Text of the address delivered by the head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya community Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Khalifatul Masih V, at the conclusion of the Jalsa Salana in New Zealand, May 2006.
By the Grace of Almighty Allah, the Jalsa Salana of New Zealand is coming to a conclusion.
This is the first Annual Convention held in the presence of the Khalifa of the time. Secondly, although not this address, the Friday Sermon before it was broadcast directly to the world through MTA International. This is the age when, in accordance with the prophecies of the Holy Prophet(sa), the message of Islam was to spread in all corners of the world through his spiritual son. The world was to contract into one global village and the new inventions were to aid and assist the Promised Messiah(as) in this task. Today, your country has also become a witness to the fact that the message of Ahmadiyyat, that is true Islam, has reached here through the Promised Messiah(as) and is being heard all over the world.
An Ahmadi should not be content simply because all new inventions have been pressed into the service of the true servant of the Holy Prophet(sa) for the spread of his message. Nor should one be happy merely because Allah the Almighty, through His Grace, has provided you the opportunity to join Ahmadiyyat. These are the Blessings from the Almighty Allah that He has bestowed on us and on the Jama’at of the Promised Messiah(as). It is certainly our good fortune that Allah enabled us to accept the Promised Messiah(as). It is the Favour and Beneficence of Almighty Allah that we have been included amongst those responsible to fulfil the prophecy of the Holy Prophet(sa).
We are fortunate indeed that Almighty Allah has enabled us to convey to the Promised Messiah(as) in accordance with the prophecy of the Holy Prophet(sa) his greetings of peace. All these are blessings of Allah the Almighty.
Having received so many blessings, we have certain responsibilities that we should bring about special reformation in ourselves. This is because the Reformer, the Messiah and the Mahdi, with whom we associate ourselves, and announce that that Messiah and the Mahdi that was supposed to come, according to the prophecies of the Holy Prophet(sa), has come and that we are his followers.
We invite: ‘O people of the world, join this Community if you want to improve yourselves in this world and have a good life in the Hereafter.’ So if we do not realise our responsibilities and do not bring about changes in our lives after accepting Ahmadiyyat, then our claims and slogans will be hollow. The world will ask us the difference between them and us. If having believed in the Promised Messiah(as) we do not cause any reformation to occur within us, there would be no visible difference in our lives and theirs.
In fact, we may be doubly guilty.
Therefore, this is a serious moment for every Ahmadi to ponder. He should assess his own life and see how he can transform his life to fulfil the expectation that our Imam expects from each one of us, and how we should spend our lives. If we develop the realisation of self-assessment, the changes in our lives will begin to occur.
When we assess ourselves, we should see what the Promised Messiah(as) expects from us. I place before you the words of the Promised Messiah(as) for self- examination. He states:
‘It must be remembered that not obeying some of the injunctions of Almighty Allah, is tantamount to rejecting all the commandments.’
Allah the Almighty does not like to share if one portion belongs to Satan and the other to Allah the Almighty. This principle has been created so that man can come nearer to Allah the Almighty.
Although it is difficult to achieve nearness to God and it requires a sort of death, yet in this is the existence of real life. Blessed is he who throws out the satanic portion from his life. As a result, his household and his self and his town become recipients of that blessing.
But if he receives only a small portion, then it will not be a blessing until he affirms his ‘Ba’ait’ [pledge of allegiance] by his conduct. In itself, ba’ait is nothing. Just as a person will not be happy with you if you talk a lot but do not deliver, likewise Allah the Almighty has the highest self-respect amongst the most respected. Can it be that on the one hand you obey Him and on the other obey His enemies? This would be hypocrisy.
One should not care about Tom, Dick or Harry in this regard. One should remain steadfast to the last breath of one’s life.
Evil is of two kinds. One is to associate others with God; not to understand His Magnificence and Majesty; and to be lax in His worship and in His obedience. Second, is to show no affection to his servants; and not to remit the rights that belong to them. It is necessary that one should refrain from both evils. One should remain steadfast in obedience to God and stand firm on the covenant that one has undertaken in ‘Ba’ait’. Do not cause any harm to God’s creatures. Study the Holy Qur’an with full attention and act on its injunctions. Avoid frivolous and idle talk and shun idolatrous assemblies. Establish the five-time prayers.
