Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2016
I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah 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, The Promised Messiah (as) said at one place that Allah the Exalted is hidden but He can be identified through His powers. One can find and recognise His Being through prayer. Every human, whether kings and emperors, certainly faces difficult times which reduce him to utter humility
And at a complete loss as to what to do. During such times difficulties can be resolved through prayer. The Promised Messiah (as) has stated the significance of prayer in many places and in different contexts and from various angles. His companions developed insight into this through him and had such firm faith in prayers
And had such steadfast belief that others including those who had no link with religion and were not Ahmadis acknowledges that their prayers were accepted. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud (ra) says: Once an account was related to the Promised Messiah (as) which made him laugh a lot.
It was about Munshi Aroori Khan Sahib who used to visit Qadian quite regularly in early days but later due to important work assigned to him he could not take time off work as before. But despite this he often used to visit Qadian.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) recalled that it was during his young childhood in Qadian, Munshi Sahib would warmly greet others like a long lost brother meeting after a year’s gap, even though his stay was hurried It was mentioned in the assembly of the Promised Messiah (as) that Munshi Sahib had such aura that even the magistrates were afraid of him. He once asked for time off work to visit Qadian but the magistrate declined. Munshi sahib worked at the office of the session judge.
He said I really need to go to Qadian, please grant me leave. The session judge declined saying that it was very busy at work. Munshi Sahib told him it was fine but said that he would start invoking malediction [praying against him] so that work is not done properly.
The magistrate went on to sustain great loss which cautioned him and as a result every Saturday he would ask his court staff to finish work early just in case Munshi Sahib missed catching his train. And he offered Munshi Sahib to take time off, such was the impact of Munshi Sahib’s earnestness.
He would give Munshi Sahib time off whenever he made plans to visit Qadian Such was the impact of his prayers, they [the Companions] had an impact of even on non-Ahmadis in this manner- we too should recall this today and strengthen our relationship with God.
I shall relate some other accounts relating to the Promised Messiah (as), which were recounted by Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra). These are essential for our spiritual development and Tarbiyyat . There are people in the world of different temperaments, dispositions and feelings. Some people’s senses are sharp whilst others are less so.
Some, due to the specific prevailing circumstances and environment, become used to a certain type of weather or season. Others may find those same conditions difficult and harsh. Because they are not used to those conditions they feel it more or they may be more sensitive generally.
Thus the degree to which one feels hot, cold or is able to sense good and bad smells, depends on their senses and feelings. Man’s senses makes this differentiation evident. The majority of people experience these sensory feelings in different conditions of cold and hot weathers, good and bad smells and various other feelings.
Those who do not experience these sensory feelings cannot establish that these conditions are non-existent or they have no impact, e.g. those who live in freezing cold conditions. Some people in the winter, despite wearing thick socks, experience their feet shivering.
Others do not use socks at all in the cold and say their feet are very warm. However none of this means that it is not cold or that cold has no effect on people. In short these things have an effect and most people feel them distinctly.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) gives a wordely example in relation to the Promised Messiah (as) that The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) recounted that some townspeople were gathered talking about the heat properties of sesame seeds.
They said that no one could eat a measure of such and such amount of sesame seed without falling ill (it was impossible not to become sick as a result). One of them piped up during the discussion
And said if anyone was to eat such amount of sesame seeds I would give him 5 rupees. A surly farmer was passing by (they are used to eating raw things in large quantities and are able to digest them by carrying out manual labour or by nature are used to it.
The farmer was a very overconfident individual and when he listened to the men he was amazed how anyone could be paid 5 rupees to eat something so delicious? He asked them, do I have to eat the seeds with the plant or without?
He asked because he could not believe that a reward could be given for eating just sesame seeds and not the plant. On one hand was someone prepared to eat them along with the plant and on the other hand were people who thought it was impossible to eat such amount of sesame seeds.
Some people can eat the seeds even with plants, some can’t even eat such an amount without plants. He thought it was bizarre to be asked to do this and get a prize for eating something so delicious thus differences among people in the world emerge out of our various sensory feelings.
