The Review of Religions translation team is honored to translate and present Friday Sermons from the archives, delivered by His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba). Below is the official translation of the Friday Sermon delivered on 6th January 2017.
After reciting the Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, the Fifth Caliph and Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) stated:
People in this world spend money for the purpose of their own comfort and personal interests, and at times, in the way of charity and alms. However, there is no other group of people or community, which has members spread across every city and every country of the world, who are united under one leader and offer their wealth for the purpose of achieving one objective and that is for the propagation of religion and serving humanity. Indeed, there is only one Community which is doing this and that Community is the one which has been established by God Almighty Himself for the fulfilment of this objective. It is the Community which belongs to the true servant of the Holy Prophet (sa); it is the Community which belongs to the Promised Messiah and Mahdi (as) and has been tasked with the responsibility of spreading Islam all over the world. For the last 128 years, this Community has been sacrificing its wealth for the cause of serving Islam and humanity and this is because the Promised Messiah (as) has granted us the true comprehension of how to spend and sacrifice one’s wealth in light of the Qur’anic teachings.
The Promised Messiah (as) states:
‘I urge you time and again to spend in the way of God Almighty for this is an injunction of God Almighty (this is a commandment of God Almighty) and Islam is passing through a state of decline. One becomes anxious after witnessing its state of internal and external weaknesses and Islam is falling prey to other religions.’
The Promised Messiah (as) further states:
‘When this is the current state of Islam, then should we not make an effort for its progress? It is for this reason that God Almighty has established this Community, thus to strive for its progress is to fulfil the commandment and will of God Almighty.’
The Promised Messiah (as) then states:
‘These glad-tidings are also from God Almighty, Who states that if one spends in the way of God Almighty then in return He shall grant one manifolds in blessings. One shall receive the rewards in this world and after his demise will also experience the comforts in the rewards of the hereafter. Thus, at this moment in time, I draw the attention of everyone to spend their wealth for the progress of Islam.’[1]
The companions of the Promised Messiah (as) understood this and offered their wealth for the sake of the faith. The Promised Messiah (as) has mentioned this on many occasions, stating how his followers would increasingly excel in their financial sacrifices. The Promised Messiah (as) would raise funds for various projects, such as the publication of literature and also the construction of Minartul-Masih [Minaret of the Messiah]. Mentioning the sacrifice made by Munshi Abdul Aziz Sahib Patwari at the time when he urged members to raise funds for Minartul-Masih – in fact he mentioned two individuals, Abdul Aziz Sahib and Shadi Khan Sahib – the Promised Messiah (as) states:
‘Two sincere members of my Community gave donations for this project which are worthy of envy for the rest of the members. One of them is Munshi Abdul Aziz, who works as a Village Registrar in the district of Gurdaspur and despite his low income has contributed a hundred rupees towards this project. In my estimation, these hundred rupees are saving of many years.’
The Promised Messiah (as) further states:
‘This is even more worthy of praise because he has already contributed a hundred rupees towards another project.’
The Promised Messiah (as) then states:
‘The other sincere member who has shown great valour is Mian Shadi Khan Lakri Frosh from Sialkot. He has recently just contributed a hundred and fifty rupees towards another project and now he has given two hundred rupees for this project. He is a person whose trust in Allah Almighty is so strong that if one was to assess all of his household items, they would perhaps amount to no more than fifty rupees.’
