Al Fazl, 23 June 1921
During his Friday Sermon of 17 June 1921, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] stated:
I will now say a few words briefly. Perhaps it would have been appropriate for me to have another friend give a sermon, but as one sermon has already been missed before and now, I have to go abroad as per the doctor’s advice, I will personally say a few words.
The first thing is that in this world, tasks are not achieved verbally. We have to work to achieve tasks and success comes from constant work and repeated attention. Look at your inner selves and consider the state of your soul, how much sincerity and sacrifice you have. If you have something, then look as to how open the way forward is and how desirous you are for it. Unless this point is nailed into the heart of every individual and every person realises that they are the manifestation of all Islamic progress, we can never achieve the goal for which our Jamaat has been established.
My second piece of advice is that Allah the Almighty, by His blessings, is bringing people into this Jamaat in droves, but our responsibilities are increasing with their arrival.
No madrasa has the right to be happy that a thousand students were admitted into it, but they could not manage and provide for their education. Likewise, if millions of people join our Jamaat but we cannot do their tarbiyat and educate and edify them according to Islamic teachings and teach them Islamic morals, then their coming is futile and it would be futile for us to be happy. A similar example of pride in this situation would be if guests were to come to our house, but there was no food for them to eat. The arrival of relatives is a good thing, but it is shameful and embarrassing if they cannot be served with food.
This is exactly an example of our Jamaat [that we should avoid], that people come to join Ahmadiyyat, but we are unable to spread a spiritual table in front of them or treat them like people sitting at the dining table treat animals, i.e. leftovers are thrown to them.
Our first duty is to do our own tarbiyat and then, we should reform the people near our markaz [centre]. The fall of Christianity was due to the fact that Jerusalem was empty and Christianity was established in other regions like Anatolia, Rome, etc.
On the contrary, the rise of Islam was such that the markaz first became stronger. When millions of people converted to Islam, it then spread across other areas. We are in danger if our condition ever becomes similar to Christianity. Thus, it is necessary to strengthen the markaz and carry out tabligh in the surrounding areas.
Now, I shall convey the good news that came through a telegram today. Master Abdur Rahim reached Lagos during his [tabligh] tour. There were already about a hundred Ahmadis there. The people there were divided into different sects and they looked keenly towards Ahmadiyyat. The relations of the Jamaat also had a great impact on them. They wanted an Ahmadi missionary to come there. Ten thousand people there have joined the Jamaat and a telegram has been received today from Master Sahib in this regard. This is delightful news and we are happy with this, and as the Holy Quran has taught us:
فَسَبِّحۡ بِحَمۡدِ رَبِّكَ
[“Glorify thy Lord, with His praise”], we glorify Allah, with His praise. These are God’s blessings and special grace that He is showering upon us without any great efforts on our part. However, this has increased our duties. It is our duty to educate [talim] and edify [tarbiyat] them. Otherwise, just as they were called savages before, they will now be called Ahmadi savages. Millions of people will join the Jamaat, but millions of missionaries are also needed for their tarbiyat. Hence, pay attention towards it; shun slothfulness and try your best to conquer the areas around you. May Allah the Almighty be with you.
(Translated by Al Hakam from the original Urdu in the 23 June 1921 issue of Al Fazl)