Tarbiyyat Programme 2016-2018 -...

Tarbiyyat Programme 2016-2018

Dear sisters, Assalamo Alaikum wa Rahmatollah We present to you the Tarbiyyat programme for 2016-2018. Repeatedly we have heard our beloved Khalifa, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad aba ask us to self-analyse and to reflect on our shortcomings and the areas we need to improve. In the Friday sermon of June 5th 2015 our beloved Huzoor aba said:

‘We need to self-reflect. It is fundamental that every commandment of the Holy Qur’an should bring about positive change in us and as explained by The Promised Messiah (peace be on him) we have to forge new earth and new heaven.’

Therefore, in response to our Khalifa, this Tarbiyyat Programme has been prepared to give each of us a start us on this journey of self-reflection, and improvement and the understanding of what the consequences are if we decide not to improve ourselves and not to take this ‘journey’ our Khalifa has asked us to. Huzoor’s aba expectations are all based around the promises we make to Allah the Almighty when we take part in Bai’at and refresh our beliefs. Huzoor aba said:

‘We should not be simply pleased that we have taken Bai’at. We need to attain the standard of Bai’at which is, as clearly understood from the meanings of the very word Bai’at, to sell oneself.’

(Hadhrat Khalifa tul Masiv V aba, 5th December 2014) Therefore, we have decided to split this programme according to the Ten Conditions of Bai'at which are spread over 2 years. For this programme to be successful we must put 100% effort into working towards making a change first within ourselves, thus leading to reformation of our families, Jammat and communities, Inshallah. We, the central Tarbiyyat department are always here for you and we will support you to the utmost of our ability in this journey.

Finally, we would like to thank the all involved in producing this Programme for their

valued contribution in the preparation of this syllabus.

Our prayer is that all sisters are able to benefit from this Programme. AmeenNational

Tarbiyyat Department, UK.

Guidelines for Secretaries Dear Secretaries, Assalamo Alaikum wa Rahmatollah We would like to present this syllabus to you as a guide to assist you with the topics set for each term. We understand that sometimes it is difficult to read out big chunks of text as it is sitting down in a meeting and listening to them-especially amongst youngsters. The main aim of this syllabus and these topics are to focus on self-analysing and constantly thinking about the decisions we make. We do not expect you to read whole passages during a general meeting however, you could send some parts through e-mails and carry out the discussion tasks/activities in the meeting. Discussions attract more attention. It can open up ways for communication and bring to the forefront some points you might need to address in the future that is specific to your halqa/area. Through talk and communication it is known to be more beneficial to get messages across. There might be some points which you might need help to address. Please do keep in constant contact by e-mailing the Tarbiyyat department as this department requires a lot of team work. We hope and pray that this syllabus proves to be helpful to both you and your members. Ameen Wasalam, National Tarbiyyat Department, UK.

The Ten conditions of Bai’at

1. That till the last day of his life, he shall abstain from shirk (associating any

partners with Allah).

2. That he shall keep away from falsehood, cruelty, adultery, dishonesty,

disorder, rebellion and every kind of evil.

3. That he shall offer prayers (Salat) five times daily.

4. That he shall not inflict injury on any of Allah’s creatures.

5. That he would bear every hardship for the sake of Allah.

6. That he shall not follow vulgar customs and guard against evil inclinations.

7. That he shall discard pride and haughtiness, live in humility & meekness.

8. That he shall hold his faith, dignity, and the welfare of Islam dearer than his

own life, wealth and children.

9. That he shall have sympathy for all of God’s creatures, and devote his talents

to their welfare.

10. That he shall establish brotherhood with me (i.e.Ahmad), obeying me in all

good things, and firmly adhere to these rules until the last breadth of his life.

https://www.alislam.org/library/history/ahmadiyya/10.html

https://www.alislam.org/library/history/ahmadiyya/10.html

Almighty Allah commanded the Promised Messiahas to take Bai’at. The divine

commandment was conveyed in the following words:

“And when you made up your mind, then trust Allah.

And, make an ark before Our eyes and according to Our

revelation.

Those who take a pledge at your hand take a pledge with

Allah. Allah’s hand is above their hands.”

(Ishtihar, December 1, 1888, p. 2, Conditions of Bai’at & Responsibilities of

an Ahmadi, https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf,

p.9)

https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf

Table of contents 2016-2017 First Quarter - Condition I

Associating Partners with Allah (Shirk) Oneness of God (Toheed) Fear of Allah (Taqwah)

Second Quarter - Condition II

Falsehood (Jhut)/ Adultery (Zanaa) / Trespasses of the Eye (Badnazri) Wickedness and Immorality (Fisq o Fujur) Dishonesty (Khayanat) / Mischief (Fasad) / Rebellion (Baghawat)

Third Quarter - Condition III

Observing the 5 daily Prayers (Salat) / Tahajjud To send blessings on the Holy Prophet saw (Durud) / To seek forgiveness (Istaghfar) Praise of Allah (Hamd)

Fourth Quarter – Condition IV & V

Sympathy to the creatures of this world (Hamdardi - e Khalq) Steadfastness (Istiqamat)

2017-2018 First Quarter – Condition VI

Unislamic Customs Word of Allah (Qaal Allah) Word of the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) (Qaal a Rasul saw)

Second Quarter – Condition VII

Cheerfulness & Forbearance Humility & Meekness Preide & Haughtiness

Third Quarter – Condition VIII & IX

Service of Mankind Importance of Pledge

Fourth Quarter – Condition X

Love of the Promised Messiah as

Obedience to the Promised Messiah as

Obedience of Khilafat

First Quarter 2016-2017

Condition I

Abstaining from Shirk

Establishing Tauheed

The Path of Taqwa

Abstaining from Shirk

(Associating Partners with Allah)

Condition I

“The initiate shall solemnly promise that he/she shall abstain from

Shirk [associating any partner with God] right up to the day of his/her death.”

Introduction:

In this chapter, we wish to give you the understanding that shirk is something that can

be committed easily in our daily lives. There are different forms of shirk, some are

obvious and easy to spot such as worshipping stones while others are more covert

and subtle. Reflecting on the first condition of Bai’at will make us appreciate the finer

concepts of Shirk, will help us examine our every action to avoid it and become closer

to Allah.

Abstaining from Shirk is the first condition of Bai’at. It means not to associate partners

with Allah the Almighty. This is first step towards goodness because abstaining from

shirk is one form of leaving the evil (Tarke Shar) and the first step to be closer to Allah

the Almighty. Abandoning Shirk enables us to create a connection with Allah and help

us to truly abide by the 1st pillar of Islam-There is none worth of worship expect Allah

and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the servant and

messenger of Allah.

According to the Holy Quran, shirk is a great sin and Zulmun Azeem - a grievous

wrong.

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran:

“And remember when Luqman said to his son while exhorting him, ‘O

my dear son! associate not partners with Allah. Surely, associating

partners with God is a grievous wrong.” [31:14]

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) said in his Friday sermon

delivered on 23rd March 2012,

“Each Ahmadi who claims to have taken the Bai’at of the Promised Messiah

(on whom be peace) should be very acutely mindful that it is a huge

responsibility. The task of the second phase of Islam which began with the

Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) requires that his followers instil a

revolutionary change in themselves so that they may partake the blessings

that are associated with the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).”

(Friday Sermon, March 23 2012)

Therefore, our goal this term is to understand the depth and breadth of this

revolutionary change in light of the first condition of Bai’at. Our goal is to reflect and

identify the areas that we need to work on and then to make every effort to bring about

these changes.

The forms of Shirk:

There are many hidden forms or Shirk. Allah the Exalted has likened uttering

falsehood/dishonesty to idol worship or shirk (The Holy Quran 22:31). Therefore,

whatever Allah the Exalted has said about shirk, applies also to lying.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) has spoken thoroughly on

this matter in his Friday Sermon of June 21st 2013.

When someone lies, they give something else or someone else a stronger

position than Allah.

We should have trust in Allah’s judgements and believe in Allah enough to not

be afraid and speak the truth in all circumstances.

To help put this into context, imagine that Allah’s camera is recording your every

move. You may get away with lies in the near term but if you know He is

watching, you can be sure you will not get away with it.

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) states in his Urdu poetry: ‘Daro

Yaaro ke woh beena Khuda Hai’3 which means “beware friends! For He is

an All-Seeing God”. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) has in many

of his books and poetry reminded us of this attribute of Allah the Almighty.

That He is ‘All-Seeing’. Therefore, we must always be aware of the fact that

He is always watching over us.

Showing-off, following one’s desires and giving them priority over Allah’s

commandments are all referred to as a form of shirk in Hadith:

“….my people will not worship the sun and the moon, the idol and the

stone, they will suffer from ostentations in their actions and they will be

prey to their hidden desires. One of them will start the day fasting but

then he will come across a desire and he will break the fast and indulge

in his desire.”

(Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal,vol. 4. p. 124, printed in Beirut)

Even if one does not indulge in worshipping idols or the natural elements,

depending completely on worldly means alone, is also a form of shirk as the

Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) says:

“Shirk here does not merely mean bowing before stones, etc.; rather,

it is also shirk that you should depend entirely on worldly means and

emphasise worldly idols. This is what shirk is.”

(Al-Hakam, vol. 7, No. 24, June 30, 1903, p. 11)

Undue flattery of a superior in hope of future sustenance is also a form of shirk.

Expectations from children as means of support and security for the future is a

form of shirk.

Activities

Sometimes, it can be hard to picture what is expected of us in action. True incidents

can help us apply the lessons learnt into our daily lives and help us accomplish our

true tasks in this world. Read the following faith-inspiring true incidents and have a

discussion about the lessons you learn.

True incidents

1) Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) explained a true incident

from the life of Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih I (May Allah be pleased with him), in his

Friday sermon:

“Once Hazrat Maulvi sahib was coming back from Kashmir via

Rawalpindi, when he ran out of money. He says when I expressed my

concern, (Hazrat Maulvi sahib) said that he would sell the horse he

was riding, it would readily sell for around four to five hundred rupees

giving him enough money. He had bought the horse for 700 rupees.

He says that a little while later the horse developed severe abdominal

pain and died by the time he reached Rawalpindi. He says (Maulvi

sahib) was pacing up and down (we had to pay the tonga fare), I said

that the tonga driver was asking for the fare. He replied with sorrow,

“Nurruddin’s God is lying dead over there, now let’s pray to the real

God, He is the best Provider”. A little later a Sikh brought his father

who was old and ill. (Hazrat Maulvi sahib) examined him and gave a

prescription. He says the consultation fetched enough money for the

journey all the way to Jamun.

(Hayat-i-Nur pp168-9)

Even if by mistake Hazrat Maulvi sahib relied on a worldly source, he

didn’t start wailing when he lost that source. Instead, he remembered

God with complete confidence and prayed. And God helped him in an

unexpected manner”

(Friday Sermon, May 16, 2014)

2) There is an incident in the life of Hadrat Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan’s (May Allah

be pleased with him) mother that shows how much she detested shirk.

“It is said that many of her children died in their infancy. Once, a child

fell ill and was being treated for his illness. Someone came to visit her

and left an amulet as a curative charm for him. A woman attempted to

put that charm around the child’s neck. The mother snatched it and

threw it into fire, saying: ‘My full trust is in my Creator and the Master;

these amulets hold no significance for me.’ Later, when the child was

of two months, she took him to her in-laws in Daska and stayed there

for six months. Now the child was eight months old. She brought him

to her parents’ home. After six days, the same woman—Jay Devi—

visited her once again. She kissed the boy and asked the mother for

some garments and grains suggesting that they would ward off some

evil from the child. In response, the mother said: ‘You are a poor

widow; if you want something as charity, I will be happy to give it to

you as much as I can afford, but I am not among those who believe in

evil spirits. To me Allah the Almighty alone is the Master of life and

death. I do not accept anything else as having any hand in these

matters. For me, such thoughts are like associating partners with God.

I hate them very much. For this very reason I am not willing to give you

anything at all.’ Jay Devi responded: ‘Think it over; if you wish to save

the life of your child, you must give me what I have asked for.’ After a

few days, as the mother was giving a bath to [the same baby boy], Jay

Devi visited once again and pointing to the child, making a gesture,

said: ‘So is he the same prince?’ The mother replied in the affirmative

saying: ‘Yes, this is the one!’ Jay Devi asked for the same articles once

again, but she firmly refused to give her anything. At this, Jay Devi got

annoyed and said: ‘All right! If you return home with your child alive,

only then you can say that I was lying!’ She replied: ‘Whatever shall

happen, that shall be the will of God!’ Jay Devi turned to leave and she

was still in the porch, when during the bath right there and then Zafar

vomited blood and also discharged blood from his bowels, and within

moments his condition became extremely critical. Subsequently,

within hours, he passed away. The mother entreated to Allah the

Almighty in these words: ‘O, My Lord! You are the One who gave him

to me and You are the One who have taken Him away! I am content

with Your will! Please grant me resolve to remain patient!’ Then, she

returned to Daskah [her home town] with an empty lap.”

(Ashab-e-Ahmad, vol. 2, pp. 15–16, published in 1969)

Below are some relevant questions which have previously been asked of the Tarbiyyat

department. Discuss.

Q: A girl was recently married, and a few days afterwards her father-in law was

involved in a serious car crash and was critically injured. Certain relatives are

considering her to be unlucky. Discuss this question in light of Shirk; what

would be your advice to them?

A possible answer could include:

“Every statement, or every deed, which is revered in a manner that befits

Almighty Allah alone, is an idol in the sight of Allah.”

(Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, page 349)

Extra Activities

How can the following be regarded as associates of Allah? Discuss and make your

family aware of these too.

one’s ego

one’s cunning or deceit

Multimedia

When you read through this chapter you might wish to find out more or some questions

might still be unanswered. To help with this we have found some internet links that

give a detailed discussion on the subject of Shirk.

1. Conditions of Bai’at and the Responsibilities of an Ahmadi


2. Does God forgive those who do Shirk- Rahe Huda

http://ahmadiyyaarchive.org/video/9JoGM4Vlyj0/does-god-forgive-those-who-

do-shirk

3. Questions about God and Existence of God

http://youtu.be/Pa4aJMIXDS0

4. ‘Harmful Innovations in Religion’

https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2010-10-29.html

References

1. The Holy Quran Chapter 31: Verse 14, English Translation by Hazrat Maulvi

Sher Ali (May Allah be pleased with him)

2. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Summary Friday

Sermon March 23rd 2012,

http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2012-03-

23.html

3. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Durre Sameen, page 32

https://www.alislam.org/urdu/pdf/DurreSameen.pdf

4. Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal,vol. 4. p. 124, printed in Beirut, cited in

Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 17,


5. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Al-Hakam, vol. 7, No. 24, June

30, 1903, p. 11, cited in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an

Ahmadi, page 16, https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf

6. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, March

26, 2010, English subtitles run on MTA, translated by the review of religions

team


http://ahmadiyyaarchive.org/video/9JoGM4Vlyj0/does-god-forgive-those-who-do-shirk

http://ahmadiyyaarchive.org/video/9JoGM4Vlyj0/does-god-forgive-those-who-do-shirk

http://youtu.be/Pa4aJMIXDS0


http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2012-03-23.html


https://www.alislam.org/urdu/pdf/DurreSameen.pdf



7. Ashab-e-Ahmad, vol. 2, pp. 15–16, published in 1969, cited in Conditions of

Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 208


8. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, page

349, cited in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 18,




Establishing Tauheed

(The Oneness and Unity of Allah)

Condition I



Introduction

It is explicitly noticeable that the first condition of Bai’it is about shirk. But take a closer

look. Within the 1st condition of Bai’at, we are met with the concept of Tauheed which

is to believe in the One God Almighty- Allah. Therefore, our goal is to achieve what

the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) had wished for mankind:

“Above all, it is my task to re-establish in people’s hearts the eternal plant of

the pure and shining unity”

(Friday Sermon, March 25 2016)

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) explains that:

“The purpose of the advent of the Promised Messiah’s was to establish true

Tauheed and to set lofty examples with regard to fulfilling our obligations

towards God and His creatures” (Friday

Sermon, March 25 2016)

With this in mind, what are our responsibilities regarding establishment of

Unity?

