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A Discourse on Signs (Ayahs) of Allah

Summary of Friday Sermon

delivered by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

December 28th, 2007

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

Huzur cited verse 130 of Surah Al Baqarah (2:130) and gave a discourse on Signs (Ayahs) of Allah in his Friday sermon today. Huzur said last Friday he had given a discourse on the prayer of Hadhrat Ibrahim (the above-mentioned Quranic verse) with reference to the blessed being of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). In the prayer Hadhrat Ibrahim (on whom be peace) had of course enumerated four aspects for this great prophet to come and Huzur had elucidated the first of the four aspects, i.e. ‘who may recite them Your Signs’ last week and had expounded various meanings and nuances of the word ‘Ayah’. One of these meanings was warning of chastisement.

With reference to verse 60 of Surah Bani Israel (17:60) Huzur said it signifies that Allah sends Signs to demonstrate the truthfulness of His prophets and their people, He shows miracles. Allah is indeed the font of all powers, He is Al Aziz (The Mighty) and while the verse and others like it speak of a warning being given to the earlier people it also carries a lesson for the people of the current age, in particular the Muslims. It is the Muslims who read this Book therefore the message is for them to learn from it and understand that Allah has power to demonstrate miracles and send His chastisement even today lest they are negligent. Huzur said Muslims need to ponder over the signs associated with the fourteenth century [of the Muslim calendar] and in light of this they should not take denial and rejection of truth to an extreme. The Powerful God has not abandoned His ways, He declares that He warns people against a bad end by sending Signs; Signs that He indeed continues to demonstrate today, if only one has the insight to recognise them.

Huzur said the citation of the earlier people in the Holy Qur’an is not mere stories. Wise is one who takes heed from these incidents of past in which different forms of chastisements came to different people. Indeed an awe and fear of Allah should always be in one’s heart. Allah is Ever Merciful, He does not just send down Signs of warning, He sends glad-tidings as well. Some people object that Qur’an is mostly about severity although Allah declares that His mercy transcends everything else and it is for mankind to engage in Istighfar (seeking forgiveness from Allah).

It is the good fortune of the Muslims that Allah has, by illustrating the limitations to us, guided us through the blessed model of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). It is the obligation of each Muslim to abide by these limitations so that we are counted among the true believers and by doing good works are the recipients of the glad-tidings that the Qur’an mentions.

Citing part of verse 10 of Surah Bani Israel (17:10) Huzur said the true believer is one who takes lesson from the perfect Book which is replete with Allah’s Signs and which gives the incidents of the earlier people and prophesizes about the future and after taking lesson does good works so that he/she may attain a great reward.

With reference to the writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) Huzur said Allah’s Signs are of two kinds; one of warning and other of mercy and compassion. The former are for those who disbelieve and are disobedient and of Pharaoh-like disposition; these are to alert and warn them. The other kind of Signs are for the humble and the meek. The objective of these Signs is not to caution people, rather to console and reassure them just as a soothing, compassionate hand is placed on an anxious heart. A true believer develops in faith and spiritually with the help of these Signs and his/her natural anxiety is alleviated and is replaced by tranquillity so that he/she may continue to develop in belief and spiritual knowledge and reaches the stage of having certainty of truth. The Holy Qur’an has these Signs in abundance and carries the eternal promise that those who truly believe in the Qur’an will continue to discover these Signs.
 
Huzur cited verse 65 of Surah Yunus (10:65) and said that to have the positive Signs in itself is the supreme triumph that the verse alludes to. Allah has mentioned in the Holy Qur’an in various places with various references as to who are those who believe upon seeing the Sings of Allah.