In short, there should be no Divine commandment that you defer. Keep your body clean and purify your heart of any grudge, malice or envy. These are the things that God desires from you.
So, this is a fundamental matter that he has told us about. It is not possible that you accept some of what Almighty Allah says and accept some of what Satan says. There has to be one: you either become the Servant of Allah or you can follow Satan.
Remember that when Satan disobeyed Allah, Allah the Almighty declared him as the rejected and disgraced. Satan promised God, ‘I will continue to beguile Your servants. I will continue showing them the worldly attraction and I will sit in the way that leads to You so that I can continue to seduce Your servants.’
Allah the Almighty made it clear to him, ‘I will fill Hell with those who listen to you.’
Indeed, ever since the creation of Adam, Almighty Allah had determined that those who associate with Satan would sever their relationship with God Almighty.
Therefore, the first thing that the Promised Messiah(as) told us when we accepted Ahmadiyyat was to develop a relationship with Allah the Almighty; and he stated that Allah the Almighty has established Jama’at Ahmadiyya so that those who join this Jama’at are the ones who establish a special relationship with Allah the Almighty. He said, ‘There is a custom in this world amongst friends, that a friend does not want the other to keep friendship with his enemy.’
Similarly, Allah’s self-esteem would not tolerate that one should claim friendship with Allah the Almighty and promise to follow His commandments after taking Ba’ait at the hand of the Promised Messiah(as), and yet associate any partners with Allah.
This is a fundamental commandment in the Holy Qu’ran that one who associates partners with Allah cannot be a Muslim. Allah the Almighty has made it very clear that He will never forgive anyone who associates partners with Allah.
As He says:
Surely, Allah will not forgive that any partner be assocciated with Him. (Ch.4: V.49)
meaning that Allah will never forgive that any partner is associated with Him. Because of this fundamental commandment, the Promised Messiah(as) has made it the first condition of ‘Ba’ait’ that the one taking ‘Ba’ait’ should promise with total sincerity that, in future, he would avoid associating partners with Allah the Almighty until he enters his grave. In other words, he would make it compulsory for himself that he would not go anywhere near this association.
The Promised Messiah(as) has given a very fine explanation of this association. If we look at our everyday life, we would be horrified lest we come under the displeasure of God. He states, ‘Shirk’ (associating partners with Allah) does not only mean that stones or inanimate objects are worshipped. In fact shirk is that the worldly means are worshipped and emphasis is placed on ‘worldly gods.’ Then he states, ‘ The other kind of shirk is to place too much reliance on worldly means like saying that had such and such had not happened, I would have died. This is also a shirk.’
He said: ‘In this age of enlightenment and wisdom, no one really gets involved in outright shirk, or idolatry as such. However, in this age of materialistic advancement, the worship of material means has increased considerably.’
The Promised Messiah(as) further states, ‘Hidden idolatry is that one respects something as one respects Allah or one loves something when one should respect Allah, or one is afraid about it or depends on it totally.’ See, to what depths of idolatry, he has drawn our attention.
Some people do not perform their Salat on time or because they are busy in their worldly work and pursuits, they sometimes forget that it needs to be observed on time. They cannot say their Prayers at work or at their place of business. This only means that they consider their work or their business more important than the worship of God the Almighty. Instead of believing God Almighty as their Provider, they consider their work or their business as the source of their income. Had they placed God Almighty above everything and had thought that whatever they receive is due to the blessings of Allah, they would have first thought of worshipping Him and prostrating before Him.
It is the five prayers which if performed with total devotion and purity of heart, that show that the person has the real fear of Allah the Almighty in him and before Him everything else is insignificant. Therefore, every Ahmadi should firmly keep in mind that our Provider, our Sustainer and Creator is our Allah. He is the One who nurtures us and He is our Sustainer.
In short, the highest sin is to associate anything or anyone with Allah the Almighty and specially the hidden idolatry. Another form of idolatry is to tell a lie in order to gain some benefit or advantage. Lies are told in the course of conducting a business or to make false statements in the court of Law to win a case.
