Jamaat Ahmadiyya al Mouslemeen

Friday Sermon of Hazrat Amirul Momeneen Zafrullah Domun

Friday Sermon 29th December 2006

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

Today is the eighth day of the last month of the Islamic Calendar (Zull hajj) for us and the ninth day (Yaum Arafat) for all those who have gone on pilgrimage to the House of Allah in Mecca (Hajis). This year is a special year. It started with the first ten days of Zull Hajj 1426 and it ends with the first ten days of the Zull Hajj 1427. Muslims around the world have been blessed with two Id ul Azha for the solar year 2006. This is a rare event indeed. It occurs almost every thirty three years. So even if a Muslim lives to the ripe old age of one hundred years, he would be conscious of this event happening only three times during his entire lifetime. So we should sing the praise of Allah because He has given us the opportunity to witness such an event. No one knows whether he will be alive to witness the next occurrence of this rare happening.

As you all may be aware, there are approximately 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. For the Hajj these days there are about slightly more than 2 million Muslims present in Mecca and out of these there are one million Saudis according to the official figures. The majority of the Muslims are not there. They are in their respective countries around the world and they are not participating in the ceremonies of Hajj. Many of those who could not go for the Hajj most probably would slaughter animals on the day of Id and that is all that they would do for this year’s Id ul Azha. But from the traditions of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) we understand that the first ten days of the month of Zull Hajj is a period full of blessings and all Muslims should strive to benefit from these blessings as best as they can. Therefore I have chosen a few traditions and sayings of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) to share with you today on the occasion of this blessed day.

It is reported by Ibn Abbas in Bokhari that Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) said: "There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days." They (the companions listening) said, "Not even Jihâd?" He, peace upon him, said: "No, not even Jihâd except a man who goes forth endangering his life and wealth and does not return with anything."

In another version it is related as follows: “There is no deed more precious in the sight of Allah, or greater in reward than a good deed done during the first ten days of the month of Zull Hajj. And the rest is the same as in the above hadith.

From these sayings we learn that all good deeds that are performed during these days have great merit in the sight of Allah. Therefore as a good Muslim we should strive to do plenty of good deeds during these sacred days because we would be plentifully rewarded for them. We may ask what we should do then? We have the reply in another hadith of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw). It is reported that during these days we should increase the number of times we say tahlîl (lâ illaha illallah), takbîr (allahu akbar) and tahmîd (alhumdulillâh). In addition we should engage ourselves more and more in prayers and the remembrance of Allah and if possible give more in charity.

Furthermore it is reported by Abu Qatada in Muslim that the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) was asked about fasting on the day of Arafat(9th Day of Zull Hajj).He replied: “ It is an expiation for the sins of the preceding year and the current year”. It is, however, reported by Abu Hurairah that “the Messenger of Allah forbad fasting on the day of Arafat for someone who was present in Arafat”. Imam Tirmizi has commented that “the scholars prefer that Arafat be fasted except for one who is there.”

It is also reported in Tirmizi and Ibn Majah that the Holy Prophet Mohammadsaw said that “ there are no days more loved by Allah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Zull Hajj. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to one year of fasting and to offer tahajjud in any of its nights is equal in merit to the prayers on the Night of Decree ( Laylatoul Qadr).
A great scholar Ibn Hajar who has written a voluminous commentary on Sahih Bokhari has commented that “The most apparent reason for the ten days of Zull-Hajj being distinguished in excellence is due to the assembly of the greatest acts of worship in this period, i.e. prayers (salawât), fasting (siyâm), charity (sadaqah) and the pilgrimage (hajj). In no other periods do these great deeds combine.”

Now I will briefly outline to you the different rituals that are performed when one goes to perform Hajj at Mecca.
First of all where and when the pilgrim enters the sacred state of a pilgrim? You should know that there are several roads that lead to Mecca. About six miles from Mecca on these roads there are stages (Miqat) that have been earmarked where pilgrims should enter the state of ihram. That is at these places they put on their pilgrim’s garment known as “ihram”. On the road from Medinah the Miqat is at Zul Halifah. On the road from Iraq the Miqat is at Zatu Arq. From Syria the Miqat is at Hujfah according to what I have read. Allah knows best.

