Tag: ameer

Hazrat Ameer’s 2016 Eid ul Fitr Message

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo.

I wish you all a very happy Eid ul Adha.

Eid-ul-Adha is widely known as Eid ul-Qurban or Eid of Sacrifice. The root of the Arabic word Qurban is qaf ra ba which means qurb or nearness, i.e., nearness to Allah. Sacrificing in the way of Allah is thus the way to attain nearness to Him. This day reminds us of the utmost submission shown by Hazrat Ibrahim by his immediate readiness to sacrifice his young son, Hazrat Ismail, in obeisance to the vision in which Allah commanded him to do so. Allah stopped him from actually sacrificing Hazrat Ismail and accepted his willingness to do so as the fulfilment of the command. Thus we are given the lesson that we must submit to Allah’s will and be ready to make any sacrifice that may be needed in doing so without questioning.

In the verse of the Holy Qur’an that I have cited above it is made clear that the act of slaughtering an animal is not the end in itself but a means to attain nearness to Him. He says:

Not their flesh, nor their blood, reaches Allah, but to Him is acceptable observance of duty on your part. Thus has He made them subservient to you, that you may magnify Allah for guiding you aright, and give good news to those who do good (to others).

The word Taqwa used in this verse means the observance of one’s duty to Allah and being in a state which keeps one conscious of His presence and motivates one to perform righteous deeds and avoid forbidden ones.

Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, has said that when we place a knife on the neck of the animal which is to be sacrificed, we must also place it on the neck of the nafs al-ammaarah, the evil inciting spirit within us. Only when we do so, will we be slaughtering the evil inclinations and deeds that we may be harbouring within us. This should lead us to the absolute cleansing of our hearts from the idols we hold within it — idols of pride, ego, self-praise and reliance on worldly means. The ultimate reliance should be on Allah’s help (Tawakkul). Then only will we succeed in achieving the state where all our prayers and sacrifices, indeed our life and death, will solely be for Allah.

The process of this cleansing will make our heart clear of shirk, the association of gods with Allah. Such a heart has been likened to the house of God; it has been likened to the Ka‘ba, free of shirk when first constructed by Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail and when cleared of idols and purified by the Prophet Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of Allah be upon him. Such a heart is the place where Allah resides and this is the state that every Muslim desires for; a state of nafs al-mutma’innah, the soul at peace with itself and all its surroundings.

I pray that we are able to slaughter the animal within us on this Eid day and start a new journey of nearness to Allah.

Aameen

Posted on by admin

Hazrat Ameer’s Ramadan ul Mubarak Message

O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil. (2:183)

Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Let us all thank Allah for blessing us once again with Ramadan and thus another opportunity to seek closeness to Him through fasting and prayer. I pray that Almighty Allah bless those fortunate enough to observe fasting.

I request all of you to pray fervently during this month for the problems being faced globally and nationally by members of the Jama‘at as well as all individuals around the world. Islam is a universal religion and requires empathy for all Allah’s creatures for He is Rabbil ‘Aalameen, Lord and Nourisher of the worlds and not just Rabbil Muslimeen. There are people today affected by wars and famine; people displaced from their countries and forced to seek shelter in foreign lands; people who are sick, face fear, hunger, loss of property, poverty and want; people who are oppressed and face hatred because of their faith and convictions; people who are downtrodden because of their colour, caste or creed. Let us all reflect on what the Qur’an advises.

Firstly, as cited in the verse above, it prescribes fasting with a specific purpose which is to provide the observer of this form of devotional act a means to attain taqwa. Taqwa is a God fearing spiritual state where a person lives in the light of the code provided by the Holy Qur’an. Such a person is considered as God fearing and dutiful to Allah. Secondly, Allah Ta‘ala makes it clear that the noblest in His sight is the one who is most dutiful from amongst us:

O mankind, surely we have created you from a male and female, and made you tribes and families that you may know each other. Surely the noblest of you with Allah is the most dutiful of you. Surely Allah is Knowing, Aware. (49:13)

Sisters and brothers, let us all fast with a resolve to bring a change in our lives; a change which will make us respect all peoples, all religions and all humankind – the creation of the Rabbil ‘Aalameen.

