The Address by Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih V At the Lajna Ijtema UK on 30 September 2018
(نوٹ: سیدنا حضرت خلیفۃالمسیح الخامس ایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ کے پرمعارف خطبات و خطابات قرآن کریم، احادیث مبارکہ اور حضرت مسیح موعود علیہ السلام کے ارشادات کی لطیف تفسیر ہیں – چنانچہ دوستوں کی خواہش پر ویب سائٹ ’’خادم مسرور‘‘ میں حضورانور ایدہ اللہ تعالیٰ کے ارشاد فرمودہ تمام خطبات جمعہ اور خطابات upload کئے جارہے ہیں تاکہ تقاریر اور مضامین کی تیاری کے سلسلہ میں زیادہ سے زیادہ مواد ایک ہی جگہ پر باآسانی دستیاب ہوسکے)
أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ
أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْحَمْدُلِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ اِیَّاکَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔
اِھْدِناَ الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔
Alhamdulillah, once again Allah the Almighty has enabled Lajna Imaillah UK to hold its National Ijtema this weekend.
The main purpose of the Ijtema is to provide an opportunity for you to join together, so that the spirit of unity amongst Lajna Imaillah increases and to hold various programmes, which are a means of spiritual and moral development and which increase the religious knowledge of the participants.
In addition, various other activities, including sports, are held so that Lajna members of all ages find something of their interest and are able to participate in one way or another. Through such participation, the attendees derive benefit from the spiritual atmosphere of the Ijtema.
Similarly, there are also various presentations, events and competitions for Nasirat so that our young girls can also benefit from the religious environment of the Ijtema and learn about the importance of morality and virtue, and increase their religious knowledge. Such programmes also help foster a love for the Jama’at and sense of allegiance to it from a young age.
In this way, the Lajna Ijtema provides an excellent platform for the Tarbiyyat of our Ahmadi Muslim women and girls and I hope and pray that this Ijtema has proved beneficial to all. Anyway, today, I wish to remind all of you about the immense value of remaining firm in your faith and being ready to offer any sacrifice for the sake of your religion and beliefs.
Certainly, for any true religious community, it is essential that its followers consider their religion, and of course nation and community, to be of paramount importance and be ready to make sacrifices for its cause. Unless we constantly seek to increase our faith and to live by our religious teachings, our verbal utterances are meaningless and entirely disingenuous.
For us, Ahmadi Muslims, it is even more imperative that we live our lives according to the teachings of our religion. We must be ever attentive to the demands of our faith, because we claim to have accepted that person, who was sent by Allah the Almighty, as the Imam of the Age, as the true servant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), and who was sent for the revival of the true teachings of Islam.
Indeed, we have taken the oath of allegiance of that person, who was sent by Allah the Almighty, with two outstanding objectives.
Firstly, he was sent to draw humanity back towards its Creator to re-establish a spiritual bond between God Almighty and mankind and, secondly, he was sent to urge all human beings to fulfil the rights of one another and to uphold human values. Certainly, the Promised Messiah (as) illuminated the world with the resplendent light of Islamic teachings and, according to the command of Allah, he established a community of followers whose sole objective was to act upon those pristine teachings.
Given this, we who have accepted him, should always be conscious of the fact that it is our foremost obligation to live our lives according to Islam and, for this, we must be ready to make any sacrifice required of us for the sake of our faith. It is quite easy to say that you are willing to make sacrifices for your beliefs but, in reality, until a person gives precedence to his or her faith over all worldly matters, they will not be ready to make genuine sacrifices.
In the Lajna pledge, Ahmadi women proclaim that they are ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of their religion and nation, whilst in the Nasirat pledge, our young girls vow to serve their religion, country and nation. Hence, all of you must solemnly reflect upon these words and strive to practically uphold them at every corner and every turn in your lives.
Be amongst those women and girls, who light up the world through their sincerity, morality and through their readiness to give up everything for the sake of their religion and nation. Such pious and exemplary standards of sacrifice can only be achieved if you are mindful of following the commands of Allah the Almighty in every respect.
This is why the Promised Messiah (as) once said:
No one can be purified until God Almighty does not make them so.
