|
Friday Sermon 16th November 2007
After reading the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the
first chapter, Al-Fatiha, of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’menine
Zafrullah Domun said:
THE TOPIC OF TODAYS SERMON
Today I have chosen to speak to our brothers and sisters not on any
particular topic. I will speak rather on different topics. When we read
the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood as, we understand that at many places,
in many books or speeches he has given us a summary of his teachings.
For example we see that in his book “Kishti Nuh” he has
spoken in detail about his teachings. Similarly in his book ‘the
Will’ he has reiterated what he expects from the members of his
Jamaat. And we also see that during the course of his speeches on the
occasion of the annual conventions or even during his daily casual talks
he has elaborated in detail on what are his fundamental teachings. Although
in all those places Hazrat Masih Maoodas is repeating more or less the
same ideas, we find that whenever we read them we experience an exquisite
spiritual delight. Personally since I was quite young I have always
been reading his writings with an immense pleasure and even today I
can tell you that my pleasure has not diminished at all. And I think
that our young members of the Jamaat should start reading his writings
so that incha Allah they may be blessed with the wisdom that his words
reflect. And so I have chosen to share with you today some of these
extracts which most probably most of us have never heard before. And
I hope you will listen carefully and try to mould your life according
to these teachings so that you may receive in full measure the wisdom
of the teachings of Islam as explained by Hazrat Masih Maood as.
“KAHSFUL GHITA”
On 27th December 1898 Hazrat Masih Maoodas published a small booklet
of about fifty pages in Urdu language. Its title was “Kahsful
Ghita” which may be translated as “the Removal of a Curtain”.
It is divided into four sections which are as follows:
1. A brief introduction of his family history
2. His teachings
3. What he has been doing during the past nineteen years and what are
his claims and how they have been distorted by his opponents.
4. What has been the treatment of the learned ones of the Muslim Community
towards him because he has claimed to be the Reformer of the age.
This book was addressed in the first place to the members of the English
government who at that time were ruling India. He addressed them this
booklet because his arch enemy Molvi Mohammad Hussein of Batala has
been telling the government that Hazrat Ahmad (as) was an enemy of the
English and that his intentions were the same as the Sudani Mahdi who
fought against the English. Therefore Hazrat Ahmad (as) was compelled to
dispel these doubts and he wrote this booklet to achieve this purpose.
It is not my intention to give you a summary of the booklet at this
time. But I will just quote a paraphrased extract from this book about
his teachings. He says:
“It is almost nineteen years since I have been publishing my teachings
and I have circulated them in both the Punjab and the whole of India.
And the summary of these teachings is that Allah is One and He does
not have any Partner. One should have sympathy with all the creatures
of Allah.(he who follows me) should become such that his thoughts and
actions should be good. He should not lie. He should not be a fabricator.
He should not harm anyone either with his tongue or with his hands and
he should stay away from all sorts of sins. And in all circumstances
one should protect oneself from the onslaught of ones passions. And
one should try to become such a person whose heart is always pure and
he does not manifest any ill will…... You should cultivate the
fear of Allah and with a pure heart you should adore Him. You should
also stay away from oppression, violence, fraud and bribery. You should
not take the rights of anyone and you should not show any type of partiality
without any just cause. You should stay away from all sorts of bad companions.
You should guard your eyes from looking at what is forbidden. You should
also guard your ears from hearing calumnies. And intend not to harm
anyone whatever his creed, class or group. And you should try to be
a good counselor for everyone. And you should not associate with those
who are inclined to create trouble and who are evil minded and whose
lives are dissolute and whose behaviours are bad. Guard yourselves against
all sorts of sins and try to practice all the virtues….. And you
should exert yourself to the utmost to know Allah. If you get Him you
will get salvation. If you meet Him you will be completely free. Allah
manifests Himself on he who searches for Him with sincerity and love
in his heart. He manifests Himself on that person who becomes wholly
devoted to Him. Allah establishes His Throne on that heart which is
completely pure. And He sends His revelation to that tongue which does
not swear nor speak lies nor utters unpleasant words. And whosoever
loses himself in Him, he becomes a manifestation of His miraculous Powers.”
