Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V, may Allah be his Helper, is on a tour of Germany these days. Having opened the Mubarak Mosque in Fulda and Baitul Hameed Mosque in Wiesbaden over the past couple of weeks Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa today formally unveiled the plaque of Baitul Baseer Mosque in the north of Hamburg. The first Ahmadiyya mosque to be built in Hamburg was Fazl-e-Omar Mosque inaugurated in 1957.
Before delivering his Friday Sermon, Huzooraa unveiled the plaque and led the congregation in silent prayer which marked the formal inauguration of Baitul Baseer Mosque. In his sermon, Huzooraa reminded the Jamaat of the philosophy behind the building of mosques. Worship of Allah the Almighty being the primary impetus of mosque-building, Huzooraa stated that the first and foremost responsibility after having built a mosque is to inhabit it with worshippers who offer their salat in the way that Allah the Almighty has prescribed. To explain what Allah the Almighty expects from our prayers, Huzooraa read excerpts from the writings of the Imam of the Age, The Promised Messiah, peace be upon him.
Hazrat Amirul Momineenaa elaborated that Qayam-us-Salat requires to keep our salat steadfast and upright, which means that one will fall short at times but Allah the Almighty expects us to uphold it and offer it in the best possible manner.
Huzooraa said that salat helps keep satanic temptations away and that by regularly offering our salat, we can curb the attack of temptations. There does come a time for a regular worshipper when Satan gives in and leaves them to carry on treading on the way that leads to Allah. Thus, Huzooraa said, one should never give up by not noticing immediate results.
A believer should stay busy finding the Sirat-e-Mustaqeem – the right path. Huzooraa referred to the Promised Messiahas where he states that “Salat is another name for supplication”, hence anything that one wants should be presented as supplication before the Almighty God. Presenting an eloquent analogy given by the Promised Messiahas, Huzooraa said that calling out to Allah and Him replying back can only happen when one calls from an audible distance and can only hear the reply if their hearing is not impaired. So what is required is to call out in the best way and listen carefully to the response from Allah.
This requires continuous supplicating , tirelessly and with utmost perseverance. A farmer does not just throw a seed in soil and sits to see its results; the seed requires good care to be taken, to be watered and be protected from weathering. The same is the case with supplication and prayers. The ultimate result of salat and supplication should be attaining nearness of Allah. If this result is not achieved, one should worry and realise that there is something wrong and should try and rectify it.
Huzooraa urged that we should all contemplate and gauge the depth of our salat and supplication. The basic element that distinguishes between a believer and a disbeliever, as said by the Holy Prophet of Islam, peace and blessings be upon him, is Salat. Good deeds, financial sacrifices and not falling into temptations are routes that lead us towards better worship.