Jamaat Ahmadiyya al Mouslemeen

Friday Sermon of Hazrat Amirul Momeneen Zafrullah Domun

Friday Sermon 19th January 2007

After reading the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz , the first chapter of the Holy Quran Hazrat Amirul Mo’menine Zafrullah Domun said :

Today I will speak to you about monotheism (Tauhid) according to the Hadiths of our beloved Prophet Mohammad saw. I have chosen these Hadiths from the Sahih Bokhari of Hazrat Imam Bokhari (may Allah have mercy on him).

In fact the last chapter in Bokhari Shareef is about Tauhid. It contains about 182 Hadiths. But I will tell you only about a few of these today and in one or two other sermons in the coming weeks.

When the Prophet (saw) sent Muadh to Yemen, he said to him, "You are going to a nation from the people of the Scripture, so let the first thing to which you will invite them, be the Tauhid of Allah. If they learn that, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them, five prayers to be offered in one day and one night. And if they pray, tell them that Allah has enjoined on them Zakat of their properties and it is to be taken from the rich among them and given to the poor. And if they agree to that, then take from them Zakat but avoid the best property of the people."

From this Hadith we understand how important the notion of Tauhid is. Once people understand it other teachings of Islam will be very easy to follow. That is what we also should do. When we present Islam to others we should first of all tell them about who is Allah according to the Holy Quran. That is exactly what I am trying to do with these series of sermons on Shirk and Tauhid. We hope and pray that Allah may help us to present these teachings in such a way that it becomes very easy for others to understand incha Allah.

Allah's Apostle (saw) said, "Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to mankind."

If we start commenting this Hadith, we will need to devote several sermons only to it. If we analyze the problems of the world we will see that almost all of them spring from the non–practice of this very important saying of the Holy Prophet (saw). Think about it and you will notice how far what I am saying is true. As an Ahmadi one should always examine our dealings with others through what has been said in this saying. In our relationship with our fellow beings, with our wives and children, with our parents, with our friend and even with our enemies we should do our best to exhibit this quality so that Allah may have mercy upon us.

In another Hadith it is said "We were with the Prophet when suddenly there came to him a messenger from one of his daughters who was asking him to come and see her son who was dying. The Prophet said (to the messenger), "Go back and tell her that whatever Allah takes is His, and whatever He gives is His, and everything with Him has a limited fixed term (in this world). So order her to be patient and hope for Allah's reward." But she sent the messenger to the Prophet again, swearing that he should come to her. So the Prophet got up, and so did Sa'd bin 'Ubada and Mu'adh bin Jabal (and went to her). When the child was brought to the Prophet his breath was disturbed in his chest as if it were in a water skin. On that the eyes of the Prophet became flooded with tears, whereupon Sa'd said to him, "O Allah's Apostle! What is this?" The Prophet said, "This is mercy which Allah has put in the heart of His slaves, and Allah bestows His mercy only on those of His slaves who are merciful (to others)."

There are many lessons that we can learn from this Hadith. It teaches us how we should take death when it comes to one who is dear to us. In such circumstances we should show patience and understand that whatever we have is not ours. It is Allah's and He takes it whenever He wants and we cannot do anything about it. Furthermore under such circumstances we should have hope in Allah's Mercy and His reward. In addition it is not forbidden to weep silently because we see here that the Holy Prophet himself did weep at the sight of one of his grandchildren's death.

In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (saw) said, "None is more patient than Allah against the harmful and annoying words He hears (from the people): They ascribe children to Him, yet He bestows upon them health and provision." This Hadith teaches us among other things that Allah's Patience is Unique as He is Unique. Man rebels against Him and they even deny His existence yet He gives them provision and health- two very important things that make life easy to live."

In another Hadith the Holy Prophet (saw) said:

"The keys of the unseen are five and none knows them but Allah:

1. None knows (the sex) what is in the womb, but Allah;
2. None knows what will happen tomorrow, but Allah;
3. None knows when it will rain, but Allah;
4. None knows where he will die, but Allah (knows that);
5. and none knows when the Hour will be established, but Allah."

In another Hadith Hazrat Aisha (ra) said, "If anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen his Lord, he is a liar, for Allah says: 'No vision can grasp Him.' (Ch. 6. verse 103) And if anyone tells you that Muhammad has seen the Unseen, he is a liar, for Allah says: "None has the knowledge of the Unseen but Allah."

This is a very interesting Hadith. It speaks about the Uniqueness of Allah and it also refutes the arguments of those who are of the opinion that the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) had superhuman capacities and qualities.

The Prophet (saw) used to say, "I seek refuge (with You) by Your Honour ('Izzat), None has the right to be worshipped but You Who do not die while the Jinns and the human beings die."