[Rohani Khazain Vol 14 p187-188]
As you may observe these teachings are the basic teachings
of Islam. They are very simple and quite straightforward. Any one can
practice them whether he is very learned or unlettered. Hazrat Ahmad
as has used very simple words to help us to understand deep spiritual
truths. As his followers we should always keep these teachings in mind
and every day and night we should wonder how far we have put into practice
these teachings. And whenever we see that we have been negligent or
forgetful we should awaken ourselves and become more determined to live
our lives according to what Hazrat Ahmad (as) has taught us based on the
teachings of Islam. Unless we do like this and keep struggling with
our own self we will never progress spiritually and whatever we may
think of our achievements in the world would be mere illusions. So take
care and be not negligent of your duties and responsibilities. May Allah
help each one amongst us to understand this well .
THE PRACTICE OF ALLAH
In the same book Hazrat Masih Maood as says:
“Since a very long time it is the practice of Allah who has created
the world and who has given us the good news of an eternal life which
will come afterwards that in order to increase the knowledge of those
who are negligent, He attracts towards Himself some of His Servants
by revelation and He speaks with them and He manifests His celestial
signs on them. Thus they see through the spiritual eyes of Allah and
they are filled with love and certainty and they become like those persons
who attract others to the source of life where they are drinking. So
that those who are neglectful may know Allah and they might get the
eternal life. And every time in the world when the Love of Allah becomes
cold in people’s heart and because of people’s negligence
there is a lack of internal purity, Allah commands one of His Servants
to stand up through His Revelation so that hearts may be purified. And
at this moment the one who Allah has purified with His Hands and whom
He has ordained is this humble one. And this humble one is working on
the same pattern as that other humble servant of Allah who appeared
nineteen centuries ago at the time of the Roman Empire to put the grain
of purity into the heart of the people so that they may attain salvation.”
[Rohani Khazain Vol 14 p191-192]
From this extract and from the many other extracts
that I have already read to you in my previous sermons it is crystal
clear that according to Hazrat Ahmad (as), the founder of Jamaat Ahmadiyya
Worldwide, Allah can raise someone when the need arises. To say that
because there is khilafat in Jamaat Ahmadiyya, Allah will no longer
exercise His Prerogatives is to betray a crass ignorance of the basic
teachings of Hazrat Ahmad (as) as far as this matter is concerned. When
Allah has said to one of His Servants within the Jamaat of Hazrat Masih
Maoodas to look after His Jamaat, should that servant need any other
proof from Him to tell the Ahmadis that from Allah they have another
Imam. Whosoever wants to hide this from the mass of ordinary Ahmadis
will bear a heavy burden in this world and in the next.
As Hazrat Masih Maoodas has said so explicitly in the
above extract from time to time Allah raises one of His Servants through
revelation to awaken others from their slothful life. Today, by the
Grace of Allah He has assigned to this humble one this noble task. Hence
the Ahmadis today are at a crossroad: “either they obey their
leaders and disobey Allah or they obey Allah and disobey their leaders.”
If you know the teachings of the Holy Quran , if you know the teachings
of the Holy Prophet Mohammad saw and if you are aware of the teachings
of Hazrat Masih Maoodas , you do not have any choice but to obey Allah.
It has been reported to me that many Ahmadis have said
that they will decide according to what the caliph will say. For the
time being they will carry on with what the previous caliph said, namely
to ignore this so called divine manifestation. I want Ahmadis around
the world to know that when their deeds will be presented to Allah they
will be alone to defend themselves. Neither the caliph nor the Amir
nor the members of the Amila, nor your wife, your husband, your father
brothers or sisters will be present to help you. These are not my words
but the words of Allah that you can read in the Holy Quran. For the
time being I will leave you to reflect on the following verses so that
you may understand your responsibility in this matter instead of lulling
yourself into believing that the caliph will rescue you. Allah says
in the Holy Quran:
“On that day when their faces are turned over into the fire, they
will say “Oh would that we had obeyed Allah and the Messenger!