Once, the opponents of the Promised Messiah(as) filed a suit against him. The nature of the case was such that, in the opinion of the lawyers, if the Promised Messiah(as) did not make the statement as the lawyers wanted, they felt certain that he would be found guilty. The fact was that the Promised Messiah(as) had sent by post a manuscript to a press for publication. In the same package that contained the manuscript, he enclosed a letter of instructions in a separate envelope.
According to the rules of the post office, this was an offence. Because of the enmity of the owner of the press, the owner informed the post office about the offence criminal case in the court against the Promised Messiah(as). The proposal of the lawyers was to say that he did not personally place that letter in the parcel.
The Promised Messiah(as) categorically stated that he would never tell a lie and that he was not going to offend his God out of fear of some punishment. When the case started, the judge asked him if he had included the envelope in the packet. The Promised Messiah(as) replied, ‘Yes!’ and said that the subject matter of the letter was related to the subject of the manuscript and that he never intended to insert that letter to save any money. The judge was so impressed by this statement, that he acquitted the Promised Messiah(as).
Besides this case, the Promised Messiah(as) was involved in many other court cases but he always spoke the truth and always submitted himself to God Almighty.
The Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) was also worried about his followers that they may fall into the practice of idolatry. One tradition states:
‘Abada bin Nasi told us about Shaddad bin Aws that he was crying.
When it was enquired from him as to why he was crying, he replied, “I have remembered something that I had heard from the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) that made me cry. I heard the Prophet of Allah(sa) say:
‘I worry about my followers and about their hidden desires and idolatry.’ The narrator states that he asked: ‘O Prophet of Allah! Do you think your followers will indulge in idolatry after you?’
On this, the Apostle of Allah replied, ‘Yes! However, my followers will not start worshipping the Sun or the Moon or idols or stones but they will indulge in hypocrisy in their daily actions and they will suffer from hidden desires.
If any of them started the day in a state of fast and some desire caused any interference with it, then he would abandon the fast and would be occupied with his (Masnad Ahmad bin Hanbal; vol. 4, p.124, Beirut publication)
Keep these matters in mind and look around you. The world is immersed in a lot of artificiality and pretence. Even the Muslims are not exempt from this. Some say their prayers to show-off to others. Some go to perform their Hajj as a false pretence.
There are many other hidden desires. As I have already mentioned, many forego their daily prayers in preference to their worldly pursuits. In fact, the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) has already said that one who is fasting will break his fast to get involved in other affairs.
The Promised Messiah(as) has then said that the second evil is not to fulfil the rights of human beings. It is your duty to treat fellow human beings with affection. End all grievances. Purify yourselves of malice and envy.
It is a fundamental principle that in order to create a peaceful atmosphere of love and brotherhood in any society, one has to sacrifice one’s emotions. The more one is able to sacrifice one’s feelings, the more his heart would be rid of all grievances and malice and the more he would develop the emotions of love and affection.
The Promised Messiah(as) has made it a condition for every Ahmadi that he will not be overcome by sensual desires whatever the circumstances. He further stated that it is incumbent on every Ahmadi to desist from causing harm or unnecessary hardship through his emotions to his fellow beings in general and to the Muslims in particular. He should do this neither by his tongue nor by his hands. This is the discharge of the rights due to man and wonderful proclamation of promoting love and affection in society that an Ahmadi makes when he joins Ahmadiyyat.
He who does not act on this injunction, should ask himself if he is being sincere to the promise he made at the time he took his bai’at at the hands of the Promised Messiah(as). How is he going to tell others if he is not being sincere to himself?
In short, when each Ahmadi controls his anger, only then will he win the hearts of others by his conduct and spread the perfume of love and affection in the society.
The Promised Messiah(as) says:
‘Remember, there is great enmity between emotions and reason. When anger and emotions take over, reason cannot exist. But the one who is patient and shows tolerance, is given a Divine Light that creates in one new powers of reflection and wisdom. Then light manifests light. Because hearts and minds become dark with anger and emotions, this darkness produces further darkness.’
Hence, if you want to enlighten the world, you have to create an environment of love and affection starting from your own homes to the entire society and indeed the world. We will have to curb and control our emotions of anger to spread this Divine light that has been given to us by the true servant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa). In this way, while we will be creating an atmosphere of love in our own society, we will also be fulfilling our pledge that we made to the Promised Messiah(as) and be able to absorb the love of Allah the Almighty.
