Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2016
Peace be on you! 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, and those who have not gone astray. “He alone can keep the Mosques of Allah in a good and flourishing condition “who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, and observes Prayer, and pays the Zakat,
“and fears none but Allah; so these it is who may be among those who reach the goal.” [Holy Qur’an 9:18] By the grace of Allah, Jama’at Ahmadiyya in Regina have had the opportunity to build a mosque. By the grace of Allah, it is a beautiful mosque.
The population of the Jama’at here including the Jama’at from the surrounding areas is approximately one hundred and sixty people. The capacity for the mosque hall is stated as four hundred worshippers and if the need arises then a further one hundred people can offer the prayers in the common areas.
All in all, at present in respect to the size of the Jama’at, the mosque is approximately three times as big. I have been informed that the expenses have also been paid for by the local Jama’at members or the members have promised to pay it.
In fact, two members of the Jama’at have pledged to pay for approximately one third of the cost in terms of the total expenditure. One of them is the widow of a martyr Doctor Shams-ul-Haq. When I say ‘in terms of total expenditure’, what I mean by that is when it came
To the construction of the Mosque and they began liaising with the contractors, the minimum tender was 2. 8 million [Canadian] dollars, and including other costs, it was coming to a total of 3. 5 million [Canadian] dollars. However the total cost for building the mosque came to 1. 6 million dollars.
To a worldly person, the fact that the entire mosque was completed at half the estimated value of the cheapest contractor, is complete bewilderment. Indeed, a worldly person will have no idea about this because he does not know what [true] sacrifice is and he is unaware of the level
Of sacrifices offered by the members of the community of the Promised Messiah (as). Sacrificing one’s life, wealth and time are traits that can be found in the community of the Promised Messiah (as). This characteristic can be found in the members of the community everywhere, whether they are Ahmadis residing in Pakistan,
Who sacrifice their lives as well as their wealth; or whether they are the Ahmadis living in Africa. Even if they do not have a lot of wealth, they sacrifice their time and also everything they own in order to establish a mosque as well as presenting themselves for community work.
Whether they are Ahmadis living in Indonesia or Europe, or whether they are Ahmadis living in Canada, or whether they are Ahmadis residing in any part of the world for that matter, God Almighty grants them the opportunity to make sacrifices. The reason for this is that they have made
Attaining the pleasure of God the purpose of their lives. I have been informed that the reason why half of Jama’at’s money was saved in the construction of the mosque was that three brothers from Saskatoon, who work in the construction business, volunteered to help, and as a result this amount was saved.
Similarly, many other volunteers helped in this process. These three brothers who are contractors, were aided by a fourth contractor, who was perhaps sent here by God Almighty to aid the project, after moving from Toronto where his employment had ended. Nevertheless, they worked together to complete the work as did all of the volunteers;
Who were local residents of Regina, as well people from Saskatoon, Calgary, Edmonton and even people from Toronto came. Among them were Khuddam and Ansar. Aside from the work where the Jama’at did not have the relevant professionals, everything else was completed by these contractors and the volunteer workers.
Worldly contractors can never conceive this fact, however these workers had no concern for their own income or time. The Lajna also helped by providing food for the volunteer workers and participated in the scheme by offering financial sacrifices, thereby becoming a part of this project. I have been informed that the volunteers spent approximately
Forty one and a half thousand hours in the construction of the mosque. People here did not think that eight hours of work needs to be completed in five days. In my opinion some people would have worked for hours on end, all seven days working day and night.
They would not have bound themselves by any time constraints. By the grace of Allah, this enthusiasm and passion is witnessed among all Ahmadis everywhere, as I mentioned earlier. On the one hand some Muslims are bent upon spreading violence and chaos in the world,
On the other hand, Ahmadi Muslims residing in a different part of the world which is developed and advanced in worldly terms are spending their time and wealth for the construction of the house of God. The reason for this is that the Holy Prophet (saw) has said,
Whosoever builds a house of God, shall have a house constructed for him in paradise. Also, the Imam of the age and ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (saw) said to his followers that in order to spread the beautiful teachings of Islam
Throughout the world one must construct mosques to radiate its authentic and beautiful message. Thus, aside from gaining the pleasure of God Almighty, another reason for sacrifice in constructing mosques is to dispel the erroneous views and remove misunderstandings in the minds of people about Islam;
And to demonstrate to the world that the mosques of the Muslims and Islamic teachings are not the cause of the disorder in the world, rather it is the saviour for the world and the hereafter. It is the cause of embedding the love of God Almighty in the hearts of people
And for them to fulfil His due rights as well as the reason for the love of God’s creation and fulfilling their rights. The construction of this mosque has given a unique honour to the Canada Jama’at in that Ahmadi volunteers completed most of the work thereby saving Jama’at’s money.