As you pray, please also remember me in your prayers.

I pray for you all and wish you a very happy and fruitful Ramadan.

Posted on by admin

Hazrat Ameer’s Eid ul Fitr Message

Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed. These believe in it. And whoever disbelieves in it, these it is that are the losers. (2:121)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo.

A very Happy Eid Mubarak to you all!

We have just achieved the goal we set before us to observe the sacred month of Ramadan by fasting, maintaining the mandatory prayers as well as the additional ones in the form of nawafil and tahajjad. We praised Allah through the day and forsook our sleep for observing the sehr and praying in the quiet of the night. We were able to repent for our sins and plead to God to save us from His displeasure and wrath. Many of us joined the taraveeh prayer and listened to the Qur’an being recited, thus fulfilling another command of Allah:


And when the Qur’an is recited, listen to it and remain silent, that mercy may be shown to you.’ (7:204)

As we observed the fast, the foremost thought in our minds was that this was the month of revelation of the Holy Qur’an. By fasting we were expressing our gratitude to Allah for having revealed this Book for our guidance.
The verse I have cited above states that:
 

Those to whom We have given the Book follow it as it ought to be followed. These believe in it. 

 Being Muslims we are the lucky ones who have been given this Book, that is, the Holy Qur’an. So it is imperative for us to ‘follow it as it ought to be followed’.

It is important to note that the word yatloona in Arabic is derived from the root ta la wa which means ‘he followed it’ or ‘did according to it’, and this is the point of reflection in today’s message. Does mere reciting of the Qur’an suffice? Does the mere listening to it in taraveeh prayers suffice?

If we listen or read without appreciating the contents, how can we be able to follow or do according to it? If we do not make an effort to understand the Qur’an or bother to know what commands it contains, how will we be able to mould our lives according to its guidelines? This is a Book sent ‘as guide to those who keep their duty’, that is, ‘who want to become mutaqeen’; those who want to act upon and not just profess the faith.

Let us take this Eid ul Fitr as the day of further strengthening the ties we have developed with Allah by having observed in true spirit the Holy Month of Ramadan. Let this be a day when we resolve to understand the Qur’an and obey every command in it. Let this be a day when we show our sincere determination to continue to maintain and improve on the advancement we have made in the month of Ramadan and thus become of those who follow the Book as it ought to be followed.

I pray that we succeed in continuing to progress towards nearness to Allah and become true mutaqeen, the God-fearing people whose every act is to please Allah. This will fulfil in true spirit the aim of our fasting. 

Aameen


Posted on by admin

World Ameer speaks at Houses of Parliament in London

World Ameer of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Association for the propagation of Islam, President of its UK branch and Dr Zahid Aziz spoke at the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday 19 November 2014.

Hazrat Ameer spoke on the long history of peaceful propagation of Islam by the Lahore-Ahmadiyya to the West, which started when its founder invited Queen Victoria to embrace Islam and continues to this day. He also stressed that Islam abhors violence particularly in propagation of Islam.

Dr Zahid Aziz used the Holy Quran and hadith to show that there is no punishment of apostasy in Islam, Jihad does not mean violent attacks on innocent people but a peaceful struggle for the advancement of religion of Islam and that Islam does not allow men to beat their wives.

Shahid Aziz made clear that although an Islamic organisation the Lahore-Ahmadiyya is different and distinct from all others and believe that

  • the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the last prophet and after him, no prophet shall come, whether an old one or a new one;
  • all those who say they are Muslims, should be regarded as such because it is for Allah to decide who is right and who is wrong;
  • women have equal rights to men;
  • science and Islam are not contradictory;
  • there is nothing un-Islamic in technology, he pointed to use of astronomical calculation to find the beginning and end of Ramadan and the earlt adoption by the Lahore-Ahmadiyya of live streaming which they use for streaming sermons, lectures and prayers over the internet.
Posted on by admin 0