To believe in unity, one must admonish worldly fears and give importance to the fear

of Allah. We must not strive to please the people of this world, but should try their best

to please Allah the almighty alone and try to walk this path throughout their lives.

Therefore our responsibility should involve helping one another to promote these

qualities. Once this fear of displeasing Allah takes root in our hearts, it then needs to

be reflected in our actions by establishing high standards of worship of our one true

God.

What is Tauheed?

To believe that Allah is One, He is the sole creator of everything and everyone and He

alone is the provider for all, is called Tauheed. Belief in the Oneness of God means

that all what we believe in springs from this fountain-head of eternal truth.

“Verily, I am Allah; there is no God beside Me. So serve Me, and

observe Prayer for My remembrance.” [20:15]

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) explains that:

“Unity of God does not simply mean that you say lailaha illAllah with your

tongue but hide hundreds of idols in your heart.”

(Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, Page

349)

The first step that we discussed previously is to put Allah the Almighty first and

to get rid of any idols that might become an obstacle between you and your

Lord. This includes any egotistic thoughts or pride of any sort.

The second step is purifying our thoughts in such a way that we truly consider

God to be unique in every sense.

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) explains that:

“No Unity can be complete without the following three types of

descriptions1. First, there is the Unity of Being—that is, to conceive the

whole universe as non-existent in contrast with Him and to consider it

mortal and lacking reality.

(Which means thinking of God alone to be the only reality)

Secondly, the Unity of Attributes—that is that Rabbiyyat [Lordship] and

Uluhiyyat [Godhead] are confined to His Being and that all others who

1 Particularizations changed to descriptions.

appear as sustainers or benefactors are only a part of the system set

up by His hand.

Thirdly, the Unity of love, sincerity and devotion—that is, that your love

for Him should be exclusive”.

(Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, Page 349-

350)

Human nature can sometimes make us consider our own capabilities and

capacities to be the reason of success. A belief in the Unity of God can help us

get rid of thoughts that point to our self to be the reason of our successes and

truly consider and reflect on Allah’s blessings to be the only reason of our

success.

The concept of the Unity of Allah will also help us to understand the unity of

humankind- which is that all man-made barriers (race, ethnicity, nationality) are

insignificant and all humans are created equal.

Unity also helps us form consistency between our views and actions and

between our relationship with God and our fellow beings. Once we accomplish

this, we are then connected onto the single chain of unbreakable unity.

Activities





True Incident

1) Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul- Masih IV (May Allah have mercy on him)

related a true incident during the opening address at Jalsa UK 1992. He stated:

“In the early history of Islam the Holy Prophet had prayed for the victory

of Muslims against their powerful enemy at the battle of Badr. He

beseeched Allah for His help saying that if this small band of Muslims

be annihilated (God forbid) then there would be no one left to proclaim

and worship the Unity of God.

O Ahmadis! O Ahmadis! O the Ahmadiyya Community in Islam! You

have been commissioned to discharge this sacred work. If you become

negligent then you will be responsible for your own destruction. If you

are destroyed, then the Unity of Allah will be effaced from the world.

…. Recognition of the Unity of God is not only necessary for your

salvation but also for the whole of mankind.”

(Review of religions, November 1992)

2) Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) explained a true incident

from the life of Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih II (May Allah be pleased with him) in his

Friday sermon:

“Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him) related that an

earthquake struck in line with the Promised Messiah’s (on whom be

peace) prophecy regarding earthquakes. A medical student in Lahore

used to bitterly argue against the existence of God at the time. When

the earthquake struck he felt as if the ceiling was going to cave in and

he was convinced that no power could save him. This is when he cried

out: Ram, Ram! His background was Hindu. Next day his colleagues

asked him what had happened to him the day before he did not even

believe in God. He replied he had no idea what had happened but he

had lost his senses. Truth is that was the only time he had been in his

senses and saw only One source of help! As long as man sees other

sources of help he is drawn to them and as long as other sources are

evident to him he flatters them to the point of disparaging others in

front of them. But when he can see no other source of help he calls

out to God!”

(Friday Sermon, 28th November 2014)

3) Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) relates another incident:

“In 1918 during WWI Germany attacked the Allied Forces with great

strength and a time came when the Allied Forces were in immense

danger. Their seven-mile-long defence line was destroyed and a gap

was created in their defence through which Germany could attack and

destroy them. The General in command at the front line said to the

Commander in Chief that he did not have the manpower to rectify the

broken defence line and the situation was beyond him. It was felt that

they would be destroyed and France and Britain will be eliminated.

When a telegram was sent the Prime Minister was chairing an

important meeting of his minsters. There was nothing he could do.

Even if there were army reserves they could not be deployed in the

time they had. Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him)

said although Europe followed Christianity, upon looking closely one

finds it hollow and the people very materialistic. Indeed, materialistic

Europe was very proud of its resources at the time and governments

are arrogant anyhow because they have power. At that time their

biggest leader who was ever high on power and glory felt that there

was no way out. He turned to his colleagues and said let us turn to

God and seek help. And they knelt down to pray.”

(Friday Sermon, 28th November 2014)



Q: A girl is of a marriageable age and her parents wish for her to get married.

The proposal you have suggested to the family is of a particular caste, and even

though the man is a devout and pious Ahmadi with a good education, they are

reluctant to agree simply due to his caste. How should you explain to her

parents that their ideas go against the concept of the Unity of God?

A possible answer could include the concept of Unity and all humans are created

equal. To hold such a thing as caste above all, excludes all ties with Unity and goes

against the conditions of Ba’ait.

“Families that are ruining their homes over trivial worldly matters should reflect and

ponder over this. Your next generation does not only belong to you, it is also an asset

of the Jama'at and the nation”


Extra Activities

Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) explains that

“We should be mindful that as Ahmadis who have taken Bai’at of the Imam

of the age and have pledged to live our lives to please God and to turn to

God in hard times and in good times we strongly need to comprehend the

subject of: ‘Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for

help’.

We should self-reflect and see what is it that we have to do and what is it

that we are doing. Is our standard of worship and calling for God’s help in

line with what God has enjoined or do we repeat ‘Thee alone do we worship

and Thee alone do we implore for help’ thirty-two times a day in parrot-like

fashion and nothing more!” (Friday Sermon,

28th November 2014)

In your next Salat reflect on the verse ‘Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do

we implore for help’ ponder and evaluate yourself in light of Huzoor’s (May Allah be

his Helper) saying. Try doing it a few times a day to begin with and progress daily, the

aim should be to reflect on it each of the thirty-two times.

Multimedia



give a detailed discussion on the subject of Tauheed.

1. The Holy Quran in proof of the Unity of God

https://www.alislam.org/v/68.html



2. Establishment of Tauheed by Khilafate Ahmadiyya


3. Friday Sermon, 9th September 2011,

https://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/summary/FST20110909-EN.pdf

4. Unity of God in the light of Surah Ikhlas,

https://www.alislam.org/quran/HolyQuran/articles/00000233.html

References:


25 2016, https://www.alislam.org/tj/sermons/FSJ20160325-EN.pdf

2. The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 20: Verse 10 English Translation by Hazrat

Maulawi Sher Ali (May Allah be pleased with him)

3. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, Page

349, cited in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 17-

18, https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf

4. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol 12, Page

349-350, cited in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page

18-19, https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf

5. Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV (May Allah have mercy on him), Summary of

opening address delivered on July 31, 1992, Review of religions, November

1992, https://www.alislam.org/library/links/00000028.html

6. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Summary Friday

Sermon November 28, 2014,

https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2014-11-28.html#summary-tab

7. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V, An elementary study of Islam, p.4


https://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/summary/FST20110909-EN.pdf

https://www.alislam.org/quran/HolyQuran/articles/00000233.html

https://www.alislam.org/tj/sermons/FSJ20160325-EN.pdf



https://www.alislam.org/library/links/00000028.html


The Path of Taqwa

(Fear of Allah)

Condition I



Introduction

Within the 1st condition of Ba’ait we have established that we need to abstain from

Shirk and establish Tauheed. To secure this promise we then need to walk on the path

of Taqwa.

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) states:

“O ye who count among my Jama'at, you will be considered my true

followers on the high only when you will truly tread on the path of Taqwa.

Therefore, offer your five prayers in humility and fear as if you are viewing

God Almighty. Keep the fast sincerely and truthfully. He who is duty bound

to pay Zakat, must pay the desired amount. On whom Haj is obligatory, must

go and perform it. Do the virtue punctiliously and loathe vice and abandon

it.

Beware that no deed will reach God which is deprived of Taqwa. The base

of every virtue is Taqwa.”

(Kashti-e-Nooh, Page 14)

Therefore, our goal is to evaluate ourselves and our lives very carefully and see if we

are walking towards the path of taqwa or not? Do we think about Allah before we do

things, even small everyday things? Are we, on a daily basis, adopting new morals for

pleasing our God? Are we raising the quality of our namaz and standards of our

worship overall out of sheer love of Allah?

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) in one of his powerful poetries states that

the “Root of every goodness is righteousness” (taqwa).

What is Taqwa?

The word "taqwa" can best be defined as the "fear of Allah." However, that is not to

say that one should live in the dread of the Almighty, or that He is a Dreadful Being.

Rather, it should be regarded as the fear of the loss of Allah's love, Taqwa is to avoid

all kind of evils for the pleasure of God, to abide by all His commandments and to

avoid all that He has forbidden.

“

O ye who believe! fear Allah; and let every soul look to what it sends

forth for the morrow. And fear Allah; verily Allah is Well-Aware of what

you do.” [59:19]

“And be not like those who forgot Allah, and whom He has

consequently caused to forget their own souls. It is they that are the

rebellious.” [59:20]

How can we walk on the path of Taqwa?

Man's intentions and his actions are always guided and controlled either by fear

or hope. Those who do good deeds do so out of fear and hope, and those who

indulge in vices are motivated by the same.

The belief in Unity dispels all other fears and brings to one's mind the

importance of losing Allah’s love, which means that we must not want to please

other people in this world like our friends or people with high statuses, but

should always want to please Allah and make him happy.

We should try and shape one's life with this in mind. We should aim to win

Allah’s love. In the positive sense, the same applies to all human motivations

and actions.

Once true unity has taken root in our hearts and we know that everything is

dependent upon God. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Khalifatul- Masih IV (May

Allah have mercy on him) explains that:

“The Promised Messiah has explained different aspects of the Unity

of God. You should consider everything unreal and non-existent

besides Him. That is to say nothing except Him has independent

power of its own. Everything is dependent upon God. If He so wishes

He could destroy the universe in a moment. Such a firm faith

represents pure belief in the Unity of God in Whose love a believer

should be lost”.

(Review of Religions, November 1992)

“Hadhrat Ubbay bin Kab, a companion of the Holy Prophet pbuh, aptly

explained taqwa by likening muttaqi (the righteous) to one who walks through

thorny bushes, taking care that his clothes are not caught in and torn by their

branches. In other words, a righteous person is one who is ever on his guard

against sin and takes God for his shield against temptation”.

(https://www.alislam.org/books/pathwaytoparadise/LAJ-chp4.htm)

Allah says that whoever adopts taqwah and puts his trust in Him, Allah

becomes sufficient for him and provides for him in ways beyond man’s

imagination.

Activities





True Incidents:

1) Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) remembers that

“When Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V aba visited Kenya he met with a

politician who related to him that he had also met Hazrat Khalifatul

Masih IV rh who had advised him something which had proved very

https://www.alislam.org/books/pathwaytoparadise/LAJ-chp4.htm

beneficial. The advice was to think before doing anything that God is

watching you and that He also has a record of everything one does.

Perhaps this person was Christian. If he could benefit from this advice,

how much more beneficial would the advice be for a true believer who

has been enjoined by God to follow it.”

(Friday Sermon, 6th March, 2015)



Q: Your best friend tries her best to offer namaz five times a day, however she

struggles with the idea offer your five prayers in humility and fear as if you are

viewing God Almighty. How can you help her understand?

A possible answer could include: reflecting on our lives, where is our life leading to?

you could start from taking away any hurdles and work your way up slowly growing

closer to Allah.

Q: A girl is doing an MBA at Leeds University. While studying there, she is

placed under scrutiny and pressure from her peers about her hijab. Considering

Taqwa, and the idea of pleasing God before anyone else, what advice would you

give her?

A possible answer could include: The only person you need to please is Allah. For if

you decide to please someone other than Him that will lead to shirk and displease

Allah.

Multimedia

1. How can find the way to Allah- Q&A with Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih IV (May

Allah have mercy on him)

http://youtu.be/qgvFzyZ9fig

2. Fear of God (Khashiyate Ilahi)


3. Taqwa-Righteousness

http://youtu.be/qgvFzyZ9fig



References:

1. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Kishti-e-Nuh, page 14, cited in



2. The Holy Qur’an Chapter 59: Verse 19-20 English Translation by Maulawi


3. Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih IV (May Allah have mercy on him), Opening address

July 31, 1992, Review of Religions, November 1992,


4. https://www.alislam.org/books/pathwaytoparadise/LAJ-chp4.htm

5. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon March 6,

2015,





https://www.alislam.org/books/pathwaytoparadise/LAJ-chp4.htm


Second Quarter 2016-2017

Condition II

Keep away from Falsehood / Adultery / Trespasses of the eye

Keep away from Debauchery(Wickedness) and Dissipation(Immorality)

Keep away from Dishonesty / Mischief / Rebellion / not to be carried away by

passion

Keep away from Falsehood / Adultery / Trespasses of the eye

Condition II

That he/she shall keep away from false-hood, fornication/adultery, trespasses of the

eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; and

that he/she will not permit himself/herself to be carried away by passions, however

strong they might be.

Introduction:

In this condition we promise to discard a number of evil impulses.

By the end of the chapter we hope that you become aware of some of the actions that

if committed by us, can lead to disharmony in our homes and society.

The first step is recognising the evil practices, the next is eradicating these from our

lives and this self-reformation will lead us to the love of our beloved Allah. Insh’Allah.

Keep away from Falsehood

Lying or falsehood is the root of all evils. When someone lies they are just like an

idolater depending on their idols for salvation. In this way lying is a type of Shirk.

In the Holy Quran, Allah Almighty has mentioned them together

“Shun therefore the abomination of idols, and shun all words of

untruth.” [22:31]

In his Friday sermon Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) asks us:

“Every Ahmadi should self-reflect and see how much they match up to what

is expected of them. Do we use falsehood in court cases, or tell lies for

monetary gains? Do we not say the truth when arranging matrimonial

matches, and not follow qawl e sadeed (the right word)? Do we use

falsehood to extract social or welfare allowances from the state? Many

people fall under a negative light in this regard. Income is also not disclosed

to gain state benefits and this in turn is tax evasion/fraud. It should be clear

that every government is experiencing problems due to the general

downward financial trends and any government that may not be in such a

situation right now, is going to be in future. As such, governments are

scrutinising matters of welfare and benefits very closely. Anything negative

in this regard not only creates personal difficulties but can also be a cause

of disrepute for Ahmadiyyat. Those who use falsehood for such purposes

should not keep worldly advantage in view but should try and please God

by avoiding falsehood and by living on small means. Be mindful that

falsehood is not used in asylum applications. Certainly, lawyers have always

incited such practices, as the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also

said. Office-holders should also self-reflect whether they report falsely. They

may not be telling lies but are they also abiding by qawl e sadeed and

saying/reporting what is the unambiguous truth? Matters should be dealt

with righteousness. Each person should deal with matters devoid of

personal gain, devoid of egotism and with only fear of God in view.”

