His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) is a beaming beacon of Divine guidance and support. His Holiness (aba) represents the highest level of a connection with God in today’s world and thus he is the spiritual leader for tens of millions across the world, and champions the message of fulfilling the rights owed to God, and fulfilling the duties we each owe to our fellow human beings. Over the course of his Friday Sermons, addresses on various occasions, meetings with different organizations and children’s classes, His Holiness (aba) imparts invaluable knowledge and insight on a remarkably vast array of topics.
The Review of Religions in honored to present some of these ‘Rays of Wisdom’ from His Holiness (aba) taken from various different sources, for the benefit of its readers.
Contents
Learning and Adopting Fundamental Teachings of Faith from a Young Age
Parenting Advice and Dealing With Reprimanding
Are All Those Who Drown Considered Martyrs?
How can we Save Youth From the Prevalence of Drug Abuse?
The Holy Prophet (sa) – A Mercy Just for This World or Even Life Forms Beyond Planet Earth?
Prayers for Ahmadis in Pakistan and Algeria
Learning and Adopting Fundamental Teachings of Faith from a Young Age
In today’s ‘modern world’ cultural norms and societal pressures often have a deeply rooted impact especially on the younger generation. Due to such influences, it becomes difficult at times for the youth to uphold certain practices or teachings which may be fundamental to their faith, for example, dressing modestly or observing the veil. His Holiness (aba) has always advised the youth to be firm, resolute and confident in their faith; its practices and teachings. The foremost way of doing so is by being well educated about the fundamentals of faith and the reasons behind certain practices and beliefs. It was on this very topic that His Holiness (aba) advised:
‘You should advise girls from an early age that they should dress modestly. When they grow older and enter the Women’s Auxiliary Organization (Lajna Ima’illah) they should know that alongside wearing modest clothing, Allah Almighty has commanded them to wear the hijab as explained in the Holy Qur’an. If you ensure their training in this manner from a young age, then by the time they become part of older group of the Auxiliary Organization (Nasirat Kabir) or the Women’s Auxiliary Organization (Lajna Ima’illah), they will wear modest clothing. They should be advised from their childhood, that though they may be young, the Holy Prophet (sa) has stated that modesty is part of faith, and thus they ought to dress modestly. Then, when they grow older, alongside modest clothing they should also wear the hijab. When one wears the hijab, it has a natural effect on the one wearing it and can prevent many ills such as socialising with men and forging friendships with them. When girls go to university and college, they themselves will feel a sense of responsibility of upholding the sanctity of the hijab. Therefore, if you ensure the good moral training of girls when they are young, then all the problems faced by the Women’s Auxiliary Organization will be resolved and there will be no complaints. Therefore this task [of moral training] for the young girls is extremely important.
If you can ensure their moral training from now, then it will prove very beneficial; by the time girls go to college or university, they should know about their identity and should know what Ahmadiyyat is. Many girls are taught the Qur’an and Hadith [sayings of the Holy Prophet (sa)], yet they do not even know the reason for the advent of the Promised Messiah (as)? If we have the Qur’an and Hadith and also the Seal of Prophets (sa), [the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)] then what was the need for the advent of the Promised Messiah (as)? They should know these things from a young age; what was the need and the purpose for the advent of Promised Messiah (as)? [They should know that] his advent was in accordance and fulfillment of a prophecy made by the Holy Prophet (sa). Hence, they should know these things from childhood and after learning these fundamental things, they will be able to progress. They will eventually go on to learn more detailed matters [of the faith] later, but they must be taught such fundamental matters. They should know what their beliefs are, why they are Ahmadis, and what their responsibilities are. [After teaching them these things] then you will see that your next generation of women will be far greater than the current generation.’[1]
The Importance of Teamwork
His Holiness (aba) is of course a spiritual leader and guide, who is a beacon for the world to follow in the pursuit of achieving a higher purpose and recognizing the One, True God. Along with being a global spiritual leader, His Holiness (aba) is the administrative head of a worldwide community which spans over more than two hundred countries and a membership of tens of millions, with office bearers, auxiliary organizations, charitable organizations and many others. In being the administrative head of such a large-scale and global community, His Holiness’ (aba) administrative experience is second-to-none. Whilst advising the national administrative body of the Women’s Auxiliary Organization in Australia, His Holiness (aba) said:
