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۔

By the grace of Allah the Almighty, this evening the Jalsa of Jamaat Ahmadiyya UK will officially begin. Nevertheless, this Friday is also a part of the Jalsa. As I mentioned in my previous sermon, the guests who come to the Jalsa Salana come with a noble purpose, and indeed they should come with this noble purpose. That purpose is to acquire knowledge of the reality of the faith, to learn the religion, to strive to progress in spirituality. Under the influence of a righteous environment, they should try to improve their natural goodness even more than before. Having pledged to give precedence to faith over worldly matters, they should identify the highest of paths to fulfil this pledge, gain knowledge of them, and then strive to walk upon them. They should pay greater attention than before towards fulfilling the rights of God's creation. They should strive to keep their tongues moist with the remembrance of Allah and to keep them so. If this is already being acted upon, then they should strive even more than before for it. They should pay attention to worship and try to bring it to the standard which Allah the Almighty and His Messenger desire from us. That standard is the one which Allah the Almighty has stated in the Holy Quran, that I have made the purpose of the creation of jinn and mankind to be worship. He says: وَمَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَالۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ (Al-Dhariyat: 57). That is, And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) states in one place:

"Therefore, according to this verse, the true purpose of man's life is to worship God Almighty, to attain the recognition of God Almighty, and to become wholly devoted to God Almighty." (Islami Usul Ki Philosophy, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 10, page 414)

In short, every individual attending the Jalsa Salana should make this their objective, that they make their journey and the purpose of coming here purely for the sake of Allah and to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. If this is not the case, then those who come to the Jalsa Salana enduring hardship and bearing expense will not be those who fulfil the aim and purpose of this Jalsa. Hence, this is a great responsibility upon those attending the Jalsa Salana, and the fulfilment of this responsibility is what enhances their importance, and for this very reason the workers also have importance, as I mentioned in my previous sermon, those who present themselves for the service of the guests who come to undertake this noble work. Rather, the reward and importance of the workers becomes twofold in this respect, because they are both serving such guests and at the same time, by listening to the programmes and being immersed in the atmosphere of this Jalsa, they are also making provision for the betterment of their practical and religius lives. Hence, the guests, the hosts, and the workers on duty should all remember that these three days are a training camp for their practical and doctrinal improvement. So they should try to take full advantage of it. For this, they should participate in it with their full attention and energies. We must always keep before us, and ought to keep before us, those objectives of the Jalsa which the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has stated. The aim and purpose of his Jalsa was to keep his followers in this spiritual environment and make them such an example as would be worthy of being followed by the world, behind whom the world would walk. He said: May the hearts of my followers incline wholly towards the Hereafter. (Adapted from Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 6, page 394). That is, may they be concerned about the Hereafter at all times. This is no ordinary task. Man cannot attain this rank by his own effort. Yes, for this, to whatever extent practical effort can be made, after making it, he should engage in prayers: O Allah, the problems and obstacles of the world stand in my path at every step. By Your grace, lead me upon that path which is the path of Your pleasure. Fill my heart with such fear of You as is felt for one beloved and dear. Such fear is not on account of any oppression but rather on account of love. Lest any action of mine become a cause of Your displeasure. May my every step be raised towards those virtues which You have commanded, and may my thinking be such that, hating every matter which You have forbidden, it expels it from my mind. May I, while walking on the path of taqwa, also become one who fulfils the rights of God's creation, and may my attention also be directed at all times towards fulfilling the rights of Allah, and may I become one who attains that which You have made the purpose of my life, that is, worship, and may I attain that standard of worship as well which You desire from Your servants. May I become such an example in lofty morals as well that people consider it an honour to follow it. So, by participating in this Jalsa, there is a need to create these currents of prayers and thoughts. It is a great favour of Allah the Almighty upon us that, just as He has shown us the methods of worship in the Holy Quran and shown us the paths to attain its standards, He has likewise also indicated the lofty morals which pertain to the rights of God's creation. The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has also declared the attainment and demonstration of high morals to be essential for those attending this Jalsa. He mentioned this standard in one place as follows:

