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A Discourse on Signs (Ayahs) of Allah

Summary of Friday Sermon

delivered by the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

January 11 th, 2008

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

In today’s Friday Sermon Huzur continued with his discourse on verse 130 of Surah Al Baqarah, its translation reads:

'And, Our Lord, raise up among them a Messenger from among themselves, who may recite to them Thy Signs and teach them the Book and Wisdom and may purify them; surely, Thou art the Mighty, the Wise'.

This was a prayer of Hadhrat Ibrahim (on whom be peace) in which he prayed to God for a great prophet who would perform four undertakings. Huzur said he has already expounded the first of these undertakings i.e. ‘recitation’ of the Book in his previous sermon and that recitation did not simply entail the varied Ayahs (Signs) were to be read and that Huzur had explained this.

Huzur said indeed in verse 4 of Surah Al Maidah (5:4) is a sign of the fulfilment of the prayer (2:130) of Ibrahim (on whom be peace).
Allah has also promised to safeguard the Holy Qur’an (15:10) through which His final religious teaching was revealed. Indeed the message of the Book was safeguarded during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) via the various Companions who committed it to memory and the scribes who wrote it down on the instructions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him).

Huzur said Dajjal is hatching plans to bring changes to this Book but of course it will never be successful. In 1999 some Evangelical Christian church in USA published a ‘new’ version of Qur’an and called it Furqan ul Haq devising their own verses in preparing the Muslims for the second-coming of the Messiah.
Another attempt is made by some hypocritical Muslims who are against ‘Shariah’. They wish to take out the Quranic verses pertaining to fighting. Huzur said this was the height of cowardice and was an attempt to appease the Christians and to create discord between the Muslims. Whoever may be behind this attempt, they will never succeed, they have a very restricted insight and wish to change the Qur’an in the way the Bible was interpolated. Huzur added there was no Divine promise to guard the original text of the Bible.

Huzur said the prayer of Hadhrat Ibrahim (on whom be peace) has been fulfilled and the whole world has witnessed this. Religion has been perfected by God in the faith of Islam and it was given to one who was the Seal of all the Prophets; now no new religious law (Shariah) will come and neither will any Prophet come apart from in complete subservience to the Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). Huzur said indeed the enmity to Islam was also predicted and prophesised because Allah willed to declare that He is A-Knowing and All-Aware.

Huzur said those Muslims who are embarrassed over some of the teachings of the Holy Qur’an should seek perception from the words of the Imam of the age.

Huzur said the teaching of the Holy Qur’an is clear and it has obligations and commandments some of which are on an individual level and some on a communal level. The commandments change with the prevailing situation. One of the communal commandments is that of fighting which some people find embarrassing. Firstly, the outsiders who cause the embarrassment among Muslims in this regard have their own history replete with fighting and even in the current age they are in a constant state of fighting. Furthermore when the Holy Qur’an commands fighting in the situation of a war there are many conditions attached to it; i.e. only to fight back when one is attacked or persecuted. This is backed up with numerous commandments of fair play if there is to be fighting. Indeed the ‘judge’ of the current age (the Promised Messiah) has ruled that with his advent fighting for religion is abrogated and only those tactics need be employed that the opponents are employing, i.e. defend your faith with the written word. Now the Jihad is to be of the pen and of knowledge not of the sword or force and neither did the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) or his Companions ever inferred this from the word Jihad. Huzur added if Jihad is allowed in the shape of fighting it is when a country attacks another country and is not to be ‘fought’ by ‘organisations’.

Next Huzur read out brief extracts from the writings of Western scholars like John Barton, Sir. H. A. R. Gibb, Sir William Muir and Maurice Bucaille etc. verifying that the original text of the Holy Qur’an, as revealed to the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) remains unaltered.

Huzur read from the August writings of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace):

‘This is the Perfect Book. That is to say, a grand and sublime Book which derives from Divine knowledge. It is established with regard to it that its source and spring is the Eternal Being of the All-Wise.

By referring to it as The Book, God Almighty has indicated that this Book derives from the knowledge of that Being with high attributes, Who is Matchless and Peerless and Whose perfect knowledge and minute mysteries are very far from the limits of human sight.

Then it is said that the body of the Qur’an is so well reasoned that there is no room left in it for any kind of doubt, meaning that like other books it is not a mere tale or story, but is comprehensive of conclusive arguments and reasoning, and sets forth clear proofs of its objects and purposes, and is in itself a miracle which operates like a sharp sword for the removal of doubts and suspicions, and does not leave the matter of the recognition of God at the conjectural stage of He should be, but carries the matter to the certainty of, He is.

Despite the grandeur of these purposes which are greatly concerned with effect and reform, it proceeds to define the fourth purpose which is its ultimate object, which is the provision of guidance for the righteous.

It announces that this Book has been revealed for the guidance of those who, on account of their pure interiors, and sane reason, and firm intelligence, and eagerness for search of truth, and right motives, would, in the end, arrive at a high degree of faith and recognition of God and perfect righteousness. In other words, those about whom God knows that their nature is suited to this guidance and they can make progress in true insights, will in the end be guided by this Book; and this Book would reach them and God would enable them to follow the right path before their death.

Thus God Almighty has clearly stated that those who in the knowledge of God are worthy of being guided and possess the quality of righteousness by their nature will surely be guided through the Holy Qur’an.’

(Brahin e Ahmadiyya, Ruhani Khaza’in – the above translation taken from ‘The Essence of Islam’ Vol. 1 pp 398-399)

Huzur said if the sources of Dajjal are trying to change or alter the Holy Qur’an they will meet a sorry end and they will never succeed in their attempts, while those pure of heart will experience revolutionary changes.

Next Huzur read out another lengthy and profound extract from the book of the Promised Messiah ‘Jung e Muqqadus’ in which he argues the excellence of a sacred Book with references to the Quranic verses of Surah Ibrahim. (14: 25-27) He states the first sign of a Sacred Book is dependant on the fact that its principles of faith are well-established and sublime and which can be accepted by human nature. The second sign is that its verity should be unfolded to those people who reflect and ponder over nature. The third sign should be that it should bear fruit for all time. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) further elucidates that the third sign of eternal bearing of fruit signifies God’s acceptance and miracles as stated in verses of Surah Ha Mim Al Sajdah (41:31-33). The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also expounds the beauty of the moderate teaching of the Holy Qur’an in comparison to the severity of the teaching of Moses (on whom be peace) and the leniency of the teaching of Jesus (on whom be peace) by citing verse 42 of Surah Al Shura (42:41). This teaching is further enhanced by verse 91 of Surah Al Nahl (16:91) in terms of treating others with grace and in a manner as one would treat one’s near and dear.

Huzur concluded that this beautiful teaching was revealed to a great Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) who then gave it to us. May Allah grant us the capacity to understand it, to implement it in our lives and to spread it in the world.