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
Raising Children on the Right Path
Combating the Addiction to Mobile and Video Games
How Can We Avoid the Evils of Today’s Society?
Raising Children on the Right Path
For parents, raising children in today’s day and age can be especially challenging. With immorality, indecency and even Godlessness increasing by the day, parents are looking for ways to ensure that their children remain safe from the vices of the world and tread a path of morality and faith. It was with this in mind that someone asked His Holiness (aba):
‘Our question is, as mothers, it is more and more difficult to protect our children from the bad influence of the society and make them stay on the right path. So Beloved Huzoor [Your Holiness], how can we ensure that they remain on the right path?’
His Holiness (aba) replied:
‘You see, it is a continuous process. From the very childhood, you start giving instruction to your children, with love and care, that they are Ahmadi children, and they should respect and honour the teachings of the religion. This is why when the child is born, the Azan [call to prayer] is called in the right ear of the child and Takbir [prayer announcing the commencement of prayer] in the left ear because Allah knows that the Tarbiyyat [moral upbringing] starts from the very beginning. So, you should not think that when they grow up, they will improve themselves. So, when they are up to the age of five or six, ask them to offer prayer when you are offering prayer. You [should] ask them to stand beside you and offer prayer and then, when they are seven to ten years , then ask them to offer prayer – at least three-four prayers daily. And, of course, you have to be very loving towards your children so that they understand that whatever my parents are asking me they are [doing so] for the good of myself. And when they are up to the age of ten, then it is obligatory on them to offer five times daily prayers; so ask them that this is the commandment of Allah Almighty that you should offer prayer. So being an Ahmadi, you have to follow all the commandments and injunctions of Allah Almighty given to us in the Holy Qur’an or [by] the Holy Prophet (sa). You see, in this way, from the very childhood till they attain the age of maturity, they should be advised to practise the religious practises and, of course, at the same time, your own example, [the] parents’ example also counts. If you are not behaving well towards your children, if your own attitude and behaviour is not good towards your fellow brothers and sisters and if your attitude in the house is not good as husband and wife, then it will not help your children to get better training and education. So you will have to set your own example first and then keep on asking them to do [and act] according to the teaching of Islam. Then when they see that this is the example of my parents and this is the teaching then they will, insha’Allah [God-willing] follow and will be less affected by the environment which they come across outside the house.’ [1]
Combating the Addiction to Mobile and Video Games
In today’s digital age, to be separated from one’s phone is the equivalent of being cut off from the world. Children especially are now being raised amidst great technological advancements which puts the latest technology in the hands of even young children. It’s because of this, that more and more youth and youngsters are becoming addicted to their phones, amongst other forms of technology. Mobile phones and video games have seemingly taken the place of playing outside with friends, or any sort of physical activity for that matter. It was with this concern in mind that one person asked His Holiness (aba), ’We have observed that many of our youngsters are addicted to mobile phones and spend less time doing sports. How should we encourage them to play less games on mobile phones?’
His Holiness (aba) replied:
‘You see, that is a matter of realisation of your duties. If you realise that your main objective and duty is to set good examples and not waste your time instead of getting addicted to mobile phone and internet games and other things – it is a matter of understanding. So, every Ahmadi should understand that his main obligation is to offer five-time daily prayers and not only offering five times daily prayers just for the sake of offering prayer but to achieve the love of Allah the Almighty. So, when you realise your duty, when a boy who is of mature age [and] he realises the purpose of his existence is the worship of Allah the Almighty, then he will give preference to the main thing. And then after having completed those things, if he gets some time, he can play with the mobile games or other things but the parents should also be watchful and they should watch all the time what their children are doing. See, a child ten years of age should not spend more than one hour on games. Outside games are much better than the mobile games; that can help you better your health. It is a duty of the parents as well; they should watch [that] their children are not spending much time [on such games] and make them realise with love and kindness that they have some purpose, and they should try to achieve that purpose instead of wasting time on mobile games…
I don’t say that you should not play mobile games. There are quite a number of games which can help you increase your knowledge and there are some games which are just wastage of money. You just get addicted to those games – Fortnite and something like that – they are all useless games; so you should not spend money and time on those. If your parents are watchful and you yourself have realised this; you know it is a mature age – you should realise your responsibility that being a Waqfe-Nau [life-devotee from birth], you should not waste your time. Spend most of your time in reading instead of getting yourself into the bad games… I can only advise; I have been doing it in my khutbas and other sermons, so those who listen to mykhutbas [sermons] and properly attentively listen to it then they will definitely change their minds and change their habits. And it has happened among so many Waqfeen-e-Nau children; those who have written to me that ‘after listening to your khutba, we have stopped playing the game and such things.’ So, it is a matter of realisation and now, you are mature, you should realise it.’ [2]
How Can We Avoid the Evils of Today’s Society?