"I say truly that a person's faith can never be sound until he gives precedence, as far as possible, to his brother's comfort over his own comfort." (Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 6, page 395) This is no ordinary task. Attaining this standard is no common matter. There are many who take care of others' comfort, but they do so according to their own resources, if they can do so without sacrificing their own comfort. But it is very rarely seen that someone gives preference to others' comfort over their own. In blood relations too, sometimes people make such sacrifices that they sacrifice their own comfort, but very few people are like that, and for everyone, sacrifice of this standard is very difficult. Indeed, in regard to the comfort of others, the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said in one place that until one regards another's pain as one's own pain, one cannot become a true believer. These are my words, but the meaning is the same. He said that if my sick brother is in distress and I am sleeping comfortably, woe to my condition. It is my duty that, to whatever extent it is in my power, I should strive to provide means for his comfort. If a religious brother, out of his own ego, speaks harshly to me, then too, woe to my condition if I knowingly behave harshly with him. My duty is to demonstrate patience and to weep and pray for him: he is spiritually ill, may Allah the Almighty reform him. (Adapted from Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 6, page 396)

So this is the standard which Allah the Almighty has commanded in faith, in the Holy Quran: رُحَمَآءُ بَیۡنَہُمۡ (Al-Fath: 30) that the believers harbour feelings of mercy among themselves, and on account of feelings of mercy they feel one another's pain, and feeling that pain, they also make practical efforts for it and pray. So we need to take stock of how many among us strive to attain this standard. If we begin to act upon this, then all the disputes, big and small, that we have, will all be put to an end. The question of personal egos arises only there, malice and anger flare up only there, where there is no taqwa. Where there is no fear of God Almighty. Where personal interests are being given preference over the interests of others. Hence, it is the duty of every believer to develop this taqwa. It is the duty of every person who associates himself with the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It is the duty of every person who is participating in the Jalsa. Because if one is to inherit the prayers of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), if one is to benefit from the blessings of the Jalsa, then there is a need to put an end to all disputes, there is a need to act upon these matters.

We are fortunate that we receive guidance from the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at every step. We come to know the reality of Islam and of taqwa. We are not like those scattered Muslims who have no idea whom to follow and whom not to follow. Whose so-called leaders and religious leaders, by misguiding them, have set them upon cutting one another's throats. So pray for these people too, that Allah the Almighty grant them wisdom, and that they may not, on account of these actions of theirs, become the target of the wrath of God Almighty. May they not become those who, by presenting a wrong concept of Islam before the world, attempt to defame Islam and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) describes his followers in these words: a true Muslim is one from whose tongue and hand every Muslim and every giver of peace, without exception, remains safe. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab al-Muslimu Man Salimal-Muslimuna Min Lisanihi Wa Yadihi, Hadith number 10) And then the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has openly told us that not only one's own people but also the followers of other religions remain in peace and safety from a true Muslim. I shall mention a few of those lofty morals which the Holy Quran has mentioned. The first matter: why should you possess lofty morals? He says: کُنۡتُمۡ خَیۡرَ اُمَّۃٍ اُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَاۡمُرُوۡنَ بِالۡمَعۡرُوۡفِ وَتَنۡہَوۡنَ عَنِ الۡمُنۡکَرِ (Al-e-Imran: 111) that you are the best of people raised for the of mankind. You enjoin good and forbid evil.

So a sign of a believer, or a sign of being a member of the Muslim Ummah, is that they are those who exhort to virtues and who forbid evil. They are those who bring benefit to others and protect them from harm. Would that the Muslims understood this matter and tried to fulfil their duty. Instead of shedding human blood in a wrong manner in the name of Islam, they should display the beauty of Islam to the world. These people, or at least their leaders, have rejected the Promised Messiah. For this reason, they cannot guide, and until they accept the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him), there is no one to guide them. They do not understand this matter. Today, the task of fulfilling this duty by being the best of nations has been entrusted to the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him). We need to understand this responsibility. Then this too is a characteristic of a believer, that he is one who takes care of the poor. He spends his wealth upon the needy and deprived people of society. He serves them not by reminding them of his favour but considering it their right.

Here I would also like to mention this point: generally, the faults of Muslims are visible to everyone and are spoken about widely. But if there is any virtue, no attention is paid to the virtues. A few days ago, a survey was conducted, which was carried out by people from here, not by any Muslim, regarding who in the world are those who give the most charity and alms? Then this matter came to light: that those who believe in God Almighty, those who follow some religion, give more in charity and alms compared to those without religion and those who do not believe in God Almighty. And in the comparison among the followers of different religions, this also came to light, that Muslims give more in charity and alms than others. Among Muslims, this virtue exists on account of the command of charity and alms. May God grant that these people may also become those who adopt the remaining virtues. Then Allah the Almighty says: give preference to others over yourselves. The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that one purpose of the Jalsa is also this: that when a great many people are gathered in one place, certain needs arise, so at such times it is the work of a true Ahmadi to sacrifice his own need for others and to display an example of love and selflessness. Not only should he sacrifice, but love and selflessness should also be dripping from this example. (Adapted from Shahadat-ul-Quran, Ruhani Khazain, Volume 6, pages 394-395)

