After tashhud, ta’awwuz and recitation of Sura Al-Fatiha, Huzur Aqdas (may Allah strengthen him with His Mighty Help) recited the following two verses of the Holy Quran and gave their Urdu translation:
Say, “O My servants who have committed excesses against their own souls! despair not of the mercy of Allah, surely Allah forgives all sins. Verily He is Most Forgiving, Merciful. And turn ye to your Lord, and submit yourselves to Him, before there comes unto you the punishment; for then you shall not be helped. (39:54-55)
In the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted, in various verses in the context of various topics has drawn the attention of His servants that He is Most Forgiving and Ever Merciful. These verses that I have recited, in the first of them, this same subject has been discussed. And in it there is a beautiful message for every such person who is fearful of the punishment of God for having committed sins and wishes to absorb the Mercy of Allah and benefit from His Mercy and Forgiveness. Allah, the Exalted, says, “O My servants despair not My mercy. I am the Master and possess the Power to forgive your sins and wrap you in the raiment of My Mercy.” What a beautiful message and how it lifts our hopes and does away with hopelessness.
This is the very message which is saying to the people that hopelessness is a sin. This message takes us in the direction of saving us from weaknesses and keeping us away from the failures of life. This is so because it is hopelessness that often becomes the cause of weakness and lead one to failures. But hopelessness and failures cannot approach the one who comes under the Mercy of Allah, the Exalted.
This is the message that shows us the ways by walking upon which we can fulfill the commands of God and achieve the love of God so that by acquiring His nearness we may be able to go on benefiting from His Mercies.
Thus this message is a brightly lit up way for all who have lost their direction. This message is a message of life for all who have become spiritually dead. This message is the announcement of freedom for those caught in the clutches of Satan. How Lovely is our God Who looks upon us with such Loving looks, Who says repeatedly to those who believe in Him:
“Despair not of the mercy of Allah;” (12:88)
Because:
“none despairs of Allah’s mercy save the unbelieving people.” (12:88)
So if you claim to have faith, always be hopeful of receiving the Mercy and Forgiveness of God. You have become involved in some bad deeds due to your human frailties but you are not of those who have become lost or gone astray because it is only those who have become lost who lose hope of God’s Mercy. These are the people who do not believe in God Almighty. They do not believe in His Graciousness. Hopelessness is a characteristic of those who have gone astray.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
‘And who can despair of the mercy of his Lord save those who go astray?’ (15:57)
So certainly for those who are agitated and restless because of their own state of being, there can be no more comforting and more sympathetic message than this.
Not only this, our God then also says to us that He does not punish us immediately for our bad deeds, but rather:
And thy Lord is Most Forgiving, full of mercy. (18:59)
And why? Because:
Your Lord has taken it upon Himself to show mercy.. (6:55)
So He forgives those evil deeds that you do out of ignorance. So you should turn your attention towards reforming yourselves. If your attention will be towards His Mercy as you effect reformation then you should know that that Most Forgiving and Ever Merciful God is indeed Most Forgiving and Ever Merciful. And not only this that He is Most Forgiving and Ever Merciful, but He says:
My mercy encompasses all things...(7:157)
Here, the concept extends well beyond just applicability to those who believe. Here it is not just the believers who are being talked about. This Mercy reaches even those who do not believe. And for the believers it has been deemed obligatory. He can and does forgive all sins. This is what Allah, the Exalted, is saying. He is the Master. For Him to Forgive He is not constrained by anything. But does such a Loving and Merciful God’s Mercy and Love not require that we should increase our love for Him by obeying Him and acting upon His commandments and become closer to Him and try to the best of our abilities to get rid of our weaknesses and mend our sinful ways.
All these things that I have stated based on the teachings contained in the Holy Quran and similarly the traditions or narrations of this type of the Holy Prophet (sa) that reach us - all of them tell us that no one, no person is beyond the pale of effecting a reformation. No matter how far gone the situation of a person may have deteriorated, reform is still possible. Everyone can be reformed. Everyone can gain benefit of the Mercy of God Almighty so long as he tries truly to purify his heart and actions.
In the past few days a lady in Denmark wrote a piece in a religious newspaper and said about the Holy Quran that in it there is repeated mention of punishment and wrath of God and there is no mention of love except in one or two places. And that it can never be said truly at least - by Muslims - that a man believes in God voluntarily and freely and because of his love for God. Quoting some verses without understanding them or mentioning them out of context she has tried to put forth her inference that the God of Islam is quick in punishment and hard. The Jama’at of Denmark is writing a rebuttal of this article but I have presented these few references from the Holy Quran which, while they give a message of hope to the believers they also provide answers to these types of writers and enemies of Islam who ascribe falsehood to Islam and have malice in their hearts towards Islam and the Holy Quran.
Allah, the Exalted, is the Master. He forgives. This attribute of His encompasses all His other attributes. He forgives and He shows Mercy. This is His Mercy that despite the innumerable excesses and wrongs committed by man He does not hurry to punish. But, yes, it is true that because of committing excesses beyond the limit and then being obstinate, Allah, the Exalted, says that you will receive punishment. If you continuously go on committing sins and excesses and do not stop, no matter what, you will become subject to punishment. This is the law of nature and in fact this is the law that is operative in the world also. But even then Allah, the Exalted, is so Gracious, that a time will come when Hell will become empty. This is how expansive and unlimited God’s Mercy is.
In these verses, after mentioning His Mercy and Forgiveness, Allah, the Exalted, says that if you still do not take benefit of My Mercy and Forgiveness then there is, for you, also punishment for your sins and excesses. But nevertheless, it is my Mercy and Forgiveness that is drawing your attention again and again that you should safeguard yourselves before such a time that some punishment surrounds you. Do not commit excesses beyond all limits so that you become caught in My punishment. So try to save yourselves.
So now, those who criticize even upon knowing all this what should one say except that that their thinking is blind and their hearts are filled with malice, antagonism and ill will. When they formulate the laws of their own countries they indeed want to punish for crimes but those who break the commandments of Allah, the Exalted, and who commit excesses and wrongs - about them they ask why does God Almighty say that I will punish such people.
How Forgiving is the God of Islam? This is illustrated from this narration:
Hazrat Abu Saeed (ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) said that among the Children of Israel there was a person who had committed 99 murders. [These examples are being given so that we may be informed about the Mercy of God which has been in existence from the beginning and shall remain forever.] The Holy Prophet said that this man had committed 99 murders and then he started out to ask about repentance. He came upon a hermit, a monk and asked him whether he could now repent? This hermit said no, there is now no way to repentance. This man killed him also.
He kept asking about this after that as to whether repentance can be achieved or not even after all these things and a man told him to go to a certain place. But as he was going there he died and before breathing his last, and as he fell, he turned his chest towards the direction of this place he was heading towards.
The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment arrived and started to dispute about the fate of this man. Allah, the Exalted, ordered the place he was travelling towards to draw near to him and ordered the place from which he was travelling away to become distant from him and then ordered the angels to measure the distances to both these places from where the man had died. And it turned out that the man had died just a tiny distance closer to the place towards which he was travelling to achieve repentance than the place from which he was going away. So Allah, the Exalted, forgave him for this reason.
