Friday Sermon of
Hazrat Amirul Momeneen
Zafrullah Domun

26 DECEMBER 2008

At Bait-ul-Rahma Mosque
Les Guibies, Pailles
MAURITUS

After reading the Tashahhud , the Ta'uz and the first chapter of the Holy Quran, Hazrat Amirul Mo'menine, Zafrullah Domun said:

Last week I read and explained to you some extracts from the Green Pamphlet which Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as wrote following the death of his son Bashir Ahmad Awwal, in 1888, about sixteen months after his birth. Speaking about those persons who deny that some persons may have an intimate relationship with Allah he also said:

“Fortunate is he who surrenders himself to this Divine dispensation and avails himself of heavenly bounties, and there is none more unfortunate than he who remains oblivious to these b less ings and makes it his habit to level base less objections and express uninformed opinions.

I warn such people, * for the sake of Allah, that they to their assertion, it were indeed true that there is nothing special or unique about visions and revelations, and they cannot be considered a criterion for distinguishing between a common man and a chosen one, or between a believer and a non-believer, then those who seek God would surely be devastated. But let me assure them that Islam possesses this wonderful spiritual quality that whoever follows its teaching, truthfully and sincerely, is blessed with special Divine communion, and experiences in his own self the signs of acceptance that other people never can. This is an inescapable reality and countless righteous people become privy to it through their own experience. But only those can attain these heights who truly and sincerely follow the Holy Prophet (saw) and, casting off their earthly garb, don the heavenly robes. In other words, they kill their earthly passions and enter into a new life of Divine servitude. Even Muslims who are weak of faith have no affinity with these godly ones, let alone comparing them to disbelievers and sinners.

Their condition is only revealed to those seekers after truth that remain in their company for some time. It was with this in mind that I sent letters and announcements to leaders of various sects inviting them to [come and stay with me and] test my claim. If they had been sincere in their search for truth, they would have come in earnest, but, as it was, none of them responded to my invitation, and whenever any of my prophecies was fulfilled, they tried to make it look dubious. If our own Muslim ulema have such hesitation in accepting this truth, then there is no point in inviting others to it. Let the ulema, who include eminent intellectuals and scholars, come and test my claim first. If they patiently and honestly spend some time in my company, they will surely find the truth. If it turns out that my claim is false, I will repent at their hands, otherwise I am hopeful that God will open for them the door to repentance and forgiveness.

Their admonitions to me will only be meaningful if, after the publication of this writing, they put my claim to the test and their views are substantiated beyond any shadow of doubt. But at the moment their admonitions carry no meaning. The blindness of these ulema is indeed pitiable. I can see that the powerful surge of contemporary logic and philosophy has besieged their hearts and minds. They put too much emphasis on these forms of learning, consider them to be sufficient for the perfection of their faith and ridicule spiritual b less ings in a manner that is not worthy of them. I also believe that they do not do this superficially, but because they actually believe it to be true. Their innate weakness has caused them to succumb to this disease, for they do not possess the light of truth and are full of empty words. They seem so certain of their own views, and forward them with such zeal that, if it were possible, they would even drag the enlightened ones back into darkness.

They are very eager for the physical victory of Islam, but are completely unaware of what the true victory of Islam stands for. The true victory of Islam, as is evident from the word 'Islam' [submission] itself, lies in our completely surrendering our selves to God and freeing ourselves of our egos and our passions. No idol, whether it is the idol of our desires, our intentions, or the idol of creature worship, should stand in our way, and we should submit ourselves entirely to the will of God.

After reaching this state of fana [self-annihilation], we will attain baqa [the life of eternity] which will give our eyes a new light, our minds a new brilliance, and our lives a new passion; and we will become a wholly new being and the same Eternal God will become for us a new God. This is the true victory, and one aspect of it is Divine communion. If Muslims do not achieve this victory in this age, mere intellectual victory will lead them nowhere. I am convinced that the day of this victory is close at hand. God will Himself cause this light to shine forth and shall have mercy on His hap less servants.”

