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۔

In the Ahmadiyya Community, there is a phrase that every man and woman, young and old, knows, and that is, "I shall give precedence to faith over worldly matters." (Malfuzat, Volume 2, page 70. Edition 1985, published in England)

This is because the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) drew our attention toward this matter greatly. This phrase is commonly used in the speeches of the Khalifas and in the speeches and writings of our speakers as well. The summary of the conditions of Bai'at is also this very thing: that faith shall be given precedence over worldly matters. Similarly, the pledge of all subsidiary organizations also summarizes to this: I shall give precedence to faith over worldly matters. Likewise, in the words of the Bai'at itself, we repeat these words. In short, this phrase is the pledge of an Ahmadi upon which his Bai'at depends. Upon this depends his connection with Khilafat and the system. If this is absent, then the claim of Bai'at becomes false. The claim of remaining connected to the system and of attachment to Khilafat becomes false. And the declaration of Bai'at and the talk of attaining Allah's pleasure remain merely words of the mouth. For this reason, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said in one place: "If someone makes a pledge in Bai'at that he will give precedence to faith over worldly matters, but does not demonstrate its truthfulness and faithfulness to the pledge through his actions, then what concern does God have for him?" (Malfuzat, Volume 4, page 71, footnote. Edition 1985, published in England)

Therefore, each one of us needs to keep this matter before us at all times. As is clear from this phrase, no worldly thing should become an obstacle in matters of faith. And what is faith? Faith is to live one's life in obedience to the commandments of Allah. It is to please God through every word and deed. By the grace of Allah, a great number of us make the effort to remove whatever stands in the way of faith. However, it is also true that not everyone's effort can be alike, because every person's intellectual capacity differs, as do their other abilities and capabilities. But since Allah also knows our intentions, He deals with each person according to their capacity. So the fundamental thing for fulfilling this pledge is sincerity of intention. There should be no excuses or pretexts of any kind in this. Even in worldly matters, we see that every person's sphere is different. Some people's efforts are limited in scope because their knowledge and ability to achieve something is limited, or sometimes it also happens that other priorities become an obstacle in their work, restricting them. And some people's efforts are great and are in the right manner. Their gaze is fixed only on the goal they wish to attain, and then they fully attain it as well.

The Promised Reformer (may Allah be pleased with him) has also elaborated upon this subject. Drawing benefit from it and in its light, I will explain some things. There are particular incidents. He gave a common example of limited-scope effort and effort according to one's purpose in this way: that some people, no matter how urgent the task, remain very conscious about their clothing when walking, that their attire should be proper, that the crease in their trousers should not be ruined, that an unsightly wrinkle or crease should not form in their coat. Even if they need to arrive somewhere quickly, they keep checking their clothing every now and then, and because of this, sometimes the effort to arrive quickly becomes restricted. This is not just about that era. Even today, such examples are seen, and particularly in our Asian societies, the condition of men and women is such that sometimes they become excessively conscious about their clothing. But in contrast to this, there are also those who are indeed very fond of fashion and very enthusiastic about it, but when they have a goal before them, they sacrifice their fastidiousness and fashion for it. If they must run to achieve their goal despite their care for their appearance, they will run. If they must sit somewhere, they will sit. Even in dust and dirt, if necessary, they will walk through it without any hesitation. Why? Because their real concern is their goal and purpose: that we must attain this thing, we must achieve this objective. Therefore, they do not care about anything else. A fine suit or white clothing does not become an obstacle in achieving their goal.

To shed further light on how people sacrifice outward things for the achievement of a goal, the Promised Reformer also gave this example. This is an example from an incident in English history. The incident appears in history regarding Queen Elizabeth I — (she was a queen, not just royalty) — she was crowned in 1558, approximately, and reigned as queen for about 45 years. She was a very famous queen. In fact, the foundation of England's greatness and power was also laid in that era. It was well-known about this queen that she liked to see well-dressed and elegant people among her courtiers, and someone whose clothing was not fine and costly could not come to court. It is therefore said that a crowd of elegant and well-dressed young men was always gathered around her. Once, she was walking somewhere on foot with those close to her. Along the way, there was a patch of mud. Nowadays, there are properly paved roads here. In an earlier era, there were many unpaved lanes as well. In any case, wherever she was walking, mud appeared. At that time, the Commander-in-Chief of England's navy was with her, who was the queen's close and loyal companion and a very well-dressed, finely attired young man. When mud appeared on the path, he had a very expensive coat on — in fact, it was a coat that was special for the court, worn only on special occasions. Seeing the mud, he immediately took off his coat and laid it over that muddy patch, which was quite a small area. The queen found it very strange that such a valuable coat had been laid over the mud. She asked him in great surprise. His name was Raleigh. "Raleigh, what is this?" The commander's name was Sir Walter Raleigh. The officer immediately responded that it is better for Raleigh's coat to be ruined than for the queen's foot or shoe to be spoiled. The queen was greatly pleased by this. After this, favors and privileges upon this officer continued to increase. He was raised to great prominence. Though later, during the reign of James I, this officer was also accused of treason and then sentenced to death. But in any case, despite the fact that he had also done great work for the country during that king's era — he had conducted expeditions in South America — he was punished. (Adapted from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Volume 12, pages 78-79, Friday Sermon delivered on 29 March 1929)

