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۔

Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran: یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوا اسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡا لِلّٰہِ وَلِلرَّسُوۡلِ اِذَا دَعَاکُمۡ لِمَا یُحۡیِیۡکُمۡ (Al-Anfal: 25) That is, O ye who believe! respond to Allah, and the Messenger when he calls you that he may give you life.

Allah the Almighty sends His Messengers to give life. Regarding them, i.e., the believers, He has stated that He sends them to grant life to their death. As is evident from these words of the Holy Quran, this life is spiritual life, not life from physical death. Here, a truth is also expressed that a believer should always continue to make arrangements for his reformation while responding to the call of the Prophet. Allah the Almighty made arrangements for our life through the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and revealed a perfect and complete Shariah in the form of the Holy Quran. And He made the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) the perfect model for acting upon it, which those who remained close to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) felt and continued to feel. The closer anyone was to him, the more clearly the beauty of the Holy Prophet's (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) practical example became manifest upon them. His wives could be, and were, the greatest witnesses to this beauty of his conduct. That is why when an inquirer asked Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) about the morals of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)—when she was asked about his morals—Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) replied: کَانَ خُلُقُہٗ الْقُرْاٰن. His morals were the Quran. (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Volume 8, page 144, Hadith Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), Hadith number 25108, Alam-ul-Kutub Beirut 1998)

Whatever is contained in it, i.e., in the Holy Quran, he was its practical example.

Thus, the existence of Prophets is a model in the world. The question does not even arise that anyone should stumble due to their existence or their example. Here in this verse, by combining Allah and the Messenger together, Allah the Almighty has made it clear that whatever Allah says, His Messenger says and does the same. Thus, if you desire spiritual life, then close your eyes and follow the Messenger. Obey him. Act upon his commandments. And regarding the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), He has also stated that if you desire the love of Allah the Almighty, then following the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is essential, and the love of Allah is that station from which spiritual life is attained, spiritual life is received. Thus, for true spiritual life, it is essential to respond to the call of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). And until one who calls himself a Muslim truly accepts what Allah the Almighty announced through the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in these words: فَاتَّبِعُوۡنِیۡ یُحۡبِبۡکُمُ اللّٰہُ (Aal-e-Imran: 32). Therefore, follow me; then Allah the Almighty will love you. Until then, one who calls himself a Muslim cannot be called a true follower and believer. And for following him, the written details of his example, as Hazrat Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, are present before us in the form of the Holy Quran. It is the Holy Quran which says that the enmity of any nation should not compel you to injustice. It is the Holy Quran which says that do not shed anyone's blood without cause. It is the Holy Quran which says, fulfil the rights of creation. It is the Holy Quran which says that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is a mercy for all the worlds, who is a mercy for everyone without distinction of religion or nation. The very attribute of Rahmaniyyat demands that it should be without distinction.

In short, the more one reads the Holy Quran, the more one continues to find every kind of guidance and direction in it. Thus, the Holy Quran refutes the objection of every such person, which non-Muslims or objectors raise against the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and Islam upon seeing the wrong actions of present-day Muslims, that is this life? You say that the Messenger is the giver of life, but is this the life which your Messenger and your religion came to give? Prophets give life, but the actions of Muslims are dead, and practically too, they are engaged in the destruction of human life. Innocents and widows are being killed. If anyone asks me—many times people ask me questions; Ahmadis also ask—I always say that the answer to your objection was given by Allah the Almighty and His Messenger fourteen hundred years ago at the very beginning of Islam in the Holy Quran, in these verses of Surah Al-Jumu'ah: ہُوَ الَّذِیۡ بَعَثَ فِی الۡاُمِّیّٖنَ رَسُوۡلًا مِّنۡہُمۡ یَتۡلُوۡا عَلَیۡہِمۡ اٰیٰتِہٖ وَیُزَکِّیۡہِمۡ وَیُعَلِّمُہُمُ الۡکِتٰبَ وَالۡحِکۡمَۃَ وَاِنۡ کَانُوۡا مِنۡ قَبۡلُ لَفِیۡ ضَلٰلٍ مُّبِیۡنٍ ۔ وَّاٰخَرِیۡنَ مِنۡہُمۡ لَمَّا یَلۡحَقُوۡا بِہِمۡ ؕ وَہُوَ الۡعَزِیۡزُ الۡحَکِیۡمُ۔(Al Jumu'ah: 3-4) That is, He it is Who has raised among the unlettered people a great Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and Wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance; and He will raise him among others of them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise.