These words were addressed in the first place to those Muslims who were keener in achieving intellectual victory as Hazrat Masih Maood (as) said rather than surrendering their self to Allah's Will. As far as I know, and I can even say that in this statement there are no caliphs in Jamaat Ahmadiyya who contradicts what I say, any Ahmadi should do his best to follow what Hazrat Masih Maood has advised us to do. But unfortunately we have to admit when we hear about the reasoning of some persons who think of themselves as intellectuals in the Jamaat, that these words apply to them as well. We will not say that they have forgotten what the Promised Messiah said because knowing them they never made any effort to learn his teachings in the first place. One can easily imagine what kind of havoc such persons might play with the minds of the young people within the Jamaat should they be in any position to influence them.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) came to teach Muslims the wisdom which the Holy Prophet Mohammad saw taught them and which they had forgotten. It is quite unfortunate that the bulk of Muslims ignored him. Consequently his teachings were not put in practice by them. But how unfortunate are those Ahmadis who claim that they have accepted him but yet they ignore his teachings. How far do we witness the type of submission that he is speaking about in the above extract prevailing within the Jamaat. I remember that I read somewhere that Hazrat Masih Maood (as) said that if Ahmadis do not mould their life according to his teachings they will be doubly punished by Allah. The reason is that they say that they have recognized the one who came from Allah but they disobeyed him by ignoring his teachings whereas the other Muslims would be guilty of only the rejection. Therefore it is time to reflect how far Jamaat Ahmadiyya as a whole is following the teachings of the Promised Messiah as far as a desire to lead the spiritual life is concerned.

In many of his writings Hazrat Masih has taught us that we should try to lead the spiritual life. He has explained to us in detail how we should go about this in his book “The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam”. He has given us a very graphic description of what is the state of the soul when it is always inclined to sin. He has taught us how the soul should be tamed and slowly it enters the state which is known as “the self accusing soul” and how finally it enters the state of “the soul at rest”. This is a long journey for any person because the task is not easy at all, and one is easily discouraged. Only those who persevere will succeed. To achieve success in this endeavor one should be determined to make the necessary efforts, to supplicate Allah for help and also to stay in the company of the righteous. In an extract from his Malfoozaat Hazrat Masih Maood as says:

“You should try to become wholly for Allah. If you give priority to the Pleasure of Allah, definitely you will not be abased and humiliated in the world. Allah has a great regard for His Servants and He is sufficient for them and delivers them from all sorts of troubles. I know for sure and I am declaring it that if you acquire the qualities of the companions of the Holy Prophet (saw), then Allah will shower His favours from all quarters upon you. No one will be able to attack such persons. Remember this well that if you have a true and solid relationship with Allah then you will not care at all for the enmity of anyone……. The truth is that I want to achieve the state where Allah is pleased with me and this is what all of you should do. If He gives any gifts, it is only out of His Favour and nothing else and there is nothing lacking in His Presence and there is no stinginess in His Person. You should never entertain such thoughts. If someone thinks like this he becomes a disbeliever. If it is not possible to receive the gifts that were vouchsafed to the Prophets and Messengers then what is the benefit of coming into this world and what shall we achieve? Then all those who strive in the path of Allah and the hopes of all doers of good will be in vain. They would be dead whilst they are still living. But this cannot be. Allah can give to everyone the same gifts that he gave to His Chosen Ones. But it is necessary to come in His Presence with such a heart and such sincerity that they brought.” (Malfoozaat Volume 6 page 84-85)

Just take some time to reflect on this extract and you will understand how forceful its message is. He is telling us that Allah can give His gifts to every one provided that you have such a heart and you possess enough sincerity to receive the gifts. How unfortunate has this Jamaat become that it denies its members to be such recipients whereas in a very clear and eloquent language Hazrat Masih has told us that the door to the reception of such gifts are open until the Day of Judgment. This is the knower of Allah par excellence whose teachings are being perverted by those who have an invested interest in making the innocent and gullible Ahmadis understand their perverted logic. Today material benefits and buildings are being shown to be the hall mark of progress whereas this is only part of the progress and that also an insignificant part. But the most important success is when there are many amongst us who can say that they have a living contact with Allah. Success by any other criteria will be insignificant. At least this is my opinion basing myself on the writings of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) .