The Promised Messiah (as) further relates,
‘He has written, “since we are passing through a period of famine and trading business seems to be heading towards ruin, therefore it is better to partake in the spiritual trade and thus I have sent whatever I had.”’[2]
Similarly, the Promised Messiah (as) has cited the example of many other individuals in his books and sayings, who showed the least concern for their own needs and excelled in advancing in their sacrifice for religious causes. The spirit of sacrifice has been so greatly instilled within the members of the Promised Messiah’s (as) Community that one generation after the other continues to offer sacrifices. In fact, even when those who live in far-off lands and have newly joined the Community hear about the sacrifices made by these elders, or when they are informed that a sacrifice is required for a particular project, and they understand the true spirit of sacrifice upon hearing the words of Allah Almighty, then they also produce such examples of sacrifice that one is left astonished. Generally, it is the less affluent who offer a greater number of sacrifices than the wealthy and demonstrate marvelling examples. They never entertain the thought that what difference will our small sacrifices make, in fact they truly understand the word of Allah the Almighty wherein He states:
وَمَثَلُ الَّذِیْنَ یُنْفِقُوْنَ اَمْوَالَھُمُ ابْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللّٰہِ وَتَثْبِیْتًا مِّنْ اَنْفُسِھِمْ کَمَثَلِ جَنَّۃٍ بِرَبْوَۃٍ اَصَابَھَاوَابِلٌ فَاٰتَتْ اُکُلَھَا ضِعْفَیْنِ فَاِنْ لَّمْ یُصِبْھَا وَابِلٌ فَطَلٌّ۔ وَاللّٰہُ بِمَاتَعْمَلُوْنَ بَصِیْرٌ
‘And the case of those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah and to strengthen their souls is like the case of a garden on elevated ground. Heavy rain falls on it so that it brings forth its fruit twofold. And if heavy rain does not fall on it, then light rain suffices. And Allah sees what you do.’[3]
Thus, the sacrifices made by those who are less affluent can be likened to light rain or the morning dew. The small amount of moisture as a result of their minor sacrifice which reaches the garden of faith produces innumerable fruits by the grace of Allah Almighty. We can witness for ourselves that despite being a Community with such limited resources, we are spreading the message of Islam to every part of the world and serving humanity, and then out of His grace, Allah Almighty blesses our work to such an extent that the world is astonished as to how we are able to achieve so much with such little means. The reason for this is that those who offer these sacrifices strive to be counted amongst those regarding whom Allah Almighty states:
یُنْفِقُوْنَ اَمْوَالَھُمُ ابْتِغَآءَ مَرْضَاتِ اللّٰہِ
‘Those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah’[4]
When one’s objective is to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty then it bears many fruits and carries countless blessings. As I mentioned, there are countless examples of this even today and I shall present a select few.
After a young woman living thousands of miles away from Qadian embraced Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam, the transformation which came about in her thoughts and the understanding she developed regarding the concept of sacrifice is evident from the following incident which is related in her own words. This young woman living in Uganda is not uneducated, in fact she studies at university and says:
‘Last July, prior to enrolling into university, I needed to purchase some items but did not have enough money. I also had some Chanda [monetary contribution] which was outstanding and had yet to be paid, therefore I gave the money I had towards Chanda. I had firm faith that Allah Almighty would help me and I was content having paid my Chanda. A month later when there were only three days left before the university opened, my aunt called my mother and enquired when I was going to start university and also invited me to her house. When I arrived at her house in the evening, she gave me some money which was far more than what I needed to purchase items for university and was ten times more than the amount I had paid towards Chanda. Thus, Allah Almighty heard my prayers and provided me with help from where I had never expected.’
Then, Inspector Qamar-ul-din Sahib of India writes about one of the members:
‘There is a member from the Manjeri Jama’at in Kerala, who runs a Rexine [fabric] business. I went to his shop to collect his contribution for Waqf-e-Jadid but he said that a lot of his money was held up and therefore he was experiencing quite a lot of difficulty in this regard. However, he still gave a cheque worth a large sum and while handing it over he said that at present he does not have enough money in his account but pray so that he can pay this as quickly as possible.’
He then further states:
‘The next day, I received a phone call from him and he said that by the grace of Allah Almighty after giving the cheque, he received a large sum of money in his account and therefore the cheque could now be cashed. He also said that this was purely due to the blessings of Chanda that Allah Almighty created the means so quickly.’
Another example is of a widow in Tanzania in East Africa. The Amir [National President] of the Jama’at writes that the Mu`allim [local preacher] visited a widow, Amina Sahiba, in Iringa town in order to collect her contribution towards Waqf-e-Jadid. However, she despondently said that at present she did not have anything to give, but as soon she did, she would come and present her contribution herself. The Mu`allim had not even reached his home that the lady came to him with ten thousand shillings and said she received this amount from somewhere and decided to first pay her Chanda and then fulfil her other needs. She also said that her pledge [for Waqf-e-Jadid] was twenty-five thousand shillings and as soon she received the remaining fifteen thousand, she would come and pay it. After ten minutes, she came again with the exact amount and said, “look at the way in which Allah has treated me! I spent ten thousand shillings in His way and I had not even reached home yet when Allah Almighty sent me forty-five thousand shillings, and after paying the remaining fifteen thousand shillings, I still have twenty thousand shillings left. This is purely due to Allah Almighty and the blessings of Chanda.” As a result of this incident, her faith increased greatly.’
I shall present another example from Congo, in central Africa, which shows how the spirit of sacrifice has been instilled in those people and still remains within them. One of the missionaries, Ramiz Sahib, writes:
‘Saeedi Sahib, is one of the local preachers from the Kalombayi Jama’at, and also preaches in the five neighbouring Jama’ats. The current situation of the country is quite bad but despite the security concerns, he visited all of his Jama’ats. In order to earn more reward, he paid all the expenses of his travel from his own pocket despite, his difficult circumstances. He raised fifty-three thousand [Congolese franc] for Waqf-e-Jadid. He said, “I am a longstanding Ahmadi and therefore have to be a model for the youth.”’