Once he arrives at these stages the pilgrim takes a bath, reads two rakaats prayer and put on the ihram, his sacred clothes. It consists of two pieces of seamless garment. One is wrapped around the waist and the other is thrown loosely over the shoulders. The head is left uncovered. The pilgrim does not wear shoes or boots; only sandals are allowed. Once the pilgrim has put on his ihram, he is not allowed to anoint his head, shave any part of his body, pare his nails or wear any other garment than the ihram. He then faces Mecca and makes the intention as follows: “O Allah, I intend to make the Hajj; make this service easy for me and accept it from me.”

He then proceeds to the sacred city. On his way and wherever he would be on the coming days he would recite the “Talbiya” which literally means “to stand for orders”. The words in Arabic are as follows:
Labbaika! Allahoumma Labbaika!
Labbaika! Laa sharika laka! Labbaika!
Innal hamda wan ni’mata laka wal mulka
Laa sharika laka!
The translation is as follows:
I stand up for Thy service O my Lord
I stand up for Thy service
There is no partner with Thee
I stand up for Thy service
Verily All Praise, all Blessings and the Kingdom are Yours
There is no partner with You.

Once he arrives within the sanctuary of the Kaaba he performs ablution and kisses the black stone and circumambulates the Kaaba seven times. He does this three times in quick steps and four times at a slow pace. This is known as the “Tawaaf”. He starts on the right and keeps the Kaaba on his left. Each time the pilgrim passes round the Kaaba he touches the Yamani corner and kisses the Black stone. Once he has completed his seven circumambulations, he goes to the station of Ibrahim (Moqam Ibrahim).At that place he reads:
“Take ye the station of Abraham for a place of prayer” HQ Ch 2 V 119.

He then performs two rakaat prayers at that place.

From there he goes to the gate which leads to mount as safa. He ascends the hill while reciting “Verily as safa and ar marwa are the signs of Allah”. Once he reaches the summit of Al Safa he turns his face towards the Kaaba and recites:
“There is no God but Allah. Allah is great! There is no God but Allah alone! He has fulfilled His Promise and has helped His servant and He alone has made the infidels flee.” He recites these words thrice. Then he runs from the top of the hill as safa to the top of al marwa seven times whilst repeating the aforesaid prayers on each hilltop. Usually these rituals are performed on the sixth day of Zull Hajj. The pilgrim stays at Mecca in the evening and he circumambulates the Kaaba again.

On the seventh day the pilgrim listens to a sermon in the Great Mosque where he learns about the excellences of the pilgrimage and how should true Muslims behave during the coming days.

On the eighth day which is known as Tarwiya he goes forth in the morning with his fellow pilgrims to Mina which is situated about `three miles from Mecca. There he performs the five daily prayers at their appointed time starting with the zohr prayer. He stays the night at Mina and the next day (the ninth), after performing the dawn prayer he sets forth from there to Mount Arafat by passing through Muzdalifa (Mash aral haram) which is situated about six miles from Mecca. On arriving at Mount Arafat he reads his Zohr and Asr Prayer together. The Imam delivers another sermon and the pilgrims listen and pray the whole afternoon.

After sunset the pilgrims return to Muzdalifa . As soon as they reach there they pray their Namaz Maghrib and Esha together and they spend the night in meditation and prayer.

On the 10th day, the day of sacrifice (yaumun nahr) the pilgrims set forth for Mina again. There they throw stones at the three pillars. They would repeat this ritual as long as they stay in Mina. This may be part of a day or three or even four days. Then the pilgrims slaughter their animals of sacrifice. The Hajj is concluded. They shave their head, take a bath and put on their ordinary clothes. The pilgrim stays three or more days at Mecca to rest. These three days following the 10th Day are known as “ Ayyam Tashreeq” which means the days during which the blood of the sacrificial animals dry. Before leaving Mecca the pilgrim goes round the Kaaba again and he also drinks the water from the spring of Zam Zam.