(Friday Sermon, February 5, 2016)

Ways to avoid Falsehood

Exaggeration is a hidden way in which people lie.

By sticking to the truth even when it seems our life, property or honour are at

risk. Always remember our purpose is to seek the pleasure of Allah.

As parents or elders we should be particularly careful in front of children. When

the phone rings or someone comes to the door we do not want to speak to, do

not tell your child to say, “I am not here”, tell them to take a message, I cannot

speak right now.

Avoid threatening children with imaginary people or things. Similarly, do not

promise children rewards for doing things that you have no intention of giving

them, with the hope of keeping them happy.

Be truthful when filling in forms and giving information to the government.

Keep away from Fornication

Adultery or Fornication is the sexual relation between two people not married to one

another and this has been forbidden by Allah Almighty.

“And come not near unto adultery; surely, it is a foul thing and an evil

way.” [17:33]

But when we talk about committing adultery we should also abstain from all those

actions that can lead us to do it.

The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) said:

“Approach not adultery. This means that one should avoid all occasions

that might incite one’s mind in that direction, and should eschew all the

paths that might lead to this vice. He who indulges in this vice carries his

viciousness to the extreme. The way of adultery is an evil way as it

obstructs one’s progress towards the goal and is extremely harmful to the

achievement of the purpose of life. Those who find no means of marriage

should keep themselves chaste through the adoption of other means; for

instance, through fasting or dieting or exercise.”

(The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam)

Ways to avoid Fornication

Avoid going to places where you know there will be nudity or state of undress,

such as beaches.

Avoid watching TV shows or films, which contain vulgarity.

And similarly avoid visiting sites or view photos online that are vulgar and

contain nudity.

Parents need to be watchful over what their children watch on television or view

online.

Keep away from Trespasses of the eye

In this part of the pledge we are asked to restrain our eyes in the company of men who

are not our relatives, this is part of Purdah.

Ways to practice restraining of eyes (Ghad-i-basar)

Avoid looking into the face of men not our relatives (or Ghair Mehram)

In today’s world of social media, we need also to be vigilant that our online

activities stay away from the trespasses of the eye, by chatting with or sharing

pictures with men not related to us.

Activities





True incidents

1.) “The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) once sent a parcel to

someone and placed a letter in the parcel. He did not know this was

against the law. A case was filed against him and the Promised Messiah’s

(on whom be peace) lawyer asked him that since the parcel was not

opened at the other end in front of any witness the Promised Messiah (on

whom be peace) should plain deny sending a letter in it. The Promised

Messiah said it would be untrue to say so and he was not prepared to do

it even though the lawyer told him he would definitely be penalised.

During the court case the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) most

honestly admitted to placing a letter within the parcel but said he did not

know it was against the rules. The prosecution side gave a long-drawn

speech which did not impress the judge. In the end the judge exonerated

the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and the case was dismissed.

This incident is often cited and it gives us a standard of honesty to

maintain. However, people living in these countries act contrary to this

when seeking benefits from the government, when seeking asylum or in

insurance cases. Ahmadis who do this should think about it as dishonesty

does not behove Ahmadis.”

(Friday Sermon, January 23, 2015)

2) “The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) says that I have read in a

book that Syed Abdul Qadar Shah Gillani possessed a very virtuous soul.

He once shared with his mother that my heart is not satisfied and I am not

happy with the prevalent worldly actions. I want to find a saint who can

guide me towards the peaceful path of virtuousness. Listening to the wish

of her son, Syed Abdul Qadar's mother allowed him to undertake the

journey in search of truth and sewed money (Persian coins) into the lining

of his coat under the armpit, thus hiding it away and instructed to use them

when needed. Syed Abdul Qadar Shah Gillani then requested his mother

to give him some advice. His mother instructed him to always speak the

truth because it can save one from great worry. On his way from the jungle,

the caravan was attacked by robbers. Upon seeing Syed Abdul Qadar

Shah Gillani in an impoverish condition, one of the robbers mockingly

questioned if he was carrying some valuables. Following the instructions

of his mother, Syed Abdul Qadar Shah Gillani told the robbers about the

money sewed into the lining of his coat. Upon search, the robbers found

the Persian coins. The robbers were caught up with surprise and upon

inquiring of the reason of why he spoke of the truth, Syed Abdul Qadar

Shah Gillani told that 'I am travelling in search of true path and upon my

departure my mother had instructed me to always speak the truth. So

indeed this was my first test and I did not want to lie.' The leader of the

robbers was so impressed by Syed Abdul Qadar Shah Gillani's good act

that he repented over his unlawful acts and asked for forgiveness along

with the entire group of robbers.”

(Friday Sermon, June 10, 2016)

Below are some relevant questions which have previously been asked of the

Tarbiyyat department. Discuss.

Q) People say how we could leave falsehood altogether; it is simply not

possible to get by without it!


“The Promised Messiah as said that there was nothing as wicked as

falsehood. Worldly people say that people who tell the truth end up being

penalised. He said, how could I accept this because I have been through

seven court cases and did not use falsehood in even one of them and

with the grace of God did not lose a single case. How could God punish

a truthful person! He explained that when some people are penalised for

speaking the truth, their castigation is not due to being honest. Rather, its

cause is some hidden, unknown sin or wickedness of theirs that God has

knowledge of. For example once a man beat up his cook only because

he did not get the seasoning right. When his attention was drawn to the

disproportionate chastisement he said that the cook had been with him

for a long time and had been very well looked after. Likewise, a large

hoard of man's wickedness at times brings about him being caught and

penalised.”


Extra Activities

Women and girls write to Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) about their husbands

watching lewd films on the internet all day and some husbands also write about their

wives. Matters reach khula or divorce and thus such habits cause break ups of homes.

These films also lead people to behave worse than beasts. There is need to reflect

over this with due concern and need for us to implement certain house rules regarding

media usage as a family. (Friday Sermon, January 2, 2015,

Multimedia

When you read through this chapter you might wish to find out more or some

questions might still be unanswered. To help with this we have found some internet

links that give a detailed discussion on these subjects.

1) Lying faith matters

http://youtu.be/zSbUcZLtqKw

2) Adultery

http://youtu.be/0HS4C7_IYMY

http://youtu.be/v3nWxRaJqiQ

3) Ao kahani sunain- truthfulness

http://youtu.be/bBCOo6zk8Js

4) Concept of evil eye- faith matters

http://youtu.be/ctWBN-feyaE

References

1. The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 22; Verse 31, English Translation by Maulawi Sher

Ali (May Allah be pleased with him)

2. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, February

5, 2016,

https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2016-02-

05.html



4. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), The Philosophy of the

Teachings of Islam, page 47,

http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Philosophy-of-Teachings-of-Islam.pdf

5. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, January

23, 2015,


6. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, June 10.

2016,

http://youtu.be/zSbUcZLtqKw

http://youtu.be/0HS4C7_IYMY

http://youtu.be/v3nWxRaJqiQ

http://youtu.be/bBCOo6zk8Js

http://youtu.be/ctWBN-feyaE

https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2016-02-05.html


http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Philosophy-of-Teachings-of-Islam.pdf



10.html


5, 2016,


05.html


2, 2015,



Keep away from Debauchery(Wickedness) and Dissipation (Immorality)

Condition II

That he/she shall keep away from false-hood, fornication/adultery, trespasses of

the eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; and



Introduction:

Carrying on from the previous chapter, we wish to raise awareness about some basic

personal vices. These vices can sometimes be easily committed in our daily lives, if

we are not careful. By the end of this chapter we hope that everyone can start to truly

understand the implications of the 2nd condition of Bai’at. We hope that knowing them

better will help us all eradicate these vices from our lives and this self-reformation will

lead us to the pleasure and love of our beloved Allah.

The second condition also enjoins saving oneself from debauchery and dissipation.

This is a vast subject as it deals with wicked behaviour of any type and immorality of

all forms. We will try to cover the basic implications of this topic.

Keep away from Debauchery

Debauchery refers to wickedness, corruption and dishonesty of every kind. In his

Friday Sermon Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) explained:

‘The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) took pledge from us that we

would stay away from all manner of wickedness. Indeed, it is wicked to

astray from what God has commanded.’


Therefore as Ahmadi Muslims it is our duty that we do not partake in any activities that

our debauch and wicked.

Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) then went on to explain how the Promised

Messiah (Peace be upon him) has said that the reason for the fall of the Muslims

was that they exceeded in wickedness and debauchery and disrespected and

reviled the commandments of Allah, having lost themselves in the glitz of the

world. (Friday Sermon, January 2, 2015)

How can we stay away from wicked behaviour?

As the second condition of bai’at instructs us to avoid all form of debauchery

and wickedness it is important for us to understand what these wicked

behaviours are.

In a hadith the Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)

explained two kinds of wicked people. Firstly, those merchants who do not trade

with honesty and unfairly raise prices all while being under oath. This shows

that it is extremely important for the businesswomen amongst us to ponder over

the fact whether or not they are dealing fairly and with honesty. This is because

clean dealings are a condition of Bai‘at and the Holy Prophet (Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) has made it clear that those who do not deal in

the correct manner are in fact wicked and the wicked will be in Hell. (Musnadu

Ahmadabni Hanbal, vol. 3, p. 428, printed in Beirut)

The second kind of wicked people mentioned are those women who are

ungrateful and impatient. In this day and age, with so many different facilities

available to us, it is easy to take many things for granted. However, it is

incumbent upon us to be grateful and thank Allah for all things, big and small,

that he has blessed us with. Along with this it is important that whenever

misfortune befalls us, we remain patient and pray sincerely that Allah delivers

us from this hardship. (Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal, vol. 3, p. 428, printed in

Beirut)

In his Friday Sermon dated January 2nd, 2015, Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper)

mentions that:

‘The Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) once

counted abusive language as wickedness/debauchery as well.’

(Friday Sermon, January 2,

2015)

This shows that we must be mindful of all that we say and refrain from using

any sort of offensive and abusive language. This can be difficult when in this

day and age bad language is very common. However, we must remember that

our language affects our morals. We should also remind and point this out to

our children so that they too are aware that foul language is wicked.

Lastly, to truly purify our hearts from wicked thoughts, it is essential to keep

away from wicked company as well as impure or wicked media content as these

all affect our thoughts and actions. We must be mindful of the places we go,

keeping away from debauch environments as these undoubtedly will have an

effect on us. Mothers must also keep an eye on their children’s friends, ensuring

that their friends, along with their children, are not engaging in any debauchery.

Keep away from Dissipation (Immorality)

Immorality is rife in today’s world because belief in God does not exist. No God means

there is no right or wrong behaviour, no accountability. There is no entity to hold one

responsible for one’s actions. Consequently, morality begins to decline, as morality

becomes an obstacle in fulfilling worldly desires. Morality is guaranteed only through

belief in an All-Knowing, All Seeing God. We need to keep reminding ourselves that

we can never escape His knowledge, He watches us at all times.

The Holy Quran says:

“O ye who believe! follow not the footsteps of Satan, and whoso follows

the footsteps of Satan should know that he surely enjoins immorality and

manifest evil. And but for the grace of Allah and His mercy upon you, not

one of you would ever be pure, but Allah purifies whom He pleases. And

Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” [24:22]

This verse tells us that Satan is man's open enemy and attacks under the guise of

sympathy, he leads man to evil and harmful ways. However, at the time of

accountability, he will simply say that although he had called humankind to wickedness

why could they not use their judgement and avoided it! It is our responsibility to use

our own judgement, to fight satanic inclinations towards immorality and wickedness

with all our strength.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said:

‘Our community does not need strong men and those possessing the

strength of athletes. In fact people who have the strength to try to improve

morals are needed. It is a matter of fact that a strong man is not one who

can move a mountain from its base; most certainly, not. One who has the

ability to improve morals is a true brave person. Remember to utilise all your

strength and power to improve morals because this is real power and

bravery.’ (Malfuzat, Vol I, page 140, cited in Friday Sermon, January 20,

2012)

This extract explains that true strength lies in being able to improve ourselves by

avoiding all immoral things. In order to do this, we must look within ourselves and

identify our areas of weaknesses and then start to make the necessary changes

physically and mentally.

How do we save ourselves from becoming immoral?

The company we keep greatly affects us and soon our behaviour starts to

change whether it be consciously or unconsciously. Regarding this Hazrat

Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) mentioned:

‘Immorality is like a contagious disease. If a pious woman stays in the

company of an immoral women, she may not perpetrate evident

wickedness, but her heart would be affected. It is a very slippery slope,

even small indulgences can at times lead to immoral behaviour. So it

is essential to keep moral company and indulge in moral media

content.’

(Friday Sermon March 22, 2013)

This highlights the importance of keeping company with the righteous and also

ensuring that any media we are consuming is not immoral as one thing can

easily lead to another.

The society in which we live in enjoins many immoral acts in the name of

freedom. Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) has clearly mentioned on many

occasions that blindly following one’s desires in the name of freedom and

enjoyment only leads to the path of immorality. Huzoor (May Allah be his

Helper) said in his Friday Sermon,

‘These days one comes across gaping moral ills, which are not

considered immoral in the West. These are first followed in the name

of open-mindedness, later it is realized they are neither entertainment

nor freedom, rather these are pits of fire in the name of entertainment

and freedom.’

(Friday Sermon April 23, 2010)

This demonstrates that we must constantly be on our guard, reflecting on each

and every one of our actions and thoughts to see that we are not heedlessly

following those around us.

Activities





True incidents

Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) mentions:

“One missionary informed me that a man in Ghana who became an Ahmadi

used to have all sorts of bad habits such as drinking and adultery, etc. But

then he underwent a marvellous change. As the people are poor, and there

is a housing shortage, people rent rooms in larger houses. Renting a room

is a common practice, and this man used to live in that kind of surroundings

and had many associations with women. As soon as he became an Ahmadi,

he told all of them not to come to him with evil intent. But one woman

persisted in chasing him. To get rid of her he devised the method that upon

seeing her coming, he would bolt the door from inside and started offering

nawafil prayers or reciting the Holy Qur’an. Thus, he safeguarded himself

against the temptation. Now, these are the revolutionary changes brought

by Ahmadiyyat.” (Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi,

page 210)



Q) A young girl has been friends with another Ahmadi girl throughout secondary

school. However, she now begins to notice changes in her friend. She’s started

meeting with boys in secret, has boyfriends, sending them pictures, etc. The girl

does not want to be seen as someone who partakes in these activities. What

advice could you give to her?

Multimedia



give a detailed discussion on these subjects.

1. Address by Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) where the first 3

conditions were explained in detail

http://youtu.be/Dm-mPiOZaaw

2. Faith matters- arrogance, morality etc

http://youtu.be/Qp3YL-TyCL

References


2, 2015, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2015-

01-02.html

2. Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal, vol. 3, p. 428, printed in Beirut, cited in





01-02.html



5. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Malfuzat, Vol I, page 140, cited

in Friday Sermon, January 20, 2012, http://www.alislam.org/friday-

sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2012-01-20.html


22, 2013, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-

2013-03-22.html

7. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, April 23,

2010, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2010-04-

23.html

http://youtu.be/Dm-mPiOZaaw

http://youtu.be/Qp3YL-TyCL

8. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Conditions of Bai’at and

Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 210,


Keep away from Dishonesty / Mischief / Rebellion/ not to be carried away by

passion

Condition II

That he/she shall keep away from false-hood, fornication/adultery, trespasses of the

eye, debauchery, dissipation, cruelty, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion; and



Introduction:

Condition II of the Bai’at continues by asking us to pledge, to keep away from breach

of truth, dishonesty, mischief and rebellion, vices that cause unrest and discord in

society. We hope that understanding them better will help us all to avoid such actions

from our lives and lead to a peaceful society.