How longstanding are the Ahamdis there? Fifteen, Twenty years at the most? And he himself is sixty years old, yet not only is he doing the work of Tabligh [preaching] with such dedication but is also drawing people’s attention towards Chanda.
Such is the spirit that is instilled in people after accepting the Promised Messiah (as). These people live in remote areas with fewer roads, in fact there are no roads and since it consists mainly of water they use boats as a means of transport by which they cover vast distances.
Then, there is the example of an Ahmadi from the West African country of Benin, who has been an Ahmadi for no more than a year, but his depth of understanding the spirit of sacrifice is of such a high standard that it is an example for even those who have been Ahmadi for a long time. The missionary Muzaffar Sahib writes:
‘This year, a new Jama’at was established in a village of the Cotonou region, called Dekambe. The local people catch fish and sell it as they are fisherman and that is their livelihood. The local missionary urged the members of that village to give Chanda. Immediately responding to this call, one of the Ahmadis who was financially unstable, presented a sacrifice of one thousand francs, saying, “although my situation is such that I am not financially stable, I do not wish to remain behind in any scheme initiated by the Jama’at which I have joined.”’
Then there is an example of the youth from the West African country of Burkina Faso in regards to the how their relationship with Khilafat and the impact which the sermons have on people, consequently directing their attention towards offering sacrifices. They have not been Ahmadis for long, but observe their level of sacrifices. Amin Balouch Sahib, a missionary in Burkina Faso writes:
‘The final sermon of the previous year which was delivered on 30th December 2016 and mentioned about the New Year was relayed to the residents of the Banfora Region. The youth, some of whom were new converts as well as longstanding Ahmadis, went home immediately after the sermon and brought all they had saved for the new year celebrations and presented it towards the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme. They said, “since the Khalifa had instructed us about the manner in which we should to celebrate the new year, we present this amount towards the Chanda. Also, we shall begin the new year with Tahajjud prayers [pre-dawn voluntary prayers].” On that day they presented 76,000 CFA francs in contribution.’
Another example of sacrifice is of a newly established Jama`at in a small village in the West African country of Ivory Coast. The Mu`allim of the Bouake Region, whose name is Mamadou Sahib, writes:
‘The residents of Niavogo village accepted Ahmadiyyat just this year. I informed the new converts about the importance of Waqf-e-Jadid and attending the Jalsa Salana [annual convention]. I also informed them that it was a directive of the Khalifa that every Ahmadi should partake in the Waqf-e-Jadid and Tehrik-e-Jadid schemes. Initially I thought I will only be able to collect a small amount of contribution since there is a lot of poverty. However, the reality proved to be the complete opposite; almost every member of the village took part in the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme and paid their contributions. In fact, one individual not only contributed towards Waqf-e-Jadid, but also travelled six hundred kilometres to Abidjan in order attend the Jalsa Salana.’
Another example of offering sacrifices and the response of Allah Almighty has been narrated by Yusuf Usman Sahib, a missionary from Tanzania:
‘An Ahmadi brother has a physical impairment in his foot, due to which he is unable to work. In Tanzania, electricity is still not available in every locality, therefore, some people use small solar panels in the hope of lighting even just one bulb in the home. This Ahmadi brother of ours also uses small solar panels to charge people’s phones and earns his livelihood from this. He regularly gives his Chanda from whatever nominal amount he makes. One day the Mu`allim drew his attention towards contributing to Chanda upon which he said that he had earned two thousand shillings in the last two days, and he would give that in the way of Allah Almighty. The Mu`allim asked that if he gave this entire amount in Chanda, then how would he feed his choldrend? To this he replied that Allah Almighty is the Sustainer and He would arrange for this Himself. The Mu’allim writes that he had just given him the receipt for his contribution when all of a sudden a rush of people came to charge their mobile phones and he earned far more than what he had given towards his Chanda contribution. Upon this the Ahmadi brother said to the Mu’allim, “You see the blessings Allah Almighty has placed in offering Chanda that now He has returned a far greater amount than what I had contributed.”’
Then there is another account from Tanzania which shows how Allah Almighty rewards those who sacrifice [in His way] and increases them in their faith. The son of one of the members in the Shinyanga Region was suffering from severe malaria and he only had fifteen hundred shillings for his son’s treatment. The finance secretary visited his house and encouraged him to pay his Chanda contributions. He immediately took that same amount from his pocket and gave it to the finance secretary. This Ahmadi member writes that at first he thought to himself about where would he get the money for his son’s medications? But then thought that since he had given the money in the way of Allah, He will make arrangements Himself. Only a short while later, his elder son, who lived in the city, called and said that he was sending him 80,000 shillings and the money arrived that same day. Subsequently, the child was able to receive his medical treatment and he was also able to fulfil his other needs as well. He said that Allah Almighty granted him manifold in return and now he relates this to the local Ahmadis, as well as others, and explains to them the importance of paying Chanda.