Naturally, the question arises that how can we be purified by God Almighty? In answer to this very question, the Promised Messiah (as) said:
When a person approaches God Almighty with complete humility, meekness and devotion, his prayers are accepted by Him and he becomes righteous. He attains the ability to understand the faith of the Holy Prophet (sa).
Without this, no matter how often a person verbally professes his faith or religion and no matter how much he worships, it is nothing except mere words and meaningless rituals and simply following the customs of one’s forefathers. There is no truth or spirituality to it.
Consequently, a spirit of sacrifice will only develop inside you when you attain spirituality through a personal relationship with Allah the Almighty and for this, you must earnestly bow down before Him with absolute humility.
A willingness to make sacrifices for your faith is only possible if you are constantly trying to morally improve and increase in righteousness. Only then can a person be counted amongst those who are really giving precedence to their faith over all worldly matters. In light of this, it is up to every Ahmadi Muslim to self-assess and monitor whether they are moving towards Allah the Almighty and developing a relationship with Him.
Unquestionably, out of His sheer grace and mercy, Allah the Almighty has bestowed, and continues to bestow, the Jama’at of the Promised Messiah (as) with countless devoted women who have understood the demands of their faith and acted upon them, no matter the grave trials or tribulations that ensued.
Such women have excelled in piety, righteousness and virtue. They have made colossal sacrifices for their faith and have followed in the golden footsteps of those outstanding Muslim women who sacrificed everything for the sake of their religion in the early Islamic period. It is often easier for people to relate to real-life examples and so I shall now mention some of the Ahmadi women who have made great sacrifices for the sake of Ahmadiyyat in recent years. Their cases testify to the fact that a spirit of true sacrifice is alive and well within our Jama’at.
The first lady I shall mention is Anjum sahiba from Canada, who accepted Ahmadiyyat after substantial research and investigation. Ultimately, she came to the realisation that the Promised Messiah (as) was the true representative of the Holy Prophet (sa) in this era. She understood that whatever the Promised Messiah (as) taught was a manifestation of the original teachings of Islam and she realised that the way to attain Allah’s favour was to join the blessed community of the Promised Messiah (as) and to be ready for whatever sacrifices were required.
Thereafter, in reality, she did have to make many sacrifices for the sake of her faith. After she took Bai’at in 1994, her husband became infuriated and tried his utmost to force her to abandon her faith in Ahmadiyyat. He forcefully prevented her from attending the Friday prayers, or any other Jama’at events, and even brought some non-Ahmadi Maulawies into their home, who tried to coerce her to leave Ahmadiyyat. However, their concerted efforts proved to be in vain. No matter how cruelly she was pressured, harassed and persecuted, she remained firm in her faith and displayed exemplary steadfastness.
As a result, her husband mercilessly removed her and their three children from the family home and threw them onto the streets. As she had nowhere else to go, Anjum sahiba took her children to a motel where they stayed for some days. Upon this, her family spread rumours that Ahmadis were funding her, but this was completely wrong. In fact, where she had previously lived comfortably, she took work as a domestic cleaner to earn just enough money to shelter and feed her children. Despite the harrowing change of circumstances she was forced to endure, her resolve never faltered.
She did not let the intense pressure she faced lessen her faith even an iota. After some time passed, she received marriage proposals from non-Ahmadi men, but she rejected each one and said that she would only ever marry an Ahmadi man. Upon this, one man who had proposed to her was so impressed by her faith that he began to learn about Ahmadiyyat and soon he was also convinced by the truth of the Promised Messiah (as). They later married and, ever since, their family has maintained a loyal and sincere relationship with the Jama’at. Accordingly, this brave lady, not only guarded her own faith and that of her children, but also brought a non-Ahmadi into the fold of Ahmadiyyat.
Another lady, Noor Jahan sahiba from Calcutta in India, accepted Ahmadiyyat in 1981. A major reason she converted was after seeing how the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was engaged in the service of Islam by doing Tabligh throughout the world. She was particularly moved by the fact that the Jama’at had established a system of financial sacrifice, that is Chanda, with the purpose of propagating Islam far and wide.