Thus, this ignorance and misguidance which is being manifested through the actions of present-day Muslims is the same as existed in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and to remove it and to deliver the real life-giving message, Allah the Almighty had sent the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and now to spread this life-giving message which the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) brought, Allah the Almighty has sent the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), and then, having joined the Bai'at of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is conveying this message, and it is its responsibility to convey it.

Similarly, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also clearly stated regarding these circumstances, regarding these people, regarding these clerics who are committing these acts these days, that these people are the worst creatures under the sky, who roam around posing as scholars. These people will become a centre of mischief and disorder. (Al-Jami' li-Shu'ab al-Iman by Bayhaqi, Volume Three, page 317, Section: Qala wa Yanbaghi li-Talib al-Ilm..., Chapter: Spreading Knowledge and Not Withholding it from its People..., Hadith number 1763)

And at that time, from the side of Allah the Almighty, the descent of the Promised Messiah will occur, who will grant life.

Thus we see that he made this claim that I have come to grant life, and his followers received this life. So his objection is, is this the Messenger who gives life? — this ends, because he and Allah had already stated that such circumstances would arise. This message is life-giving and will remain so. This Messenger is life-giving and will remain so forever till the Day of Judgement, but those acting upon it and those following it will not exist, and in such circumstances, then Allah the Almighty will send the Promised Messiah in his perfect obedience and following.

The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) states in one place:

وَّاٰخَرِیۡنَ مِنۡہُمۡ لَمَّا یَلۡحَقُوۡا بِہِمۡ — The meaning of this verse is that after extreme misguidance, those who attain guidance and wisdom and witness the miracles and blessings of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) are only two groups. The first are the Companions of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), who before the advent of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) were caught in severe darkness, and then thereafter, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, they attained the era of Prophethood and saw miracles with their own eyes and witnessed the prophecies, and certainty produced in them such a transformation that, as it were, they became just a single soul. The second group, which according to the above-mentioned verse is like the Companions, is the group of the Promised Messiah. Because this group too, like the Companions, is one that witnesses the miracles of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and one that attains guidance after darkness and misguidance. And in the verse اٰخَرِیۡنَ مِنۡہُمۡ, this group has been granted a share in the wealth of مِنْہُمْ, that is, the blessing of resembling the Companions. This is a reference to the very same point, namely that just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) saw the miracles of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and witnessed the prophecies, in the same way they too shall witness them, and the intervening period will not have a complete share of this blessing. Thus, in our present time, the same has happened, that after thirteen hundred years, the door of the miracles of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has once again opened, and people have witnessed it with their own eyes…"

Then he states:

"…The spread of plague and the obstruction from Hajj, all have witnessed with their own eyes. The construction of railways in the country, the camels becoming useless—all these were the miracles of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) which were seen in this era in the same way as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) had seen the miracles. For this very reason, Allah, glorified is His Majesty, addressed this last group with the word مِنْہُمْ, to indicate that in witnessing the miracles, they too are in the same fashion as the Companions. Reflect and see, who else in thirteen hundred years has attained such an era of Prophethood? In this era in which our Community has been created, for several reasons this Community bears resemblance to the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). They see miracles and signs just as the Companions saw. They attain light and certainty from the Signs of Allah the Almighty and the ever-fresh divine supports just as the Companions attained. They are bearing the pain of mockery, ridicule, cursing, all kinds of heart-piercing remarks, foul language, severance of kinship, etc., from people in the path of Allah, just as the Companions bore. They are gaining a pure life through the manifest Signs of Allah, heavenly aids and the teaching of wisdom, just as the Companions attained. Many among them are such who weep in prayer and moisten their places of prostration with tears, just as the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to weep." (Ayyam-us-Sulh, Ruhani Khaza'in, Volume 14, pages 305-306)

Thus this claim of his, that I have come to give life to the world, has been fulfilled with great grandeur and is being fulfilled, that in following the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), Allah the Almighty is also granting life to the world through him. Now, understanding the Word of Allah the Almighty is possible only through him. Without him, it is impossible. Explaining the verities and truths of the Holy Quran is his task alone. Spiritual life can now be attained by people only through him, and it can only be received through him. After fourteen hundred years, by becoming annihilated in the perfect following and love of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), he alone presented the perfect practical example. Thus the bounty of granting this practical and moral life continues even today. But those who raise objections against Islam do not look in this direction. If they see the wrong actions of Muslims, they propagate it more than necessary. A flurry of objections begins.