So this is the God of Islam Who prefers forgiveness instead of punishment and Whose Mercy is the most expansive.
Then there is another narration.
Hazrat Abu Dharr (ra) narrates from the Holy Prophet (sa) that he said concerning His Lord, the Exalted, that He says: O son of Adam, you do not pray to me and yet entertain hope also. So I say, with the sole condition that you do not associate partners with me, I will forgive all other sins and shortcomings, even though your errors be the size of the entire earth. I will come and meet you with my forgiveness that is greater in expanse than the earth. And if you have committed errors so tall as to reach the heavens, and you ask for My forgiveness, I will even forgive you such large errors and will not care an iota’s worth.
This is Allah, the Exalted, Who is the God presented by Islam, Who is the Most Forgiving. And we, the believers, how greatly beholden we are to Him for His enormous beneficence from among which one is that every year in the month of Ramadhan, the doors of His Forgiveness open even more widely.
A narration about God’s Forgiveness during the month of Ramadhan reads as follows:
Nadhar bin Shaban says that I said to Abu Salma bin Abdur Rahman that tell me something that you had heard from your father that he heard from the Holy Prophet (sa) directly concerning the month of Ramadhan. He said, yes and narrated that the Holy Prophet said that Allah has made the keeping of the fasts in the month of Ramadhan obligatory upon you and I have initiated its establishment for you. So whosoever, keeps these fasts with the intention of winning reward from Allah and having full faith - such a one frees himself from sins to such an extent as to become as free of sins as the day his mother had given him birth. He becomes like a newborn child.
So we are not concerned with how the ignorant see the God of Islam. We know for certain that our God is more loving and forgiving towards us even than our own parents. And our God is He Who comes running towards us so that He may forgive the sins of His servants.
Then, with reference to the month of Ramadhan there is another narration in which the blessings of Ramadhan have been mentioned.
Salman (ra) narrates that the Holy Prophet (sa) addressed us on the last day of the month of Shabaan and said: O people, a grand and blessed month is about to commence. In it is a night which is better than a thousand months. Allah has made the keeping of the fasts of this month obligatory upon you, and made its nights for offering the voluntary prayers. This is the months whose first ten days are mercy, its middle ten days are the cause of winning forgiveness and its last ten days are for obtaining safety from the fire of Hell. And anyone who feeds one who is fasting in this month shall be given such a drink from my reservoir that he will never experience thirst till the day he enters Paradise.
In other words the forgiveness is of a type that causes previous sins to be washed away and also grants strength to resist the temptation to commit sins moving forward if the fasts are kept as required by the month of Ramadhan and voluntary prayers are offered and Allah, the Exalted, is worshipped.
So it is clear that Allah, the Exalted, is making arrangements for us at every step that take us to Paradise. We are passing through the month of Ramadhan these days and the second ten days of Ramadhan is coming to an end and the third period of ten days is about to commence tomorrow or the day after. And this period is full of blessings from this point of view also that, as stated in the hadith, there is a night in this period that is the Night of Destiny, the lailatul qadar. This night is a great means for seeing the signs of the acceptance of prayer, and drawing a servant of God as close as possible to God. So let us take particular care to perfect our prayers and worship in this last ten day period of Ramadhan. There is need also to make whatever we gain in this month to make it a part of our daily lives. To continue to benefit from the Mercy and Forgiveness of Allah, the Exalted, we need to especially keep an eye on our own condition in these days and try to discharge the dues of Ramadhan and in particular of these last ten days of Ramadhan.
To try to remove one’s own bad habits, to safeguard oneself from committing sins in the future, to achieve permanent salvation from the fire of Hell, an effort is needed. For every thing an effort has to be made. It cannot be that we achieve something without any effort. This is a general rule. And it is expected from a true believer that he should not look casually at the messages from God and from the Prophet of God. Rather, when they hear, there should develop in their hearts an urge to make these messages a part of their lives. And this desire and urge will become beneficial only when practical steps will be taken to achieve these things. And the practical steps that can yield results and take one towards success are only those that are in accord with those rules and means which have been set in place to achieve these things.
So, without a doubt, the Mercy of Allah is indeed All-Encompassing. And yes without a doubt there is a greater multiple of reward bestowed for good deeds during Ramadhan. And yes, without a doubt the month of Ramadhan is a means for the acquisition of Mercy and Forgiveness and for distancing oneself from the Fire of Hell. But ongoing and permanent benefit from these things can only be gotten by those who continue to try and gain these benefits with a dedicated and ongoing continuous effort. So most fortunate, from among us, are those people, or shall be, most fortunate, those people, who shall make this Ramadhan the means of achieving God’s Mercy and Forgiveness and secure for themselves safety from the fire of Hell. They shall thus secure release from their weaknesses and safeguard themselves permanently from committing sins.
May this Ramadhan become a milestone for us forever keeping us away from evil and forever become the means to take us towards every good and righteous deed. Such hate may grow in our hearts for evil that we may never again even think of approaching these evil deeds. May our attention become diverted towards true repentance, such repentance that will forever continue to become a means of drawing us nearer and nearer to God Almighty.
How can these things be achieved, or how can one gain true repentance which should always keep us away from sin? The Promised Messiah (as) says concerning this:
“Taubah [repentance] is, in reality a most potent stimulant and a source of great help for the attainment of high morals.”
If we are to acquire high morals and excellent conduct and draw near to God Almighty then it is repentance alone which comes in handy for the purpose. It is with repentance that one advances and makes progress. This is the thing that assists in the task.
The Promised Messiah (as) goes on to say:
“And it makes a man perfect. In other words, the person who wants to bring about a change and acquire the correct morals, it is incumbent upon him to repent with a true heart and sincere motivation. It should be borne in mind that there are three conditions for repentance, without fulfillment of which true repentance is not achieved.
The first condition is to get rid of wicked fancies which arouse evil propensities. Fancies have great influence. Every action is preceded by a fancy. Thus the first condition for repentance is that evil thoughts and fancies should be discarded. For instance, if a person has an illicit relationship with a woman and desires to repent, it is necessary that he should conceive of her as ugly and should call to mind all her low qualities. As I have just said fancies exercise a powerful influence. I have read that some Sufis carried their fancies to such a length that they saw a person in the form of an ape or pig. Thus the first condition of repentance is that all thoughts which give rise to evil pleasures should be discarded altogether.
The second condition is remorse. Everyone's conscience admonishes him over every evil, but an unfortunate person leaves his conscience suspended. So a sinner should express remorse over his sin and evil action and should reflect that the pleasure to be derived from them is temporary. He should also consider that every time there is a decline in that pleasure and that in the end, in old age when his faculties are weakened, he will perforce have to give up all these pleasures. Then why indulge in that which in the end has to be given up anyhow? Most fortunate is the person who turns to repentance and becomes determined to discard all corrupt thoughts and vile fancies. When he gets rid of this impurity, he should be remorseful.
The third condition is a firm resolve that he will not revert to those vices. If he adheres to this resolve, God will bestow upon him the strength for true repentance and he will be rid altogether of his vices which will be replaced by good morals and praiseworthy actions. This is a moral victory. It is for God Almighty to bestow the power and strength for it for He is the Master of all power and all strength, as He has said:
All power belongs to Allah (2:166).