So the lesson from this example is that Raleigh, despite being elegantly dressed and refined, when it came to the queen's matter, he sacrificed his fashion and fastidiousness for her. So if someone can abandon fashion for the pleasure of a worldly queen, can sacrifice his finest coat which was of great value to him, can give up his style and appearance, then one should reflect upon what ought not to be done for the advancement of faith, for the propagation of Islam, for the strengthening of religion and its establishment, and for attaining the pleasure of the God who created us.

So should this goal not be as dear to us as the queen's pleasure was dear to Raleigh? After pleasing a worldly king, despite his services — as I mentioned — his end was painful. But by pleasing Allah and attaining His pleasure, a person becomes the recipient of blessings in this world as well, and his ultimate end is also the finest.

We must always remember that having lofty and noble goals is not sufficient unless the sacrifice and devotion are commensurate with them. Allah's pleasure will come to us when the world does not dominate our faith, but rather faith dominates the world. Certainly, Allah has not forbidden earning worldly things. Nothing in this world that Allah has not declared forbidden is unlawful. Wearing fine clothing, eating good food, living in excellent homes, and decorating them — none of these things are unlawful. All are permissible. But it is unlawful for these things to become an obstacle in the progress of Islam. People get married; the Sharia does not say to seek out an unattractive woman to marry. However, the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did say that, instead of looking only at worldly matters, also consider the woman's religious condition. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Nikah, Bab al-Akfa' fi al-Din, Hadith number 5090)

The Sharia says that a wife should not become an obstacle in your path of worship. Women should not make you negligent of prayers. If our boys and girls, and indeed their parents as well, keep this in mind, then by giving precedence to faith, household problems will also be resolved, and that goal will also be achieved, which is the goal of a believer: to attain Allah's pleasure.

Similarly with clothing. It is by no means forbidden to wear fine clothing, but one is certainly warned against being so immersed in fashion at all times that one becomes negligent of religious duties. One should not always feel that going to such and such a place will soil one's clothing, meaning one should never be negligent of religious work at any time. Similarly, if one is wearing good clothing, pressed clothing, one's gaze should not remain only on the folds of one's garments, but rather than turning attention toward prayers.

So Islam says: never be negligent of religious work — only then can you truly fulfill the right of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters. Similarly, fine food — religion does not forbid it, but its becoming an obstacle in the path of faith is unlawful. So we must always keep these things in view in our affairs: that whatever becomes an obstacle in religious matters should be removed.

Regarding this, the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) says: "Look, there are two kinds of people. First, those who, having accepted Islam, become engrossed in the business and trade of the world. Satan mounts upon their heads." They fall entirely into worldly pursuits. He said, "My meaning is not that conducting trade is forbidden. No. The Companions also engaged in trade, but they gave precedence to faith over worldly matters. When they accepted Islam, they acquired true knowledge of Islam which filled their hearts with certainty. That was why they were not swayed by Satan's attacks in any arena. Nothing could prevent them from manifesting the truth." He said, "Those who become entirely the servants and slaves of the world  as though they become worshippers of the world, Satan gains dominance and control over such people. The second are those who become absorbed in the concern for the advancement of faith. This is the group that is called Hizbullah and which gains victory over Satan and his armies." (Malfuzat, Volume 3, pages 193-194. Edition 1985, published in England)

And as I presented at the beginning, a passage from the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) that the purpose of Bai'at is fulfilled by giving precedence to faith over worldly matters, and in order to understand this, it is also necessary to acquire religious knowledge alongside worldly work and then apply it to oneself. Without acquiring religious knowledge, one cannot even know what faith is, which I am to give precedence over the world.

