Friday Sermon of
Hazrat Amirul Momeneen
Zafrullah Domun

27 MARCH 2009

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:

In the Holy Quran we read that speaking about the excellent moral qualities of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw), Allah says: “Wa innaka la’ala kholoqin azim” which we translate as “And you possess surely sublime moral excellences.” And since the Holy Prophet (saw) is the model that we should follow, therefore it stands to reason that as a good Muslim we should also try to cultivate good moral qualities and stay away from bad moral traits. To emphasize this point further we may also quote from a hadith that the Holy prophet (saw) is reported to have said “bo’issto le makaremoul akhlaaq” which we translate as “I have been raised to make perfect good morals.” In another version we read “Innama bo’issto le otimma salehil akhlaq”which means more or less the same as the previous hadith. Similarly the Holy Prophet (saw) is reported to have said: “with his good behaviour a man can attain the rank of someone who prays at night”. Once the Holy Prophet asked the sahabas “do you know what leads man to hell?” They replied “Allah and His Prophet know best.” “It is the two holes namely his mouth and his private parts”, he replied. He then asked “do you know what leads man to paradise?” They replied “Allah and His Prophet know best.” “He said: “the fear of Allah and good behavior”. Again in another hadith he is reported to have said “Maa min shay’in asqalo fil mizaane min housnil akhlaaq” which we translate as “there is nothing that is more weighty in the balance than good moral qualities”. By the grace of Allah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) also received from Allah the words “bo’issto le makaremoul akhlaaq”. Similarly, in these days Allah has revealed to this humble servant the same words.

In brief we see that the good Muslim is the one who strives to become better day in and day out. He strives to have such a behavior that brings him closer to his ideal, namely the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw). The better we imitate him the better we become. Any Muslim who ignores this basic truth is not a good Muslim because he is not putting in the needed effort that he should have put because he is part and parcel of the Muslim Umma. By so doing such a Muslim weakens the collective force of the Umma because he is not pulling his weight. He is so to say a drag that inhibits the progress of the Muslim Umma as a whole.

We Ahmadis we believe and we put forward this idea that Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) was a real champion of Islam. Allah raised him at a time when the Muslims had forgotten what basic Islam meant let alone practicing it. During the course of his mission which spanned about more than twenty three years, he was able to display all those good moral qualities that should be found in a true follower of Hazrat Mohammad (saw). Like his master, he spoke the truth under all circumstances. He never cut corners with the truth. He was so convinced of the existence of Allah that he considered anything else almost as dead. He was a very courageous man. The second caliph says that once in Delhi a debate had to be cancelled because of the misbehavior of the Muslim opponents. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmadas had to leave the place. But yet the next day alone he went back to the Mosque. He was so convincing that some of his followers gave their life for their beliefs but they did not recant in their belief in him. Hazrat Masih Maood (as) has written extraordinary words of praise for his devoted follower Syed Abdul Latiff Shahid who was stoned to death by bigoted mullahs in 1903 in Afganistan. In his book Tazkeratoush Shahadatein he says:

“O Abdul Latif may thousands of blessings be showered on thee, for thou hast, in my own lifetime, manifested unparalleled fidelity for me and I do not know how my followers will behave when I am no more among them.

That courageous man, the beloved of God the Creator, did at last prove his mettle.

He surrendered his life for the sake of the True Beloved (God) as he was completely disinterested in this ephemeral world.

The wilderness of life is full of diverse dangers, as millions of deadly serpents wait in every nook and cranny.

Millions of fires are seen with flames reaching up to the sky where fierce and truculent storms are all raging overhead.

There is a distance of millions of leagues between thee and thy Beloved's abode and there exist numberless thorny jungles and countless dangers.

Notice the cleverness and amazing performance of this Sheikh from 'Ajam: he traversed all this spiritual distance in one leap.

It is incumbent that the servant be completely engrossed in the service of the Master in a manner that he is always prepared to sacrifice his being in His service.

He surrendered his life as a sacrifice for the sake of the beloved and he swallowed even poison to acquire Him.

So long as one does not drink the deadly cup for the sake of the beloved, how could he, a mere chaff, acquire immunity from death?

Under such death there lie a hundred lives. If you wish the life eternal, then quaff the goblet full of death.

O ye, who is engrossed in greed and avarice, true longing for the beloved could not abide in thy mean heart.

O ye, whose heart is completely engrossed in the acquisition of mundane possessions and who has sacrificed his honour for sinful desires.

Million armies of devils are chasing thee so that thou mayest burn like straw in the fire of hell.

For the sake of some false hope or fear thy faith begins to quiver.

Do you trample the true faith of God under thy feet for the sake of this faithless abode?

This is what is known as the path of truth and purity; this is the ultimate aim of every man of true faith.

They live only for His sake and have no personal aims; they throw away their own lives in the path of the Lord.

They sever themselves from all worldly fame, honour and status; they surrender theirs and allow their crowns to be taken away from their heads for His sake.

Having relinquished their ego they approach Him through His remembrance and for the sake of the Beloved's Countenance they sacrifice their personal honours.

Even the mention of their names furnishes us with the opportunity of the remembrance of God, causing one's faith regarding the truth of God to be enhanced and causing joy for our hearts.

If thou be in the search of true faith, let this be your model, so shall it make the task of the seekers after truth very easy.

But you are fettered to the world; and if you die not for His sake, how could you reach the Beloved Friend?