Then there is an account of the sacrifice made by an Ahmadi in the West African country of Mali. Ahmad Bilal Sahib, who is a missionary there writes:
‘A gentlemen from the Sikasso region accepted Ahmadiyyat in 2013. At the time he was facing great financial hardship, and aside from being in debt, he was also distressed by various domestic issues; on top of which his time for retirement was also nearing. After joining the Jama’at and learning of the blessings of Chanda, he made a solemn pledge to himself that he would pay the Chanda on a regular basis. Despite his difficult circumstances, he paid his Chanda according to his capacity. He says that through the blessings of Chanda within no time by the grace of Allah he was free of his debt and his domestic issues were also resolved. In addition to this, he received a promotion from the government and had his retirement deferred. Now this gentlemen is also part of the Al-Wassiyyat scheme.’
A missionary in Sierra Leone, Munir Hussain Sahib writes that an Ahmadi woman from the Boajibu Jama’at pledged 4,000 leones [for Chanda]. She did not have a stable source of income, and had a small vegetable garden where she grew cassava – a plant which has long roots similar to that of sweet potato – and she would earn a living by selling them. When the time approached for collecting contributions for Chanda, the finance secretary visited her, however the money she had saved to give for Chanda was spent by one of the children and she was greatly perturbed by this. Observe the level of her faith; her son worked at a liquor store – he had no other choice or perhaps he had not fully accepted Islam. He said that he would give the money as a loan to her, which she strictly declined and stated that the money was not halal [lawful]. Therefore she would not give her contribution from that money; this is the honour and regard she had for her faith. When one’s objective is to attain the pleasure of Allah Almighty, then see how Allah Almighty treats them in return, thus, he further narrates that in that very instance an unknown individual, who she did know at all, came and handed her 10,000 leones. Instead of giving 4,000 leones in financial contribution, she gave 10,000 Leone and said, ‘God Almighty granted this to me only to pay my Chanda.’ For the following year she pledged to contribute 10,000 Leone.
Aqeel Sahib, another missionary from Sierra Leone writes:
‘A new convert in the Bo region was involved in a dispute over a piece land for some time. The opposing part was very influential, therefore, there seemed to be no way for him to win the case. During this time he heard of the blessings in donating to the mosque fund. The gentlemen – who converted to Ahmadiyyat from Christianity – writes, “When I heard of the blessings in financial sacrifice, I decided to offer Chanda with the thought that perhaps through the blessings of Chanda, the issue of my land will be resolved.” And so, he donated according to his capacity. After a short while, the case was settled in his favour, which had seemed impossible. He stated, “I am convinced that this is all due to the blessings of financial sacrifice.”’
Shahid Sahib, a missionary from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, writes:
‘There was a woman who ran a small scale trading business. In the beginning of the year, owing to the situation of the country, she thought that she would not make any profit. She had given her contribution for the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme at the beginning of the year and said, “any transaction done with God cannot go to waste.” She stated that by the grace of Allah Almighty she made a profit and despite the situation of the country she did not incur any loss to the business.’
Regarding the impact that the sacrifice of Ahmadis has on others and how it opens up avenues for Tabligh [propagation of the message of Islam], the Amir [National President] of Bangladesh says:
‘The message [of Islam Ahmadiyyat] was being preached to three indiviudals, however none of them were prepared to perform the bai’at [pledge of initiation]. Last Friday these three gentlemen came to the mosque to offer their Friday prayers, during which the members were encouraged to give their Waqf-e-Jadid contributions. After the prayers, the members of the congregation formed lines to give their contributions. When these gentlemen, who were being preached to saw this spectacle, they said, ‘Our Maulvis [religious clerics] ask us for contributions and exhaust all their efforts in the process, and still people do not give contributions. Here a brief announcement was made and people formed queues to present their Chanda. This is the true spirit of Islam.’ Consequently, the three gentlemen immediately performed the bai’at and also gave contributions towards the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme.’
