After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta’wwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
While mentioning the importance of Jumuah, the Holy Prophet (sa) said on one occasion, “There comes such an hour on (Friday), which, if a Muslim encounters while standing in prayer, then whatever supplication he makes, it is accepted or whatever goodness he asks for, it is granted to him by Allah the Exalted.”
Everyone supplicates during prayers according to their own thinking or need. There are also some, who, although offer the prayer, but are not moved to make any special supplications. They simply offer the prayers, repeat the words of the salat and consider it to be sufficient. They are unaware of the importance of prayer.
Thus, today, during this last Jumuah of Ramadan, I deemed it appropriate to recite certain prayers, so that those who are not sufficiently aware may also understand the significance of prayers and so that we, as a Community, may present our prayers and supplications before Allah the Exalted and then collectively pray for the acceptance of these supplications during the salat.
I will now recite some Qur’anic prayers and some related from the Holy Prophet (sa). Those, who remember them, should recite them silently or rather those, who are able to, should, by all means, recite them silently and also continue saying ‘ameen’ quietly.
May Allah the Exalted accept our prayers.
SubhanAllahi wa bi hamdehi subhanAllahil Azeem. Allahumma salli ‘alaa Muhammadin wa aali Muhammad
Firstly, there are the following Qur’anic prayers:
Our Lord, grant us good in this world as well as good in the world to come, and protect us from the torment of the Fire. (2:202)
Our Lord, pour forth upon us steadfastness and cause us to die resigned unto Thee.’ (7:127)
Our Lord, send down to us a table from heaven spread with food that it may be to us a festival, to the first of us and to the last of us, and a Sign from Thee; and provide sustenance for us, for Thou art the Best of sustainers. (5:115)
Our Lord, we have heard a Crier calling us unto faith, ‘Believe ye in your Lord,’ and we have believed. Our Lord, forgive us, therefore, our errors and remove from us our evils, and in death number us with the righteous. (3:194)
Our Lord, we believe in that which Thou hast sent down and we follow this Messenger. So write us down among those who bear witness. (3:54)
Our Lord, let not our hearts become perverse after Thou hast guided us; and bestow on us mercy from Thyself; surely, Thou alone art the Bestower. (3:9)
My Lord, grant me from Thyself pure offspring; surely, Thou art the Hearer of prayer. (3:39)
Our Lord, grant us of our wives and children the delight of our eyes, and make us a model for the righteous. (25:75)
My Lord, grant me the power that I may be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and that I may do such good works as may please Thee. And make my seed righteous for me. I do turn to Thee; and, truly, I am of those who submit to Thee. (46:16)
My Lord, grant me a righteous heir. (37:101)
My Lord, I am in need of whatever good Thou mayest send down to me. (28:25)
My Lord, grant me the will and power to be grateful for Thy favour which Thou hast bestowed upon me and upon my parents, and to do such good works as would please Thee, and admit me, by Thy mercy, among Thy righteous servants.’ (27:20)
My Lord, I seek refuge in Thee from the incitements of the evil ones. And I seek refuge in Thee, my Lord, lest they come near me.’ (23:98-99)
O my Lord, increase me in knowledge. (20:115)
My Lord, open out for me my breast, and ease for me my task, and loose the knot of my tongue, that they may understand my speech. (20:26-29)
Our Lord, bestow on us mercy from Thyself, and provide for us right guidance in our affair. (18:11)
My Lord, make my entry a good entry and then make me come forth with a good forthcoming. And grant me from Thyself a helping power. (17:81)
My Lord, have mercy on them even as they nourished me in my childhood. (17:25)
My Lord, bestow wisdom on me and join me with the righteous; and give me a true reputation among posterity; and make me one of the inheritors of the Garden of Bliss; (26:84-86)
My Lord, I have wronged my soul, therefore forgive me. (28:17)
Our Lord, perfect our light for us and forgive us; surely Thou hast power over all things. (66:9)
