After reciting the Tauz, the Tashahhud and the first chapter of the Holy Quran Imam Zafrullah Domun said:

Anyone who declares himself to be an Ahmadi is supposed to abide by the ten conditions of bait as they have been explained by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad ^as. One cannot say one is an Ahmadi if one has not read and accepted these conditions. If we are failing to fulfill all the ten conditions despite our best efforts to accomplish them, then we should continue to strive until we are able to fulfill all the ten conditions. If we do not know these conditions or which is worse, we do not even bother to know then we are to be blamed because we are ignoring the basic duties that will help us to become a really good Ahmadi Muslim. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad^as was raised by Allah to help the people to know Allah. These ten conditions of bait were written with Allah’s help. If we ignore what he has asked from us we do so at the peril of our spiritual life here and in the hereafter. In the past I had the opportunity to speak about the first and second conditions. Today I wish to say a few words about the third condition. This condition demands from an Ahmadi the following to be done daily:

“That he/she shall regularly offer the five daily prayers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); and shall try his/her best to be regular in offering the Tahajud (pre-dawn supererogatory prayers) and invoking Darood (blessings) on the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); that he/she shall make it his/her daily routine to ask forgiveness for his/her sins, to remember the bounties of God and to praise and glorify Him.”

Now the question is how many Ahmadis are making it their daily routine to do all these tasks daily. If one wants to make spiritual progress one is bound to do these spiritual exercises. Just like if someone wants to have a beautiful body he or she does bodily exercise daily. Similarly if we are an Ahmadi we should exert ourselves to accomplish these tasks daily. These are exercises for spiritual improvement or upliftment. We will learn about their effects only if we try to practice them. Hazrat Masih Maood as, through his God-given knowledge has given us a blueprint for lifelong spiritual progress. He brought us to the source of life. Now our task is to drink this water of life so that we might get eternal life.

First of all he says that we should be regularly offering our five daily prayers in accordance with the commandments of God and the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). It means that we should take care to offer these prayers on time as per the instructions of Allah in the Holy Quran where He says “innas salaata kaanat alal mo’menina kitaabam mawqouta” which means “verily prayer is enjoined upon the believers to be performed at fixed hours.” In the past I have spoken about this subject but this is a matter that needs reminding. All of us should try to accomplish our prayers on time unless of course where we have some other obligations that may prevent us from doing so. But we should refrain from making the exceptions become the rule. It is true that these days because of being busy most people read the Zohar and Asr prayer together. An Ahmadi Muslim may read these prayers together but he should avoid ignoring them and not performing them at all. We cannot have any excuse not to perform Fajr or Esha prayer on time. There is no excuse for anyone. The majority of us are at home at the time of these prayers.

In addition it is not sufficient just to perform the prayer. We should perform them according to the way the Holy Prophet ^saw did. They are to be offered with great respect and filled with supplications and also with proper understanding of all the Arabic words used. As a good Muslim we should learn and strive to organize our daily routines including our daily prayers. We should not give priority to worldly matters over our prayers however important they might be.

The next task that Hazrat Masih demands from an Ahmadi is that   he should try his best to accomplish the Tahajjud Prayer. It should be very clear in the mind of one and all that this is a supererogatory prayer. It is not obligatory. But in view of its transformative powers Hazrat Ahmad has asked his followers to be regular in reading it. The spiritual benefits accruing to the individual who performs this prayer regularly are enormous. That is why it has been so forcefully recommended. But it is not an obligation. But if you wish you can make it an obligation for you personally. Any how I think that our young generation should try from now and then to get some taste of it and they should do it once a week or once a month or even once a year. My task is to advise. Your task is to listen and follow whatever you can. There is no obligation in this particular matter.

Then Hazrat Masih ^as tells us that we should invoke blessings (darood) on the Holy Prophet ^saw daily. This is not at all an innovation. In the Holy Quran Allah says:

Innallaha wa malaaekatahou yoswallouna alan nabiyye Yaa ayyohallazina aamanou swallou alayhe wa sallemou taslimaa

Its translation is “Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet. O ye who believe! you also should invoke blessings on him and salute him with the salutation of peace.”[33:57] 

From this verse we understand it is an obligation on all of us to send blessings on the Holy Prophet Mohammad ^saw because Allah has asked us to do so and it is not just a condition of our pledge of allegiance.

