I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except God
and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger
After this I seek refuge with Allah, from Satan, the accursed.
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.
The Gracious, the Merciful.
Master of the Day of Judgment.
Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help.
Guide us in the right path;
The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings,
those who have not incurred Thy displeasure,
and those who have not gone astray.
God the Almighty protects and blesses generations upon generations
of the friends of Allah and those who remain firm on piety, but under the condition
that their future generations similarly remain steadfast on righteousness.
In explaining this Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) cites the example of Hazrat Ali (ra) and says:
"Observe when at the inception of Islam the Holy Prophet (saw) invited his family and relatives
"to convey to them the Message of Truth.
"In the first of such instances, after everyone had finished eating,
"when the Holy Prophet (saw) stood up to announce the message of Islam
"Abu Lahab [his uncle] told everyone to disperse.
"The Holy Prophet (saw) was very surprised by this however he did not despair nor become frustrated.
"Rather he told Hazrat Ali (ra) to make arrangements to invite them again.
"Thus a second time the Holy Prophet (saw) conveyed the message of Islam
"but on this occasion everyone gathered remain hushed and did not utter a word.
"Ultimately Hazrat Ali (ra) stood up and exclaimed: 'Although I am the youngest
'among all of you gathered here, but I offer my full support [to the Holy Prophet (saw)]
'and I pledge to always remain firm in my dedication to him.'"
Then, opposition reached its pinnacle in Mecca and the Holy Prophet (saw) was forced to migrate.
Allah the Almighty enabled Hazrat Ali (ra) to give a great sacrifice on that occasion.
The Holy Prophet (saw) told Hazrat Ali (ra) to lie down on the Holy Prophet’s (saw) bed
so that the enemies mistake him for the Holy Prophet (saw).
Hazrat Ali (ra) did not respond by saying ‘O Messenger of Allah!
‘When the enemy surround the house in the morning and find out it is likely they will kill me.’
Rather Hazrat Ali (ra) very calmly lay down in the Holy Prophet’s (saw) bed and slept
and in the morning was severely beaten by the opposition when they found out,
but by then the Holy Prophet (saw) had already migrated from Makkah.
How profusely Hazrat Ali (ra) was blessed as a result of this sacrifice.
Hazrat Ali (ra) had not given this sacrifice to receive a reward
or bounties from Allah the Almighty nor was he aware he would receive such bounties.
He had made this sacrifice only out of utter dedication and affection to the Holy Prophet (saw)
and to gain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
Only God the Almighty was aware of the huge honour
that was due to be conferred to Hazrat Ali (ra) because of this sacrifice.
And not only him, but that this honour was to be bestowed upon those of his children
and future generations who would continue acting upon piety.
The first distinction Allah the Almighty granted Hazrat Ali (ra)
was that he became the son-in-law of the Holy Prophet (saw).
Further the Holy Prophet (saw) praised Hazrat Ali (ra)
on numerous occasions owing to different accomplishments.
Once the Holy Prophet (saw) was setting off for a battle somewhere
and instructed Hazrat Ali (ra) to stay behind in Madinah.
Hazrat Ali (ra) said humbly, “O Messenger of Allah,
"you are leaving me here with the women and children!”
The Holy Prophet (saw) replied,
“O Ali, do you not want to have the same bond with me
"that Haroon (as) [Aaron] had with Musa (as) [Moses]?”
Hazrat Musa (as) had left Haroon (as) behind but Haroon’s (as) honour did not diminish.
In a similar manner Allah the Almighty established the honour of Hazrat Ali (ra).
And this honour was not limited to him, but rather we find that in the past, in Islam,
many of the Uliya and Sufiya were from the progeny of Hazrat Ali (ra).
These Uliya were also bestowed with miracles and support from God the Almighty.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) citing the Promised Messiah (as) says:
“I have heard an account from the Promised Messiah (as)
"that Imam Musa Raza was imprisoned for some reason by Harun Rashid
"and Imam Raza’s hands and feet were bound by ropes.
"In that era spring mattresses did not exist, rather only ordinary bedding made out of cotton.
"Harun Rashid was sleeping comfortably on his luxurious bedding in his mansion
"when he saw in a dream the Holy Prophet (saw) approach
"and noticed the expressions of anger on his countenance and the Holy Prophet (saw) said:
'Harun Rashid you claim to have affection and devotion towards me
'yet are you not ashamed that you relax in deep sleep on your comfortable bedding,
'whilst our son is bound by his hands and feet in great heat in imprisonment.?'