In Surah Ibrahim verse 6 (14:6) the time of Moses (on whom be peace) is cited and it is said that the patience and gratefulness of Moses (on whom be peace) and his people was of avail to them. Therein is a Sign for Muslims. Patience and gratefulness does not mean to sit back no matter what the situation is. Rather it connotes to appreciate and value the blessings of Allah with thankfulness as well as contentment. The followers of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) - whose Shariah was greater than the one Moses (on whom be peace) brought and was perfected by Allah – are required to have higher standards of patience and thankfulness from those of the people of Moses (on whom be peace). The people of Moses (on whom be peace) were blessed by Allah as long as they were grateful. This shows that patience and thankfulness requires resoluteness. Consistency is required in Jihad e Akbar (the greatest striving) in accordance to the teaching of the Qur’an which constitutes self-improvement as well as taking the message of truth to others.  In the current age there could be no blessing greater than the advent of the Promised Messiah which took place at a time when Islam had greatly weakened. This Messiah was a true and ardent devotee of that great Prophet of God who dispelled darkness and spread spiritual light on a greater scale than Moses (on whom be peace) did. Huzur said the reclamation of the lost greatness of the Muslim world lies in appreciating this blessing that has come in the form of the Messiah. May Allah give everyone the capacity to have a perception of this.

With reference to verse of 66 of Surah Al Nahl (16:66) Huzur said the verse cites ‘sending down of water’ with reference to those who are obedient and compliant. Further explaining Huzur said the significance of ‘water’ to revive dead earth ties in with those who listen and obey, however, this is made clear by referring to the verse preceding this which explains the Qur’an as a guidance, therefore mention of water for the revival of dead earth connotes spiritual water for the revival through the guidance of the Holy Qur’an. Indeed the clearest and purest of all spiritual waters was brought by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Such is the life-infusing quality of the Holy Qur’an. The Muslims have denied themselves of the beneficence of this spiritual water by denying the advent of the true and ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Citing verse 104 of Surah Hud (11:104) Huzur said when true believers read Quranic verses (Signs) of chastisement for the earlier people for the excesses they committed, their very souls are moved and they try their best to avoid all manner of excesses.

Huzur said we see in the blessed model of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that he even prayed for protection and refuge against inclement weather. Believers who take heed from this model inculcate awe and fear in their hearts. May it be so that each person in the ummah of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) comprehends this from the depth of his/her heart; may Allah enable us Ahmadis to do this more than the others.

Next Huzur said he wished to draw attention towards prayers for Pakistan. As everyone knows the situation there is unspeakable, the government remains all but in name. The terrorists and the extremists seem to have the upper hand. Misdemeanours are been perpetrated against Islam in the name of Islam. Whereas the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be on him) had said that a Muslim who takes the life of another Muslim is not a Muslim. Each day dozens of lives are been wasted and many children are made orphans and women are being widowed. Yet they do not seem to comprehend anything. Please pray Allah gives them some sense. Ahmadis spilled their blood to create this country, spilled their blood in defending this country. It is the requisite of the love of the homeland that today Ahmadis turn to Allah because we do not have any other power apart from prayer. Those Ahmadis who live in Pakistan as well as those who live abroad, rather all the Ahmadis of the world need to engage in prayers for Pakistan. It was a favour of the Pakistani Ahmadis on the others that they initially took the message of Ahmadiyyat to them and showed them the ways, introduced them to the spiritual water. In return of this kindness each Ahmadi should pray for the Pakistani Ahmadis.

The Pakistani Ahmadis should also focus within their environs and make others aware of the erroneous course they have taken. Why do they not appreciate and value the country that God granted them. Huzur said it was the obligation of each Pakistani Ahmadi to take this message wherever they can.

Huzur urged everyone to pray profusely. He said the situation is most critical. Rather than respond and react to bombings and shootings by pondering and reflecting for a solution there are disturbances and violence. Dozens are being killed daily.

It is our prayer that Allah gives them sense. On the whole the public is decent, however, if it is not in the destiny of the mischievous elements to take heed then may Divine chastisement come to them soon so that everyone, the innocent, the children are saved.
May Allah soon establish peace in that country.