And man is weak, as is said:
… for man has been created weak (4:29)
This is his reality. So to acquire strength from Allah, the Exalted, one must make perfect the above mentioned three things and leave off laziness and indolence and becoming totally engaged, pray to Allah, the Exalted. Allah, the Exalted, would then bring about a change.
This is the statement of the Promised Messiah (as). Those people should always remember this who say that we prayed to be safeguarded against this or that evil but this bad habit has not gone away. Allah, the Exalted, has not heard our prayers. Some parents become concerned when the children or young men develop bad habits. They say we have tried and prayed also but our prayers have not been heard. So it should be known that this is wrong. For the acceptance of prayer also there are some requirements. They need to be met. Praying for four days and then saying that Allah, the Exalted, has not heard our prayers is transferring one’s own failure on to the shoulders of God.
Nevertheless, I have just read the quote from the Promised Messiah (as) on how one can save oneself from evil. To repent and to save oneself from evil there are some necessary things that have to be done. There are some deeds and some efforts that are needed and there are some ways that need to be practiced or carried out. When you will carry those out then the results will manifest themselves. And the prayers to be saved from evil will only be accepted when some practical steps will be undertaken. Not taking any practical measures and just praying and even that in a casual manner and then saying that the prayers have not been accepted and perhaps it is the intent of Allah that one should remain a sinner, is wrong.
If it is desired that an improvement happens and one leaves bad morals and deeds then the Promised Messiah (as) has said there are three things that a person himself needs to do. Then he should pray and such prayer will be a source of help and the evil drops off. And to effect a true repentance first cleanse your mind of the bad thoughts. First there develops a taste for the evil in one’s mind, then a person goes and commits that evil deed. If such thought does not take birth in the mind and if instead a hate develops against that foul deed then the person never moves to carry out the evil deed. It is only when there grows in the mind a pleasure and taste for that deed that one moves on to carrying it out. So the very first practical step that one has to take in order to save oneself from an evil deed is to purify your mind of these evil thoughts and temporary pleasures.
The example that the Promised Messiah (as) gave is that of an illicit relationship with a woman, and friendships are established. So instead of having a good impression of such a woman in one’s mind, replace it with a bad impression. Instead of looking for her beauties, establish in your mind as bad a picture of hers as possible. Bring to the fore her bad characteristics and establish such an image of her face in your mind that should be extremely ugly and hateful. Only in this way would you be able to distance yourself from this evil.
Then the second condition the Promised Messiah (as) informed us of is that you should awaken your good and righteous conscience and think what evils you are getting involved with. Develop in your hearts a sense of remorse. Only then will you be able to avoid this evil.
Then the Promised Messiah (as) said the third condition is that you should have a strong and firm resolve that I am not going to even go near this evil. And when you will be making an attempt to save yourself from this evil constantly, then God Almighty bestows the favor of true repentance to be granted and He listen to the prayers done to be saved from evil deeds and bad habits. These are all the things that need to be done before praying. It should not be that one is involved day and night in evil and once or twice a prayer is uttered asking that one be saved from this evil. These actions are clearly demonstrating that the prayer has not been uttered in all sincerity.
The righteous spirit, one’s conscience that is hidden inside, showing up at some one time and reminding that what a state you are in and committing these evil deeds, and as a result temporarily uttering a prayer but becoming subdued upon the desire for evil coming to the fore and the feelings of remorse caving in ..such prayers cannot save one permanently from evil nor make one capable of discharging the dues of a true prayer. In fact this is tantamount to making fun of the concept of prayer altogether and trying to put God under an obligation. God Almighty is under no obligation to anyone. Such people need to remember that if you want to take real benefit from God’s Forgiveness and inherit His Favors and see your prayers being accepted, then you need to turn your attention to your own state of being.
As I said, Allah, the Exalted, is so gracious upon His servants that He is always ready to envelop His servants in His mantle of Mercy. Does this not demand from us that we should be ready to walk upon the paths He has laid out for us and thus benefit from His Mercy. We should acquire that Mercy that is attained by true believers and by those who love Him truly. Try to save ourselves from those things that despite His all encompassing Mercy make one deserving of His wrath and punishment. May our repentance be true repentance and we remain ever in prostration in front of Him.
The Promised Messiah (as) says: Cleanse your actions and be ever involved in the remembrance of Allah and do not become heedless. Just as wild animals who run to save themselves when they become even a little bit lazy get trapped by the hunter similarly one who becomes forgetful of the remembrance of Allah, he becomes prey to Satan. Forever keep repentance alive and never let it die because that part of the body that is used constantly is the one that is always of use and the one that is left unexercised is the one that becomes useless forever. So keep repentance active always so that it should not become useless. If you do not turn to true repentance then its case will be like that of the seed that is planted on a rock but if you employ true repentance then its case is like that of the seed that is planted on the best soil and yields fruit at its appointed time.
These days anyone trying to achieving true repentance faces a lot of difficulties. The attractions of the world and its temptations hinder us.
The Promised Messiah (as) says:
“The weapons through which we are going to achieve predominance are Istighfar, Taubah, knowledge of the faith, keeping the greatness of God in our mind and offering the five daily prayers regularly. Salat is the key to the acceptance of prayers. When you offer the salat, make prayers during it, and do not be heedless and safeguard yourself from every evil whether it be related to the duties owed to God or to His creatures.”
May Allah make us among those who offer true repentance and may we forever continue to inherit the favors and grace of Allah. And may He make us beneficiaries of all the blessings associated with this blessed month of Ramadhan. Aameen.
Now after the Jumu’ah prayers I will lead three funeral in absentia prayers.
The first funeral in absentia prayer is for Mukarram (Respected) Muhammad Imtiaz Ahmad Sahib son of Mushtaq Ahmad Tahir Sahib of Nawabshah. He was martyred on July 14, 2014. Inna lil-lahay wa inna elaihay rajayoon. He was 39 years old. It is said that some unidentified motorcyclists arrived at their store in the evening at around 4:30 pm and they shot him to death. Inna lil-lahay wa inna elaihay rajayoon. According to the details received Muhammad Imtiaz Ahmad Sahib was standing outside his store in Nawabshah City’s Trunk Bazar when two unknown motorcycle riders approached and fired their weapons on him and took off. As a result of the firing three bullets struck him two in the head on the right and went through his head leaving from behind his left ear. The third struck his hand. In any case he was martyred there and then. Inna lil-lahay wa inna elaihay rajayoon.
In Nawabshah, up till now, and as a consequence of religious bigotry and hatred, this is the ninth martyrdom to take place and in the last few years most martyrdoms have taken place here. Two or three days before the occurrence of this incident the deceased was informed by a nearby shopkeeper that some opponents are conspiring against you and that you should stay alert. In any case, no matter how much care one takes one has to leave home and go outside and the enemies find an opportunity.