Hazrat Ameer’s 2014 Eid ul Adha message

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Assalaam-o-Alaikum Wa Rakhmatullahi Wa Barakaato Hoo

When his Lord said to him, Submit, he said: I submit myself to the Lord of the worlds. (2:131)

Neither their flesh, nor their blood, reaches Allah, but to Him is acceptable observance of duty on your part. Thus has He made them (the animals) subservient to you, that you may magnify Allah for guiding you aright. And give good news to those who do good (to others). (22:37)

Eid ul Adha is here, reminding us again of the spirit of sacrifice embodied by Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail (may Allah be pleased with them). Every person, irrespective of age, joins the Eid festivity, having his own reason to celebrate this day; the reasons range from physical joy to spiritual experiences. Allah has blessed us with physical senses to express the joy and happiness we experience. Whilst such joy is confined only to the physical being for some, in Islam the expression of joy must be spiritual as well. Continue reading →

Posted on by admin 0

100 Years – Now & Then

The current Hazrat Ameer of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam gives a speech, during our celebration of 100 years of the Woking Muslim Mission.

In this speech he looks back at the work of Hazrat Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din and compares how things were one hundred years ago to how things are in the present and thus puts into perspective the mighty achievements made by Hazrat Khwaja Kamal-ud-Din.

Posted on by admin 0

Hazrat Ameer’s Message for Ramadan

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

The Holy month of Ramadan is here and we thank our Creator to have given us another opportunity in our lives to observe the spiritual duty to fast and pray and seek His pleasure and nearness. As the verse I have cited above states, this is the month in which the Qur’an, a guidance to humankind was revealed.

We must remember that Allah has created us for a purpose. This purpose and the way to attain it are given in the revealed books which, therefore, in the modern terminology are the “Users’ Guides”. These are the instructions that accompany every little thing that we buy. These instructions guide us in its proper use and maintenance which are in the form of a booklet or a tag. For instance the shirt that I wear today has a little label stuck inside its collar telling me how to wash, dry and iron it. Is it then possible that God who created us for a purpose would leave us with an aimless life? Who is better equipped to instruct us to lead our lives in the best possible way and develop the soul within us, than the Creator Himself?

Fasting is a very appropriate way to honour the revelation of the Holy Qur’an, the Guide Book for us. So let us all make a resolution this Ramadan that as we recite this Guide Book, we will also read through its translation in our own language so that we know what is being said to us through this Revealed Book. And more importantly we should make a resolution that we shall obey all the commands of the Holy Qur’an revealed for us to follow.

Imagine! If I did not know or ignored the instructions given on my shirt, what would happen to it? It is time to reflect what would happen to our souls if we are ignorant of or ignore to follow the revealed instructions for keeping it clean and pure.

I would also like all of you to keep in mind that all human beings are made by God Who loves them equally and wants us to do the same. As we pray for ourselves and our limited needs we must not forget that every human being in every country of this earth needs our prayers for peace and harmony amongst peoples of the world. Remember Allah loves all His beings.

May Allah shower His blessings on all of us in this holy month of Ramadan so that by the end of this month we are better human beings with purer souls and greater love for Allah and fellow beings.

Aameen.

Posted on by admin 0

[Video] Seeking nearness to Allah Part Three

In the second khutba Hazrat Amir discussed the things you should do to achieve nearness to Allah.

In this third and final khutba of this series Hazrat Amir discusses the “don’ts” for a Muslim. That is the things a Muslim must not do if he wants to achieve closeness to Allah.

httpv://youtu.be/fC9KtqXzg2s

Posted on by admin 0

[Video] Seeking nearness to Allah … Guidelines in the Quran

Hazrat Ameer recites Chapter 16, verses 89 and 90 of the Holy Quran, and deals with ‘Seeking nearness to Allah … Guidelines in the Quran’.

He explains how people should deal with and follow the major signposts in life to achieve nearness of Allah.

This is the first video of a series exploring and explaining the verses mentioned.

Posted on by admin 0