After reciting the Tashahhud, the Ta’uz and the first chapter Al Fatiha Imam Zafrullah Domun said:

In my sermon last week I ended by reading to you an extract from a speech of the caliph which he delivered on the occasion of a special Majlis Shura which he called in Germany on 20^th December 2009. If we examine carefully what the caliph said we understand that there are many problems in the Jamaat of Germany where according to some statistics there are about thirty thousand Ahmadis living. The majority of these Ahmadis are refugees from Pakistan. In view of the composition of the Jamaat one should not be at all surprised if the problems about which the caliph spoke do crop up.

So we understand that the caliph was warning those who send him false reports about some people which result in the expulsion of these people from the Jamaat. As I have already said in the past, Jamaat Ahmadiyya has a pyramidal structure and usually but not always the caliph sides with the Amir in all major decision because it is supposed that the Amir knows better about the local conditions. Now such a situation will work well if the Amir is a person who fears Allah and who is afraid lest he wrongs others unknowingly. If  this is not the case and the Amir is a politician who is unaware of the teachings of the Holy Quran and who pretends to be what he is not then if the caliph listens to him both will be making plenty of wrong decisions that both will regret in the end. Occasions where an Amir induces the caliph to take wrong decisions have always existed within Jamaat Ahmadiyya because our organizational structure is such that such abuses become common place. The problem is that the Amir is requested to report on people who are at odds with him. He would be a rare muttaqi who will also report his own misdeeds to the caliph. If he is not a muttaqi he will gloss over his own responsibility in the matter and report only that which shows the other Ahmadi in an unfavorable light. Despite the fact that all the caliphs have given clear instructions to Amirs how they should go about handling the affairs of the Jamaat we see that the problems still persist. In other words they have not been solved yet.

Some people think that taqwa alone is not a criterion to give someone an office within the Jamaat.  They think that the person should be a professional. They think that because the person has been successful professionally so he should be successful in carrying out his duties within the Jamaat. But experience has shown that professionals or others who have had a measure of success in the world have not necessarily been very good in carrying out Jamaat duties that were given to them. Personally I think that those who are given some duties in the Jamaat should know about the history of the Jamaat. They should know about their rights and obligations also and they should be taught about what is expected of them as per the instructions already given by previous caliphs and their successors. Moreover the Pakistani mentality that prevails in decision making either in England or in Mauritius should be replaced by a more thorough approach that gives way to consensual decision making. Although I may say that minority opinions are not to be ignored I know from experience that not much consideration is given to them at the head quarters.

Now we can also wonder how come that even after more than 120 years Jamaat Ahmadiyya is still trying to grapple with problems of injustice within its ranks. If that is the case how are we going to establish Justice throughout the world? Injustice prevails where the rights of others are trampled under the feet, where your use of temporary power makes you think that you are a demigod who can allow yourself to do what your base instincts dictate. In Jamaat Ahmadiyya Mauritius we have seen several such examples. I think that this situation is so because those who exercise power within the Jamaat do not know their limits and they think that they should manifest their ignorance and injustice to preserve the system. By so doing they have incurred the displeasure of Allah and they create plenty of problems for the Ahmadis as well.

If such a situation has prevailed up till now I think it is because the Jamaat is trying to reform itself by means that they have invented and rejected what Allah has ordained for them. It is clear from the Holy Quran and from the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as that Allah brings about reform within a group by sending it people who receive a mandate from Him to carry out the necessary reformation.  These people are taught through revelation what they have to do. But unfortunately Jamaat Ahmadiyya as a whole rejects these people thinking that they are here to create trouble (fitna). As a matter of fact, in our case this is exactly the word that the Amir used against us to the caliph. In fact when Hazrat Moosa^as and Hazrat Haroon^as were sent to Egypt, Pharaon and his advisers said to the people “Certainly these two are magicians who seek to drive you out from your land by their magic and to destroy your best way of life”(20:64). In another verse they said “And the chiefs of Pharaoh’s people said, ‘Wilt thou leave Moses and his people to create disorder in the land, and forsake thee and thy gods?’ He answered, ‘We will ruthlessly slay their sons and let their women live. And surely we are dominant over them.’ [7:128] 

Whenever someone is sent by Allah to reform a people, the leaders of these people frighten their people with such words. They will say that these so-called reformers are here only to create divisions and trouble. This is what was said before and this is what is still being said. When Hazrat Masih Maood^as came, he was told the same thing. Up till today Ahmadis are being wrongly accused of having divided the umma by the majority of Muslims, as if it was ever unified. But if the umma never received a teacher with the capacity of Hazrat Masih to teach them, such is not the case of the  Ahmadis. They have been taught and they were told to stick to the teachings of the Holy Quran. Had they done this the problems that are cropping up would not have cropped up.  It is because they are treating those coming from Allah with the same disdain that those of yore treated them that even after 120 years of existence members of the Jamaat and specially its leaders have not yet understood that Justice and Truth are two most important values to live by whatever the circumstances and the consequences.