In other parts of the world, work is also carried out like this, however it is the first time that it has been carried out in this manner. For all those people who made sacrifices for this project; whether they are financial or sacrifice of time, be they men or women,
Who have given large amounts or promised to give, may Allah reward them and bless their wealth and their lives abundantly. Always bear in mind that a mosque is vital for both our moral training and for spreading the message. For this reason I told Ameer sahib to build smaller mosques
And try to build a mosque in every Jama’at. He has informed me that this indeed is the plan and it is now their intention to make smaller mosques but in a greater number. However I would like to point out although we intend to construct smaller mosques,
We do not have the resources to construct mosques everywhere quickly. Therefore this practice of using volunteers and voluntary assistance for the construction of mosques is a good system. This tradition should be maintained and wherever possible money should be saved. Whilst explaining the importance of constructing mosques, the Promised Messiah (as) once stated:
“At this time, our Jama’at is in great need of mosques, which is the house of God. “In whichever town or village we establish a mosque, “you may assume that the foundations for the progress of the Jama’at have been laid.
“In a town or village where few Muslims reside or there are no Muslims at all, “if one wishes to see Islam flourish there, they should build a mosque. “In that instant God Almighty will Himself draw Muslims towards it. “However the condition is that”
The condition stipulated by the Promised Messiah (as) must be followed, he states: “The only condition is that the reason behind establishing the mosque should be sincere. “The stipulation for constructing a mosque is piety and virtuousness. “It should be [constructed] solely for the sake of God Almighty
“and not for any vested interest or personal gain “and if there is no malicious intent, only then will God Almighty bless it.” Thus, we should make an effort in order to fulfil the desire of the Promised Messiah (as). However, we must also be mindful of the condition which the Promised Messiah (as)
Has mentioned along with this, that is, to show sincerity and not simply a display of momentary passion and enthusiasm for having built a beautiful mosque. Rather, it is important to fulfil the [true] objectives of the mosque. A mosque should not be built for the purpose of seeking recognition and fame,
Nor is it built for people to display their level of financial sacrifices, or to show the number of hours they devoted in its cause and neither is it built for people to compete with one another. In fact, mosques should be built purely for the sake of Allah.
As I mentioned earlier that the three brothers and also the fourth contractor who joined them, played a significant role in the construction of the mosque. When they met me yesterday they were very happy that Allah the Almighty had granted them the opportunity to partake in this good deed.
Now, Allah the Almighty has blessed them with some very big contracts, thus God Almighty does not leave anyone without granting them reward. At times, He grants the reward immediately and on other occasions after a period of time. In fact, one of the brothers, Mansoor Sahib wrote to me that a young man
Who was initially working with them but was accepted into university, and so declined to work further. However, he had a dream in which he was told that the contractors needed his services and so he got in contact and began working again.
One day his wife told him that there was no money left to cover the household expenses. However, Allah the Almighty rewarded him in such a way that the same day, or perhaps the next day, the Tax Credit department told him that he had over-paid therefore they were returning him the over-paid amount.
Also, he received his money for Child Benefit and in this way, he received around 13-14 thousand dollars. Thus, God Almighty indeed shows His favours, providing that one has a pious intention. By the grace of Allah the Almighty there are many people in Africa
Who build huge mosques and then offer them to the Jama’at. I remember when I was in Ghana, I stayed in a city called Tamale for a short period. We had a small mosque there which was made from mud blocks and was plastered from inside and out in order to strengthen it.
After being appointed as the Khalifa when I visited Ghana, I also visited Tamale and saw that there was a huge two-story mosque which is approximately three times the size of your mosque here and there were also offices adjacent to it.
I was informed that one of our Ahmadis paid for the entire cost of its construction. I do know that this was not easy for him and it took him 3-4 years to complete the payment but he said that he wanted to do this and eventually he did so.
As I mentioned earlier that Ahamdis with such nature are to be found everywhere. People tend to assume that due to poverty, perhaps the people of Africa may have a greed for wealth, however when they enjoy a position of affluence,
They set such high standards of sacrifices, the likes of which have seldom been seen. We find such natured people everywhere who offer sacrifices when it comes to building the house of God Almighty. In Pakistan we are not allowed to build mosques and at times people write to me
With great anguish asking me to pray that may they be able to build mosques. [They say] even if they could acquire a hall where they can come together and offer their prayers since the law of the country does not permit them to build a mosque.