The family of this martyr was introduced to Ahmadiyyat in 1935 through his grandfather Seth Muhammad Din Sahib of Amritsar who had done the Bai’at through Naimatullah Khan Sahib of Wazirabad. In 1947 they shifted from Amritsar, India to Nawabshah, Pakistan. He was born in 1975 and after obtaining his F.Sc started work with his father. He was very involved in serving the Jama’at. At the time of his martyrdom he was serving as President of his Halqa [local area]. Secretary Tehrik-e-Jadid. Secretary Islah o Irshad of the city. Qaid Khuddamul Ahmadiyya...He was always ready to do whatever work was given to him to do for the Jama’at. He would carry out all such duties with great care and diligence. He never refused. He was a great host and would take great care of the guests from the Center and possessed a very strong love for Khilafat. He possessed an extraordinary passion for obedience. He offered all his five daily prayers and tahajjud prayers. He spoke softly and possessed a simple, cool temperament and he was ever ready to forgive. Last year he had joined in the Jalsa Salana in Qadian, India also.
On the day of his martyrdom, in connection with the blessed month of Ramadhan, he had prepared packages of rations for the needy by mid-day and had delivered them to seven houses. When he reached back after having done this these unknown unfortunates ones attacked him and caused his martyrdom. He was a moosi by the Grace of Allah, the Exalted. He was the son of a brother of Seth Muhammad Yusuf Sahib, Former Ameer of the Nawabshah District who himself was also martyred. His father Mushtaq Ahmad Sahib is alive. He leaves behind his wife Jamila Imtiaz Sahiba and three sons: Jazib age ten years, Abdul Kauser age nine years and Muhammad Abdullah Umar, seven months..
The second funeral in absentia is that of Mukarram Naseer Ahmad Anjum Sahib who was a lifelong devotee and was a teacher at Jamia Ahmadiyya in Rabwah. He had passed his metric exams in 1981 and then he dedicated his life and arrived at Jamia for studies. He completed his BA in the Jamia and then upon completing his Jamia studies he did an MA in Arabic studies. He had also done a course in Russian. In 1988 after getting his Shahid degree he entered the field of actions. He stayed in different Jama’ats. In 1990 he was appointed to teach Comparative Religious Studies in Rabwah and he kept serving in this capacity till the end of his life. He served for almost 26 years after leaving Jamia.
Despite his young age he was considered an authority in the field of Comparative Religious Studies by the Grace of Allah, the Exalted. He possessed deep knowledge. Apart from teaching at the Jamia he was blessed to serve in many other offices. He was one of those in Qaza whom Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV had appointed and remained in that post till his last breath. In Khuddamul Ahmadiyya he served on several different positions. One beauty of his character told to us by his family was that he could not tolerate hearing anything against the System of the Jama’at. If any of his children would say anything against any officeholder of the Jama’at he would try to make him understand and if anyone would try and say something against some officeholder or against some decision he would try to explain and make the person understand. He was blessed to join the Jalsa Salana UK and he addressed the Jalsa in 2010 also. He had written to me this time also that I have applied for a visa which was rejected but he applied again.
He had an extraordinary love and connection with Khilafat and he was among the true sultanan naseera - the mighty helpers.He possessed a great zeal for preaching wherever he would go and he had a great mastery over this field and he could make even very great people accept his argument based on his proofs etc. His daughter Khadija Maham has written he possessed ardent love for the Promised Messiah (as) and stressed intensely the need for reading of the books of the Promised Messiah (as). He was compiling a dictionary of the books of the Promised Messiah (as) and was always desirous that this valuable treasure should reach to the people. He was writing a dictionary of the difficult words so that the people could take benefit of the books of the Promised Messiah (as). He had just started this work.
Mubashar Ayaz Sahib has written that he was a good speaker. He participated in the Rah-e-Huda and many other MTA programs and would always give very solid and well founded replies. May Allah have mercy on him and elevate his station in Paradise and may He bestow upon the Jama’at many more such learned and practicing devotees. Aameen.
The third funeral in absentia is that of Mukarram Sahibzada Mirza Anwar Ahmad Sahib who was the son of Hazrat Musleh Maood (ra) and that of Hazrat Umm-e-Nasir. He passed away last Monday. Inna lil-lahay wa in-na elaihay rajayoon.
He passed his metric exams in 1944 and upon the wish of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II entered the Agricultural College and then the arrangements for the rudimentary building of Daruz Ziafat which was in front of Masjid Mubarak was given to him by Hazrat Musleh Maood (ra). The beginning work of the current Daruz Ziafat also were carried out during his charge. He served as Afsar Langar Khana till 1982/83. Then he served as Naib Nazir Umoor-e-Aama. He was married to Sahibzadi Sabeeha Begum Sahiba. He has three daughters and one son. From among the marriages of her grandsons that Hazrat Ammajaan participated in, his wedding was the last in which she had participated.
Dr. Noori Sahib writes that I was able to serve him for the last thirty years and found him to be extremely noble, hospitable and loving person. Hospitality was his prominent trait. Another prominent trait of his was that he possessed an extraordinary talent for humor...
Dr. Noori writes that he would frequent Tahir Heart Institute to assist the poor and he would leave monies for the purpose with me.
He was the brother of our mother and had a close relationship on that account and so frequented our house very often. He maintained this relationship and then after Khilafat he kept up a very strong relationship with me also. He would call many times here to express this connection and relationship.
May Allah also have mercy on him and forgive him and elevate his station in Paradise and bestow upon his progeny also a strong connection of loyalty with Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyya. Aameen. His wife is also quite ill. May Allah have mercy upon her and bestow His Grace upon her.
As I said, after the Jumu’ah prayers, these funeral in absentia prayers will be offered.
Note: The Alislam Team assumes full responsibility for any errors or inaccuracies in this translation of the Friday Sermon.
أَشْھَدُ أَنْ لَّا إِلٰہَ اِلَّا اللّٰہُ وَحْدَہٗ لَا شَرِیکَ لَہٗ وَأَشْھَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُہٗ وَ رَسُوْلُہٗ
أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَأَعُوْذُ بِاللّٰہِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ- بِسْمِ اللّٰہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰہِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِیْنَ۔ اَلرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ۔ مٰلِکِ یَوْمِ الدِّیْنِ۔ اِیَّا کَ نَعْبُدُ وَ اِیَّاکَ نَسْتَعِیْنُ۔
اِھْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِیْمَ۔ صِرَاطَ الَّذِیْنَ اَنْعَمْتَ عَلَیْھِمْ غَیْرِالْمَغْضُوْبِ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاالضَّآلِّیْنَ۔
قُلۡ یٰعِبَادِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَسۡرَفُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُوۡا مِنۡ رَّحۡمَۃِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَغۡفِرُ الذُّنُوۡبَ جَمِیۡعًا ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ الۡغَفُوۡرُ الرَّحِیۡمُ۔وَاَنِیۡبُوۡۤا اِلٰی رَبِّکُمۡ وَاَسۡلِمُوۡا لَہٗ مِنۡ قَبۡلِ اَنۡ یَّاۡتِیَکُمُ الۡعَذَابُ ثُمَّ لَا تُنۡصَرُوۡنَ۔(Al-Zumar: 54-55)
Say, “O My servants who have committed excesses against their own souls! despair not of the mercy of Allah, surely Allah forgives all sins. Verily He is Most Forgiving, Merciful. “And turn ye to your Lord, and submit yourselves to Him, before there comes unto you the punishment; for then you shall not be helped.
