After reciting the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the first chapter Al Fatiha of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo’emenine, Zafrullah Domun said:

As you must all be aware, recently Jamaat Ahmadiyya mainstream held one of its annual conferences (Jalsa Salana) in London. According to their own published reports more than 27,500 people were present. As usual the caliph made five main speeches including the Friday Sermon. In my sermon of today I would like to say a few words about some of the information that have been circulated in the speeches and also about the international bai’at ceremony.

Since 1993 Jamaat Ahmadiyya mainstream has been saying that it has been recruiting so many millions of adherents to its fold that it is unable to give an exact figure. At times they have declared that the figure is more than 200 million. In another official declaration it shrinked to 170 million and now again the newspaper Al Fazl from Rabwah, Pakistan has published 160 millions. And soon you will see diehard, unthinking Ahmadis in Mauritius will boast about these figures once again to show the extraordinary progress of Ahmadiyya around the world.

Now allow me to refresh your memory about how the drive to recruit adherents came about. In fact it was the fourth caliph that had initiated this drive for a worldwide recruitment process in which he said that every Ahmadi should be a caller to Allah (dai elallah). At that time I was the Amir Jamaat in Mauritius. All members of the Majlis Amila including myself kept wondering how come we in Mauritius were having so many difficulties in conversion but yet in other countries year on year we did not stop hearing that they were receiving bai’ats in millions. But we, in Mauritius kept sending our reports as per our records. And they were few.

But at that time we did not question at all what the caliph told us because we trusted that as the spiritual leader he would always tell us what is true. It may be that his subordinates might have induced him into error but being such an intelligent man he should have easily known that the figures they were giving him was not the truth. But since very often he used to put these figures in perspective with regard to his own khilafat and that of his predecessors one can only wonder how carefully these figures were assessed before being presented to the world. In one of his sermon in September 1999 or 2000 he declared that all these numbers were true. But later events showed that such declarations were not true.

Most of you might not be aware about what we are talking, allow me to give you some of these figures. The number of new converts to the fold of the Ahmadiyyat in 1993 was 204,308. It almost doubled each following year to reach 10,820,226 in 1999. However from 1999 to 2000 it quadrupled to reach 41,308,875. In 2001 it doubled again to peak at 81,006,721. The following years the figures were on a downward trend when it reached only 209,799 in 2005. It reached almost the level where it was when this scheme started. And now up to June 2009, the number of new converts announced is 416,010.Most of them are from Africa, of course. Any reasonable person will ask why is it that with more resources available there has been such a big drop in the number of converts. Today the Jamaat Ahmadiyya International has a yearly budget of about 14 million pounds sterling. That is its share besides what other big Jamaats like England, Pakistan, America, Germany and Canada spend on their own. How come then with more resources available and better means of communications the drop in the number of converts has been so drastic? Someone with the authority of the caliph has to muster enough courage and tell the world that they made monumental mistakes in the past by exaggerating these figures in a desire to show a quantity wise progress with a total disregard to everything else, even truth.

Acknowledgement of a mistake is as if the mistake was not committed at all provided that we correct everything associated with it. Therefore I advise the leadership of the Jamaat to make their mea culpa now or else the Jamaat will start resembling the Catholic Church in similar matters. It will insist in being right knowing quite well that it is wrong. I personally think that the actual caliph has a golden opportunity to set right this wrong and give the world a true picture about the number of Ahmadis in the world. Furthermore all the figures that are to be divulged in the future should be critically examined before being announced around the world in order to avoid self-inflicted embarrassment.

Someone may ask how we know that these figures are not true. The answer is a very simple one. We just have to take the case of Mauritius. We have amply demonstrated in some of our previous sermons how the figures for Mauritius have been exaggerated and presented to the press. In addition we know what has happened in Reunion island. In the beginning of his amarat the actual amir of the Jamaat sent one of his own to the island to call the people to Allah. All of a sudden the amir started announcing an exponential growth of converts from the island. As far as I can remember, and I am quoting from memory, at one time the number of converts reached 1200. But what happened since then. Today it is unfortunate to say the mission in Reunion Island has been closed since some years. If this is the case with a country which was under the responsibility of Mauritius Jamaat , one can only wonder what would be the situation elsewhere?

Now let us say a few words about what have come to be known as the International oath-allegiance ceremony (alaami bai’at). This ceremony has become the never-to-miss- event of the yearly UK gathering. In Mauritius I know of some persons who are negligent with their daily religious obligations but they make it a duty to renew their pledge of allegiance every year. Unfortunately they mistakenly believe that by doing so they are being washed of their sins and they have received their passport to paradise. Anyone who has even a little knowledge of the teachings of Hazrat Masih Maood^as knows that such beliefs will ruin one’s soul instead of preparing it for the spiritual life. Taking the oath of allegiance with someone is not a light matter. It is not something that we need to take every year. This is an innovation that has slyly crept into the Jamaat’s practices and it is doing more harm than good because other Ahmadis think that it has some uses whereas it has none. The actual caliph is doing it in pure imitation of what his predecessor did without thinking at all about its negative consequences.

