Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(at)
Friday Sermon delivered at Masjid Mubarak, Islamabad, Tilford, UK
Rightly Guided Caliphs – Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra)
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta`awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(aba) said that he would continue mention of the Battle of Yamamah which took place during the time of Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra).
Letter of the Holy Prophet(sa) to the King of Yamamah
His Holiness(aba) said that Yamamah was a prominent city in Yemen and is now located in present day Saudi Arabia. It was a lush green area and known as one of the most beautiful cities. The Banu Hanifah used to reside in Yamamah who were known as fierce fighters.
His Holiness(aba) said that when the Holy Prophet(sa) sent letters to various leaders inviting them to Islam, he also sent a letter to the King of Yamamah. In 9 AH when various tribes converged upon Madinah, there was also an envoy from Yamamah. When the Banu Hanifah met with the Holy Prophet(sa) they left Musailimah behind to look after their belongings. After the Banu Hanifah had accepted Islam at the hands of the Holy Prophet(sa), they informed him that they had left Musailimah behind in order to look after their belongings. The Holy Prophet(sa) sent gifts for him as well, saying he was doing a noble deed by looking after his friends’ belongings.
The Holy Prophet(sa) Meets Musailimah
His Holiness(aba) said that there are various narrations indicating that Musailmah did meet the Holy Prophet(sa) at some point. In one narration, it is recorded that the Holy Prophet(sa) went to meet Musailimah where he was staying. The Holy Prophet(sa) had a branch in his hand. Musailimah made some demands from the Holy
Prophet(sa), one of which was that he should at least appoint him to be the prophet after his demise. In response, the Holy Prophet(sa) said that he would not give him so much as the branch in his hand.
His Holiness(aba) said that the Holy Prophet(sa) said that Musailimah was the same person about whom he had seen various dreams. In one dream, the Holy Prophet(sa) saw that he was wearing two gold bangles and this worried him. In the dream, it was revealed to him that he should blow on them. When he blew on them, they vanished. The Holy Prophet(sa) took this to mean that two false claimants would arise after him which turned out to be Aswad Ansi and Musailimah Kazzab. His Holiness(aba) said that according to the various narrations, it becomes evident that Musailimah went to Madinah on two occasions – the first occasion was when he did not meet the Holy Prophet(sa) and the other was when he did meet the Holy Prophet(sa) and demanded to be his successor in prophethood. Musailimah Introduces Changes to the Shariah
His Holiness(aba) said that Musailmah went on to falsely claim himself to be equal in prophethood of the Holy Prophet(sa) and began making changes to the Islamic law. For example, he said that the early morning prayer and the late evening prayer were no longer compulsory and he deemed things such as fornication to be permissible. There was a person named Rijal who was part of the
Banu Hanifah and had accepted the Holy Prophet(sa). He later migrated to Madinah where he learned the Holy Qur’an. When Musailimah became an apostate, the Holy Prophet(sa) sent Rijal so as to reason with Musailimah and help him desist from his ways. However, when Rijal went he became influenced and accepted Musailimah himself, and he even made a false statement, saying that Musailimah had been included in the prophethood of the Holy Prophet(sa). Hence, when the people saw someone who had knowledge of the Holy Qur’an accepting Musailimah, others started following suit.
Musailimah Writes to the Holy Prophet (sa)
His Holiness(aba) said that Musailimah once wrote a letter to the Holy Prophet(sa) saying that half the land belonged to them and the other half to the Quraish, but the Quraish were not just. The Holy Prophet(sa) responded with a letter saying that the land belonged to Allah and he would grant it to whoever He pleased, and that in the end the righteous meet a good end.
His Holiness(aba) said that this letter was conveyed to Musailimah by
Hazrat Habib(ra). Musailimah asked him whether he believed the Holy Prophet(sa) to be a true prophet, to which he replied that he did. Then, when Musailimah asked whether he also believed him to be a prophet, Hazrat Habib(ra) responded that he could not hear, so as to avoid answering this question. Musailimah kept asking this question and Hazrat Habib(ra) continued giving the same answer. Every time he gave this answer, Musailimah would torture him by cutting off one of his limbs. This continued until Hazrat Habib(ra) was martyred. Hence, not only had Musailimah become an apostate, he had also adopted cruelty.