The same principle works in the spiritual world. Prayer affects some people more than others as some are more spiritually perceptive. Some people offer prayers hurriedly going through the motions up and down and their prayers do not bring about any effect. He who has greater spiritual perception and senses
Will bring about a greater effect through their worship and prayers. Those who pray and the effects of those prayers are apparent on them. Thus majority of people in the Jama’at (Community) should have greater spiritual perception, should have their prayers accepted and then should explain to the world what true worship is
And the spiritual perception needed to cultivate this. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) narrates an account that would often be recounted by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra). Although Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) has related this account in a different light, we learn from this incident that when major scholars would come to the Promised Messiah (as)
They would receive the blessing of taking Ba’iat at his hands. Hazrat Khalifatul Masihra I would relate: A religious scholar was renowned in India for his vast knowledge and during the days of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). His appearance was extremely simple
And he could easily been mistaken for a manual worker by one who was not acquainted with him. His name was Maulawi Khan Malik Sahib. He visited Qadian and after listening to the words of the Promised Messiah (as) and he accepted him. Later, he went to Lahore he resolved to Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad,
Who delivered Dars (religious lectures) at the Shahi Mosque and was a scholar with hundreds of students but who himself was Maulawi Khan Malik’s student. The people of Lahore were generally affluent and thus Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad Sahib was in good financial standing and many students learned from him.
When Maulawi Khan Malik Sahib arrived at the Shahi Mosque, Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad’s pupils had no idea of Maulawi Khan Malik’s status which his very simple outward appearance belied. He asked him where he had come from and when he said he had been to Qadian Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad was astonished and asked why Qadian?
He replied to become a follower of Mirza Sahib (the Promised Messiah (as)). And he said that he was such a big scholar what quality did he see in the Promised Messiah? Maulawi Khan Malik told him (in Punjabi) to mind his own business as he still did not know much or have full knowledge.
As Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad was also a major religious scholar, this riled his pupils who said ‘old man what is this you say’ but Maulawi Ghulam Ahmad calmed them and told them to stay quiet and said that Maulawi Khan Malik was absolutely right.
So at the time of the Promised Messiah (as) there were pious people of this manner who took Bai’at of the Promised Messiah (as). They were not obstinate upon their previous knowledge. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) relates that once an Arab came to the Promised Messiah (as).
When he was about to leave after some days, the Promised Messiah (as) offered him something for his fare since these people are usually needy. However, he refused to accept it saying ‘I heard that you have made the claim to be ‘an appointed one [of God]. That is the reason I visited.
‘I did not come here to take anything.’ This was a new thing because none of the people who visited from this area were not needy. Noticing this, the Promised Messiah (as) said ‘You should stay for a few more days.’
He stayed and the Promised Messiah (as) appointed some people to do tabligh [propagate] to him. A discussion with him continued for many days but there was no effect on him. At last, the people who were doing tabligh to him informed the Promised Messiah (as)
That he is very passionate. He is not like the needy people. It seems that he is in desire of the truth.’” [Just like the Arabs who are converting to Ahmadiyyat in this day [and age have this desire by the Grace of Allah the Almighty.] “‘Therefore please pray for him.
He is not able to understand through tabligh.’” The Promised Messiah (as) prayed and [God the Almighty] informed the Promised Messiah (as) that he will receive guidance. With the power of God, that same night something had such an impact on him that he took the oath of allegiance in the morning and left.”
[Huzuraba says] Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) states that “Someone informed me that on the occasion of Hajj he did tabligh to many caravans. People from one caravan would beat him unconscious and he would go to another caravan after waking up and would do tabligh to them.”
So the thing is that when Allah the Almighty opens up the hearts then hearts open up. And such an exemplary passion is procured that one does not worry about anything. Similarly Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) narrates another incident that “During the time of the Promised Messiah (as) an English or American person accepted Islam.
His name was Alexander Russell Webb and he used to work in the American Embassy in the Philippines. When the English announcements of the Promised Messiah (as) were propagated in Europe and America, Alexander Russell Webb was motivated to accept Islam. He started to write to the Promised Messiah (as).
As a result of this, he became a Muslim and devoted his life to propagate Islam. Later on he visited India and expressed his desire to meet with the Promised Messiah (as). However, the Muslim Clerics told him” [Huzoor (aba) says] The Clerics of Lahore of whichever big city he was visiting
“if you meet Mirza Sahib [as], Muslims will not give you any donation.” [If you want to do tabligh, you want to implement your plan, [whatever your plan is for tabligh, you will not receive any donation from Muslims for this.]
