Al Fazl, 23-27 December 1920
Spiritual way to be blessed with offspring
A member of the Jamaat presented a question before Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] as to what the spiritual way of having offspring was. In response, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra said:
“The spiritual way [of getting offspring] is the same as that used by Zachariah, (which is mentioned in the first ruku‘ of Surah Maryam).
“[Then] raise that child and teach him religion. You should strive to establish God’s love in their heart. They should regularly remember God in their speech.”
What is the method for achieving satisfaction in Salat?
A friend asked Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud[ra] that he offers Salat but does not get satisfaction. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] replied:
“A way of achieving satisfaction [in Salat] is to perform ablution properly. Then recite istighfar for some time after the Salat. Moreover, a person should offer the sunnah prayers before and after the Salat with full concentration and earnestness.
“Salat should be offered unhurriedly and by keeping its meaning in the mind. After doing so, if you still do not find satisfaction and contentment in your heart, do not panic and keep doing it repeatedly, because it is not the work of a day or two, but a lifelong effort.”
Witnessing the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiahas
A person asked Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] to let him know about a method which he could follow and always get the honour of meeting the Holy Prophetsa and the Promised Messiahas [in dreams and visions].
In reply, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud[ra] said:
“The meaning of witnessing [the prophets] in reality is to meet them spiritually. However, it is irrational and unreasonable to think that prophets should come to visit people on a daily basis or that they should be brought to them. This is only an act of Allah the Almighty under which He grants the honour of [prophets’] visit to His servants.
“This is called the real witnessing and according to sufis [saints], whoever is blessed with this vision becomes part of the [group of the] sahaba [companions of prophets]. Another kind of sighting is that when a person thinks about something, its image is formed in his mind. Such visualisations may occur to certain people on a regular basis, but they are of no useful purpose. People should seek to achieve spiritual witnessing instead of those visions. They should follow their uswa-e-hasna [exemplary ways of life] so that they can derive full benefit.”
Farming as a profession
A friend wrote to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud[ra] that Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I, Hakim Maulvi Nuruddin Sahibra used to narrate a tradition that when the Holy Prophetsa saw agricultural tools in a person’s house, he said that faith and blessings would be removed from that house. Moreover, the following hadith is present in Ihya-ul-Uloom:
اھل الکور اھل الکور
It means that the villagers [farmers] are like prisoners. The worldwide condition of those people who are farmers by profession also reveal strong practical proof of such ahadith. [The enquirer stated that] in view of the above-mentioned ahadith and the practical experience of the world, he has started to hate agriculture and desires to leave it and get some other property within or near the city, or invest his wealth in another business. He requested Hazrat Khalifatul Masih[ra] to guide him in this regard.
Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud[ra] gave the following answer:
“All we know is that almost all the companions were farmers. Moreover, it is narrated in the ahadith about the Mahdi that he would be ‘Harith harrath’ [i.e. related with the profession of agriculture].
“The hadith you have pointed out means that those people will be ruined who engage themselves in agriculture to the extent that they do not pay any attention to religion. This is a common defect in the agriculturists that they do not pay much attention to other matters at all. They are always complaining that [they are busy because] ‘it is time to reap a certain crop’ or ‘it is time to sow such and such crop’ and then they say that ‘it is time to water them’. If a person can remove this defect, then this profession is also a very good profession.
“In the present age, this profession has advanced to the point where it can be done like trade, i.e. through co-operative societies. The fact of the matter is that the time of the Holy Prophetsa was a time of conquests.
“At that time, it was a humiliation and disgrace to give priority to the benefits of agriculture over the common interests. Hence, whatever the Holy Prophetsa said about such people was true in a certain sense. However, it is also true on the other hand that agriculture is a respected profession.”
How to get rid of worldly concerns?
A person wrote that he had become negligent in performing religious duties due to worldly thoughts and worries. He sought advice from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih II[ra] to help him get rid of worldly concerns. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud[ra] said:
“Worldly worries can only be diminished if the love of the world is reduced. There are none among those who are obsessed with earning worldly riches and then they say that they have got enough of the world.
“On the other hand, examples of such people do exist who are always after the love of God. They are grateful and content with the share of the world they possess. The only way to save oneself from worldly worries is to give the world the importance it deserves [and nothing more than that].”