After reciting the Tashahhud, Tawwuuz, and Sura Fatihah Hazrat Ameer-ul-Mu'mineen (aba) recited the following verse: [Arabic]
The translation of this verse is as follows: "Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend out of that which you love; and whatever you spend, Allah surely knows it well." (3:93)
In this verse, Allah the Exalted has spoken on a subject that has always been understood in a better way by those believers, who sacrifice in the way of Allah. The companions of the Holy Prophet (sa), sacrificed their lives, wealth and time for their Faith. They were the ones who understood the essence of al-birr [righteousness]. In other words, they understood and endeavoured to achieve the highest standard of piety, righteousness, morals, financial sacrifice and attaining the pleasure of Allah the Exalted.
Accordingly, it is narrated that when the aforementioned verse was revealed, Hazrat Abu Talha (ra) said to the Holy Prophet (sa), "O Messenger of Allah! I own an orchard, which is known as Birr Rauhah. Among my properties, this particular orchard is the dearest one to me. Today, I wish to donate it in the way of Allah the Exalted." Such were the standards of the companions of the Holy Prophet (sa).
Today, by the Grace of Allah the Exalted, it is the followers of the most ardent devotee of the Holy Prophet (sa), who have the most understanding of all kinds of sacrifices. And it is Ahmadis, who predominantly show practical examples of this. Today, the world is engulfed in a race for the acquisition of wealth. There is a very large number of Ahmadis, who, they earn money, when they are reminded about financial sacrifices, they offer their wealth. All this is the result of our ongoing moral education and training, which the Promised Messiah (as) undertook. Thus, at one such occasion, while speaking on financial sacrifices, he stated: "In the world, man has great love for wealth. This is why it is written in interpretations of dreams that, if one sees that he has extracted his liver and handed it over to someone, it signifies giving over of wealth. This is why for the attainment of true righteousness and faith, it has been stated......that is 'Never shall you attain true righteousness unless you spend your most prized possessions… (3:93)' because a large part of sympathy and compassion for the creation of God requires the spending of wealth." The Promised Messiah (as) further states, "Compassion for mankind and God's creation is the second part or half of faith, without which faith cannot be complete and firmly grounded."
The Promised Messiah (as) said, 'The devotion of Abu Bakr (ra) to God Almighty during his lifetime was of such a standard and merit that when the Holy Prophet (sa) made a request for a religious cause, he presented himself to the Holy Prophet (sa) with all of his belongings.'
As I mentioned, there are many Ahmadis, who endeavour to attain the highest standards of offering sacrifices. When they read the Qur'an, Hadith as well as the writings of the Promised Messiah (as), they have firm faith that Allah the Exalted made a mention of blessing the wealth and souls of those who spend in His cause. Allah the Exalted has also said that when a person spends something that is very dear to him in His cause, He will give him more in return; as a matter of fact, he can multiply this seven hundred times and even more. Hence, when Ahmadis offer such sacrifices, they are also most certain that Allah the Exalted will return this to them manifold and that He will also treat them in the same manner. When Ahmadis spend [their wealth] in accordance with this guidance of the Holy Prophet (sa) in which he said that whoever offered a sacrifice of even one date in the way of Allah the Exalted out of his lawful earnings (it is very important to remember that Allah the Exalted does not accept unlawful earnings, which are earned through deception; He accepts pure earnings), He will accept the date with His right hand, even if it is wealth that equates to a mere date, and He will continue to increase and enlarge it until it becomes the size of a mountain. He said that this is similar to anyone from among you who nourishes a small calf into a larger animal.
Now, when we read and listen to these accounts and the guidance of the Holy Prophet (sa) [we should remember that] these are not stories from the past. Rather, personal experiences of people making sacrifices exist even today. Hence, I will present some of these accounts.
Cameroon, which is an African country, the Missionary in charge says that there is a Mu'allim [local religious teacher], Abu Bakr Sahib, who said that an Ahmadi by the name 'Abdullah, who was unemployed last year and who was facing such grim circumstances that it was even difficult to support and take care of his family. In that condition, he attended the Friday prayer one day. Following the Friday prayer, when the secretary made an announcement with regards to Tehrik-e-Jadid, 'Abdullah Sahib had ten thousand Francs (CFA Francs) in his pocket. As soon as he heard the announcement, he contributed the entire amount towards Tehrik-e-Jadid. A few days later, he returned to the centre and said that Allah the Exalted has accepted my Chanda [monetary contribution]. Within a week, a private company gave me a job and have approved my income as one hundred thousand Francs, which is ten times the amount of my Chanda.