"Harun Rashid woke up restless and immediately proceeded to the jail with his commanders
"and personally untied the ropes from the hands and feet of Imam Musa.
"Imam Musa enquired from Haroon Al-Rashid, 'You were opposed to me before
'so what happened now that has led you come to the jail in person?'
"Haroon Al-Rashid related his dream and said, 'I ask for your forgiveness.
'I was oblivious to the truth.'"
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) comments on this and says: “Observe how far a distance there was
"from this era, and the time period of the Holy Prophet (saw) and Hazrat Ali (ra).
"We have seen the progenies of many a kings wandering around begging for food.
"I have seen with my own eyes in Delhi a person whose job was as a water carrier
"who offers people water to drink, who was a descendant from the Mughal Kings.
"He had sufficient self-dignity to not go around begging but rather work for a living,
"yet despite being a descendant of a king he was carrying out a menial job.
"Conversely we see after so many generations passing among the progeny of Hazrat Ali (ra),
"Allah the Almighty warns a king in a dream and admonishes him to treat
"[Imam Raza - descendant of Hazrat Ali (ra)] with kindness and compassion.
"Had Hazrat Ali (ra) known, through acquiring knowledge of the unseen, about the honour he would
"receive in the future and accepted Islam purely to increase his personal status and dignity
"then his faith would remain a transaction or bargain and he would not deserve blessings.
The Promised Messiah (as) at one place refers to a Wali and says:
“He was sleeping in a ship when a storm broke out at sea and the ship was nearly about to sink.
"Through his prayers the ship was saved.
"This saint had received a revelation in a dream when he was supplicating
that ‘Everything has been saved for your sake.’
The Promised Messiah (as) says:
“Look, these things cannot be attained through mere words lip service, rather,
"one has to make efforts and maintain a close relationship with Allah Almighty
"and constantly continue the pious endeavors of his forefathers and ancestors.
"Thus being a descendant of those who are pious, of saints or friends of Allah
"will only give benefit when the descendants themselves tread on the path of piety
"and form a connection with God the Almighty.
I shall at this time present before you some other things detailed by Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra)
relating to the Promised Messiah (as).
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) cites the Promised Messiah (as)
regarding being regular in congregational prayers and says:
"The Promised Messiah’s (as) prayers were so beautifully offered
"that if for any reason he was unable to attend the mosque due to illness,
"he would say the prayers in congregation at home with our mother and us children."
not only would he offer the prayers in such a case at home, but would do so in congregation.
The Promised Messiah (as) himself on one occasion,
expounding on the importance of congregational prayers said:
"It is the Will of God the Almighty to unite all mankind as one.
"This is also called democratic singularity.
"The purpose of religion is also that the human race be united
"like the beads of a Tasbeeh (rosary) through one thread."
Religion is the name of that which joins and unites all people.
"The congregational prayers or Salat is also for such unification
"so that all the worshipers are counted as one.
"We have been commanded to stand together in worship
"so that those who have more Nur (spiritual ligh can help diffuse that Nur in others
"and give strength to those who are weaker."
In others words worshippers should gain strength from one another.
"Allah initiated the plan of democratic singularity
"by instructing that all Muslims of a locality
"should say the five prayers in congregation in the local mosque.
"The moral qualities can thus be exchanged and the wisdom and light replaces weaknesses.
"By such interaction Muslims are introduced to each other and develop affection for one other.
"Such introduction is very important as it fosters affection which is the basis of unification."
Thus congregational prayers gives benefit to a person, on the one hand
on an individual basis, and also benefit on a communal level.
Those who do not come to the mosque at all
or those who come to the mosque filled with rancor and grudges
and devoid of affection and without trying to form a connection with others,
can gain no benefit whatsoever from their prayers.
This is because they do not attain the purpose, in addition to worship,
of forming unity and developing mutual affection and compassion.
We should safeguard our prayers with this mentality in view.
And we should come to the mosques with this manner of thinking, so that we become as one,
and offer prayers that are accepted by God the Almighty and succeed in winning His pleasure.
There is an incident of one’s prayers being missed from Hazrat Ameer Muawiyah.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) relates with reference to the Promised Messiah (as) that:
"The Promised Messiah (as) would relate that one day
"Hazrat Muawiyah was unable to wake up in the morning [at the time of the Morning Prayer]
"and when his eyes opened he realised the time for the morning prayer had already gone by.
"He cried for the entire day.
"The next day he saw in a dream that a man wakes him up for the morning prayer.
"He asks the man ‘Who are you?’ The man replies ‘I am Satan. I have come to wake you up for prayer.’