Soon on 26^th February some Muslims here and abroad will be celebrating the Festival for the birth of the prophet “Eid Miladun Nabi”. On this occasion many celebrations are organized and even food is distributed. In Mauritius this is considered the third festival of the Muslims and many Muslims do not work on that day. Several Naat sessions are held in many mosques around the island where people sing in praise of the Holy Prophet ^saw. But we Ahmadi Muslims we have been reminded that the remembrance of the Holy Prophet ^saw and his favours on humanity should be daily present in our mind so that we might benefit from divine graces. It is not a one day or one week event. It pervades our life throughout the year. By sending these blessings on the Holy Prophet ^saw we try to imitate his way of life because Allah has described him to be the “best model for all of us”. If we are sincere in these invocations slowly Allah will help us to tread the path of the Holy Prophet ^saw. Some persons might even reach the stage where Allah will call them by the name of prophet or messenger.  Such people receive this rank out of their love for Allah and His Messenger and they are the ones who are called his caliphs, spiritual heirs or his deputies in his community. Most people in the Muslim world are not aware of this spiritual truth and so they are eager to brand anyone who says that he has received a title of honor from Allah as a kafir. This is what has been going on for the last 120- years with regard to Hazrat Ahmad ^as. Because he said that Allah had made him a prophet messenger subordinate to the Holy Prophet^saw the so-called divines of the Muslim World have rejected him and his message. Anyhow this is a long story but it is not our purpose for the time being. But we should say that we have understood from the writings of Hazrat Ahmad ^as and the Holy Quran that the door to non-law-bearing prophethood will remain open until the end of times. Hazrat Ahmad said that Allah had made him such a person. He prophesied that other people will come after him amongst his followers. And by the Grace of Allah we have been witness to the accomplishment of this prophecy also.

Furthermore Hazrat Ahmad^as said that an Ahmadi should ask forgiveness for his sins daily. There are many formulas for asking sins. The simplest is to recite astaghfiroullah which means “I ask forgiveness from Allah”. However if we do this mechanically as some people do we will not reap any spiritual benefit. When we utter these words we should recollect our sins and sincerely regret them. If we have harmed someone we should ask him to forgive us. Our sins should make us weep. It is then that it will have an effect upon us. According to Hazrat Masih the seeking of forgiveness formula has two purposes. One is to wipe out the ill effects of our past sins and the second is to give us the strength to refrain from future sins. Hence spiritually speaking it is a very powerful tool for personal transformation and we should not neglect it at all. From the hadith we learn that the Holy Prophet saw used to say astaghfaar more than seventy times per day. He was a person to whom Allah had revealed that He had forgiven him his sins but yet he asked forgiveness more than seventy times per day. What a wonderful man indeed! But look at us, poor mortals. Everyday we pile up sins upon sins and yet we are negligent that we would be called to give account for our misdeeds. An Ahmadi should strive to get rid of the burden of all his sins by seeking forgiveness daily and he should be determined not to sin again in the future. If he happens to sin he should continue to ask for forgiveness until Allah tells him that he has forgiven him. There are some people who get these assurances from Allah. My prayer and wish is that all of you should be amongst this group incha Allah. 

In the end Hazrat Masih tells us that we should “remember the bounties of God and we should praise and glorify Him.” Whatever our condition in life we should always be thankful to Allah for what he has given us. I recall from memory that a poet once said “I always complained for my lack of shoes until I saw someone who lacked feet”. This spirit should pervade our life always. Think about what you have, it will make you grateful. But if you concentrate on what others have and you lack you will invite misery upon yourself. But remember also that Allah has taught us to ask Him for anything that we might need. Each organ of our body has a function to play. We happen to know the world around us through our five senses. We need to think about them to really understand what they are here for. Just imagine how uncomfortable you become if your nostrils are clogged. How many days of the year you breathe automatically through your nostrils but for which you have not been thankful to the one who provided them to you. The same thing can be said of your ears, eyes, hands, feet and stomach etc. Start thinking about these and you will notice the wave of thankfulness that will swell from your breast. So Hazrat Masih wants us to remember all the small favours that make our life pleasant everyday and to say Subhanallah, Alhamdolilla and Allaho Akbar. This is how we glorify and praise Allah.

Each one amongst us should make it a duty that we include all the above named practices in our daily routine. They will act as a protection and a ladder for us. We will be protected against the evil forces that want to make us forget about our Allah and they will also act as a ladder that will help us to scale spiritual heights. May Allah help each one amongst us to become one of His favorite servants incha Allah.