Since today is the last Friday of 2008, I will use this opportunity to say a few words about the end of year festivities especially what is known as “reveillon” on the last day of the year. I know that having barbecues on the last day of the year up till midnight and reading two rakaat nafil to greet the year has slowly become a pattern among Ahmadis in Mauritius . Such a practice is particularly pronounced among those who are considered rich within the Jamaat. There are some who even say that when the fourth caliph was here in 1993 he did not say anything when he witnessed that some Ahmadis were indulging in lighting firecrackers. According to them his silence was an assent to such unislamic practices. But I do not share this opinion. Within the Jamaat the members choose which order of the caliph they will obey and which they will not. Many will justify doing “Reveillon” like the non Muslims. Many have concocted their own brand of Islam or Ahmadiyyat and they will even justify celebrating “Saint Valentine” in February. But the truth is that those who have studied some history know that both Christmas and festivities on the 31st of December are relics of pagan practices that have been incorporated into Christendom many centuries ago.

Jamaat Ahmadiyya has been created to wean people away from frivolous practices and help them to know the real life that will grant them eternal bliss. Hence as a member of this Jamaat any Ahmadi who has a little bit of Taqwa should not indulge in practices that have pagan roots and have nothing to do with Islam. In Islam we have only two Eid apart from the Friday that comes every week. As Ahmadis we should not participate in merry making that do not have Islamic roots.

The Mauritian Ahmadis are really strange in their behavior. When the caliph tells them to boycott Zafrullah Domun and those who belong to his Jamaat they display a zeal like that of the crusaders of yore. But when the same caliph or his predecessors tell them to practice the teachings of Islam in their daily lives, they do not show any zeal at all. How many ladies are still walking the streets without due regard to the teachings about pardah ? How many have been going to cinema halls with their whole family members watching Titanic or Harry Potter? How many women have posted their pictures on social networks sites like Myspace, Bebo, and Hi 5 to name just a few? I invite you to a moment of reflection and see how good you are in following the teachings of Hazrat Ahmad as and see how much of his teachings you ignore and yet you do not even desire to learn more? Should you reflect well you will meet with a moment of truth which may help you to understand what you have been unable to understand up till now? May Allah have mercy on you all. All festivities of Ahmadis during the New Year are innovations ( bid'at ) that have to be stopped. Remember that the Holy Prophet Mohammad saw has said that “innovations lead to perdition and perdition lead to hell.”

When Ahmadis are called upon to celebrate 100 years of khilafat within the Jamaat, the response is enormous. Almost all of them get mobilized for the purpose. During the year all functions namely Jalsas, Ijtemaas, and special commemoratory Jalsas were exclusively devoted to the theme of khilafat. So much emphasis has been laid upon it that one may be inclined to think that it is a new article of faith. Through all these assemblies everything is being done to brainwash the young Ahmadis specially to believe that it is the most important belief of any Ahmadi. But the truth is far from that. The most important belief is that Allah is One. To emphasize this point Allah said to me the day before yesterday “ youha elayya annama elaahokoum elahoune wahedoune ”. This is part of a verse of the Holy Quran which runs as follows:

Say “I am but a man like yourselves: but it is revealed to me that your Lord is only One God. So let him who hopes to meet his Lord do good deeds and let him join no one in the worship of the Lord”(18:111).

This is a clear verse of the Holy Quran. The instruction is that Allah is One. The person who wants to meet him should do good deeds (that is put into practice the teachings of the Holy Quran and adopt the way of the Holy Prophet Mohammad saw ) and he should not associate anyone in his worship of Allah. But since it is easier to make people believe in a system than in Allah therefore a greater emphasis has been laid on the system that is khilafat.