"Hazrat Muawiyah replies ‘What link do you have with waking me up for prayer? What is this?’
"The man responded, ‘Yesterday after I incited you to stay sleeping at morning prayer time
"and miss the prayer, you cried all day and were extremely worried.
"Allah decreed for you to be given reward many times greater than that of congregational prayer."
Because he wept so much, Allah ordered the Angels to confer him with much greater blessings.
"Satan continued, ‘I was extremely shaken by this that preventing you from saying the prayer
'led you to being given multiplied reward.
'And so I have come to wake you up today lest you receive greater blessings once again.’
"Satan turns away when one eliminates Satan, thus forcing Satan to retreat in frustration."
We should similarly frustrate Satan at every opportunity.
We should make the greatest efforts to acquire the pleasure of Allah and follow His commands.
We should safeguard our prayers and try to offer our prayers on time.
Some people form opinions without looking in- depth into the matter at hand
and this leads some weak-minded individuals to falter and stumble.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) narrates an incident relevant to this and says:
"At a dinner, I stopped a person who was about to drink water with his left hand from doing so.
"I said that he should drink with his right hand unless he had a genuine justification not to.
"The person responded that the Promised Messiah (as) also drank using his left hand.
"The truth is, however, the Promised Messiah (as) did so for a reason and that was because
"he had fallen down in childhood injuring his hand and it had become so weak that
"although he could pick up a glass of water, he could not extend his right hand to drink it.
"But it is not that he disobeyed the Sunnah . To uphold the Sunnah,
"he would he would lift the glass with his left hand but use his right hand under it for support."
The Promised Messiah (as) himself mentioned his weak hand and said:
"Once some non-Ahmadis, perhaps opponents, had come for a discussion and I picked up a tea cup.
"The non-Ahmadis protested that the Promised Messiah (as) was breaking the Sunnah
"and was trying to drink from the cup by holding it with his left hand."
The Promised Messiah (as) says that:
"Haste and ill-thinking compelled them to object whereas my hand is frail due to an injury
"and I cannot use my right hand to extend a cup to my mouth to drink,
"but I certainly do place my right hand underneath."
So on the one hand opponents are inciting others to think-ill and to hastily form judgmental views,
on the other hand, some Ahmadis were led to misconceive out of ignorance
that God forbid the Promised Messiah (as) had acted contrary to the Sunnah .
In reality they should have tried to discover the truth.
The man should have stopped drinking when Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) tried to stop him
and enquired the reason behind this.
It is undue haste that generates inappropriate innovations and
one produces his own interpretations leading him to a wrong conclusion.
Now I shall relate an account relating to Tawakkul (trust in Allah).
Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud (ra) relates an account he heard from the Promised Messiah (as) and says:
"I have definitely heard the Promised Messiah (as) say this
"regarding the ousted Sultan of Turkey Abdul Hameed Khan:
'There is a quality of Abdul Hameed Khan I really admire.'
"When the question arose of war in Syria his advisors presented all sorts of excuses.
"Abdul Hameed Khan wished to engage in war whereas his advisors recommended the opposite to him.
"Finally, the advisors said we have provisions for war, but the absence of one thing prevents us
"from proceeding to war." These were the advisors or ministers imparting their recommendation.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says: "In other words, the advisors basically said that all the European
"were united in support and defence of Syria and we do not have a solution to overcome this.
"The Promised Messiah (as) would say:
'After the ministers presented their views and the difficulty in proceeding due to lack of means,
'Sultan Abdul Hameed replied: "You should leave at least one space for God in your reasons".
"The Promised Messiah (as) took great delight in this statement of Sultan Abdul Hameed
"and would say 'I really admire this point he made'."
In short, a Momin (true believer) must leave space for God.
In truth no one can ever reach a level where they can claim
no weaknesses remain at all and that he has perfected absolutely all his endeavours.
One who says he will perfect his work to a degree that no gaps or flaws remain,
will result in his devastation and ruin.
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) explains that:
"At the same time, one who completely abstains from utilising outer means and resources
"will also lead to devastation.
"At present the European nations are already in ruin - they have not left space for God.
"On the other side Muslims put their trust in wrong things and do not struggle or make efforts."
Practically speaking, European nations no longer believe in God and
Muslims generally do not act with real trust in God and make wrong interpretations and deductions.
Hence normally the youth here in these countries mistakenly believe that
perhaps the Western countries have progressed and advanced after becoming distant from God
whereas the Muslims have regressed and declined due to holding on to their religion.
The reality is the Muslims are sitting idle and have lost their glory and strength
due to their incompetence, ineptitude and erroneous concepts of trust and reliance.