The result is that we continue to tell the world that our ideas are progressive and that our Islam is the original pure Islam that is inclusive and not exclusive. But the fact for insiders is that all these declarations are not true. Jamaat Ahmadiyya has been tested by Allah and it has shown itself up till now to be untrue to its teachings and declarations. If that were not the case the Jamaat, especially its leaders would have lived their talk. Their actions would not have contradicted their declarations as is their case nowadays. But as far as we are concerned, members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen, we are happy that Allah has helped us through His sheer Grace to understand the essence of Islam and Ahmadiyyat and up till now no one has dared to challenge our ideas and position. It is quite unfortunate that the situation is like this. I have had some conversations with some Ahmadis and no one is able to answer any of our questions. In addition they refuse to talk and their embarrassment is visible on their face and in their demeanor. Moreover as I have repeatedly said before the majority of Ahmadis are unaware of the claims and teachings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as.

Consequently when we start talking about his books most are unaware and they are in trouble because they are not aware. Those who are supposed to be aware are the missionaries but even they are not ready to engage into conversation. Once an Ahmadi said to me my father became an Ahmadi and he told us never to leave this Jamaat.” So most of them are following the religion of their father. It is to the credit of their father and grandfathers that recognized the truthfulness of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as and they believed in him. They were really bold people who accepted all sorts of deprivation and humiliation because of the truth that had dawned upon them. They were open minded guys who were not afraid of abandoning their previous beliefs and espousing new ones. They left the majority group to join the minority. This is the same sentiment that motivates the minority group of Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen today. We do not care at all about our number. What is most important to us is how far we are ready to lead our life according to the precepts that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as has given us. I hope that incha Allah all the members of our Jamaat may understand this fundamental point and that they strive to achieve this goal.

As Hazrat Masih Maood ^as told the Muslims that he had been sent to revive the religion of the Holy Prophet Mohammad ^saw , in the same way I have been telling the Ahmadis that I am here to show the real teachings of Hazrat Masih Maood ^as. We have said that our point of view is supported by arguments from the writings of the Promised Messiah and we have published these arguments as well. Now it is up to our friends from the mainstream Jamaat to contradict what we are saying if they think that it should be contradicted. At least they should explain to their own members in what ways we are wrong in our beliefs. But they have up till now been unable to take up this challenge. I personally think that if they are taking up this challenge it is because they are completely ignorant of the writings of Hazrat Masih Maood^as.

Another point which the caliph emphasized in his speech of 20^th December last was that giving money in the Jamaat is not enough. One should strive to live the ideals of Ahmadiyyat in one’s everyday existence. He said that this is most important. There is no doubt that the compared to what it was before the finances of Jamaat Ahmadiyya either here or elsewhere has immensely improved. But to think that by giving chanda and attending Jummas and ijtemas, one has fulfilled one’s obligations of being an Ahmadi is far from what the founder of Jamaat Ahmadiyya expected from his followers. The caliph was reminding the members that they should also pray five times a day. Allah knows best how far this advice is relevant to the members of the shura in Mauritius!

My point is that if one says one is an Ahmadi one should be ever on the lookout for the improvement of one’s self. If we discard this important task, then everything else, however important it might be as an achievement will be useless. If we so not strive to become a better person day in day out with a view to please Allah by being of service to others we are wasting our life. Most people cannot tell you what their weakness is. Many can easily tell you what are their strengths but few can really say what their weaknesses are. However it is the person who is aware of his or her weaknesses who will try to improve him or herself. Each one of us should see to it that we become aware of our weaknesses so that we might improve ourselves. We should not be like those politicians who do not care at all how they are performing or have performed in the past. With genuine feedback given with a view to bring about change and improvement  and not blame and humiliation we can become better Ahmadis and better citizens also. May Allah give to each one of us and to those who might read this sermon the wisdom to know what is true and what is false and to stick to truth under all circumstances. Ameen