In recent days, someone wrote to me that a conversation was taking place with an educated Christian about the beautiful teachings of Islam, and when an Ahmadi told him about the ongoing system of Khilafat and the services the Community is rendering in the world, he said why do you not tell the media? Why does the world not know? Why does this not come in the newspapers? This friend said that we do tell. Our preaching is also there, the distribution of leaflets is also there. Now the distribution has reached into the millions and tens of millions. There are advertisements on buses and other means of advertisement. There are various programmes. We try to provide news too, but the media does not give it as much coverage as it gives to negative news. Then the Christian friend himself began saying that everything has been commercialised, and the media too inclines towards whichever direction is more popular; they need spicy news to attract people, so that people listen to and watch them, and because the trend nowadays is against Muslims, that is why they show such speed in publishing news against them. He himself began saying that the media people do not act with justice and avoid the facts. In any case, this is their work, but now there are some who have started saying or speaking something in favour. In recent days, I mentioned that a representative of the BBC took an interview from me. It was quite long. Some parts of it have also been broadcast in one of their documentaries, which has already been shown once yesterday on BBC Asia, and the BBC World Radio Service, in which perhaps they will broadcast it from Saturday, or will start from Saturday, or they will broadcast it only on Saturday. In any case, on that day they said they will broadcast this. (Not show but broadcast, because it is a radio service.) In it they have also included this statement of mine that the beautiful teaching which the Community presents is the true teaching of Islam, and for this very reason, hundreds of thousands of people join the Community every year. They did not include the entire statement, but in any case they conveyed it to a considerable extent; they also broadcast some words in between, that those who join, join because they come to know the true teaching of Islam, and upon hearing this life-giving message of Islam, they are drawn towards it. Thus there is no deficiency in the teaching of Islam and in the example of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); rather it is a perfect and complete example and teaching. If there is any flaw, it is in those clerics and people who give them wrong guidance, and in those who follow these clerics in the wrong way. If it were not the case that Prophets grant life—which all the Prophets claimed—then trust in the very Being of Allah the Almighty would be removed. Those dead religions which only make claims, and now no life-giving substance remains in them. That is why people are leaving these religions. There is a formal connection with these religions, but no state of faith. It is a great favour of Allah the Almighty upon Muslims that in this era too, He has sent His Messenger and presented His teaching afresh before us, so that we may continue to attain spiritual life. Those appointed by Allah the Almighty come with this promise from Allah the Almighty, that the nation which joins them and truly follows them, will bring them to success. They will be granted spiritual life, and the rest of the people will be unsuccessful and disgraced. With the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also, this is the same promise of Allah the Almighty, that he will prevail. His followers will continue to progress, Insha'Allah. The system of Khilafat will continue after him to carry on his work. If any other system rises against it, it will be unsuccessful and disappointing. Khilafat is that reward which is granted from Allah the Almighty. It is not seized. It is not acquired by oppression. It is not acquired by burying innocents alive. This system is not occupied by killing in cruel ways. This is a means of giving life, not of taking life. Which is not possible without the support and help of Allah the Almighty. Thus, any other system which is seized cannot be supported by Allah the Almighty, nor has it ever been.