Then, humility is something Allah the Almighty greatly loves. A believer has been admonished towards humility. When many people are gathered together, sometimes many problems arise in society for the reason that arrogance is preventing these problems from being resolved. An Ahmadi in particular should pay attention towards adopting humility. Because Allah the Almighty has particularly praised this attribute of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and said: your humble ways pleased Him. (Tadhkirah, page 595, Fourth Edition, published Rabwah) Hence, when we claim to be associated with him, then we also need to pay particular attention to adopting these attributes.

Likewise is thinking well of others. Truthfulness. The expression of truth. And in every condition, the expression of truth is essential. Rather, Allah the Almighty says that the standard of truthfulness should be such, and the standard of justice should be such, that even if the matter goes against you or against your loved ones, you should still uphold it, but never let truthfulness slip from your hands. To forgive, to be patient — these are all kinds of virtues which we should strive to adopt. And their expression occurs only on such occasions when many people are gathered and certain matters arise on account of which a person's morals become apparent. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has, in the light of Quranic teaching, particularly instructed his followers to adopt these.

Then he has drawn attention towards attaining the standards of justice and beneficence. The standards of justice and beneficence which the Holy Quran has established, no other book has established such standards: that even the enmity of an enemy should not prevent you from observing justice and equity. These are the standards which are the distinction of Islam, and are, and ought to be, the distinction of a Muslim. And we are commanded to adopt all these virtues. The Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) states that when many people come to the Jalsa, they should then express the fulfilment of high morals in a true manner, and the fulfilment of high morals only becomes evident when this is being expressed. When people are gathered and a high standard of morals is being demonstrated, then we become those who present the beautiful teaching of Islam. These are the very examples which also become a means of preaching Ahmadiyyat, and to display these examples of morals is, and ought to be, the distinction of an Ahmadi. Many people are inclined towards the Jamaat upon witnessing these lofty morals. There must be many among you whose elders joined Jamaat Ahmadiyya on account of the blessings of the Jalsa. By the examples of your elders, many must have been enabled to recognise the truth; rather, even among those seated here there must be such people on account of whose conduct people received guidance. Reports come from many countries of the world that people attended the Jalsa, and those who attended say that on account of the righteous influence of the Jalsa we also came to know of the true teaching of Islam. On account of people's mutual relations, we also came to know of the true teaching of Islam. Upon witnessing the peaceful atmosphere, we came to know how such a gathering of thousands could remain so peaceful. And to such an extent that even certain religious leaders, or in certain countries in Africa from whom there had previously been opposition, when they were brought to the Jalsa by some means or other, not only did they cease their opposition but, taking the bai'at, joined the Jamaat. So even these opposing people are influenced. Just two months ago a Jalsa was held in Germany. In it, a non-Muslim couple, husband and wife, came from a neighbouring country who were also opponents of Islam, or at least did not have a good impression of Islam. They had some acquaintance with Ahmadis. They said: let us go and see, the Ahmadis make a great clamour that Islam is a most peaceful religion of safety. Let us see what truth there is in this. Their intention was rather more this, that they would go and raise objections and would not be influenced at all. But upon witnessing the atmosphere of the Jalsa, after which they also had a meeting, they underwent such a transformation that they took the bai'at. There are also some who say that when the bai'at is being taken, the scene of the bai'at creates such a state that involuntarily, even without wishing to, we join in the bai'at. If our examples were different, or if the examples of the majority among us were different, then the temporary scene of the bai'at could not influence those people. Or any kind of temporary scene of virtue cannot create that state which draws the heart. Hence, every person attending the Jalsa is engaged in silent preaching.

Last Friday I spoke regarding the workers, that their actions are proving to be silent preaching. But this is not just the workers; rather, every person attending the Jalsa is a missionary, is influencing others. So it is the duty of every individual attending (the Jalsa), be they man, woman, child or elderly, to make their examples such as draw attention, and these examples should not be temporary; rather, we should strive to bring about such permanent change in our conditions, within ourselves, as makes us true Muslims. Hence, every one of us needs to develop a sense of his own importance and responsibility so that we may derive true benefit from the Jalsa. Concerning the demonstration of high morals, a Muslim has also been commanded to convey the message of peace. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: تَقْرَءُ السَّلَامَ عَلَی مَنْ عَرَفْتَ وَ مَن لَّمْ تَعْرِف that extend the greeting of peace to both those you know and those you do not. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman, Bab Ifsha al-Salam Min al-Islam, Hadith number 28) This is such a command and prescription that, if it is acted upon while understanding its spirit, the disorders of the world can be brought to an end. When a person is supplicating peace upon another, the question simply does not arise of feelings of malice, rancour, hatred or arrogance arising in the heart. The condition is that the voice should be issuing from the heart. If these evils are absent, then the question does not arise of any kind of disorder occurring in society.