They cannot even build a simple Mehraab [where the imam stands to lead the prayer] by extending it in the form of a small chamber, let alone build a minaret or a dome. In fact, in some places the restrictions are so severe that they cannot even
Construct a building which is facing towards the direction of the Qibla [Ka’ba in Mecca]. However, Allah the Almighty is bestowing His favours upon us in the countries around the world and these favours of His are well beyond our imaginations and efforts and He is granting us the opportunity to construct mosques.
After witnessing the grace of Allah the Almighty, we are filled with the emotions of gratitude. Today, those living here should also strive to excel in expressing their gratitude to God Almighty since God Almighty has granted them a mosque,
A house which is the house of God and for the purpose of worshipping God, Who is One. Indeed, this is the house of God but God has not made this for His benefit, rather it benefits those who come to the mosque. Thus, it is a great favour of God Almighty and no matter
How thankful we are it can never be enough. The manner in which one should express one’s gratitude upon the construction of a mosque has been taught to us by God Almighty in the verse of the Holy Quran which I recited before you. God Almighty states, (the translation of it is):
“He alone can maintain the Mosques of Allah who believes in Allah, and the Last Day, “and observes Prayer, and pays the Zakat and fears none but Allah; “so these it is who may be rightly guided.” Thus, belief in God Almighty and the Last Day which is the basic condition
For a believer and a Muslim is fundamental. After that, Allah the Almighty states that the observance of prayer is essential. What is the observance of prayer? It is to come and offer the five daily prayers in congregation at its prescribed times. The meaning of ‘observing prayer’ is to offer the prayer in congregation.
Then, one has to pay the Zakat. What is the Zakat? It is to spend your wealth in the way of God Almighty in order to purify it. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the Ahmadis are excelling in this form of sacrifice,
However indolence is observed generally everywhere when it comes to attending the prayer and offering it in congregation, even though this is a basic requirement and so attention needs to be paid towards this. I would also add here in regards to Zakat that one form of Zakat is that
Which has been made compulsory upon all those who have wealth and their money is deposited in banks or is kept with them. Or, if it’s a large amount in the form of gold or silver and remains with them for a whole year.
Zakat is also compulsory upon some landowners and those who own large dairy farms. In any case, this form of Zakat applies to everyone, men and women alike, and it is according to a fixed rate which has been specified by the Holy Prophet (saw).
In relation to the subject of Zakat, I would like to draw the attention of women in particular. After coming here and with the improvement of their circumstances, they acquire a lot of gold in the form of jewellery. I have seen women, old and young alike, who wear very heavy gold bangles and bracelets.
Indeed, they can wear it, as it is a means of adornment and God Almighty has permitted them, however it is also compulsory to pay Zakat on them. Then, any kind of Chanda [monetary sacrifice] which is offered for the propagation of God Almighty’s faith and its related works and for serving mankind,
Falls under Zakat and the purification of one’s wealth. By the grace of Allah the Almighty at this moment in time, it is only the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community which is spending money for the propagation of faith, the construction of mosques, missionary activities, schools and hospitals.
Then, after Zakat, Allah the Almighty instructs that you should not fear anyone but Him. If one has the fear of God Almighty, only then can one refrain from many of the ills which exist in these countries in the name of freedom.
One must remember that it is extremely vital to develop the fear of God in one’s heart and the fear of God is in fact Taqwa [righteousness]. There are countless verses of the Holy Quran regarding Taqwa [righteousness] in which we have been given various commandments.
If one adheres to them, then one can consider themselves to be counted amongst the rightly guided in the eyes of God and will also be able to fulfil the objectives of establishing a mosque. It is such practices and being firmly established on faith which
Will then in turn enable one to fulfil the objectives of building a mosque and also makes one grateful to Allah the Almighty. If one is only content with having built a mosque but only occasionally comes for prayer and instead of fearing God, he fears other people more and forgets faith
And his duties towards it, then such a person may well be able to gain temporary reward but will distance himself away from gaining the everlasting blessings of God Almighty. Thus, God Almighty states that the mosques can only truly be filled by those who are
Strong in their faith as well as their beliefs and continue to excel in their practice as well. The responsibility of filling and populating the mosques lies firstly with the office bearers of the Jama’at and its auxiliary organisations by ensuring their own attendance.
All the office bearer and every Ahmadi should make an effort to gain the lasting rewards of the sacrifices which the Jama’at has made, both financial sacrifice and the sacrifice of their time. This can be achieved by proving that the size of this mosque is inadequate,
Despite presently being three times the size of the local community. However, mosques can only be rendered inadequate [in terms of size] when the number of those attending the prayer increases as does the size of the local community increasing. In order to increase the Jama’at in number, propagating the
Message is very important, rather it is essential. Upon the construction of this Mosque we must be thankful to Allah the Almighty in this manner that the true message of Islam and Ahmadiyyat is relayed to all the inhabitants of this area.