Our Lord, we believe; forgive us therefore our sins, and have mercy on us; for Thou art the Best of those who show mercy. (23:110)
Our Lord, we have wronged ourselves; and if Thou forgive us not and have not mercy on us, we shall surely be of the lost. (7:24)
Our Lord, put us not with the unjust people. (7:48)
My Lord, leave me not childless, and Thou art the Best of inheritors. (21:90)
My Lord, if Thou wilt show me that with which they are threatened. My Lord, then place me not with the wrongdoing people. (23:94-95)
Our Lord, Thou dost comprehend all things in Thy mercy and knowledge. So forgive those who repent and follow Thy way; and protect them from the punishment of Hell. And make them, our Lord, enter the Gardens of Eternity which Thou hast promised them, as well as such of their fathers and their wives and their children as are virtuous. Surely Thou art the Mighty, the Wise. And protect them from evils; and he whom Thou dost protect from evils on that day — him hast Thou surely shown mercy. And that indeed is the supreme triumph. (40:8-10)
Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in the faith, and leave not in our hearts any rancour against those who believe. Our Lord! Thou art indeed Compassionate, Merciful. (59:11)
My Lord, forgive me and my parents, and him who enters my house as a believer, and the believing men and the believing women; and increase Thou not the wrongdoers but in perdition. (71:29)
Our Lord, give us what Thou hast promised to us through Thy Messengers; and disgrace us not on the Day of Resurrection. Surely, Thou breakest not Thy promise. (3:195)
Thou art our Protector; forgive us then and have mercy on us, for Thou art the Best of those who forgive. (7:156)
Our Lord, avert from us the punishment of Hell; for the punishment thereof is a lasting torment. (25:66)
Our Lord, we do believe; forgive us, therefore, our sins and save us from the punishment of the Fire. (3:17)
My Lord, make me observe Prayer, and my children too. Our Lord! bestow Thy grace on me and accept my prayer. Our Lord, grant forgiveness to me and to my parents and to the believers on the day when the reckoning will take place. (14:41-42)
My Lord, save me and my family from what they do. (26:170)
My Lord, my people have treated me as a liar. Therefore judge Thou decisively between me and them; and save me and the believers that are with me. (26:118-119)
Help me, my Lord, against the wicked people. (29:31)
I am overcome, so come Thou to my help! (54:11)
Our Lord, do not punish us, if we forget or fall into error; and our Lord, lay not on us a responsibility as Thou didst lay upon those before us. Our Lord, burden us not with what we have not the strength to bear; and efface our sins, and grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us; Thou art our Master; so help us Thou against the disbelieving people. (2:287)
O our Lord, pour forth steadfastness upon us, and make our steps firm, and help us against the disbelieving people. (2:251)
‘Our Lord, forgive us our errors and our excesses in our conduct, and make firm our steps and help us against the disbelieving people.’ (3:148)
O our Lord, decide Thou between us and between our people with truth, and Thou art the Best of those who decide. (7:90)
Our Lord, make us not a trial for the wrongdoing people. And deliver us by Thy mercy from the disbelieving people. (10:86-87)
O my Lord, help me, for they have treated me as a liar. (23:27)
My Lord! build for me a house with Thee in the Garden; and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work, and deliver me from the wrongdoing people; (66:12)
Now, there are some prayers from the Ahadith (sayings of the Holy Prophet (sa)). It is narrated that the Holy Prophet (sa) taught this prayer, ‘O Allah! Forgive me my mistakes, protect me from the evil of my lack of knowledge, ignorance and injustice in my affairs and safeguard me from every harm and evil, which You are aware of far greater than I myself. O Allah! Forgive me my mistakes. Forgive all of my mistakes, whether they were committed knowingly, unknowingly or in a manner of a joke, as they are all within me. Forgive all of my mistakes, which I have already committed and which I have not yet committed; those which I committed secretly and those which I committed openly. You are the One, Who causes people to progress and regress and only You are Powerful over all things.
Then, there is (another) prayer of the Holy Prophet (sa).
