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Friday Sermon: Men of Excellence - The High Station of the Companions of the Holy Prophet

Friday Sermon (English Translation) 30 March 2018: Men of Excellence

The Amīr/National President Jamā‘at Ahmadiyya,

Extracts from the Friday Sermon by Hadrat Khalīfa-tul-Masīh V (May Allah be his Helper) delivered on 30 March 2018 at Baitul Futūh Mosque, London.

The Holy Prophet’s (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) kindness towards his companions, and remembrance of two deceased Ahmadīs Our Imam, Hadrat Khalifatul Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) , says: Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) was a Companion of the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him). The traditions tell us how the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) helped him with paying back his loan, and prayed for him, and how Allāh blessed him. According to some, Hadrat Abdullah bin Amr (May Allah be pleased with him) related this to Hadrat Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) with regard to the payment of debt.

In any case, the harvest was very poor and he found it difficult to pay back his loan, and this came to the knowledge of the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him). But according to the hadith in Bukhari, it seems that this occurred sometime later. Either way, it reveals the Holy Prophet’s (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) compassion for his companions and the miracle of the acceptance of his prayers. Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah (May Allah be pleased with him) relates: There was a Jew in Medina who used to give me loan until my orchard bore fruit. My piece of land was located on the path to the well that was known as Roma. One year it so happened that the orchard bore poor fruit. But the Jew came demanding to be paid back his loan at the time of the harvest, as he always did, even though I had not reaped any harvest that year.

I asked him to give me a year’s respite, but he refused, because he thought in this way he could lay claim to the whole orchard. When the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) heard of this, he said to the Companions, “Let us go and seek from the Jew respite on behalf of Jabir.” The Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) along with some Companions came to my orchard and talked to the Jew, but the Jew said, “O Abul Qasim, I will not give any respite.” Hearing the Jew’s response, the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) took a round of the orchard and once again asked the Jew for respite, but he still refused. While this was taking place, I gathered some dates from the orchard and presented them to the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) which he ate. Then he said, “Jabir, where is the shelter wherein you rest?” I pointed it out to him, and he told me to have a mat spread in it so that he might have a rest. I did as he desired. He lay down and went to sleep. When he woke up, I brought him a handful of dates. He ate some and then stood up and again talked to the Jew, but he still did not accept. The Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) then took another round of the orchard and said to me, “Jabir, start collecting the dates and pay the Jew his debt.” I started taking down the fruit, and all the while the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) stood among the trees. I took down the dates until I had paid back all the Jew’s debt and there were some left over. When I gave this good news to the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) he said, “I swear that I am the Prophet of Allāh. This miracle happened because God listens to my prayers and blesses my actions.”

Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) said: While we see this example of the Holy Prophet’s (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) compassion and the blessings that resulted from the acceptance of his prayer, we also see how concerned the companions were about the repayment of their debts. This should be the hallmark of every believer. Sometimes in our society people who call themselves Ahmadīs resort to delaying tactics when it comes to repaying their debts. Sometimes such disputes go on for years. Let us always remember the words of the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) that whoever embraces this Jamā‘at should adopt the example of the companions of the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him). Only then can we bring about the peaceful society that was destined after the coming of the Promised Messiah and Mahdī (May peace be upon him). Another Hadīth is related by Hadrat Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) regarding the paying of debt. He relates that a companion owed someone two dinars when he died.

Thereupon the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) refused to lead his Janazah prayer. But when another companion accepted the responsibility for paying the debt, the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) led the prayer. The next day he asked the companion who had taken the responsibility whether he had fulfilled it or not. Such is the importance of the paying back of one’s debt and such is the concern one should have. Yet in another Hadīth related by Hadrat Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) said: If a believer leaves some wealth and property, it is received by his family and relatives. Furthermore, if he leaves a debt and his property and the wealth he leaves behind are not sufficient in order to pay off the debt, or in the case that he leaves behind children without any means of support, his orphaned children and the payment of the debt should be taken care of. In other words, the government and those in authority will take the responsibility for this. The upbringing of orphans and making arrangements for their expenditures have been greatly emphasised in Islām. Hence the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) said that this is the responsibility of the government.

The Holy Prophet’s (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) kindness towards Hadrat Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) It is related by a Companion: Once I came to Hadrat Jabir bin Abdullah (May Allāh be pleased with him) and said: Relate to me what you heard from the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him). Hadrat Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) said, “I was once returning from a journey with the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him). (The narrator says that he doesn’t know whether this journey was undertaken for some war or for umrah.) When we were close to Medina, the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) said that if someone wished to reach his home quickly he may hurry on. Hearing this, we picked up speed.

I was traveling on a camel that was of earthen colour and was spotless. People were following me and I was going fast when at once the camel stopped and refused to move on, even though I tried my best to make it move. When the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) saw this, he told me to sit tight, and then he hit it with his whip, whereupon it at once plunged forward and started moving very fast. The Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) asked, “Will you sell this camel?” I said I would. When we reached Mecca, the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) entered the mosque with several of his companions and I entered with them, and I tied the camel in the corner of a stone floor in front of the mosque and said to the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) that this was his camel. The Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) came out and circled around the camel and said, “This is my camel.” Then the Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) sent me several gold coins and then asked me whether I had received full payment. I said I had. He then said this money and this camel both belong to you. The Holy Prophet (May Allah's Blessings be upon him) was gracious enough to return the camel and to pay for it as well.

In Remembrance of Brother Bilal Adalbi Brother Bilal Adalbi of Syria was critically injured in a car accident on 17 March 2018 and died that night due to heart failure . اﻧﺎ ﻟﻠ و اﻧﺎ اﻟﻴ راﺟﻌﻮن Brother Bilal was born in 1978. When he was 17 years old, his brother Dr Musallam employed him in his company where he was introduced to some Ahmadīs and pledged Bai’at.

He was very keen to be of service to humanity and was punctual in his prayer and worship. He had a deep attachment to Khilāfat and listened to the sermons attentively. The President of the Jamā‘at says that when the synopsis of the Khalifa’s sermon was read out, he would cover his face and cry and would say that he felt as though the Khalīfa was talking directly to him. He has left behind an eleven-year-old son Omar and a 12-yearold daughter. His elder brother is an Ahmadī and lives in Germany. However, his two other brothers and a sister are not Ahmadīs, and there was a lot of opposition to him. On the occasion of the funeral however, his brother allowed Ahmadīs to offer his Janazah in the mosque and a lot of other people also offered the prayer with Ahmadīs.

In Remembrance of Saleema Mir Sahiba Saleema Mir was the former President of Lajna Imaillah Karachi and the wife of Abdul Qadir Dar Sahib. She died on 17 March 2018 at the age of 90. Her father Mir Ilahi Bakhsh sahib of Sheikhupura was a Companion of the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) and he pledged Bai'at in 1904. Saleema Mir was married in 1946 and after the Partition of the sub-continent they moved to Karachi. When the Organisation Committee was set up in 1981, Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh (May Allah shower His mercy upon him) appointed her as its president. Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh IV (May Allah shower His mercy upon him) appointed her President of Lajna Karachi in which position she served from 1986 to 1997. 60 books and two magazines were published during her tenure. This work was much appreciated by Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh IV (May Allah shower His mercy upon him) who said, “By the grace of God, you are doing excellent work. I pray from the bottom of my heart that Allāh may give you a long life and increase your happiness and health.” Please convey these guidelines given by Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) to members of your Jamā‘at. Jazākumullāh. Wassalām, (Ch. Hameedullah) Wakīl A‘lā, Tahrīk Jadīd

Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan.

Dated: 04 April 2018

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