Alongside this [you must] pay gratitude to Allah the Almighty, it is also a means for discharging the rights of people; as it is their right that we convey the true message of Islam to them and bring them out of vulgarity and immorality.
It is our duty to make the world realise its true creator. These days, a majority of the world thinks that worldly success and its lavishness means everything and become embroiled within it. However, they do not realise that behind this temporary splendour lies a black hole, in which they will be encompassed.
At such a time it is the duty of the Jama’at members to show the world such avenues which lead to a glistening end. We must inform them that the glamour of this world is merely temporary. The true light is for the one whose end is radiant and it is only attained
When discharging the rights of Allah the Almighty; it is by worshiping him and is achieved by worshiping him selflessly. This can only be achieved when we have more concern for the afterlife rather than this world. We can only explain this to the world after we analyse ourselves
And only when we are concerned about our end, can we show them the light ahead. In that case we will not be those who merely raise the slogans of love and affection, rather we shall become among those who endeavour to fulfil each other’s rights. We will be increasing the standards of our worship.
Through our words and actions we shall be working towards attaining the love of Allah the Almighty and where our fountains of love and affection for Allah will be simmering, our fountains of love and affection for Allah’s creation will also begin to simmer.
Those people who see us from afar, approach us when they hear our slogans. They are impressed by the beautiful teachings of Islam when listening to us. It should not be the case that when they draw close they say that from afar you appeared different and now upon drawing close you are something else.
In order to attain the paradise of the hereafter we should strive to make this world a paradise through our worship and through our actions. The Holy Prophet (saw) said: “When you pass through the gardens of paradise, eat and drink from there.” Hazrat Abu Hurairah (ra) was also sitting in that gathering,
Many narrations have been related from him. He states that on hearing this I enquired: “O Messenger of Allah (saw)! “What are the gardens of paradise?” Upon this the Holy Prophet (saw) stated that “Mosques are the gardens of paradise.” He then enquired: “O Messenger of Allah (saw)!
“What is meant by eating and drinking in paradise?” The Holy Prophet answered: “To Remember Allah, to do Tasbeeh (reciting Subhanallah or Holy is Allah), “to do Tahmeed (to say Alhamdulillah or glorify and praise Allah), “to say there is none worthy of worship except Allah,
“and to say Allah-u-Akbar (Allah is the greatest). “To say and recite this is the food and drink of Paradise.” Hence, alongside prayers, to sit in the Mosque praising and glorifying Allah the Almighty is to eat of the fruits of paradise in this world and whomsoever remembers and worships Allah
The Almighty in this manner, he is not only witnessing the paradise of the hereafter, rather he endeavours to fulfil the rights of the creation by treading upon the commandments of Allah the Almighty; who then further tries to conform his actions in accordance to the command of Allah the Almighty.
How fortunate are those people who enjoy the fruits of the paradise in this world themselves and enable others to eat from it and will be amongst those who will be the recipients of the pleasure of God Almighty in the next world. They are amongst those who walk on the path of righteousness
In order to attain God Almighty’s pleasure The Promised Messiah (as) says: “Amongst all the commandments of the Holy Quran, “the commandments pertaining to righteousness and piety is stressed the most. “This is because righteousness provides the power to desist all kinds “of evil and motivates one to swiftly strive on the path of goodness.
“The reason behind placing such emphasis upon righteousness is that righteousness is the key to survival of a person in every aspect. “Righteousness is the protective citadel that saves one from all kinds of mischief and strife.” This means that righteousness and fearing God Almighty is the fortress
In which one takes refuge and seeks protection from Satan. The Promised Messiah (as) says: “A person practising righteousness can save himself “from many unnecessary and dangerous encounters that others fall victim to; “which can lead to their destruction. “Therefore everyone must remember that the sacrifices you have made,
“or are making and will continue to make must be fortified with Taqwah [righteousness]. “If not, then these sacrifices will only be short lived.” As I said before, in order to show our gratitude it is important to fulfil our responsibility of preaching.
However, with the building of the new mosques, many people would see this new edifice. By seeing this mosque their attention will be focused on you; their attention will be focused on Ahmadis living here. At that time, if every Ahmadi is found to be adorned with God-fearing righteousness,
Then this will become a source of guidance for others. So this mosque places a great responsibility on every Ahmadi that resides here. In order to fulfil this responsibility, every Ahmadi will have to become a model Ahmadi. The Promised Messiah (as) states: “Members of my community should become [exemplary] models.
