After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta'wwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated: In the Holy Qur'an, we find that at numerous places, a believers' attention has been drawn towards financial sacrifice. At one place, Allah the Almighty states, 'wa maa tunfiqoo min khairin fa li-anfusikum' i.e. 'And whatever of wealth you spend, it is for yourselves'. (2:273) Alongside this, a trait of the believers has also been mentioned that they only spend in order to attain the pleasure of Allah. [The Holy Qur'an] states that, 'wa maa tunfiqoona illabtighaa'a wajhillah' i.e. '...you spend not but to seek the favour of Allah'. Thus, how fortunate are those people who spend their wealth in the way of God the Almighty with this approach. Allah the Almighty does not require any wealth for Himself. The very meaning of spending for His sake is to spend for the betterment of His creation and for the pre-eminence of His religion. While referring to Allah the Almighty, the Holy Prophet (sa) said (in qudsi Hadith) that, 'O son of Adam! Deposit your wealth with me and rest at peace for it is neither in danger of being consumed by fire nor of being drowned in water, nor of being stolen by a thief. I shall return in full, the treasure that you deposit with me, on the Day when you will be in most need of it.' This means that whatever we spend in the cause of Allah, is deposited into our own account. And when we will need of it, Allah the Almighty will return it.
Likewise, it is mentioned in a narration that the Holy Prophet (sa) said that, 'On the Day of Resurrection, those who spend in the way of Allah will remain under the shadow of the wealth they had spent in the way of Allah until the judgement will have come to an end.' However, the Holy Prophet (sa) has also stipulated that Allah the Almighty does not like impure wealth. Thus, we should always keep in mind that our wealth should always remain pure. The companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) both rich and poor, used to earn and give charity with and hard work and toil only to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. There is one narration with regards to Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (ra) that when he accepted Islam, he had the savings of forty thousand Ashrafis [currency unit] apart from his business and property. If we compare the golden Ashrafi of that time to its value today, it is perhaps equivalent to eleven or twelve million pounds.
Then, we also observe this among the companions of the Promised Messiah (as). We hear incidents of the sacrifices of Hazrat Khalifat-ul-Masih I (ra), who made innumerable sacrifices whenever the Promised Messiah (as) made an appeal. He was a doctor by profession and a civil servant. He was rather affluent and earned a handsome amount. The Promised Messiah (as) has included him amongst his twelve disciples. Hazrat Musleh-e-Mau'ud has that his sacrifices were so immense that the Promised Messiah (as) gave him the honour [saying] that you have offered such immense sacrifices for the sake of this Jama'at that you are no longer in need of making any further sacrifices. In any case, these were the people who used to offer sacrifices. However, despite receiving this honour, he did not refrain from offering sacrifices. Rather, he continued to do so. When the Promised Messiah (as) was engaged in the lawsuit in Gurdaspur, he made an appeal [for financial sacrifices] to his friends as the expenses were increasing. Khalifa Rashid-ud-Din Sahib, who coincidentally received his wage the very day he became aware of this appeal, sent his entire salary to the Promised Messiah (as), which was four hundred and fifty rupees at that time and a large amount, equivalent to hundreds of thousands today. His friend told him that he should have kept something for the necessities of his home and family. Upon this he replied that if God's Messiah says that this is needed for the sake of religion, then for what purpose should I have kept something? Thus, if this is needed for religion, then everything will go towards religion.
Similarly, the Promised Messiah (as) has also mentioned the sacrifices of some of his impoverished Ahmadis in a most affectionate manner. The Promised Messiah (as) states, 'I look upon the affection and sincerity of my Jama'at with astonishment as the most impoverished among them, such as Mian Jalal-ud-Din, Khair-ud-Din and Imam-ud-Din of Kashmir, who live near my village; these are three impoverished brothers, who perhaps earn three of four annas [currency unit] on a daily basis, yet, they actively contribute towards the monthly Chanda [financial sacrifices].' The Promised Messiah (as) further stated, 'I am also astonished in relation to sincerity of their friend, Mian 'Abdul 'Aziz, who is a revenue collector. Despite being impoverished, he offered one hundred rupees on day [and said] that I desire for this to be spent in the way of God.' The Promised Messiah (as) says, 'This poor man might have accumulated these hundred rupees over several years, however, his love for God infused a passion to acquire the pleasure of God within him.'