Battalions Sent by Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra) to Musailimah
His Holiness(aba) said that after the demise of the Holy Prophet(sa), when Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra) sent various battalions, he sent Ikrimah towards Musailimah. Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra) also sent Hazrat Shurahbil(ra) after him, advising Ikrimah not to fight until Shurahbil(ra) arrived. However, Ikrimah acted in haste and attacked Musailimah, due to which he and his battalion were made to face defeat. Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra) then instructed him to go and join other battalions to help them, and instructed Shurahbil(ra) to remain there. He instructed Shurahbil(ra) to wait until Hazrat Khalid(ra) arrived, before fighting with Musailimah. However, Shurahbil(ra) also acted in haste and attacked before Hazrat Khalid’s(ra) arrival and thus faced defeat. Finally, Hazrat Abu Bakr(ra) sent Hazrat Khalid(ra) towards Musailimah and sent a battalion under the command of Hazrat Thaleed(ra) as reinforcements. He also sent battalions from the Ansar and Muhajireen to support Hazrat Khalid(ra). When Hazrat Khalid(ra) advanced, Musailimah’s army numbered 40,000 or according to other narrations it was as large as 100,000 while the Muslims numbered just over 10,000.
His Holiness(aba) said that the two sides met on the battlefield. Hazrat Khalid(ra) had divided the Muslim army into five parts and strategically arranged them. It is recorded that Hazrat Khalid(ra) was extremely meticulous in his preparation and is said that he would not sleep but would make others sleep. The battle was extremely fierce and initially the Muslims were facing difficulty. However, Hazrat Khalid’s(ra) bravery did not waver. Instead, he instructed the Muslims to fight together with their individual tribes so it could be determined which tribe was the bravest. This was a wise strategy which gave rise to their pride and was a form of mutual competition as well. Thus, the Muslims began encouraging one another as well.
His Holiness(aba) said he would continue narrating these accounts in future sermons.
Funeral Prayers
His Holiness(aba) said that he would lead the funeral prayers of the following deceased members, the first of whom is a martyr.
Abdus Salam
Abdus Salam son of Master Munawwar Ahmad who was martyred on 17 May at the age of 35. The opponents of Ahmadiyyat stabbed him to death. The deceased had left his home with his two sons aged 6 and 4 at which point someone came from behind and attacked him, martyring him on the spot in front of his children. The attacker had only just graduated from the local madrassa a few days prior and in the graduation ceremony, they were incited to take action against Ahmadis. The deceased was also part of the Waqf-e-Nau scheme. He had been serving as the local youth leader; he was very sociable and would meet everyone with great kindness. He had deep love for Khilafat. He would silently help those in need and he was very hospitable. He was known to be extremely brave even in prior attacks by the opponents of Ahmadiyyat. He is survived by his parents, wife, and three young children. He also has two brothers, two of which are missionaries, and three sisters. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah elevate the station of the deceased and may He grant His protection to the family. His Holiness(aba) said that only God knows the state of the two children in from of whom their father was martyred. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah protect them and take the opponents of Ahmadiyyat to account.
Zulfiqar Ahmad
Zulfiqar Ahmad son of Sheikh Syedullah of Faisalabad who recently passed away while visiting Azerbaijan. The deceased was extremely humble despite attaining worldly success. He met everyone very nicely and with great kindness. He was very caring of those who worked under him. He was at the forefront of giving alms. He donated a great deal to Humanity First and rendered great services. He and his parents also built a mosque in Belize which was a great undertaking. Once, while visiting Malaysia, he had the opportunity of being a prisoner in the way of Allah. He is survived by his wife, two children and his parents. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah grant him forgiveness and mercy, grant patience to his family and enable them to carry on the legacy of his virtues.
Malik Tabassum Maqsood
Malik Tabassum Maqsood who passed away recently in Canada. His father was martyred in the Lahore attacks of 2010. He previously served as Naib Nazir Umur Amma and the Legal Advisor of Tehrik-eJadid. Then he migrated to Canada where he served under Umur Amma, Department of Propherties and Darul Qadha. He was regular in offering prayers and fasting, he had great love for the Qur’an and was closely attached to Khilafat. He is survived by his mother, wife, a son and three daughters. His son Dr Athar Ahmad is a life-devotee and his son-in-law Omar Farooq is a missionary. Once he was attacked while propagating the message of Islam Ahmadiyyat which resulted in an eye injury, however he was happy that this happened while he was in service to the mission of the Promised Messiah(as). He developed a sense of service to the Jama’at very early on in the days of his youth. His Holiness(aba) prayed that may Allah grant his forgiveness and mercy and enable his progeny to carry on the legacy of his virtues.