They have fallen prey to weakness. When they carry out endeavors, they adopt the wrong approach.
The Promised Messiah (as) says that there is a verse of the Holy Qur’an:
[Arabic]
"And in heaven is your sustenance, and also that which you are promised."
The Promised Messiah (as) says:
"A foolish person is misled by this and completely stops making plans and efforts."
Muslims think Allah said your provisions are in heaven and you will receive what you are promised
so they do not need to do anything anymore. Allah will send everything Himself.
The Promised Messiah (as) says: "However in Surah Juma, Allah the Almighty says:
[ARABIC]
'...then disperse in the land and seek of Allah's Grace...'
This means one should make an effort and struggle and utilise their faculties and capabilities.
"This is a very delicate point. On the one hand we are given permission to plan and make efforts
"and on the other to completely rely and trust in Allah.
"You should remember that you should plan to the maximum extent and
"make efforts and utilise all resources and facilities available and then rely on God.
"This is the true mark of a believer."
The Promised Messiah (as) says: "Satan has many opportunities to raises doubts in a believer."
Meaning, whilst both worldly resources and facilities are extremely important
as is reliance in God, so too is their inter-connection.
Satan tries to cause a chasm between these two aspects and cause one to falter in their faith.
"Some people stumble and become materialistic,
"while others consider the God-given abilities as useless.
"When the Holy Prophet (saw) would go for war,
"he would make preparations and take the horses and weapons with him.
"In fact, at times, he would wear double armour and have his sword hanging down from his waist,
"even though God Almighty had stated that ‘And Allah will protect thee from men’.
Thus, one is commanded to place trust in God only after having employed all measures.
Similarly, one should first strive in all his affairs
and thereafter is the command of placing trust in God,
otherwise one cannot receive the help of God Almighty.
A revelation of the Promised Messiah (as) is,
‘Kings shall seek blessings from thy garments’.
I shall present a very beautiful explanation which has been given by Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra)
He says, "God Almighty revealed to the Promised Messiah (as)
"that ‘Kings shall seek blessings from thy garments’
"and when that time comes when kings will seek blessings from his clothes,
"who will be such a fool to not seek the blessings from you?"
Hazrat Musleh Maud was addressing those who were sat before him.
"Clothes are lifeless items, however you are living.
At the time, those before him would have included the Companions, those who had seen the Companions,
or those who had met those who had seen the companions.
"Who would be such a fool to not seek blessings from you?
"Clothes are lifeless items while you are living.
"When the time comes when kings will seek blessings from the Promised Messiah’s garments
"then his companions, and those who have seen the companions
"and those who have met those who have seen the companions
"will also seek blessings from them according to their respective ranks.
"Have you not seen the length between Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa and the Holy Prophet (saw)"
i.e he was born much after the Holy Prophet (saw),
"however the King of Baghdad would seek blessings from him.
"In fact, not only would he seek blessings from him,
"but he would also seek blessings from his students.
"Therefore, you should continue to pray to God Almighty
"lest you become oppressors after acquiring power and as the saying goes [in Persian]
"that your deeds should not be done out of compulsion."
-your deeds should not be performed simply because there is no other option,
rather your deeds should be done in the real sense.
"If you become oppressors after acquiring power
"then your current gentle treatment will also be wasted and God Almighty will say that,
‘before, you had no nails therefore you were not able to scratch your head
'and now that I have given you nails, you have now started to scratch your head.’
"Thus, along with your celebrations you should also seek repentance
"and seek prayers for yourself and for other also."
This is very important because today we speak about peace and harmony,
however, when Ahmadis become the leaders/kings and people will try to seek blessings
even then, we should be promoting the message of peace and spreading love.
Otherwise what we are doing today will be merely something that is done out of necessity.
"Those days are not far when this revelation of the Promised Messiah (as),
that ‘Kings shall seek blessings from thy garments’ will be fulfilled.
"Kingship is gradually finishing,
"however the president or the head of a country is also a king.
"If the Prime Minister and President of Russia were to become Muslim,
"they too are nothing short of a King with regards to their status
"and they will seek blessings from the garments of the Promised Messiah (as).
"However, they will only begin to seek blessings from the Promised Messiah’s garments
"when you begin to seek the blessings from the Promised Messiah’s books."
This is a connection - The kings will seek blessings,
when you, the old Ahmadis and who are considered among the progeny of the Companions,
or the progeny of those who met the companions
or who met those who met those who had met the companions,
begin to seek blessings from the books of the Promised Messiah (as).