Here, one thing should also be remembered: those who accept the one appointed by Allah the Almighty, those who attain life and give life, must also offer sacrifices, and those who join the appointed one become ready for every kind of sacrifice, because they know that their sacrifices will not go to waste. They know the importance of sacrifices. Therefore, sometimes they sacrifice this outward life of theirs for spiritual life. In the time of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) too, there were such people who sacrificed their families, relatives, wealth, businesses, and even their lives. Those who accept have to offer the sacrifice of emotions, relatives, and wealth mostly, but there are also those who offer the sacrifice of their lives. Among them were those who sacrificed all this, but did not let death come upon their spiritual life. And today too, there are hundreds and thousands who offer sacrifices. There is the sacrifice of emotions, the sacrifice of wealth, the sacrifice of relationships. They are giving all these sacrifices with joy, and in some places they are also offering the sacrifice of their lives. There are some who accept Ahmadiyyat, accept the true life-giving message of Islam, and along with it begins a period of difficulties and tribulations for them, but they do not care. They prefer spiritual life over outward life. As the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, these people pass through various hardships, they are greatly harassed, but they do not care. There are now countless examples in the history of the Community of those who pass through such difficulties. I shall place before you a few examples of those who, although they did not offer the sacrifice of their lives, when they accepted Ahmadiyyat, they had to face the sacrifice of emotions, the difficulties of society, and tribulations. As soon as they accepted Ahmadiyyat in society, pressures began to fall upon them.

An Arab gentleman, Mr Husam-ud-Din, once left a message for our Mr. Ikrama, that some time ago I had taken Bai'at and now I am facing very difficult circumstances. He says I consoled him. I asked about the circumstances, what had happened. So he said that my wife and I were associated with the Tablighi Jamaat and used to go on preaching tours. Then when I saw the programmes on MTA, I came to believe in the message of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It seemed true to me, life-giving. My wife strongly opposed me and incited my family members against me. He says they also incited the clerics against me. At the bidding of the clerics, my wife also brought a fatwa of takfir against me from Al-Azhar, and we were separated. The nikah was dissolved, which is the way of the clerics. After this, he says, my family put much pressure on me to leave the Community, but I paid no heed to anyone. I also have four children from this wife, but despite leaving everything, by the grace of Allah the Almighty I am steadfast in faith. After Bai'at, I came to know the reality of being a stranger, and I understood the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Islam began as a stranger and will eventually become a stranger again. So glad tidings to the strangers." He says Allah the Almighty Himself gave me refuge and has become my guardian. May Allah grant that I never slip. I am not one to slip and shall remain steadfast, Insha'Allah.

Similarly, there are various regions. Now this is East Africa, from where our Ameer Sahib of Tanzania writes that there, in some areas of the Shinyanga region, an opportunity for a preaching programme arose. New Bai'ats came from several places. Among them is a village, Songamile. There is also a mosque of non-Ahmadis there. Out of those who prayed in this mosque, approximately ninety percent of the Muslims joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and after that, then in Tanzania, the non-Ahmadi Muslim organisation Bakwata, which is considered a representative body of Muslims, started severe opposition. First they tried to intimidate and threaten the Ahmadis, and because we had also immediately sent a Mu'allim there so that training could begin, and he had started the training, therefore firmness continued to develop in their faith. They came to know the true teaching of Islam. They paid no heed to anyone's intimidation or threats. Finally they forbade them from praying in their mosque. They prepared an alternative place for prayer and decided to construct a mosque, so then they adopted a new tack, and the district administration and the police, the officer of which was himself a Sunni Muslim, also along with the district organisation of Bakwata began to harass the new Ahmadis of the village. The Mu'allim Sahib along with two men were arrested. Then after some pause they were also released, and then again after a few days the Mu'allim was also arrested and three or four of our Ahmadis were also arrested, and there was insistence that they would file a case. They kept making various kinds of allegations against the Ahmadis, that the Ahmadis have come to set fire to our mosque. That is why they are building a separate mosque. They are creating disorder. They have destroyed our peace and tranquillity. All the things they themselves do, they kept levelling all these allegations against the Ahmadis. But in any case, Allah the Almighty showed grace, and all these people remained steadfast in their faith, and they paid no heed to any kind of opposition. They have passed through great difficulties. Now I give another, third example. The first was East Africa. This is West Africa. Burkina Faso. It is a French-speaking area. Here too, Ganzourgou is a place. There, this is from last year, that five hundred Bai'ats took place, in which the village chief and the imam also joined in the Bai'at. Eventually, their close relatives who were in another village area began opposition. There was a social boycott. Greetings, social interaction, dealings—all this was ended. There in that area, in the town or village, there was a small place where they used to pray; a ban was placed on praying there, and opposition continued to increase. But despite this, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, now these people who live in far-flung areas and are apparently called illiterate, they paid no heed to any opposition, kept their faith intact, and remained steadfast. Allah the Almighty has now improved the circumstances. So in these oppositions, each one has to pass through, as the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) stated. I have not given examples of the old people. There are countless such examples. I have given these recent examples to show how swiftly Allah the Almighty by His grace fills hearts with faith and is filling hearts with faith, and then after that, they become ready for every sacrifice. In various countries of the world, there are such people who, understanding the message of Ahmadiyyat and true Islam, are making arrangements for their spiritual life. This work cannot happen except through the help of Allah the Almighty. The help of Allah the Almighty always accompanies His appointed ones, and then these works happen. Neither can it happen through the appointed one's own strength alone, nor can our missionaries or the subsequent system do this, unless the support of Allah the Almighty accompanies them. And it is these supports which prepare one for sacrifice and grant steadfastness. There are also many Pakistanis who accept Ahmadiyyat. Sometimes I have met them at various places in various countries, and whenever I have told them that you will have to face some difficulties, you will have to endure hardships, you will not be able to go to Pakistan, or you will go—as some do go—then there will be difficulties. They have said we have accepted after much thought and deliberation, and we shall remain steadfast, Insha'Allah.