Keep away from dishonesty/breach of truth

And plead not on behalf of those who are dishonest to themselves.

Surely, Allah loves not one who is perfidious and a great sinner. [4:108]

Hadrat Abu Hurairahra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘If someone gives

you something for safekeeping, return it to him. Do not be dishonest with

anyone, even if he has been dishonest with you.’ (Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-

ul-Buyu‘, Babu fir-Rajuli ya’khudhu Haqqahu…)

Dishonesty here refers to untrustworthiness, which means our ability to safeguard the

property of others and discharge our responsibilities faithfully whether these are our

duty to our children, parents, spouses or Jamaat.

Keep away from Mischief and Disorder

Mischievous acts are all those that can cause discord in society.

Hadrat Asma’Bint Yazidra narrates that the Holy Prophetsa said, ‘Should

I tell you about the worst of people? The worst people are those who go

about back-biting and creating discord between people. Their wish is that

the obedient servants of Allah get involved in sin.’ (Musnadu Ahmadabni

Hanbal , vol. 6, p. 459, printed in Beirut)

Whether discord is created within Jamaat members, office bearers or whether it is

done at home in an attempt to create distances between loved ones. We need to

carefully reflect on this to reform our thoughts as well as our actions so that our hearts,

our relationships and our homes are free of all such mischief and discord.

Keep away from ways of rebellion

Verily, Allah enjoins justice, and the doing of good to others; and

giving like kindred; and forbids indecency, and manifest evil, and

wrongful transgression. He admonished you that you may take

heed. [16:91]

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) expects us Ahmadi Muslims to be loyal

and obedient to all officials.

Not to be carried away by our passion

And who guard their chastity- [23:06]

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said that those who guard themselves

against carnal passion and unlawful lust are higher in rank than someone who

sacrifices their wealth, as men can be so enamored with carnal passion that they are

willing to spend large amounts of wealth to satisfy their lust. (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyyah

Vol 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol 21, page 205-206)

A true Momin is not led by his carnal urges but by his desire to please Allah.

Ways to avoid Dishonesty, Mischief and Rebellion. And Not to be carried away

by our passion

We should look after the property of others.

If you find lost property, hand it to someone in authority or seek to return it to

the owner.

When we are entrusted with a job, we should aim to do it with the best of

intentions.

When someone shares something private with us or seeks advice from us,

then we have been entrusted to keep the matter private and not talk about it

with anyone else.

In public events such as meetings or weddings, we should be careful before

taking a seat, making sure that it is not already taken.

Our responsibility to our relatives and rights to all people are also a form of

trust, and we should make every attempt to fulfil them.

We should take any work entrusted to us by the Jamaat, seriously.

Backbiting should be avoided, The Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah

be upon him) said: “The worst people are those who go about backbiting and

creating discord between people.” (Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal , vol. 6, p.

459, printed in Beirut)

Even when someone else is starting fights or verbal abuse, we should respond

with patience. Engaging in arguments only escalates the mischief and creates

disorder.

Activities





True incidents

“Hadrat Sayyed ‘Abdus Sattar Shahra. It is stated One day Hadrat Shah

Sahibra went to a nearby mosque for prayers. At the same time there

was a bitter enemy of Ahmadiyyat—Chaudhry Rahim Bakhsh—getting

ready for ablution with a pitcher in his hand. Upon seeing Hadrat

Doctor Sahib (who was a government doctor and was stationed at a

government hospital), he started engaging him in religious discussion.

Annoyed with the argument that Hadrat Shah Sahib ra presented,

Rahim Bakhsh hit him in the forehead with the pitcher. The pitcher

shattered into pieces as it hit the forehead. The bone in the forehead

was fractured and blood started oozing out. Doctor Sahib’s clothes

were drenched in blood. He covered the wound with his hand and

immediately went to the hospital for treatment. Chaudhry Rahim

Bakhsh was concerned, wondering what would happen to him.

Knowing that Hadrat Sattar Shah ra was a government doctor, he

thought that the officials would probably lend credence to Doctor Sahib

and he would be in trouble. He did not know what to do and where to

hide! With these fearful thoughts, he stayed hidden (in the mosque).

On the other hand, Doctor Sahib treated his wounded forehead, applied

the medication, changed his blood-soaked clothes, and came back to

the same mosque to observe his prayer. On entering the mosque,

Doctor Sahib saw Chaudhry Rahim Bakhsh Sahib, and asked him with

a simile: ‘Chaudhry Rahim Bakhsh, have you cooled down or not?’ On

hearing this, Chaudhry Rahim Bakhsh was greatly affected and

grasping his hands, begged his forgiveness, and said: ‘Shah Sahib,

please write a letter for my bai‘at.’

This kind of high moral standard of patience, kindness and forgiveness

cannot be shown by anyone other than members of a Godly

community. Thus, Chaudhry Sahib became an Ahmadi, and after a few

days other members of his family also joined the Community. (Hadrat

Doctor ‘Abdus Sattar Shah Sahib,Compiled by Ahmad Tahir Mirza, p.

63, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyyah, Pakistan)”

Multimedia

When you read through this chapter you might wish to find out more or some

questions might still be unanswered. To help with this we have found some internet

links that give a detailed discussion on all the subjects discussed.

1. Strikes- Faith Matters

http://youtu.be/dwg96kzPUuA

2. Terminal illnesses, radicalization- Faith Matters

http://youtu.be/qqDC6Cp5nbo

3. Khalifatul Masih II- Pearls of Wisdom

http://www.mta.tv/friday-sermon/khalifatul-masih-ii-pearls-wisdom-16

References

1. The Holy Qur’an Chapter 4: Verse 108, English Translation by Maulvi Sher Ali

(May Allah be pleased with him)

2. Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Buyu‘, Babu fir-Rajuli ya’khudhu Haqqahu, cited

in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 40


3. Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal , vol. 6, p. 459, printed in Beirut, cited in

Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 42






6. Barahin-e- Ahmadiyyah Vol 5, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol 21, page 205-206, cited in

Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 46-47


7. Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal , vol. 6, p. 459, printed in Beirut, cited in

Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 42


8. Hadrat Doctor ‘Abdus Sattar Shah Sahib,Compiled by Ahmad Tahir Mirza, p.

63, Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyyah, Pakistan, cited in Conditions of Bai’at

and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 219-221



http://youtu.be/qqDC6Cp5nbo

http://www.mta.tv/friday-sermon/khalifatul-masih-ii-pearls-wisdom-16






Third Quarter 2016-2017

Condition III

Observing Salat & Tahajjud

To send Blessings to the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be

upon him) / To seek forgiveness

Praise of Allah

Observing Salat & Tahajjud

Condition 3

“That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily Prayers in accordance with the

commandments of God and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the

tahajjud and invoking durud on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him). That he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask

forgiveness for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and

glorify Him.”

Introduction:

Worship is common to all religions. What differs is the manner and style of worship.

What is unique in Islamic mode of worship is that it contains features from the manner

of prayers found in other religions. It is fascinating however to note that Islam instructs

its followers concerning the method of prayer so comprehensively, that all the postures

of worship found in other religions are symbolically represented in the mode of Muslim

prayer.

In this chapter, our aim is for you to obtain deep understanding of the third condition

of Bai’at and appreciate the role of Salat in cultivating a personal relationship with God.

All other pillars of Islam are conditional, but Salat is not; it is obligatory under all

conditions. At times the Holy Quran gives commandments to safeguard Salat, other

times it gives commandments to be regular in Salat and to offer Salat on time. In short,

Salat is the core of Islamic worship.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

And observe Prayer at the two ends of the day, and in the hours of the

night that are nearer the day. Surely, good works drive away evil

works. This is a reminder for those who would remember. [11:115]

In Huzoor’s (May Allah be his Helper) Friday sermon delivered on the June 17, 2016,

Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) quoted:

‘And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: 'I am near. I answer

the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should

hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right

way.' [2:187]

Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) then goes on to say:

‘thus, the people who say that they pray and their prayers are not accepted,

do they evaluate themselves? Have they ever evaluated how far they

comply with the directives from Allah? If we do not have actions and our

faith is only formal then our saying so is wrong that we called upon Allah but

our prayers were not accepted’. (Friday Sermon, June 17, 2016)

Therefore, the goal is to look within ourselves and 1) identify the areas and that we

need to work on and 2) start to make changes physically and mentally after

understanding the revolutionary change required of us in light of the third condition of

Bai’at .

The Messenger of Allah (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“The first thing for which a person would be called to account is the Prayer. If

he succeeds in this account, he would be successful and will attain salvation.

If that account is deficient, he will be ruined and will be a loser. If there is a

shortfall in the obligatory Prayers, Allah will make it up from his nawafil.

Similarly, all his other deeds will be accounted for.”

(Sunan-ut-Tirmadhi, Kitab-us-Salati, Babu Inna Awwala ma Yuhasabu bihil

‘Abdu…)

What is Salat and how can we establish it?

Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) explained in his Friday

Sermon:

http://tilaw.at/2:187

“Salat is a prayer that is offered with extreme intensity. While

supplicating during salat, do not bind yourselves to Arabic

language, but offer humble prayers in your own words, so that

it has an impact on your heart.” (Friday Sermon, June 22,

2012)

Salat should be offered in congregation, should be offered regularly, and

should be offered on time.

In his Friday Sermon on October 11, 2013, Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper)

explained:

“It can be seen all around, among Muslims as well as non-Muslims

that love of the world, idle pursuits and indecency has greatly pushed

back remembrance of God. Owing to love of God, Muslims are

enjoined to pray five times a day, however it is different in practice.

Ahmadis need to first self-analyse themselves whether they are trying

to observe Salat according to the commandment of God or not. If not,

then we are negating the claim of the Promised Messiah (on whom be

peace) that the objective of his advent was to strengthen faith in God,

to bring heaven closer to the Earth.” (Friday Sermon, October 11,

2013)

Salat is a way of meeting God. He has given all of us five appointed times

each day. If we truly love Allah we need to utilize these opportunities to the full

and look forward to meeting our Beloved from one appointment to the other.

Salat should be offered while pondering over the meaning of our verbal

utterance and understanding the depth of what we are asking Allah. Our mind

and soul needs to be in sync with the physical positions of salat i.e. spiritual

‘niyyat’ (intention) and ‘qiyam’. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)

said that:

“It is important to offer Salat while being mindful of its words as well

as being mindful of the physical state in which it is offered. Words

of Salat correspond with its different postures. The posture when

one stands up in Salat and glorifies and praises God is called

qiyyam. The appropriate position to submit glorification and praise

is indeed in a standing posture. When eulogies are read to kings it

is done in a standing position. Thus in Salat, during qiyyam one is

standing before God in a spiritual sense. Praise is given when one

is convinced about something and a person praises something

having arrived at a viewpoint. Thus a person saying Alhamdolillah

(all praise belongs to God) will only truly say Alhamdolillah when he

is completely convinced that all manner of acclaim belongs to God

alone. When one is convinced on this with one's heart and mind,

this is a state of spiritual qiyyam”. (Friday Sermon, April 15, 2016)

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) reminds us;

“Salat is for praying indeed, and one should pray at every stage. But

if one offers the Salat as if he were asleep, and does not know (The

nature and importance of) Salat then it is not Salat at all. Therefore,

it is required that man should not be lazy in offering the Salat, nor

should he be inattentive.” (Malfuzat, new edition, Vol 3, page 457-

458)

We need to ensure that we do not say our salat just to get this chore out of

the way like a burden or offer it so quickly because we are busy thinking about

our day to day worldly pursuits.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has said that

“one should offer five prayers with such humility as if you see God”

(Kishti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khazain, Vol 19, page 15, quoted in Friday

Sermon, June 22, 2012)

We should not miss salat because of considerations like our clothes were

unclean etc. it is better to offer salat with unclean clothes than to have an

unclean heart due to missing salat.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) also said that employers usually

give permission to offer Salat and such matters should not be made excuses to

abandon Salat. God alone is the Provider and Salat should be offered on time.

(Paraphrased from Malfuzat, Vol 1, page 265, Friday Sermon, April 15, 2016)

Congregational prayer is obligatory on men and not women, so men should try

and get to the mosque or Salat centres for their prayers. It is the responsibility

of mothers to teach their boys to go to the mosque and their girls to offer their

prayer on time.

It is often observed that in homes where elders offer their Prayers regularly, the

children start copying the movements of their elders naturally and thus become

regular in their Prayers, with time. When a child reaches the age of seven, the

proper method of Prayer should be taught to him. He should be encouraged to

join in Prayer and, if possible, he should be persuaded to accompany the

parents to the mosque. When they reach the age of twelve, they should be

made to realise that their parents have discharged their duty and from that time

on, the matter rests between them and God, to Whom they are answerable.

This does not mean that they should not be advised, exhorted or admonished

because as far as advising them is concerned, it can go on for life, if required.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon

him) reminded even the grown-ups in his family lovingly. It is reported that he

used to call out to his daughter Hazrat Fatima (May Allah be pleased with her)

and his son-in-law Hazrat Ali (May Allah be pleased with him), to wake them

up for Fajr Prayer. (https://www.alislam.org/books/salat/02.html)

Discipline in offering prayers will also require children to go to bed early at night

and therefore staying up late will become obsolete in such households.

Families who offer prayers in congregation on their leisure outdoor trips also

become a source of doing tabligh by offering a good example to those who are

around them.

There can at times be difficulty in offering day time Salat on time due to work

commitments. Zuhr and Asr can sometimes be combined. God knew that

people would be weak therefore He gave this flexibility but this flexibility cannot

be used in combing three Salat services. These flexibilities are for special

circumstances only and should not become our norm.

References

1. The Holy Qur’an, Chapter 11; Verse 115, English Translation by Maulawi




3. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, June 17,


17.html

4. Sunan-utTirmadhi, Kitab-us-Salati, Babu Inna Awwala ma Yuhasabu bihil

‘Abdu. quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi,

page 53, https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf


2012, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2012-06-22.html

6. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, October

11, 2013, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2013-10-11.html

7. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, April 15,


8. Malfuzat, new edition, Vol 3, page 457-458, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and

Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 144-145,


9. Kishti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khazain, Vol 19, page 15, quoted in Friday Sermon,

June 22, 2012, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2012-06-22.html

10. Paraphrased from Malfuzat, Vol 1, page 265, Friday Sermon, April 15, 2016,

http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2016-04-15.html

11. https://www.alislam.org/books/salat/02.html

Tahajjud –the way to an exalted station

The third condition also stipulates that one should offer Tahajjud Prayers. One

should wake up to offer Tahajjud and observe it with eagerness.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Quran:

And wake up for it (the Qur’an) in the latter part of the night as a

supererogatory service for thee. It may be that thy Lord will raise thee

to an exalted station. [17:80]

Ways to adopt Tahajjud in daily life:

Muslims are encouraged to acquire a habit of early to bed and early to rise. The

day begins routinely in the small hours before dawn. The prayer which is

performed at the end of the night is called Tahajjud. It is not obligatory, but is a

very highly encouraged optional prayer.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) has related that the Holy

Prophet (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

“Allah will have mercy on a man who gets up at night for his [voluntary]

Prayer and awakens his wife for the same purpose, and if she

hesitates he sprinkles water over her face to wake her up. And, Allah

will have mercy on a woman who gets up at night to offer [voluntary]

Prayer and awakens her husband for the same purpose, and if he

hesitates she sprinkles water over his face to wake him up.”

(Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ut-Tatawwu‘i, Babu Qayamil-Laili)

In congregational prayers, society pays homage to God collectively and openly.

In individual prayers, emphasis is laid on privacy, and there should be no effort

to display such prayers to anyone. Similarly the late night prayer is performed

in perfect privacy. Members of the same house try to find their own niches, and

even husband and wife try to say their prayers separately so that communion

with God becomes a highly personal affair.