What expectations does the Promised Messiah(as) have from his Jama’at?
I mentioned some before. I present another extract that clearly shows how he was occupied day and night in improving the standard of piety in his followers and thinking how he could mould them to discharge the rights that belong to Allah as well as those that belong to mankind.
In this respect, the Promised Messiah(as) states:
‘Until a man keeps his affairs with Allah clean and clear, and fulfils these two rights, he can achieve nothing.
As I have said these rights are also of two kinds: the rights that belong to Allah and the rights that belong to mankind. The rights that belong to mankind are also of two kinds. First is for him who has become your spiritual brother in faith, whether he is your real brother or father or son.They all have a special spiritual affinity. The other is true sympathy for all human beings.
The most significant right due to Allah is to worship Him and this worship should not be based on any personal need. Indeed, He should be worshipped even if there is no heaven or hell and the love that a creature should feel towards his Creator should not wane in any way. This is why there should be no question of heaven or hell in these rights that belong to Allah.
With respect to the sympathy for all human beings, my faith is that the heart is not fully cleansed until we pray for our enemy.
Call on Me, I respond. (Ch.2:V.187)
Allah the Almighty has placed no constraint that if you pray for your enemy, He will not accept it. Indeed, it is my religion that praying for your enemy is a practice of the Holy Prophet(sa).
Hazrat Umar(ra) became a Muslim because the Holy Prophet(sa) used to pray often for him. Therefore, you should not hold any personal enmities and you should not become a true tyrant.
I am most grateful that I cannot see a single opponent of mine for whom I have not prayed two or three times. I advise you the same and instruct you the same. Allah the Almighty is as displeased with a person who holds unjust malice and injures others as He is with those who associate partners with Him. He does not want separation on one hand while on the other He does not want any association, that is to say the separation of the human race and the association of partners with Him and this is the very same path that we should pray for the unbelievers. This cleans and opens the heart and raises the spirit. Therefore, as long as our Jama’at does not adopt this practice, there will be no difference between them and others.
In my opinion, it is essential that if one forms a spiritual friendship with someone and one of his relative is of lower status, then he should treat him with brotherliness and affection and should love him because this is the Glory and Majesty of God.
Therefore, those of you who have developed a relationship with me, should become such a people about whom it is stated in the Holy Qu’ran
فَاِنَّھُمْ قَوْمً لَا یَشْقٰی جَلِیْسُھُمْ
meaning that it is such a nation whose companion cannot be ungracious. This is the summary of this teaching that has been presented in
تَخَلَّقُوْ بِاَخْلَاقِ اللّٰہ
(Malfoozat; vol. 3, pp. 96-97)
In short these are the teachings and the high moral values that the Promised Messiah(as) wants to inculcate in us. Its summary is that:
- The love for Allah the Almighty and a relationship with Him should be such that it is free of any selfish motives. Worship towards Him because that is the object of worship and it is the realisation that you have to appear face to face before Him and not to obtain any personal benefit.
- Secondly, love and sympathy for fellow-beings should be such that the slightest injury to anyone should become a cause of pain for you, so much so that if your opponent, who is always ready to cause you hardship, encounters any difficulty, you pray for him. Pray for the removal of his hardship and pray for his reform.
- Thirdly, the Promised Messiah(as) said that Allah the Almighty wants to bring His creatures together: firstly, unity between each other and secondly within themselves. This is why Prophets are sent to impart teaching and guidance. Therefore, we, who are in the Jama’at of the Promised Messiah(as), should try to unite the world. We should also try to create their relationship with Allah the Almighty, because Allah the Almighty does not keep His relationship with the one who does not do this.If Allah the Almighty severs His relationship with us then the very reason for our life is finished. Hence, it is the responsibility of every Ahmadi that he should create pious changes in his life and thus fulfil the purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah(as).
May Allah enable us to do so! Whatever spiritual benefit we have gained from this Jalsa [convention], may we be able to make it a part of our lives and may we take away all the blessings, and may we continue to create an environment of love and affection in our society!
May Allah enable us to do that! Amin.