Note: The Alislam Team assumes full responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this translation of the Friday Sermon.
(Friday Sermon delivered on 26 October 1923) (Published in Al-Fazl, 6 November 1923)
Topics: Prince of Peace, Community's Mission, World Peace, Inter-Religious Critique, Promised Messiah(as)
After reciting the tashahhud, ta'awwudh, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Huzur(ra) said: The mystics hold that man is a small word/microcosm — that is to say, God Almighty has impressed within man's being a reflection of all that is visible in the universe. Every manner of affair that transpires in the world can be seen, in one form or another, within the individual human being. The sun, the moon, the stars, and the other celestial bodies are called the macrocosm — they are greater than man in terms of sheer magnitude. Yet all these things are found within man on a smaller scale; man is, as it were, a photograph of the entire cosmos. Within him is the sun, which illuminates through its grace and rays. Within him is the moon, which receives light from the sun and distributes radiance. Within man there is also the power of the earth — upon which one rests, from which emerge all things that bring comfort and sustain life, from which grow trees that spread their shade and offer repose, and from which spring forth creeping vines and wells whose waters slake the thirst of the world. Within man, too, rise mountains of knowledge. In short, there is no feature of the macrocosm that is not found within man. This observation of the mystics is most subtle, and whoever grasps its purpose can derive great delight from it.
But I say that just as man is a microcosm of the universe, so too the prophets who come to reform a people are themselves microcosms of the communities that will come after them. What exists within a prophet will be made manifest outwardly in his community thereafter. One should not conclude from this that calling a prophet a microcosm diminishes his station, for the word "small" (saghir) is used here only in respect of physical scale, not in regard to spiritual reality. In terms of reality, the matter is quite the opposite. Concerning the Holy Prophet (saw), the tradition states: Lau lāka lā khalaqtu al-aflāk — "Were it not for you, I would not have created the universe."¹ And as for the loftiness of the Holy Prophet's (saw) station, what words could suffice? Even among his servants, the Promised Messiah (as) was addressed in the very same terms, as he received this very same divine communication by way of revelation.
Thus kabir (great) and saghir (small) are distinctions of scale alone. In reality, all that is found in the community exists in the prophet first. Prophets are therefore microcosms, and they stand as mirrors for their communities. The stations and degrees of the prophets become manifest in their communities thereafter — indeed, the real appearance of those stations occurs through their communities. Those who sever their connection with their prophet become deprived of those ranks and degrees.
Therefore every community that is established, or that undergoes reformation through a divinely appointed one (mamur), has the duty to reflect on the names by which their prophet or appointed one was addressed — for those names will find their fuller and wider expression within the community itself. In the prophet, such a quality resides like a seed; in the community, it will grow like a tree. Here too the same subtle point should be kept in mind: the generative power that resides in a seed is not found in the tree in the same manner — thus we cannot say that the seed is inferior to the tree. The seed is the original; the tree is merely the seed expanded into another form.
Consider likewise a river: where the channel is wide, the current is weak; where it narrows, the flow is forceful. The reason is that where the water spreads out it loses force, whereas where it is gathered together its power is concentrated. In the same way, when a quality or attribute by which an appointed one or prophet is addressed resides within the prophet himself, it does so with full force — though compressed in scale, it is more powerful in essence. When that quality spreads through the community, it gains in breadth but comparatively loses in intensity.
You ought, therefore, to ponder carefully upon the names by which the prophet who brought about your reformation was addressed — for God Almighty's intent is that you should cultivate within yourselves the qualities inherent in those names. When I say that God's intent is that the members of a prophet's community should become manifestations of his attributes, it means that God causes different individuals to manifest different attributes of the prophet, each quality appearing in different people in different shades. God wishes that all members embody all the attributes, but in practice the promises made to a divinely appointed one are fulfilled partially through one section and partially through another. A community, as a whole, becomes the manifestation of those promises — although God wishes that each individual become their manifestation. In any case, some portion of that prophet's community will always be the bearer and manifestation of those promises. Were that not so, it would mean that God had — God forbid — assigned a name to a prophet whose meaning was never to be fulfilled in anyone. But God never assigns a name to a prophet without making someone its manifestation. It is the duty of every prophet's community to reflect earnestly on this matter.
