Friday Sermon delivered by
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(at)
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that today is the first Friday of November, as is custom, the announcement for the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid. Allah Almighty showered His blessings over the previous years. In order for all works to continue there is a need for finances.
Propagation of Faith Requires Financial Sacrifice
His Holiness(aba) said that the Promised Messiah(as) stated that in order to complete his objectives, there was a need for believers to make financial sacrifices. Allah Almighty has made it clear that the wealth one spends in the way of Allah becomes a means of blessings in this life and the next.
His Holiness(aba) said that in one instance Allah Almighty states:
‘The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:262)
His Holiness(aba) explained that Allah Almighty has send the Ardent Devotee of the Holy Prophet(sa) to this world to complete his mission, and in order to attain this, the believers must make sacrifices, and in doing so will acquire the bounties of God Almighty manifold.
Sacrifice of Wealth Alone Does Not Suffice
His Holiness(aba) also said that alongside financial sacrifices, one must also strive to reform themselves, abstain from vain things, and do justice to their worship, otherwise Allah Almighty does not bless one in their wealth from a mere monetary sacrifice.
His Holiness(aba) said that one should therefore not be satisfied with merely making a financial sacrifice, and must analyse themselves. This is the sign of a true believer. There are many examples of those who have done so, within the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and also those who came before. There is the example of Hazrat Rabia Basri, when once she was sitting at home and 20 guests came, when there were only two pieces of bread at home. Hazrat Rabia, out of the trust in Allah, told her servant to still give these pieces of bread to the poor. The servant was bemused by this, but a short while later a woman’s voice was heard. She said that she had brought 20 pieces of bread. Hazrat Rabia said that she sent these pieces of bread having trusted in Allah that he would give back tenfold.
His Holiness(aba) said that whilst Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I(ra) explained that at times Allah Almighty gives back tenfold, and at others He may even give back 700-fold, according to the situation and the nature of the virtue. Hazrat Rabia said that this is how Allah Almighty grants His blessings, but one should not test Allah in this way, but it should be purely for the pleasure of Allah.
His Holiness(aba) said that through the Promised Messiah(as) who has been sent in this era, service to faith is being carried out around the world. By the grace of Allah, millions of pounds are received and spent on those in need and on poorer countries. Allah Almighty then displays just how He blesses those who make sacrifices, be they rich or poor.
Extraordinary Examples of Financial Sacrifice
His Holiness(aba) said that he shall present a few examples of such people, even those who have recently joined the Community and understood the importance of financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that a previous Christian, Momin Johnson from Liberia, says that a few months ago after some outreach efforts in a village which was difficult to reach, and in which there were poor people, we decided not to press for financial sacrifices for Tahrik-e-Jadid too much this year. One day the Imam of the village came to the mission house and handed an amount of money saying it was from 21 members of the village. After being asked how he knew about it as they had not gone to ask for anything, he said that he was listening to the radio programme of the Community, and the people themselves decided to make this effort to present financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer [national president] of the Community in The Gambia said that when efforts were made for collecting alms towards Tahrik-e-Jadid, a 57 year old woman took out 200 dalasis, stating that this is the only way for the true teachings of Islam Ahmadiyyat to be spread, just as was the case in the time of the Holy Prophet(sa). She said that this was all the money she had left which she was saving towards buying food for the family, but she wanted to give it for the sake of the propagation of Islam. At that very moment she received a phone call from her son in Switzerland and he said that he was sending 12,200 dalasis to her. Crying before the people there, she proclaimed just how Allah Almighty had showered His blessings upon them, and then said she would sacrifice even further amounts of money. Seeing this, the people became convinced that Ahmadiyyat is the true Islam.
