After reciting Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) recited the following verse:
‘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.’ [Holy Qur’an 2:266]
His Holiness (aba) said that in this verse, God Almighty mentions those believers who spend in the way of Allah, in order to attain His pleasure. By doing so, they also strengthen their community and mission. His Holiness (aba) said that in this era, the Promised Messiah (as) was tasked with spreading the true message of Islam to the world, and the same responsibility lies with his followers. Thus, everyone must be prepared to sacrifice their lives, wealth, and honour for the sake of this mission. This indeed is a true reflection of one’s faith.
Attaining the Pleasure Of God Through Financial Sacrifices
His Holiness (aba) said that true believers spend their wealth for the sake of God and spreading His mission. They do so not to impress others, but to attain the pleasure of God, to strengthen their own faith, and to help strengthen the community. People who offer such sacrifices try to achieve the highest standards, as a result of which God accepts their efforts and bestows HIs blessings upon them. God knows the condition of everyone’s hearts; He does not care whether the financial sacrifice is big or small, rather he looks to one’s intentions.
Importance of One’s Intentions Whilst Making Sacrifices
His Holiness (aba) said that God has likened those who present financial sacrifices to either heavy rain, or light rain, meaning those who are wealthy are able to give large amounts, whereas those who do not possess as much wealth will give less. However, both are beneficial in the growth of fruit, for ultimately, it is Allah who causes fruits to grow, and He sees a person’s intentions, which He alone can cause to be fruitful. Thus, everything we do must be for the sake of God’s pleasure.
His Holiness (aba) said that at the time of the Promised Messiah (as), many of his companions were not very wealthy, yet they were at the forefront of presenting financial sacrifices. HIs Holiness (aba) said that the same passion and devotion is seen in the community of the Promised Messiah (as) today. Such examples are found even in new converts, who have not yet attained as much knowledge of the faith as others, yet they are far advanced in their level of devotion. SImilarly, the community today is so loyal and faithful to Khilafat, that as the Promised Messiah (as) has stated, even opponents are astonished at this level of devotion. His Holiness (aba) said that at a time when the people are steeped in worldliness, these people are vying with one another in financial sacrifices, only for the sake of Allah.
Wonderful Examples of Ahmadi Muslims Making Financial Sacrifice
His Holiness (aba) said that he would present some examples of how people express their faith and certainty through financial sacrifices, and how Allah the Almighty bestows His blessings as a result.
His Holiness (aba) said that there is a remote area in Sierra Leone, where the local missionary made a plea for financial sacrifice. The Imam of the mosque there expressed that they would not be able to reach their target. The local missionary led them all in silent prayer, and then left towards the mission house. Before he reached the mission house, the local Imam called him and said that he was coming to meet him. When he arrived, he explained that after the silent prayer, one of his relatives went to him and gave him 100,000 Leones. He immediately glorified Allah and said that they had been short of their pledge for Waqf-e-Jadid, and as soon as they had prayed, this person came and offered this large amount.
His Holiness (aba) said that such examples are also found within women. His Holiness (aba) said that there was a woman in Chad, who had pledged 70,000 Francs for Waqf-e-Jadid, however she was not able to arrange the funds to fulfil the pledge. Thus, she sold a camel she had for 170,000 Francs. She used this to fulfil her pledge, but she did not keep the remaining amount for herself, rather she presented that as financial contribution as well.
His Holiness (aba) said that similar examples are also found amongst the youth. His Holiness (aba) said that Belize is a place in Central America, which is quite far, and the Khalifa has never gone there. They are all new converts, yet their mentality of devotion is just the same. There, a 14 year old boy who had donated for Tehrik-e-Jadid was mentioned in the Friday Sermon by HIs Holiness. Many people congratulated him, and someone even gave him a reward of $200. Many children would take such an amount and purchase games for themselves. However, this young boy said that he needed $30 to have his social security card made, and that he would give the remaining $170 as financial contribution. He is from a poor household, and was urged to keep the amount for himself. However, he was firm in his decision. His Holiness (aba) said that this exemplifies giving precedence to the faith over the world. He prayed that may Allah maintain this mentality within the young boy and save him from the influences of worldliness.