O ye, the world-seeking dog, how can ye hope to reach the Beloved Friend?

Annihilate thyself in His path so that thou mayest inherit spiritual blessing; and surrender thy life so that a new life be given to you.

Thou art wasting thy life in pride and rancour having shut thine eyes from the path of truth and faith.

The pure-hearted have a strange affinity with the pure-hearted but the evil-minded ones always abhor the true pearl.

The secret of faith is sowing the seed of self-destruction; added to this one has to discard the material life.

When thou truly engage thyself in bewailing before God Almighty, consequently someone is raised to lead people to the right path.

The heart aware of spiritual secrets bewails at the deplorable condition of the ignorant ones; and those gifted with the light of true knowledge feel pity, in their hearts for the blind ones.

The law of nature has been so ordained that the strong comes to the aid of the weak.

( http://www.alislam.org/books/tadhkiratush%20shahadatain/events.html)

I have chosen this small extract because I want all Ahmadis to know what Hazrat Masih Maood (as) says about true courage. Here in this ode Hazrat Masih Maood (as) says “I do not know how my followers will behave when I am no more among them.” How true do these words ring in all ears. Hazrat Masih Maood (as) challenged his opponents to come to debate with him on those points on which there was disagreement, namely the death of Hazrat Isa (as), but none dared because they knew that they would be defeated by very cogent arguments. At the time of Hazrat Masih Maood (as) there was someone who was known as Molvi Nazir Hussein, and he was the teacher of Molvi Hussein of Batalvi and he was known as a Sheikh Kul, meaning that he was very proficient in all Islamic sciences. He refused to debate with Hazrat Masih Maood (as). He told Hazrat Masih that Molvi Hussein Batalvi will respond to him. Then decrying his behavior, Hazrat Masih as deplored the attitude of those ulemas who were ready to dub him a kafir but yet they refused to discuss with him with a view to clarify misunderstandings for the benefit of the public. Yet they said that they were the real defenders of Islam!

When we examine what the Holy Quran says, what the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw) has said, what Hazrat Masih Maood as has said we understand that a real Muslim is a courageous Muslim. In his heart is the Love and fear of Allah and that is why he is not afraid of anyone besides Allah. If he has an opinion he voices it out without any fear of what Tom Dick and Harry might say. He fears only His Lord and for His Sake he is ready to meet death with a smile on his face like Hazrat Syed Abdul Latiff (ra), the paragon of courage who is a light for all Ahmadi Muslim around the world.

It is a well-known fact that the attitude of the Central Jamaat’s administration towards us is that we should be ignored. Several times this piece of news has been conveyed to the Jamaat in either Friday Sermons or other fora. However in the Mauritian Jamaat and elsewhere around the world there are some diehard Ahmadis who itch to talk or to write. They are “plus royalistes que le roi”. They pose themselves as the true champions of Nizam Jamaat but not necessarily as the true champion of Islam as was Hazrat Masih Maood (as). But since the official policy of the Jamaat does not allow them to do so, they resort to the cowardly and dastard attitude like the enemies of yore. They hide their identity and allow themselves to write a lot of nonsense because they are ignorant and they display their ignorance through their writings while keeping their anonymity. You may see them in action on YouTube and the other social networks and in some blogs also.

I have said it before and I repeat it again. We are interested in having a dialogue with the mainstream Jamaat where we can exchange views in an Islamic way maintaining an open mind to the other point of view. How many times have we not told them that we stand corrected if we are wrong? So what are you going to lose by discussing with us, if not your false ideas? Please show the manly courage of an Abdul Latiff and do not equate Ahmadiyyat with cowardice by your behavior. Have the courage of your opinion and do not be a disgrace on a Jamaat who was formed by a paragon of courage and whose early disciples were themselves real paragon of courage. But if unfortunately you have to toe the official line, then as good and obedient but ignorant Ahmadis, do not display your ignorance by opening your mouths or by writing under the cloak of anonymity.

Now the question we may ask is why have some Ahmadis prefered to hide their identity under the cloak of anonymity instead of carrying on debate or exchange of ideas in the open. The most obvious answer is that they lack courage. And why do they lack courage? In my humble opinion it is because they do not fear Allah as He should be feared and they are afraid of their amirs, caliphs and also of what others might think. There is no denying the fact that since most members of Jamaat Ahmadiyya have been spoon fed to defer to authority, very few Ahmadis have ever questioned the beliefs that they have been spoon-fed since their childhood. Consequently very few Ahmadis have been keen to embark on a spiritual quest and hence they do not know what it is and what its manifestations are. Mark well what Hazrat Masih Maood (as) has said in the above poem:

“When thou truly engage thyself in bewailing before God Almighty, consequently someone is raised to lead people to the right path.”

These are the words of the Promised Messiah (as). Those who have wished to replace this prerogative of Allah by a system of khilafat of their own making are mistaken. When there is a need Allah raises someone through revelation. This is what Hazrat Masih Maood (as) has helped us to understand and this is the truth. This is how it has been and this is how it will be in future also. Whenever Allah raises someone, the trial of those who say they have faith begins. Some will accept and some will reject. Thus Allah distinguishes those who are true to His Word from those who are not.

We will not stop repeating it: Hazrat Masih Maood (as) is our teacher par excellence after the Holy Prophet Mohammad (saw). Those who think they know better should come forward and explain to us the truth that they think is escaping us. May Allah help all of us to stick to righteousness until the end incha Allah.