Those who do not offer Salat consider it as a burden which entails getting up in

the morning and doing ablutions in the cold, leaving blissful sleep and other

comforts. Such people are weary and do not know of the delight and pleasure

that is found in Salat.

Hadrat Bilal (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Holy Prophet

(May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

‘You should be very regular in tahajjud. That has been the practice of

the righteous ones in the past and is a means of attaining nearness to

God. This is a habit that safeguards against sin, removes blemishes

and safeguards from physical illness.’

(Sunan-ut-Tirmadhi, Kitab-ud-Da‘wat, Babu Fi Du‘a’in Nabiyyi)

According to the Holy Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

you must perform Tahajjud, even if it is of two Raka’at. He also says that God

Almighty accepts the prayers in abundance during the late part of night.

(https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf)

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) says:

“Our Jama‘at should make it incumbent upon itself to offer tahajjud.

Anyone who cannot do more should make at a minimum two rak‘at

because he will get an opportunity to make some supplications.

Supplications made at this time have a very special characteristic

because they are offered with true pain and eagerness. Until there is

a special pain and heartfelt agony, how can one wake up from

comfortable sleep? To wake up at this time creates a heartfelt pain,

which creates a condition of devotion and distress, which in turn

become the means of acceptance of supplication. But someone who

is lax in waking up is obviously lacking in pain and anguish. But one

who wakes up, obviously there is a pain that is waking him up.”

(Malfuzat, new edition Vol 2, page 182)

There are thirteen methods prescribed by Hazrat Musleh Maud (May Allah be

pleased with him), which can help us in getting up at night for tahajjud. Anyone

who struggles to get up should sincerely try them, God willing, they will benefit

from them. There may be difficulties in the beginning, but in the end these

methods will prove useful inshallah. You can find them in detail:

https://www.alislam.org/books/remembranceofallah/rememberance%20of%20

Allah.pdf

Basic Etiquettes of Salat:

One must walk calmly and gracefully towards the mosque; one should not

run even if the Prayer has started.

In a congregational Prayer, the first ranks should be filled in first.

One must concentrate on the Prayer and try not to get distracted.

One must follow the Imam (the person leading the Prayer) in all his

movements.

If one joins the Prayer in the middle, one should follow the Imam till the two

"salams" have been said and then get up and complete the missed raka'at.

If possible, one should avoid passing in front of a person who is saying his

Prayer.

https://www.alislam.org/books/religiousknowledge/sec1.html

Activities:



true task in this world. Read the following faith-inspiring true incidents and have a

discussion about the lessons you learnt.

True incidents

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) in his Friday Sermon on

August 25, 2006 narrates:

“..The outbreak of plague in India was one of the signs of the

truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (alaihis salaam) in that Allah had

informed him that people who had come into his ‘household’ would be

saved from the disease. Indeed, during this time the Promised

Messiah’s own young son, Hazrat Mirza Sharif Ahmad (grandfather of

Khalifatul Masih V) fell ill with high fever and at night time his condition

deteriorated. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was

extremely distressed at the thought that people would imagine that the

boy had the plague. He did his ablutions and stood for Salat. Very soon

into his Salat he was granted the state that is a manifest sign of

acceptance of prayer. He experienced two visions and indeed when

he finished his Salat, his son’s fever was totally gone.” (Friday Sermon,

August 25, 2006)

Concerning establishment of daily Prayers and tahajjud, Hadrat Nawab

Muhammad ‘Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates:

“I was in Qadian at the time of Prayer on the occasion of the Solar

Eclipse. Maulavi Muhammad Ahsan Amrohi led the prayer, and all

those who were Praying were crying profusely. In the month of that

particular Ramadan, there used to be quite a hustle and bustle at the

Ahmadiyyah Square starting at two in the morning. Most of the people

were up in the homes, and many came to the Mubarak Mosque where

tahajjud Prayer was performed, meal was taken and Fajr Prayer was

made in the early hours of the morning. Then the Holy Qur’an was

recited for some time, and by eight the Promised Messiah as would

come out for the morning walk. All of his companion’sra remained in

his company. These activities would go on till eleven or twelve midday.

Then, the adhan for Zuhr Prayer was called and the Zuhr Prayer was

done before one in the afternoon. The ‘Asr Prayer was also made at

the earliest. Thus the only spare time was between ‘Asr and Maghrib.

After Maghrib Prayer and taking of the evening meal, the ‘Isha Prayer

was done by eight or half-past eight. Afterwards there was dead

silence as if no one lived there. Yet, again by 2 a.m., everyone was up

and the place was bustling once again.”

(Ashab-e-Ahmad,vol. 2, p. 77, published in 1952)

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) narrates:

“Here again I will give you an example of Ghana where people have

brought a great change that I have myself observed. Some people

travelled a very long distance and arrived very late at night. It was

almost midnight when they got a chance to go to bed. On awakening

at about 2 a.m., I saw them in the mosque in prostrations.” (Conditions

of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 212)

“Hazrat Chaudhry Ameer Muhammad Khan sahib narrates an

incident, where his wife was under treatment in a clinic for a foot

condition and had undergone several surgeries yet the foot condition

had not improved. The nurse suggested that it may be best to cut the

foot at the ankle so that the limb does not become gangrenous as well.

After consultation within his household, he gave the consent for the

amputation. As he was not allowed into the operation theatre, he

decided to offer supererogatory prayers, and supplicated: “O Lord,

You are The Most Omnipotent and have power over everything.

Please save my wife’s foot from being amputated and from her

becoming handicapped for the rest of her life. After he finished his

supplication, he was told that the surgeon refused to amputate the foot

and decided to operate on it himself, and thus his wife was saved from

this lifelong handicap” (Friday Sermon, June 15, 2012)



Q: We try to focus in namaz but can never achieve full concentration in

namaz?


The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) says, that a person who derives no

pleasure from Prayer should beg before Allah:

“Allah the Almighty! Thou knowest how blind and sightless I am, and at

the moment I am like the dead. I know that in a little while I shall be called

and shall present myself before Thee and no one will be able to stop me.

But my heart is blind and unenlightened. Do Thou cause to descend upon

it such a flame of light that thereby it may be inspired with Thy love and

devotion. Do Thou bestow upon me such grace that I shall not be raised

up sightless and blind. When he supplicates in this manner and persists

in the supplication, he will see that a time will arrive when something will

descend upon him while he is engaged in such a Prayer that will melt

his heart.” (Malfuzat, new edition, vol. 2, p. 616)

Q: We are told that Salat saves one from evil deeds but we see Muslims who

are regular in Salat performing many evil deeds?

A possible answer could include

'…Surely, good works drive away evil works…' and has also stated that Salat keeps

one away from what is foul and immoral. We note though that some people do bad

deeds in spite of offering Salat. This is because although they offer Salat they do not

do so in spirit and with truthfulness. They only go through the motions as a ritual and

perform it as a force of habit. They are dead of soul and God does not call them the

good. Salat which removes immorality is that which has a spirit of truthfulness and has

an effect of beneficence in it. Such Salat most certainly removes badness. Salat is not

a matter of going through the motions, the core and essence of Salat is that

supplication which has delight and pleasure in it. (Paraphrased from Malfuzat, Vol. I,

pp. 162-164)

Multimedia

Various Programs on Salat

https://www.alislam.org/v/k-Salat.html

Faith matters

http://youtu.be/m_wyew7t3sI

Power of Salat- Friday Sermon (20th May 2011)

http://youtu.be/6nDm75UTDq8

Why is it compulsory to pray five times a day- ask Islam

http://www.askislam.org/practices/praying/question_1110.html

Friday Sermon: Importance of Salat (22nd June 2012)


Friday Sermon: Salat and Fiqah Masih (April 22nd 2016)

http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2016-04-

22.html

The Physical Benefits of Salat

https://www.alislam.org/library/articles/salat.htm

Faith matters: (Tahajjud Prayer)

http://youtu.be/i9Me-NatlcY

Friday Sermon: (Tahujjud Prayer) – 22nd August 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M78HpqzkWQ

References



2. Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ut-Tatawwu‘i, Babu Qayamil-Laili, quoted in

quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 59,


3. Sunan-ut-Tirmadhi, Kitab-ud-Da‘wat, Babu Fi Du‘a’in Nabiyyi, Conditions

of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 58,


4. https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf

5. Malfuzat, new edition Vol 2, page 182, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and

Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 59-60,


6. https://www.alislam.org/books/religiousknowledge/sec1.html

http://youtu.be/m_wyew7t3sI

http://youtu.be/6nDm75UTDq8

http://www.askislam.org/practices/praying/question_1110.html




http://youtu.be/i9Me-NatlcY

7. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, August

25, 2006, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2006-08-25.html

8. Ashab-e-Ahmad,vol. 2, p. 77, published in 1952, quoted in Conditions of

Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 212-213,


9. Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 212,




11. Malfuzat, new edition, Vol 2, page 616, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and



12. Paraphrased from Malfuzat, Vol. I, pp. 162-164




To send Blessings to the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be

upon him) / To seek forgiveness

(Durood & Istaghfar)

To send blessings on the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon

him) and to seek forgiveness

Condition 3


commandments of God and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings

of Allah be upon him) and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the tahajjud

and invoking durud on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings of

Allah be upon him). That he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness

for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.”

Introduction:

The third condition enjoins to invoke durood on the Holy Prophet (May peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him) as well as asking for forgiveness on a regular basis.

In order to win the pleasure of Allah, to attain His love, for the acceptance of our

prayers, we need to invoke Allah’s blessings upon the Holy Prophet (May peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him). The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has

admonished that durood should be recited abundantly.

Istighfar means repenting and seeking forgiveness from Allah the almighty and to seek

His help to reach the standards of what is expected of a true believer.

By the end of this chapter we hope that we can begin to really think about the third

condition of Bai’at and appreciate the role of Durood and Istighfar in our journey

towards Allah.

Therefore, our goal this term is to understand the depth and breadth of the

revolutionary change required of us in light of the third condition of Bait. Our goal is to

look within yourselves and 1) identify the areas and what we need to work on and 2)

start to make changes physically and mentally.

Durood

Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an;

Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O ye who

believe! you also should invoke blessings on him and salute him with

the salutation of peace. [33:57]

This verse is very important as it instructs all believers to invoke Durood on the Holy

Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) just as Allah the Almighty

and His angels do, and it is by invoking blessing on our Beloved Prophet (May peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him) that we too receive blessings.

It is the heartfelt desire of every Muslim to be close to our Beloved Prophet (May peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him) and this close connection is fostered through our

sending blessings on him.

Hazrat Musleh Maud (May Allah be pleased with him) gave the following perspective

about invoking Durood:

‘When we pray for others in a way our prayer also becomes a source of

elevation of our station. While our recitation of Durood elevates the station

of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) it also

increases our station and blessings reach him and then through him also

reach us. For example, when something is placed in a sieve it passes

through it and cascades down. Similarly, God has made the Holy Prophet

(May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) like a sieve for the

Ummah. First God grants blessings to him and then those blessings also

reach us through his agency. As a result of us invoking Durood God

elevates the station of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah

be upon him) and certainly God also tells the Holy Prophet (May peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him) that this gift is from such and such

believer. This inspires the Prophet to pray for us and because of his prayer

God grants us a measure of His blessings.’


This extract reiterates that fact that by sending blessings on the Holy Prophet (May

peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) we too become the recipients of Allah’s

blessings and is a way to elevate our stations.

Invoking Durood on the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon

him)

Durood must not be invoked in a careless manner. Instead we must send

blessing on the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

with true love for him, pondering over each word that we say.

In connection to this, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his helper) said:

‘Writing to one of his followers the Promised Messiah ( Peace be upon

him) advised to be profoundly aware that every action is free of being

a ritual or force of habit and is instead done with gushing and heart-

felt love. E.g. Durood should not be recited in the parrot-like fashion

that people generally do. They neither have absolute sincerity for the

Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) nor do

they seek blessings for him from God. Rather, it should be one’s creed

when reciting Durood that love of the Holy Prophet (May peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him) reaches the level where one’s heart

would not even suggest to have the same degree of love for another

from the start of time till the end or consider that a person could come

in the future who could surpass such love. This creed can be

established by being prepared to endure all imaginable difficulties with

sincerity of heart for his love just as those who loved the Holy Prophet

(May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) endured difficulties

out of his love in the past.’


True Durood is the one that enhances our love for the Holy Prophet (May peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him), and this is done by recognising the favours

of the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) on us, as

women and as human beings, the dignity, the respect, all the rights that we

enjoy today are his blessing. Above all, he is the one who takes us to God and

teaches us ways to worship Him and ways to love Him. Keeping all of these

mercies in mind will help us invoke a genuine, earnest and spontaneous

durood.

Durood has a very strong link with acceptance of prayers. In connection with

this, Hazrat Umar Bin al-Khattab (May Allah be pleased with him)says,

‘The supplication remains suspended between heaven and earth.

Until someone invokes blessings upon the Holy Prophet sa, no part

of it goes up to be presented before Allah the Almighty.’

(Sunan-ut-Tirmadhi, Kitab-ul-Witri, Babu ma ja’a fi FadlisSalati ‘Alan Nabiyyi).

Therefore, we must remember whenever we pray for anything, big or small, we

also send blessings on the Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be

upon him).

Durood should be part of our daily lives but on Fridays we need to make extra

effort to invoke as much Durood as possible.

To seek forgiveness (Istighfar)

The third condition also enjoins istighfar. Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:

And I said, ‘Seek forgiveness of your Lord; for He is the Exceedingly

Forgiving. He will send down clouds pouring rain for you in

abundance, and He will strengthen you with wealth and with children,

and He will give you gardens and He will give you rivers.’ [71:11-13]

In order to strengthen our souls we must be regular in istighfar. We must make it our

habit to ask for forgiveness for the sins we committed both knowingly and unknowingly.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon Him) has explained:

‘…Istighfar is for obtaining strength. It is also called seeking help. The

Sufis have said that as physical (bodily)strength and power is fostered

through exercise, in the same way, Istighfar is spiritual exercise. Through

it, the soul obtains strength and the heart achieves steadfastness. He

who desires strength should do Istighfar.’

(Malfuzat, vol. II, p. 67 - Essence of Islam Vol. II, p. 246).

The various aspects of Istighfar and how it helps us purify ourselves

In his Friday Sermon dated January 2, 2015, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May

Allah be his Helper) stated,

‘The Holy Prophet (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

said that God makes a way out of adversity and into prosperity for a

person who engages abundantly in istighfar and provides for him from

means that are beyond his imagination. Thus, the significance of

istighfar should always be in our view.” (Friday Sermon, January 2,

2015)

So while we should always ensure we are asking forgiveness for our sins, it is

especially important to do istighfar during times of hardship.


‘Some people have an awareness of sin, others do not. Therefore,

Allah the Almighty has made istighfar incumbent for all times, so that

one should continue to seek Allah’s protection from all sins—obvious

or hidden, known or unknown, whether committed by hand, legs,

tongue, nose, or eyes. These days the prayer of Hazrat Adam as

should especially be recited:

‘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)

This prayer has already been accepted. Do not spend your life in

heedlessness.’

(Malfuzat, new edition, vol. 2. P. 577)

We need to actively think about all the sins that we are asking forgiveness for,

sins past and present, and be truly ashamed of them as well as disgusted by

them in order for the istighfar to help us reform.

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has explained:

‘There are three aspects that constitute real repentance. Firstly, we

need to take all the thoughts and imaginations out of our heart which

are causing chaos in the heart, which incite one to badness and to

instil repulsion against whatever bad thoughts there may be.

‘Secondly, we need to express regret and mortification over badness

and to express this so much in one’s heart that one is embarrassed.

