Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Al Hakam
In January 1938, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra established Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya — an auxiliary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat for the spiritual and worldly progress of its youth. On various occasions, Huzoorra granted valuable guidance to the Ahmadi youth and urged them to enhance their spirituality and progress in their relationship with Allah the Almighty.
For instance, on 29 September 1946, Huzoorra addressed Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Delhi.
In the beginning of his address, Huzoorra mentioned that the office-bearers of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya Delhi had expressed their desire for him to grant them some advice.
Huzoorra continued:
“Now, 56 years have passed since the establishment of our Jamaat. The one who has not yet made any efforts to benefit from the advice [given during the past 56 years], what sort of benefit can they now attain from advice?
“Allah the Almighty has manifested hundreds of thousands of signs through the Promised Messiahas, and the one who has not yet tried to benefit from these signs, what kind of benefit can they get through the signs in the future?
“Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran:
اَلَمۡ يَاۡنِ لِلَّذِيۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اَنۡ تَخۡشَعَ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ لِذِكۡرِ اللّٰهِ
“Meaning that, ‘Has not the time arrived for those who believe that their hearts should feel humbled at the remembrance of Allah.’ [Surah al-Hadid, Ch.57: V.17)
“I will advise the same to the youth that ‘Has, not the time arrived for those who believe that their hearts should feel humbled at the remembrance of Allah?’ Has the time for mere words not finished yet, and is it not the time for practical efforts now? Has there not been enough advice by now, which enlightens the way for practical efforts and guidance?
“If the way of action is certainly clear to you, then the time demands you to mend your lives according to that [way of action]. If your eyes are open and you can reflect, then you must contemplate what the Muslims achieved in the past and what they have become now, what their status in the past was and how much they have regressed now.
“The Muslim youngsters study geography and observe the map; I cannot understand why their hearts don’t sadden and grieve upon seeing that there was a time when the map was filled with the Islamic governments, whereas now the European governments are prevalent over the world and the Muslims hold no [political] standing in comparison. […]
“The Muslims have ruled over China for hundreds of years, […] some mosques have been found in America which indicate Muslims had reached there, and they were also present in the Philippines. In short, there was no corner of the world where there was no Islamic government. Those were the governments at the country level, it was not imperialism, illa masha-Allah [with some exceptions]. If the Muslims of any era had made any mistake, they were responsible for it themselves, Islam was not responsible.
“I am astonished that even after knowing all of this, the hearts of the Muslims are not moved even a little. The Muslims do not ponder over their ancestors and how glorious they were. Even the Muslims of the 7th century [after Hijrah] had ghairat [honour] for Islam and Muslims, despite being so regressed. […] The reason was that their hearts still had some sense of honour and dignity [for Islam]. But do contemporary Muslims feel even the slightest of passion and do they wish to offer sacrifices for Islam? Don’t their minds ever ponder over ‘what status we had in the past and what have we become now?’
“The fact of the matter is that the Muslims are facing these problems and tragedies because they do not strive to fulfil their duties and responsibilities. If they look upon their circumstances and make a firm pledge to eradicate these problems and also put effort as well, then there is no reason they cannot get out of these problems.
“When Islam is facing such a delicate situation and you are witnessing it with your own eyes, then what kind of lesson do you want to learn? Have not the earth, the heaven and your surroundings taught you a lesson? Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Quran that His signs are manifesting everywhere, but the people have gone blind.
“Now, tell me, what kind of lesson do you still need to learn, why don’t you leap forward and what day are you waiting for? I wonder how those who do not even sacrifice their time and wealth [for the cause of Islam] could sacrifice their lives. Remember that national honour can never be attained without sacrifices. […]
“During his early life [in 1874] the Promised Messiahas had seen a divine vision [about which he states]:
“‘In a dream, I was shown a long ditch running for miles, on the edge of which thousands of sheep were laid out with their heads hanging over the edge of the ditch, so that when they were slaughtered their blood would flow into the ditch. The rest of their bodies were outside the ditch. The ditch ran East to West and the sheep had been laid on the edge of the ditch from the South. Each sheep was attended by a butcher and every butcher had a knife in his hand, which was placed at the neck of the sheep. The butchers were looking towards the sky as if awaiting the divine command. I found myself walking in the plain to the North and felt that the butchers were angels who were ready to slaughter the sheep as soon as they received the command from above. I approached them and recited the following verse of the Holy Quran:
قُلۡ مَا يَعۡبَؤُا بِكُمۡ رَبِّيۡ لَوۡلَا دُعَآؤُكُمۡ
“‘Meaning that “Say to the disbelievers: ‘But for your prayer to Him my Lord would not care for you.’” [Surah al-Furqan, Ch. 25: V. 78]
“‘The moment I said this, the angels understood that they had been granted permission, as if the words of my mouth were a divine command. Thereupon the angels ran their knives through the necks of the sheep and the sheep began to flutter in a painful manner. The angels severed all the arteries of the necks of the sheep saying: What are you: nothing but refuse-eating sheep.’ [Tadhkirah (English), pp. 24-25]
“In this divine vision, Allah the Almighty had similed the worldly and materialistic people with the ‘refuse-eating sheep’, that God Almighty does not care about such people. […] Allah the Almighty only cares for those who care about Him. […]
“The reality is that Muslims had gone astray, neglected [the commandments of] Allah the Almighty, and forgot Him instead of attaining His love. Therefore, God Almighty also ignored them and let them trust the material means. Otherwise, Allah the Almighty listens to His servants even today as He did in the past. The need is for Muslims to practically prove their love [for Islam] which was shown by their ancestors, and hold onto that pathway, through which their ancestors succeeded. […]
“You need to bring a [spiritual] change in yourself if you wish to be a recipient of Allah the Almighty’s grace. You have united on one hand […] in order to offer sacrifices for Islam and to make the pleasure [raza] of Allah the Almighty our sole objective. […] You have joined this Jamaat with the aim to outstrip each other in offering sacrifices and to establish the authority of Islam in the world once again.
