The Significance of Jumuah Prayers

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    Friday Sermon

    31 May 2019

    The Significance of Jumuah Prayers

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    After reciting the Tashahud, Ta‘awuz, and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa recited verses 10-12 of Surah al-Jumuah, after which he commenced with the Sermon:

    یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡۤا اِذَا نُوۡدِیَ لِلصَّلٰوۃِ مِنۡ یَّوۡمِ الۡجُمُعَۃِ فَاسۡعَوۡا اِلٰی ذِکۡرِ اللّٰہِ وَ ذَرُوا الۡبَیۡعَ ؕ ذٰلِکُمۡ خَیۡرٌ لَّکُمۡ اِنۡ کُنۡتُمۡ تَعۡلَمُوۡنَ۔ فَاِذَا قُضِیَتِ الصَّلٰوۃُ فَانۡتَشِرُوۡا فِی الۡاَرۡضِ وَ ابۡتَغُوۡا مِنۡ فَضۡلِ اللّٰہِ وَ اذۡکُرُوا اللّٰہَ کَثِیۡرًا لَّعَلَّکُمۡ تُفۡلِحُوۡنَ۔ وَ اِذَا رَاَوۡا تِجَارَۃً اَوۡ لَہۡوَاۨ انۡفَضُّوۡۤا اِلَیۡہَا وَ تَرَکُوۡکَ قَآئِمًا ؕ قُلۡ مَا عِنۡدَ اللّٰہِ خَیۡرٌ مِّنَ اللَّہۡوِ وَ مِنَ التِّجَارَۃِ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ خَیۡرُ الرّٰزِقِیۡنَ۔

    The translation of these verses is as follows:

    “O ye who believe! when the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is better for you, if you only knew. And when the Prayer is finished, then disperse in the land and seek of Allah’s grace, and remember Allah much, that you may prosper. But when they see some merchandise or some amusement, they break up for it, and leave thee standing. Say, ‘That which is with Allah is better than amusement and merchandise, and Allah is the Best Provider.’” (Surah al-Jumuah, Ch.62: V.10-12)

    Today is the last Friday of this Ramadan. As it is usually the case, people are generally more inclined and pay special attention towards attending this Friday Sermon. Coincidentally, the majority of schools are on term break and hence, we can see an increased attendance as is generally the case.

    The verses that I have recited are from the last ruku‘ of Surah al-Jumuah. In these verses, God Almighty has clearly explained the significance of the Friday prayers. Thus, in the sight of God Almighty, attending the Friday prayers is of vital importance.

    God Almighty has clearly stated that when one is called for the Friday prayer, then one should not show any sort of listlessness. Rather, one ought to pay heed immediately and attend the Friday prayer, regardless of how busy one may be. Even if it is the peak business hour, whereby neglecting the business affairs and trade can result in a loss of millions for a businessman, one should not care about it and should attend the Friday prayers. This is because going to the central mosque to attend the Friday prayers and listening to the Friday sermon of the imam is hundreds of thousands of times better than one’s trade, businesses and other worldly affairs. However, only such an individual can realise this, who truly understands its importance.

    God Almighty states that one who truly understands its true significance would certainly consider these trades and businesses of secondary importance. At the same time, God Almighty also states that one is free to go about their affairs after the Friday prayers. He states that by all means, one can go and see to their worldly affairs and businesses and that He will grant them His blessings.  However, He also makes clear that one should not restrict their worship merely to the Friday prayers, rather one should remember God Almighty at all times.

    One should remain focused on the remembrance of God Almighty, as a result of which one will be granted with greater success than before – religiously, spiritually as well as worldly. Those who remember God Almighty, they are also mindful of the fact that following the Friday prayer, they have to offer the Asr prayer as well, as this is also among their obligations. Similarly, they are mindful of the fact that they have to offer Maghrib and Isha prayers as these are also among their obligations. Both worldly affairs and other blessings are acquired through the grace of God Almighty alone. Thus, prosperity is interlinked with the remembrance and worship of God Almighty. Trying to offer the Friday prayer with regularity, remembering God Almighty and fulfilling the due rights of His worship should not be limited to the month of Ramadan alone, rather, as it is evident from these verses, this is a general command relating to every Friday prayer. The verse contains a general instruction as well as a specific instruction. 

