Hide do we in the Hidden Friend

Sermon Delivered by Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad ^at Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Hudhur said when the enemy tries his utmost in persecuting and eliminating God’s people, he adopts ploys that belie humanity to indiscriminatingly torture people of all ages. Such brutality is to distant God’s people from following ways that attain God’s pleasure. At such times, steadfast and resolute believers turn ever more to God to seek His help. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has captured the scenario of the enemy exceeding all limits and the resulting condition of the believers in an Urdu poetic verse:

When the enemy exceeds in noise and clamour

Hide do we in the Hidden Friend

Hudhur said thus is the model of believers who are victimised and indeed, it should be their model. Today, it fits the state of affairs of the Ahmadis alone. The poetic verse makes it clear to the enemy that while he persecutes in the assumption that we will beg for mercy, he is mistaken. We are the followers of the great Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who demonstrated a model of supreme courage and with his power of holiness his Companions too displayed great bravery and regardless of extreme cruelty only ever raised the slogan of One God and only ever turned to Him. Thus, when the commandment is to follow this model, how could we be in step with our opponents? Indeed, all their ploys will rebound on them and they will never see their desires fulfilled because in following the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) we have seen God’s practical testimony to be in his favour. How could we leave our God Who has placed tranquillity in the hearts of the Community at every challenging occasion. It is not possible for us to leave our God and make these people our idols and if they are persecuting us in these presumptions, they are wrong. We aspire to be included among those about whom God states: ‘Those to whom men said, ‘People have mustered against you, therefore fear them,’ but this only increased their faith, and they said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and an excellent Guardian is He.’ (3:174).

Hudhur said the unanimity of the enemy increases us in our faith because we note that it is in fulfilment of a prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that all the sects will get together against the community that will have God’s support in the time of the Messiah. In the aforementioned verse, God’s quality of being ‘Sufficient’ encompasses every aspect. Who else can better understand the matters of His servants and seize the enemy and declare blessings for the believers? Hudhur said those who ‘hide in their Friend’ endure all difficulties to seek the pleasure of God and God states about them: ‘It is these on whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided.’ (2:158). They do not let go of their God even after enduring the harshest of tortures, on the contrary, they try and hide/absorb in their God even more. God states that these are the people who will attain spiritual heights and will also be granted material blessings and they indeed are the guided people.

Hudhur said our opponents may insist that as they are in accord with each other they are in the right, but God states that when believers turn to Him in times of trial and safeguard their belief against throngs and remain calm after professing: ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’ (2:157) are indeed the guided ones. The testimony of the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) goes against them, their unanimity does not make them the guided ones. On the contrary, to continue to endure persecution and to turn to God with ever more sincerity is what makes one the recipient of God’s mercy and a body of people who follow this may be in the minority at the present but it is indeed the guided one. In order to attain God’s mercy and blessings, to be declared guided necessitates that one absorbs/loses oneself in God. God, Who is not apparent to the materialistic worldly person, but is of course evident everywhere and guides those who believe Him. He is identified from His blessings, is identified from acceptance of prayers and He contends with the enemy Himself.

The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said, ‘lose yourself in the God Who grants all the blessings and Who accepts prayers.’ Hudhur said this alone is the formula which has always come in useful for believers. When the world persecutes God’s peoples He and His angels shower every blessing on those who ‘hide/absorb themselves in their Friend’ and declare that regardless of the brutality of the enemy, it is these people who are recipients of God’s mercy and blessings and are indeed the guided ones. In addition, guidance of the world is also associated with them.

Hudhur said he would say to all those Ahmadis who are currently enduring persecution and who write to him to put greater focus in their prayers. Those who are not directly troubled should pray for their brothers and sisters. They should not be perturbed by their problems of worldly nature and should remember their brother and sisters who are severely victimized. A true believer feels the pain and troubles of his brother as his own trouble.