This is how the Hajj is performed. I have given you a very brief outline from what I have read from the books. Allah knows best.

It is written that for a lawful hajj three things are Farz i.e obligatory and five rituals are wajib(obligatory but not as a farz). The three Farz are (1) Putting on the ihram (2) Standing in Arafat (3) going round the Kaaba(tawaf).

Those rituals that are wajib are: (1) the stay at Muzdalifa (2) the running on the two hill As safa and Al Marwa.(3)The casting of stones on Shaitan(4) the additional tawaf if the pilgrim is a non Meccan (5) to shave the head.
All the other rituals are sunnat(the practice of the Holy Prophet) and Mustahab(recommended).

In Islam there is a great reward for someone who takes the pains and undergoes the hardship of performing the Hajj. It is reported that the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) has said “he who makes a pilgrimage for Allah’s sake and does not talk loosely nor acts wickedly will return as pure from sin as on the day he was born.” “The Hajj and Umra put away poverty and sin like the fires in a forge removes dross.” “The reward of a pilgrimage is paradise. When you see a pilgrim salute and embrace him and request him to ask pardon of Allah for you, for his own sins have been forgiven and his supplications will be accepted.” (Mishkaat)

To end this sermon I would like to share with you a page from the History of Ahmadiyyat.

In the year 1900 the Id ul Azha fell on 13th April in Qadian, the birthplace of Jamaat Ahmadiyya. Several followers of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) were present in Qadian well before that date. They had come from diverse places around India.

On the day of Arafat i.e on 12th April Hazrat Ahmad (as) sent a note to Molvi Noor uddin saying that all those present in Qadian should write their names and places of residence and send them to him. He intended to spend the day and part of the night in prayers for them. Molvi Noor uddin informed everybody of this and sent a list of names to Hazrat Ahmad (as) who spent all the time in special prayers. Early next morning Molvi Abdul Karim saw Hazrat Ahmad (as) and requested him to address the gathering that day. Hazrat Ahmad (as) replied that in the morning he had received the following revelation from Allah “Address the assembly in Arabic; you have been given the capacity”. Furthermore he also received the following in Arabic: “Kalamoun ouf se hat mil ladun Rabbin Kareem” which may be translated as “a speech made eloquent by the Generous Lord”.

The Masjid Aqsa had recently been extended and it was decided to offer Id prayer over there. By 8 a.m the mosque was full with the members. Hazrat Ahmad (as) reached the mosque at around 8.30 a.m. The prayers were led by Molvi Abdul Karim. After the prayers Hazrat Ahmad (as) stood in the middle arch of the mosque to address the gathering.
In the beginning he spoke in Urdu and emphasized the fact the Islamic teachings were far superior to all other teachings. He spoke about the twofold aspects of his mission. He has come first to establish the Unity of Allah in men’s hearts and secondly to create a spirit of fellow feelings among all men. Then he started to speak in Arabic. Molvi Nooruddin and Molvi Abdul Karim were asked to sit near and to note down the speech. The people could not follow what was being said in Arabic but everyone listened with rapt attention. They noted a change in the countenance of Hazrat Ahmad (as). He seemed to be in the grip as it were of the Supreme Being; and his half closed eyes with a flow and halo of divine light which shed luster all round, convinced every one present that the speaker before them was certainly in a different world than theirs. He spoke for more than one hour repeating a direct revelation from Allah.

After Hazrat Ahmad finished speaking, Molvi Abdul Karim started giving to the audience a summary of the speech in Urdu. He had not yet finished when Hazrat Ahmad (as) overtaken suddenly by a strong sense of gratitude towards Allah fell on his face in prostration. The audience also did the same. When he raised his head Hazrat Ahmad (as) told the audience that he has just seen in a vision the word “Mobarak” i.e congratulations written in red in front of him.

This speech is known as “Khutba Ilhamiyya” which means “the Revealed Sermon”. Later on Hazrat Ahmad (as) added four more chapters written in Arabic and the book was published in October 1902 together with its Persian and Urdu translations. Incha Allah on another occasion I will give you a summary of the content of this great sermon.

Ameen.