English PDF - Ahmadiyya Gazette Canada

Patience and SteadfastnessSummary of Friday Sermon delivered on November 12, 2010On November 12, 2010, HadratKhalīfatul Masīh V aa delivered theFriday Sermon at Baitul FutūhMosque, London. Hudūr aa recitedverse 154 of Surah Al‐Baqarah,which is translated as follows:“O ye who believe! seek helpwith patience and prayer;surely, Allāh is with thesteadfast.” (2:154)Hudūr aa explained that sabr meansnot to let out a word of complaintor annoyance for the hardships thatone faces in the way of Allāh, and tostrive in His path with high resolveand steadfastness while seekingHis help through prayers. He whobears every hardship for the sake ofAllāh and overcomes all temptationsand keeps away from sin is theone who truly practices sabr.ThePromised Messiah as says:“The time is near when you willnot see the mischievous people.God has ordained that this Jamā‘atshall spread in the whole world.Had He willed otherwise, he wouldnot have allowed these people toharm us or they would not evenhave been born, but God wants toteach us sabr through them. If youshow sabr or patience for a littlewhile, you will see the end of theirantagonism; for they will eitherrepent or be destroyed by God.”Hudūr aa elaborated saying thatsabr is also a kind of worship.Allāh says that those whopractice sabr will be rewardedbeyond measure, which meansGuidance from Hadrat Khalīfatul Masīh V aathat they will be granted limitlessbounties. But this promise isonly for those who hold on tosabr. When a man devotes hislife in the cause of another and istormented for his sake, the onehe serves will ultimately avengehim and destroy the tormentor.The same will happen in the caseof our Jamā‘at which is servingthe cause of Allāh. Hudūr aaadded that bearing sorrow andanguish strengthens one’s faith,and nothing is more powerfulthan sabr. The spread of theJamā‘at has been decreed by Godand the persecution of Ahmadīsis only serving to bring us closerto it. More and more people arejoining our Jamā‘at day andnight. Now that the Jamā‘at isspreading and Allāh’s promisesto the Promised Messiah as arebeing fulfilled in a grand manner,we must have faith that thisprophecy about the spread of theJamā‘at and the silencing of theopponents will also be fulfilled.These temporary hardships onlyserve to strengthen our faiths.We need to go through thesetrials with sabr and perseveranceand turn our attention to prayersmore than ever before.Hudūr aa reminded us sayingthat only those who are humbleand meek can practice sabr, thearrogant cannot. Allāh saysthat those who are humble andsteadfast and offer prayers arethe ones who truly believe thatthey will return to their Lord.The patience and prayers of thebelievers make them even morehumble. They never waver intheir resolve and are willingto lay down their lives ratherthan impair their relationshipwith God. They believe that thisworld is transitory and that theywill ultimately have to meet theirLord. Hence, they find it essentialto follow His commandmentsand would rather court deaththan deviate a hair’s breadthfrom His injunctions. Today itis the distinction of an Ahmadīthat he strives for piety withhumility and meekness and doesnot hesitate to lay down his lifefor it. They are the people whohave been promised mercy andblessings from their Lord. Nomatter what people say to us, weknow that Allāh is with us andwe are witnessing His blessingsbeing showered upon us onaccount of our sabr. Let us neverlet go of sabr so that we maykeep reaping these blessings.May Allāh give us the power todo so. Amīn.At the end of the sermon, Hudūr aainformed the Jamā‘at of themartyrdom of Shaikh MahmoodAhmad Sahib of Mardan,Pakistan, and appealed to theJamā‘at to pray for the quickrecovery of his son who wasinjured in the attack. Hudūr aaalso mentioned the sad demiseof two veterans of the Jamā‘at,Chaudhary Muhammad SiddiqSahib who also served as incharge of Khilāfat Library, andMasood Ahmad KhursheedSanori Sahib. Hudūr prayed forall the deceased and led theirnamaz janazah ghaib after theJuma prayer.5