“Therefore, as a result of their deception he did not meet with the Promised Messiah (as) and at last he left with immense disappointment. These Muslims did not help him either. He was informed that other Muslims will help you and make huge donations for your cause of Islam.
However, the other Muslims did not help him at all. Near the demise of the Promised Messiah (as), he wrote a letter to the Promised Messiah (as) that ‘I have experienced a lot of misery by not listening to your advice.
You had informed me long time ago that Muslims have no passion to serve Islam. But I did not listen to it. As a result of that, I was deprived from meeting you. ’ He remained a Muslim until the end and had sincere relations with the Promised Messiah (as).
So he was the first American Muslim.” Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’udra states “Even now I see that the advancement of the Jama’at in America is happening more than Europe” In certain European countries, Ahmadiyyat is spreading and they too are in the western part of it however the signs of progress found in USA are greater.
May God Almighty enable the USA Jama’at to try finding such pious individuals and bring them under the flag of the Holy Prophet (saw), a strong and concerted effort should be made towards this, and may the desire expressed by Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) become a reality.
In fact, at one time, many people converted to Ahmadiyat in America and remained firm on it. However, the progeny of many of them did not remain firm on Ahmadiyyat, either due to worldly pursuits or a lack of communication, or because of other reasons.
Therefore, the USA Jama’at should make an effort in this regard. Regarding the Promised Messiah’s (as) relationship with children and how he would take care of their moral training, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says: ‘The correct method is one that teaches them fun and games
(in other words they should be trained whilst playing with them). Initially, when the child is very young, it is important to train them through stories. For an adult, a mere admonishment or exhortation is sufficient, however stories are essential for children in order to maintain their interest.
It is not necessary that the stories have to be based on lies. The Promised Messiah (as) used to read stories to us, he would sometimes relate the story of Hazrat Yousaf, Harzat Noah and Hazrat Musa, and even though they were based on the truth but for us they were just stories.
He would also relate the story of the Envier and the Envied from One Thousand and One Nights , whether the story is true or not, it contains a valuable lesson. Similarly, we would hear various proverbs that are linked to stories from the Promised Messiah (as).
Therefore, the best way to teach children is through stories. Although some stories are meaningless and shameful but there are others which teach morality and are very instructive. Children of a very young should be educated in this way. Once they further develop, then the best way to teach them is through games/sports.
(Some parents say that their children play too much. If they are not playing videogames and are playing outdoors then they should let them play). The knowledge that is imparted through books is practically given through games/sports, however the age of for stories is below that of playing games/sports.’
Thus, fathers should also give time to their children. If both parents work towards the children’s training, build a friendly relationship with them and give them proper training, and also closely remain attached to them then many of the issues relating to their training and development can be resolved which parents often complain about.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) regarding this states: The reason behind narrating stories to children is so that they do not make noise and do not waste the parent’s time. (This is also one of the reasons). If these stories are to prove beneficial later on in life then this indeed is a wonderful thing.
(These days, in order to stop the children from making noise and so that they sit on their own, the parents either hand them iPads or make them sit in front of computers or before the TV. If there are any good stories being told then it is fine, otherwise they are simply wasting time.
[Small children should not even be sitting [in front of the TV and computer] in the first place because it can affect their eyesight if they sit for too long. In fact, doctors say that [such devices] can affect the children mentally and they become single-tracked and various other ill-effects can come about.
In any case, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) further states) the Promised Messiah (as) would read stories out to us and we would gain the benefit of listening to these stories. If the Promised Messiah (as) had not read out those stories to us then we would have made noise
And he would not have been able to do his work. Therefore, it was important to narrate those stories in order to quieten us down. Thus, in order to maintain our interest, whenever the Promised Messiah (as) had any free time,
He would read stories so that we would fall asleep and he could continue with his work. Children do not realise the importance of the work their parents are doing. If they are not given anything that interests them, they begin to make noise,
And so the purpose of reading stories out to them is so that they fall asleep. (In those days they didn’t have these [devices] and the parents worked very hard. Now however, as I mentioned before, certain [devices] have come and as a result parents do not work hard towards the training of their children
And are also less attached to them. Attention needs to be paid towards this). The importance for reading out stories has been accepted by all, even though it is only a temporary requirement. At the time, the only benefit is that it captures the child’s interest
And the child becomes completely immersed in it and falls asleep. The purpose of the parents however is to save time, therefore they put the child to bed and read it stories, or one of them reads the story while the other continues with the work or
Sometimes one of them reads out the story while the rest of the family work. They would still achieve the purpose even if the stories they related were frivolous and pointless. However, we are not content with these they should relate stories which are beneficial at that age.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) narrated an incident about friendship and how we should form friendships that do not become a means of ruin. The Promised Messiah (as) used to relate (an old tale) about a man who was friends with a bear.