She observed her Ahmadi friends, who were very regular in paying Chanda, and, after some time, told them that she also wished to donate some money as sacrifice. However, she was informed that the Jama’at only accepted Chanda from Ahmadis and so could not accept her offer. Upon this, she informed that she had read several books published by the Jama’at and already considered herself to be an Ahmadi in her heart, even if she had not officially taken the Bai’at.
Due to her ardent desire to take partake in Chanda, she openly took Bai’at, despite the fact that her father and other relatives immediately turned against her. They harassed and abused her and she had to endure a period of severe financial hardship. However, Allah the Almighty rewarded her patience and sacrifices, as she got a job at a school and was subsequently appointed as headmistress. Furthermore, rather than her being led away from Ahmadiyyat by her family, the opposite proved true because the rest of her family came to accept Ahmadiyyat eventually. Alhamdulillah.
Another lady I wish to mention is Raeesa sahiba, from Kanpur in India. When she accepted Ahmadiyyat along with her children, she had to pass through many struggles. Even before accepting Ahmadiyyat, her financial circumstances were dire and she made a very basic living selling bangles in different villages. After taking Bai’at, she was forced to withstand even greater hardships and worries, because much of her family turned against her.
However, with the grace of Allah, Allah the Almighty rewarded her patience, because soon her material state began to improve and instead of having to travel to the villages, she was able to establish her own independent shop. Seeing how Allah the Almighty had improved her circumstances increased her faith even more. Hence, where previously she was living a very impoverished life, she is now at the forefront of making financial sacrifices for the sake of her faith.
I also wish to narrate a faith-inspiring incident of a lady, Sanjeeda sahiba, from India. In the year 2000, her husband accepted Ahmadiyyat and he preached to her and soon she also accepted the truth of the Promised Messiah (as). Following her Bai’at, her own family turned vehemently against her and completely disowned her. They physically beat her and sought to intimidate her with various threats.
Yet, she showed remarkable courage and stayed firm in her faith. She was originally from a wealthy family, but after accepting Ahmadiyyat her father told her that she would be cut off from the family inheritance and all her rights, unless she revoked her belief in the Promised Messiah (as). Upon this, Sanjeeda sahiba replied to her father saying:
You are trying to force me to give up my faith, by cutting me off from this worldly inheritance, but let me tell you that, in return for forsaking these few rupees, Allah the Almighty has already given me a priceless reward worth more than all the money in the world in the shape of Ahmadiyyat. Thus, I swear that I do not care even in the slightest for the loss of any material wealth or my share of the family inheritance!
Similarly, another Indian lady, Alfa sahiba, from Korea in District Sitapur accepted Ahmadiyyat, even though all the other people in her village were non-Ahmadis. As a result, she was subjected to horrific persecution and even her parents threatened her and mocked her. They tauntingly asked her:
Who now will marry your daughters? They will be left all alone as spinsters!
Upon this, Alfa sahiba responded with great forbearance. She said that she had accepted Ahmadiyyat for the sake of Allah the Almighty and was convinced that He would take care of all her needs, no matter what. She said that her daughters would, Insha’Allah, marry Ahmadi Muslims. With the grace of Allah, her resolute patience and steadfastness has been rewarded, wherein two of her daughters are now happily married with Ahmadi missionaries/mu’alims (religious teachers), whilst she was close to arranging a match for her other daughter with a good-natured Ahmadi youth at the time this incident was recorded.
In Spain, an Ahmadi lady, Wafaa sahiba, had to endure many problems and anxieties after accepting Ahmadiyyat. For example, her husband divorced her, but this did not weaken her faith and she bore this trial with great fortitude. Alhamdulillah, later she was blessed by Allah the Almighty with a good and happy marriage to an Arab Ahmadi. With the grace of Allah, she continues to excel in righteousness and financial sacrifice for the sake of the Jama’at.
Similarly, there is a lady in Palestine who, after accepting Ahmadiyyat, has faced a lot of persecution and endured many cruelties.
She has even been taken to court over her religious beliefs. Her husband has divorced her, but not once has her faith in Ahmadiyyat lessened and she continues to display exemplary patience and is fulfilling her pledge of giving whatever sacrifice her faith requires.
Furthermore, Allah the Almighty has also given the Jama’at such honourable and devout women who have given their lives for the sake of their faith and joined the esteemed ranks of the martyrs. For example, in 2011, an Ahmadi Muslim lady, Maryam Khatoon sahiba, from Layyah in Pakistan was martyred when she was attacked by non-Ahmadis.