Similarly, people at times may feel pressured by the negative and ill-effects of society, as with being a global village, the effects and impacts of such evils can seem overwhelming at times. It was in light of this that someone asked His Holiness (aba) how one can safeguard themselves against the evil and negative influences of society.
His Holiness (aba) replied:
‘You see, Allah the Almighty has asked us that “what are your duties and what is the purpose of your life and that is to worship Allah. And when you worship Allah properly five times daily, Allah the Almighty says that salat and namaz [prayer] is the way of saving you from the bad effects of the evils of the society… There is a claim of Allah the Almighty, that if you are properly observing prayer then you will be saved from the bad defects and the evils of society. So, your first and foremost duty is that you follow the commandment of Allah and be a good Muslim and know the basic requirement of your existence and that is, as I’ve said, to pray to Allah and discharge your duties towards him and then you discharge your duties towards your fellow being. If you are pious and you have [a] good understanding of it then you seek Allah’s refuge, you seek Allah’s help and beseech for His help. Pray fervently so that Allah the Almighty saves you from the bad effects of the evil of society and also try to avoid them. Not that you are saying that you are offering five times daily prayer and go to the bar and go to the club or go to some other people’s society who are not good in their behaviour. So, you will have to save yourself. Struggle hard and pray – this is how you can save yourself from the bad effects of the evil of the society.’ [3]
A Message for the New Year
For many, New Years serves as a time for celebration and jubilation. However as the year 2020 closed, it brought an end to what could go down as one of the most challenging years ever. The world and its greatest powers were brought to their knees under the crushing effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Lives and livelihoods were lost, and the world was essentially turned upside down. Thus, as 2021 arrived, His Holiness (aba) drew the world’s attention towards the fact that this was no time for celebration, rather it is a time for serious contemplation and change; a time for humanity to realize that it must begin fulfilling its duties owed to God and His creation. Thus, during his Friday Sermon on the first day of 2021, His Holiness (aba) said:
‘I would like to say that today is the first day of the New Year and the first Jummah [Friday]. Pray that this year may be a blessed one for the Jama`at [community], the entire world and the whole of mankind.
Whilst fulfilling our responsibilities, may we continue to turn towards Allah the Almighty and elevate the standards of our worship more than before. May the rest of the world also recognise the purpose of their creation and fulfill the rights of God and instead of usurping the rights of one another, may they fulfill the rights of one another whilst adhering to the commandments of Allah the Almighty. Otherwise, Allah the Almighty has His own unique way by which He draws the attention of the people of the world towards fulfilling their rights. If only we, and the rest of the world, understand this fundamental principle and in turn, reform our lives in this world and the Hereafter.
For the past year, we have been enduring a very dangerous pandemic and there is not a single country which is safe from this; in some places, it is more widespread whilst less severe in others.
However, it seems that the vast majority of the world does not wish to pay heed to the fact that perhaps this pandemic is from Allah the Almighty in order to draw their attention towards fulfilling their duties and responsibilities. They do not want to consider the fact that perhaps Allah the Almighty is drawing their attention through this; no one is pondering over this in this regard.
A few months ago, in order to draw the attention of various world leaders towards this, I wrote letters to them in relation to the Covid pandemic and drew their attention to the words of the Promised Messiah (as) in that these calamities come from Allah the Almighty as a result of people becoming unmindful of fulfilling their rights towards God Almighty and the growing injustices. Thus, they ought to pay heed towards this.