By the grace of Allah the Almighty, this can be observed among the Jama'at of the Promised Messiah (as) even today. Allah the Almighty has instilled within the Jama'at of the Promised Messiah (as) such a comprehension of this [system of] sacrifices, which as I said, has not been instilled within anyone else. Today, in accordance with the tradition of announcing the commencement of the new year for Waqf-e-Jadid in the first sermon of January, I will narrate some faith inspiring incidents in relation to the financial sacrifices towards Waqf-e-Jadid and how Allah the Almighty, as a result of their sacrifices, blesses them in this world, which subsequently becomes a means of strengthening their faith. Amir sahib [president] of Burkina Faso writes that the Khuddam living near the Jama'at of Kari Khuddam carried out this task of digging together to lay the electric cables for the amount of one million CFA francs, which is equivalent to approximately one thousand two hundred and fifty pounds, they paid this towards the Chanda of Waqf-e-Jadid. Thus, this is the passion which, as I mentioned, cannot be seen outside of the Ahmadiyya Jama'at today.
Hudhur (aba) explained many faith-inspiring incidences about how Allah the Almighty strengthened the faith of the youth and children through the blessings of Chanda [financial sacrifices], how many people experienced that their financial situation improved when they endeavoured to participate in Chanda, despite being destitute. One lady gave her only possession, a chicken in Chanda, and how Allah the Exalted relieved her family from many complex problems. By regularly contributing to the Chanda, students received unexpected income, chronically ill found better health and those drowning under the weight of debt, found financial comfort. Those, who became regular in Chanda, saw the yield of their farming increase tremendously, their businesses became more successful and their jobs became more rewarding and fulfilling. Those who have reached extreme deprivation also make financial sacrifices and then God Almighty provides for them in marvellous ways and strengthens their faith. Hudhur (aba) also gave some examples of that those who pay Chanda, God miraculously safeguarded their assets from the fire that burnt all the neighbouring fields, a student who paid Chanda despite hardship, was awarded a good scholarship and one person reported that his pay was increased unexpectedly after he paid Chanda. People make tremendous sacrifice for Chanda, a labourer who lovies in the rented accommodation, sold his refrigerator to make chanda contributions, one young lady insisted that her father gave the money, he has been saving for her winter shoes in Chanda. She insisted to pay the Chanda Waqf-e-Jadid and said, ''shoes can be bought later but take the Chanda now.''
These are a few accounts that I related which not only reveal the financial sacrifices made for the sake of faith, but are also a proof of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (as) and the Ahmadiyya Jama'at, and the fact that it has been established by God Almighty. May God Almighty enable the members of Jama'at to increase in their faith and belief and may they continue to increase in offering sacrifices to attain the pleasure of God Almighty. I shall now mention about the sacrifices made by the various Jama'ats in the previous year towards Waqf-e-Jadid and also reveal their positions.
By the grace of God Almighty, the 60th year of Waqf-e-Jadid has come to an end and from 1st January [2018] the 61st year has started. The Ahmadiyya community worldwide has made a total sacrifice of 8.862 million pounds towards Waqf-e-Jadid. That is an increase of 842,000 pounds from the previous year. After Pakistan, who as always remain in the first position, the top ten positions of the countries in the rest of the world in terms of total contribution are as follows:
First is UK, second is Germany (However for Tehrik-e-Jadid the positions were the other way round) then third is USA, Canada is fourth, fifth is India, sixth is Australia, seventh is a Middle Eastern country, eight is Indonesia, ninth is a Middle Eastern country and then Ghana is tenth. Ghana has made a lot of progress this year.
In terms of local currency the countries with the significant increase from last year: Canada are first on the list, they have made good progress. Amongst the African countries Nigeria made good progress with an increase of 83%, Mali achieved a 55% increase, Sierra Leone 45%, Cameroon 45%, Ghana 24%, i.e. all of these are an increase in collections from last year.
In terms of participants, and the fundamental point is that the participants should increase, by the Grace of Allah more than 1.6 million people contributed in the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme. There was an increase of 268,000 participants. In this respect Nigeria stood first, then Sierra Leone, Niger, Benin, Mali, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe. All of them have worked significantly in this regard.