He had either looked after it or he had done the bear a great favour during a time of difficulty. Therefore, the bear would always sit next to him. Thus, this is a tale which was made in order to convey a truth.
Even though it is possible that sometimes a person can look after an animal, for instance a bear and have it sat next to him, however, whenever I relate a story told by the Promised Messiah (as) it is only a tale which has been narrated in order to convey a fact
(i.e. it serves as an exhortation). I am saying this, so that the enemy does not raise the allegation that these are such foolish people that they believe that a bear can come and sit next to a person. These old tales are there so that one can take lesson from them
And it means that people of similar disposition [to those animals] (as some people have such characteristics which are similar to those of the animals), for instance, the old tales would describe the King’s court as a lion’s court and the other heads and ministers would be presented in the form of other animals.
And so, the king, regarding whom the story was about, derived great pleasure in reading them. Anyways, the bear was a friend of this man and would often come to visit him. One day, his mother was ill and he sat next to her waving a fan and helped shoo the flies away.
While he was doing this, he had to go out for something, and so he signalled to the bear to help shoo away the flies while he went out. The bear started to earnestly shoo the flies away, however there is a difference in the hands of human and an animal
And the animal cannot easily wave his hand as compared to a human. The bear thought that because the fly was causing trouble to his friend’s mother therefore he decided to resolve the issue by taking a large stone and threw it in order kill.
The fly. Though the fly died but it also crushed his [friend’s] mother. This is merely stands an example, meaning that some foolish people form friendships but they do not know how to keep the friendship. Sometimes, they seek to be the well-wisher of their friend but in reality it ruins them.
If they truly were their friends then they would not have led them towards disbelief, rather if they even saw them slightly inclined towards it they would stop them. The Holy Prophet (saw) has indeed beautifully illustrated the concept of friendship. The Holy Prophet (saw) stated, ‘help your brother,
‘regardless of whether he is an oppressor or from the oppressed’. The Companions asked, ‘O Prophet (saw)! What does this mean? Should we help an oppressor?’ The Holy Prophet (saw) replied, ‘when you stop the hand of an oppressor from committing cruelty, this amounts to helping him!’
Thus, it does not mean that one should help a friend regardless of the circumstances and comply with his wishes, in fact true friendship is that even if one has to go against the friend in order to be of benefit to him, then one should do so.
If one does not do this then he is destroying him or is causing him harm through other means.’ Many people are not able to understand this and Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) in regards to this has given an example of Qadian, where he mentioned this, and said that a person once had a dispute
With someone and one of the friends, in order to unlawfully do justice to his friendship or under the false perception of doing justice to his friendship, got fully involved in the dispute. The other person, on account of his pious nature reconciled his dispute and ended it and made peace with the other.
However, the friend, who had got involved in the argument ended up renouncing his faith. Therefore, where friendships enable one to gain nearness to God Almighty and can provide benefit, there they can also lead to ruin and destruction, of both the friend and the person himself.
Thus, when fulfilling the dues of friendship, one should be sensible and in control one’s emotions. Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) states: ‘I remember that the Promised Messiah (as) used to relate this story that there was a man who was friends with a bear.
His wife would always mock him for this and say that how can he be friends with a bear? One day, she scorned him so much and her voice became so loud that the bear heard it. The bear got hold of a sword and told his friend to strike it on his head.
One should not be surprised from this conversation because this is only a tale in order to convey the moral that sometimes people can have bear-like [characteristics] while others are like humans. (Each person has their own nature; some humans have characteristics resembling bears (and others take on the form of other animals).
The man greatly refused to do it but the bear insisted that he must strike his head. Eventually, the man took the sword and struck him on the head. The bear began to bleed and went into the jungle.