In another Hadith a companion relates "We were with the Prophet on a journey, and whenever we ascended a high place, we used to say, "Allahu Akbar." The Prophet said, "Don't trouble yourselves too much! You are not calling a deaf or an absent person, but you are calling One Who Hears, Sees, and is very near." Then he came to me while I was saying in my heart, "La hawla wala quwwatta illa billah (There is neither might nor power but with Allah)." He said, to me, "O 'Abdullah bin Qais! Say, 'La hawla wala quwwata illa billah (There is neither might nor power but with Allah), for it is one of the treasures of Paradise." Or said, "Shall I tell you of it?". This hadith again enlightens us about Allah. He is close to all the creatures, He hears all, and He sees all. Our mind is not equipped to fully or even partially understand His Being.
Hazrat Abu Bakr As-Siddiq ra said to the Prophet "O Allah's Apostle! Teach me an invocation with which I may invoke Allah in my prayers." The Prophet said, "Say: O Allah! I have wronged my soul very much (oppressed myself), and none forgives the sins but You; so please bestow Your Forgiveness upon me. No doubt, You are the Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."

This is a most interesting prayer. We should learn it and recite it as often as we can every day. It refutes the notion that someone else can wash our sins or take their burden on his shoulders. It is only Allah who can forgive the innumerable sins that we commit everyday provided we beseech Him to do so. This prayer will be of great help in this regard.

The people said to the Prophet (saw), "O Allah's Apostle! Here are people who have recently embraced Islam and they bring meat, and we do not know whether they had mentioned Allah's Name while slaughtering the animals or not." The Prophet said, "You should mention Allah's Name and eat." The Muslim code of conduct is very simple and he will be judged according to his intention. He is advised not to entangle himself too much with what he may not. He should lead his life in obedience to Allah alone. Allah has said that we should pronounce His name on slaughtering an animal. If a new Muslim may not have done it on the meat he has sent you, you, yourself are allowed to pronounce these words and to eat the meat.

The Prophet (saw) said, "Do not swear by your fathers; and whoever wants to swear should swear by Allah." Allah is the Supreme Authority. Most probably that is why, and quite logical that we should swear in His Name and no one else's."

The following two Hadith help us to understand that in all our dealings in life we should not forget that Allah is watching over us. Allah created us for His Worship. If we forget this He would be very angry with us. The Prophet (saw) said, "There is none having a greater sense of Ghira than Allah, and for that reason He has forbidden shameful deeds and sins (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) And there is none who likes to be praised more than Allah does." The word "Ghira" covers a wide range of meanings: jealousy as regards women and also it is a feeling of great fury and anger when one's honor and prestige is injured or challenged.

Sa'd bin 'Ubada (ra) said, "If I saw a man with my wife, I would strike him (behead him) with the blade of my sword." This news reached Allah's Apostle who then said, "You people are astonished at Sa'd's Ghira. By Allah, I have more Ghira than he, and Allah has more Ghira than I, and because of Allah's Ghira, He has made unlawful shameful deeds and sins (illegal sexual intercourse etc.) done in open and in secret. And there is none who likes that the people should repent to Him and beg His pardon than Allah, and for this reason He sent the warners and the givers of good news. And there is none who likes to be praised more than Allah does, and for this reason, Allah promised to grant Paradise (to the doers of good)." 'Abdul Malik said, "No person has more Ghira than Allah."

And now because of lack of time I will just tell you some more Hadiths that I have noted for this sermon.

The Prophet (saw)said, "When Allah created the Creation, He wrote in His Book--and He wrote (that) about Himself, and it is placed with Him on the Throne--'Verily My Mercy overcomes My Anger."

The Prophet (saw) said, "When Allah had finished His creation, He wrote over his Throne: 'My Mercy preceded My Anger."

The Prophet (saw) said, "Allah says: 'I am just as My slave thinks I am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes to Me walking, I go to him running.' "

The Prophet (saw) said, "Whoever believes in Allah and His Apostle, offers prayers perfectly and fasts (the month of) Ramadan then it is incumbent upon Allah to admit him into Paradise, whether he emigrates for Allah's cause or stays in the land where he was born." They (the companions of the Prophet) said, "O Allah's Apostle! Should we not inform the people of that?" He said, "There are one-hundred degrees in Paradise which Allah has prepared for those who carry on Jihad in His Cause. The distance between every two degrees is like the distance between the sky and the Earth, so if you ask Allah for anything, ask Him for the Firdaus, for it is the last part of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise, and at its top there is the Throne of Beneficent, and from it gush forth the rivers of Paradise."

The Prophet (saw) used to say at the time of difficulty, 'La ilaha il-lallah Al-'Alimul-Halim. La-ilaha il-lallah Rabul- Arsh-al-Azim, La ilaha-il-lallah Rabus-Samawati Rab-ul-Ard; wa Rab-ul-Arsh Al-Karim.' Which means: "None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Majestic, the Most Forbearing. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Lord of the Tremendous Throne. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, the Lord of the Heavens and the Lord of the Honourable Throne."

Allah's Apostle (saw) said, "If somebody gives in charity something equal to a date from his honestly earned money--for nothing ascends to Allah except good--then Allah will take it in His Right (Hand) and bring it up for its owner as anyone of you brings up a baby horse, till it becomes like a mountain." Abu Huraira said: The Prophet said, "Nothing ascends to Allah except good."

Incha Allah we will continue with these Hadiths in the next sermon. My request to you all is that you reflect upon them and you try your best to mold your life according to these teachings incha Allah.

(Ameen)