‘Thirdly, we need to resolve firmly and staunchly not to do the badness

again. If these steps are adopted and full efforts is made to attain high

levels of sabr and Salat, then God’s extraordinary succour will come

our way, InshaAllah.’

(Friday Sermon, November 22, 2013)

Asking for forgiveness with mere words is not enough, we need to start moving

towards goodness. Begin a new and pure life. Active action towards being a

better person is required to lend weight to our istighfar. God’s mercy accepts

us and our istighfar if our intent is reflected in our actions as well.


‘This also should be remembered that there are two kinds of matters.

One, the poison which is handled by the Satan and, two, the elixir.

When a man shows pride and thinks that he is somebody to be

reckoned with and does not seek help from the elixir, the poison

overpowers him. But when he humbles himself and realises that he is

nobody and very low and thus feels the need of the help of God then

Allah really produces a fountain through which his soul begins to flow.

This is what Istighfar means i.e. to overpower the poisonous matter

with the power received from God.’

(Malfoozat vol. 2, pg. 67-68)

Activities





True incidents

1. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) narrates his personal

experience as follows: “Once it so happened that I was completely

absorbed in invoking Allah’s blessing upon the Holy Prophet, may peace

and blessings of Allah be upon him, for a long period of time because I

was certain that the paths of reaching Allah the Almighty are very narrow

and cannot be found except through the intermediation of the Holy

Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be on him). As Allah also

says:

…and seek the way of approach unto Him…(5:36)

After a period of time I (May peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)

saw in a vision that two water-men enter my house, one from the interior

side and the other from the exterior. On their shoulders they were

carrying waterskins filled with the light Divine. They said: This is a

consequence of the blessings you invoked upon Muhammad (Peace and

blessings of Allah be upon him).”

(Haqiqat-ul-Wahyi, p. 128, footnote, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 22, p. 131,

footnote)

2. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) recounted the

following instances from the life of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon

him) in his Friday sermon:

‘Once a person asked the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) for a

Wazifah (formulaic prayer). The Promised Messiah replied: ‘Say Istighfar

profusely.’

Once a person requested for prayers regarding his debt and the

Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: ‘Say Istighfar profusely.

Once a person asked for prayers that he may have children and the

Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: ‘Say Istighfar a lot. It

effaces sin and Allah the Exalted also grants offspring.” (Friday Sermon,

January 13, 2012)



Q) If God and angels are reciting durood, what is the purpose of our humble

durood?


“The Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said

that the Durood of God and His angels was sufficient for him. The practice

of invoking Durood is only an opportunity given by God to true believers to

garner merit for themselves.”

Q) Your friend has been married for five years and struggling to have children.

She is always asking you to pray for her as her mother in Law is now becoming

impatient with her. How would you discuss her situation with her in light of

Istighfar; what would be your advice to her?


‘He who being a human being does not realise the need of Istighfar (asking

for forgiveness with the connotation of this word as explained above) is a

disrespectful atheist’ (Malfoozat vol. 3, pg. 217)

Multimedia

Faith matters- durood shareef

http://youtu.be/CYZo6_PP1AE

Importance of durood shareef

http://youtu.be/2D9n9EHKl1E

Seek Allahs forgiveness- friday sermon

http://youtu.be/_kkWIFryZgk

Repentance- faith matters


Reformation and forgiveness- faith matters

http://youtu.be/LGUySD2mEYI

http://www.alislam.org/r.php?q=istighfar

References

1. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Hazrat Maulwi Sher Ali (May

Allah be pleased with him)

2. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon January

16, 2015, https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-

2015-01-16.html

3. Sunan-ut-Tirmadhi, Kitab-ul-Witri, Babu ma ja’a fi FadlisSalati ‘Alan Nabiyyi,

quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and the Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.69,


4. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Hazrat Maulwi Sher Ali (May

Allah be pleased with him)

5. Malfuzat, new edition, vol 1, page 348-349, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and

the Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.68-69,


6. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, January


01-02.html

http://youtu.be/CYZo6_PP1AE

http://youtu.be/2D9n9EHKl1E

http://youtu.be/_kkWIFryZgk


http://youtu.be/LGUySD2mEYI

http://www.alislam.org/r.php?q=istighfar



7. Malfuzat, new edition, Vol II, p. 577, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and the

Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.67-68,


8. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon

November 22, 2013, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2013-11-22.html

9. Malfuzat, Vol 2, page 67-68, https://www.alislam.org/library/malf019.html

10. Haqiqatul Wahyi, page 128, footnote, Ruhani Khazain, Vol 22, page 131,

footnote, quoted in Conditions of Baiat and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi,


11. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, January

13, 2012, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-

2012-01-13.html

12. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon January

16, 2015, https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-

2015-01-16.html

13. Malfuzat, Vol 3, page 217, https://www.alislam.org/library/malf034.htm



https://www.alislam.org/library/malf019.html

Praise of Allah

(Hamd )

Condition 3


commandments of God and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering

the tahajjud and invoking durud on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him).

That he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins,

to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.”

Introduction:

Another pledge is that we will always remember God’s bounties. The greatest bounty

is that He enabled us to accept the Imam of the age. If we are mindful of this bounty

we will be drawn to forge a sincere connection with the Promised Messiah (Peace be

upon him) and will be drawn to practice his teachings.

By the end of this chapter we hope that we can begin to really think about the third

condition of Ba’ait and appreciate that to remember the bounties of God and to praise

and glorify Him is the key to cultivating a personal relationship with God. Therefore,

our goal this term is to understand the depth and breadth of the revolutionary change

required of us in light of the third condition of Bait. Our goal is to look within ourselves

and 1) identify the areas and what we need to work on and 2) start to make changes


Hamd

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) explained

‘Hamd’ is verbal praise which is offered to honour a mighty and noble being

for His acts of beneficence. Perfect praise is the exclusive prerogative of the

Lord of Majesty. The ultimate goal of every kind of glorification, be it in a

small or a large measure, is our Lord Who guides the misguided and exalts

the lowly and is the object of praise of all who are praiseworthy.’

(Karamatus Sadiqeen - The Commentary on the Holy Qur’an, Vol. I, p 72, Friday

Sermon February 10, 2012)

1) Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) then went on to explain the importance of

why the Holy Quran starts with the ‘Hamd’ of God. Huzoor (May Allah be his

Helper) explained that the earlier people were destroyed because they did not

recognise the Divine Attributes, or they forgot them and became embroiled in

shirk. (Friday Sermon February 10, 2012)

The Holy Quran says:

‘Glorify thy Lord with His praise and seek forgiveness of Him. Surely

He is Oft-returning with compassion.’ [110:4]

The preceding verses mentioned the Promised Victory which was granted to the Holy

Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of people entering the

religion of Islam in large numbers. Here, the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings

of Allah be upon him) is enjoined that since God’s promise has been fulfilled, he should

give thanks to His Lord for fulfilling His promise and should sing His praises. This

shows us the importance of being thankful to Allah and seeking His forgiveness.

In his Friday sermon Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) said:

‘…Faith is enhanced with true Hamd. As a community, we should be drawn

to Hamd at every progress. This increases the blessings. True Hamd

brings about revolutionary spiritual change and saves from imperceptible

shirk (associating partners with God). It makes a person truly devout

worshipper and draws attention to adopt human values…’

(Friday sermon July 20, 2012)

The Holy Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of

Islam once mentioned that if the entire mankind had turned away from God

and committed the worst possible sins, one and all, they would not diminish

His universal grandeur even as much as when someone dips a sharp

needle into a vast ocean; the water one finds adhered to the surface of the

needle would be far more than the sins of the entire mankind could take

away from the glory of God.

(An Elementary Study of Islam,)

How can we be grateful servants of God?

We need to ponder carefully on the unlimited bounties that God has bestowed

upon us through his Rahmaniyyat as well as his Rahimiyyat in light of the

commentary of surah Al Fatiha by the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon

him). This will help us truly appreciate these bounties and thank and glorify

Him the way it’s due.

The Holy Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said

that

‘any important task that is begun without praise and glorification of

God is not blessed and is not effective.’

(Sunano Ibn-e-Majah, Abwab-un-Nikah, Babu Khutbatin-Nikah,

Hadith No. 1894)

Therefore, we must always remember that before we start anything, we start

with the praise of Allah the Almighty.

Another Hadith is:

‘He who is not grateful for small favours cannot be grateful for the

bigger ones. He who cannot be thankful to men cannot render thanks

for the favours of Allah.’

(Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal, vol.4, p.278, printed in Beirut).

Thus, we should glorify God in a manner that we are also grateful towards His

creation.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) has also explained that in

order to be the recipients of as much blessings as possible we must have true

understanding when we praise Allah.

‘The term Alhamdolillah is said whenever we see or mention God’s

blessings and favours. It is said at every occasion of happiness and

blessing of God, whether it is personal happiness or communal

blessing. The majority of us say this whether or not we have a

deeper understanding of its meanings. It is said, even if as a

formality, because the [Muslim] surroundings develop an

awareness about it. Those who have little religious knowledge are

also aware that these words need to be said as they indicate praise

of God. It is essential to raise our understanding of the spirit of this

term, as this will lead the way to more blessings.’

(Friday Sermon, July 20, 2012)

Hazrat Musleh Maud (May Allah be pleased with him) once said:

‘Some people believe that it is sufficient to recite the attributes of Allah

during Salat. This is wrong. Remembrance of Allah—in addition to

Salat—is clearly enjoined by the Holy Qur’an. ‘And when you have

finished the Prayer, remember Allah, standing and sitting, and lying on

your sides...’ (4:104).

(Remembrance of Allah, p. 19)

If we follow these directions, we will always be engaged in remembrance of

Allah. This can be done during our daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, driving

etc, making all these menial tasks a form of remembrance of Allah. One has to

remember God’s favours with all one’s heart and mind throughout the course

of one’s day to continually remember Him.

Another important point to remember is that we must be humble. This was

explained by Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper):

‘mere verbal professing is not sufficient, the expression of gratefulness

of a true believer is from his/her every gesture and there is an effort to

adopt humility and humility is inculcated when there is an awareness

that all blessings are from God.’

(Friday Sermon, April 23, 2010)

Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) further stated:

‘God is Most Gracious, He enhances our capacities, grants us good

health and bestows His nearness to an Abid (worshipper of God) and

enables to attain the object of our creation. Good health is a blessing

of God, we should utilise it to worship Him and to serve religion.

Indeed, man cannot even perform worship that gains acceptance with

his own strength. Sincere gratefulness enables us to enhance in piety

and taqwa.’

(Friday Sermon, April 23, 2010)9

This condition of Bai’at also includes an injunction to remain ever-thankful to

Allah by giving precedence to our faith over all worldly matters; thanklessness

is called nashukri. If we spend our lives in seeking the world, this would be

ungratefulness.

We are fortunate that we have recognised and accepted the Imam of the age

and the Messiah and Mahdi. If we are mindful of this bounty, we will be drawn

to forge a sincere connection with the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)

and will be drawn to practice his teachings. Due to this belief, if we focus and

try we should not have difficulty in understanding the spirit of Alhamdolillah and

other Qur’anic terms because, after receiving knowledge from God, the

Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) has enlightened us.

When we look around the world and realise that all the blessing on us are due

to Ahmadiyyat. We should thus express our gratefulness by adopting an

exemplary connection with Ahmadiyyat. If we do not appreciate our Community

and do not pay heed to the word of the Khalifa of the time, we will we be

distancing ourselves as well as our children from God due to our

ungratefulness. With this concept, being a grateful servant of God would be

demonstrated by obeying the Khalifa of the time; fulfilling our duties as Ahmadi

Muslim women; as office bearers, we should fulfil our duties to the best of our

God-given abilities; we can sacrifice our time, money, property, as expected

from us in our Lajna Imaillah pledge.

In his book, ‘Commentary on the Holy Quran’, the Promised Messiah (Peace

be upon him) writes:

‘Hamd is praise which is offered in appreciation of commendable

action of one worthy of praise: it also means lauding one who has done

a favour of his own volition and according to his own choice.

The true reality of hamd is the due only of the Being Who is the source

of all grace and light and exercises beneficence deliberately and not

in ignorance or under compulsion. All this is found only in Allah, the

All-Knowing, the All-Seeing.

Indeed He is the true Benefactor and from Him proceed all benefits

from beginning to end, and for Him is all glorification, in this world and

in the hereafter and all praise that is bestowed on others reverts to

Him.’

[Commentary on The Holy Quran, Vol. I- Surah Fatiha, pg. 71 – 72]

In order to help us remember Allah and be grateful to him, the following prayer

is important to remember:

Hadrat Mu‘adh Bin Jabalra has related that the Holy Prophet (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) held him by his hand and said,

‘Mu‘adh, I swear in the name of Allah! I do love you and counsel you

that you should not miss supplicating after every Salat.

اللهم أعن ي على ذكرك وشكرك وحسن عبادتك

Allah, help me in remembering You, and being grateful to You and

worshipping You in the best manner.’

(Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Witri, Babun fil-Istighfar)

Activities


can help us apply the lessons learnt into our Daily lives and help us accomplish our

true task in this world. Read the following faith-inspiring excerpts and have a


True incidents

1) Subhan Allahi wa bi Hamdihi, Subhan Allahil-Azeem

‘Holy is Allah, with His Praise; Holy is Allah, the Greatest.’

“Once the Promised Messiah as was unwell but woke up for Tahajjud.

However, because of the weakness he could not stand up for the Tahajjud

prayer. He received a revelation that he could nonetheless achieve great

merit by reciting athe above Zikr in that condition. It is narrated in the

sayings of the Holy Prophet saw that he used to recite it very often.”

(Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Witri, Babun fil-Istighfar)



Q. Your son is very happy that as soon he got his new job, he was able to buy

his favourite car. He is constantly telling his friends that because of his degree

and his attitude to work he got the promotion and soon he will be able to buy

his own house. How would you discuss his situation with him in light of Hamd;

what would be your advice to him?

Multimedia

Showing patience and gratitude towards God in time of difficulty - Q&A with

Hazrat Khalifa tul Masih IV (May Allah have Mercy on him)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_A5QNOIsXY

What is shukr?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTW1l7Eq1mE

Why God has asked us to Grateful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSZx64vNFP0

What is the consequence of being ungrateful?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBNji_iZFlg

Dars on zikr e illahi


References

2) Karamatus Sadiqeen - The Commentary on the Holy Qur’an, Vol. I, p 72, Hazrat

Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Summary Friday Sermon

February 10th 2012,


3) The Holy Quran Chapter 110: Verse 4, English Translation by Hazrat Maulvi


4) Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Summary Friday Sermon

July 20th 2012,


5) An Elementary Study of Islam

http://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/prayer.html


January 2nd 2015.


7) Musnadu Ahmadabni Hanbal, vol.4, p.278, printed in Beirut, quoted in

Conditions of Bait and the Responsibility of an Ahmadi, page 70,




http://www.alislam.org/books/study-of-islam/prayer.html



8) Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon July 20,

2012, MTA subtitles by Review of Religions Team

9) Hazrat Musleh Maud (May Allah be pleased with him) – Remembrance of Allah

Page 19,


Allah.pdf


April 23, 2010.


11) The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him), Commentary on The Holy Quran,

Vol. I, pg. 71 – 72, https://www.alislam.org/quran/Commentary-on-Surah-

Fatiha.pdf

12) Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Witri, Babun fil-Istighfar, quoted in Conditions of

Bait and the Responsibility of an Ahmadi, page 70-71


13) Lecture delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad, Khalifatul-

Masih II [May Allah be pleased with him], during the annual conference of the

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on December 28, 1916


Allah.pdf



https://www.alislam.org/books/remembranceofallah/rememberance%20of%20Allah.pdf

https://www.alislam.org/books/remembranceofallah/rememberance%20of%20Allah.pdf

Fourth Quarter 2016-2017

Condition IV

Love of God’s Creatures

Condition V

Steadfastness

Love of God’s Creatures

(Hamdardi - e Khalq)

Condition IV

That under the impulse of any passions, he/she shall cause no harm whatsoever to

the creatures of God in general and Muslims in particular, neither by his/her tongue,

hands, nor any other means.