After a year, the bear came to his friend and said to take a look at his head and see if the wound had left any mark. The man checked the bear’s head and could not find any mark left by the wound. The bear then said that there were some herbs in the jungle
And he used them to treat his wound and it had become better, however [he said] the wound left by his wife’s derisory words were still fresh in his heart. Thus, at times, the wound caused by words is far greater than that which had been left by a sword
And this ‘sword’ [tongue/speech] leaves behind such a wound which can never be forgotten. So sometimes wounds inflicted by harsh words are more severe than the wounds caused by sword. Hence, everyone should keep in mind that for the sake of societal peace and tranquillity they should be cognisant of each other’s emotions
And do not use harsh words unnecessarily, which causes wounds that always remain fresh. And this is a lesson that every Ahmadi should always keep in mind. After accepting the Promised Messiah (as), it is the duty of every Ahmadi to protect his faith. And sometimes, faith is lost because of some minor things.
As I mentioned earlier, a person continued to decline in faith because of helping his friend. And later he completely turned away from his faith. Sometimes it so happens that faith is lost because of speaking against the design of Allah Almighty. Therefore, we should always evaluate ourselves continuously.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) says that “An example of this can be found in the story of Moses (as). And the Promised Messiah (as) used to narrate that story frequently. It is stated that when Moses (as) left Egypt, he faced ‘Amaleeq in the battlefield.
‘Amaleeq is the same tribe from the progeny of Prophet Noah (as) and it is stated that this tribe was known for its immense opposition towards the Israelites. Their king feared that they will be defeated. There was a noble person in their midst. The king requested him to pray.
He prayed and God the Almighty revealed to him that ‘Moses is a prophet of God and one should not pray against him. ’ He informed the king that it is not possible to pray against Moses. When the king found out that none of my instructions are having an effect,
He carried out the same trick that Satan did in order to expel Adam (as) from paradise. This has always been the practice of Satan. He caused Adam (as) to stumble through Eve. Similarly, he prepared a lot of jewelry and gave this to the noble man’s wife
In order to make him pray against Moses (as) She incited him but he replied that Moses (as) is God’s near one so it is not possible to pray against him. I prayed [against him] but have received the answer.
However, she insisted and said is it necessary that the condition is the same right now? Pray against him. At last he agreed. They took him to a location but he said that my heart does not open here. Therefore, two or three locations were changed.
Since that noble person was supposed to lose his faith, prayed against Moses (as). It is said that as soon as he prayed the people of Moses experienced misery. This was because of the weakness in their faith. That is, people of Moses (as) experienced misery because of the weakness in their faith.
This was a temporary loss that they experienced. And the faith of the person who was pretending to be noble, departed away suddenly like a dove. His faith finished because Allah the Almighty had prohibited him not to pray.
However, he prayed against Moses (as) and was punished in this way that his stature of nobility ended and the honor of being a near one to Allah the Almighty was also lost. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’udra says “No doubt this is a story.
However, its meaning is that he lost faith from his heart like one loses a dove from his hand. Since faith comes with much difficulty and disappears because of one word.” [Huzuraba says] It takes a lot of hard work to believe something, accept it, concede to it and then increase in faith.
However, a very insignificant thing, a word, that is against the pleasure of Allah the Almighty can be the cause of losing faith. So it is necessary that one should always be cautious and evaluate oneself. Regarding remembrance of God, in reference to the Promised Messiah (as), Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) says that
“The Promised Messiah (as) used to mention a saying of a noble person that ‘Dast Darkaar wa Dil Bayaar’ , meaning ‘the hands of man should be occupied with work, however, his heart should be focused towards Allah the Almighty.’ Similarly, it is known about a noble person that once someone asked him that
‘How many times should I praise and glorify Allah?’ He replied ‘Should someone praise his beloved while counting it?’ So the real praise and glorification is that which is countless but the virtue in setting a fixed time [to remember or glorify Allah] is that a one separates himself from everything else for his beloved.
Since both of these conditions are necessary, the correct method is to remember and glorify Allah is done in a fixed manner. In this day and age, people who are engaged in worldly matters do not understand this. For this reason, they should take time out for this.