God Almighty has given the Holy Prophet (saw) many names. Now, when Muslims fell into decline and God became displeased with them, He sent the most perfect manifestation (mazhar-e-atamm) of the Holy Prophet (saw) — the Promised Messiah (as) — and gave him all of the Holy Prophet's (saw) names, offering such an elaboration of those names as God now wished to spread throughout the world. It is therefore the duty of our community to reflect upon those names and to strive to fulfil those prophecies.
Among the names given to the Promised Messiah (as) is Sūlh kā Shahzādah — the Prince of Peace. As I have explained, within this name lies the seed which the community is meant to manifest. Since the Promised Messiah (as) has been designated the Prince of Peace, it means that within him was placed that seed which will blossom and come to fruition within his community. His community will bring about reconciliation at a time of great worldly turmoil. This attribute resided in the Promised Messiah (as) in the form of a seed; in his community it will appear in the form of a tree.
Let no one fall into the error of thinking: "Since we were not mentioned by name as the instruments through which this work shall be done, why should we trouble ourselves with it?" This argument cannot excuse us from the actual task, for just as it has not been specified that this work will be done through us, neither has it been specified that it will not be done through us. They say there was once a musician (mirasi) who would not do any work. It so happened that a great war broke out in the land in which all manner of people were being recruited, as was the case during the last World War. His wife said to him, "You should also enlist in the army." He replied, "Do not say that to me. Do you wish me to die?" His wife then took some grains and began grinding them in a millstone. When she had finished, she showed him that despite passing between the two grinding stones, some grains had come through unbroken. She said: "Just as some grains can come out of the millstone unscathed, so war is not such that everyone dies. The number of survivors is always greater than the number of those who fall." The musician replied, "Then why not count me among those who die in battle? Why not regard me as the grain that is ground to powder?"
So those who do not intend to work will find an objection even in the clearest and most straightforward of matters. If you truly wish to work, the question of whether this honour may or may not fall to you does not arise — for just as it is not known that you are the ones intended, it is equally unknown that you are not. It may well be that you are the ones destined for this station, and it may be that this honour is written in your very fate. So remember: you have been created for the purpose of establishing peace in the world.
At this time, we see strife and disorder everywhere in the world. Nation has risen against nation; country is being invaded by country. Every religious group wishes to annihilate those of other faiths. If every religious group harboured this wish because it believed it possessed the truth and that others did not, and thus desired that only it should endure while others perish, such a desire would not be blameworthy — in fact it would be worthy of respect. But those faiths which show no signs of inner life, which possess no true excellence, and which contain no truth — when they too wish to survive while others are destroyed, that desire deserves not respect but contempt. For they desire out of sheer stubbornness the annihilation of others, not because they possess the truth and wish to establish it in the world by eliminating that which is false.
If the Hindus genuinely believed that their religion contains truth and virtue, and that the world should therefore partake of it and abandon those faiths that are devoid of truth, I would respect such a sentiment — even if I did not accept it as correct. But I know well that this is not their motive at all. If it were, why would they abandon the educated and literate classes of all India and instead run after the ignorant and unlettered people? Moreover, the practical condition of the Hindu community is deeply sorry. Those Hindu lecturers who stand on platforms and deliver eloquent speeches praising and eulogising the Vedic Dharma, who hold M.A. and B.A. degrees, are fully absorbed in trade, service, and other worldly pursuits, while being entirely negligent of the Vedas themselves. They do not know what the Vedas contain or what instruction the Vedas give concerning the conduct of practical life. They spend their lives in those sciences that bring worldly benefit; they exert themselves greatly for those ends — yet they are not even acquainted with the form and shape of the Vedas. If the Vedas are mentioned at all, it is only from the platform. In every other department of life, the teachings of the Vedas are not given a moment's thought. If they truly regarded the Vedas as the fountainhead of spirituality and the repository of all virtue and truth, why would they make no effort to study and teach it? But they do not. In such a state, how can any person of good faith regard them as sincere?
It therefore becomes clear that their struggle is not for the sake of the Vedas. The Vedas are merely an instrument for igniting communal strife — a name invoked to stir passion and agitation among the uninformed and ignorant members of the Hindu community. The Vedas are the rope by which a people are bound together and then led into conflict. The Vedas are not the real objective; the real objective is to unite the Hindu nation on a single political point.