    While mentioning the importance of the Friday prayer, on one occasion the Promised Messiahas states that Friday is a day of Eid, and this Eid is far greater than the other Eid celebrations. With regard to how it is superior, the Promised Messiahas states that Surah al-Jumuah has been revealed for this Eid. That is, particular attention has been drawn towards offering Friday prayers in Surah al-Jumuah. Furthermore, whilst stating the importance of Friday prayers, the Promised Messiahas has also mentioned a conversation between Hazrat Umarra and a Jewish man. The incident is as follows that when the verse:

    اَلۡیَوۡمَ اَکۡمَلۡتُ لَکُمۡ دِیۡنَکُمۡ

    “This day have I perfected for you your religion”, was revealed, a Jew said that the Muslims ought to celebrate Eid on the day this verse was revealed; or he said that if this verse was revealed to us, we would have celebrated Eid. Hazrat Umarra replied that Friday is a day of Eid as this verse was revealed on a Friday.

    The Promised Messiahas states that many people are unaware of the true essence of this Eid. (Malfuzat, Vol. 8, p. 399)

    God Almighty has enjoined to celebrate this Eid every week. It contains within it glad tidings of faith having been perfected and the completion of the favours of God Almighty. This day is not given its due importance and people simply believe that by making particular efforts to attend the last Friday prayer of Ramadan, they will attain the reward of every Friday prayer. Hence, we must be very mindful of safeguarding our Friday prayers. We must give the same importance to each and every Friday prayer throughout the year as we give to the last Friday prayer of Ramadan.

    God Almighty says that every true believer should pay attention towards this. However, in reality many people do not pay attention towards this and they waste their Friday prayers for the sake of worldly affairs and materialistic pursuits. God Almighty has stated that one should know that whatever is with God Almighty is far greater than these material objects, wealth and one’s worldly pursuits. Furthermore, it is God Almighty alone Who grants man provisions. Hence, this is a matter of great importance and one that every believer should pay attention towards. We in particular, who believe in the Imam of the age, must pay special attention towards this.

    Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira would say that Ahmadis are in fact true believers, as Ahmadis have accepted the Imam of the age. (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 4, pp. 122-123)

    Hence, this belief places a responsibility on us to align our actions in accordance with the teaching of God Almighty as well as to try and obey His commands. Worldly desires should not be our preferences, rather, the pleasure of God Almighty and acquiring His pleasure should be our preference. However, there are many among us who tend to forget the reason why they have accepted the Promised Messiahas.

    The Promised Messiahas was sent to strengthen our relationship with God Almighty. He appeared in order to make us understand that one’s ultimate objective should be to attain the pleasure and love of God Almighty. It should not be the case that one should only pray to God Almighty, supplicate and prostrate before Him when one’s worldly desires are not being fulfilled. Moreover, it should also not be the case that one is unmindful of the importance of attaining the pleasure of God Almighty and only gives preference to their desires and worldly needs. 

    At one place the Promised Messiahas states:

    “I say truly that the Friday prayer has been established as a special occasion for the fortunate ones; blessed are those who benefit from it. Those of you who have established a bond with me should never become arrogant that you have accomplished what was required of you. Indeed, it is true that you are closer to me than those who have rejected me, i.e. those who have incurred God Almighty’s displeasure owing to their vehement rejection and dishonour.”

    The Promised Messiahas further states:

    “It is also true that you employed positive reasoning with regard to me and protected yourself from the wrath of God Almighty. However, the reality is that you are a step closer to that fountain established by God in order to bestow everlasting life. Indeed the only thing left is to drink from this fountain. Thus, implore God Almighty so that He many grant you the ability to drink from this fountain. It is only through His grace and mercy that one can drink from it and satiate their thirst; without God, nothing is possible. I am certain that whoever drinks from this fountain will not be destroyed because this water grants life and protects one from destruction and the attacks of Satan. How can one fully replenish themselves from this spring? It is by fulfilling the two rights God Almighty has made incumbent upon you to your utmost ability; one of these is to fulfil the rights due to God and the other is to fulfil the rights due to His creation.” (Malfuzat, Vol. 3, pp. 184-185)

    Thus, the Promised Messiahas has explained that one’s actions should be in accordance with the teachings of God Almighty and that after accepting the Promised Messiah, one should raise the standard of their worship and also in serving humanity. If this is not accomplished, then one cannot be counted amongst those who attain the favours of God Almighty in a manner that one truly ought to. In order to drink water from this fountain, one must revaluate their preferences and objectives. 

    Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira once stated, “I am anxious to know if I am the one being addressed in the statement of the Promised Messiahas where he stated that people have yet to drink water from this fountain.” (Haqaiq-ul-Furqan, Vol. 4, p. 126)

    We are all aware of the lofty status of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira since the Promised Messiahas held him in high esteem. If he was anxious about this, then how concerned should we be in relation to striving to drink from this fountain and to become those who discharge the due rights of our pledge of allegiance? Hence, it is vital to attain the pleasure of God Almighty in order to discharge His rights. It is necessary to bear in mind whether we have fulfilled the due rights of His worship because He has established worship as the sole purpose of our creation. God Almighty states:

    وَ مَا خَلَقۡتُ الۡجِنَّ وَ الۡاِنۡسَ اِلَّا لِیَعۡبُدُوۡنِ

    “And I have not created the Jinn and the men but that they may worship Me.”

     God Almighty has elaborated the purpose of our creation. God Almighty did not state that since one obeys His commandment by offering the last Friday prayer of the month of Ramadan that one has fulfilled the due right of His worship. In fact, He stated that this is a practise that one must adopt from an early age right until one’s last breath.

    Hence, do not be under the impression that offering one Friday prayer in the year is sufficient, rather every single Friday prayer is important. Whilst drawing attention to observing the Friday prayers, God Almighty has not stated that one should offer the prayers to fulfil the rights owed to Him or offer the daily prayers as they benefit God Almighty in any way, or that God Almighty is in need of our Friday prayers and remembrance. Rather, God has stated that when a person goes for the Friday prayers, offers the prayers, listens to the sermon and remembers God, there comes an hour wherein God Almighty accepts whatever His servant asks of Him. In other words, if God Almighty grants man such an hour, then apart from things which are unlawful, whatever man requests is granted to him. (Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jumuah, Hadith no. 852)

    Bear in mind that this hour and this time is not specific to any particular Friday, it is for each and every Friday prayer.

    Whilst stressing the importance of the Friday prayers, on one occasion the Holy Prophetsa stated:

    “Whoever believes in God and the Hereafter, it has been made incumbent upon them to offer the Jumuah prayer on Friday, except for the sick, the wayfarer, women, children and the bondsman, as they are all compelled by certain limitations.”

    The Holy Prophetsa then stated, “He who is neglectful of the Friday prayers owing to their frivolous pursuits or trade, God Almighty shall also pay no regard – surely Allah is Self-Sufficient, Praiseworthy.” (Kanzul Ummal, Vol. 7, p. 726, Kitab-ul-Salat, Hadith no. 21120)

    God Almighty is not in need of anything from us. In fact, He is the One Who bestows everything, and owing to this, He requires that a believer ought to praise Him. The Holy Prophetsa also stated that the reward for good deeds on Friday increases manifold. (Kanzul Ummal, Vol. 7, p. 712, Kitab-ul-Salat, Hadith no. 21057)

    What further good deeds are there outside the sphere of the commandments of God Almighty and acting upon them? Therefore, when a believer acts upon the commandments of God Almighty, for the sake of attaining His pleasure, among which is the command to attend the Friday prayers and to pay attention towards prayer and worship, then this is indeed a great virtue.

    Furthermore, how great a reward will God Almighty be granting a believer, who carries out good deeds, offers his prayers and attends the Friday prayers, purely for the sake of obtaining the pleasure of God and without giving any precedence to worldly desires. Regarding those who forsake the Friday prayer without reason, the Holy Prophetsa gave a grave warning that they shall be considered amongst the hypocrites. (Kanzul Ummal, Vol. 7, p. 730, Kitab-ul-Salat, Hadith 21144)

    The Holy Prophetsa also stated that he who misses three consecutive Friday prayers out of negligence, God Almighty shall place a seal on their hearts. (Sunan Abi Dawood, Kitab-ul-Salat, Hadith 1052)

    Hence this is a very alarming situation, because once the seal is set upon one’s heart, the ability to do good deeds also continues to diminish and attending the prayers and the Friday prayers unwillingly will continue to foster hypocrisy.