His Holiness(aba) said that there is an incident in the northwest of Tanzania. The local mu’allim there writes that there is a young man there named Abdullah who pledged his allegiance and had heard that it was the final month to donate towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Abdullah had no money at the time but promised to give some the next day. He therefore went out in search of work and began working in the fields. He worked all day with great effort and whatever amount he received, he gave towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that Allah Almighty enabled him to have pure intentions and to make financial sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that the missionary in Guinea-Conakry writes that he drew attention of the people to pay towards Tahrik-e-Jadid in his sermon and also whilst going house to house. A young man named Muhammad said he had 10,000 Guinean francs which he was saving for his next meal, but that he wanted to donate it and remain hungry if needs be. Four days later this young man called saying that Allah Almighty had accepted his sacrifice as he had applied for the job of a driver in a mining company and he received a five-year contract of 5.5 million Guinean francs a month, and in this way Allah Almighty gave him back thousands of times greater than what he donated. Hence, this is how Allah Almighty gives back manifold if He so pleases.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Sadr Lajna in Niger writes that many women participated in the first National Tarbiyyati Class, where they were also encouraged to donate towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Despite being told that there was still a little time to go before the financial year ended, there and then the women began presenting amounts of money. Consequently, more and more women came forward to make sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) said that in general, in terms of the amount, women make greater contributions than men. In fact, in some countries there is a need to remind the Khuddam and Ansar about making contributions as the women have excelled them greatly.
His Holiness(aba) then said that the local mu’allim in a northern town of Cameroon writes that there was a very poor person named Abdullah, and he presented half a bucket, or 5 kg of maize, towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that in return Allah Almighty gave him 5 sacks of maize, of 350 kg-worth. He says that this year he was very worried as the prices of everything had risen a lot, and feared the crops would not turn out right. In any case he made efforts and Allah Almighty showered His blessings whereby twice the amount of crops were cultivated and so he contributed 70 kg of maize. He now reminds his family just how Allah Almighty blesses his cultivation by way of Tahrik-e-Jadid.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer of The Gambia writes that a man from a certain village had pledged his allegiance in 2014. He said that prior to joining the Community he was regularly unsuccessful in finding work, but ever since he joined, he became regular in giving chanda [alms], and in helping to propagate the message. He now has a stable job, a house and money. People would say that he was being helped by the Community financially, and he would reply that it was Allah Almighty Who was helping him by way of the financial sacrifices he was making.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Ameer of Indonesia writes, there is an Ahmadi who owns a factory, but the circumstances had become dire. He says that listening to the sermon the previous year about Tahrik-e-Jadid had left a profound impression on him. Therefore, he doubled his promise and immediately made this contribution. A week later Allah Almighty blessed him immensely, and his sales began to increase greatly, and in this way his factory which was all but shut, became very successful.
His Holiness(aba) said that a missionary in Germany writes that a woman from Wiesbaden was fired from her job and she had no means of income. Her brother told her to pray and to give some financial sacrifice. She sold her jewellery and donated towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. Four days later she found a good job where she would be paid 2,000 euros a month and thereby be able to sponsor her husband.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Wakil-ul-Maal in India writes that there is an Ahmadi who is always at the forefront in giving financial sacrifices. When he was asked to try to increase his contributions, he asked how much he should increase it by. He was told to do so within his means. He had already donated 5,000 rupees and made a pledge to give 10,000 rupees on top of that. He said that he had a shop which was not doing well at all and was afraid it would make a big loss, but after increasing his contributions, it began to bring in a lot more income and therefore did not incur a loss. His Holiness(aba) said that it is clear therefore, that Allah Almighty does not look to who is rich and who is poor, rather He gives to everyone according to their state.
His Holiness(aba) said that there is a person in Tatarstan, Russia, who stated that last year something strange happened to his phone. After checking his online bank account having received some income, all of a sudden the sermon of the Caliph about financial sacrifices appeared on his screen. This happened a number of times, and he understood that Allah Almighty desired to give him proof of His existence and remind him. He said that it is a great honour to have accepted the Promised Messiah(as) and to make financial sacrifices after joining his community.
