Awareness and Means to Develop Virtues and to Avoid Evils in Individuals and in Community.

[DawudTalut]

Peace be on you…Excellences and weaknesses can be of individuals and groups. Individual’s weaknesses or excellences may not be present in nation as a whole. Individuals may develop some merits in them by doing effort and getting knowledge. Individuals’ weaknesses are related to their circumstances and environment.


Goodness and evil need certain essential environment to grow in. The role of environment is like a seed which do not grow without soil, or take the example of the new agriculture theory, in which a special type of soil is placed in big containers in large halls, this soil has the property of absorbing water and sprouting seeds. To get benefit from any seed, soil or soil like environment is required otherwise seed will be destroyed soon….Thus a goodness or evil cannot get developed without specific basics.


Effects of various environments are different too. A certain type of environment affects only individuals, it does not affect everyone as community. For example saffron and well smelled basmati rice grow in specific areas. Allah’s laws of nature, soil and weather etc all make effect and certain seeds yield certain properties. But there are other crops, like wheat, they can grow at many places in a country with not much difference in yield.


Likewise the environment of goodness and evils exert affect on a community and become the reason of progress or decline of whole nation. Individual can get rid of his weaknesses and develops goodness by effort but for communal virtues and evils individual’s effort is not enough. Problem in whole cannot be corrected by correcting one but problem is whole affects individual. For example, if environment in an area is not good, it will affect everybody there. Another example is food or poison, whatever is eaten it affects all body parts (like individuals).


Individual should make effort to remove his evils and community need to do same by pointing out and pondering to remove its evil, if they do not, a time comes when they are destroyed. To remove communal evils, everyone has to play his role. United effort is essential for success for a community. We take the example of flood. One land owner cannot save his agricultural land by making a dam. Plan and making dams is duty of government, united effort comes from government. Government is name of collection of people. Where governments are lazy, whole nations suffer. Some natural disasters are inescapable but some are surely avoidable if precautions are taken before time. If government or nation does not realize their duties, losses increase manifold. National awareness is essential for correction.


How Jama'at Ahmadiyya should check communal weaknesses, Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.) said that If Jama'at ponders and cures through various means it can treat communal weaknesses.


In general, first means in this regard is related to the teachings which exist in a community and followers understand it is their obligation to practice these. If there is something wrong in teaching of a religion every believer of that faith will be affected; they will be practicing bad-customs and their culture and civilization will have bad effects too.


But we, the Muslims, believe Quran Karim is Words of Allah the Exalted, and surely there is no weakness in its teaching, and it is impossible that it may create any evil ever because the teaching is free of any defect. Therefore there cannot be any bad result. Allah the Exalted has announced in Holy Quran that there is no weakness in it. It is perfect and complete Shariah. We see countless things foretold in Holy Quran have been fulfilled and are being fulfilled, thus Allah’s announcement is true too that Holy Quran is free of any defect and its teaching is perfect and complete. We understand it is so.


So Muslims thought that evil cannot come in them. But are all Muslims free of evil? All round observation shows that many of them are not free of evil deeds. There is need to ponder why it is so? Where is shortage?


The shortage is in believer’s understanding of Holy Quran and in their practice. This has affected the community. These mistakes can be in the understating of Quran by the previous and current scholars. Result is visible. Scholars may have their own thoughts but nation [despite some in nation are highly learned] does not realize scholars are wrong it just follow them and their commentaries and is suffering; Evils and wrong ideology is developed in nation which have nothing to do with teaching of Islam.


Thus in addition to misunderstanding by scholars and their commentators, nation is also affected by environment, other religions and other cultures. The result of these effects were wrongly considered as part of Islam.


It is benevolence of Allah the Exalted that we are in the Jama'at of Hazrat Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and these wrong, old wisdom-less traditions and commentaries cannot have effect on us and should not be so.


Yet we are not fully safe. The reason is related to the new people of various thoughts in who join Jama'at. At some occasions they feel doubt or they explain matters according to their choice. In addition to it, some new Ahmadiyya scholars explain things according to their personal understanding. Normally it can be done but It has to be under a principle. Our Ahmadiyya scholars ought to explain matters in accordance with teachings of Khilafat and Jama'at.


We are, in general, free of wrong ideas by the grace of Allah the Exalted but we need to be vigilant to keep ourselves safe from any mistakes. A way to ensure it we should always keep eye on mistakes of non-Ahmadis. Doing so will enable us to stop those mistakes come in us, to avoid communal defects.


We should also keep eye on the communal defects of people living around us who believe in any religion or not, who believe in God or not. This circle should be enhanced to national defects of neighboring countries. Rather, now the people of world have become each other’s neighbor, there are no more distances due to media. We can see their virtues and defects.


Children receive effects from their surrounding of living, through friends in schools, or friends through TV and media (which affect grownups too). The result is children do not want to hear parental advices.