Addressing Ahmadis of all the Jama’ats around the world, Hudhur drew attention to the persecuted brothers and said that each Ahmadi should offer two Nafl Prayer a day for the persecuted Ahmadis, those who are deprived of their civic rights through vicious laws. If Each Ahmadi presents his/her restlessness before God in an increased manner, God will take them in His refuge in a greater way. Hudhur said Ahmadi students write to him about how their peers harass them, so much so that even some teachers and lecturers resort to despicable views and have forgotten the ethics of their profession. Hudhur said there was a time when teachers imparted knowledge to everyone regardless of religious background etc. But today, those who deem themselves to be the best of Muslims are making a mockery of the honourable profession. They claim they do so out of a ‘sense of honour for religion’. As a matter of fact it is nothing but the height of ignorance. They do not even understand their profession. God states: ‘…and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice…’ (5:9) but they are educated ignoramuses who do injustice by following the ignorant mullah. One solution for the believers for all the persecution is to turn to God, to lose themselves in Him. This persecution is not limited to Pakistan. Oil rich Muslim states are creating divisions of hatred in poorer countries. They claim to be ‘People of Arab’ and assume that none knows the Holy Qur’an as they do but they do not want to know the aforementioned Quranic commandment of: ‘…and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice…’. They may know the Qur’an very well, but they have forgotten Quranic commandments and this is the very reason why the Messiah was needed to come. Rather than serve Islam, they have brought Islam in disrepute and are responsible for the enmity against Islam. It would not be far-fetched if they were doing everything on the provocation of the enemies of Islam. Contrary to this, the Ahmadiyya Community will InshaAllah take the message of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) to the world.

Hudhur said our enemies are enacting their ploys, be that in Pakistan, India, African countries or Indonesia. Recently they have created disorder on an Indonesian island. Persecuted Ahmadis returned to their homes there after a period of time to resettle but extremist mullahs, who are paid by some countries, burnt down their homes and beat them up. As a result they had to abandon their homes and their properties. Hudhur said believers will continue to turn to God when faced with such persecution and this alone is the weapon of our triumph and this is the very weapon which will make the enemy’s evil rebound on him. Apart from this, we do not have anything and the greater the intensity with which we will use this weapon, the quicker we will see the triumph of our Community. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: ‘God has repeatedly told me through revelation that whatever will come to pass will be through prayer.’ Hudhur read out a few other extracts of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) about the significance of prayer. Some are as follows:

‘The best prayer is that God’s pleasure and deliverance from sin is attained.’

‘God waits that believers pray to Him so that He may grant’.

‘Prayer is like a sweet fountain availed to believers. Whenever a believer wishes, he can satiate himself on this fountain.’

‘The great aspect that is achieved with prayer is Divine closeness.’

‘Certainly, consider that prayer is a great treasure.’

Hudhur said in this age the weapon of prayer is a significant weapon that has been granted to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). And it is through it alone that Lekh Ram, Alexander Dowie and every other opponent met his bad ending. Claimants to demolish Qadian were also contended with through prayer. Those who called Ahmadiyyat a cancer and claimed to reduce us to holding beggar’s bowl were also contended with prayer insomuch that not even a sign of them remained. Hudhur said today too, the opposing storms will rebound through prayer and the world will witness the progress of Ahmadiyyat. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that the correct station of prayer is Salat, thus we should offer two Nafl Prayers for our persecuted Ahmadi brothers and sisters and make it obligatory on us. Hudhur said the following quote of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) should always be remembered: ‘When a believer’s prayer attains complete sincerity and absolute devotion to God then God feels mercy towards him.’ Hudhur explained that in order to attain complete sincerity and absolute devotion to God, it is needed to lose oneself in the Hidden Friend. This will safeguard one as if in a fortified enclave guarded by armed soldiers. May God enable us to understand this very important point and also to put it in practice.

In conclusion Hudhur read the Quranic prayer: ‘… ‘O our Lord, pour forth steadfastness upon us, and make our steps firm, and help us against the disbelieving people.’ (2:251)