Similarly, if the Christians believed the Gospel to be the fountainhead of truth and wisdom, and a source of salvation and welfare for the world, and for that reason called humanity toward it, I would regard such a sentiment with respect and admire their zeal — even knowing that their effort is misguided. But I observe that the ranks of Christians even include atheists who mock and ridicule the Gospel. And those who claim to believe in the Gospel neither act upon its teachings, nor wish to act, nor are capable of acting upon them. If they display any zeal, it is only because this banner belongs to Christianity. They regard the Gospel as impractical and unworkable in daily life, yet they wish to remain gathered under a single flag; and since people cannot otherwise be united, they take the name of the Gospel. The real purpose is not the Gospel but a political rallying point.
Likewise, missionaries of other communities who labour under the principle of spreading the love of God deserve recognition if that is truly their motive — but upon careful reflection, this spirit is found to be altogether absent in them. Sikh missionaries too have gone forth into the world for the purpose of propagation. Yet when we reflect upon the deeds of Guru Nanak and then observe the practice of the Sikhs today, a vast gulf is apparent between the two. Upon reflection, one learns that Guru Nanak performed the Hajj, observed fasts, said prayers, and considered the Islamic form of worship as the true path to God. He acknowledged the Holy Prophet (saw) and regarded following him as the means to success. Is it not therefore astonishing that those who invite the world toward the Sikh faith are themselves so utterly distant and estranged from the very deeds of their own founder?
At this time, there is but one community that is active purely for the sake of religion — and religion alone. All other communities, however many they may be, are striving and labouring for political ends. That community is the community of the Promised Messiah (as). If we reflect carefully on this point, no other community devoted to religion — and working solely for the sake of religion — is visible anywhere save ours. If one were to also examine the rest of the Muslims in comparison, it would become clear that they too are deficient in practice. Their noise and enthusiasm was not for the sake of religion. Lectures were delivered for the Khilafat Movement, but there was no action behind them. There were scores of Khilafat leaders who cried out "religion, religion!" yet did not even find the time to read the Holy Quran. Regarding the social leader of India, Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan, it is recorded that when he was asked why he did not say his prayers, he answered that he had no time — he was occupied with the affairs of the nation.
Thus, if in the religious world there exists any community that is the centre of religion, that strives with its utmost exertion for the sake of religion, and that endures hardships for its sake, it is only our community. If any transformation can come about in the religious world, and if a great peace can be brought about through any community, it is through ours — for all the other communities are far removed from the ultimate source of peace, which is God Almighty. How can those sons be united who have no bond with their father? It is the bond with the mother and father alone that can unite children.
Behold — when Hazrat Musa (as) grew wrathful at Harun (as) and seized him by the beard, what did Harun (as) say? He said: "O son of my mother, do not seize me by my beard."² (20:94) If the root is not grasped, how will the branch be reached? Those who have abandoned God — their spiritual father — how can they spread peace in the world? Love in this world is possible only through the bond of God. When God is removed from the equation, no means of creating love remains.
It was to forge this very bond that God Almighty commissioned the Promised Messiah (as) and bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Peace. In the Promised Messiah (as) this quality was present as a seed, which is now to spread through you. It is through you alone that peace can spread. You must fashion your lives accordingly. If you do not prepare yourselves for this from now, when the time comes for you to act, you will prove incapable and will accomplish nothing. But if you begin practising today, you will be able to fulfil your duty when the moment arrives.
When you reflect upon this truth, your aspirations will be transformed. Your thoughts will change. Your learning will change. Strive to become the manifestation of that name which was promised through the Promised Messiah (as). Therefore my counsel is this: you have been created for one singular purpose — to remove the strife of the world and to bring peace to the nations — so that the world may come to know that the Promised Messiah (as) came not merely to make brother love brother, but to make the enemy into a brother.
Footnotes
¹ Lau lāka lā khalaqtu al-aflāk ("Were it not for you, I would not have created the universe") — This is a well-known saying frequently cited in Islamic mystical and devotional literature concerning the spiritual station of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw). The Promised Messiah (as) also received a similar divine communication, as recorded in Tadhkirah. See: Tadhkirah (English), new.alislam.org
² Quran 20:95 — Harun (as) said to Musa (as): "O son of my mother, seize me not by my beard nor by my head."
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