In the Holy Quran, Allah the Exalted has, through various verses dealing with different subjects, given hope to His various servants that He is Infinitely Forgiving and Infinitely Merciful towards His servants. The first of the verses I have recited expresses this very theme, and within it lies a beautiful message for every person who is fearful of Allah's punishment on account of their sins—a message of drawing Allah's mercy towards oneself and of benefiting from Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Allah the Exalted says: O My servants! Do not despair of My mercy. I am the Master, I have the power to forgive your sins and wrap you in the mantle of My mercy. So what a beautiful message this is—one that increases hopes and ends despair. This is the very message which tells human beings that despair is a sin. This is the very message which is bound to take us away from weaknesses as well as keep us at a distance from the failures of life. Because despair itself often becomes the cause of committing sins and of life's failures. But the one who comes under the shelter of Allah's mercy—from him despair and failures flee away. This is the very message which is showing us the paths of walking on the commandments of God Almighty and of loving Allah the Exalted, so that we may continue to attain nearness to Allah and continue to benefit from His mercies. So this message is a luminous path for all those who have gone astray. This message is a message of life for all the spiritually dead. This message is glad tidings of freedom for those gripped in the clutches of Satan. How dear our God is, who casts such a gaze of love upon us, who repeatedly tells His followers وَلَا تَایۡـَٔسُوۡا مِنۡ رَّوۡحِ اللّٰہِ (Yusuf: 88). And despair not of the mercy of Allah because لَا یَایۡـَٔسُ مِنۡ رَّوۡحِ اللّٰہِ اِلَّا الۡقَوۡمُ الۡکٰفِرُوۡنَ (Yusuf: 88). That none despairs of Allah’s mercy save the unbelieving people.
So, if you claim to have faith, then always have hope in Allah's mercy and forgiveness. Due to your human weaknesses, you may have become involved in certain evils, but you are not among those who have gone astray, you are not among the misguided—for only those who have gone astray despair of Allah's mercy. They are people who do not believe in God Almighty, who do not believe in the Mercifulness of God Almighty. This despair is the habit of those who have gone astray. Allah the Exalted says: قَالَ وَمَنۡ یَّقۡنَطُ مِنۡ رَّحۡمَۃِ رَبِّہٖۤ اِلَّا الضَّآلُّوۡنَ (Al-Hijr: 57). He said, ‘And who can despair of the mercy of his Lord save those who go astray?’ So indeed, for the distressed and for people restless on account of their conditions, there can be no greater message of sympathy and consolation of the heart than this.
Then our God, for our consolation, also tells us that He does not immediately seize us and punish us on account of our evil deeds, but rather وَرَبُّکَ الۡغَفُوۡرُ ذُو الرَّحۡمَۃِ (Al-Kahf: 59), tAnd thy Lord is Most Forgiving, full of mercy, because کَتَبَ رَبُّکُمۡ عَلٰی نَفۡسِہِ الرَّحۡمَۃَ (Al-An'am: 55), that Your Lord has taken it upon Himself to show mercy. So He forgives your sins committed in ignorance. So turn your attention towards your reformation. If, while striving for reformation, your gaze is upon His mercy, then He is Ghafur-ur-Rahim. He is Most Forgiving and Most Merciful.
And it is not only that He is Forgiving and Merciful, but He also says وَرَحۡمَتِیۡ وَسِعَتۡ کُلَّ شَیۡءٍ (Al-A'raf: 157), that My mercy encompasses all things. Here the matter extends even beyond the believers. It is not just about believers. This mercy reaches even the disbelievers, and so upon the believers it becomes incumbent. He can forgive all sins, and He does. This is what Allah the Exalted says. He is the Master. He needs no restriction or condition to forgive. But does the mercy and love of such a Merciful and Loving God not demand of us that we walk according to His word, act upon His commandments, increase our love for Him, draw nearer to Him, and strive to the utmost of our capacity to eliminate our sins and weaknesses? All these things which I have stated with reference to the Holy Quran, and likewise the ahadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which have reached us, all tell us that no person is beyond reform. It cannot be that any person's reformation is impossible. Every person can be reformed. Everyone, through Allah's general mercy which is spread out for all, can become one who attains even more of His mercy beyond that—provided that he strives to bring pure changes in his heart and then practically as well.
In recent days a woman wrote an article in a religious newspaper in Denmark, and wrote about the Holy Quran that it repeatedly mentions punishment and chastisement, and the word love is not used anywhere, or has been used in only one or two places. And to say that a person's faith in God is by his own will and freedom and on account of love for Allah the Exalted—this cannot in any way be correct, at least for Muslims. By writing some verses without their context, or by stating them incorrectly, and by deriving their own interpretations, they have tried to prove the God of Islam to be only hasty in punishing and severe in seizing. In any case, the Jama'at there is replying to it, but the few references which I have presented—while they give a message of hope to the believers—also serve as a reply to such article-writers and enemies of Islam who attribute falsehoods to Islam and harbour malice against Islam and the Quran. Allah the Exalted is the Master, He forgives. This is such an attribute that overrides all attributes. He forgives, and He also shows mercy. It is also His mercy that despite the unlimited transgressions and oppressions of human beings, He does not hasten to punish them. Yes, it is indeed true that on account of these oppressions and falling into excessive sins, and then persisting stubbornly upon them, Allah the Exalted says that you will be punished. If one continues to commit sin and oppression and does not desist in any way, then to receive punishment is a law of nature; indeed, it is also the law of the world. But even then, Allah the Exalted is so Merciful that a time will come when Hell will become empty. Allah's mercy is so vast and infinite.
In these verses, after describing His mercy and forgiveness, Allah the Exalted said that if you still do not benefit from My mercy and forgiveness, then there is also a punishment for you for your sins and oppressions—but it is My mercy and My forgiveness that is repeatedly drawing your attention to save yourselves from them. Protect yourselves beforehand, lest some chastisement encircles you. Lest, on account of excessive oppressions, you fall into My grasp. So try to save yourselves. Now, those who still raise objections to this—about them, what else can be said except that their intellects are blinded and they are filled with malice and rancour? When making laws for their own countries, they want to punish crimes, but regarding those who break the law of Allah the Exalted, and who exceed in oppressions and excesses, they say: Why does God Almighty say that I will punish, I will chastise?
How forgiving the God of Islam is becomes evident from this narration. Hazrat Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that there was a man among the Children of Israel who had committed ninety-nine murders. Now, these examples are being given so that we may also be informed about Allah's mercy—that it has always been and shall always remain. He said that this man had committed ninety-nine murders, then he set out to enquire about repentance. He came to a monk and asked whether repentance was now possible. The monk said: No, there is no way. He killed him too. He continued to enquire about whether his repentance could be accepted or not, until a man told him to go to a certain settlement. While he was on his way, death overtook him along the road. He turned his chest towards that settlement. When he fell upon dying, he fell towards it. The angels of mercy and the angels of punishment came. They began to argue about him. Allah the Exalted commanded the settlement towards which he was going to come closer to him, and commanded the settlement from which he was moving away to move further away from him. Then He commanded the angels to measure the distance between the two settlements. They found him to be one hand-span closer to the settlement towards which he was going to seek forgiveness for his sins. On this account, Allah the Exalted forgave him. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab Ahadith al-Anbiya, Bab 52/54, Hadith number: 3470)
So this is the God of Islam, who prefers to forgive rather than to punish, whose mercy is most vast.