    Thus, this is a very worrying situation which requires a great deal of attention. On one occasion the Holy Prophetsa instructed to offer the Friday prayers because the one who distances themselves from offering the Friday prayers will remain distant from paradise, even though they may be destined for paradise originally. (Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Vol. 6, p. 752, Hadith no. 20373)

    Likewise, the Holy Prophetsa instructed to participate in the Friday prayers on countless occasions. Moreover, he also issued warnings to those who miss it without good reason. He never stated that you should only attend the final Friday in Ramadan and you shall have your sins forgiven. Rather, as we have determined from one of his instructions that the Holy Prophetsa stated that one who forsakes the Friday prayer or shows negligence due to their trade or being immersed in worldly affairs and endeavours, then God Almighty shall also forsake them. However, this is not limited to just the Friday prayer, in fact, let alone abandoning prayers and the Friday prayer owing to one’s worldly desires, one of the hallmarks of a believer who fulfils the due rights of prayer is that he anticipates and remains anxious between one prayer and the next, and also between one Friday prayer and the next Friday Prayer and between one Ramadan and the following Ramadan. They do not neglect their Friday prayers and other obligatory prayers for the sake of their worldly endeavours.

    Therefore, we ought to be mindful of our prayers and ensure to keep our priorities in order. One must strive in order to attain [the nearness of] God Almighty and it is essential to develop a true understanding of this because this cannot be achieved merely through verbal deceleration.

    If one was to carefully ponder upon this, they would realise that their actions are not reflective of one who truly understands the status of God and His grandeur. By assessing the practise of many of us, we cannot say that our conditions are like that of one who truly recognises God Almighty, in fact even our prayers are only to fulfil our personal interests.

    If the objective of one’s prayers are to attain God Almighty, there would be consistency in one’s prayers. One’s heart should not only be inclined towards the Friday prayers, rather they should remain ever inclined towards offering all five daily prayers in the mosque. However, as I mentioned, many do not have a true understanding of this; they prioritise their temporary and urgent needs, but that which is everlasting and of greater significance is given secondary importance. They abandon their prayers and the Friday prayer and seek to acquire their temporary worldly benefits, questioning the difference it would make since they can seek God Almighty’s forgiveness later and considering it best to first pursue their worldly endeavours.

    A businessman may say that he does not want to lose the customer for who knows if such a customer will ever come again. Similarly, an employee who meets his superior may feel that since he is in a good mood therefore if he was to seek leave because it was the time for prayer or the Friday prayer then perhaps his superior may become upset with him and thus he will be deprived from receiving any favour from him.

    If such a thought arises in a person, then their priorities are completely different; their desire for the world supersedes their desire for God Almighty. Similarly, there are many other desires which instead of being given secondary importance to God Almighty, have become their foremost priority. For them, their worldly desires take precedence over God Almighty.

    At that moment, one forgets the admonishment of the Holy Prophetsa that when one forsakes God Almighty and gives precedence to their worldly desires over Him, then God Almighty also forsakes that person and despite them deserving paradise, they are deprived from it owing to their neglectful attitude.

    Thus, it is the duty of a believer to always be mindful of the fact that any trade and business, or any of their affairs for that matter, can only be blessed through the grace of God Almighty. Hence, if one can only attain these blessings through the grace of God Almighty, then they ought to strive to fulfil His rights first.

    Therefore, everyone must try and understand this principle. If this principle is understood, then for the five daily prayers and the Friday prayers, our mosques will remain populated and in fact will appear to become short of space, even after Ramadan. Indeed, this was the very purpose of the Promised Messiah’sas advent to bring mankind closer to God Almighty and this is also the objective of our Bai‘at i.e. to attain God’s nearness, develop a bond with Him and to become His true servant.

    Our daily prayers, Friday prayers, observing fasts and Eid should solely be for attaining the nearness of God Almighty. It is for this reason that God Almighty has prescribed the month of Ramadan, so that the believers may raise the standard of their virtue and worship by paying special focus in this month. The standard they achieve should then be maintained and then seek to further build on that in the next Ramadan. It should not be the case that after Ramadan, one regresses back to the same level they started at. This is precisely what the Promised Messiahas has stated that if one’s present is not showing improvement from their past, they cannot be considered a true believer. (Malfuzat, Vol. 10, p. 138)

    Thus, we have not gathered here today to bid farewell to the Friday prayer, rather we have gathered here to pray to God Almighty to further strengthen us in our piety, worship and love for God Almighty. We should make a solemn pledge that, God willing, we shall strive to further excel in our relation with God Almighty. However, we can only make this pledge and pray for this when we truly understand what it means to acquire the nearness of God Almighty. In other words, one should truly understand that God Almighty is the possessor and fountainhead of all powers and He is One Who can complete every task to its perfection.