Parents too are getting distant from children due to being busy or other reasons. There are some parents who are damaging the environment of their homes by TV etc. The outcome is some parents are oppressing children and children not respecting parents telling parents that as they have come here [West] they shall have to linger on like it. The situation is not individual evil anymore these are becoming communal evils. Families are being ruined, parents are spiritually and physically killing children.


Western society is marching towards destruction on the name of freedom. This march is national evil. Some Ahmadis are drifting with this flow. Before it spread and become our communal problem, and we return to ignorance again [after we have believed Hazrat Promised Messiah (a.s.)], we need to increase our efforts to avoid these things. All sections of systems of Jama'at Ahmadiyya should join in thinking, make plans and make effort immediately before weaknesses of West enter in our community.


We have resolved, promised and announced to cure the world [without force, with prayers, effort and service]. If cure givers become patients who will eradicate individual and communal evils from the world?


We need to ponder that goodness and evil can be developed in a community under specific conditions.


Our Jama'at is spread now everywhere by the grace of God the Exalted, He is conquering people’s hearts at far places, great expansion has come. It is our creed that we do not offer Salaat behind a non-Ahmadi Imam because this Imam-of-Salaat has not accepted the great Imam [Imam Mahdi – the Promised Messiah (a.s)] who is sent by God the Exalted as Imam-of-Era and they also use foul language for him. We cannot give precedence to Imam made by people over the Imam appointed by Allah the Exalted. That is why we do not offer Salaat in their leadership……… In general our Jama'at have own centers and mosques to offer Salaat in congregation. Still there are areas where Ahmadi houses are in one or two so they offer Salaat in houses. They should also pray together instead praying individually. Some pray individually, some offer joint prayers [zohar and asr, maghrib and isha] because of being busy. All these things are because they do not have proper attention for Prayer or mosque is not near, and we are not allowed to go in nearby non-Ahmadiyya mosque in some areas or there are other reasons. In short they offer Salaat / Prayer but at home individually, or more attention is being given to joint prayers………….. Despite repeated reminders, many are not showing interest in Prayer in congregation. Thus it is becoming a communal disease, therefore intense cure is required. Due to conditions in society, permissions have made people away from collective Prayers. Surely there are many Ahmadiyya-Muslims who offer Prayers at home with more throbbing and attention, than other non-Ahmadiyya Muslims. But non-Ahmadiyya Muslim are going to mosques more than us and hear things against us which lead to hatreds which is evil. Our going to mosques mean we have to go there to end weaknesses, it is different than their going. We need to pay attention to go to mosque as to populate the mosques is true believer’s duty. True believers believes in Imam of age, not those who spread fights and conflicts. Not going to mosque and offering joint-prayers is dangerously making children think perhaps daily prayers are three instead five as they watch parents. It will become communal evil in next generation……….. By considering our environment we need to make vast plans to correct the situation.

CONTINUES

 

[DawudTalut]

CONTINUES

Today world is going away from God and religion. We need to make intensive efforts otherwise various evils will enter in us one after another, faith will become soulless lip service. If there is an epidemic at a place, we become anxious and start to take precautions. We should cure epidemic of communicable spiritual diseases with much more efforts in local society and worldwide village. On physical level those who take preventive cures and injections, they remain more safe as compared to others. Likewise there is need of taking action as spiritual preventive cure at each level with communal thought.


Due to wrong creeds and change in deeds, which are produced by ulama / scholars, a large part of Muslims have lost the track, even though they have perfect teachings. Now we need, after correction, to do lot of effort permanently to avoid losing track. Some example have been given above. We need to continue to ponder where weaknesses came in other Muslims and they lost the path and how Ahmadiyya Muslims can avoid those mistakes.


After accepting Hazrat Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), it is very much essential to know his teaching and practice it. We must not flow with the flood of weaknesses of environment, our duty is to mould the circumstances according to our teaching. We need to strengthen the connection with Khilafat. In this era, Allah the Exalted have provided us MTA [Muslim Television Ahmadiyya (mta.tv)] and website of Jama'at [alislam.org], it is important to stay connected with these too, instead of watching absurdities. With these means [sites] we get real Islamic and Quranic teaching and we learn knowledge and wisdom of Hazrat Promised Messiah (on whom be peace); stay connected.