‘Working well simply at an individual level is not indicative of true achievement or excellence. Of course, if you work well on your own and submit good reports, then this is well and good. However, if you have not developed a team or have not trained a second line who can continue the work after you, then this means that in actuality, you have not accomplished anything. The objective is not to work independently, rather the objective is to build a team and a second line to ensure the continuity of work, so that when you are older – I am not saying that you are already of old age – but when you become older then at least there will be other members who are ready to take up the work. Therefore, all secretaries of the Women’s Auxiliary Organization who are sitting here should not think that they are only 40, 45, 35 or 50 years of age, rather they should still prepare a second line. The Sadr Lajna [National President of the Women’s Auxiliary Organisation] should instill this spirit of work within all the members of the different local chapters in your country and their respective secretaries and presidents, so that you continue to find members who can continue to carry out the necessary work and also understand the administrative system. Whenever someone is entrusted with any task they are able to fulfill it one way or the other, so there is no issue as such. When a person is given a duty they have the various constitutions and rules and regulations to follow, and thus will be able to carry out the work. However, if one is already part of a system, then when they are entrusted with a new duty, they will be able to discharge their responsibilities in a better fashion.’[2]
Parenting Advice and Dealing with Reprimanding
Along with being a spiritual leader, and an administrative head, His Holiness (aba) is a father-figure for millions around the world. His kindness, generosity, and genuine care for each and every Ahmadi Muslim no matter where they may be in the world serve as a testament to his profound love and compassion. It is in being a father-figure, that people often turn to him for fatherly advice. For example, when one youngster asked His Holiness (aba) how children should react to being scolded or reprimanded, His Holiness (aba) responded,
‘The first thing is that your parents should not reprimand you on small things, [instead] they should politely and kindly advise that you should do this and do that and behave well. And if you are too over active and are disobeying all the instructions of your parents and are causing them trouble, then sometimes they punish you. If you are not doing your studies and are even doing some bad things, then obviously you will be punished, but on small petty things they should not [punish you]. Even the Promised Messiah (as) has said that ‘I do not like that parents punish their children on small and petty things. They should tolerate each and every thing of their children and pray for them that Allah Almighty reforms them and removes their shortcomings and the problems that they have.’ So first of all, parents should pray to Allah Almighty that Allah Almighty makes their children well behaved, good, pious, and brings them among those people who are pious and [those who] obey the instructions and commandments of Allah Almighty. This is the first thing; secondly, I do not like for parents to punish the girls; they should punish boys more than the girls If they do this then you will be happy right? So when you are well behaved, nobody will scold you. If you are following all the commandments of Allah Almighty nothing will happen like this. If you are only blaming your parents, you should also see [and ask] yourself, are you obeying all the commandments of Allah? And even after that if your parents are still not happy with you, then we can say that the parents are not good but the children are good. When you become a parent then you should use this lesson with your children. One day, God-willing, you will be a mother, and when you yourself are a mother, then you should take care of your children in a proper way so that they become good assets for the Community.’ [3]
Are All Those Who Drown Considered Martyrs?
The Holy Prophet (sa) is recorded to have said that one who dies due to drowning is considered to be a martyr. This raised the question in one youngsters mind as to whether this applies to anyone who drowns. She asked His Holiness (aba) ‘It comes in Hadith that a person who drowns becomes a martyr (Shaheed). Why is it so and does it apply to everybody?’
His Holiness (aba) replied,
‘A person who dies of chronic illness is also a martyr (Shaheed) and there are so many other categories of [those who are considered] martyrs. It might be because while drowning, he might be struggling hard to save his life and he could not; he might be seeking Allah’s help and forgiveness, but ultimately he drowned and died. So, Allah Almighty may forgive him, but the main thing in that he should be a believer; he should be a person who obeys the commandments of Allah and is a good believer. [It cannot be] that [there is] a disbeliever (kafir) who does not believe in Allah Almighty and then while drowning he says “O Allah save me,” then no, he is not a martyr. The condition is that if you are a good believer and then if you have drowned in the river or water then of course Allah Almighty says yes, you are a martyr. But the condition is that you have to be a good believer. This is what the Holy Prophet (sa) has said.[4]
How can we Save Youth from the Prevalence of Drug Abuse?