Then there is another hadith that Hazrat Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who said about his Lord, Mighty and Glorious, that Allah the Exalted says: O son of Adam! You do not pray to Me, yet you also keep hopes attached to Me. So, on the condition that you do not associate any partner with Me, I will forgive your sins, even if your sins were equal to the earth. I will meet you with forgiveness equal to the earth. And if you have committed sins reaching to the limits of the heavens, and then you ask Me for My forgiveness, I will forgive you that too, and I will not care in the least. (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Volume 7, page 208, Musnad Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, Hadith 21837, Alam al-Kutub Beirut 1998)
This is Allah the Exalted, who is the God of Islam, who is Most Forgiving—and how great are the favours of Allah upon us believers, one of which is that every year in Ramadan the doors of His forgiveness open even further. Regarding Allah's forgiveness and mercy in Ramadan, a narration is mentioned thus: Nadr bin Shayban says that I said to Abu Salama bin Abd al-Rahman: Tell me something that you heard from your father, and that he heard directly from the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) regarding the month of Ramadan. Abu Salama bin Abd al-Rahman said: Yes. My father related to me that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has made fasting in Ramadan obligatory upon you, and I have established its standing for you. So whoever fasts in it in a state of faith with the intention of reward, he emerges from his sins as though his mother had just given birth to him. He becomes like a newborn child. (Sunan al-Nasa'i, Kitab al-Siyam, Bab Dhikr Ikhtilaf Yahya bin Abi Kathir wal-Nadr bin Shayban fihi, Hadith 2210)
So we are not concerned with how the God of Islam appears to the ignorant. We know that our God loves us and forgives us more than even our parents, and is a God who comes running towards us, so that He may forgive His servants their sins.
Then there is another hadith regarding Ramadan in which the blessings of Ramadan are mentioned. Salman (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) addressed us on the last day of Sha'ban and said: O people! A great and blessed month is about to cast its shade over you. In it is a night that is better than a thousand months. Allah the Exalted has made the fasting in it obligatory and has established the standing of its nights as voluntary. ھُوَ شَھْر اَوَّلُہٗ رَحْمَۃٌ وَ اَوْسَطُہٗ مَغْفِرَۃٌ وَ اٰخِرُہٗ عِتْقٌ مِّنَ النَّارِ۔ That it is such a month whose first ten days are mercy, and whose middle ten days are a means of forgiveness, and whose last ten days bring deliverance from Hell. And whoever satiates a fasting person in it, Allah the Exalted will give him such a drink from my pond that he will never feel thirst before entering Paradise. (Shu'ab al-Iman lil-Bayhaqi, Volume 5, page 223, Kitab al-Siyam, Bab Fada'il Shahr Ramadan, Hadith number 3336).
That is, this forgiveness is such that if the rights of Ramadan are fulfilled by keeping the fasts, by offering the voluntary prayers, and by worshipping Allah the Exalted, then past sins are also forgiven and the strength to not commit sins in the future is created.
So Allah the Exalted is, at every step, creating for us such provisions that lead us to Paradise. These days we are passing through Ramadan, and the second ten-day period is also coming to an end. Tomorrow or the day after, the third ten-day period is about to begin. And this ten-day period, as is mentioned in the hadith, carries blessings in this regard as well: that within it is a night which is Lailat-ul-Qadr, which is a tremendous means of seeing and showing the manifestations of the acceptance of prayers and of bringing the servant nearer to God. So in this ten-day period we need to make special arrangements for our prayers and our worship. And whatever we attain in it, we also have a special need to make it a part of our lives.
In order to continue benefiting from Allah's forgiveness and mercy, we particularly need, in these days, to keep watch over our condition and to fulfil the right of what is the right of Ramadan, and especially the right of this last ten-day period. To remove our evils, to save ourselves from sins in the future, to attain permanent deliverance from Hell—an effort is needed. For every task, an effort has to be made. It cannot be that any task is accomplished without effort. This is a general principle, and a true believer is expected not to view casually the glad tidings given by Allah the Exalted, Allah's messages, and the hope-giving messages given by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), but rather, when he hears them, a yearning to become a part of them should be born in his heart. And this yearning will be beneficial only when one also takes practical steps for its attainment. And those practical steps bear fruit, those lead to success, which are taken according to the principles and along the path which are devised for the attainment of that objective. So, undoubtedly Allah's mercy is most vast. Undoubtedly, in Ramadan there are manifold rewards for virtuous deeds. Undoubtedly, Ramadan is a means of attaining mercy and forgiveness and of distancing oneself from Hell—but only those continue to derive permanent benefit from these things, who strive for their attainment with dedication. So fortunate among us are those people, or fortunate among us will be those people, who make this Ramadan a means of attaining mercy and forgiveness and deliverance from Hell. And they should be those who eliminate these weaknesses, who save themselves from their sins forever. May this Ramadan become for us such a milestone that will always keep us away from evils and always lead us towards virtues. May such hatred for evils be created in our hearts that it never again inclines us towards those evils. May our attention be towards sincere repentance, and may it be such a repentance which continues to become a means of nearness to Allah the Exalted.
How can the attainment of these things be possible, or how can such sincere repentance be possible which keeps one away from sins forever? Regarding this, the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace and blessings) says:
"Repentance, in fact, is a great motivator and a strong supporter for the attainment of morals" (If one is to become possessor of the highest morals and the highest character, if one is to draw near to Allah the Exalted, then it is repentance which serves this purpose.) It is because of this that a person progresses. This is the very thing which becomes a helper. He said: "and renders man perfect. That is, whoever desires to change his evil morals must, with a sincere heart and firm resolve, repent. It should also be remembered that there are three conditions of repentance." (Repentance does not occur merely by repenting.) "Without their fulfilment, true repentance, which is called Tawbatun-Nasuh, cannot be attained." And what are those conditions? He said: "The first of these three conditions, which in Arabic is called Iqla', is that those corrupt thoughts which are the motivators of those ignoble qualities should be removed. The reality is that imagination has a very great effect, because before coming into the realm of action, every action has an imaginative form. So the first condition for repentance is to abandon those corrupt thoughts and evil imaginations. For example, if a person has some illicit connection with a woman, then for him to repent, it is first necessary that he should regard her appearance as ugly and bring all her ignoble qualities into the presence of his heart, because as I have just said, the effect of imagination is a very strong effect, and I have read in the accounts of the Sufis that they took imagination to such a degree that a person came to be seen in the form of a monkey or a pig. The point is that as one imagines, the colour takes hold. So whatever evil thoughts were considered to be a means of pleasure should be uprooted. This is the first condition.
The second condition is Nadam, that is, to display contrition and remorse. Every human being's conscience has the power within it to alert him to every evil, but the unfortunate person leaves it suspended. So one should display contrition over the perpetration of sin and evil, and consider that these pleasures are temporary and last only a few days, and then also reflect that each time, this pleasure and enjoyment decreases. So much so, that upon reaching old age, when one's faculties become useless and weak, ultimately all these worldly pleasures will have to be abandoned. So when these very pleasures will leave one even in this life, then what is gained by perpetrating them? Most fortunate is that person who turns towards repentance and in whom firstly the thought of Iqla' arises, that is, he uproots corrupt thoughts and absurd imaginations. When this filth and impurity comes out, then let him be remorseful and be contrite over what he has done.