Now prayer is a fundamental pillar of Islam, but there are many Muslims — perhaps more than eighty percent — who do not offer prayers, and if they occasionally do offer one, they do so with such haste and hurry, as if performing some reprehensible act under compulsion. That is why the Promised Reformer wrote that even great people are negligent in their prayers, and regarding nobles and the wealthy, he writes that congregational prayer for them is like eating pork for an ordinary Muslim. (Adapted from Khutbat-e-Mahmud, Volume 12, page 80, Friday Sermon delivered on 29 March 1929)

That is, they perform it with great reluctance, and this is not just about that era. Today this condition still exists, as I have said — the majority of the affluent, and indeed even those who attain a little ease, become negligent of prayers. And even if they do pray, they are heedless of the condition that someone who prays should be in. Those who pray are supposed to be guardians of human values. Allah says that prayers bring about pure transformations within you. These days, it is said that in Pakistan, the mosques of non-Ahmadis are filling up greatly. But if the mosques are filling up, what revolution have those prayers brought about within them? The mullahs and preachers behind whom they pray — what do they give them other than lessons in hatred? That is why, despite the increase in the number of these worshippers, the fires of hatred are blazing further. What they do against us, they do, but even among themselves, they are committing no small amount of injustice upon each other. This is because these acts of worship are not for giving precedence to faith, but for attaining worldly ends. Outwardly, they go to the mosque for a lofty purpose, but inwardly, there are lowly worldly motives behind it. So, for the achievement of a lofty purpose, the thinking too must be elevated, and sacrifice is not for personal gain but for attaining Allah's pleasure. So this filling of mosques, if it is not with the lofty purpose in view — that along with the rights of Allah, the rights of humanity be established, and the propagation of faith and the establishment of Islam take place — then it is all futile. And this painful condition of ordinary Muslims should draw us — we who are Ahmadis — even more than before toward reflection upon how we have understood, or how we ought to understand, the pledge of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters.

We must establish the rights of Allah along with fulfilling the rights of humanity, and we must also strive for the propagation and establishment of the religion of Islam — then, as much as we wish, we may benefit from worldly blessings, and it is lawful for us. The responsibility of conveying Islam's beautiful message to the world has been entrusted to us; we must fulfill it. The responsibility of propagating the Holy Quran in various languages has been assigned to us, so we must fulfill its right. We must build mosques everywhere so that we can become those who create true worshippers, and to fulfill this right, we must plan in every country of the world. We must establish the values of humanity upon the highest standards. If we are doing all of this alongside earning the world, then earning the world is also our faith. If not, then even our lawful deeds are unlawful in Allah's sight. If a new iPhone has arrived, or someone has received money and wants to buy a car or another suit, and for the sake of these things, we are setting aside our financial contributions, then, despite being lawful things, they become unlawful for us. If efforts are being made for the construction of a mosque somewhere, and we are giving priority to our other preferences there, then despite being lawful things in general or for an ordinary person in ordinary circumstances, they become unlawful at such a time. In the Battle of Uhud, when it became widely reported that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) had been martyred, at that moment, a Companion who had been fasting for several days and had just withdrawn from battle, and at that point a state of victory had emerged, had some dried dates with him. He was eating those dried dates — that was his food at that time. When he heard this news, when this information reached him, he immediately threw the dates aside and plunged into battle and went and attained martyrdom. At that moment, he did not think of his stomach or his hunger; rather, he considered even eating those dates to be a sin, because at that moment, faith demanded that eating the dates was a sin. So whatever work becomes an obstacle in the path of faith — no matter how lofty and fine it may be — is unlawful. And whatever is not an obstacle in the path of faith — no matter how comfortable and easy it may be — is not bad; it becomes lawful. So we must make the effort to cultivate that spirit which shapes the condition of our hearts to be one that attains Allah's pleasure.

Allah knows the condition of hearts, and regarding knowing the condition of hearts, there is this narration: once the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting in the mosque. People were also with him. During this time, three men appeared before him. Two of them came straight toward the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and one of them went away. Those two came and stood near the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). One of them saw that there was an empty space in the circle near the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); he quickly stepped forward, came close, and sat near him. The other was where he was standing — he found a little space there and sat down. The third thought there was no space, and he turned his back and left. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) finished his address, he said: Shall I not tell you the condition of these three men? One of them sought refuge with Allah, and Allah gave him refuge — the one who sat close to him. The second one felt shame, and Allah also felt shame toward him, meaning his sitting in that gathering became the cause of his sins being driven away. He had modesty, and Allah too forgave his sins and showed modesty. And the third one turned away, and Allah too turned away from him. (Bukhari, Kitab al-'Ilm, Bab man qa'ada haythu yantahi bihi al-majlis, Hadith number 66)

Now, apparently, the arrival of these three men, their sitting, and one of them leaving, is a trivial matter, because in that third person's mind, the voice was not reaching him, and therefore, there was no benefit in sitting. But since these actions — the deeds of all three — arose from the heart, were an expression of the heart's condition, and Allah's gaze is also on the heart, and His rewards are according to the heart's condition, therefore the condition of the heart is of great importance in terms of reward and consequence. This is something worth remembering. So here too, Allah dealt in the same way. Allah knows the condition of hearts; He saw from their hearts' condition who had advanced how far in the matter of the heart, and who had shown laziness. The first two received reward according to their degree, and the third remained deprived — indeed, he became subject to displeasure.