And they will say ‘Our Lord we obeyed our chiefs and our great
ones and they led us astray from the way,
Our Lord give them double punishment and curse them with a mighty curse”
Holy Quran 33: 67-69
It is not at all my intention or my pleasure to see
any one being cursed. I am here to help the people to know Allah and
not to be away from Allah. I hope and pray that Allah opens your heart
and that you do not become like those people of old to whom their prophet
said: “A’tastabdelouna ma howa adna billazi howa khair”
which means “would you take in exchange that which is worse for
that which is better?” Holy Quran 2:62. Allah is giving you something
which is better than that which is with you and you are saying you do
not need anything else because what you have is better. Know it, o ignorant
man and woman “Allah knows and you don’t know”. And
what Allah chooses for you is better than what you can choose for your
own self. I call upon the caliph and ulamas of the Jamaat to engage
with me. Correct me if you think I am wrong. If you are afraid, then
inform the Jamaat about your feelings and leave it to them to decide
and discharge yourself of a heavy burden. May Allah help you to know
right from wrong!
CHARACTERISTICS OF THOSE WHO ENJOY ALLAH’S
MERCY
Now I will read to you some other extracts from the
Malfoozaat of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). The first extract is from
Volume III page 18. He says:
“I should like to assure you that the obedient and the truthful
people are the recipients of the Mercy of Allah. These are the people
who go into the Presence of Allah with a present of purity and they
stay away from mischief and evil deeds because they know that these
things keep the man away from God and they become the cause of deprivation.
These are the people who are washed with the water of a pure spring
and those who are washed at such a spring never become unclean or impure.
They are made to drink a beverage with the consequence that they do
not feel thirst anymore. They are granted a life which is never interrupted
by death. They are given a paradise from which they are never turned
out. Contrary to this the people who do not drink from this spring and
who are not touched by the Hand of Allah, they fall far away from Allah
and they go nearer to Satan. They abandon going towards Allah and that
is why they have no consolation nor do they have any arguments nor do
they make any impression.”
From this extract it is very clear in which group we should strive to
be. And all praise is due to Allah who (He) has proved these words of
His Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as to be true and He has showered
on us His Mercy. This extract(s) clearly depicts where we are and where
those who are declaring themselves to be our enemies are. Read the extract
carefully and everything will become as clear as the sun on a sunny
day.
DO NOT BE NEGLIGENT
In the next extract Hazrat Masih Maood as says:
“All of you should listen very attentively and ponder over it
seriously, for this is a matter of faith. To be negligent or to become
slack or to be inattentive can produce very bad results. Those who are
negligent in the matter of faith and when they are addressed they do
not listen to attentively do not gain anything from what is said to
them, even though what is said is a good thing of high standard and
can also be very effective. It is this type of people about whom it
is said that they have ears but they do not hear; they have hearts but
they do not understand. You should remember that you should listen very
attentively to whatever is said to you for, he who does not do so, however
long may be the period for which he stays with the beneficial person,
he cannot gain anything whatsoever.
When Allah raises prophets in the world, they are met by two types of
people. One, those who listen to them attentively and these are the
people who benefit from the person of the prophets and they are the
recipients of true virtue and its blessings and fruits. The second group
are those who not only do not listen to what the prophets say but they
even go to the extent of mocking them and they are always busy scheming
and trying to harm them.”[Malfoozaat Vol 3 P 142]
This is another very important extract. It speaks about those persons
who live in the time of a prophet. If one joins the company of the prophet,
he will benefit of his presence only if he listens carefully and puts
into practice the teachings of the prophet. If not he will not benefit
at all even though he may stay for a long period in the company of that
prophet. And then it describes the behaviour of the opponents of prophets.
