Pray for Your Enemies

The Promised Messiah^as & Imam Mahdi (Guided One)
Founder of
THE REVIEW OF RELIGIONS
Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as 

Our most important duty towards God is that we should worship Him and this worship should not be based on any personal desire of ours. Even if we are told that there are no paradise and hell, we should continue to worship Him; it should not detract anything from our love for God – the love of a creature for his Creator. The question of paradise and hell should not arise at all. So far as sympathy for human beings is concerned I believe that unless one prays for one’s enemy, it cannot be said that one has a clean heart. God says in the Holy Qur’an: Pray to Me and I will answer you.

He does not say that if you pray for your enemy I will not accept your prayer. I strongly believe that to pray for the enemy is the practice of the Holy Prophet^sa. The cause of Hazrat Umar^ra joining Islam was the prayer of the Holy Prophet^sa. He used to pray for him very often. One should not be niggardly towards one’s enemies in case of prayers; one must not become a troublesome person. I thank God that I do not find any enemy of mine for whom I have not prayed more than once; there is no such example. And it is the same thing which I advise you to do; I am teaching you how to do it.¹

Endnotes

1. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as, So Said the Promised Messiah (Rabwah, Pakistan: Wakalat-e-Tasnif), 134.