So a believer should see to what extent he has made a sacrifice for the goal before him. If he makes the sacrifice to the extent required, then he becomes deserving of Allah's help and that reward. Sacrifice is always either according to ability or according to need. It is not necessary that every time a sacrifice be given according to one's full capacity. Sometimes the Sharia only demands sacrifice to the extent that is needed. For example, if a traveler has come and a few people are standing there, and he is asking for one hundred pounds — the need is legitimate — then some or all of those standing there contributed according to their financial means, but still a shortfall of ten pounds remained. Then another person arrives who is of means. If he wished, he alone could fulfill the need, but at that moment only ten pounds were required according to the need, so he gave that — this is such a thing in which only that much is being asked, and though his means are greater, he fulfilled it according to the need. This is a sacrifice according to need, which that person of means made with good intention, and he will receive its reward. Similarly, if for some appeal contributions are being made and people are giving hundreds and thousands, but a poor person gives a few rupees or pounds according to his means, then Allah, who watches over hearts, rewards his deed, and such a person attains his goal. That wealthy person also attained his goal — at a time of need, he gave a modest amount by his standards and helped that poor person. And the poor person also attained his goal — he spent according to his means, or even beyond, for Allah's pleasure.

That is why in a hadith it also comes that on one occasion he said that a man with one dirham surpassed the man with one hundred thousand dirhams, because one person gave one out of two dirhams, while another person who had hundreds of thousands gave only one hundred thousand from them, which was very little by his means. (Sunan al-Nasa'i, Kitab al-Zakat, Bab Juhd al-Muqill, Hadith number 2527)

So one must always remember that the real goal should be Allah's pleasure, and in this matter of expenditure, both of them had no other goal but Allah's pleasure.

So the believer's real task is to shape the condition of his heart so as to attain Allah's pleasure. His purpose should be to attain Allah's pleasure, and in that lies his welfare and success. When he shapes the condition of his heart accordingly for attaining Allah's pleasure, therein lies his welfare and success. And this is what it means to give precedence to faith over worldly matters. As I have said, very great tasks have been assigned to us, and we also pledge to sacrifice life, wealth, time, and honor. For this, we must always strive to reflect seriously upon how, while fulfilling our pledge, we may bring our abilities and capacities to bear in giving precedence to faith over worldly matters. The Ansarullah gathering is also commencing from today. The Shura is also being held. They too should reflect in their Shura and take stock during these days of how far we can raise our standards for giving precedence to faith over worldly matters, and how far we should and indeed must reach them. The age of Ansarullah is such that they should be a model.

Allah has no need of anything from us. It is His grace and His gift that He has blessed us by saying: give precedence to faith over worldly matters and you will attain My pleasure — otherwise, as for wealth, examples of which I gave, Allah has no need of it. Allah is not dependent upon us or upon anyone. All these resources, treasures, gold, silver, and lands — He created them. If He wished, He could have distributed all of this to those working for faith; He could have provided it Himself. But He, after making us aware of our purposes, then draws our attention toward sacrifice for their attainment, so that we may become those who attain His pleasure. Not only wealth, but He has also given us children. Allah could have devised other ways of raising children, but He told parents to nurture these children, to spend upon them according to their means for the achievement of a high purpose, so that they may be of service to faith. So a very great responsibility rests upon Ahmadi parents to raise their children in such a way that they may be of service to faith, and only then is the matter of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters fulfilled, and the pledge is fulfilled. Raise these children in such a way that the understanding of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters is instilled in them from childhood. So Allah, by entrusting these things to us, tests us and blesses us as well.

Here I also wish to say to office bearers at every level that the responsibility of fulfilling the pledge of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters should be considered by them to be even greater than for others. They have been given a responsibility for the achievement of a purpose, for which they need to raise their standards of sacrifice. Similarly, every office bearer at every level — from the smallest level, from the local neighborhood up to the central level — can and should make an accurate assessment of their standing and strive to fulfill their pledge. Remember that Allah's gaze is upon hearts, and Allah blesses the sincerity of those who work with fervor and grants them a place of nearness. And an office bearer must make his utmost effort to attain this station. May Allah grant every office bearer at every level, and every Ahmadi, and me, and you — may He grant all of us the ability that we may truly comprehend the pledge of giving precedence to faith over worldly matters and be among those who act upon it.