There is a new convert Ahmadi, Daud Sahib, in Congo Brazzaville, which is also an African country. Considering his difficult financial circumstances, he was asked to at least offer every Friday prayer in the Ahmadiyya mosque. When he started to attend the Friday prayers regularly, one day in a private meeting following the Friday prayer, he was told of the importance of making financial sacrifices and was also told that you should most certainly spend a little out of whatever God the Exalted gives you in His cause. A week later, he came for the Friday prayer and he appeared to be very happy following the Friday prayer. I asked him why this was case upon which he said that following the emphasis you laid on paying Chanda the previous Friday, I contributed one hundred CFA Francs towards Chanda prior to leaving the mosque. After paying Chanda, as soon as I reached home, a neighbouring friend, who had stored some firewood in our garden for several months, suddenly came to collect the wood and handed me four thousand CFA Francs while leaving. I was extremely happy that I had just reached home after giving Chanda and God the Exalted had simultaneously increased it forty times and returned it to me.
Huzoor (aba0 related many faith-inspiring accounts who people, who made financial contributions despite financial hardship and Allah Almighty rewarded them manifold without delay.
The missionary from the island of Mayotte writes that Mayotte is a very poor country where people make a living with great difficulty through selling vegetables etc. in their homes. An Ahmadi friend, Rabyoon Sahib, works in a motorcycle garage and gives the most Chanda. He says that it is strange that however much I give in Chanda I receive double that amount at the end of the month. One day his wife asked him "why do you give so much Chanda?" He replied: "God Almighty gives me double in return so that is why I give it." He then gave an amount in front of his wife and said "observe how God Almighty will most certainly return this amount to me." Hence, this was fulfilled when at the end of the month the owner of the shop gave all the workers a bonus and the amount received as a bonus was greater than the amount he gave in Chanda. By the grace of Allah, this man continues to excel in financial sacrifice day by day."
By the grace of Allah, from the inception of the community to this day the faithful have experienced the treatment and promises of God Almighty. I have narrated incidents of Ahmadis of the past, the present and of many new converts. Sacrifices made in this era, especially financial sacrifices is a distinguished hallmark of this community. The majority of Ahmadis realise that this era, which is the era of the completion of the propagation of Islam, for which God Almighty has sent the Promised Messiah (as) and which is happening through the dissemination and translation of the Holy Quran in different languages, through the propagation of the books of the Promised Messiah (as), through the literature of the community, through the building of mosques, establishment of mission houses, establishment of Jamias where today we have Jamias established in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America and Indonesia from which missionaries graduate to spread the message of Islam, then when Ahmadis come to know of all of these things, they know that there is a need for financial sacrifice and indeed make financial sacrifices.
This is absolutely the case in this day and age as well as I have already said. When attention is drawn, then attention of the people is given. This is why when I said to increase the numbers in Waqf-e-Jadid and Tahrik-e-Jadid the numbers are now increasing. After drawing attention to this an interest in making sacrifices has been seen even in the Ahmadi children. Hence, the missionary of Nakuru, Kenya writes that the current President of the community, Abu Bakr Kibi Sahib who is a very sincere Ahmadi and serves as a Sergeant in the Kenya Defence Forces, despite living far from the mosque in cantonment area, he always travels a long journey to attend the Friday prayers and brings his three daughters with him. A few days ago after the Friday prayers he told the missionary that my daughters also listen to this sermon and during the month a guest visited his house. When leaving they gave twenty-five Shillings in the hand of my youngest daughter who was five years old at the time. When the guest had gone this girl approached her father and whilst handing over twenty Shillings said give this for Tahrik-e-Jadid from myself and the remaining five Shillings I shall spend on something to eat.
Thus, such examples of sacrifices can only be the hallmark of an Ahmadi, both young and old and living anywhere in the world. The sacrifices offered by children is in fact a resonance of their pious nature. May God Almighty enable the Jama'at to continue producing such children and elders who are instilled with the passion and zeal to offer sacrifices for the sake of God Almighty and they continue to fulfil their pledges that they have made.
As per tradition, the new year for Tehreek-e-Jadid is announced in November and today I shall announce the 84th year of Tehreek-e-Jadid and will also present some facts and figures of the previous year. The 83rd year of Tehreek-e-Jadid has been come to an end, and as I mentioned, the 84th has started from 1st November. According to the reports that have been submitted, up till now, the Jama'at has been enabled to present a total sacrifice of 12.58 million pounds, Alhamdolillah, all praise belongs to Allah. By the grace of God Almighty, this is an increase of 1.537 million pounds from last year's total collection. In terms of total collection, if we take Pakistan out, Germany is number one. Number two is Great Britain, number three is USA, number four is Canada, number 5 is India, number 6 is Australia, number seven is Indonesia, number eight is a Jama'at from Middle East, number is also a Jama'at from Middle East and Ghana is tenth.
In terms of total contribution from the African countries, the most notable achievements were in the following order: Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon, Liberia and then Benin.
In any case, the total amount is achieved regardless, however for the past few years I have emphasised on the including as many people in the total contributors. The Promised Messiah (as) states: 'The Chanda [monetary contribution] should be taken from everyone, even if it just one penny'.
