Huzur delivered his Friday Sermon today from Hamburg in Germany. Huzur said he has already inaugurated a mosque in Germany and shall inaugurate another tomorrow. Therefore Huzur gave a discourse on the significance of mosques. Huzur said the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) had said that wherever an introduction of the Jama’at is needed, a mosque may be built. This is a source of Tarbiyyat for us and also facilitates Tabligh.
Huzur briefly explained the history of mosques in Germany and said that it was Allah’s grace that every time we make a leap and build a large mosque Allah increases our requirement [for a larger still mosque]. Citing (7:30) from the Holy Qur’an Huzur said this verse draws the attention of every worshipper who comes to the mosque to be fair and just. Huzur cited (4:59) and said that this explains that the real standard of a believer’s sense of justice is established when he/she honours the dues of Allah. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that we are not real servants of God unless we are able to return or are prepared to return all that God has given us. This glorious trait was found in its most supreme excellence in the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and we too should strive according to our capacities to follow this blessed model. The ‘trust’ as stated in (4:59) may be established in two ways; by paying the dues of Allah by using His favours and blessings to attain His pleasure and by creating justice and fairness among people. Huzur said when we come to mosque we should pray that we are enabled to honour our dues, then only will our worship be sincere. Allah is Al Baseer (All Seeing) and is aware of the inner most recesses of our heart and is aware of the intention we may have when returning His trust only for the sake of attaining His pleasure and while fulfilling the requisites of justice and fairness.
Once someone asked the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) what should one have in view when saying Salat to which the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) replied that one should remember Allah with sincerity and remember His favours. The most excellent example of offering Salat is found in the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and such lofty was his station of devotion to Allah that he was made to declare in (6:163) ‘Say, 'My Prayer and my sacrifice and my life and my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds’. Huzur said when a person will strive to be completely devoted to God with this blessed model in mind then there can be no other conclusion but this that such a person would be a true servant of God and would fulfil all requisites of fairness among people. Such a person also attains high standards of purifying of the ‘self’ and continues to make progress. Indeed, the Holy Qur’an states the means to acquire this station in (16:91). The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) explained this verse and said that we should have a regard of fairness and justice with our Creator and consider only Him to be worthy of worship, love and trust and not associate any partners with Him. Once one has fully comprehended that Allah alone is one’s Lord and one has established justice (adl) with regard to Him one can move on to the station of ‘doing of good’ (ehsan) whereby one is completely devoted in the love of God, this is followed by the station of ‘giving like kindred’ (itai dhil qurba) that is one’s love and devotion of God is free from all pretence and one remembers God as unconditionally as a child remembers his mother. On a human level the first station would be having sympathy and a sense of justice for mankind, develop this further to a station where one would return a bad deed with a good deed and return pain with happiness and then in ‘giving like kindred’ do good to others without any expectation of a return. This is the height of high morals when one does good to others cheerfully and without any expectation of gratitude.
Huzur said this is the commentary of the verse (16:91) that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has given us. As his followers we claim that we aspire to tread the path that is enjoined, we need to ensure that we do not simply make a claim and that we actually strive to put it all in practice. The second half of the verse, Huzur said mentions three evils, which are not expected of those who worship God with sincerity, as these ills take one away from worship of God. While the verse draws attention to adopting one after another piety in order to spiritually develop with the aim of attaining the pleasure of God it also draws attention to do a Jihad against evil. It enjoins to avoid ‘indecency’. Huzur said ‘indecency’ signifies that evil which only the person who commits the ill knows about. When one turns to Allah as a true servant, first and foremost one supplicates for the removal of one’s evil, only then does one do justice and fairness to oneself. Before fulfilling the external requisites of fairness and justice one should hold one’s self to account. Next one is enjoined to avoid ‘manifest evil’. Huzur said at times these unfavourable matters may not cause any damage but they lead to bad habit forming, for instance using abusive language. Huzur said those who worship God with complete sincerity should not have this evil. The third degree of evil to avoid is ‘transgression’; creating disorder in society and usurping others’ rights. Fundamental to all this, Huzur said, is that we introspect and examine our ‘self’ and purify it. If these efforts are not made, one may get distant from the Jama’at and distant from obedience of Khilafat which leads to deprivation of worship of God. One who transgresses does not fulfil the requisites of justice, a transgressor is entangled in egotism and therefore cannot be humble and one who cannot be humble cannot worship God with sincerity. Huzur said if we are to derive benefit from our mosque, as a true servant of God, we need to avoid evil and adopt piety to which our attention is drawn. Huzur prayed that may Allah enable us to fulfil the requisites of worship of God with sincerity, to fulfil the rights of creation, to be drawn to purify our ‘self’ and may we always supplicate to Allah, begging Him for acceptance of these matters.