Introduction:

The blood, property and honour of a Muslim are made unlawful for another Muslim. It

therefore it is incumbent upon us not to cause any harm to our fellow Muslim. An

Ahmadi, however, should not cause harm to anyone, whether by hand or by tongue in

a fit of rage, under the pretext of one’s self-respect or honour or by any other means.

It is therefore important that it is not only Ahmadi Muslims who are safe from an

Ahmadi Muslim, but also every Muslim and all creation of God.

Our responsibilities in this regard are vast. We have to strive for peace and goodness

for all. Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) says:

“You are those people who have been raised for the good of other people

and for their beneficence. From among the duties of Muslims, one of the

biggest responsibilities is that the world should be benefitted by them. The

world should receive from them goodness and beneficence and not harm

or evil. However, at this time, the situation in which the world finds itself, is

that the Muslim governments, peoples and organizations have created so

much disorder that a large part of the world is fearful of the name of Islam

and the Muslims. The people who are cutting the throats of their own people

and are killing innocents, women, children, and the aged without any

regard, and without any reason, illegally and who are enslaving those who

do not share their way of thinking; how can it be expected of them that they

could be such as would wish for good for the non-Muslims.”

(Friday Sermon, October 31, 2014)

It is thus our task today to show the world the true essence of the verse:

best people raised for the good of mankind; (3:111)

If we are to become a source for a revolutionary change in the world, we have to first

bring about a revolutionary change in our lives. By the end of this chapter we hope

that everyone can start to truly understand the implications of the 4th condition of

Bai’at. We hope that by understanding the depth and breadth of this pledge that we’ve

made, will help us all modify our lives accordingly and this self-reformation will lead us

to achieve the pleasure and love of our beloved Allah. Insha’Allah

Kind and loving treatment is not limited to fellow human beings, but also extends to all

the creatures of the animal kingdom too. Hence, we must always be mindful of our

treatment to every single creature of God.

Ways in which we might cause intentional or unintentional harm

Refraining from physical cruelty is not enough; abstaining from verbal and mental

cruelty is equally as important. There are many ways in which we might cause

intentional or unintentional harm to others. We need to take care in all these areas of

conduct.

As mothers or elder siblings we should be careful not to harm children physically,

emotionally or psychologically through anger or undue strict behaviour.

It is imperative to control passionate impulses, e.g. anger, rage, jealousy etc. A

believer tries to remain calm and in control even when influenced by strong

impulses or faced with abusive behaviour. Many grievances are born out of

jealousy; especially when it comes to women.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Holy

Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:


‘Do not be jealous of one another. Do not quarrel among yourselves.

Do not entertain malice against each other. Do not have enmities

against one another. None of you should overbid on a contract that has

been settled by the other. O servants of Allah, be brothers to one

another. A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. He does not oppress

his brother. He does not derogate him nor thinks low of him.’ Then

pointing towards his chest the Holy Prophet saw said three times, ‘Taqwa

is in here. It is enough evil for a man to think low of his brother. The

blood, property and honour of every Muslim are unlawful for another

Muslim.’

(Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul- Birri was-Silah, Babu Tahrimi-Zulmil Muslimi

Wa Khadhlih)

‘There is grievance at times if someone is given the chance to serve

the Jama’at. If one has faith that this is a Divine community, then one

should engage in Istighfar (seeking forgiveness). The Holy Prophet saw

said that ‘one who wishes for an office should not be given one. A

Jama’at office is a trust and if one has Taqwa one should always be

fearful of accountability.’


The Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) enjoined us:

‘not to spoil a trade deal of another by offering more money. This does

not only mean to raise the stakes in a business deal with one’s larger

resources, rather this advice carries extensive scope.’


‘Sometimes in ongoing matrimonial matches another party interferes. If

a matrimonial match is ongoing no one should interfere. The proposal

that comes first should be considered by the family with prayers. They

should not even think about any subsequent proposal until such time

that they have considered the first one. In certain situations, a girl

receives a proposal but a third party with grievance contacts the boy’s

side and furnishes information to them about defects in the girl. They

then go on to suggest a ‘better match’ which never materializes while

spoiling the situation. Ploys are used to disgrace the girl and her family

and thus the poor girl is discredited and all this wickedness is born of

jealousy.’


“Enmities start from petty matters. Hearts are filled with spite and

malice. Some people are always on the lookout for an opportunity to

avenge themselves, while the instruction is not to have enmity with, nor

malice for, anyone.”

(Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p. 82)

We are asked not to oppress anyone, not to think low of anyone, nor to derogate

anyone. An oppressor never achieves nearness to Allah.

We are expected not to quarrel with each other. Quarrels take place over petty

matters too.

Sometimes a duty holder tells off a child who has been mischievous in a gathering

that if he were to do it again he would be dealt with firmly. The parents, sitting

nearby, immediately roll up their sleeves for a fight, and the person performing the

duty is put down in a terrible way. By doing so they not only took leave of their good

manners, they also banished from the minds of their next generation, the respect

for the organisation of the Jama’at and the distinction between good and bad.

Petty quarrels are sometimes seen at Jalsa as well. In the context of Jalsa Salana

the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said that:

‘one’s faith is not right unless one gave preference to the comfort of

one’s brother over one’s own comfort.’


Plotting and planning to put a wedge between two friends or relatives. Attempting

to isolate someone by turning others against them. Maligning them in public or

private are all ways of inflicting harm.

Sabotaging relationships, trying to cut ties, poisoning hearts and minds of people

against one another. Creating rifts between loved ones are all forms of emotional

abuse.

Instead of constantly being concerned with the shortcomings of others we should

look within ourselves. In regards to this, Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) said:

‘Those who find faults of others and make accusations have been called

foul and wrongdoers (49:12) by Allah. Each person should be concerned

about the state of their own faith. Indeed, the Holy Prophet saw had said

that one can see the straw in one’s brother’s eye but cannot see the

timber in his own eye. If one had firm faith that Allah is All-Seeing one

would always be only concerned about one’s own deeds.’


This reminds us to cover up the faults of others as in a hadith Abu Hurairah (May

Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings

of Allah be upon him) said:

“…Whosoever covers up the faults of a Muslim will have his faults

covered up by Allah the Almighty in the hereafter. Allah the Almighty is

keen to help him who is keen to help his brother...”

(Sahih Muslim, Kitab-udh-Dhikr, Babu Fadlil Ijtima‘i ‘ala

TilawatilQur’ani wa ‘aladh-Dhikr)

Therefore, as Muslims we should always seek out to help those around us instead

of picking out their faults.

Backbiting, gossip and spreading rumours can all cause harm to others. A Muslim

does not hurt others’ feelings with his jokes or jests, abusive language, sarcasm,

backbiting or false accusations, and he also does not harm other Muslims with his

hands, for example by beating, killing or stealing from others etc. meaning by every

type of unjust use of hands.

Derision, mockery, ridicule and looking down on others are some other social ills

that cause grief to fellow human beings. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon

him) said:

‘Allah the Exalted does not care for anyone but for the righteous person.

Instil mutual love and unity and abandon beastliness and conflict and

give up all manner of mockery and derision because mockery makes

the heart remote and distant from the truth. Treat each other with

respect and everyone should give precedence to the comfort of his

brother over his own comfort.’


We have to be careful in our use of social media. Verbal and emotional abuse can

very easily be inflicted through social media. Any of the above mentioned

behaviours that can cause harm to others that we should try to avoid in real life

must always be avoided in virtual lives on social media too.

We should endeavour to harbour no feelings of rancour whatsoever and, if our

emotions are aroused, we should try to subdue them through earnest prayer and

positive thinking. Islam teaches that in the event of a dispute one should resume

talking within three days. This initiative would go a long way in restoring a friendly

relationship which may grow even stronger.

Usurping rights of others is another means of causing harm. At times wives do not

respect the rights of their husbands. Or there is poor treatment of husband’s family.

God says in the Holy Quran:

"Repel evil with that which is best. And lo, he, between whom and

thyself was enmity, will become as though he were a warm friend."

(41:35)

We are taught not to be vengeful and to forgive others. However, where it cannot

be helped and others exceed in limits with their persecution, we should inform the

authorities. This should be done for reformation and should not be borne of any

personal enmity or anger.


‘A man should not be conceited, nor indecent, nor ill-mannered towards

the fellow beings. He should act with love and goodness and should

not bear ill-will towards anyone for personal reasons. He should behave

firmly or gently in accordance with the occasions or conditions.’

(Malfuzat, new edition, vol. 5, p. 609)

This condition of Bai’at also reminds us to take care of those creatures that Allah

has created for our service and our use.

Islam expects us to treat all animals (all living creatures - birds, sea creatures,

insects, etc.) with respect and dignity. The Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) continuously advised people to show kindness to

animals.

In connection to this, Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (May Allah be pleased with him)

relates:

‘While we were in the course of a journey along with the Holy Prophet

saw we saw two young doves in a nest and we caught them. They were

still very small. When their mother returned to the nest, not finding her

little ones in it, she began to fly wildly round and round. When the Holy

Prophet saw arrived at the spot he observed the dove and said, ‘If any

one of you has caught its young ones he must release them at once to

comfort it'

(Abu Dawud)

This emphasises the importance of being careful and mindful of not hurting any

creature, regardless of them being human or otherwise.

Indeed, we have to desire and wish good for all people, even those involved in

every kind of evil, thieves and robbers, and those guilty of committing every kind

of excess simply because these are all the creatures of the Lord of all the Worlds

and we are required to be the well-wishers of all creatures of God Almighty.

Our goal this term is to understand the depth and breadth of the revolutionary change

required of us in light of the fourth condition of Bait. Our goal is to look within ourselves

and 1) identify the areas that we need to work on and 2) start to make changes


Activities





True incidents

1. Describing the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) strong sympathy for

mankind Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) says:

“that despite the fact that Allah, the Exalted, had sent the plague as a sign

in support of his claims, yet, when people began to die from it, he became

concerned that if all the people died who would be left to worship God

Almighty and who would be there to believe. So he started praying for the

removal of this torment with such anguish and pain that those who heard

him said that his cries were like those of a woman at the time of giving

birth. So this is the example and standard that has been set before us by

the true servant of the Holy Prophet (sa) in this age as to how to be the

well-wisher of the people of the world.

Instead of desiring the destruction of the world, he desired good for the

world. That God Almighty is Possessor of All Powers and He can change

the hearts of the people without resorting to destruction. So our efforts

also need to be, following in the footsteps of the Promised Messiah (as)

and his Lord and Master the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah

be upon him) that the people may be saved from destruction so that they

may become our brethren. We need to pray for this also with pain in our

hearts. And we need also to make every effort. We have to set right the

material and spiritual lives of the people by guiding the world to the right

spiritual paths.” (Friday Sermon, October 31, 2014)

2. In the context of suppressing the impulses of passion:

Once In the time of the Promised Messiah as, In a meeting with Hindus a

dispute erupted and the Jama‘at showed a great sense of restraint.

Appreciating this good quality of his community, the Promised Messiah as

says: If the good-natured Muslims were not mindful of their high moral

standards, and had they not shown patience and suppressed their anger

in accordance with the Qur’anic teachings, there would have been great

bloodshed at the meeting because of the trouble instigated by the people

who had come with evil intentions. Our Community deserves a thousand

praises because they demonstrated an excellent example of patience and

restraint. They remained silent on hearing the abusive words which were

worse than the bullets of the enemy.

(Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruha niKhaz a’in , vol. 23,p. 10)



Q) I have a quick temper and get negative thoughts all the time. How can I get

rid of these?

A possible answer could include Ahadith relating to controlling anger and a prayer to

purify the heart such as Hazrat Mirza Nasir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih III (May Allah

have mercy on him) said:

I pray that your hearts may be purified and that all vices and corruptions

and evil incitements may be removed from you, that the Satan of arrogance,

vanity, and self-seeking and selfishness should forsake your breasts and

the ornaments of humility, unselfishness and meekness should prepare

your breasts for the reception of your Lord, and then Allah should descend

upon them and fill them with every type of blessing. May He illumine your

hearts and souls with every type of light. May God cause fountains of

human sympathy and compassion to burst forth from your pure breasts so

that the whole world should become the beneficiary of your selfless service.

http://www.alislam.org/library/links/heart.html

Q2) At times older members in the mosque greet younger members with

comments on the features of their daughters, in a slightly negative manner, how

can we make them understand without being rude that this hurts the child’s

feelings?

Q3) A Senior Lajna member became aware of a marriage proposal for a Lajna in

her majalis, she heard certain negative comments about this member, should

she make the family who are considering the Rishta aware of this?

Q4) At times during jalsa or even in our mosque while we are standing in a queue

waiting for food or security, we are pushed, stomped on, pushchairs are driven

into our backs or we are even ran over by wheels of the pushchairs. Are these

not considered hurting others by hand?


References

1. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, October 31,


31.html

2. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Hazrat Maulwi Sher Ali (May Allah be

pleased with him), Chapter 3, Verse 111

3. Hadith

4. Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul- Birri was-Silah, Babu Tahrimi-Zulmil Muslimi Wa Khadhlih,

quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 81,




01.html



01.html

7. Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 82,


8. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, January 1,


01.html

9. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, May 26,


10. Sahih Muslim, Kitab-udh-Dhikr, Babu Fadlil Ijtima‘i ‘ala TilawatilQur’ani wa

‘aladh-Dhikr, quoted in Conditions of Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi,



7, 2014, http://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2014-02-

07.html

12. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Hazrat Maulwi Sher Ali (May Allah

be pleased with him), Chapter 41, Verse 35





13. Malfuzat, new edition, Vol 5, page 609, quoted in Conditions of Ba’at and



14. Abu Dawood, quoted in Life of Muhammad (May Peace and Blessings of Allah

be upon him), page 246, http://www.alislam.org/library/books/Life-of-

Muhammad.pdf

15. Hazrat Khalifatul- Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon, October


10-31.html

16. Chashma-e-Ma‘rifat, Ruha niKhaz a’in , vol. 23,p. 10, quoted in Conditions of

Bai’at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi, page 219,


17. http://www.alislam.org/library/links/heart.html


Steadfastness

Condition 5

That he/she shall remain faithful to God in all circumstances of life, in sorrow and in

happiness, in adversity and in prosperity, in felicity and in trial; and that he/she shall

in all conditions remain resigned to the decree of God and keep himself/ herself

ready to face all kinds of indignities and sufferings in His way and shall never turn

away from Him at the onslaught of any misfortune; on the contrary, he/she shall

march forward.

Introduction:

The 5th condition requires that an Ahmadi remain inclined towards God Almighty in

times of both hardship and ease. When confronted with suffering and tribulation, a

person should reconcile themselves to the will of Allah and show steadfastness in

order to be the recipient of a much greater reward. Steadfastness requires prompt

reconciliation to Divine will without any complaint. Equally, when a person is at ease

and experiences positive things, they should remember Allah and show gratefulness

to Him.

A true Momin is tested and there are two types of steadfastness that he exhibits.

Firstly, in face of adversity, trials, persecution and abuse he remains steadfast to faith

and says Allah is sufficient for me. In Surah Al-Baqarah, we read:

And We will try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of

wealth and lives, and fruits; but give glad tidings to the patient, Who,

when a misfortune overtakes them, say, ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and

to Him shall we return.’ It is these on whom are blessings from their

Lord and mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided. [2:156-158]

We are reminded that everything belongs to God, and all that we are bestowed with,

is a gift from Him. Hence, we have no ground for complaint and no reason to grieve

when we lose something, as all things truly belong to Allah. Every misfortune that

befalls a believer should be met with resolve and fortitude.