Abdullah Sahib, a Mu`allim serving in one of the regions of Benin, writes:
‘I visited a community of new converts in Kpakpaza in order to collect Chanda from them. A new convert, Haji Abu Bakr Sahib asked where and how the money would be spent. (He was not fully aware of the financial system of the Community). It was explained to him that the Ahmadiyya Community uses the funds to build mosques, publish translations of the Holy Qur’an and various religious books as well as building hospitals, schools, orphanages, etc. In short [it was explained] that all the money received in Chanda is solely spent for religious and humanitarian work. When Abu Bakr Sahib heard all of this he said, “Maulvis would take Zakat and various other contributions from me, but they would never explain where the money would be spent.” Thus, after this he immediately presented his contribution for Chanda and said that in the future he would readily participate in all the financial kpak of the Jama’at.’
Thus, even today we see that Allah Almighty continues to grant the Promised Messiah (as) such people who are ever ready to offer monetary sacrifices. Upon accepting Ahmadiyyat, within no time a new passion is instilled within them to sacrifice for the faith of God Almighty. However, those who live in relatively better conditions and Allah Almighty has granted them with greater comforts and they live in more affluent countries, but yet their contributions are nominal, they ought to ponder over this; in fact it is a matter of great concern. Nevertheless, even here there are many people who offer extraordinary sacrifices, but there are many affluent people all around the world, who pay little attention towards this. Hence, they ought to direct their attention towards this.
It is customary to announce the start of the new year of Waqf-e-Jadid on the first Friday of January, thus after presenting a few examples which have I have taken from many such incidents to explain the importance of Chanda, I will now announce the start of the 60th year of Waqf-e-Jadid. I will also mention the blessings of Allah Almighty in relation to last year’s collections.
The Waqf-e-Jadid year ends on December 31, thus the 59th year of Waqf-e-Jadid ended on December 31, 2016. According to the reports that have been received thus far, by the grace of Allah Almighty, the Jama’ats from all around the world have presented a total sacrifice of 8.02 million pounds.
This year’s Waqf-e-Jadid collection is 1.129 million pounds more than last year’s collection. And once again, this year Pakistan is on the top of the list and leads all the Jama’ats in the world in terms of overall contribution.
As compared to last year, Ghana is on the top of the list in terms of increase in amount according to local currency.
First is Ghana – a country from Western Africa, then Germany, then Pakistan and then Canada.
Amongst the African counties, the most notable countries with regards to contribution are Mali, Burkina Faso, Liberia, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Benin.
In terms of overall collection, other than Pakistan, the first ten Jama’ats outside of Pakistan are:
- UK
- Germany
- USA
- Canada
- India
- Australia
- Jama’at from Middle East
- Indonesia
- Jama’at from Middle East
- Ghana
Following them are Belgium and Switzerland.
In terms of collection per capita, [the standings are is as follows]:
- USA
- Switzerland
- Finland
- Australia
- Singapore
- France
- Germany
- Trinidad
- Belgium
- Canada
Despite coming first in its overall contribution, the UK is behind in collection per capita.
By the grace of Allah Almighty, this year 1.34 million members participated which is one 100,500 more than last year. In terms of increase in the number of participants, other than Canada, India and the UK, the following African countries have made a notable effort:
Guinea-Conakry, Cameroon, The Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Niger, Congo-Kinshasa, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. This year, Nigeria has not paid enough attention towards this because their number of participants has significantly dropped. If the number of participants in Nigeria, and one or two countries, in fact, even if the number of participants in Nigeria alone had increased then the total number of participants could have been 1.4 million instead of 1.34 million. This means that either there was a lot of negligence shown or the report was not properly compiled or collected. Or perhaps the members were not approached and it is usually the secretaries who show negligence in this regard.
As far as the sincerity of the members of the Jama’at is concerned, it is not lacking, regardless of whether they are in [in a country in] Africa or any other country. A person from Rabwah wrote to me that his local president came to him and said that he had not yet pledged any promise for Waqf-e-Jadid and nor had any payments been made. He said that how could this be possible as he had been paying quite regularly. He replied that this happened because the Secretary for Waqf-e-Jadid that year was so negligent in his duty that pledges had not been taken from anyone in that area, nor were any collections received in a proper manner.
It is evident from this that people sometimes are deprived due to the negligence shown by the [finance] sectaries and I believe this was case in Nigeria as well. Other than this, there has been a decrease in the number of participants in USA as well, however, there can be no excuse for this decrease in number, neither is there any excuse for Nigeria to have a reduced number of participants as well because their number should be increasing.
However, as I said, USA has Masha’Allah significantly increased its collection per capita and it is first in that regard. Similarly, all those countries that have a lower number of participants this year as compared to last year should focus on increasing their participation and they should assess their weaknesses. Members are not the ones who show weakness, rather the weakness is shown in those entrusted with the task of collection.
