Spending in the Way of Allah

Summary of Friday Sermon

delivered by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

November 3^rd, 2006

In light of the completion of the Tehrik e Jadid year on 31st October, Huzur gave a discourse on spending in the way of Allah in today’s Friday Sermon.

Huzur cited verse 273 of Surah Al Baqarah (2:273) and said that today, having comprehended the objective of the advent of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace); the Community is capable of discerning the philosophy of financial giving. Fortunate are we that today, having had the perception of ‘vie with one another in good works’ (2:149) we look for opportunities to do good deeds. Huzur said today if anyone has the insight of the commandments of Allah, to sacrifice one’s time, children and wealth for the cause of faith and in understanding the essence of this and what the Imam of the age enjoined if anyone is sacrificing their lives, it is the Ahmadis. It is our obligation to constantly self-reflect and to ever aspire to the standards of the early Muslims in order to be the recipients of Divine guidance and beneficence.

There are other Muslims who spend their wealth out of sympathy of others and have opened organizations for this purpose. Indeed the Christians and the Jews have huge establishments that carry out a great deal of work to help the poor. However, all this is not backed by the fervour to seek the pleasure of God. Most of this is transitory and serves superficial and pretentious objectives.

Huzur explained that financial giving in the cause of Allah must be with money earned by permissible and proper means; God is not in need of cash and is Independent of all needs, He merely tries us through wealth. Indeed, nothing is hidden from Allah, if pure wealth is spent in seeking His pleasure He will recompense for it in an enhanced way and He will not accept financial giving from unwarrantable wealth. Farmers who give on the prescribed rate as well as participate in Tehrik e Jadid are always blessed at harvest time. When the harvest of an Ahmadi farmer is significantly better than the neighbouring farmer they are asked for the reason for this and their response is that their crop has yielded better because it had Allah’s portion in it. Allah strengthens His servants’ faith by examples such as this. Second - or more - generation Ahmadis are witness to how Allah has blessed the sacrifices made by their elders and those who have a true perception of this carry on with it and themselves make a ‘dealing with Allah’.

Huzur related an inspiring episode that he received via letter where someone made an intention to give more for Tehrik e Jadid next year although they were not sure how they would make the payment. Soon afterwards on Eid, they were given unanticipated cash gifts beyond their expectations; overwhelmed by this blessing they decided to pay double of their intention. Huzur says he personally knows them and realizes that they do not have the means to give this much, however they have faith and have great regard for Khilafat and that is why they took the step. May Allah abundantly bless them.

In 1935 when Hadhrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) started Tehrik e Jadid, he had put forward some stipulations/terms for the guidance of the Community. Huzur said these are most significant for spiritual development and are just as important today. The first of these terms was leading a simple life. For example, Huzur said some people choose unnecessary and expensive adornments for their homes, indeed there should be decoration and adornment, but not excessive and expensive. Weddings too, at times, are an over-spending exercise.

Another of the terms was to respond to the abusive publication of the enemy. Huzur said this is a most pertinent point in terms of the current affairs. In some countries our Sultan ul Qalam groups are responding very well but there is room for improvement. Sufism is gaining popularity and many young people are being influenced by it and are going off course. It is trendy in the West to deny the existence of God; this should be responded to by proofs and reasoning.

Another stipulation was that of Waqf e Arzi (devoting a temporary/brief period)

Huzur said if work is carried out on this in an organized way in Africa, Europe and other places it will be a source of training for our own people and indeed Tabligh for the outsiders. There is also the stipulation of post-retirement Waqf. Huzur said if people are in good health and have no responsibilities then they could offer themselves on voluntary basis to serve the Community and be mindful that they are not doing anyone any favours, rather, if they can carry this off, it would be a favour of Allah on them.
Unemployment among the youth was also one of the terms. Huzur said this dangerous malady is on the increase. Huzur said in Pakistan young men are idle because their relative send funds from abroad or they themselves sit waiting for the chance to go abroad. Huzur said it is not so easy to ‘go abroad’ anymore, that they should not delude themselves. Huzur said the Community should look after these young men. Addressing the youth of Pakistan and India Huzur said they should make it a routine to work hard in their own countries and not to sit idle. He explained that there are some who come to the West but do not learn any skill or do not learn the language and stay home on sick leave at the slightest of opportunity, just because there is facility to do so. Work needs to be done [by the Community] in these countries as well.

Giving the facts and figures of the Tehrik e Jadid year 2005-2006 Huzur said the overall donations received stand at £3,550,000, with Pakistan in the first place, followed by USA and then UK. The total participants in the scheme were in excess of 482,000.

Next Huzur presented an analysis of the UK Jama’at donations to Tehrik e Jadid and said this was to awaken them. The Bradford Jama’at fell short compared to last year and Huzur deemed this ‘frightening’. Huzur said he expects that they will come up with the explanation that as they are building a mosque their level of giving has increased. Although the Birmingham Jama’at improved on their last year’s total the number of participants is low. Among the London Jama’ats, as Huzur had wished, the Fazl Mosque Jama’at stood first with the donations averaging £101 per capita. The Bait ul Futuh Jama’at donations too have fallen short and the per capita of Tooting has come down. Huzur said the Jama’ats should now reflect on this. Despite standing third worldwide, the donations in the large Jama’ats of UK were small.

Huzur said the USA per capita donation were £91 whereas for UK it was £45.85. Huzur said land plots are being purchased for building mosques in USA as well and although their earnings are higher, so is their sense of sacrifice. UK’s per capita was half of that of USA although the exchange rate of the pound sterling was double of that of the US dollar!

Next Huzur read out the names of the people Hadhrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) sent abroad after the inception of Tehrik e Jadid in 1935. These people were sent with a very limited amount of funds and their selection was based on their courage rather than their scholarly prowess.

Huzur then related an incident from 1946 that took place in the region of Albania and [former] Yugoslavia which entailed sacrifice of a high order. Hadhrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) had addressed the Ahmadis of India following this incident. In light of this address Huzur said the Ahmadis of Pakistan have abided by this message of sacrifice to this day notwithstanding the currency of the country has not much value. They are liberally sacrificing their wealth along with their lives. Today the Ahmadis who are associated with them but have emigrated to the West and are better off financially than them will also raise their standard of sacrifice and will establish the essence of sacrifice because to raise the banner of Islam we need to give sacrifice on all fronts.

Addressing the rest of the Ahmadiyya world Huzur said now that they have accepted the Messiah and have given all kinds of sacrifice in doing so, they should inculcate this spirit in their countrymen. It is the task of each Ahmadi in this world to be ever ready for the propagation and publication of faith and thus be the recipient of Allah’s pleasure.

Huzur said he was hopeful that each Ahmadi, regardless of where in the world they lived would rise to the call of the Khalifa of the day and be ready to give any sacrifice, yet Huzur hoped and expected from Pakistan that they would endeavour to hold on to this honour. Huzur said it is the Pakistani Jama’at that has given the greatest sacrifice of life and of constant mental torture as well as steadiness in financial sacrifice that they have maintained against all odds. Allah would never let it go to waste. In fact Huzur said signs of success are emerging on the horizon; may we ever pray ‘Our Lord, accept this from us’.