Seeking blessings from his book means that you read them and gain knowledge from them
and develop an understanding of those matters that relate to the true Islam.
"When you begin to search for the blessings in the books of the Promised Messiah (as), then
"God Almighty will create means whereby people will try and seek blessings from your garments.
"Tabligh [preaching] will happen and [the message] will spread and then kings will join
"and thereafter they will seek the blessings from the garments."
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra), addressing the Anjuman [administrative body], then said
"There are the blessed possessions of the Promised Messiah (as) and his clothes,
"however there is no proper system for storing them.
Now by the grace of God Almighty a lot of work has been done and is still ongoing
in Rabwah and Qadian and they are trying to preserve them.
However, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) drew the attention of the Anjuman
that it is their responsibility to preserve the blessed clothes of the Promised Messiah (as).
He said, "Expert Doctors or specialists in this field should be called,
"who can assess how to preserve the clothes of the Promised Messiah (as).
"They should be stored in glass cases in a way so they are preserved for hundreds of years to come.
"Or, they should be sent to countries where insects cannot effect the cloth,
"for instance, they could be sent to America so that they can remain preserved
"and future generations can seek blessings from them."
Hazrat Musleh Maud says, "After the demise of the Promised Messiah (as),
"it was the wish of our mother that on account of me being the eldest,
"I should be given the ring, ‘Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?’
"We were three brothers and there were also three rings
"but despite Hazrat Amma Jaan’s wish, she decided to draw them out of a lot.
"Surprisingly, the rings were drawn out of a lot three times and on all three occasions
"the ring, ‘Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?’ came to me.
"While the other ring, ‘I have planted my mercy and power with my own hand’
"went to Mian Bashir Ahmad Sahib," who was the brother of Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra).
"The third ring which was on Promised Messiah’s (as) finger during the time of his demise
"and has ‘Maula Bas’ written on it went to Mian Sharif Ahmad Sahib on all three occasions.
"Look how much influence Allah had. A mistake can be made if the names were only drawn once.
"But it was done three times and on all three occasions, the ring [with the revelation],
"‘Is Allah not sufficient for His servants?’ came out in my name.
"The ‘I have planted my mercy and power with my own hand’ ring came in Mian Bashir Ahmad's name.
"and the ring which had ‘Maula Bas’ written on it came out in Mian Sharif Ahmad Sahib’s name."
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says, "I intended to give the 'Is Allah not sufficient..' ring to the Jamaat
"however, how can I give it to the Jamaat at this moment in time..." (at the time of the address)
"when there is no system to safeguard it and until the Jamaat does not take responsibility for it.
"If this ring stays with my children
"then at least they will safeguard it by considering it as their property.
"However, my heart desires that instead of giving it to my children, I should give it to the Jamaat.
"Therefore, I have given a proposal that an image of the ring should be imprinted onto a paper
"and then should be printed in a large volume.
"Then, some stone rings should be prepared but before placing the stone in them,
"the paper with the image printed onto it should be placed into the hollow area of the ring.
"In this way these rings will have a direct link with the Promised Messiah’s (as) ring.
"Thus, the stone of the ring will have ‘Is Allah not sufficient for His servants?’ written on it
"and it will be imprinted underneath the stone. These rings will be sent to various countries.
"For instance, one ring should be sent to America, one to England and one to Switzerland.
"Similarly, these rings should be sent to other countries also
"so that the blessings of the Promised Messiah can be safeguarded in every country."
Later, Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) decided to give the ring ‘Is Allah not sufficient?’ to Khilafat
and said it should be given to whomever is Khalifa after him and it is continuing from then.
Hazrat Musleh Maud says, "A few days ago I found an old writing of the Promised Messiah (as).
"I sent it to Indonesia for safekeeping there and so the Jama’at can partake from its blessings."
Only those in Indonesia can tell us whether it is still preserved or not.
"The revelation mentions clothes, i.e. God Almighty revealed to the Promised Messiah (as)
"that 'Kings shall seek blessings from your garments.'
"Thus, we should send the clothes of the Promised Messiah to places where insects cannot affect them
"so they remain preserved for a long to come."
He then told the youth that they should come forward and understand their responsibility
because the youth are more capable of making arrangements in new and better ways.
This is because they have been educated in light of new findings, education and sciences.
Hazrat Musleh Maud says,"They should utilise these into the service of Islam so that
"you too can witness the days when every country professes belief in the Holy Prophet (saw)."
The books of the Promised Messiah (as) were mentioned.
I shall mention how the books of the Promised Messiah (as) were published in the early days.
When the books were being published in the early days, resources were very limited.