The administrative structure in regards to their regions has changed slightly in Pakistan. Therefore, instead of their districts, the list presented in relation to their local Jama'ats is as follows: Rabwah, Islamabad, Lahore Township, Azizabad Karachi, Delhi Gate Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Peshawar, Quetta and Gujranwala.
At district level in Pakistan, it is as follows: Sargodha, Faisalabad, Umerkot, Gujrat, Narowal, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Bhawalpur and Okara are level and then Toba Tek Singh and Kotli Azad Kashmir.
The first ten Jama'ats in Germany are as follows: Neuss, Lindow Mark, Main-garten, Nidda, Dornberg, Mehdi Abad, Heidelberg, Limburg, Kiel and Florsheim.
In term of their regions, the position of the first ten is as follows: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Morfelden, Gross-Gerau, Wiesbaden, Dietzenbach, Mannheim, Riedstadt, Darmstadt and Offenbach.
The first ten large Jama'ats in Great Britain, in terms of contribution, is as follows: Masjid Fazl, Worcester Park, Birmingham South, Bradford South, Putney, Glasgow, Islamabad, New Malden, Gillingham, Scunthorpe.
In term of the position of the regions for per capita is as follows: South West, North East, Islamabad, Midlands and Scotland.
The position of the Jama'ats in USA is as follows: Silicon Valley, Oshkosh, Seattle, Detroit, York, Los Angeles, Silver Spring, Central Jersey, Chicago South, West Atlantis, Los Angeles Inland.
The position of the local regions in Canada in terms of their collection is as follows: Vaughn, Peace Village, Brampton, Vancouver and Mississauga.
The position of the Jama'ats in India is as follows: Kerala, Carnatic, Jammu Kashmir, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi, Maharashtra,
The position of the large Jama'ats in India is as follows: Calicut Kerala, kathaprem kerala, Qadian, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Bangalore, Kenal Town, Pingadi, Matutum and Keroli.
The positions of the Jama'ats in Australia is as follows: Castle Hill, Melbourne, Berwick, Canberra, Marsden Park, Brisbane, Logan, Adelaide South, Compton, Melbourne longwarry, Pezith, Melbourne East.
May Allah the Almighty bestow abundant blessings upon their earnings and their offspring.
After this I would like to launch a new scheme, which is primarily for those residing in the UK and also open for all affluent people around the world; and this [appeal] is for the restoration of that part of the Baitul Futuh Mosque [complex] that was burnt down approximately two years ago. Since 1984 – especially in the present climate – due to the migration of Khilafat, members from all over the world have been coming here and they are provided with accommodation. Furthermore there are various events that are held here. plans for the new construction are complete and the proposal is substantially larger than before. Although the area is only slightly larger, the overall proposal is rather significant.
The new proposed plan will also cost close to 11 million pounds. Out of this approximately half of the amount has been obtained through the insurance and also some people have contributed. Nonetheless, just over half of the amount is still required and for this people will have to sacrifice, as they have always done so.
On one occasion the Promised Messiah (as) stated: "During the reign of Alamgir the Imperial Mosque caught fire. People came hurriedly and informed the king about the fire. Upon hearing this the king fell in prostration expressing his gratitude. The viziers were perplexed by this and asked: "Your highness! How can you express gratitude when the House of God is on fire, which has caused the hearts of the Muslims to bleed." To this the king replied: "An age has passed during which I would ponder over this glorious mosque and how this building has benefitted thousands of people. I would say if only there were an opportunity for me to partake in this valuable and noble scheme. However, I observed the building from all angles and found it to be complete and flawless in every aspect. I was at a loss of how I could gain a reward from it. Thus, today, God Almighty has opened for me an avenue through which I can receive blessings. And God Almighty is All Hearing, All Knowing."
Thus, as I have mentioned earlier, those people who were unable to offer sacrifices for this cause previously must make an effort to take part this time. They should endeavour to pay their pledged sums within three years and should try to pay one third of the promise within the first year.
After the prayers I will lead a funeral prayer in absentia of Mr Adil Hamooz Nakhoozah Sahib from Yemen. He passed away on 14th October due to heart failure at the age of forty. To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. An Ahmadi gentleman by the name of Ali Arghami Sahib states: "The deceased would invite some friends to his place including myself and would ask about Ahmadiyyat. We would explain to him about various issues of contention such as the appearance of the Antichrist, the life and death of the Messiah [Jesus (as)] as well as the appearance of the Mahdi. Aside from his wife, the deceased leaves behind one son and one daughter. By the Grace of Allah the Almighty, the majority of his family members are Ahmadi. May Allah elevate the status of the deceased, grant him forgiveness and shower mercy upon him by granting him a station in the company of God's loved ones. May He protect and help his wife and children and also provide for their every need. May He enable them to become pious and righteous and enable them to follow in the footsteps of their father.