‘O Allah! I have taken on Your obedience, I trust in You, believe in You, and incline towards You. With Your help I pit myself against the enemy. I have come to You for judgement in my case, so forgive all my past and future sins, the secret and the obvious ones. You cause people to advance and also restrain them. There is none worthy of worship except You.’
‘O Allah! You are my Lord, there is none worthy of worship except You. You created me and I am Your servant. And I am steadfast in Your covenant and Your promise to the best of my capability. I seek refuge in You from the evil effects of my deeds. I acknowledge Your blessings and favours. I confess my sins, so You forgive me, as there is none except You who forgives sins.’
‘O Allah! I seek Your deliverance from a heart which is devoid of fear, a prayer which is not accepted, a self which knows no contentment, and the knowledge which is not beneficial. My Guardian, I seek shelter from these four things.’
‘O the Convertor of Hearts, make my heart steadfast on Your faith.’
‘O Allah! I beg You to grant me guidance and Your fear. I beg You for chastity and contentment.’
‘We take You as a shield against whatever is in their (enemy's) heart. We seek protection against every evil of theirs and its dangerous effects.’
O Allah, I implore You for Your love and the love of those who love You and also such conduct as should lead me to Your love. O Allah, make Your love dearer to me than my soul and my family and my wealth and dearer to me than cold water.
Then there is a lengthy prayer, which is narrated from Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra), that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) recite the following prayer:
O Allah, I seek Your mercy, which can guide my heart and accomplish my affairs. Bestow success upon my disorganized affairs. Unite me with my separated loved one. Grant dignity to those who are with me. Purify my actions. Inspire me with wisdom and guidance. Bestow upon me things that I love and save me from every evil. O Allah, grant me such faith and the certainty that prevents disbelief. And bestow upon me such grace, which make me recipient of Your generosity in this world and in the Hereafter.
O Allah, make every decision of mine fruitful, grant me the company of martyrs and the life of Your obedient servants and victory over enemies. O Lord, I have come to Your threshold with my needs. Although my thinking is faulty and my planning is weak, I still depend on Your mercy. So, O the Arbiter of all affairs and Bestower of peace of mind, I beg you to save me from the punishment of the Fire, as You save people from the raging seas. Protect me from perdition and the trials of the grave.
O my Lord, Grant me those things which I have not even thought about. The matters which I have not even begged of You. The good things for which the intention has not yet arisen, but You have promised these blessings to any of Your servants or You are going to give these blessings to any of Your creation, I too have desire for them O Lord of the Universe, I beseech you in the name of Your mercy to grant me every such blessing.
O Allah, the Firm Friend and the Master of guidance and wisdom, I beg You to grant me peace on the day of Resurrection. In the eternal period I am desirous of attaining Paradise in the company of Your pious people, who bow and prostrate before You, and who fulfil their covenants. Surely, You are Gracious and loving. Without doubt You do what You will.
O Allah, make us such guided leaders who do not go astray themselves and do not lead others astray. Make us harbingers of peace for Your loved ones and enemy of Your enemies. I beg You in the name of Your love, to make us love everyone who loves You and make us, for Your sake, hostile to Your enemies.
O Allah, this is our humble supplication. Its acceptance depends on You. This prayer is all we have laboured for. We now, put our complete trust in You.
O Allah, enlighten my heart for me, light up my grave, put light in front of me and behind me, put light on my right and on my left, put light above me and beneath me, enlighten my sight and my hearing, brighten up my hair and skin, fill my flesh and blood with light, and make light penetrate into my bones. O Lord, increase light in my heart and bestow such light on me that it makes me an embodiment of light.
Holy is the One, Who presides over the universe with greatness. Holy is the Being, excepting Whom praising anyone else is not justified. Holy is the Bestower of blessings and favours. Holy is the Lord of Honour and Glory. His is the Majesty and Honour.
Then, there are the prayers of the Promised Messiah (as). The Promised Messiah (as) wrote a prayer for one of his companions in a letter:
This prayer was written for Chaudhry Rustam Ali Sahib.