Hence, there is a need to give great breadth to the message of peace, and Islam has given it breadth: that this message is not just for one's own people and one's acquaintances; rather, give this message to everyone. Hence, every person coming to the Jalsa, while observing this practice, should also strive to scatter so much peace upon one another in this atmosphere that the entire atmosphere becomes one of peace, and we may become recipients of the bounties and peace of Allah the Almighty. I also wish to mention some administrative matters, although there has been comparatively considerable attention towards this previously, but still, for the sake of reminder, I wish to say. Particularly those men who have children with them. Small children are usually with the mothers, but children of eight or nine years who are with the men are not so small that the men should go outside to entertain them and allow these children to play during the proceedings of the Jalsa. In this way, respect for the Jalsa will never develop in the children. The reason for the emphasis on ensuring prayer after the age of seven is because the child is then conscious. Therefore, they should be told: you have come for a purpose, so learn from now on. If we do not give training from childhood, then even when they grow up, the sanctity of the Jalsa will never be maintained. Then it happens that, using these children as an excuse, the fathers also keep wandering outside, then complaints arise, the children are playing, and a wrong impression of the Jalsa is being created.

Likewise, complaints arise that women too, instead of listening to the proceedings of the Jalsa, sit outside and keep talking. They too should listen to the speeches of the Jalsa, because every speaker who delivers a speech here, his speech is helpful in increasing knowledge and spirituality. No Ahmadi speaker says anything outside the Holy Quran, hadith, and the writings of the Promised Messiah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and this is the very need of the time. Hence, understand the importance of this matter and do not increase the attendance of the Jalsa merely by being present; rather, sit inside, listen, and derive proper benefit from this Jalsa. So this should also not be said, as some say, that we shall listen to so-and-so's speech and not so-and-so's. Or that we have heard it before. All these matters are wrong. Every speaker comes prepared, and one should listen to their speeches. Having come to the Jalsa, try to listen to the entire proceedings of the Jalsa. From the separate marquee for mothers of small children also, complaints arise that the children make less noise, and using the noise of the children as an excuse, women are talking among themselves more. For this reason, the Lajna administration also, and the women themselves, need to pay attention to this. If the women themselves remain silent, then with only the noise that the children make, there are many such women whose ears would catch some of the sound of the speeches and they would derive some benefit. Hence, attention is needed in this direction as well.

I wish to remind the workers again, as I have said before, to pay full attention to performing their duties in the best manner. Do not regard any matter as trivial, do not regard any task as trivial. For the security personnel as well, where there is good morality, there is also a need to keep a sharp eye on everything. Do not regard any matter as trivial, and apart from the security workers, the other workers should also keep watch all around them with full alertness. And likewise, all those attending also; every Ahmadi is our security. It is also the duty of every Ahmadi to keep watch over his surroundings and, if he sees any matter worthy of attention, to inform the administration immediately. Then at the time of entering or exiting, when there are crowds, sometimes there too there is a need to demonstrate great patience and organisation. Likewise, during crowds, one needs to be security-conscious. On such occasions too, sometimes certain incidents occur, so be very careful. Then the workers on duty, whatever instruction they give, those attending should accept it without taking offence, regardless of whether the one giving the instruction is a child or an adult. If they are performing their duties, then give them importance and accept their words. In the programme that has been published, all the instructions, or at least many instructions, are written in it, so read them and try to act upon them as well. Then a complaint also sometimes arises, which, instead of being mentioned after the Jalsa, it is necessary to mention beforehand: the protection of one's card and its proper use is the duty of every individual. It is not that someone is an acquaintance, so one gave one's card to him. The card can only be used at the place where it has access for sitting and going, and only by that person. For this reason, do not give your card to any friend, acquaintance, or relative. Whoever's card it is, let them use it. And above all, pray that Allah the Almighty bless the Jalsa in every respect, and according to whatever capacity each one has, he can also give daily charity, rather he should give and let him give. May Allah the Almighty bless this Jalsa in every respect, and may we become those who gather all the blessings.