As mentioned earlier, Muslims are given perfect Book Quran Karim, even then, errors have found way in them which created specific weaknesses. The top most reason of their weakness was they stopped pondering the Book [within certain parameters]…..Quran Karim is completely perfect Book which mentions all essentials and is guidance from its beginning to end till Hereafter, all high teaches are gathered in it……. Allah is the Maker of human brain, He knows that if human does not make habit of using brain for thinking, it becomes weak and it loses its capacity to make progress. He made Quran perfect but left one part of each commandments for human to ponder at. He mentioned some principles very clearly but there are things which need to be reflected at, so that human should search by himself to keep brain safe from being useless. That is why Quran Karim is sent in such words and sentences that by pondering at them, one finds wisdom and depth. Otherwise if imparting equal benefit to everyone was intended, an open subject would have been written in Quran Karim so that everyone had known these subjects whether pondered or not. Divine desire, from it, is to save brain from idleness………. It should be kept in view that there are certain principles and rules to understand Quran Karim. Hazrat Promised Messiah (a.s.) has explained these to us to find new points, which we should keep in view……. If we keep staying with old commentaries like other Muslims do, the points of wisdom will not become manifest, to which Hazrat Promised Messiah (a.s.) has guided us…..There are some non-Ahamdis scholars [titled as commentary-writers, Doctors Ulama etc, they get benefit from our literature and commentaries for their Dars, even some are found to be reading our Tafsir Kabir [Quran’s 10 volume commentary by Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.) without reference !]…..…In short no doubt Quran Karim is a perfect Book, it has everything.. Guidance comes to those who ponder and practice all of it, not some part of it………….. It tells national and individual virtues and evils. In this Book, Allah the Exalted has announced about sending Carrier of Message for Aakhareen [latter ones] to teach them, and to enhance their thoughts, and to show them light and to help them understand Quran Karim. But non-pondering ignorant scholars deny the one sent by God the Exalted, they are bringing bad name to Islam by wrongly explaining it instead of showing excellences of Holy Quran to world………... Thus we should learn from acts of Muslims that we should not think that mere apparent is enough.


Hazrat Khalifatul Messiah (may Allah be his Helper) said: By understanding the spirit of Islam, may we remove each evil before it become national evil and make each virtue communal and establish it in whole Jama'at. May we always develop such environment and transfer it to our generation, in which evils do not spread, virtues and excellences develop. May Allah the Exalted enable us to do so.


Huzur (a.t.) mentioned merits of four passed away ones [Janaza Salaat for first 2 present, latter 2 in absentia]:

1-A pious lady Mrs. Razia Musarrat Khan sahiba in Hounslow UK, age 79. She was daughter-in-law of a Companion of Hazrat Promised Messiah (a.s.). She served as office holder in Jama'at-s ladies’ auxiliary for long times as various posts. She taught many Ahmadi and non-Ahmadi children how to read Quran Karim. She was happy faced, high moraled, generous person. She was very sincere and loyal to Khilafat. She trained her children very well they are serving Jama'at well.


2-A young man Aamir Shiraz sahib passed away due to cancer at age 29 in UK…... He was of progeny of Companions of Hazrat Promised Messiah (a.s.). He would serve at Jama'at, especially at Jalsa Salana UK. He was cheerful and person of high morals. He fought with cancer for long time with full patience. While very sick, he always met Huzur (a.t.) with smiling face. He was a lovely person.


3) Alhaj Rashid Ahmad sahib, Milwaukee USA, age 91, born in Saint Louis . He did Bai'at in 1939 to join Islam Ahmadiyya. Latter he went to Rabwah to get religious education, Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.) welcomed him at railway station. He studied for 5 years in Jamia Ahmadiyya [Ahmadiyya institute of religious studies]. He was sent to USA as first local missionary / muballigh [conveyor of message]. He served in Chicago, Saint Louis and other cities as missionary, he also served as Amir Jama'at USA. He raised a large Jama'at of American Ahmadis in Milwaukie. He went for Hajj in 1998. He was popular in people of other religions too. He appeared on a TV program Islam Live for 20 years. He served the Tabligh Stall of Jama'at till end. He convened a large gathering of common Muslims in 1985-86 in University of Wisconsin. He was in contact with youth Muslims in thousands. He kept contact with local and state government officials. He would call a meeting on Sundays which was attended by Ahmadis and others. He was very fond of Tabligh which he did till his last to the health cure personals in hospital. Soon his book based his nearness to Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.) and Huzur’s question-anwer gathering will be published by Jama'at-s permission. When a new Murabbi sahib recently met him to get his counsel about some program of Jama'at in Milwaukee, he told him: You are representative of Khalifah of time, whatever you will say we shall follow. Another Murabbi sahib said: He always narrated about Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.) and he has molded his life according to Huzur’s sayings. He was great defender of Islam Ahmadiyya and Khilafat. He was always busy conveying Ahmadiyya message. In advanced age, he would convey message alone though he was weak; he was known as Mr. Tabligh.

Rashid Ahmad American | Majlis Ansarullah USA


4) Hasan Abdullah, Detroit, an American, born in 1929 in a Christian family, given name was William Henry, joined Islam Ahmadiyya in 1970s through hid class fellow.. He was very loyal Ahmadi of great qualities. Loved Holy Quran, daily recited it especially initial and last 10 verses of Sura Al Kahf, would call Azan for Friday Salaat, would come early and was regular in Friday Salaat, well dressed person, read Jama'at-s literature and books with interest. He was among those whose soul had special zeal for truth that is why he accepted the message of Hazrat Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and fulfilled promise of Bai'at till his last moment.

May Allah grant them His mughferat (cover), elevate their stations and be with their families.

Based on subject explained by Hazrat Khalifatul Messiah (a.t.) [with reference to analysis by Hazrat Musleh Mo'ud (r.a.)] in Friday sermon, February 13, 2015, UK, alislam.org and mta.tv