They derive no benefit at all from the presence of that person who has
come from Allah because they prefer to be in the company of Satan. Therefore
it is vital for members of our Jamaat to put into practice whatever
we tell them of the instructions that we receive from Allah. If not
they will not benefit at all from being a member of this Jamaat. We
are not interested with those people who just want to surge our ranks.
But we will do our best to help anyone who genuinely wants to reform
himself and he wants to tread the path that has been shown to us by
our beloved master Hazrta Mohammad saw.
HOW TO GET RID OF THE BONDAGE OF SIN
In another extract Hazrat Masih Maood as says:
‘I can assure those who will stay with me for a considerable period
of time that if they come here with a sincere heart and good intention
and pure determination and sincere thoughts for search, Allah will remove
their inner darkness with His bright manifestation. He would grant them
a fresh God-realization and convincing certainty about His Existence.
And mind you those are the very things that protect a man from the poison
of sin and they become an elixir for him. This is the very task that
has been assigned to me and this is the need that I should like to fulfill.
He who wants to get rid of the chains of sin should know that this is
the only way he can do so.’ [ Malfoozaat Vol 3, p 20]
To those persons who asked for signs, Hazrat Masih Maoodas always told
them to come to stay with him for some time and if Allah wills He may
show them some signs. It is not for the prophet or the messenger to
show signs. It is Allah who manifests signs. The Holy Quran says:
“And they say ‘why are not signs sent down to him from his
Lord?’ Say ‘the signs are with Allah and I am but a plain
Warner.’ HQ 29:51
In addition Hazrat Masih Maoodas says a seeker of truth should possess
four other qualities. His heart should be sincere; he should have a
good intention and the necessary determination and sincere thoughts
for his search. If one does not start one’s inquiries with this
mindset, one is just wasting one’s time and one will get nothing.
In the end he may be further away from the truth than he was before
he began his ‘search.
OUR RESPONSE TO THOSE WHO ABUSE US
In the last extract that I will quote today Hazrat Masih Maood as speaks
about our response to those who abuse us. He says:
“Our opponents abuse us but I do not mind their abuses nor do
I expect any sorrow for this act of theirs. It is because I know that
they have become helpless and cannot oppose me successfully. They express
their helplessness through hurling abuses on me issuing fatwa of disbelief
against me and dragging me to the courts by false cases and by telling
lies. Let them oppose me with all their powers and let them see whom
the decision of Allah will favour. If I pay attention to their abuses
I shall not be able to do the work that Allah has assigned to me.
Now just as I do not pay attention to their abuses, I advise members
of my community that they should listen to the abuses and tolerate them
and they should never retort with abuses, for, by doing so they will
lose blessings. They should show forbearance and patience and display
good morals. You should remember it well that wisdom and excitement
can in no case go together (for they are opposed to each other). When
one is excited and full of anger wisdom takes leave and goes away. But
he who shows patience and forbearance is granted a light which brightens
up the powers of wisdom and then this light begets more light. Since
excitement makes the head and heart dark, this darkness produces even
more darkness. [ Malfoozaat Vol 3 p 181]
This last extract sums up the teachings of the Promised
Messiah, Hazrat Ahmad (as) about how we should behave towards those who
mistreat us. If he gave us such noble teachings so that we might not
abuse our enemies, you can easily guess what would have been his reaction
if he were aware of the untold abuses that are being inflicted on others
by those who declare that they are his disciples. The fact is that despite
all the Jalsas, Ijtemas, Friday sermons etc most of the Ahmadis worldwide
are still quite ignorant of that prince of peace, humility and meekness
that was Hazrat Ahmad (as). Members of our Jamaat should develop the habit
of studying the books of Hazrat Ahmad (as) from the source, that is, in
Urdu so that they may know exactly what he said. May Allah help each
one amongst us to become a Muslim in the true sense of the word.
Ameen.
|