Just aged 26, and the mother to three young children, Maryam sahiba was fired upon by anti-Ahmadi opponents in her home and due to the severity of the injuries, she was martyred at the scene. These are just a handful of incidents, which illustrate that in different nations across the world, Ahmadi Muslim women are giving whatever sacrifices are required by their faith.
Moreover, many women have accepted Ahmadiyyat after seeing dreams testifying to the truth of the Promised Messiah (as). Such women have gone on to become exemplary Ahmadi Muslims and excelled in righteousness and their faith and spirit of sacrifice have continued to increase. For example, a lady from a village in the African country of Guinea-Bissau narrates that she saw a dream in which the local Ahmadi missionary presented her with a book and told her that her salvation lay in that book.
Upon opening it, she saw a photo of a person and asked the missionary who it was.
In reply, he said: This is a photo of Khalifatul Masih.
After waking up, the next day she went to visit the same missionary and narrated her dream. Upon this, the missionary said that Allah the Almighty has shown you a clear sign of the truth of Ahmadiyyat. The lady responded by stating that she was well aware that Allah has given her a very clear message and so she had come to take the Bai’at and was ready for any sacrifice the Jama’at required of her. Ever since accepting Ahmadiyyat, she has excelled in offering financial sacrifices and very bravely she goes out to do Tabligh and tells people her own story about how Allah guided her to Ahmadiyyat.
Similarly, an Ahmadi man from Bangladesh, Palaash sahib, narrates an incident about his wife who was a teacher. When the school administration where she worked learned she was an Ahmadi, they became highly agitated and told her to leave Ahmadiyyat. Alternatively, they said that she should, at the very least, publicly announce that she was a Christian, even if her heart remained as an Ahmadi. Upon this, the lady said:
I accepted Ahmadiyyat after seeing a dream testifying to its truth. We offer Namaz five times a day. How then can I now call myself a Christian? I can leave my job but I can never ever leave Ahmadiyyat.
It is not just Lajna members who are making sacrifices for the sake of their faith. Even young Nasirat are setting an example for others in this regard. For example, in Bangladesh, there is a village where there are just a handful of Ahmadis and they have been subjected to intense persecution and have suffered every type of social boycott and pressure. Even a ten-year-old Ahmadi girl, in Year 4 at school, was not spared from these cruelties. Whilst at school, her teachers told her that her father was now a Christian and that he was destined for hell.
They cursed and abused him in front of this little girl. They also tried to influence her by promising her a beautiful home and the best food and schooling if she separated from her father. Upon this, the little girl remained strong and said:
My father cannot be hell-bound because he is regular in Namaz and neither can he be a Christian as Christians do not perform Namaz!
She said:
I will never leave my Jama’at or my father, no matter what you offer me. In fact, after seeing the example of my father, my belief in Ahmadiyyat is even stronger.
This story was narrated by the father of the girl himself and, as he told this story, he broke down in tears as he recalled the pious example of his daughter. I have presented a few modern day examples to show you how Allah the Almighty continues to manifest the truth of the Promised Messiah (as) throughout the world and how He is instilling a spirit of sincere sacrifice within Ahmadi Muslim women and girls across the world.
As I mentioned, many Ahmadi Muslim women have had to endure horrific cruelties and hardships and some have even given their lives for the sake of the faith. With the Grace of Allah, those noble women never shirked from the challenges they faced, rather their response to such hatred and injustice was to increase in their devotion to Ahmadiyyat and being more determined to live their lives as true servants of Islam.
For as long as this incredible spirit of sacrifice remains within our Jama’at, rest assured that no one can ever weaken or harm the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Insha’Allah. Whilst, our opponents concoct many plans and hatch countless schemes in order to destroy the Jama’at they will never prove successful, Insha’Allah. Certainly, the opponents of Ahmadiyyat will continue to make threats against us, but their attempts will never reap any fruit, because the faith that exists amongst Ahmadi Muslim men, women and children ensures that the Community of the Promised Messiah (as) will continue to flourish and prosper no matter what.