Secondly, faced with the decree and will of Allah a Momin (true believer) always

remains loyal to his Lord. He surrenders his will for Allah’s will. His devotion never

wavers whether Allah sends blessings his way or tests him with adversity.

By the end of this chapter we hope that we can begin to really think about the fifth

condition of Ba’ait and appreciate the role of steadfastness in cultivating a personal

relationship with God. Therefore, our goal this term is to understand the depth and

breadth of the revolutionary change required of us in light of this condition of Bait. Our

goal is to look within ourselves and 1) identify the areas and what we need to work on

and 2) start to make changes physically and mentally.

Forms of Steadfastness

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) also reminds us that we, as the

chosen Jama’at of Allah, are inevitably going to be confronted with trial and

hardship, just as the believers were in the early days of Islam. These trials are

a test of our faithfulness to Him, hence we should turn to Him at every moment,

and place Him at the center of every thought and action:

“It is inevitable that you should be tried with diverse types of pain and

misfortune as the faithful before you were tried… All are His creatures,

but He chooses the one who chooses Him. He comes to the one who

goes to Him. He bestows honour upon him who honours Him.”

(Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 19, p. 15)

Sometimes Allah makes His servants go through sufferings related to one’s

children. When one suffers a loss considering it a returning to God a bounty of

His that was bestowed on oneself through His benevolence temporarily. God

reclaimed what belonged to Him and being resigned to His will.

Say, 'Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.' (2:157)

At a time of grief and difficulty, sincere utterance of the aforementioned

statement has a deep impression on a person’s mind and brings them a sense

of peace. When a believer accepts that we all come from God and we are all to

return to Him, the connection with the Maker becomes ever stronger.

We should always keep in mind that people who are reconciled to the will of

Allah, and suffer all hardships and tribulations for His sake, are never left

unrewarded by Allah the Almighty.

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) said that:

“I have received reports and letters that some ladies are teased by

their in-laws that they bore daughters only. The Holy Prophet

Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said that if a

person is tried through having daughters only, his daughters will be a

barrier between him and the fire in the next world.”


Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) recalls a hadith. He cites

that:

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him)

said that a person who socialises and bears inconveniences and

hurtful behaviour patiently is better than a person who does not

socialise and does not show patience and steadfastness in the face

of hurtful treatment.



This shows us the importance and worth of patience in our daily lives. We must

not cower to hurtful behaviour but be powerful by showing steadfastness and

patience to please Allah ta’ala to gain immense blessings at the end of it.

Hazrat Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Holy

Prophet (May Peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said,

‘No Muslim suffers any calamity, suffering, pain, discomfort, or

anxiety, even as small as the prick of a thorn, but Allah wipes out

instead some of his defaults and his sins.’

(Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birri was-Silah, Babu Thawabil-Mo’mini fi

ma yusibuhu min Maradin au Huznin au nahwa dhalik)

People who wail, cry and complain eventually come to terms with their loss

after going through phases of anger, despair and blame. However, these are

but the very basic, natural behaviour of a human mind. To exhibit patience

and steadfastness elevates man to a higher level of spirituality. There is

excessive wailing and crying at the death of children, especially among the

women. Thanks to Allah, He has granted the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jam a ‘at

mothers, who are very patient and reconciled to His will. But sometimes there

are instances of complaining or uttering words of ingratitude.

There is a hadith that the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of Allah be

upon him) used to take a pledge from women-Companions in this respect. The

hadith runs as follows:

Hadrat Usaid (May Allah be pleased with him) relates that he heard

from a woman Companion (May Allah be pleased with her) who had

taken a pledge at the hand of the Holy Prophet (May Peace and

Blessings of Allah be upon him) that the pledge included the following:

‘We will not disobey the Holy Prophet (May Peace and Blessings of

Allah be upon him), will not tear our faces in wailing, will not raise a

hue and cry during mourning, and will not tear our clothes or keep our

hair ruffled.’

(Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Jana’iz, Babun fin-Nauh)

We have pledged to remain steadfast “…no matter how hard the

circumstances, how long the period of hardship, how apparent the worldly

attractions, how likely the benefits from diverse worldly activities, and how luring

the attractions offered by the worldly powers that tells you not to worry because:

‘as an Ahmadi, even as you maintain ties to the Jama‘at, you can still conduct

your professional affairs, serve the Jama‘at, and sacrifice financially.’ All of

these are caused by Dajjal [Antichrist] to move you away from Allah and the

Jama‘at.”

(Gardens of the Righteous – Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi,

translated by Sir Zafrullah Khan Sahib (May Allah have mercy on

him), p. 13-14)

Activities





True incidents

In Huzoor’s (May Allah be his Helper) Friday sermons, Huzoor has quoted many

incidents from the life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (May Peace and blessings of

Allah be upon him), the Promised Messiah (Peace be on him) and his companions to

show us the standards of steadfastness.

Hazrat Anas relates that the Holy Prophet passed by a woman who was

crying over a grave. He said to her: Be mindful of thy duty to Allah and be

steadfast. She retorted: Leave me alone; you have not been afflicted as I

have been. She had not known who he was. Someone told her: That was

the Holy Prophet. She proceeded to the door of the Holy Prophet and not

finding any doorman went in and said to him: I had not recognised you.

He said: Steadfastness means to be resigned at the time of the first shock

of grief.

(Bokhari and Muslim)

Khubaib ibn Arat relates: We complained to the Holy Prophet of the

increasing persecution inflicted upon us by the disbelievers of Mecca. He

was reclining in the shade of the Ka’aba, having made a pillow of his cloak.

We submitted: Why do you not supplicate for help for us? Why do you not

pray for us? He made answer: From among those who have gone before

you a man would be caught and held in a pit dug for him in the earth and

he would be sawn in two with a saw placed over his head, or his flesh

would be combed away from his bones with iron combs but none of this

would wean him away from his faith. Allah will surely bring this matter to

its consummation till a rider from Sana’a to Hadhratmaut fearing nothing

save Allah and the hazard of the wolf concerning his sheep. But you are

in too much of a hurry.

(Bukhari)

The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)

Huzoor (May Allah be him Helper) relates that:

“…Mubarak Ahmad was clearly very dear to the Promised Messiah

(on whom be peace). When he became ill the Promised Messiah (on

whom be peace)took so much trouble and spent so much time that

people thought if he was to die, the Promised Messiah (on whom be

peace) would suffer greatly and would be extremely affected and

saddened by it. But the day that he passed away he was seen to be

perfectly resigned to the decree of God saying that this was a trust that

God had given to us and now that He has taken it back what right have

we to complain. So the work of a believer is to serve a fellow human

being as much as he can and considers this a means of earning merit

in the sight of God but when on the other hand the will and decree of

God Almighty comes into operation he does not express any sort of

impatience of lack of contentment. But those who are in the habit of

complaining earn a double loss, both here and in the hereafter…”


Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani sahib writes that in 1898 Maulwi Muhammad

Hussain sent a journal to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace)

which was full of abusive language. He writes that reflecting on the

steadfast resolve that the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace)

displayed upon receiving the journal, filled him with emotion even

decades later. His patience and fortitude was exemplary and was a

proof that God bestows such high determination to His Prophets. Irfani

sahib writes that once at a convention a Braham leader was having a

question and answer session with the Promised Messiah (on whom

be peace) when a obnoxious person started hurling abuse at the

Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). The Promised Messiah (on

whom be peace) put his hand on his face and sat completely serene

as if listening to sweet conservation while the man remained foul-

mouthed. He said no one should say anything to the man and should

let him say what he wanted. The Braham was very impressed with this

and said it was a moral miracle.


Sheikh Yaqub Ali Irfani sahib writes that in 1904 a journal that used

abusive language for the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) was

mentioned when the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said,

‘steadfastness should be practised. What do these abusive words do?

Such was also the condemnation of the people of the times of the Holy

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) which he used to

laugh off saying what can I do about their condemnation, Allah has

named me Muhammad’. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace)

added, ‘similarly has God sent me’. Often abusive letters would arrive

without any postage paid and it had to be paid in order to receive the

letters which the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) used to pay.

These letters had nothing but abuse from start to finish and the

Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) used to pray for the senders

and put all such letters in a bag.


The Companions of the Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him)

“One hundred years ago, two elders of the Jama‘at demonstrated perfect

fidelity and steadfastness. They were true to their pledge, very true. They

were enticed with different kinds of attractions to break the pledge, but

these princes of steadfastness paid no attention to them and remained

true to their pledge. The Promised Messiah as has paid excellent tribute

to them. They are Sahibzadah Sayyed ‘Abdul Latif Shahidra and ‘Abdur-

Rahman Khanra…The history of the Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jama’at over

the last one hundred years bears witness that such examples of

faithfulness and fidelity have been repeatedly demonstrated. There were

losses of lives and property. There were martyrdoms. Children were

killed in the presence of fathers, and fathers were killed in the presence

of children. Then did Allah—Who is the Greatest in rewarding

faithfulness— permit this blood to be spilled in vain? No. He showered

His Mercy upon their progenies in an unprecedented way. Many of you

who are present here or are spread in many countries are personal

witnesses to this are the recipients of these blessings. This is a

consequence of the fidelity that you have shown towards Allah and the

way you remained true to the pledge of allegiance. When the time of

ease comes, do not forget this pledge of Bai‘at nor let your future

generations forget it. Always remain faithful to the dear Allah, so that His

blessings may continue to pour on your future generations; transfer this

relationship of fidelity to the coming generations.” (

The Conditions of Bai’at and responsibilities of an Ahmadi

by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper),

p.100-102)

“…The model of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I ra was in accordance with the

sunnah of the Prophet sa .In August 1905 his son ‘Abdul Qayyum passed

away after suffering from measles for a few days. He was about two years

old. He first kissed the child at which his eyes were filled with tears, and then

he said: I uncovered the child’s face not because I was anxious, but to follow

the sunnah . When the Holy Prophet’s sa son Ibrahim ra passed away, the

Holy Prophet sa had kissed his face and he was tearful. He glorified Allah

the Almighty and said: ‘Though separation is hard to bear even for a short

while, nevertheless, I am content at the will of Allah the Almighty.’ To fulfill

this sunnah I uncovered his face and kissed him. It is Allah the Almighty’s

grace and a reason to be happy that a chance to fulfill a sunnah was granted

to me… Another example is of Hadrat Chaudhry Nasrullah Khan ra .

Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan ra writes: We had a brother whose name was

Hamidullah Khan, who was younger than dear Chaudhry Shukrullah Khan

(deceased) and older than Chaudhry ‘Abdullah Khan (deceased). He

passed away at the age of about nine years after a few day’s illness. His

death took place at the time of Fajr . My father had been up all night looking

after him. After his death, he made arrangements for his burial and other

related matters. After having finished with these, he went to work as usual

at the time of the courts opening. Neither his clients nor the court officers

and his colleagues came to know that he had come to work after having

buried his beloved child, content and pleased with the will of his Lord.”

(Ashab-e-Ahmad, vol. 11, pp. 165–166, published in 1962)

“Model of Hadrat Maulavi Burhan-ud-Din ra [as narrated by his son ] When

the Promised Messiah as arrived Sialkot in the early days, he was traveling

with some friends to deliver his lecture. While he was passing through a

street someone threw a basketful of ashes from a roof top. With the grace

of Allah the Almighty, Hudur as was saved as he had passed through. The

ashes fell on the head of my father. As a consequence, the old, grey haired

man became a spectacle for people. As he passionately loved Hadrat Sahib,

he stood right there in ecstasy and most cheerfully started saying, ‘Come

on woman, throw some more!’ He used to say that it was a favour of Allah

the Almighty that because of H a d rat Sahib as he had received the

blessing. After Hadrat Sahib’s as departure from Sialkot, the khuddam were

returning to their homes after seeing him off at the train station. Somehow

he (Maulav i Burhan-ud-Din ra ) was left behind and the opponents caught

him and deeply humiliated him, so much so that they stuffed cow-dung in

his mouth. However, he felt honour in this humiliation, and pleasure in this

pain and would repeatedly say, ‘O Burhan, how did you deserve these

blessings!’ That is to say, these blessings do not easily come by; rarely is

one victimised for the sake of faith, that it is good fortune to suffer in that

manner!” ( Monthly Ansarullah, Rabwah, September 1977, pp. 14–15)

Extra Activities

A prayer to recite. The Promised Messiah (Peace be upon him) said:

“A verse in the Holy Qur’an relates:

‘Our Lord pour down upon us steadfastness and cause us to die in a state

of submission to Thee (7:127);’

which means, Lord, at this time of trial send down upon our hearts the

comfort that should make us steadfast and do Thou so ordain that we

should die in a state of submission to Thee. At the time of trials and

misfortune, God Almighty causes a light to descend upon the hearts of

those who are dear to Him, being strengthened by which they face

misfortunes calmly and out of the sweetness of their faith, they kiss the

chains that are put round their feet in His cause.”

http://whyahmadi.org/expectations-of-being-an-ahmadi/ten-conditions-of-

baiat.html



http://whyahmadi.org/expectations-of-being-an-ahmadi/ten-conditions-of-baiat.html


Q1) In the current climate of islamophobic attacks and hate crimes, is it not wise

to discard scarves for a while and blend in to the general population for personal

safety?

Q3) If we report a hate crime and expect action to be taken against the

perpetrators, does that go against the spirit of steadfastness?

Q2) The various stages of bereavement, the anger, the despair are all considered

natural, will it be healthy not to go through them?

Multimedia

Friday Sermon: Patience and Steadfastness


http://whyahmadi.org/expectations-of-being-an-ahmadi/ten-conditions-of-

baiat.html

sabr- o –istiqlal (patience and steadfastness) seerat –un- Nabi (SAW)


Life of Holy Prophet Muhammad(saw) Patience and Steadfastness


https://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/.../FSP20140523-EN.ppt

https://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/.../FSP20120406-EN.pptx

References

1. The Holy Quran with English Translation and Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 2822.

2. Kashti-e-Nuh, Ruhani Khaza’in, Vol. 19, p. 15, quoted in The Conditions of Bai’at

and responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.72

3. The Holy Qur’an with English Translation by Hazrat Maulwi Sher Ali (May Allah be

pleased with him), Chapter 2, Verse 157

4. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon November 19,

2010, https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/2010-11-19.html

5. Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Birri was-Silah, Babu Thawabil-Mo’mini fi ma yusibuhu min

Maradin au Huznin au nahwa dhalik, quoted in The Conditions of Bai’at and

responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.93,

https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf )






https://www.alislam.org/archives/sermons/.../FSP20140523-EN.ppt



6. Sunano Abi Dawud, Kitab-ul-Jana’iz, Babun fin-Nauh, quoted in The Conditions of

Bai’at and responsibilities of an Ahmadi, p.94,

https://www.alislam.org/introduction/conditions.pdf)

7. The Conditions of Bai’at and responsibilities of an Ahmadi by Hazrat Khalifatul

Masih V (May Allah be his Helper, p.95,


8. Gardens of the Righteous – Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi, translated by Sir

Zafrullah Khan Sahib (May Allah have mercy on him), p. 13-14,

https://www.alislam.org/library/books/GardensRighteous.pdf

9. Gardens of the Righteous – Riyadh as-Salihin of Imam Nawawi, translated by Sir

Zafrullah Khan Sahib (May Allah have mercy on him), p. 15,


10. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon May 1, 2015,


11. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), Friday Sermon November 26,

2010, https://www.alislam.org/friday-sermon/printer-friendly-summary-2010-11-

26.html


Masih V (May Allah be his Helper), p.100-102,








15. http://whyahmadi.org/expectations-of-being-an-ahmadi/ten-conditions-of-

baiat.html













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