This is also the way of the world, and the world operates on this very principle, that to attain any objective one must labour and also offer sacrifice, and to attain great objectives one must make great sacrifices. Thus, for everlasting spiritual life, sacrifices go hand in hand, but Allah the Almighty sometimes bestows so much upon those who are ready for every sacrifice—without even any sacrifice—that one is left astonished. If man, who sometimes, according to his capacity, tries to display a small example of the attributes of Allah the Almighty, and by displaying his small example can favour other human beings, then Allah the Almighty, who is most Munificent, who grants countless fruits even for intentions, has no limit to His bestowal. We present a worldly example of man's sacrifice and the reward for it. Many people will have heard it. There is a saying that there was a king of Iran. He passed by a farmer along with his vizier, who was planting a tree. In terms of age, he was in such a stage that the fruits of those trees could be of no benefit to him. So the king asked him, what benefit will you get from planting this tree? He replied that the trees which the predecessors had planted, the sacrifices they had made, we are eating from them, and what we plant, future generations will eat from. It was the custom of the king that whenever something pleasing struck him, he would happily say Zih. Which was a signal for the vizier that he should give him a reward. Hearing this from the farmer, the king became pleased and said Zih, so the vizier gave him a bag of gold coins. Taking this bag, the farmer said that this tree has yielded fruit while still being planted. Its benefits have already begun. This statement pleased the king. Hearing this, he again said Zih. The vizier again gave a bag. Upon this he said that a tree takes several years to mature and then yields fruit once. My tree has yielded two fruits while still being planted. Upon this the king again said Zih and said now let us leave this place. Otherwise the old man will rob us. So this is the state of worldly kings, where they bestow rewards, there too they fear that their treasuries will be emptied. But our God bestows such rewards and continues to bestow them, which never end, and after granting spiritual life He then grants everlasting life, and in this Hereafter life too He continues to bestow rewards and continues to increase them. But to attain this, as this old farmer was making sacrifices, sacrifices have to be made. Such sacrifices whose immediate benefit is not apparent, but behind them lie very magnificent benefits. The followers of the Prophets also make sacrifices under this very principle, and they and their Community then continue to succeed in the world. And Allah the Almighty disgraces and humiliates the rest.

