is neither to be practised by local presidents and nor do they have this right where National Presidents are present. They do not have the right to reject the opinion of the Aamla and take a decision based upon their own opinion.
It is integral for the officeholders to read and understand the rules and regulations in order to understand their jurisdiction. If they will act according to the rules and regulations then some minor issues which become a cause of restlessness in the Aamla and amongst the members of the Community, will not happen.
Another attribute of officeholders should be that they should treat their subordinates kindly. Most of the work in the Community is voluntary work. Members of the Community offer their time to do Community work. They give time in order to obtain the pleasure of God the Almighty.
They give time because they have a relation with the Community and have love for the Community. Hence, officeholders should be considerate of the emotions of their workers and they should treat their workers in a good manner and this is the commandment of Allah.
With this good treatment, one should strive to teach their associates and subordinates so that the workers are always available to continue the Community work in a good manner. Community work is carried on by Allah Almighty Himself. There is no doubt in it.
However, if those in office and officeholders who have experience produce another line of workers, then they will also get the reward for this work. By the Grace of Allah, neither I , nor previous Khulafah [Caliphs] worried about how the Community work will continue. This is Allah Almighty’s promise to the Promised Messiah (as).
He will continuously provide sincere people who will work InshAllah. During the time of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) an officeholder thought that the financial system [of the Community] was running superbly due to his wisdom and hard work. When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) found out about this,
He replaced this person with someone who did not know even the basics of finance. However, since this is Allah Almighty’s work and Allah treatment with the Khalifa of the time, for this reason the work of the newly appointed officer who had no prior knowledge of it
Was so blessed that the results were unimaginable before [his appointment]. Hence, Allah Almighty grants the officeholders, workers and life devotees an opportunity to become the recipients of Allah Almighty’s bounties by serving the Community and faith. Otherwise, Allah Almighty is doing the work Himself. It is His promise.
For this reason, no one should think that the work is being done as a result of his/her experience and knowledge. Or that one’s experience and knowledge can run the Community work. Community work is being carried out by the grace of God the Almighty.
Many of our weaknesses and shortcomings are such that if it is a worldly affair then it cannot be blessed in such a manner. The results cannot be fruitful. However, Allah Almighty covers our faults and provides assistance through His angels. Take Tabligh- related matters for instance,
Allah Almighty has provided such young workers in western countries who are born and raised here and they have studied religion on their own and they give such replies to the opponents that makes them dumbfounded and one is astonished [by their answers].
The opponents have no option but to run away after such replies by these young people. Therefore, officeholders should consider the opportunity to serve the Community as God’s grace not a result of their experience or merit or ability. Then, another quality of officeholders should be showing happiness and treating others with good morals.
Allah says, [ARABIC] “Treat others with kindness and good morals and speak to them kindly”. Therefore, this is a basic virtue which should be present in officeholders significantly. When they converse with their subordinates, their co-workers and similarly when they speak to other people then
They should be mindful of the fact that their good morals should be at display. Sometimes due to administrative reasons one has to speak firmly but, this has to be practised as a last resort. If someone is advised with love and the officeholders can make people realise that
They are sympathetic towards them, then 99% of such people understand and they are ready to cooperate with the Community because they have a relation with the Community. However, the main and most important condition is that the realisation should be developed in the people that officeholders are sympathetic towards them.
Speak to people with tenderness. Do not hold someone accountable on their mistake in such a manner that they are not able to explain themselves properly. Those who are habitual, those who try to create disorder over little things, they should be treated strictly but even then full investigation should be done before that.
And this strictness should not be as a result of personal stubbornness rather it should be carried out for reformation. At one place The Holy Prophet (sa) advised those whom he had appointed as the guardians of Yemen, “Provide ease for people not difficulty; spread love and happiness, do not let hatred flourish.”
This is such an advice that beautifies relationships between officeholders and members of the Community and as a result of this, the spirit of being mindful of each other’s emotions is developed amongst Community members. Therefore, officeholders have a great responsibility, particularly national presidents, presidents and the departments of Tarbiyyat and decision-making councils
That they should come up with ways to create ease for the people. However, it should be kept in mind that such methods should be formulated while staying within the commandments of Allah Almighty. It should not be like the worldly people who forget the commandments of Allah Almighty for the sake of establishing comfort.
We have to fulfil the rights of the people and protect our offices and the responsibilities entrusted to us whilst staying within the limitations of the Sharia and keeping the pleasure of God the Almighty at the forefront. Then, as I have stated that every officeholder should consult the book of rules and regulations
And they should gain knowledge of their department related duties. Everyone should be aware of his or her limitations and boundaries. At times, officeholders are not aware of their boundaries. A department is doing something while in the book of rules and regulations that work is listed under another department.
Or sometimes there is such a minute distinction between duties which causes two departments to interfere with each other’s jurisdiction because there is lack of attention. In the last few days I had a meeting with UK’s Majlis-e-Aamla . I realised that unnecessary debates occur because
There is a lack of understanding of this minute difference. If rules and regulations are read then time will not be wasted in this manner. For example, the Tabligh department has to do Tabligh and increase contacts. Tabligh will spread with increased contacts.
Similarly, there is the department of Umur-e-Kahrijah [external affairs]. This department has to do outreach and introduce the Community. The circle of limitation for both departments is separate. One department has to do it for Tabligh and the other department has to do it for public relations, to further develop relations.
The main purpose is the introduction of the Community and guidance towards faith so that the world can be called towards God the Almighty and that their current life and the hereafter can be adorned and attention can be directed towards achieving world peace. Our purpose is not to take credit from a worldly perspective.
The real purpose is to make God the Almighty happy and to obtain His pleasure. If departments work cooperatively with each other then the result can be much better. Then, from the practices that can be seen from many places is that the budget for various departments is not formulated properly.