Some of these world leaders also replied, but their responses were in light of only worldly aspects and although they agreed with what was said, they failed to acknowledge the aspect of God and faith which was a significant part of those letters. However, not only are they failing to take any practical measures to reform their moral conditions, but they also do not want to show compassion to their people by making them aware of their true objective of life.
Despite the fact that everyone knows that the after-effects of this pandemic will be extremely perilous – something which is known by every world leader, every intelligent person and every analyst – they fail to pay heed towards the real solution and remain focused on their worldly endeavours. Not only are people being impacted by this pandemic at an individual level, but everyone is growing weaker with respect to their economy.
Of course there are the health implications [of this pandemic]; however, everyone is also being impacted financially as well. In fact, even the economies of powerful nations are also being heavily affected. Worldly people only have one solution to this, which is that when their economies collapse, they will overtake the economies of smaller nations by trapping them in one way or another and by making excuses to take hold of their wealth.
There will be blocs created for this purpose; in fact they have already started forming. A cold war will break out once again, which according to some, has already begun in some respects. It is also entirely possible that an actual armed war begins, which will prove to be catastrophic and as a result of which these people will fall into an even darker abyss. Poor nations are already being crushed, but [in the event of a war] the people belonging to the wealthy nations will also be crushed in a horrific manner.
Thus, before the world reaches such a state, we must fulfill our duty and warn the world of this. It is only when we fulfill our duty in this regard – i.e. to make the world aware of this – that we can then truly congratulate one another for the New Year. Of course, in order to do this, we will also have to assess our own conditions.
We, who have accepted the Imam Mahdi and Promised Messiah of this age, must ask ourselves whether we are at the level where, alongside fulfilling the rights owed to God Almighty, we are fulfilling the rights owed to His creation and whether we are doing so solely for His sake. Or do we still need to work towards reforming ourselves and increasing our mutual love and affection to a high standard? Thus, every Ahmadi should reflect upon the fact that they have been tasked with a great responsibility.
And to complete this task, we must first create an atmosphere of love and brotherhood in our own Ahmadi society and then bring the entire world under this banner, which was raised aloft by the Holy Prophet (sa) – the banner of the Unity of God. Only then will we be successful in fulfilling the purpose of our bai‘at [pledge of allegiance] and doing justice to it. Only after doing this will we become the recipients of the bounties of Allah and only then will we have the right to give and receive the greetings for the New Year. May Allah the Almighty enable us to do this and by understanding their responsibilities, may every Ahmadi man, woman, child and elderly pledge that they will use all of their faculties to bring about a transformation in the world this year. May Allah the Almighty enable every Ahmadi to fulfill this pledge.
Recently I have been reminding everyone to pray for the Ahmadis in Pakistan and Algeria; remember them in your prayers. In certain parts of Pakistan, some clerics and government officials are intent on carrying out injustices. May Allah swiftly seize such people who will not reform themselves.
Allah the Almighty knows which of them will reform themselves and those who will not. As for those who will not reform themselves, may Allah ensure the means of seizing them swiftly. They are carrying out atrocities under the blasphemy laws and are seeking to cause hindrances in all the different ways through which we perform moral training of our own members.
May Allah swiftly grant us respite from them and save us from them. In actuality, it is these people who tarnish the pristine name of the Mercy for Mankind [the Holy Prophet (sa)]. Ahmadis in fact are willing to sacrifice their lives to uphold the honour of the Holy Prophet (sa).
Today, those who are making the greatest effort and true efforts in bringing the world under the banner of the Holy Prophet (sa) are Ahmadis. Indeed, it can be said that if anyone is carrying out this task, it is none other than Ahmadis. Therefore, these worldly people may commit injustices against us with their mere worldly authority and wealth, but bear in mind that we believe in that God, Who is an excellent Protector and an excellent Helper. Indeed His support most certainly arrives. In that moment, when the help and support of God Almighty arrives, no remnant remains of such worldly people and those who deem themselves to be powerful and influential.
Hence, it is our duty to continue to increase in our worship through our prayers. It is only through this that we can truly succeed.’ [4]
- Meeting with Lajna National Amila Mauritius December 12, 2020
2. Waqf-e-Nau Class Mauritius December 13, 2020
3. Ibid
4. Friday Sermon January 1, 2021
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