What atrocities were not committed against the disciples of Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him)? For nearly three centuries, severe atrocities were inflicted upon them, but they continued to bear the atrocities with patience and continued to make sacrifices, until in the third century, when the king of Rome accepted Christianity, then they obtained freedom. During this period of difficulties they survived by hiding in caves. Thus, just as the Christians, by hiding in mountain caves, kept their faith intact, they went behind boulders to save their spiritual life, because they had certainty that one day they would attain freedom. In the same way, today the servants of the Muhammadi Messiah have even greater certainty than them that, Insha'Allah, this dominance shall be ours. Thus we too, wherever there are periods of difficulties, must protect our faith. The water of life which the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) gave us to drink—we must continue to benefit from it. The Christians, by hiding behind boulders, protected their faith and made sacrifices. We must make our faith firm like a rock of stone, and prove this so that that reward and that bounty may always continue. Weak faiths existed before too, and exist in many. We must prove this point, that the work of the appointed one is to produce new life and to strengthen faith, and in any case, that state we must, Insha'Allah, produce within ourselves, and the manifestation of that state can occur only when we have complete certainty that, Insha'Allah, dominance is the destiny of the Community of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), and as an individual member of the Community, everyone should understand that I too must contribute to this dominance. The salvation of the world is to be through me, and for this I have to play my role. Despite all difficulties, I have to make arrangements for my own life and also for the life of the world, because apart from this, there is no other means which can grant life to the world.

The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has mentioned his victories and dominance in many places. In one place he states:

"O all people! Listen, this is the prophecy of Him who made the earth and the heavens, that He will spread this Community of His in all countries" (and by the grace of Allah the Almighty it is spreading) "and will grant them dominance over all by way of argument and proof. Those days are coming, rather are near, when in the world there will be only this one religion which will be remembered with honour. God shall place exceptional and supernatural blessing in this religion and this movement, and shall keep frustrated every one who intends to obliterate it, and this dominance shall remain forever, until the Day of Judgement arrives. If now they mock me, what loss is there from this mockery, for there is no Prophet who has not been mocked. Thus it was necessary that the Promised Messiah too should be mocked. As Allah the Almighty states: یٰحَسۡرَۃً عَلَی الۡعِبَادِ مَا یَاۡتِیۡہِمۡ مِّنۡ رَّسُوۡلٍ اِلَّا کَانُوۡا بِہٖ یَسۡتَہۡزِءُوۡنَ Alas for My servants! there comes not a Messenger to them but they mock at him. (Ya Sin: 31) Thus this is a sign from God that every Prophet is mocked. But such a man who descends from heaven in the presence of all the people," (as is the belief of non-Ahmadis. They say about Hazrat Isa (peace be upon him) that he is to descend from heaven) "and angels are also with him—who will mock him? Thus by this argument too, a wise person can understand that the descent of the Promised Messiah from heaven is merely a false notion. Remember that no one will descend from heaven. All our opponents who are alive at present, they all shall die, and none of them will see Jesus son of Mary descending from heaven. And then their offspring that will remain, they too will die, and none of them either will see Jesus son of Mary descending from heaven, and then the offspring of the offspring will die, and they too will not see the son of Mary descending from heaven. Then God will cast agitation into their hearts that the era of the dominance of the cross has also passed, and the world has changed colour, but the son of Mary, Jesus, has still not descended from heaven. Then the wise ones will at once become disgusted with this belief, and not even the third century from today shall be complete when those who await Jesus, whether Muslims or Christians, will, having become severely hopeless and disillusioned, abandon this false belief, and there shall be one religion in the world and one Leader. I have come merely to sow a seed; so by my hand that seed has been sown, and now it shall grow and flourish, and there is none who can stop it." Insha'Allah (Tazkiratush-Shahadatain, Ruhani Khaza'in, Volume 20, pages 66, 67)

Just today I sawin the mail that at one place our boys went to distribute leaflets. Possibly it is from Germany or some other country, I do not remember exactly. It was from among these very European countries. In any case, at one place they were distributing leaflets that the Messiah, Jesus, has come. There, two men were sitting outside their house, and they began to say that we were just now discussing this very point, that if Jesus was to come, why has he not descended from heaven till now? And if he is not to come, then when will he come? And if he is to come from the earth, then who will come? And right during this discussion, you have brought this leaflet that Jesus (peace be upon him) has come. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has come. And this is your programme, there is also an exhibition. We have received this invitation; we shall definitely come. So in this way Allah the Almighty is opening new and new paths. He Himself is placing it in the hearts of people that they should reflect on this matter. May Allah grant that we always remain a part of this flourishing tree, and our faith remains established like a firm rock, and we continue to discharge our responsibilities always.