Describing how the Promised Messiah (as) would tolerate the demands of the scribes
and how he would try to maintain a good standard of the publication,
Hazrat Musleh Maud (ra) says regarding Hazrat Mir Mahdi Hassan Sahib that, at the time,
"\He was not Ahmadi but was In-Charge Publications during the time of the Promised Messiah (as)
"Whenever a copy of the Promised Messiah’s book was published,
"he would read it very carefully (this is regarding the time of much later on).
"He would discard the copy even if a full stop was in the wrong place and have a new one written.
"Those who were working would have nothing to do until the new copy was not prepared."
The system for press and composing was different; not like now when computers can immediately print
yet there still make countless mistakes in this day and age.
"Once the new copy would be prepared, he would read it again
"and if he noticed any error then he would again discard it and not allow the book to be published
"until he was certain that it was free from errors.
"The Promised Messiah (as) would enquire, 'Why it is taking so long for the book to be published?
"He would reply that, 'Huzoor, there are lots of mistakes in the proof.'
"The Promised Messiah (as) would also want it neat and good,
"so he would not be concerned that workers were sitting idle and taking salaries without working."
He was not worried that the scribes or the other workers were sitting doing nothing.
He wanted good quality, therefore he would say it is fine because the standard has to be good,
there is no harm even if the workers sit and do nothing for a few days and still get paid.
"The Promised Messiah (as) desired to present things before people which were of good quality.
"The Promised Messiah (as) also had the habit that he would rip the book
"if it contained even the slightest mistake and would say to write it again.
"The scribe would begin to write the book again and if again there was any mistake
"then he would tear it and would not send the book for publication until it was of a good quality.
"The person whom the Promised Messiah (as) used as a scribe was not an Ahmadi at first
"but later accepted Ahmadiyyat and his son also became an Ahmadi.
"He had the quality that he recognised the status of the Promised Messiah (as)
"and the Promised Messiah (as) recognised his status also.
"Despite not being Ahmadi, whenever the Promised Messiah (as) needed a scribe,
"he would be called to Qadian.
"In those days, salaries were very low; they would receive 25 Rupees per month and food allowance.
"The scribe had a habit that whenever he would approach towards the end of his work,
"he would go to the Promised Messiah (as) and say,
"‘Huzoor! I have come to say Salaam, kindly grant me permission to leave’.
"The Promised Messiah would reply, ‘Why? What is the hurry? Books are still being published.’
"He would say ‘I must leave.' The Promised Messiah would say that ‘we still have some writing to do’.
"He would reply, ‘Huzoor! I have to make food here and my whole day is spent in it.
'Should I make food or write? The whole day is spent in making food’.
"The Promised Messiah would reply, ‘I shall arrange for your food from the Langar. ’
"Thus, he would earn 35 Rupees in salary and also eat for free.
"A few days later he would again present himself before the Promised Messiah and say,
"‘Huzoor! I have come to say Salaam, kindly grant me permission to leave.’
"The Promised Messiah would enquire why?
"He said, ‘Is the Langar food even proper food Lentils and water are separate. There is no salt.'
At times, here it is also cooked in the same manner.
'At times, they put so much spices that one has to eat the bread on its own.
'A person cannot work after eating this food.’
"The Promised Messiah (as) would say, ‘Ok, tell me what I should do then?’
"He replied, ‘Give me a separate amount - I am better off making my own than having this food.
'I will prepare my own food.’
"The Promised Messiah would increase his salary by a further 10 Rupees and
"would say, ‘now, you will receive 45 Rupees.’" He started from 25 and was now on 45 Rupees.
After ten days, he would again come to the Promised Messiah (as) and say,
‘I have come to say Salaam and request permission to leave. I cook all day, how can I work?’
"The Promised Messiah would reply, ‘What shall we do then?’
"He would say, ‘Huzoor! Make arrangements for food in the Langar Khana .’
"The Promised Messiah would say, ‘OK, you will continue to receive 45 Rupees
"and I will also arrange for your food in the Langar Khana.’
"He would return back to work but after a few days again come and say,
"‘Huzoor! I have come to say Salaam, kindly grant me permission to leave’.
"Huzoor would enquire the matter and he would say, ‘Huzoor! I cannot eat the food from the Langar .
'Is this food? If you can give me 10 Rupees for food, I will make my own arrangements.'
"The Promised Messiah increased it by a further 10 Rupees to 55 Rupees.
"He was familiar with the Promised Messiah’s (as) disposition and thus had trained his son that he
"would run after him with a stick. The son would enter the Promised Messiah's room making noise.