His Holiness (aba) said that such examples are found in the poorest of countries. People may look down at such people because they are not well-educated, but in fact, these people possess more knowledge of the faith than the most learned people. His Holiness (aba) said that the missionary in Guinea-Conakry delivered a sermon regarding the importance of financial sacrifices in which he also presented various quotes of His Holiness (aba). At the end of the sermon, a person who was quite poor but very sincere took 218,500 Francs out of his pocket and offered it for Waqf-e-Jadid. When the missionary asked him why he was giving such a large amount, he said that he was greatly impacted by the words of His Holiness (aba), that the heart cannot love two things at once; one must either love God or love wealth. He said that he could not give everything in his home like Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) did, but at least he could give whatever was in his pocket. He also explained that ever since he started presenting financial sacrifices, he noticed that God had increased his faith and certainty.
His Holiness (aba) said that people in developed countries also possess the same spirit of sacrifice. A missionary in Germany encouraged members to increase in their financial sacrifices. A German woman who had converted to Ahmadiyyat quite some time ago presented 19,000 Euros. She said that although she was saving this amount in order to buy a car, she said that she would much rather attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
His Holiness (aba) said that a person from the UK had received a letter from the local council informing him that he had outstanding service charge payments. He had also received a call regarding the payment of his pledge for Waqf-e-Jadid. He decided that he would first pay his pledge for Waqf-e-Jadid. The next day, he received another letter from the council, explaining that they had been mistaken, and rather than his owing them money, they realised that in fact, they owed him money, and sent him an amount which was ten times more than the amount he had offered for Waqf-e-Jadid.
Various Acheivements of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in 2021
His Holiness (aba) said that in light of mentioning financial sacrifices for the sake of propagating the faith, he would like to mention that over the past year, God enabled the worldwide community to establish 187 mosques, aside from which 105 mosques are currently under construction in Africa. Similarly, 144 mission houses were established, many of which are in Africa, while 45 are currently under construction. Where mission houses cannot be built, buildings are acquired on rent; as such there are 731 mission houses and missionary houses which were acquired on rent in Africa. There are 632 mission houses on rent in other Asian countries. His Holiness (aba) mentioned that generally, most of the amount collected for Waqf-e-Jadid is distributed to African countries.
His Holiness (aba) said that building mosques is not easy, as our community has to face great opposition. However, because our community does these things for the sake of God Almighty, He also bestows His help. For example, a mosque was being built in Congo-Kinshasa. There, the Sunni Muslims created many problems and tried to hinder the building of this mosque, and when their attempts were failing, they began making death threats. Despite this, the construction of the mosque continued. One day, a Christian professor from the local university came and started helping the Ahmadis in building the mosque. Thus, where there were those trying to hinder the building of the mosque, God provided others to help in its completion.
These were just some examples of the instances presented by His Holiness (aba).
Report of 2021 & Announcement of the 65th Year of Waqf-e-Jadid
His Holiness (aba) said that he would present the previous years’ report for Waqf-e-Jadid. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the 64th year of Waqf-e-Jadid came to an end and the new year of Waqf-e-Jadid has started. Over the last year, the total collection was about 11.2 million pounds. This is an increase of 742,000 from the year prior. In light of the world’s circumstances, this is a great accomplishment.
His Holiness (aba) said that in terms of overall collection, the UK ranked first, then Germany, Canada, USA, India, Australia, Indonesia, a country from the Middle East, Ghana and Belgium.
His Holiness (aba) presented the report of positions from the top ranking countries.
His Holiness (aba) prayed that may Allah the Almighty bless all those who presented financial sacrifices.
Summary prepared by The Review of Religions
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