After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz, and Surah Al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba) stated:
Today, I shall continue to relate the account of the lives of the Badri companions (i.e those companions who took part in the Battle of Badr). The name of the first companion that I shall mention today is Hazrat Amir (ra) bin Salama. He belonged to the Balee tribe. Balee is a branch of the ancient Arab tribe of Qudha’ah which is found in Yemen. Hazrat Amir (ra) was a confederate of the Ansar. Hazrat Amir (ra) bin Salama had the honour of participating in the battles of Badr and Uhud.
The name of the second companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Suraqah. Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Suraqah belonged to the Banu ‘Adi clan of the Quraish, which was the tribe of Hazrat ‘Umar (ra) bin al-Khattab. Hazrat Abdullah (ra) and his brother ‘Amr bin Suraqah (ra) had the honour of participating in the battle of Badr. Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Suraqah passed away during the Khilafat of Hazrat ‘Uthman in 35 AH. It is narrated by Hazrat Abdullah (ra) bin Suraqah that the Holy Prophet (sa) said that, “tassahharoo wa lau bil maa‘i” i.e. “Partake of the sehri (meal taken early in the morning before fasting ), even if it is only with water.” This meant that it is incumbent to partake of Sehri.
The name of the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Malik (ra) bin Abu Khauli. Hazrat Malik (ra) bin Abu Khauli belonged to the tribe of Banu Ijal who were confederates of the Banu ‘Adi Bin Ka’ab clan of the Quraish. Hazrat Malik (ra) bin Abu Khauli passed away during the Khilafat of Hazrat Uthman (ra).
Then, the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Waqid (ra) bin ‘Abdullah. He belonged to the tribe of Banu Tamim. Hazrat Waqid (ra) was a confederate of Khattab bin Nufail and according to one narration, he was a confederate of the tribe of Quraish. Hazrat Waqid (ra) had accepted Islam as a result of the preaching efforts of Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) before the Holy Prophet (sa) went to Dar-i-Arqam. I will briefly mention Dar-i-Arqam. The Holy Prophet (sa) considered establishing a Tablighi centre (for the purpose of propagating the message of Islam) in Mecca, where Muslims could gather together for prayers etc. and to peacefully and without any hindrance seek guidance from the Holy Prophet (sa) regarding matters relating to their moral training, as well as serving as place where the message of Islam could be preached from. Hence, the Holy Prophet (sa) chose the house of Arqam bin Abi Arqam, who had recently accepted Islam. This house was located at the foot of Mount Safa. Following this, Muslims would gather and offer the prayers at this very place. Furthermore, when those people who were in search for the truth came to the Holy Prophet (sa), he would preach to them the message of Islam in this very place. Due to this very reason, this house has become renowned in history and is also famously known as Dar-ul-Islam. The Holy Prophet (sa) fulfilled his responsibilities from Dar-i-Arqam for approximately three years. That is, he made it the centre in the fourth year after his appointment to prophethood and continued his works of preaching and providing moral training from there until the end of the sixth year. Hazrat Waqid (ra) passed away towards the beginning of the caliphate of Hazrat ‘Umar (ra).
Then, the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Nasr (ra) bin Harith. Hazrat Nasr (ra) bin Harith belonged to the family of the Ansar tribe of Aus, Banu ‘Abd bin Razzaq. His name is also mentioned as Numair bin Harith. His title was Abu Harith. The name of his father was Harith bin ‘Abd and the name of his mother was Saudah bint Sawwad. Hazrat Nasr (ra) bin Harith had the honour of participating in the battle of Badr. His father, Harith (ra), also had the honour of being a companion of the Holy Prophet (sa). Hazrat Nasr (ra) was martyred during the battle of Qadisiyyah. Qadisiyyah is an area in Iran, or modern-day Iraq, situated at a distance of forty-five miles from Kufa. In the fourteenth year after Hijra (migration of the Holy Prophet (sa) from Mecca to Medina) and during the caliphate of Hazrat ‘Umar (ra), a decisive war was fought between Muslims and Sassanians at Qadisiyyah. As a result of this, the Sassanid Empire fell into the hands of the Muslims.