The third condition is 'Azm. That is, one should make a firm resolve for the future that he will not return to these evils. And when he persists in this, Allah the Exalted will grant him the grace of true repentance, until those evils will completely be removed from him and good morals and praiseworthy deeds will take their place—and this is victory over morals. To bestow strength and power upon this is the work of Allah the Exalted, for He is the Master of all strengths and powers. As He has said: اَنَّ الۡقُوَّۃَ لِلّٰہِ جَمِیۡعًا (Al-Baqarah: 166). All power belongs to Allah the Exalted alone, and man, being of weak constitution, is a feeble being.خُلِقَ الۡاِنۡسَانُ ضَعِیۡفًا (An-Nisa: 29) is his reality. So in order to gain strength from God Almighty, having perfected all three of the aforementioned matters, man should abandon laziness and lethargy and, being fully prepared, supplicate to God Almighty. Allah the Exalted will bring about a change of morals." (Malfuzat, Volume 1, pages 138 to 140, Edition 1984, published in London)
So this is the saying of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). Those people should also always remember this, who say: We prayed to be saved from such-and-such evil, but this evil was not removed. Allah did not hear our prayers. Some parents are worried that wrong habits develop in children or in some youth, and they say: We tried. We even prayed, but it was not heard. So this notion is wrong. Let me explain this again in simple terms. There are certain prerequisites for the acceptance of prayer—it is essential to fulfil them. To pray for four days and then say that Allah the Exalted did not hear my prayer is simply to place one's own incompetence upon God Almighty.
In any case, at this time, with reference to this extract of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) which I have read, I wish to convey precisely this: how one should stop oneself from evil, and how repentance is attained. And as the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said, for repentance and for saving oneself from evils, there are some essential matters, some actions, some efforts, some methods which have to be acted upon. Only if one does them will the result be obtained, and the prayer made for protection from evils will also be accepted only when one also takes practical steps. To take no practical steps and merely make a perfunctory prayer and then say that God Almighty did not accept it, and therefore perhaps it is His will that I should remain a sinner—this is wrong. If bad deeds and morals are to be improved, then the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has said that man should first do three things himself and then pray—then this prayer becomes a helper and the evils then go away. And for true repentance, as I read in the reference, he said that the first thing is that one should first cleanse one's mind of filthy and evil thoughts. The imagination of the pleasure of any evil first arises in the mind, and then a person commits that evil. If the imagination of evil, or of its goodness, or of its pleasure, does not arise in the mind, and there is rather an abhorrence for it, then he never commits that evil. And first, the imagination of the pleasure of any evil arises, the feeling arises, and then a person is inclined towards that evil. So the first practical step which a person must take to save himself from evils is to purify his mind of filthy imaginations or imaginations of temporary pleasures. The Promised Messiah gave the example that, for instance, just as one has illicit relations with some woman, friendships are established, then, instead of forming a good imagination of such a woman in the mind, form an ugly imagination. Rather than seeing what beauty or virtues she has, form the ugliest imagination of her that you can form. Bring forward her bad characteristics, her evils, and form a shape in your imagination of an extremely repulsive and abhorrent form—only then will you be able to keep away from that evil. Then he stated the second condition: awaken your pious conscience and reflect on what evils you are becoming involved in. Create within your heart the feeling of contrition and shame over your condition. Only if this state exists will you be able to save yourself from evil. Then he said, the third thing is that there should be a firm and resolute determination that I will not even go near this evil again. And when you continually strive to remain firm on this resolve, then God Almighty grants the grace of true repentance, and then He also hears the prayers offered for protection from evils. Before prayers are accepted, this action is needed. It is not that from morning till evening and from night till morning one remains involved in wrong actions and evils, and then at some time or other one prays to Allah the Exalted: Save me from this evil. This action shows that the prayer was not made with seriousness. The pious nature, which is the conscience, which is hidden within, at some moment pricks one with the thought: What is this state of yours that you are drowning in evils? Through this temporary feeling, a momentary attention towards prayer is created, and then when one sees the evil before oneself, the desire for it ends that temporary feeling and overpowers the remorse. Such a state neither permanently saves one from evils, nor makes one fulfil the right of prayer; rather, this is even a mockery of prayer, and an attempt to bind God Almighty. God Almighty is bound by no servant. So such people should remember that if one is to derive true benefit from Allah's forgiveness, to become heir to His rewards, to witness the acceptance of one's prayers, then one also needs to pay attention to one's condition. As I said, Allah the Exalted is so kind to His servants that at every moment the mantle of His mercy is ready to envelop His servants. Does this not demand of us that we ourselves, by walking on the commandments shown by Allah the Exalted, should become those who attain His forgiveness and mercy? Let us become those who attain that mercy which is attained by true believers, which is attained by His beloved ones. Let us avoid those things which, in spite of His vast mercy, make one liable for punishment. May our repentance be a true repentance, and may we always remain bowed before Him. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) says:
"Cleanse your deeds and always remember Allah the Exalted, and do not be heedless. Just as fleeing prey, when it becomes a little slack, comes within the grasp of the hunter, in the same way the one who becomes heedless of the remembrance of Allah the Exalted falls prey to Satan. Always keep repentance alive and never let it die. For the limb which is used, that very limb can serve, and the one which is left idle then becomes useless forever. In the same way, keep repentance moving as well, so that it does not become useless. If you have not made sincere repentance, it is like that seed which is sown upon a stone, and if it is sincere repentance, then it is like that seed which is sown in excellent soil and brings forth fruit in its season. Nowadays there are great difficulties in this repentance." Because the greeds of the world and the pleasures of the world are present before one. He said: "Our weapons of triumph are seeking forgiveness, repentance, knowledge of religious sciences, keeping in view the greatness of Allah the Exalted, and offering the five daily Prayers. Salat is the key to the acceptance of prayer. When you offer Salat, then pray within it and do not be heedless, and save yourselves from every evil, whether it pertains to the rights of Allah or to the rights of mankind." (Malfuzat, Volume 5, page 303, Edition 1984, published in London)
May Allah make us among those who offer this sincere repentance, and may we always continue to become heirs to the bounties of Allah the Exalted. May Allah the Exalted enable us to attain all the blessings associated with Ramadan.
At this time, after the Friday Prayer, I shall also lead three funeral prayers in absentia. The first funeral prayer is of our respected Muhammad Imtiaz Ahmad Sahib, son of Mushtaq Ahmad Sahib Tahir, resident of Nawabshah, who was martyred on 14th Julyاِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤ اِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ . He was approximately 39 years of age. It is said that at half past four in the evening, some unidentified motorcyclists came to his shop and shot him, martyring him اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤ اِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ. According to the details, Muhammad Imtiaz Ahmad Sahib was standing outside his shop located in the Trunk Bazar of Nawabshah city when two unknown riders on a motorcycle came and, after firing at him, fled. As a result of the firing, he received three bullet wounds. Two bullets struck him on the right side of his head and passed through, exiting from below the left ear, while the third bullet struck his hand. In any case, his martyrdom occurred on the spotاِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤ اِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ.