However, there is one note of caution I wish to add. Whilst, Ahmadi Muslims throughout the world continue to serve the Jama’at and to make sacrifices, each Ahmadi Muslim must pay personal attention to make sure that he or she does not personally fall behind. Every Ahmadi Muslim should ensure that his or her standards never slip. Always seek to increase your faith and to travel on those blessed paths that Allah the Almighty has Himself commanded us to walk upon. Always strive to fulfil the objectives for which the Promised Messiah (as) was sent.
Tread upon those golden walkways that lead to directly to Him. Pay heed to the words and instructions of the Promised Messiah (as), who has taught us how to attain the love of our Creator. On one occasion, the Promised Messiah (as) said:
A believer is he who is utterly loyal to God Almighty. Once he has believed then why would he fret over any threat? For he has declared that he will give precedence to his faith over all worldly matters…When one forgoes his home, his people and all his comforts for the sake of God Almighty then God Himself provides for him everything he needs.
The Promised Messiah (as) further said:
You should remain patient and steadfast like the truthful people because Allah the Almighty forever helps the truthful and raises them to an esteemed status.
The Promised Messiah (as) continued:
Now, Allah the Almighty is establishing a community of the truthful! Whosoever is not sincere or truthful will depart – if not today, then certainly tomorrow! And they will be separate from our fold. However, God Almighty will never forsake those who are honest and true.
Hence, we should always strive to ensure that we remain amongst the truthful and never weaken in our faith, God forbid. May we always remain firm in our belief that we have taken the Bai’at of that person, who was sent by Allah the Almighty according to the prophecies of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). We have accepted that person who was sent in complete servitude of the Holy Prophet (sa) and who was bestowed by Allah with the status of a non-law bearing prophet and was the Imam Mahdi and Promised Messiah (as). It was he, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian (as), who, in this era, due to his heartache and anguish at the state to which Muslims had descended, established a pious community of the truthful.
Always remember that every act and every instruction of the Promised Messiah (as) was in accordance with commands of Allah the Almighty and the teachings of the noble Prophet of Islam (sa). Thus, it is my ardent desire and prayer that Allah the Almighty enables all Ahmadi Muslims to remain firmly attached to the Promised Messiah (as) and to follow his teachings and guidance in every single matter.
Further, may every Ahmadi Muslim remain firmly attached to the institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya which, according to the Promise of Allah, was established following the demise of the Promised Messiah (as). Always pray that you remain steadfast in your faith.
Rest assured, if you remain firmly attached to Ahmadiyyat, Allah the Almighty will never forsake you. Instead, He will grant you the status of a true believer and count you amongst the truthful. May Allah the Almighty enable the faith of every Ahmadi Muslim to constantly increase and may every Ahmadi truly uphold their claim of giving precedence to their religion over all worldly matters. Furthermore, you should endeavour to nurture and morally guide your children so that they are also raised in a pious fashion and with firm faith in the truth of Ahmadiyyat.
Instil in them the true values of Islam so that they too grow up into model citizens who are ever-ready to give whatever sacrifice is required for the sake of their faith and nation. As long as Allah the Almighty continues to bless our Jama’at with noble women and devoted mothers, who fulfil their own pledges and who train their children to be pious ambassadors and servants of Ahmadiyyat, any and every attempt to harm or destroy our Jama’at will be doomed to fail.
Always remember that it is the promise of Allah that He will ensure that the Jama’at continues to grow and we are all witnesses to how He is fulfilling this promise each and every day. Only due to His help and grace, our Jama’at continues to prosper and flourish and, Insha’Allah, always will.
The only question is who will be the fortunate ones who forever remain part of this blessed community? Certainly, all Ahmadi Muslims who remain firm in their faith will be a part of the fulfilment of the grand promise of God, whilst those who are not truthful will separate from God’s pious community, as the Promised Messiah (as) foretold.
With all my heart, I pray that may Allah the Almighty enable every person who accepts Ahmadiyyat to remain a sincere member of the Jama’at and to stay amongst those counted as truthful believers. May Allah the Almighty protect every Ahmadi Muslim from negligence or weakness in faith and keep them under His Divine shade. In the end, I pray that may Allah the Almighty continue to bless Lajna Imaillah in all respects. Ameen.