The next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Malik (ra) bin ‘Amr. Hazrat Malik (ra) bin ‘Amr belonged to a family from the tribe of Banu Sulaim, Banu Hijr, who were a confederate of the Banu ‘Abd-i-Shams. The name of his father was ‘Amr bin Sumaid. Hazrat Malik participated in the battle of Badr along with his two brothers, Hazrat Saqf (ra) bin ‘Amr and Hazrat Mudlij (ra) bin ‘Amr. Hazrat Malik (ra) participated alongside the Holy Prophet (sa) in the battle of Uhud and other battles and he was martyred during the battle of Yamama, in the twelfth year after Hijra.
The name of the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat Nu’man (ra) bin ‘Asr. Hazrat Nu’man (ra) belonged to the Ansar tribe of Bali’ and was a confederate of the tribe of Banu Mu’awiyah. Hazrat Nu’man (ra) bin ‘Asr participated alongside the Holy Prophet (sa) in the Bai’at-e-‘Aqba, the battle of Badr as well as all other battles. He was martyred during the battle of Yamama.
The name of the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat ‘Uwaim (ra) bin Sa’idah. Hazrat ‘Uwaim (ra) bin Sa’idah belonged to Banu ‘Amr bin ‘Auf, a branch of the Aus tribe. Hazrat ‘Uwaim (ra) participated in both the first and the second Bai’at at ‘Aqba. Hazrat ‘Abdullah bin Zubair narrates that he heard the Holy Prophet (sa) say, “what an exceptional servant of Allah ‘Uwaim (ra) bin Sa’idah is and he is also among the dwellers of heaven!” Hazrat ‘Uwaim (ra) bin Saidah participated in all the battles alongside the Holy Prophet (sa), including the battle of Badr, Uhud and Khandaq. Hazrat ‘Uwaim (ra) passed away during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (sa).
The next companion who will be mentioned is Hazrat Nu’man (ra) bin Sinnan. He was among the Ansar and was from the Banu Nu’man family which belonged to the Khazraj tribe. Hazrat Nu’man (ra) was a freed slave. Hazrat Nu’man (ra) bin Sinnan had the opportunity to participate in the battles of Badr and Uhud.
The next companion is Hazrat ‘Antarah (ra) Maula Sulaim. Hazrat Antarah was the freed slave of Hazrat Sulaim bin ‘Amr. Hazrat ‘Anatarah was Sulmi Zukwani, and was the Chief of the Banu Sawwad bin Ghadam tribe, which was a branch of the Ansar. Hazrat ‘Antarah (ra) partook in the battles of Badr and Uhud and was martyred on the day of the battle of Uhud by Nofal bin Mu’awiyyah Dilli. According to one saying, Hazrat ‘Antarah’s demise was during the Battle of Siffeen, during the era of Hazrat Ali (ra), in 37 Hijri.
Then, the next companion to be mentioned is Hazrat No’man (ra) bin ‘Abd-e-‘Amr. He was a member of the Banu Dinar bin Najjar branch of the Khazraj tribe from among the Ansar. Hazrat No’man (ra) bin ‘Abd-e-‘Amr was granted the status of martyrdom in the battle of Uhud. Hazrat No’man (ra) and Hazrat Dhahhaak also had a third brother, whose name was Qutbah. He also enjoyed the honour of being a companion of the Holy Prophet (sa).
Hazrat Qutbah (ra) was martyred in the incident of Be’r-e-Ma’oonah. Muhammad bin Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (sa) passed by a woman from the Banu Dinar tribe, whose husband, brother and father had all partaken in the battle of Uhud, and all of them were martyred at Uhud. When some people came to her to extend condolences, she only asked them, “How is the Holy Prophet (sa)?” The people replied, “O Mother of so-and-so, he is well and good, and all praise to Allah, he is just as you desire to see him.” Upon this, the woman replied, “Show me, I wish to see him.” So, the people pointed towards the Holy Prophet (sa). When she saw the Holy Prophet (sa), she said, “Now, all my other calamities pale into insignificance.”
Expounding on this narration, Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud (ra) explained that this degree of courage and resolve was instilled in women companions because of their commitment to the Unity of God Almighty. They had an extreme dedication for the Holy Prophet (sa) not because he was Muhammad (sa), in fact this love was because he was the Messenger (sa) of Allah. These people were in fact the devoted lovers of God Almighty and because God Almighty loved Muhammad (sa) the Messenger of Allah, the Companions too developed a love for him. This was the love which God Almighty placed in their hearts for the Holy Prophet (sa), even still, they gave precedence to God Almighty over all else. Therefore, we must develop a passion in our hearts from the love and name of God Almighty because true progress can only be derived from the love of God and in remaining firmly established upon the Oneness of God. Hence, this is the fundamental principle which each and every one of us must keep in mind. May Allah Almighty enable us to develop the true understanding of the love of God Almighty and the Holy Prophet (sa).