Also, they should remember Allah while sitting, standing [i.e. doing various activities] all the time and be flexible in this regard. Allah the Almighty should be remembered and He should be praised and glorified repeatedly for His Bounties and Favours. The objective of every Ahmadi should be to listen to religious matters thoughtfully,
Try to remember them and act upon them. It is not beneficial for a person to listen to sermons and speeches, to attend gatherings or temporarily read a book and be affected by it for some time and not remember it or act upon it. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’udra says that
“Once the Promised Messiah (as) began delivering lectures to women for their moral training. He lectured for many days. One day he said ‘We should test women in order to find out how much do they understand our lectures’ There was a lady who was visiting from outside.
The Promised Messiah (as) enquired from her ‘I have been lecturing for eight days, ‘tell me what did I mention in these lectures?’ She replied ‘You mentioned the things stated by Allah and His Prophet. What else have you mentioned?’ The Promised Messiah (as) was so shocked by this reply
That he ended delivering such lectures and stated that ‘Such ignorance can be found even in our women that it seems as if they need very elementary ‘knowledge. They do not have the capacity to listen to high level of spiritual matters.’” Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’udra says that “this is the condition of some men”
But I would say that even now this is the condition of many men. Now days in some places, the opposite is happening. Some women are more knowledgeable than men. When they remind their men that this is the religious matter, you should follow it.
Some complaints are received that men reply ‘Religion says a lot of things. We will stay like this and we will do whatever we like to do.’ So it should be kept in mind that when such stubbornness takes root, then deterioration occurs continuously and one becomes absolutely distant from religion.
Anyways, Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau’ud (ra) says that “Look at the Companions [of the Holy Prophet (saw)] in comparison. How they used to listen to the sayings of the Holy Prophet (saw) day and night and they would be ready to act upon them.
They took the minutest and the most significant sayings of the Holy Prophet (saw) and not only did they spread it worldwide, rather, they acted upon it. Then, there are books of the Promised Messiah (as). It is the most important responsibility of the Jama’at to read and take advantage of them.
However, remember that you should not do this only to seek pleasure from this, rather, you should do focus your attention towards these matters with the intention to seek benefit from them and act upon them. You will not attain any benefit if you were to read the entire Qur’an only to seek pleasure
From it. However, if you were to ponder over the attributes of Allah the Almighty passionately say ‘ Holy Is Allah’ once out of His love, then He can take you to a different level. Promised Messiah (as) once said in a gathering that ‘Some times when we do Tasbeeh (Glorification and remembrance of Allah)
We reach a different level only by doing it once.’ I was not attending this gathering. A young man who heard this, came to me from there and said ‘I do not understand what the Promised Messiah (as) said today.’ He was not an experienced person. However, at that age, I was an experienced person.
Even though my age was only 17-18 years. When I heard this from him I said, ‘yes this happens’. He enquired ‘How?’ I replied that ‘I have experienced many times that I say ‘Subhan’Allah (Holy is Allah)’ once and my spirituality flies from one level to another.
That ‘Subhan’Allah (Holy is Allah)’ is from the bottom of the heart. It is not mere lip service. When he heard this, he replied with immense contempt (There is no power or strength except through Allah).’ The reason behind this was that this person had never pondered over the subject matter of
Subhan’Allah (Holy is Allah) seriously. He would not gain anything by saying (Holy is Allah) all day long. However, due to my personal experience I knew that many times it so happened that when I said (Holy is Allah) I felt that I was someone else before and afterwards I became someone else.
Look how the Holy Prophet (saw) has explained this subject matter with such perfection. Although I had not studied Bukhari at that time, but my experience was valid. The Holy Prophet (saw) said that “Two words are such that they are very dear to the Gracious. They are very light on the tongue.
Man can easily pronounce these words. He does not feel any burden. However, on the day of Judgment when actions will be weighed, these words will prove very heavy. And whichever side of scale they will be placed, they will move it down. And what are those words, . [Arabic]
I am very much in the habit of saying these words. I have noticed that saying these words once causes my spirit to fly from one level to another.” The real thing is that we should seriously ponder upon the commandments of Allah and try to act upon them.
Therefore, this is the reality that sometimes the Tasbeeh (Glorification and remembrance of Allah) and Tahmeed (the Praise of Allah) done from the bottom of the heart seems like as if it is showing its effect. This is how one feels. May Allah the Almighty grant us the ability to do this.
May He procure the strength within us to practice it and may He enable us to obtain His pleasure. May we become those who do such Tasbeeh and Tahmeed that takes our spirits to different levels and we receive nearness to God the Almighty. 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. He is alone and has no partner. 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.