    However, if one is to hold worldly pleasures and endeavours dearer than God, then their example is that of children who have no idea of the true value of diamonds. If such children were to find those diamonds, they would take them as mere marbles and would play with them whereby they throw marbles and the one who collects the greatest number of marbles by hitting the other marbles wins. This is the example of such people in that they too are playing with diamonds. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IIra relating an incident states:

    “Perhaps it was during my travel to Hajj when I was waiting for the ship at Bombay,” in those days they travelled by sea, “a friend told me that a few days ago a jeweller was going through the marketplace and lost his diamonds. It is said that there were perhaps 105 diamonds in total, consisting of various sizes. The jeweller reported this to the central police office who then informed all the local police stations in order to keep an eye out and carry out a search. After a few days, a person came to the police station and reported that he had seen some children playing with the diamonds. When one of the children was asked about it, he replied that he thought they were marbles. He said he found them wrapped in a piece of paper and thought they were marbles and just like other children, he also began to play with them. He was then asked where the rest of the diamonds were and he replied that he had shared them with the other children of his neighbourhood. Even though those diamonds were worth hundreds of thousands of rupees, how would a child know what their true value was?”

    Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra further states:

    “If the child’s father had found them, perhaps he would have tried to hide them and may have even left the city to sell them elsewhere in another city. However, they had no value in the eyes of the child and since he thought they were marbles, therefore he shared them with the other children. If the child had found small sweets, he would have been overjoyed and perhaps would not have shared them like he did with the marbles. However, in the case of the marbles, when the other children asked for them, he may have thought what he would do with 105 marbles and therefore shared them with the others. However, if they were sweets on the other hand, he would never have shared them like that and would have decided to eat them himself. Thus, the sweets would have had more value in the sight of the child as compared to the marbles.”

    Similarly, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra narrated another fable in which a man was travelling across a jungle. His food and provisions had become exhausted. He was starving to the extent that he did not see how he would survive without food. On the way he saw a sack and thinking that it contained roasted seeds or something edible, he rushed towards the sack. He slashed it with his knife, only to discover that it contained pearls. Dejected by this, he discarded the sack. In that instance, a handful of seeds seemed more precious to him than those pearls. Thus, one appreciates an object according to the need and knowledge of it. Some people in their estimation strive in search of something insignificant but then overlook the important matters. (Khutabat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 20, pp. 494-495)

    This is something we observe in relation to worldly pursuits and forging a connection with God Almighty. Many people in the world act in this manner and owing to their lack of knowledge or understanding about this, they give preference to these pursuits over their prayers. They consider less important matters to be very important for them and push aside those matters which are in fact vital for them.

    With regard to giving preference to prayer, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has mentioned an excellent point. Before I mention his point, many people ask me as well that they pray in earnestness and with fervency, yet their prayers are not accepted. I answer them in light of the verses I spoke about during the first sermon of this Ramadan in which God Almighty has said that He is near to His servants and that He listens to their prayers. God Almighty states:

    اُجِیۡبُ دَعۡوَۃَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ ۙ فَلۡیَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡا لِیۡ وَ لۡیُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِیۡ لَعَلَّہُمۡ یَرۡشُدُوۡنَ

    With regard to this verse, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra has elaborated on the clause

    دَعۡوَۃَ الدَّاعِ

    “The prayer of the supplicant” and states that this does not include every person who supplicates to God. Rather the acceptance of prayer mentioned in this clause refers to those supplicants who fast in the day for the sake of God Almighty, offer the obligatory prayers, spend time in remembrance of God Almighty, safeguard their prayers and the Friday prayers and then in the night, they supplicate to God Almighty with fervency and devotion. Although the meaning of ‘al-Da‘ithe supplicant – could include every person who prays, however, in these verses, since the topic of Ramadan is specifically under discussion, therefore it refers to those supplicants who pray only for the sake of God Almighty. They do not offer their prayers only during Ramadan, in fact they worship all year round. They do not offer prayers for worldly pursuits, rather they only pray to be granted the nearness of God Almighty. God Almighty has stated that if a person abandons everything and seeks His nearness, then God Almighty listens to that person’s prayers and this is the meaning of ‘al-Da‘i’ [the supplicant] as explained by Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra. God Almighty has stated that His servants are those who strive to find Him, as explained in the verse:

