Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(at)
After reciting Tashahhud, Ta’awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba) recited the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
‘Never shall you attain to righteousness unless you spend out of that which you love; and whatever you spend, Allah surely knows it well.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 3:93)
Attaining Righteousness by Way of Financial Sacrifice
His Holiness (aba) said that whilst explaining this verse, the Promised Messiah (as) said that true virtue which leads to salvation cannot be achieved until one spends out of the which they love for the sake of humanity. His Holiness (aba) said that thus, this is the great importance which God Almighty has given to financial sacrifice, to the extent that without it, ultimately one cannot achieve salvation.
His Holiness (aba) said that true financial sacrifice is not to spend out of that which one was already not going to use, rather it is to spend out of wealth which we love the most, and to do it out of love for humanity. The Promised Messiah (as) explained that spending and sacrificing wealth in the way of Allah is a sign of a person’s righteousness. Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) was a prime example of this, as when the need arose, he sacrificed all that he had in his home for the sake of God.
His Holiness (aba) said that during the era of the Promised Messiah (as), when it came to making sacrifices for the sake of propagating
Islam, the greatest example established was by Hazrat Hakim Maulvi Nooruddin (ra). He once wrote to the Promised Messiah (as) saying that if all of his wealth was spent for the sake of Islam and its propagation then he would have achieved his purpose. There were also many other Companions of the Promised Messiah (as) who made financial sacrifices. Why did they do so? In order to be helpers in the mission of the Promised Messiah (as) and his mission.
His Holiness (aba) said that in the subsequent institution of Khilafat after the Promised Messiah (as), during the era of every Caliph, there are countless examples of those who offer exemplary financial sacrifices.
The Purpose of the Waqf-e-Jadid Scheme
His Holiness (aba) said that usually, the first Sermon in January is dedicated to announcing the new year of Waqf-e-Jadid. This is a scheme that was initiated by the Second Caliph Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahamd (ra) in 1957 with the initial purpose of spreading Islam to remote areas in Pakistan. Later, in the time of the Fourth Caliph (rh), this was expanded to all countries. He instructed that the fund collected under this scheme from wealthier countries should be spent on developing countries such as in Africa. This also does not mean that those residing in developing countries do not contribute, rather their sacrifices are commendable. All those who make sacrifices understand that which has been mentioned in a Hadith-e-Qudsi [saying of the Holy Prophet (sa) as revealed to him by God Almighty], in which God told the Holy Prophet (sa) that after giving one’s wealth to God, they should remain content, for there is no fear of it being set ablaze or being stolen, rather it is safe. Any wealth given to God will be returned on a day when the person needs it the most. Hence, not only do financial sacrifices help one in this world, but in the hereafter as well. God states in the Holy Qur’an:
‘And whatever of wealth you spend, it shall be paid back to you in full and you shall not be wronged.’ (The Holy Qur’an, 2:273)
His Holiness (aba) said that when God makes a promise, He fulfils it. He shows the fulfilment of His promise in this world, so that one may be content knowing that it will also be fulfilled in the hereafter. It is not like worldly businesses where one may invest their money, only to lose it, if only after a short period of gain. Institutions take the majority of the wealth, leaving people to lose the majority of their investments, as has recently been the case with people losing billions in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. His Holiness (aba) said that in any case, he considers cryptocurrency to be a form of gambling.
Incredible Examples of Allah Rewarding those who Sacrifice in His Way
His Holiness (aba) said that he would present examples of people offering financial sacrifices which not only enable them to reap rewards, but their faith also increases.
His Holiness (aba) said that there is an example from Liberia where a local missionary went to a newly converted village for the collection of funds for Waqf-e-Jadid. There was a youngster who went home to bring some money, however his mother said that they had nothing. Then, the youngster came running saying that he had 250 Liberian dollars which his father had given him for his school fees, however he did not wish for his household to remain bereft of the blessings. A short while later, the youngster said that a relative of his gave him 2500 Liberian dollars in order to cover his school fees. Thus, the sacrifice which he made was increased ten fold.