Amongst the adult paying members – which is also a department within Waqf-e-Jadid – from the Jama’ats in Pakistan first is Lahore, then Rabwah and then Karachi. Apart from this, the following are the positions of the districts:
- Islamabad
- Gujranwala
- Gujrat
- Multan
- Umerkot
- Hyderabad
- Peshawar
- Mirpur Khas
- Okara
- Dera Ghazi Khan
According to the Daftar Atfal, the sacrifice offered by children, the positions [of the Jama’ats in Pakistan] are as follows:
- Lahore
- Rabwah
- Karachi
- Sialkot
- Rawalpindi
- Gujranwala
- Gujrat
- Hyderabad
- Dera Ghazi Khan
- Kotli,
- Azad Kashmir
- Mirpur Khas
- Multan
- Bhawalnagar
Based on overall collection, the position of the ten larger Jama’ats of UK are as follows:
- Worcester Park
- Masjid Fazl
- Birmingham South
- Putney
- Raynes Park
- Bradford
- New Malden
- Glasgow
- Birmingham West
- Gillingham
Based on the overall collection, the following position is of the regions [in the UK] are as follows:
- London B
- London A
- Midlands
- Northeast
- South
The five leading regions in Germany are as follows:
- Hamburg
- Frankfurt
- Wiesbaden
- Mörfelden-Walldorf
- Dietzenbach.
Based on overall collection, the ten local Jama’ats in Germany are as follows:
- Rödermark
- Neuss
- Friedburg
- Nieda
- Flörsheim
- Hanau
- Cologne
- Koblenz
- Langen
- Mahdi-Abad
The first ten Jama’ats of America area as follows:
- Silicon Valley
- Seattle
- Detroit
- Silver Spring
- Central Virginia
- Los Angeles East
- Dallas
- Boston
- Philadelphia
- Laurel
The following are the leading regions in Canada:
- Calgary
- Peace Village
- Vaughan
- Vancouver
- Mississauga
Based on overall collection the position of the five larger Jama’ats in Canada are as follows:
- Durham
- Milton East
- Saskatoon South
- Saskatoon North
- Windsor
- Lloydminster
- Ottawa West
- Ottawa East
- Barrie
- Regina
According to the Daftar Atfal, following Jama’ats have the top five positions in Canada:
- Durham
- Bradford
- Saskatoon South
- Saskatoon North
- Lloydminster
The position according to Regions in Canada is as follows:
- Calgary
- Peace Village
- Brampton
- Vaughan
- Weston
The position of the provinces in India is as follows:
- Kerala
- Jammu Kashmir
- Tamil Nadu
- Karnataka
- Telangana
- Odisha
- West Bengal
- Punjab
- Uttar Pradesh
- Delhi
- Maharashtra
Top ten Jama’ats of India are:
- Karulai
- Calicut
- Hyderabad
- Pathapiriyam
- Qadian,
- Kanwar Town
- Calcutta
- Bangalore
- Solur
- Pengadi
The positions of the Jama’ats in Australia are as follows:
- Castle Hill
- Brisbane
- Logan
- Marsden park
- Perth
- Adelaide South
- Plumpton
- Canberra
- Long Warren
- Adelaide West.
May Allah the Almighty bless the wealth and the individuals who offered sacrifices. And may He enable the relevant office-bearers to work more efficiently in the future so that they may be able to properly fulfil their duty. May He enable them to address their past weaknesses and in particularly there should be a significant increase in participation. Although the overall amount increases, it is also necessary to ensure that everyone participates even if it is only a small amount.
After the Friday Prayers, I will lead two funeral prayers in-absentia. The first funeral is that of Asma Tahira Sahiba, wife of Mirza Khalil Ahmad Sahib. She passed away on 23rd December 2016 in Canada at the age of 79.
اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّا اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return’
She was born in Bhagalpur in June 1935, her father’s name was Maulvi Abdul Baqi Sahib and her mother was Safiya Khatoon Sahiba. Her father worked in the factory of our Community in Kunri where he also served as the local president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Kunri for a long time. Her paternal grandfather was Hazrat Ali Ahmad Sahib (ra), was a companion and did Ba’at at the hands of the Promised Messiah (as). The incidence of him taking the oath of allegiance is narrated by respected Amtul Noor Sahiba. She narrates that they heard that Hazrat Ali Ahmad Sahib (ra) travelled to Qadian, when he was a student of 9th grade. At the station in Amritsar, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi tried to stop him from going to Qadian. He replied to Maluvi Muhmmad Hussain Batalvi, ‘My mother has sent me to Qadian to investigate the fulfilment of the sign of the solar and lunar eclipse. This acts of yours has made the truthfulness of Mirza Sahib evidently clear to me. Why should a scholar of your status waste his time to respond to a false claimant of prophethood? You wandering around and wasting your time makes it clear that Mirza Sahib is indeed truthful.’