    وَ اِذَا سَاَلَکَ عِبَادِیۡ عَنِّیۡ

    that is, when God’s servants enquire about Him and wish to form a connection with Him, they do not enquire about food, employment nor any worldly desire, in fact they only ask, “where is God Almighty, as we wish to form a connection with Him.”

    God Almighty has stated that those who are anxious to meet Him, He responds to their calling. God Almighty has not stated that He certainly responds to those people who pray to Him about employment, food or for them to be bestowed wealth. Usually it is the case that the people who seek these things from God Almighty are the ones who say that God Almighty did not respond to their earnest and fervent prayers. The people who seek these things from God Almighty are those who worship God only occasionally. They only pray to God Almighty and fulfil His worship so long as they are in need of something. Their state of fervency is only temporary.

    Some people say that they prayed with great anguish and fervency, however God Almighty did not listen to their prayers. God Almighty has not stated anywhere that He shall fulfil all of man’s worldly desires and accept prayers related to them. Indeed, if one was to bring about virtuous changes within themselves and then pray in anguish to find God Almighty, then God has stated that He will certainly listen to such prayers. God will then become the friend of such a supplicant and stand side by side with him, fulfil their requests and fight against their enemies.

    Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra states:

    “Some subject matters are not clear from the words alone, but instead are hidden deep within the text. The same is the case for the meaning of ‘al-Da‘i’ [the supplicant] in that it does not refer to every supplicant, rather it refers to the one who seeks God Almighty. God has stated, ‘When My servants strive towards Me, they develop a state of anguish and love within them that they supplicate “Where is our God” and God shall answer, ‘I do not reject the call of a supplicant and certainly respond to their prayer.’” (Khutabat-e-Mahmud, Vol. 20, pp. 500-501)

    People pray for worldly objects and when their prayers are not accepted, they become disappointed with God Almighty. As I mentioned earlier, for example, they pray for employment and seeking many other things. A person may be more qualified for the job and will thus get that job. If then the other person complains that they prayed in anguish for that job, then it is quite possible that the first person prayed even harder and for that reason they were given the job. The same is the case for other worldly objects as well. Worldly pursuits are limited to a certain sphere. If a person has a job or works in a few different places, what they seek will be limited to that alone.

    Similarly, other worldly pursuits are also limited. They will be one, two or a few, however, God Almighty is limitless and has no end. When we seek God Almighty, every single person can be granted His nearness, on the condition that they develop the fervency and act on His commands. God Almighty has stated that we ought to obey Him and understand the value of His lofty status and grandeur. One ought to recognise a diamond when they see it and not consider it to be a glass pebble.

    When this is the case, one can find God Almighty and whosoever finds God Almighty, every blessing of this world will be made available for them. Thus, it is the duty of man to obey every injunction of God Almighty. One should not consider that only one month in the year is exclusive for worship. One should not consider that worship [only] on the last Friday of Ramadan will be accepted. We ought to have full conviction and belief in God Almighty and should never betray Him. Only then will we be counted amongst those people who are guided, as mentioned by God Almighty. When God Almighty becomes the friend of an individual, then all their needs are taken care of and this is a promise of God Almighty.

    Thus, it is our responsibility as those who have accepted the Promised Messiahas to raise the standards of our worship. Strive to prevent the standards from falling below the level that your worship has reached this Ramadan or the level that you are trying to raise it to. Continue to elevate the status of your prayers and maintain the attendance at Friday prayers, obey the commandments of God Almighty and strive to become counted amongst those people who always pray for the sake of God Almighty alone, meaning that one ought to pray constantly for them to find God Almighty.

    May our prayers and worship enable us to reach the level of meeting our God. May God Almighty enable us to achieve these standards.

    (Translated by The Review of Religions. Originally published in Al Fazl International on 21 June 2019, pp. 5-8)

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