“Therefore, always remember your pledge, and if you continue to fulfil your pledge, then no power of the world even if all the worldly powers join together – can hinder your way. Because, when you will become [the servants] of Allah, then He will create means for your success and pave the ways for your success. […] Therefore, our pleasure and delight is in becoming [the servants] of Allah the Almighty and spending our lives for His cause.
“No doubt, you must clean the streets and cities and be a source of tranquillity for others, but the spiritual filth is more dangerous than worldly filth. The Western world has strongly emphasised worldly cleanliness and made various means of physical cleanliness, but they do not have any cure for attaining spiritual purity. The physical filth causes the death of a body, but spiritual filth kills the soul. […]
“Therefore, without a doubt, you need to care about the physical cleanliness, but you need to take more care of spiritual purification […] and enhance your level of sacrifice. You need to contemplate how many sacrifices are required to establish the might of Allah the Almighty in the whole world. If the materialists and worldly soldiers are ever ready to offer huge sacrifices for lesser objectives, then the level of a spiritual soldier of Allah the Almighty should be much higher, and the level of their sacrifices needs to be much higher than the worldly people. […]
“The Promised Messiahas used to say that […] one should establish a true relationship with Allah the Almighty with such conviction that they are ever ready to sacrifice their life, wealth and all belongings. […] It is one’s duty to continue offering sacrifices in the way of Allah the Almighty true heartedly and sincerely. […] You should give precedent to Allah over everything. […] The works of Allah will certainly be accomplished, but if you do not fulfil your duties, then you cannot present yourself as true servants in front of God Almighty because your actions will falsify your claims. Therefore, create within yourself a pious change. […]
“I observe that while the Jamaat is progressing, its hardships are also increasing, and thus we will need to offer as many sacrifices as we progress. […] I believe that there is no better teacher than suffering and hardship. I have firm faith that we will never regress due to the hardships, rather we will progress even faster. […] It is the practice of Allah the Almighty that the jamaats of prophets are opposed and they have to face severe hardships. The same practice is also continuing with us, and we will have to endure the same treatment which has been faced by the jamaats of other prophets, from Hazrat Adamas to the Holy Prophetsa.
“Thus, get prepared so that you may not fail the upcoming trials, as you can never succeed without any preparation. […] Therefore, understand your responsibilities and continue to fulfil them, and always remember that until one strives in the true sense, positive outcomes cannot be achieved.” (Al Fazl, 19 October 1960, pp. 2-6)
Then, on 20 October 1946, Huzoorra addressed the 8th annual ijtema of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya.
During the address, Huzoorra said:
“If we wish to bring a pious change in the world, then we must always ensure that those things which caused the negligence in our elders, should never be inculcated in our future generation. […] A successful organisation is one whose one specific link is stronger than the previous one. […]
“One should make practical efforts and present to the world a practical example. […] A nation can never succeed without practical efforts. […] Your hearts are completely unaware of the reality that you [Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya] have been established for a great spiritual objective, and even the most powerful worldly king is insignificant as compared to the one who has been established for a spiritual revolution and reformation. […]
“You have been granted such a status by God that your heart should always be filled with joy and you should always be watchful and active. […] The reality is that we generally find a habit of excuses and laziness among the youth. Our efforts cannot produce any great outcomes until one gets rid of this habit, truly understand their duties and inculcate the recognition of their status. Once these attributes are inculcated, then not only will religious reformation will be achieved, but worldly circumstances will also automatically begin to change.
“Always remember that an inactive nation can never attain any honour on the world stage. […] The reality is that when one becomes [the servant] of God, then anything which they had sacrificed for the sake of God, is ultimately granted to them by Him. […] God showers His rewards upon such a nation whose people are always ready to sacrifice their lives for His sake, and never care about ‘what will we get in return’. […] God wishes to create a great spiritual revolution in the world, and a huge revolution is decreed by Him. […] Therefore, instil in yourself a [positive] change, and inculcate a pious change in your minds. […]
“Until one spends their life for the pleasure of Allah the Almighty alone, and becomes the perfect example of مُخۡلِصِيۡنَ لَهُ الدِّيۡنَ [‘Holding Him alone worthy of worship’ (Surah al-A’raf, Ch.7: V.30)], it will be a matter of ignorance and madness to hope for any achievement and to assume that the Muslims will gain success against the European nations. How can you surpass European nations, while they are making ten times more effort than you? […]
“You cannot bring any revolution in the world until your actions indicate that you have brought a change in yourself, and the level of your effort and sacrifice is higher than the others. Once you inculcate such traits in yourself, only then people of the world will be attracted towards you, and will run towards you just like the thirsty people [run towards the water], they will need from you the cure and remedy [for their spiritual problems] because they will witness in you those attributes which they were searching for a long time.
“And they will find such things through you which they could not find anywhere else, and through you, such warm winds of spirituality will flow which would throw away the coldness of disbelief. And your hearts will spread such rays of calmness which would turn off the fire of sins. […] They will witness that nur [divine light] on your faces, in search of which they were wandering here and there. […]
“It is completely in the hand of God to turn the hearts, not in my hands, therefore, I will pray to God Almighty that may He inculcate within you true determination and strong resolve, through which you become a true Muslim and accomplish such tasks which revolutionise the world and establish the Kingdom of God Almighty in the world once again.” (Al Fazl, 2 November 1960, pp. 2-6)