Each department should present the budget which is approved in the Shurah and each relevant secretary should be given the right to spend it. Indeed, it is the role of the secretary to devise a yearly plan for each department and present it before the Aamla.
Then, the expenditure should be in accordance with the approved plan and the progress should be monitored in each Aamla meeting. If however, there is a need to change the pre-approved plan or there is room for improvement and someone suggests some improvements, then it can be revised again.
Similarly, another important aspect of the jobs of the national presidents or Presidents or Local Secretaries is the immediate and careful implementation of the guidelines and circulars issued by the Centre in their respective localities. Complaints have been received from some Community that the guidelines received from the centre are not acted upon seriously.
If a certain country or certain locality has some reservations about a specific directive, in light of the conditions in their country, then they should contact the centre at once and seek permission for changes to take place with immediate effect. This responsibility lies with the Ameer of the Community or Sadr,
However, it does not behove them to use their own initiative and by dismissing the instructions given they discard them altogether, nor do they inform the centre about it. Any such action by an Ameer or Sadr will be deemed as violation of the instructions
Issued by the centre and as a result the centre can take action. I would also like to speak about Moosiyaan. Firstly, they should pay their Chanda regularly and keeping a track of their payments is the responsibility of each individual Moosi.
At the same time it is the duty of the central department office [for Moosiyaan] and the relevant secretaries to keep the record of each Moosi up to date and when appropriate they should give them an update as to the situation of their Chanda record.
It is the job of the National Community to ensure the secretaries of the local Community are active and are in contact with every Moosi. Often in reports it is suggested that an individual has not paid his Chanda Wassiyat for a certain period.
When asked that the Wasiyyat Chanda was not given so how is that individual’s Wasiyyat still active? Upon investigation it is discovered that it is not the fault of the individual. The Chanda was paid but workers in the office did not record it properly.
A report of this nature can be a cause of concern for the Moosi for no reason. At the same time it highlights the weakness of the system. Now there is a strong system in place to record systematically and the use of computers. Mistakes like this should not occur.
Every country’s secretary of Wassiyyat and the sectrary of Finance should ensure that their respective subordinate secretaries are actively working. It is also the duty of the national presidents to review this from time to time. Simply collecting Chanda and reporting about it is not their sole responsibility,
In fact, making the system reliable and ensuring a strong connection between Local Community and the centre is forged is also the duty of the national presidents. Similarly, I would like to say something with regards to the missionaries and preachers. In some areas there are no regular meetings between the missionaries and preachers.
The Missionary in charge is responsible for ensuring that these meetings are held regularly. There should also be a review in the Community’s Tablighi and Tarbiyyati programs. If someone has done something good then there should be an exchange of views and other people should also try to derive benefit from the better methods.
Likewise, the secretaries of the Community who send guidelines to the Localities or send instructions they receive from the centre to the Community, should also be noted in the report. Missionaries in each Community should take note of how much work has been done on this matter, and wherever the secretaries are dormant
Especially the Tabligh, Tarbiyyat and Finance, missionaries should remind them. Now that God has given them the opportunity to serve for the next three years, may Allah enable all the office bearers to fulfil their duties to the best of their abilities,
And with their every word and action may they become role models for the Community. After the Friday prayer I will lead a funeral prayer in abstentia of Sahibzadi Tahira Siddiqa Sahiba, who was the wife of Sahibzada Mirza Muneer Ahmad Sahib.
She passed away on 13th July 2016 at six o clock in the evening. To Him we belong and to Him we shall return. She was the daughter of Nawab Abdullah Khan Sahib and Nawab Amatul Hafeez Begum sahiba. She was the paternal granddaughter of Nawab Muhammad Ali Khan Sahib and
Maternal granddaughter of the Promised Messiah (as). She was Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad Sahib’s daughter-in-law. By the grace of Allah she was a Moosiya and passed away at the age of 95. Her initial schooling was done in Qadian where she received her Matriculation Certificate.
Hazrat Amma Jaan (ra) treated her like a daughter; they a very special bond of love and affection and she had a very special bond of love and affection for her. She resided in Jhelum with Sahibzada Mirza Muneer Ahmad Sahib, where Sahibzada Mirza Muneer Ahmad Sahib owned a Chipboard factory,
Which was burnt down a few months ago. She had the opportunity to serve as Sadr Lajna. During the disturbances of 1974, a vast number of the Jhelum Community took shelter in the Chipboard factory. During that time the deceased set an excellent example of hospitality.
She had one daughter, Amatul Haseeb Begum who is the wife of Mirza Anas Ahmad Sahib son of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) and one son, Mirza Naseer Ahmad Sahib, who has served as the Ameer of Jhelum.
He was still serving until the factory was burnt down at which point he had to leave Jhelum. Her other son, Mirza Safeer Ahmad Sahib, who was the son-in-law of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh). The deceased was pleasant natured, cheerful and friendly. She was very patient, thankful and would pray fervently.
She was regular in her Tahajjud prayers and had a passion for worship. She had a strong connection with Khilafat. She would readily partake in financial schemes. She was known for being very hospitable. She was a woman who had a lot of pride and honour for the Community organisation and structure.
She would not tolerate anything which went against the institution of Khilafat. If someone said something against the Community System or against Khilafat, she would stop them immediately. As I mentioned before, Hazrat Amma Jaan used to consider her as her own daughter and
Even gave her own personal possessions, some which even bore the name of Hazrat Amma Jaan. May God grant the deceased a lofty station in paradise. May He shower his forgiveness and mercy on her. May He give her children the opportunity to continue in her good deeds and always stay firmly attached to Khilafat.
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 (sa) 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.