Report of 88th Financial Year of Tahrik-e-Jadid
His Holiness(aba) said that these were just a few examples of how Allah Almighty blesses those who make financial sacrifices. His Holiness(aba) said that he will now announce the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid. The 88th year of Tahrik-e-Jadid has come to an end on 31st October and the 89th has now begun.
Over the previous year the total amount contributed towards Tahrik-e-Jadid by the Community was £16.4m pounds. Despite the worsening situation around the world, this amount is £1.1m greater than the year before.
Germany stands first in the amount contributed. The Community in Pakistan has also made great sacrifices but due to the economic situation being worse, and the lower value of the currency, they have dropped further down. Despite standing first, according to their local currency their contribution is lower than before, and if the UK and the US continue to increase the way they are, then they could surpass them. There was also a large increase in Canada, Australia, India and Ghana.
His Holiness(aba) said that among the African nations, in terms of the total amount collected, the outstanding countries are Ghana, then Mauritius, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, The Gambia, Liberia, Uganda, Sierra Leone and Benin.
In terms of participation, the US stands in first position, followed by the UK and then Australia.
His Holiness(aba) said that by the grace of Allah, a total of 1,596,000 people participated. The greatest increase in participants in Africa was in Nigeria, then Guinea-Bissau, Congo Brazzaville, Guinea Conakry, Tanzania, Congo-Kinshasa, The Gambia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal and then Burkina Faso.
His Holiness(aba) then named the top ten communities within Germany, as well as local communities, in terms of their participation.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the total amount contributed, the top community in Pakistan was Lahore, followed by Rabwah and then Karachi. On a district level, Sialkot stands first, followed by Islamabad, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Umarkot, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Sargodha, Quetta and Lodhran. His Holiness(aba) said that despite the floods in some of these areas, the Community is still making great sacrifices.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top cities in Pakistan in terms of the amount received.
His Holiness(aba) then said the top 5 regions in the UK were Baitul Futuh, followed by Islamabad, Masjid Fazl, Midlands and then Baitul Ehsan.
In terms of the contributions, the top 10 larger communities were Farnham, South Cheam, Islamabad, Worcester Park, Walsall, Gillingham, Masjid Fazl, Ewell, Aldershot South and Putney.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top 10 smaller communities from the UK in terms of contributions.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in the US, the top community was Maryland, followed by Los Angeles, North Virginia, Detroit, Silicon Valley, Chicago, Seattle, Oshkosh, South Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, North Jersey and York.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in Canada, Vaughan stood first, followed by Peace Village, Calgary, Vancouver and Toronto.
His Holiness(aba) also presented the top 10 communities in terms of the contributions in India, followed by the top provinces.
His Holiness(aba) said that in terms of the contributions in Australia, the top community was Castle Hill, followed by Melbourne Long Warren, Melbourne Berwick, Marsden Park, Pemworth, Perth, Parramatta, Adelaide West, ACT Canberra and Brisbane.
His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah Almighty immensely bless the wealth of all those who made financial sacrifices.
Launch of a New Website – History of Ahmadiyyat in the United Kingdom
His Holiness(aba) announced that the UK Community has launched a new website regarding the history of the Ahmadiyya Community in the UK. Work on the history was being carried out for a number of years, and articles on the instructions of the Promised Messiah(as) for the propagation of the message to the west. His Holiness(aba) said that the history of the Community in the UK is understood to have started in 1913 when Hazrat Chaudhary Fateh Muhammad Sial Sahib(ra) arrived there, as the message of the advent and messiahship of the Promised Messiah(as) arrived. His Holiness(aba) gave examples of famous figures in the UK who received the message, and which was covered in the newspapers even before 1913.
His Holiness(aba) said that a timeline has also been prepared on this website in this regard. Another timeline is also available regarding the pioneer missionaries. Alongside this and among other articles, there is also a very in-depth research regarding the prophecy of Piggott.
The website is www.history.ahmadiyya.uk which will officially be launched today. His Holiness prayed that this website be of benefit to all.
Summary prepared by The Review of Religions.