"Thus the father would run after the son with a stick and the son would
"run into the Promised Messiah's room screaming 'He is beating me, he is beating me!'
"The father would arrive and say to the son, ‘Get out here immediately and let me deal with you!’
"The Promised Messiah would say, “What is the matter and why do you hit a child?”
"The father would reply 'Seven or eight days ago, I bought him shoes.
'He lost them but I did not say anything and bought new ones. He then lose those shoes.
'I do not have the ability to get him new shoes again. And so I am going to chastise him today.
'If I do not, he will lose his shoes again.'
"The Promised Messiah said, 'How much do new shoes cost?' to which he would reply 'Three rupees'.
"The Promised Messiah would then say 'Ok take three rupees but do not scold your son.'
"He took the rupees but not even four days later, the son would come screaming to Hazoor's room
The father would run after his son with a stick and would say as before 'Get out here now.
'I let you go on the Promised Messiah's insistence but this time I will not leave you alone.'
"The Promised Messiah would ask 'What is the matter why do you hit your child?'
"He said, “That day on your insistence, I let him go but today I will not. He lost his shoes again.'
"The Promised Messiah would say “Do not hit him - take the amount for the new shoe from me.”
"So the amount he quoted he would attain from the Promised Messiah and say
'I did not intend to let my son off this time, however, upon your insistence, I have done so.'
"So he kept acting in this way.
"But he was such a good scribe that the Promised Messiah would only have his books written by him.
"The Promised Messiah was not satisfied to give this work to an ordinary scribe
"who would ruin parts of it as this would lower the standard of the book in the eyes of others."
So, although this was a joke in the way he kept mentioning the shoe and asking for more money,
it also reveals to us the exceptional concern the Promised Messiah had to publish his books.
He wanted to present the best possible quality and material to the non-Ahmadis that he could
in order to defend Islam and demonstrate its beauty.
He wanted the best quality for Ahmadis to increase knowledge and display Islam in the best light.
Thus we should especially read the books of the Promised Messiah.
This will increase our religious knowledge and also inspire us to carry out preaching.
Our knowledge will be blessed. We will be capable of drawing the world under the banner of Islam.
The real blessing is that the Muslim kings and leaders learn the true Islam
and lead their lives in accordance with it.
In truth virtually all Muslim kings and leaders today act contrary to the teachings of Islam.
They make statements on the basis of Islam while their hearts are pursing vested interests.
They carry out injustices and cruelty.
So we should have the real knowledge the Promised Messiah imparted to us because
it is through him that Islam will spread, and people will gain blessings through his garments.
Kings who will accept through him will learn about true Islam and these will be the real blessings
for which we must acquire the true teachings and conduct our preaching in accordance with it.
The youth should also give attention towards this.
Only then will kings seek blessings from the Promised Messiah’s garments and
will be enlightened by the true nature of this prophecy.
We will then come to understand this and be able to carry out preaching the proper way.
May Allah give us all the ability to understand this.
After the Friday prayers I will lead funeral prayers -
two funerals where the deceased are present here and one is in absentia.
The first is of Chaudhry Abdul Aziz Dogar Sahib who lived here in Coventry for a time.
He died on 11 January 2016 at the age of 87.
Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.
He was the son of Master Chirag Din, a Companion of the Promised Messiah (as).
They originated from a village near Qadian called Khara.
Mastar Chirag Din Sahib also had the honour of being classmates with Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad.
His father had the honour of doing the Bai’at at the hands of the Promised Messiah.
Ahmadiyyat entered Khara through his grandfather, Hazrat Chaudhry Ameer Baksh Sahib.
Chaudhry Abdul Aziz Dogar Sahib was enabled to serve the Jama’at his entire life.
For almost 31 years he worked in the medicine store Khidmat-e-Khalq with Hazrat Musleh Maud.
This was Hazrat Musleh Maud’s own store and he taught Chaudhry Aziz medicine.
In the era of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh), he was sent by the headquarters
to the Gambia, Germany and other countries to oversee the setup of various facilities.
He was also enabled to help build various Jama’t buildings.
Whilst living in Rabwah, he served as Moatim Muqami and also in Tehrik-e-Jadid.
In 1974, he had the honour of being a prisoner in the way of God.
He served as Chairman, Ahmadi Medical Association and President of the Ahmadi Trade Association.
In 1999, he moved from London to Coventry where, until his demise,
he was serving as Secretary Tarbiyyat and Secretary Wasiyya.
Despite the many illnesses he faced, he tried to attend all Jama’at functions.