Now to end I will say a few words about the non participation of the caliph and foreign Ahmadis in the Jalsa at Qadian. I will only speak about matters that I am aware of and I will not speculate about anything. The fact is that the Jalsa at Qadian was to be the apotheosis of the Khilafat Jubilee festivities. The caliph has participated in several Jalsas around the world. He went to Africa, then to USA and Canada . Then he participated in the Jalsa in London followed by one in Germany . Eventually he also went to France and then to Berlin . Wherever he went he opened mosques and delivered speeches. Then came the time for him to participate in the crowning activities that were to be held in connection with the centenary festivities. He left England on 22nd November 2008 to tour India starting from Kerala where a Jalsa was held. Another Jalsa was scheduled in Calcutta and Delhi prior to the biggest event of all, namely the Centenary Jalsa of Qadian. But Unfortunately Allah did not give His Approval for this event to take place.

On Monday 24 November after Fajr prayer Allah revealed to me “Shaan daar zalazalatous saa'aa”. At that time I was not even aware that the caliph was in India . Two days later, on 26th it was revealed to me “inna zalzalatous saa'ateh la shay'oune ajib”. Whenever I receive these words zalzalatous saa'ateh in revelations I know that something bad was going to happen. Later on that same day the terrorists attacked Bombay . I thought that the revelations had to do with that event. But the next week on Thursday I came to know that the caliph was about to cancel his trip to Qadian and that he was intending to return back to London and also that he has issued instructions telling all foreign Ahmadis not to go to Qadian for the Jalsa. It was then that I understood the revelations in their true perspective. I think the first revelation had to do particularly with the events in Bombay. The siege by the terrorists was really very bad and the event itself was unprecedented in that it went on for at least four days and what was going on was shown live on the television. The damage to historical buildings was really unheard of. So many people died that there was mourning almost anywhere. Lives were shattered, many foreigners even Mauritians died. So on many counts the tragedy was on a grand scale. Hence the use of the word “Shaan Daar ” which means “splendid, grand” to describe it.

The second revelation “inna zalzalatous saa'ateh la shay'oune ajib” which means “the earthquake of the Hour is something really surprising”, has to do with the cancellation of the trip to Qadian because this has really been a very strange decision. The activities that have been under preparation since years had to be cancelled. Many Ahmadis who were eager to participate in this historic Jalsa had to stay at home. The caliph who was on a grand tour has had to return to base without achieving his objectives. Many in Mauritius who were very eager to go have had their hopes dashed. Apparently a delegation of 120 was going to attend from Mauritius . The question is why. Could it be that the pure ground of Qadian did not need this show by those who have perverted the original teachings of the founder? Anyhow this is the Decision of Allah and no one can object to it. They just have to submit. But it has no parallel at all with Hudaybia although the caliph wants the members to believe it. Only those who are ignorant of history can find any parallel in these two events.

Yesterday in the middle of the night Allah revealed to me:

Mushtaqil rehna hai lazim eh basher toujhe ko sada

Ranj o gham , yaas o alam fikr o bala ke saamneh

The translation is “O man you should remain steadfast in the face of troubles, anxieties disappointments and trials.”

Then in the morning before waking up Allah said to me “wa tawakkal alal hayyoul lazi laa yamoute. Innallaha ala koulle shay'in qadir ” which means “Place your trust in the Living One who never dies. Allah has Power over all things. And during the day I was told “ Fastaqim kama omirta” which means “ Remain upright as you have been commanded”

Similarly after reading a 27 page report about the election of the fourth caliph yester night, I went to sleep rather disturbed with what I read and in the early hours Allah revealed to me “Allahoumma mazziqhoum koulla momazzaqin wa sahhiqhoum tashiqa ”. It translation is “O Allah crush them to pieces and scatter them all around”. I think that this prayer is for the enemies of Hazrat Masih Maood (as) both within and outside the Jamaat.

May Allah help each one amongst us to understand the real purpose for which He created us. May He open our heart to understand the real purpose our Jamaat Ahmadiyya created by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as . May He enable us to devote most of our time to the achievements of those noble objectives and may we never forget everything good that we have been taught incha Allah.