Asma Sahiba’s marriage took place on 6th of January 1964 to Mirza Khalil Ahmad Sahib.
Mirza Khalil Ahmad Sahib was the son of Hazrat Musleh Mau`ud (ra) and was the maternal grandson of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra). He was born to Sahibzadi Amatul Hayee Sahiba.
Respected Asma Tahira Sahiba served as the General Secretary and Secretary Ziafat for the Lajna Imai’llah Markzi [central ladies’ auxiliary organisation]. Later she had the opportunity to serve as a member the International Tabligh Planning Committee. She also had the opportunity to serve the ladies auxiliary organisation at a local level as well.
Asma Tahira Sahiba’s father passed away in 1975 after which her mother lived with her. I personally knew Asma Tahira Sahiba as she was my maternal aunt. I know that she maintained a bond of extreme love and affection with her in-laws, her sister-in-laws and other relatives and friends. These days she was residing in Canada and while I was there I went to visit her as well. She was so severely ill that she could not even move, but even then her level of humility was such that she had asked for her clothes to be kept ready in case I called her for a Mulaqat [audience].
Rather than sending a message requesting me to meet her, she was expecting that I would call her to see me. In any case, I went to visit her and she was extremely happy.
She did not have any children of her own and had adopted her sister’s daughter when she was five years old. Her daughter says, ‘She raised me like her own child and even at the time of my marriage she tended to every matter. She spared no effort in my upbringing. Whenever I would be overcome with worry, she would always advise me to pray and would say that God-willing the matter shall be resolved. She had a complete conviction in prayers. She loved children and would pay special attention to their moral training. She used to advise me to take the children to the mosque. She would say that if they are kept engaged with the mosque, they will not go astray and will not be ruined.’
Her daughter further states, ‘She also advised me to sign up to the institution of Al-Wasiyyat and would also advise to always remain attached with the Jama’at.’
She used to treat those working for her with the greatest respect and she had a maid living with her and she had directed her adopted daughter to take good care of the maid after she was gone and to not ask her to move out of her living quarters, where she lived. May Allah Almighty treat her with forgiveness and mercy, Ameen.
The second funeral is of respected Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib, who passed away in Lahore on 4th January 2017 at the age of 83
اِنَّا لِلّٰہِ وَاِنَّا اِلَیْہِ رَاجِعُوْنَ
‘Surely to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return’
The paternal grandfather of Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib was Hazrat Chaudhry Nasrullah Khan Sahib (ra) and was a companion of the Promised Messiah (as) and his maternal grandfather was Hazrat Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad Sahib Sial Sahib (ra), who was also a companion of the Promised Messiah (as). His father, Chaudhry Muhammad Abdullah Khan Sahib, served as the president of the Jama’at in Karachi for a long time. Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahib was his paternal uncle as well as his father in law. In 1964, Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib married Amatul-Hay Sahiba, daughter of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahib. Their children are Mustafa Nasrullah Khan, Ibrahim Nasrullah Khan, who passed away at the age of sixteen, and a daughter, Aisha Nasrullah.
Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah was married to the daughter of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahib, who had previously been married to Doctor Ijaz-ul-Haq Sahib from whom she bore two sons, Muhammad Fazl-ul-Haq and Ahmad Nasrullah. On 5th February 1994, Ahmad Nasrullah was martyred in Lahore. Thus, at the time of his demise he had two sons and a daughter. He always cared for his wife’s children from her previous marriage with great affection and treated them like his own children. In 1975, Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) appointed him as the president of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore. By the grace of Allah Almighty, he served as the Amir of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore for 43 years. In 2009, his health began to deteriorate and he said, ‘I will excuse myself from this duty. However, I do so for the reason that my health does not permit me to work because the duties of an Amir are very vast.’
Following that, Sheikh Munir Sahib was appointed as the new Amir, who was martyred in 2010. The deceased served as the Amir until around 2008 or 2009. During the intense opposition in 1974, even though he was not officially the Amir, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) entrusted him with many responsibilities, which he fulfilled in an excellent manner. He also rendered great services in 1974 when the Justice Samdani Inquiry Commission was established in the High Court. During the period of trials in 1984, he also rendered various services during the proceeding of the case in the Federal Shari`at Court in Lahore.
He also holds the honour of accompanying Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) from Rabwah to London on the occasion of his migration from Pakistan. As a matter of fact, as far as I am aware, he was the one who drove the car from Rabwah to Karachi. Dar-ul-Zikr in Lahore was further expanded during his tenure as the Amir and that is continuing even today. Nevertheless, a lot of work was done during his time. Many beautiful mosques built in Lahore during his tenure and similarly was the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore enabled to make great financial sacrifices during his presidency. He was also serving as the president of the Fazle Umar Foundation for the last 32 years. In 1984, as I mentioned, he had the opportunity to accompany Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (rh) during his migration from Pakistan to England. He has also been mentioned in the book written by Iain Adamson.