I personally think that making allegiance with someone is a very serious matter. When one enters into a spiritual allegiance with someone, it means that one wants that person to guide one in all spiritual matters. Hence to obey that guide also known as Murshid becomes a priority in one’s life. If that is not the case this oath has no meaning at all. If it had not been made it would have been better. But if someone slips despite his best efforts that would be a different matter all together. When I see the Ahmadis in Mauritius and elsewhere I really wonder what is it that they have received through their bai’at? They are keen more to harm than to help; they speak ill and do lots of evil. The caliph is telling them to observe purda. How many are really doing so? One makes bai’at in order to acquire the spiritual and moral qualities of one’s guide. How many Ahmadis have made this the aim of their life? Very few indeed! Hazrat Masih Maood^as has taught us that we should go through life from being like an animal to becoming a perfect man. Who is keen to achieve this noble aim in his or her life? When I look at the behavior of Ahmadis, I do not think that there is any cause for celebration because most of the people have not shown through their good conduct that they tried to beautify themselves with the noble qualities of the Holy Prophet Mohammad^saw.

Lest you may think that I am speaking these words by myself let me give you a quote from Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad’s writings. He says in his book “The Need for the Imam”(Darurat-ul-Imam):

What is the significance of Bai‘at? The meaning of the word is to exchange one thing with another by mutual consent. The purpose of Bai‘at is that one who enters into the covenant sells his self together with all its capacities to a guide so that in return he should obtain the true understanding and the perfect blessings which should become the means of acquiring cognition, salvation, and attaining the pleasure of God Almighty. It is thus obvious that Bai‘at does not mean simple repentance, because man can bring it about by himself. Rather, it denotes the understanding, blessings and signs which pull one in the direction of true repentance. Its real purpose is to commit one’s ego to the service of one’s guide and to acquire in return the knowledge, the understanding and the blessings which should strengthen faith and increase true understanding, so that a pure relationship may be established with God Almighty; and thus, having obtained deliverance from worldly hell, one might be delivered from the hell of the hereafter; and, having been cured of blindness in this world, one might be secure against blindness in the hereafter.[Darurat-ul-Imam, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 13, p. 498]

Now one should ask how far Ahmadis are achieving this purpose through their bai’at and how far the yearly international baiat help in this purpose. In another extract Hazrat Masih said:

“If anyone should deliberately contravene the conditions set out in the announcement of 12th January, 1889, (he means the ten conditions of bai’at) and should persist in his rebellious attitude, he will be expelled from this Movement. The system of Bai‘at has been instituted solely with the purpose of brining together a large group of the righteous, so that they should cast a positive influence in the world, and their unity should be a source of blessing and greatness and good harvest for Islam. Since they will be united for the same cause, they will be readily available for the pure and holy service of Islam. They should not be lazy, miserly and purposeless Muslims, nor should they be like the worthless ones who have done great harm to Islam through their dissention and inequity and have stained its beautiful face by their acts of transgression, nor should they be like the heedless dervishes and those who have withdrawn from the world, who are totally unaware of the needs of Islam and unconcerned with the welfare of their brethren, and who feel no eagerness for promoting the welfare of mankind. On the contrary, they should have such sympathy for the people that they should become the refuge of the poor and fathers to the orphans and, like passionate lovers, be always ready to sacrifice themselves for discharging Islamic duties. They should make every effort that their blessings should spread in the world and the pure fountain of love for the Divine and of sympathy for His servants should spring out of every heart, and their unity should be seen as flowing like a river.

God Almighty, by His special grace and favour, has designed to make the prayers and the attention of this humble one the means of the manifestation of their pure capacities. That Holy and Glorious One has inspired me with the eagerness to occupy myself with the inner training of these seekers, and to strive day and night to rid them of their impurities, and to beseech God to grant them the light whereby a person is delivered from the bondage of his ego and of Satan and develops a natural love for the ways of God Almighty. I would also solicit for them the Holy Spirit, which is generated by the strong relationship between perfect Providence and undulated service to God. I would also endeavour to secure their deliverance from the vicious spirit which is generated by the intense relationship between Satan and Nafs-e-Ammarah [the Self that incites to evil]. Thus, with the help of Allah, I will not be lax and lazy and will not be heedless in seeking the reform of my friends who have joined this Movement in full sincerity. Indeed, I shall be ready even to face death so that they might live. I shall solicit for them from God Almighty the spiritual power which, like an electric current should activate their entire beings. I am sure that all this will come about for those who, having joined the Movement, shall wait steadfastly, for God Almighty has determined to create this group and to promote it for the manifestation of His Glory and His Power, so as to spread in the world love for Himself and sincere repentance and piety and real goodness and peace and prosperity and sympathy for mankind. Therefore, these will be His own people and He will strengthen them with His own spirit. He will purify them from a life of impurity and will bring about a pure change in their lives, as He has promised in His holy prophecies, and will cause them to grow rapidly and will bring thousands of the righteous into it. He Himself will water them and cause them to flourish, so much so that their numbers and their blessings will be looked upon with amazement. Like a lamp that is placed at a height, they will spread their light in every corner of the world and will be seen as the symbols of Islamic blessings. God will cause the prefect followers of this Movement to excel the followers of all other faiths in respect of every blessing, and to the Day of Judgement there will appear among them those who will be blessed with acceptance and help. The Lord of Glory has determined this and He has the power to do all that He wills. All power and all strength belong to Him. [Izala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza’in, vol. 3, pp. 560-563]

Now I advise you to read this extract and to examine what you do as an Ahmadi and see whether you have any cause for celebration or that tears of blood should flow from your eyes because of some of your own actions. I leave that to all Ahmadis around the world to figure out.

For today we will stop here. Incha Allah more next time.