“Be there to wipe away the tears of those who have been left bereft, heartbroken and vulnerable”
– Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba)
Whenever a calamity befalls the world, you will always see people take to social media to share their ‘thoughts and prayers’ to support and sympathise with those afflicted. And you wouldn’t have to scroll too far down the comments to see words questioning the motives of such sympathies. ‘Prayer isn’t going to change anything’, ‘enough talk, let’s actually do something!’. Some may even accuse the tweeters of using the opportunity to gain a followership or even fame.
So, I would understand if people were to question the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Associations’ #PrayForHeroes campaign on Thursday 16th April 2020 where thousands of Muslims will take to social media at 7PM to pray for the heroes who have helped to protect and save the lives of millions, if not billions across the world, ‘is it propaganda?’, ‘what is their agenda?’.
And to be honest, I would to an extent agree with such people if all AMYA was doing was typing in a few words on social media. However, that is certainly not the case.
So far, AMYA has helped 3,200 households, providing them with food and medicine, alongside supporting 43 local councils, charities and food banks. Of course, AMYA is not only praying for their heroes, in fact they have supported 720 NHS front-line staff members as well by supplying them with essential food packages and PPE.
AMYA is helping at home too, providing the youth nationwide with daily online classes, whether it’s quizzes, workout sessions or tuition, free of cost!
So, if it’s not propaganda, then why is AMYA doing all this? The fact is that our heroes need our support. There are thousands of households out there who need basic necessities such as food, water and medicines. So, we must join the battle to help our heroes in whatever way we can.
I’ve always heard the story about how a man who never even performed Hajj had his Hajj accepted, solely because he chose to feed his neighbours in times of great difficulty by using the money he had saved up to travel for Hajj. Hence, for Muslims, there are great blessings in helping people in need, even if that means that we put others before ourselves.
Like I said, for many, prayer may not be enough, however, for Muslims, physical service is not sufficient on its own. In fact, prayer is a central part in the life of Muslims.
The founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the Promised Messiah (as) has emphasised the importance of not just prayer, but praying together. He has likened it to a man who begs a rich person alone. The wealthy man may not look twice towards the beggar, however if hordes of beggars surrounded the wealthy man, he would have no choice but to respond. Similar is the case of praying to Allah, if we pray together, then we are able to receive the Mercy and Blessings of Allah manifold. Therefore, come 7PM tonight, we will be praying for all the heroes, may Allah protect them and reward them in abundance. Ameen!
Many may question the power of prayer, they may solely rely on science and medicine, the Promised Messiah (as) writes:
“If a question is raised that some prayers are not heard and no effect of theirs becomes visible, I would say that the same is the case with medical remedies. Have medicines shut the door of death, or is it not possible for them to fail of their purpose? Yet, despite this, can anyone deny their effect? It is true that determination comprehends everything, but determination has not wasted or disgraced knowledge, nor has it rendered means unreliable.”
Therefore, it is the duty of a Muslim to use every resource provided to us by Allah, whether physical or spiritual.
AMYA will always be there to help, no matter the time, location or situation. Our inspiration is our faith and our love for Allah and serving mankind. The Worldwide Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) says:
“We seek no reward or gratitude for such things because we are merely following what our religion has taught us, which is to stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of other faiths and beliefs in their times of need or distress.”
So we pray for all our heroes – those who work directly with patients, those who look after our vulnerable ones in care homes, and those who are playing vital roles in keeping us functioning as a society – the shop workers, the transport staff, the funeral workers, the mothers and teachers who are educating our children – and so many many, more – for all of you , we pray! God Bless you for your service to humanity!
About the author:
Qamar Ahmad Zafar is an Imam of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Very actively engaged in using social media to help promote the true image of Islam. Creator of regular vlogs on YouTube channel MTAONLINE1.
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