Now I shall mention about two individuals who recently passed away and will lead their funeral prayers after the Friday Sermon. The first is of Maudood Ahmad Khan Sahib, Ameer of Karachi Jama’at and who was the son of Nawab Mas’ud Ahmad Khan Sahib. He passed away on 14th July at the age of 78. Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un (To Allah do we belong and to Him shall we return). Besides his wife he is survived by two children – a son and a daughter. His son also works in the field of law, whilst his daughter lives in Canada with her husband. Her husband, i.e. the son-in-law of Maudood Khan Sahib is the great grandson of Mirza Mubarak Ahmad Sahib. Maudood Ahmad Khan Sahib was appointed the Ameer of the Karachi District in October 1996. Prior to this he served as the Naib Ameer and External Affairs Secretary. He also served as the Director of the Fazl-e-Umar Foundation, the Nasir Foundation and the Tahir Foundation. Furthermore, due to the difficult circumstances of the Jama'at in 1984, he also kept good relations with the press. His wife Amatul Mu’min Sahiba says he was a very humble, courteous, compassionate, modest and kind person. No matter who developed a relationship with him, they would all say that it felt as if they had known each other for years, be they the youngest of workers in the Jama’at or the most senior members. His son, Mamoon Khan Sahib writes: “He was a model father. From a young age, he instilled within us the importance of prayer. From an early age he would take me along (to the mosque) for Fajr prayer. He would advise us to respect our elders and to assist them. He was a great influence for both my sister and I; he was regular in his prayers and would be ever ready to offer any financial sacrifice.”
He rendered great services for those that were (wrongfully) imprisoned in Sindh and also for the families of those that had been martyred. His wife writes that he would take her along on official visits and would take great care of those families and give them gifts. His wife further says: “One of his special attributes was that he was always punctual in giving Chanda, (he had a good income and was wealthy). Similarly there was a long list of Chanda that he would give on behalf of the deceased (relatives). He would say to me that we ought to limit our personal expenditure and give more Chanda for the Jamaat.” She further says: “Sometimes it would seem as though he would earn solely to give it in the way of the Jamaat.” He was extremely averse to people criticising others and many people have mentioned this about him, I am also a witness to this that he disliked it severely and would stop everyone from doing so. His wife writes: “He would not listen to complaints against anyone and was averse to backbiting.”
His daughter writes: “Our father presented us with a great example of the belief in God, loyalty to Khilafat and how one ought to show obedience to the Khalifa. He would always remind us to follow these principles. He would listen to Jalsa Salana proceedings regularly, even during his illness he would watch the Jalsa on MTA.” The Jalsa Salana of Canada and Germany took place at the same time, her daughter who lives in Canada says that he informed her that he was watching the Jalsa Germany. It was his habit to regularly listen to the sermons. He would always observe the fasts in Ramadan. He would never travel in Ramadan nor make any programs in this month, so that one can spend Ramadan in the way it ought to be observed. This is a lesson for those people who do not fast owing to small trivial matters or due to their travels. May God Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy and elevate his station. May God Almighty also enable his children to also continue his good deeds.
The second funeral prayer is of Khalifah Abdul Aziz Sahib, the Naib Amir of Canada Jama’at, who passed away at the age of 84 on the 9th July because of heart failure – Surely to Allah do we belong and to Him shall we return. He was among the pioneering members of the Jama’at in Canada. He moved to Canada from Pakistan in 1967. He was a lawyer by profession and also established his law firm in Canada. He also helped the Jama’at in relation to legal issues and his service to the Canada Jama’at spans over 50 years. He was also the first National President of Canada Jama’at and also the first president of its Qadha Board (Board of Jurisprudence). He rendered his services as the Deputy Amir of Canada right up until his demise. In 2010 he had the honour of performing Hajj. He was extremely sociable, much loved by everyone and cheerful person. He had a deep understanding of matters and sound opinion and was extremely loyal and devoted individual. He had great love for Khilafat and would strive to his utmost to fulfil any instruction issues from the centre. By the grace of God Almighty he was a Musi. May God Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy and grant patience and steadfastness to his loved ones and enable them to continue his good deeds.