I noticed wherever I went on tour, such as Germany, I would see he had travelled there also.
He was ill recently yet though great struggle went to Holland for the Dutch Parliament function.
He published books such as the life of Hazrat Amaan Jaan and of Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad Sahib
and also a compilation of the prayers of the Promised Messiah
and a book of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahib on beautiful statements of the Promised Messiah.
He was an extremely sincere, devout, friendly and pious individual.
He had a deep connection with Khilafat of devotion and loyalty.
With the Grace of Allah he was a Musi.
He has four daughters and three sons and his sons are also being enabled to serve in Germany.
His daughter is the Sadr of Midlands here in the UK.
His brother Ameen Tayyab says, “When in 1947, we migrated,
"he lifted our mother on his shoulders due to her illness from Qadian to Sialkot."
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV has mentioned this service in one of his sermons.
During the partition their village Khara was near to Qadian.
There, he would give security duties and he bravely made arrangements to safeguard the women.
For the protection of the Darvaishan Qadian and to procure release of prisoners in the way of God,
Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud sent a delegation to the leaders of India.
Hazrat Mirza Bashir Ahmad was the head of this delegation and the deceased was also a part of it.
Ilyas Munir Sahib says “He headed many projects yet I have seen him working like a labourer.
"When he had to buy construction material, he would search from place to place
"for the best quality products at the cheapest price for the Jama’at to save money."
Love and devotion for Khilafat was his foundational principle.
He once suffered knee pains and said, "This is merely short-term pain and cannot be permanent
"because once Hazrat Musleh Maud used my right knee as support to climb onto a horse.
"So out of these blessings I hope and expect that the pain will not sustain."
With the Grace of Allah he was thus able to walk about.
During a period of time, he faced some difficult circumstances and tribulations
but, with the Grace of Allah, he endured these with great loyalty and preserved his faith.
May Allah Almighty grant him forgiveness, mercy and bestow him a place among His beloved ones.
May his progeny always be enabled to maintain a bond of loyalty with the Jama’at and Khilafat.
The second funeral is of Iqbal Naseem Azmat Butt Sahiba, wife of Ghulam Sarwar Butt Sahib.
She passed away on 13th January at the age of 94.
Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.
She was a paternal granddaughter of Hazrat Karam Ilahi Sahib, a companion of the Promised Messiah,
maternal granddaughter of Hazrat Meera Baksh Sahib
and daughter-in-law of Hazrat Sheikh Muhammad Baksh Sahib
for whom the Promised Messiah wrote and sent the poem, "One day you have to present yourself..."
She was extremely pious, sincere, strict in observance of prayers, friendly, hospitable
and one who helped and assisted all other.
She had a bond of devotion with Khilafat. She was a Musiya. She leaves three sons and two daughters.
Her nephew Naseem Afzal Butt is Regional Ameer.
May Allah the Almighty grant her forgiveness and mercy.
The funeral in absentia is of Sadiqqa Sahiba, wife of Qurieshi Muhammad Shafee Abid, Darvaish Qadian.
She passed away on 6 January 2016 at the age of 89 years after suffering long duration of illness.
Surely to Allah we belong and to Him we shall return.
She was the paternal granddaughter of Hazrat Munshi Mehr Din Sahib Patwari
and the daughter of Hakeem Abdullah Sahib. She was married before the partition.
She migrated to Pakistan for a few years but returned with the first group to Qadian.
She lived with her husband in a Dawashi lifestyl of extreme simplicity and with great humility.
She was a Musiya.
Despite weak financial circumstances, she gave very openly to all financial contribution schemes.
Regular in Tahajjud, she was immersed with Taqwah.
She would teach the local children of the neigbourhood the Holy Qur’an.
She had a relationship of affection and loyalty with Khilafat.
She leaves behind two sons and five daughters.
One of her sons Qurishi Afzal Sahib is Naib Nazir Isha’at [publications] Qadian.
Another son Qurishi Muhammad Rahmatullah Sahib is serving as an auditor.
One son-in-law is serving the Jama’at in Qadian. Another is serving as a missionary in Lahore.
May Allah Almighty exalt the deceased's status and enable her progeny to serve with loyalty.
All praise is due to Allah.
We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection;
we confide in Him, we trust Him alone
and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls
and from the bad results of our deeds.
Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him;
and whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path.
And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah.
He is alone and has no partner.
We bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and Messenger.
O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you.
Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other
and to do good to others as one does to one's kindred
and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves
and evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority.
He warns you against being unmindful.
You remember Allah; He too will remember you;
call Him and He will make a response to your call.
And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.