As for Chanda Balaghan, in places such as Paksitan and Canada there are two types of Chanda; Atfal [financial sacrifices made by children under the age of 16] and Balaghan [financial sacrifice made by those over the age of 16], however on this occasion Australia also participated. In Pakistan, the first three rankings for Bulghaan are as follows: first place was Lahore, second was Rabwah, third was Karachi. In terms of districts the rankings were as follows: Islamabad stood first, then Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Gujrat, Umarkot, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kotli Azad Kashmir and Quetta. The first ten Jamaats in terms of total collection are as follows: Islamabad Township, Gulshan Iqbal Karachi, Samanabad Lahore, Rawalpindi town, Azizabad Karachi, Delhi Gate Lahore, Mughalpura Lahore, Sargodha town and Dera Ghazi Khan town. The first three jamaats [in terms of ranking] for Atfal are as follows: first was Lahore, second place was Karachi and third place was Rabwah. The rankings in terms of districts are as follows: Sargodha, Rawalpindi, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Hyderabad, Narowal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kotli Azad Kashmir, Sheikhupura, Badin.
The first ten of the larger Jamaats [in terms of ranking] for the United Kingdom are as follows: First is Worcester park, second is Masjid Fazl, third is Birmingham South, fourth is Gillingham, fifth is Birmingham West, sixth is New Malden, seventh is Glasgow, eighth is Islamabad, ninth is Putney and tenth is Hayes. In terms of regions the standings are as follows: First is London B, second is London A, then is Midlands, North East, Middlesex, South London, Islamabad, East London, North West, Hertfordshire and Scotland.
The first ten Jamaats [in terms of ranking] for the United States are as follows: First is Silicon Valley, then Seattle, Detroit, Silver Spring, Central Virginia, Boston, Los Angeles East, Dallas, Houston North and Orwell. In terms of collection the first five local Imarats [local communities] in Germany are as follows: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Gross-Gerau, Morfelden Walldorf. In terms of total collection the first ten Jamaat [of Germany] are as follows: Rodermark, Neuss, Mahdiabad, Nidda, Freiburg, Koblenz, Florsheim, Weingarten, Pinneburg and Langen.
The rankings of the Imarats of Canada with respect to total collection are as follows: Vaughan, Calgary, Peace Village, Brampton, Vancouver, Mississauga. The ten large Jamaats are as follows: Durham, Edmonton West, Saskatoon South, Windsor, Bradford, Saskatoon North, Montreal West, Lloydminster, Edmonton East and Abbotsford. Five prominent Jamaats for Daftar Atfal [Financial collection for those under the age of 16] are as follows: Durham, Bradford, Saskatoon South, Saskatoon North and Lloydminster. The five prominent Imarat for Daftar Atfal are as follows: Peace Village, Calgary, Vaughan, Vancouver, Vesten.
In India, the rankings according to province is as follows: Kerala, Jamu Kashmir, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra. In terms of total collection the Jamaats of India rank as follows: Calicut, Hyderabad, Pathapiriyam, Qadian, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kannur town, Pangadi, Karvalai, Karunagappalli.
The ten large Jamaats of Australia are as follows: Castle Hill, Brisbane Logan, Marsden Park, Melbourne Long Warren, Berwick, Pezith, Plumpton, Black town, Adelaide South and Canberra. Prominent Jamaats in Australia for Daftar Atfal are as follows: Brisbane Logan, Pezith, Brisbane South, Melbourne, Berwick, Adelaide South, Melbourne Long Warren, Plumpton, Castle Hill, Marsden Park and Mount Druitt.
May Allah the Almighty grant an abundance of wealth and blessings to all those that contributed and bless them greatly. May their faith and sincerity increase, and may every single person seek the pleasure of God Almighty through their every action and their words and deeds.
After the prayers I will lead a funeral prayer that is present here today, which is of Ali Gohar Munawar, son of Wajih Munawar sahib from Aldershot, UK. He was travelling to Germany with his family on 23rd December 2017. When they reached near Cologne they were involved in a car accident when a tyre burst. His mother was driving the car. He passed away at the age of five. To Allah we belong and to Him shall we return. With the Grace of Allah, the parents have burdened this loss very patiently, especially the mother. Children are innocent and undoubtedly God Almighty enables children to enter paradise instantly. May Allah grant the parents patience and steadfastness and grant them an excellent recompense.