Friday Sermon: Taqwa and our relationship with Allah

Extracts from the Friday Sermon by Hadrat Khalīfa-tul-Masīh V (May Allah be his Helper) delivered on 13 April 2018 from Basharat Mosque Pedro Abad Spain

Friday Sermon (English Translation) 13 April 2018: Taqwa and our relationship with Allah

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 13 April 2018 from Basharat Mosque Pedro Abad Spain.

If your Bai'at is true then you must become spiritually alive Our Imām, Hadrat Khalīfa-tul-Masih V (May Allah be his Helper) says: Allāh had made arrangements for ending conflicts in the world and bringing people together in love and harmony to be able to recognize God, but the Muslims have refused to pay any attention to this. This is why the Muslim world is now prey to all kinds of tribulations. Their religious and worldly leaders are pushing them towards the abyss. People living in the same country are shedding each other’s blood, and outside powers, particularly non-Muslims powers, are making use of this discord and are causing Muslims to fight Muslims by helping them with arms and fighters.

This is a very painful scenario and it should turn our attention towards prayers for ourselves, who have accepted the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him), and for others who have not done so. And we should also try to improve our practical condition and spiritual condition in accordance with the expectations of the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him). If our practical condition is not as he wanted to see, then it might be that we become part of those who are engrossed in fighting and mischief. The Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) again and again reminds us of how we should conduct ourselves after pledging the Bai'at and what means we should employ for this purpose. He says: In these tumultuous times, when the winds of darkness, apathy and misguidance are raging, it is essential for our Jamā‘at to abide by Taqwa (righteousness).

Thus if an Ahmadī has pledged the Bai'at sincerely, he will have to become spiritually alive, otherwise it is of no use. Who is a true Muslim? A true Muslim loves Allāh while affirming that He is my Beloved, my Creator and my Benefactor, and lays himself at His threshold. If a true Muslim is told that there is no reward for his deeds, he would still never stop his deeds and leave his faith in God. This is the kind of selfless love for God that the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) wishes to produce in us. Love for Allāh should not be for the fear of hell or promise of heaven, but should be pure and selfless. One should love Allāh even if one gets nothing in return. A believer’s worship and his relationship with Allāh and his obedience and being totally lost in His will is not done in the hope of some reward, rather he considers his being to have been created for no other objective than to worship and obey God.

Thus when he employs his God-given faculties for this purpose, he begins to behold the face of God. When we have a selfless relationship with God, then we can see His countenance and our eyes will be on His will and desire and not on hell or heaven. The Promised Messiah’s (May peace be upon him) love for God Describing his love for Allah, the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) says: Even if it was made clear to me that as a result of loving Allāh and obeying Him I would be subjected to the most severe punishment, I swear that my nature is such that I would bear all the suffering and tribulation with pleasure and love and joy. In spite of all the promises of punishment and chastisement, I consider taking one step away from obedience of God to be worse than a thousand deaths and sorrows and sufferings.

Thus the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) makes it clear that to completely obey God’s commandments and to solely seek His pleasure is not easy. And yet this is something we should strive for with the best of our ability, and only thus can we achieve the purpose of being an Ahmadī. Give preference to faith over and above the world If our Jamā‘at wishes to please God, then we have to give preference to our faith. The Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) says that just as uttering the word sugar or sweet does not sweeten one’s mouth until one actually eats something sweet, in the same way the verbal profession of one’s love for God and His oneness is useless unless it is supported by example. And this will only come about when we cease to give preference to the world and prefer our faith. If our Jamā‘at wishes to please God, then they should give preference to their faith, and faith should be their priority. Allāh says: نُ تٍةَارَج ٍٍ تَِلََ عْمُكُ لُدَ أْلَه لجيمَ أٍ ابَذَ عْ مجن ْمُ ججيك “Shall I point out to you a bargain that will save you from a painful punishment?” (61:11)

The best bargain is faith which saves us from painful punishment. Therefore I say to you in the words of God: َ ٍٍ لََ عْمُكُ لُدَ أْلَه لجيمَ أٍ ابَذَ عْ مجن ْمُ نججيك ُ تٍةَارَج تِ (Shall I point out to you a bargain that will save you from a painful punishment? (61:11)) I have greater confidence in those who do not lessen in their zeal for faith; and I am afraid for those who lessen this zeal lest they should be ensnared by Satan. In other words, those who are not persistent will not be able to give priority to their faith and are likely to start becoming lax and slowly become ensnared by Satan. Therefore, we should never become lax.

An exhortation to increase our religious knowledge With regard to growing in spirituality, establishing a relationship with God and increasing our knowledge, the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) says: The relationship between a spiritual guide and his disciple is like that of a teacher and a student. Now, if a student were to associate himself with the teacher but not increase his own knowledge, then the teaching cannot benefit him. The same is the case with the disciple. If one associates with a teacher but does not act upon his teachings, he cannot benefit from him.

The Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) says that the mere association of a disciple with his guide is of no use unless he acts upon his teachings. Therefore, having associated yourself with this Jamā‘at, you should increase your knowledge and insight. A seeker after truth should not stop at one point or else Satan will divert him. The same way as stagnant water becomes stale after a time, if a believer does not strive to move further, he is likely to falter. A true believer will always keep progressing. If you stand still at one spot, you won’t stand for long and will fall down. Therefore, having changed your association, it is important to increase your knowledge and act upon all the teachings.

Every Ahmadī should benefit from MTA Everyone should try to establish a relationship with Khilāfat. We should remain linked with Khilāfat through the medium of MTA. We should benefit from all the programs of the Khalīfa. There are many who watch MTA regularly and write letters to me describing how it increases their faith and certainty. Thus MTA is an important means that every Ahmadī should make use of. The importance of reading Kashti-e-Nuh For the sake of our reformation, the Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) urged that we should read his book Kashti-e-Nuh again and again.

The Promised Messiah (May peace be upon him) says: I have told my Community again and again not to rely merely on their Bai’at, because until you reach the depth of its essence you cannot attain salvation. One who is content with the shell is deprived of the essence. It is not enough to look at the superficial aspect until you try to achieve what is within. If a disciple does not practice, the teaching of the guide will not benefit him. A person who receives a prescription from the doctor and puts it away in the cupboard and does not use it will not benefit from it, and he cannot complain if he is not cured. The same is true of those who suffer from spiritual maladies. If they listen but do not act, then the teaching is of no use, because the benefit lies in practicing what he’s been advised of, but of that he has deprived himself. Read Kashti-e-Nuh again and again and mould yourselves accordingly. اَاهَ كَ زْنَ مَحَلْفَ أْدَ ق “Surely, he prospers who augments it,” (91:10) Please convey these guidelines given by Huzoor (May Allah be his Helper) to members of your Jama‘at. Jazākumullāh. Wassalām, (Ch. Hameedullah) Wakīl A‘lā, Tahrīk Jadīd

Anjuman Ahmadiyya Pakistan.

Dated: 18 April 2018

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