The issue of drug abuse is becoming more and more prevalent in all parts of the world. What’s more, the youth often fall victim to negative influences around them, who entrap them in the world of drug abuse, sending them down a winding path which becomes difficult to recover from. One youngster saw the same problem in her very own school, and so she asked His Holiness (aba), ‘Drugs are spreading in our school to a large extent nowadays. Some students are even selling drugs at school. What advice can His Holiness give us to protect ourselves and our children against this?’
His Holiness (aba) replied,
‘It is everywhere in the world nowadays. There is a big mafia causing this problem, utilizing school children to sell their drugs. They give them a small amount of drugs in the beginning, free of cost, and when they get addicted then they say to them, ‘ok we shall give you these things free of cost if you give us some favor and sell these things among your fellow students or other people.’ The society is now completely corrupted; there are no morals in the society. They do not care what they are doing with the children of the nation, everybody is now selfish. So we should try to let our children know that these are bad things and we should avoid the company of those students or those people who are doing these bad jobs. We have to be very vigilant and keep an eye on those people. Then whenever you see that they are doing this, admonish them. The main thing is to pray for your children, that they are not involved in such type of habits. It is very difficult, even governments are against it. So, if you come to know about some person who is destroying the life of your children then you can inform the concerned authorities to take action against those people. Be watchful with regards to the behavior of children and their day to day activities, and then pray for them as well, so that they do not become involved in such types of habits.‘[5]
The Holy Prophet (sa) – A Mercy Just for This World or Even Life Forms Beyond Planet Earth?
In the Holy Qur’an, God Almighty states that the Holy Prophet (sa) was sent as ‘a mercy for all peoples.’ (21:108) It’s interesting to think however as the possibility of extraterrestrial life grows and advancements in technology may present the possibility of coming into contact with such life, one wonders if this would also apply to them. This curiosity came about in one youngster who asked His Holiness (aba), ‘If there are other creatures on other planets how are they benefiting from the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)?’
His Holiness (aba) replied,
‘We can say there might be some life in some other universes and planets where we do not have access as of yet. But Allah Almighty has said that the Holy Prophet (sa) was a mercy for all peoples (Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen), so, he is a mercy for mankind for the known world, or the known universe’s habitation. When other parts of the universe, or some other universes come to know about this world – if they have a connection with us – and the message of the Holy Prophet (sa) reaches them, then he will also be a mercy for those people, and we shall have to behave well towards those people. [It should not be] that we destroy them or usurp their rights or do not behave well with them. But at present, he is the mercy for this world which we know, and if there are some other worlds, then whenever this message reaches there, he will also be a mercy for those people.’[6]
Prayers for Ahmadis in Pakistan and Algeria
In various parts of the world, Ahmadi Muslims are made to face unimaginable hardships and oppression. This persecution faced by Ahmadis is perhaps harshest these days in Pakistan and Algeria, where Ahmadis are not only made to face hardships but are also imprisoned simply on the basis of their beliefs. Thus, His Holiness (aba) has been urging the worldwide community to pray for the Ahmadis living there. He has also been guidance to those Ahmadis who are there, as to how they can deal and word towards alleviating this strife. His Holiness (aba) said in a Friday Sermon,
‘I would again like to make an appeal for prayers, for the Ahmadis of Algeria as well as Pakistan. May Allah Almighty keep them safe. The conditions for Ahmadis in Algeria continue to worsen. There is a state lawyer who continues to file false charges against Ahmadis. Similarly in Pakistan, Ahmadis are being made to face worsening conditions. May Allah Almighty make an example out of those who are creating these hardships or raising various forms of opposition and may He swiftly improve the conditions for Ahmadis who are facing hardships and create ease for them. At the same time, I will also add that Ahmadis, especially in Pakistan, are not focusing on prayer as they should be. They must pray now more than ever before, that Allah the Almighty may alleviate them of these hardships swiftly and create ease and enable them to freely spread the true message of Islam not only in Pakistan but to every corner of the world.’[7]
ENDNOTES
[1] Audience with the national administrative body of the Women’s Auxiliary Organization Australia – December 19, 2020
[2] Audience with the national administrative body of the Women’s Auxiliary Organization Australia – December 19, 2020
[3] Class with Waqf-e-Nau girls from Mauritius – December 20, 2020
[4] Class with Waqf-e-Nau girls from Mauritius – December 20, 2020
[5] Class with Waqf-e-Nau girls from Mauritius – December 20, 2020
[6] Class with Waqf-e-Nau girls from Mauritius – December 20, 2020
[7] Friday Sermon December 18, 2020
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