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Divine Attribute of Rabb (Lord)

Summary of Friday Sermon

delivered by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

December 8th, 2006

NOTE: Alislam Team takes full responsibility for any errors or miscommunication in this Synopsis of the Friday Sermon

Huzur continued with the theme of ‘Lord of all the worlds’ in his Friday Sermon today. Huzur said the term Lord of all the worlds is all-inclusive and its beneficence is prevalent for all creation to receive. However, through the Divine quality of Rububiyyat (quality to sustain and nurture) God also bestows exclusive treatment to His special people, the chief among whom is the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Huzur based his sermon on a few incidents from the blessed life of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to elucidate the unique favours granted to him through the Divine quality of Rububiyyat.

Indeed even before his birth the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was a splendid sign of Rububiyyat and each moment of his blessed life was a manifestation of this.

In the words of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) Huzur expounded the early life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) when there was no opportunity for him to receive education of any kind. Yet an exhortation the like of the Holy Qur’an was revealed to him, the truth and erudition of which puts all other scholarly books of this world to shame. It’s a Book that continues to give us information and knowledge even in this time of great technological advance. The exquisite deportment of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was not a result of any academy as such, rather he was personally groomed by Lord of all the worlds. When the angel first revealed the Holy Qur’an to him, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) told him that he did not know how to read, yet the angel asked him to repeated the first revealed verse of ‘Recite in the name of your Lord Who created’ (96:2). Later unparalleled treasures of knowledge and erudition were granted to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) from the Lord.

From among everyday life of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) Huzur related an incident when once during his travels with his companions they stopped at a spot. The companions complained of thirst. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) sent two people in search of water. They saw a woman with two water carriers and a camel. They asked her to accompany them to where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was. Once there the woman dismounted the camel and the Prophet asked for utensils and filled them with the water from her water-carriers and announced that whoever wished to have a drink of water may come and do so. Whoever wished to drink drank to their fill. However, once everyone had had a drink, the woman’s water-carriers were fuller than they had been before people had started to drink. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) instructed that some food be gathered for the woman, which was placed in a bundle and she was helped mount her camel. As she left the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) told her that their drinking had not lessened her water at all and that it was the Lord Who had given them the drink of water.

In the wilderness where no one could be seen for miles God sent that woman as a means to provide the water within the laws of nature. However, the water in her carriers was blessed which had astonished her and she ended up later telling her family that it was through magic. It was in fact a manifestation of Rububiyyat of the Lord of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Likewise the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in imbibing His Lord’s attribute, despite the quantity of her water increasing, sent the woman off with food.

In another incident during the early days Hadhrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that to combat severe hunger pangs he would tie stones to his abdomen. It was in such a state once that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) saw him and took him to his house. In the house was a bowl of milk that had been sent as a gift from someone. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) told Hadhrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) to call some other people who were destitute. Hadhrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) was unhappy at this because he knew there was only a bowl of milk to feed all, however in compliance with the instruction he fetched those people. Once everyone was there he was asked to give the bowl of milk to everyone turn by turn, again he thought this way he would have no milk left to drink. However he took the bowl to everyone and they all drank heartily. Finally, the bowl was given to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who smiled and said ‘Abu Huraira now its only you and I left’, saying this he handed the bowl to Hadhrat Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) who drank to his fill. Then the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) took the bowl, first he glorified Allah, then he said Bismillah and then drank the milk. It was his Lord Who thus provided through the apparent means a bowl of milk.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) forbad keeping fasts without eating sehri so his companions asked why he kept fasts without eating sehri to which the Prophet replied ‘Who among you is like me? My Lord provides food and drink for me’. In this age his true devotee the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was blessed by Allah in similar way when he could fast for six consecutive months. Huzur explained how the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) experienced heightened spiritual experiences due to his fasting.

Huzur related the incident at the Battle of Ditch when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and the rest of the Muslims were severely hungry. One companion noticed this and went and asked his wife what food was available. She replied a small goat and some barley flour. He asked her to cook a meal from this as the Prophet was very suffering from severe hunger. He then went to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and quietly informed him of the meal being prepared and offered that the Prophet went with a few companions to partake the meal. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) looked around him, there were about 1000 starving people. He announced that all were to accompany him to a meal. Meanwhile he sent a message to the house not to take the cooking pot off the fire until he arrived and not to start cooking the bread. When he reached the house he prayed on the pot and the barley dough and asked that the bread may now be cooked. Gradually the food was distributed to all and everyone ate heartily from one pot which continued to cook on the fire. Thus was a wondrous treatment by God for which apparent arrangements were provided for a meal, however the real need was met by an extraordinary manifestation of the quality of Rububiyyat.

Huzur said in this age Allah has granted us the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) from among the ummah of His beloved Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who has given us a perception of Lord of all the worlds. Huzur read some extracts from the writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). He said that just as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) was Seal of all the Prophets ‘I am the seal of all the Khulfas (Caliphs) and I have been sent for the reformation of the entire world’.

Next Huzur related some incidents from the life of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) to expound how Allah helped and supported him through extraordinary times in extraordinary ways. The key incident was when upon being Divinely informed of his father’s imminent death the Promised Messiah felt concern for his future livelihood and Allah revealed to him ‘Is not Allah sufficient for His servant’ (39:37).

Having read further extracts of the writing of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that mention the tremendous undertaking God intended to take from his further generation Huzur said there was the time when the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was unsure of how he would meet his future requirements but after giving him solace and consolation, the Lord of all the worlds established the future generation of his family. A family that has to help the entire world. This is the Lord of all the worlds Who first manifested Himself through the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and then through the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).

Huzur concluded on a prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him): “There is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is Great and is most Compassionate. There is none worthy of worship except Him He is the Lord of the great Heavenly Throne. There is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is the Lord of the heaven and the earth. There is none worthy of worship except Allah, He is the Lord of the noble Throne”.

Huzur said this is a comprehensive prayer that we should always be mindful of and may Allah enable us to truly discern our Lord.