His Holiness (aba) said that in Tanzania, there is a woman who had gone to the market. On the way, she met the local missionary who told her about Waqf-e-Jadid. She had two thousand shillings with her and so she gave one thousand to the local missionary and said that she would use the remainder for her household expenses. Only a few moments later, another lady called out to her, and she realised that this was a lady to whom she had loaned five thousand shillings quite some time ago and had lost hope of receiving it back. However, right at that moment, the lady came to her and returned the amount of five thousand shillings. Upon receiving this, she immediately went back to the local missionary and told him that this had only been due to the blessings of offering financial sacrifices, and gave one thousand more shillings for Waqf-e-Jadid.
His Holiness (aba) said that an Ahmadi from Nigeria had been searching for a job for three years but had been unsuccessful. Due to not having an income, he had not been able to offer financial sacrifices, but he decided that he should offer financial sacrifices once again. Only three months after starting to offer financial sacrifices, he received a job offer from a company.
His Holiness (aba) said that in Togo, there is a man who did not have much money and it was the last month of the Waqf-e-Jadid year. He had a small goat at home and intended to sell that and use the money to offer financial sacrifices. In the meantime, the local missionary came to him to collect funds for Waqf-e-Jadid. It was also at this time, that a person to whom this man had loaned some money but lost all hope for its return, came to him and returned the amount. He then gave that entire amount for Waqf-e-Jadid. His Holiness (aba) said that this man had intended to spend out of the wealth he loved for the sake of God, and this was the manner in which God helped him and procured means for him.
His Holiness (aba) said that a lady from Mauritius said that she had received an amount from her parents as a gift. She had kept it in two envelopes with 500 in each with the intention of offering it as financial sacrifice. In the meantime she also fell ill, and some relatives came to see her. They brought her two envelopes with 5000 in each, thus increasing what she had intended ten fold.
His Holiness (aba) said that a person in Indonesia said that he had lost his job and the Waqf-e-Jadidyear was ending and he did not have enough financial means to fulfil his pledge. He prayed a great deal and would write to His Holiness (aba) for prayers. Somehow, he managed to gather the amount of his pledge and offer it for Waqf-eJadid. Only a few days later, he received a call with a job offer which was surprising to receive despite his advanced age. However because of these blessings, he was able to attain a secure income.
His Holiness (aba) said that an Ahmadi from Gambia would tend to matters relating to his village, seeing as his non-Ahmadi father was the chief but was ill. A Muslim NGO went to his village and said that they wished to donate 30,000 Dalasi to the village, however they could not give it to him because he was an Ahmadi. If he renounced Ahmadiyyat they could give him the amount. He replied saying that he did not require their money for God is the Provider. He said that he would not leave the Ahmadiyya Community, in fact he told them that he gives 15,000 Dalasi every year to the Community as financial sacrifices. They were astonished to hear this and asked why he did this despite being poor and replied by saying that if they knew the blessings he was receiving from God, then they too would join this Community. His Holiness (aba) said that this is the manner in which God grants firm faith even to those living in far off and remote areas.
These are only a few examples of the various incidents presented by His Holiness.
Report of 2022 & Announcement of the 66th Year of Waqf-eJadid
His Holiness (aba) said that he would present some statistics from the previous year of Waqf-e-Jadid. By the grace of Allah, the 65th year of Waqf-e-Jadid came to an end on 31 December. The Community presented more than £12.2 million in sacrifices, an increase of £928,000 from last year, despite difficult financial conditions in the world. The ranking of countries in terms of collection is as follows:
1. UK
2. Canada
3. Germany
4. USA
5. India
6. Australia
7. A Middle Eastern country
8. Indonesia
9. A Middle Eastern country
10. Belgium
In terms of percentage of those who presented donations per capita, the ranking is as follows:
1. USA
2. Switzerland
3. UK
4. Australia
5. Canada
The prominent countries in Africa in terms of donations are as follows:
1. Ghana
2. Mauritius
3. Nigeria
4. Burkina Faso
5. Tanzania
6. Liberia
7. The Gambia
8. Uganda
9. Sierra Leone
10. Benin
His Holiness (aba) said that this year, there was an increase in those offering donations of 61,000 people making the total participation 1.56 million people.
His Holiness (aba) presented lists of prominent chapters from the top countries.
His Holiness (aba) prayed that may Allah bless all those who offered financial sacrifices