Today, as well, there is a grievous piece of news. A martyrdom has occurred in Pakistan. Respected Latif Alam Butt Sahib, son of respected Khurshid Alam Butt Sahib of Kamra, District Attock, was shot and martyred at approximately seven o'clock on the night of October 15th by two unknown motorcyclists near his home. اِنَّالِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّا اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ. What happened was that near his home, he had a stationery shop. As was his routine, he was returning and had reached a lane near his home when two unknown motorcyclists called out to him from behind, saying "Butt Sahib." As soon as he turned around, one of the men fired at him, and as a result of the firing, four or five bullets struck the chest of the late martyr. After the firing, someone informed his son Zeeshan Butt Sahib, who immediately reached the scene. In any case, the rescue workers had also arrived. Latif Butt Sahib was conscious at that time, but on the way to Civil Hospital Attock, he drank the cup of martyrdom en route. اِنَّالِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّا اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ.

The family of Latif Alam Butt Sahib was originally from Kamoke, District Gujranwala. Ahmadiyyat entered the late martyr's family through his father, respected Khurshid Alam Butt Sahib, who was blessed with the opportunity to take the Bai'at and join the Ahmadiyya Community in 1934. The late martyr was born in Gujranwala in April 1952. After completing his education up to F.A., he joined the Air Force. The late martyr retired from Kamra Air Force in 1991 at the rank of Corporal Technician. His elder son, dear Khurram Butt, is also currently serving in the Air Force. After retirement, the late martyr ran a book business — mostly legal books — and used to supply books to lawyers at various courts throughout Pakistan, and was very well known. Even non-Ahmadi lawyers held him in high regard. At the time of martyrdom, the late martyr was serving in the capacity of Nazim Isha'at of Ansarullah. In addition, the late martyr was also given the opportunity to serve at the district level as Secretary Ziyafat and as Nazim Sehat-e-Jismani in Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya. The late martyr's home has been a prayer center for a long time. In addition, other community programs, gatherings, sessions, and meetings were also held at his home. The late martyr was always ready for community service, and whatever task was assigned to him, he carried it out with great excellence. He never refused. The late martyr was very hospitable. He had an extraordinary relationship of love and devotion with Khilafat and an exceptional spirit of obedience. In addition to the five daily prayers, he paid great attention to Friday prayers. He would go to the mosque two hours before Friday prayers. The late martyr was a very brave and fearless person. In 2007-08, as well, unknown persons had attempted to attack him. The attacker fired at him, but the bullet jammed in the pistol, and he managed to seize one of the attackers at that time and there was considerable resistance, but he eventually escaped. The late martyr possessed noble character and an impressive personality. He had a great passion for the education and upbringing of children. At the time of martyrdom, he was 62 years old. He had filled out the Wasiyyat form and the Wasiyyat was still being processed, but the Karpardhaz should now approve his Wasiyyat. In any case, I approve his Wasiyyat, so the Karpardhaz should carry out whatever proceedings are necessary in his regard as a Musi.

Respected Amir Sahib of the district stated that the late martyr had an extraordinary spirit of obedience toward office bearers and the system, and he always participated in community programs and sessions. He was never absent from any program. He is survived by his wife, a daughter — dear Iram Waseem, wife of respected Syed Waseem Ahmad Sahib — and four sons: Khurram Butt, who is serving in the Air Force; Zeeshan Butt, who after his education had been working with his father in the business; Umar Butt, who is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering; and Ali Butt Sahib, who is employed. These are the bereaved he has left behind. Mahmood Mujeeb Asghar Sahib, who was the Amir of the district for a time, says that after retiring from the Air Force, he had settled there permanently with the intention that there was no one residing permanently there, because Air Force officers or those working in the factory there would come and then get transferred and leave. There was no community there. So he had also built his home there with the intention that a prayer center would also be established there, and a community would also be formed. May Allah bless his intention with fruit, and may Allah grant us hundreds and thousands of Ahmadis in that area in return for this martyrdom, and may a community be established there. May Allah elevate the status of the late martyr. May He also grant his bereaved family patience, strength, and courage. May Allah keep the members of the community in Pakistan safe in every respect. The enemy, in his enmity, is growing ever bolder. May Allah soon bring about conditions of peace and security for us.