In Nawabshah, this is the ninth martyrdom so far on account of religious bigotry, and in the past year or two, more martyrdoms have occurred there. Two or three days before this incident, a nearby shopkeeper had also told the late martyr that some opponents were conspiring against him. However much caution one exercises, one has to step out, and the enemies find an opportunity. Ahmadiyyat entered the family of the late martyr in 1935 through his grandfather, respected Seth Muhammad Din Sahib of Amritsar, who took bai'at through Ne'matullah Khan Sahib of Wazirabad. In 1947, they shifted from Amritsar, India to Nawabshah, Pakistan. The martyr was born in 1975. He then obtained his F.Sc. education. After this, he became occupied in his father's business. He used to render considerable service to the Jama'at. At the time of his martyrdom, he was Sadr of the Jama'at Halqa Mahmud Hall. He was Secretary Tahrik-e-Jadid for the city, Secretary Islah o Irshad for the city, and in the auxiliary organisation, he was Qa'id Khuddamul Ahmadiyya of Nawabshah city. He was Nazim Islah-o-Irshad for the area and the district. He was Nazim Tahrik-e-Jadid for the district. In the past, he has also served as Secretary Waqf-e-Jadid, Secretary Ziafat, and Secretary Da'wat ilallah. He was always ready for the service of the Jama'at. Whatever task was entrusted to him, he carried it out with great excellence. He never refused. He was very hospitable. He had a great regard for guests from the Markaz. A man of simple disposition. He had a relationship of intense love and obedience with Khilafat. He had an extraordinary spirit of obedience. He was a regular observer of the five daily Prayers and Tahajjud. He had a very gentle nature. He always spoke in a soft tone. He always possessed the quality of forgiveness. Last year, he also participated in the Jalsa at Qadian. On the day of his martyrdom, in connection with the blessed month of Ramadan, he had personally prepared ration packets for the deserving and, by midday, had distributed them to approximately seven households, and when he returned, those unknown assailants, those wretched ones, attacked him there and martyred him. By Allah's grace, he was a Musi, and he was the nephew of Seth Muhammad Yusuf Sahib Shaheed, who was the former Amir of district Nawabshah. His father, Mushtaq Ahmad Sahib, is also alive. Among the survivors are his wife Nabila Imtiaz Sahiba and three sons: Jazib Umar, aged ten years; Abdul Basit Umar, aged nine years; Muhammad Abdullah Umar, aged seven months.
The second funeral prayer is of respected Nasir Ahmad Anjum Sahib, life-devotee, who was a teacher at Jamia Ahmadiyya Rabwah. In 1981 he took his Matriculation examination. After this he devoted his life and came to study at Jamia. He did his B.A. at Jamia. After graduating from Jamia, he then did his M.A. in Arabic. The Jama'at also had him take a course in the Russian language. In 1988, after obtaining the Shahid degree from Jamia, he entered the field of action and served in various Jama'ats. In 1990 he was called to Rabwah for specialisation in Comparative Religion, and during this specialisation he began teaching at Jamia Ahmadiyya as a teacher, and was regularly appointed as a permanent teacher of Comparative Religion on 18th July 1999, and continued to discharge this responsibility excellently to his last breath. The period of his service after passing from Jamia is approximately twenty-six years, and despite the fact that, by Allah's grace, he was among the younger Murabbiyan, among the scholars, in Comparative Religion he was, by Allah's grace, an authority. He had great knowledge. He had very deep knowledge. In addition to teaching at Jamia, he was granted the opportunity to serve in various departments. He was among those initial representatives of Qada whom Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV had appointed, and he remained so till the end. He was also a member of the Majlis-e-Ifta and the Research Cell. In Khuddamul Ahmadiyya he rendered services in various offices. Then another of his qualities, his family members relate, was that he could not tolerate anything against the system of the Jama'at. Even if any of his own children spoke against any office-holder, he would counsel them, and if any person tried to speak against any decision of the Jama'at or against any personality, he would also counsel them with great wisdom. He also had the privilege of participating in the Jalsa Salana UK, and probably in Jalsa Salana 2010 he also delivered a speech here. And this time too he had written to me that he had applied. May Allah grant the visa—it was then rejected, then he applied again. He had an extraordinary relationship and love with Khilafat, and he was included among the true Sultan-e-Naseer. He had a great passion for tabligh. He used to go to every gathering, and he had great command in the field of tabligh as well. He used to convince people, even the educated, with great arguments. His daughter Khadija Maham wrote that he had passionate love for the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and used to greatly emphasise the reading of the books of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). He was writing a lexicon of the books of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and was concerned that this precious treasure should reach the people. He was writing a dictionary of difficult words so that people could benefit from the books of Hazrat (peace be upon him). He had only just begun this work. Mubashir Ayaz Sahib also wrote that he was a good speaker. He used to participate in Rah-e-Huda and in several programmes of MTA, and would give well-reasoned replies. May Allah the Exalted treat him with forgiveness, raise his ranks. May Allah the Exalted grant the Jama'at more such practising scholars.
The third funeral prayer is of respected Sahibzada Mirza Anwar Ahmad Sahib, who was a son of Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) and a son of Hazrat Umm-e-Nasir. His demise occurred this past Monday اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّاۤ اِلَیۡہِ رٰجِعُوۡنَ. He passed his Matriculation in 1944. Then, at the wish of Hazrat Musleh Maud, he was admitted into the Agriculture College. Then, the management of the initial unpaved building of Dar-uz-Ziafat, which was in front of Masjid Mubarak, was entrusted to him by Hazrat Musleh Maud. The initial construction of the present Dar-uz-Ziafat was also done during his tenure. He continued to serve as Officer Langar Khana until 1982-83. Then he was granted the opportunity to serve as Naib Nazir Umur-e-'Amma. Then Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II also entrusted to him the supervision of his lands. His marriage took place with Sahibzadi Sabiha Begum Sahiba, daughter of respected Mirza Rasheed Ahmad Sahib, son of Hazrat Mirza Sultan Ahmad Sahib. He has three daughters and one son. Of the weddings of her grandsons which Hazrat Amman Jan attended, his wedding was the last in which Hazrat Amman Jan participated. Dr. Noori Sahib writes that for the past three decades he had the opportunity to serve him. He was a very noble, hospitable, and loving person. Hospitality was a very fine, very prominent quality of his, and another prominent quality was that he had a great sense of humour and used to joke with people in his gatherings, and even in a troubled gathering would, on account of his humour, breathe life into it. Dr. Noori Sahib writes that he would often come to Tahir Heart for the help of poor and destitute patients, and would give me money and go. He was the brother of our mother. He had a special relationship with her. Of course, every brother has, but his was special. He used to come and go to our home a great deal, and he maintained this relationship, and then after Khilafat he also maintained a great relationship with me. He used to often phone here and express this relationship. May Allah the Exalted also treat him with forgiveness and mercy and raise his ranks. May He also grant his progeny the opportunity to maintain a relationship of loyalty with Khilafat. His wife is also quite unwell; may Allah the Exalted have mercy and bestow His grace upon her as well. As I said, after the Friday Prayer I will lead these funeral prayers.
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