“O One Who is worthy to be loved than all other beloveds! Forgive me and bestow Your Mercy and enumerate me amongst Your devotees. We are Your sinful servants and we have been consumed by our inner desires. Forgive us and save us from the afflictions of the hereafter.”
The Promised Messiah (as) once wrote a letter to Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra) and drew his attention to the following prayer:
“O Benevolent God! I am a worthless, sinful and heedless servant of Yours. You have seen me commit injustices upon injustices but bestowed Your rewards upon rewards and You have seen me commit sin upon sin and yet you bestowed your favour upon favour. You have always concealed my flaws and granted me Your countless bounties. Thus, even now show Mercy on this unworthy and sinful one and forgive me for my boldness and ungratefulness. Alleviate this sorrow of mine – for there is none else save You who can help.”
The prayer taught by the Promised Messiah (as) in order to completely immerse oneself in God:
“O Lord of all the worlds! I cannot express enough gratitude for Your favours. You are ever so Merciful and Gracious. You have bestowed innumerable favours upon me, forgive my sins lest I perish. Grant me such pure love for You in my heart so that I am given a new life and conceal my faults. Enable me to do such deeds which please You. I seek refuge with Your Holy Countenance from incurring Your wrath. Have Mercy upon me, have Mercy upon me, have Mercy upon me! Save me from the tribulations of this life and the hereafter for every kind of Grace and Blessing is in Your hands. Amen”
We should also remember the Muslim world in general in our prayers. May God Almighty create unity amongst them and may He remove the division in their hearts and unite them. May God Almighty create the spirit of contentment within all Ahmadis, men and women alike. May He save them from every evil and grant them steadfastness. May they always remain attached to the Nizam-e-Jama’at (administrative structure of the community) and the institution of Khilafat. May He also grant the Nizam-e-Jama’at the ability to fulfil the due rights of the Jama’at and enable the office-bearers to truly understand their responsibilities. May He enable all the Waqifeen (life-devotees) to render their services with the true spirit of Waqf (dedication).
May God Almighty protect us from the wicked ploys of the Dajjal and its evils. May God Almighty stop the hands of all those powers who seek to weaken Muslims and protect them from its evils. May God Almighty elevate the status of the martyrs of Ahmadiyyat and He Himself protect their loved ones that they leave behind. May He grant the means to free those who have been imprisoned due to Ahmadiyyat. May God Almighty alleviate the difficulties of all those who are immersed in any kind of trouble. May He cure all those who are suffering from ailments. May God Almighty alleviate the difficulties of everyone, whether they are facing them for political reasons or religious reasons. There are now only a few Darveesh who remain in Qadian. Some people in Qadian are going through hardships. Similarly, those living in Pakistan, especially Rabwah, their circumstances are being made harder and harder by the government and they are making efforts in Pakistan to further complicate the situation of the Ahmadis. May Allah also protect them from the oppressors and improve their situation. Similarly, in Indonesia whenever they have an opportunity the wrongdoers are treating the Ahmadis cruelly. May Allah also keep them under His protection and guard them from the evil of the enemies.
As has been mentioned previously regarding Muslim countries that the violent attacks in Yemen have recommenced, due to the altercations of groups in Iraq and Syria and due to differences amongst the tribes Muslims are killing other Muslims. May Allah grant those fighting in Yemen, Syria and Iraq understanding and enable them to act upon the true teachings of the Prophet, and may He enable them to accept the Mahdi and Messiah. So that they may be saved from the wrong path which they are treading on and that their life in this world and the next may be saved.
Furthermore, may Allah bless the wealth and lives of those who are making sacrifices and contributing towards the different Chandas of the Jama’at. MTA is playing a vital role towards propagating the message nowadays, may Allah reward all the workers of MTA and the volunteers and enable them to serve even more than before. May Allah the Almighty grant MTA Africa knowledge and understanding and enable them to make better programmes to spread the true message of Islam in their countries and to the world at large.