“Any member of my community who sets a poor example and demonstrates “weakness in both his actions and beliefs, is a tyrant. “The reason for this is that he brings the entire community into disrepute “and makes me the target of the objections raised by others. “People despise displays of misconduct
“whilst they are attracted towards models of good conduct.” The Promised Messiah (as) as says: “Sometimes people write to me that although I am not part of your community, “seeing the conduct of the people of your community makes it evident to me “that the teachings of this community is based on piety.”
Even today, many people write to me and sometimes they say in personal meetings that the attitude of the people of the community makes it clear that your teachings are based on peace, security, love, and dedication. Therefore, it is the responsibility of every Ahmadi that they should spread
This teaching widely and become the practical role models of these teachings. The Promised Messiah (as) then states that God Almighty keeps a record of the deeds of every individual. Indeed a diary of all one’s deeds is being maintained. Therefore, every individual should take it upon themselves
To keep a diary of their daily activities. God Almighty maintains this records, however every person should do this. Every righteous person should reflect upon his daily activities and write in his diary every day about the good deeds he has carried out during the day and what were his shortcomings.
The Promised Messiah (as) says: “Every person should keep a record “of their daily activities and then should reflect on them. “Simply noting it down is not enough, it is important to reflect and plan “your development in further aspects of righteousness.
“It is important to reflect on how much progress one has made since yesterday.” The Promised Messiah (as) says: “The status of the piety of a person today “should not equal the level of his piety yesterday.” “The person whose yesterday and today are equal
“has made no progress in piety and [consequently] is at a loss.” Do not merely be happy in the fact that our standard of piety of yesterday is maintained today; but the Promised Messiah (as) has directed that our level of righteousness today should surpass that of the previous day.
If that is not attained, then you must understand that we are not in a place of advantage and we are heading towards a loss. The Promised Messiah (as) says: “A person who believes in God Almighty “and has perfect faith in Him will never face ruin.
“Instead, for the sake of protecting such an individual, millions of lives are saved.” Today it is the responsibility of Ahmadis to save the world from destruction. However the prerequisite remains the same and that is our progress in piety must be extraordinary.
The Promised Messiah (as) says that for the sake of one such person millions of lives are saved. Thus, it is a huge responsibility upon every Ahmadi to save the world. It is incumbent upon us to save the world, which is abandoning God.
Even if some are better than others with regard to their moral standards – as there are some who say, ‘there is no need for us to follow any religion, because our morals are far better’; it may well be that some of their basic morals are indeed better;
Their dealings on a daily basis and their dealings with others may be comparatively good and they may not be usurping the rights of others but in other aspects and in the name of ‘freedom’ these people have become morally redundant. And they have the backing of the law.
The world has completely forgotten God Almighty. At such a time, if even we, who have entered into allegiance with the Promised Messiah (as), forget our values, neglect God Almighty, and Islamic morals and in turn start pursuing this world, who would then undertake the reformation of the world?
There is no doubt that Allah the Almighty has vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah (as), [that] such people will be always remain and Allah will provide others. However, we should not let ourselves be deprived of its blessings. Thus, today it is the duty of every Ahmadi to assess themselves,
As per the instructions of the Promised Messiah (as), so that we may be able to discharge our responsibilities in the right manner. Do not be content with merely having constructed a mosque alone. Our target should be that we have to increase the number of those who prostrate before Allah
The Almighty and gather them under the flag of the Holy Prophet; Muhammad (saw). This cannot be accomplished until we make firm progress forwards, unless each and every one of us becomes a role model for our own people as well as for others. We should not cause pain to anyone.
In fact we should fulfil the due rights of our own people as well as fulfilling the rights of others. The Promised Messiah (as) says that “You should become a source of blessing for your own selves, “your wives and children, for your community and relatives and for me.
“You should never provide the opponents with a reason to criticise.” Thus every one of us should feel this pain of the Promised Messiah (as) and set such examples that prove to be good reputation of the Jama’at and the Promised Messiah (as). May Allah the Almighty enable us to do so.
Our tomorrow should be better than our today. Our children and our progenies should understand that the sacrifices, which their parents offered their building of mosques, their efforts towards propagating the message and their admonition to them to give precedence to faith over the world is the true wealth, which they left behind for them.
Also the future generations should continue to instil this thinking into their progenies and may Allah the Almighty enable this to continue forever. May our future generations continue to gather the blessings of Allah the Almighty. May Allah the Almighty ordain for this to happen. 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.