Chaudhry Munawar Sahib, secretary of general affairs in Lahore, writes that Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib greatly cared for the people working with him. He cared for their smallest of needs. If he was asked for advice, he would give it with great love and affection. He says that he had had served as the Qaid of the district of Lahore for nine years, however, he never witnessed him express any displeasure regarding any matter. He greatly cooperated in the tasks of Khuddamul Ahmadiyya [auxiliary organisation for the youth of the Community]. He states that he had the opportunity to conduct five Ijtema’at [gatherings] outside of Lahore in which he provided great guidance in every single matter. Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib had great organisational skills and would do everything on its proper time and on its occasion. He visited every Jama’at and had a personal relationship with the local presidents of the Jama’ats. He considered the members of his Amila [executive committee] to be his friends and helping hands.
Hakeem Tariq Sb states that he was filled with utmost obedience to Khilafat. He used to treat the employees and workers of the Jama’at with utmost kindness and love. He trusted them greatly and showed huge respect to them.
During the time I was serving as Nazir-e-A’la and he was serving as the Amir [of Lahore], even then he worked with great cooperation and complete obedience to the Markaz [headquarters]. He also directly worked with me as well while I was Nazir-e-A’la. After I became Khalifah, he continued to render his services in his capacity as an Amir with great cooperation. He had a great zeal to demonstrate utmost obedience.
Colonel Naeem Siddiqui Sahib, who is the Naib Amir of Lahore writes that he had endless accounts of his attachment with Khilafat. He further writes that once Hameed Nasrullah Sahib was travelling towards Bahawalpur for some work. When he had just reached his destination, he received a message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) instructing him to come to Rabwah. Thereupon he immediately he left whatever work he was doing and immediately left for Rabwah, travelling through the night and arrived before Fajr [pre-dawn prayer]. He then began walking outside and when he saw that it was the time between the Tahajjud prayer and Fajr, he then sent a message to inform that he had arrived.
He had established allowances for the poor, not only on his own behalf but also on behalf of his wife, father and on behalf of Chaudhry Zafarulla Khan Sahib. Whenever an application was received [requesting an allowance], he would mark on it that it should be issued from his own person account or his wife’s or another account.
He also writes that Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib was an integral part of the history of Jama’at Ahmadiyya Lahore. This indeed is very true.
In any case, he had been bestowed with the skills of leadership by Allah the Almighty which he very aptly used.
Nasir Shams Sahib who is the Secretary of Fazle Umar Foundation, writes that he was the president of the Fazle Umar Foundation for 32 years (as I have mentioned earlier). He was appointed as the President of the Fazle Umar Foundation in 1986 after the demise of Hazrat Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan Sahib, and continued to serve in this capacity till his demise – a span of 32 years.
He was a very sympathetic, compassionate, kind, gentle and cheerful individual. The scope of his public relations was very wide and he always utilised those connections to the benefit of the Jama’at. He was an extremely sincere and selfless servant of the Jama’at. He was a true helper of the Khulafa and had great regard for Khilafat. He was a loyal individual. Despite his [physical] weakness and ill health, he used to attend the meetings of the [Fazle Umar] Foundation. He was very sound of judgement and perceptive. Due to this God-given ability, he was able to acquire a deep insight into matters. He would always form his decisions based on mutual consultation.
Mirza Nadeem Sahib states that Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib personally narrated to him that when he was appointed as the Amir in 1975, he was extremely anxious and went to see Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) in Rabwah. He sent in a request to meet Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh). And when he called him in and asked what the matter was and what had brought him there. He responded that he was not worthy of holding such an office. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) replied that he should first have something to eat as it was time for food. Chaudhry Sahib kept repeating the same thing. He then said that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) put his hand on his shoulder and said, ‘the Khalifa of the time has appointed you as the Amir and the Khalifa of God knows better.’’
He used to say that after that even though he had to face many difficult situations, but by the grace of Allah Almighty he never became worried as every matter would be resolved through the prayers of Khilafat.
May Allah Almighty grant him His forgiveness and mercy and elevate his status and enable his progeny to remain attached to Khilafat and the Jama’at with loyalty. And may He enable them to continue on the legacy of his good deeds.
ENDNOTES
[1] Malfuzat, Vol. 8, pp. 393-394
[2] Majmu’a Ishtihaaraat, Vol. 3, pp.314-315
[3] The Holy Qur’an 2:266
[4] Ibid
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