Friday Sermon
5 November 2021
The blessings of financial sacrifice: Tahrik-e-Jadid New Year 2021
After reciting the tashahud, ta‘awuz and Surah al-Fatihah, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa stated:
One of the qualities of a believer that Allah the Almighty has mentioned in the Holy Quran is that they spend their pure wealth in the cause of Allah the Almighty in order to acquire His pleasure. Whenever Allah the Almighty has mentioned in the Holy Quran the spending of one’s wealth, He states that it is only the believers who spend [in the way of Allah the Almighty]. At times, Allah the Almighty has mentioned it with reference to sadaqah [charity] and at times, with reference to Zakat.
Furthermore, Allah the Almighty has also outlined how and where to spend the wealth of those who sacrifice it and spend it in His way. It is the hallmark of divine communities that they spend their wealth in the cause of Allah the Almighty in order to purify it and to acquire the blessings and pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
The financial sacrifices rendered by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat are carried out in the same spirit. The members of the Jamaat are aware that this is a commandment of Allah the Almighty and they are also aware of how these sacrifices are spent.
The mission with which the Promised Messiahas was sent – i.e. to establish the unity of Allah the Almighty and to raise aloft the flag of Islam and the Holy Prophetsa across the world – is not an ordinary task. To spread this message across the world is an extremely huge task. Nevertheless, this requires financial resources and by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the members of the Jamaat understand the commandment of Allah the Almighty which is to spend their wealth in His cause and try to fulfil these expenses.
By observing the extraordinary sacrifices offered by Ahmadis across various countries of the world, a person acquires even greater certainty in the fact that the Promised Messiahas was that appointed one by Allah the Almighty, through whom the beautiful teachings of Islam were to spread across the world in the Latter Days. If the opponents were to ponder over this sign with a spirit of justice and were to remove the malice which they harbour in their hearts, then this sign alone is enough to cleanse their hearts from their unjust opposition. However, their hearts are even harder than stones, particularly those of the so-called scholars. Nevertheless, their matter rests with God Almighty.
As I mentioned, Ahmadis spend their wealth in the cause of God Almighty with the intention of helping to fulfil the mission of the Promised Messiahas and to raise aloft the flag of the Holy Prophetsa across the world. There is no doubt that Allah the Almighty has promised the believers that whatever wealth they spend in the cause of Allah the Almighty, He will return it manifold. However, there are many such Ahmadis whose only intention is to acquire the pleasure of God Almighty and if they receive any worldly benefits, then this is the grace of Allah the Almighty. Through these sacrifices, they wish to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty and to be granted the provisions for a good reckoning [in the Hereafter].
The Ahmadiyya Jamaat is not a community of billionaires; rather, the majority of the members are poor or people of an average income. Despite this, they are filled with a spirit of sacrifice. They continuously endeavour to play a part in the rejuvenation of Islam. As such, even their small sacrifices find acceptance with Allah the Almighty and they bear fruits worth millions of pounds. Therefore, the true essence is for Allah the Almighty to accept these sacrifices.
Despite its limited resources, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, whatever project the Jamaat initiates is granted such blessings that those who observe the Jamaat think that perhaps the Jamaat is spending many millions of pounds on the project. However, they do not know that this money has been donated by those poor people whose wealth has been greatly blessed and as a result of which even our small projects seem huge.
I would also like to mention here that when the Jamaat grows, then people of various mindsets, as well as those who do not have much knowledge [of the nizam-e-Jamaat] or even those who have been Ahmadis for a long time but do not have much knowledge [of the nizam-e-Jamaat], often discuss these issues at home and also in front of their children as well which raises questions in their minds. As a result, they question the need of paying chanda [monetary donations for the progress of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat].
Firstly, it is the duty of the office-holders to remove these doubts from the minds of people through their own conduct and actions. They should help people develop a sense of trust so that people know that the chanda they give is for particular projects and that is what the chanda is spent on. Secondly, they should explain to them the significance of financial sacrifices and the importance it holds in the sight of Allah in a loving manner. It is through the financial sacrifices which people offer as a result of which they attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. With regard to where these financial sacrifices are spent: it is spent for the propagation of Islam. We also have a TV channel and a large amount of money is spent towards this; also, towards the publication of books and the Holy Quran. These funds are also spent towards the education of poor children and to feed the hungry. It is spent towards the training of the missionaries and the tabligh carried out through them. Mosques are being constructed. Similarly, there are various other projects of the Jamaat.
I have not said this because, God-forbid, a lot of people have started to ask these questions. The reason why I have mentioned this is that when the Jamaat grows, then due to its spread, the mischievous people and also those who seek to create evil enter the Jamaat and try to cause disorder. Such people try to create doubts in the minds of those who are less trained. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the members of the Jamaat have a very firm belief that resources are needed for the administrative structure of the Jamaat to function and that it is the commandment of Allah the Almighty to spend in His way.
Thus, there are countless examples in the Jamaat, whereby people, despite having nothing themselves, spend through some means or another, in order to attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty. And in return, Allah the Almighty never allows such sacrifices to go to waste. Allah the Almighty grants them according to His promise:
وَ يَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ
“And will provide for him from whence he expects not.” [Ch.65: V.4]
Allah the Almighty indeed fulfils His promise and Ahmadis are not such that they only read this in the Quran, but they witness this being fulfilled even today and write about their experiences. I will present some of these examples; these are not incidents of the past; in fact, Allah the Almighty is strengthening the faith of believers even today. This not only strengthens the faith and is of benefit to those upon whom Allah the Almighty bestows His grace directly, but also strengthens the faith of those who are near to them. Owing to them, they also develop a realisation and try to excel in financial sacrifices so that they too can attain the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.
As I mentioned earlier, I will present a few examples from the letters that people write to me about the ways in which Allah the Almighty blesses them.
One example has been written by the missionary-in-charge of Guinea Conakry. He writes that when he read out some faith-inspiring incidents from my sermon to members of the Jamaat and said that they ought to set such examples as well, subsequently Maimoona Sahiba called him and said that she did not have any money to spend on her household needs, and that her husband was out of town owing to his work. After the Friday prayers, her father gave her 100,000 Guinean francs as a gift.
She says that she was in two minds whether she ought to pay [Tahrik-e-Jadid] chanda or spend it on household needs. She then prayed and gave half the amount, i.e. 50,000 francs, towards chanda.
She says, “24-hours had not passed when, miraculously, I was bestowed 300,000 francs by Allah the Almighty from where I could not even imagine I would receive money. Upon this, I thanked Allah the Almighty for granting me the opportunity to make the correct decision.” She says that it also increased her faith.
A Lajna sadr from a jamaat in Canada writes that when the secretary for Tahrik-e-Jadid enquired about the total outstanding amount from the members who were not able to pay, it turned out to be $325 – which is a small amount considering their [Canada’s financial] situation.
She says, “I thought that I would pay it myself. But when I checked my account, I did not have any money left. In fact, the account was in minus as I had spent $3 more.”
She then says, “However, when I checked the account the following day, I was left astonished as there was more than $3,000 in my account.” She says that this was an amount that had been pending for quite some time and there was no chance of receiving this amount. However, when Allah the Almighty saw her intention to pay the remaining amount, He ensured the means so that she immediately received that amount which had been pending for a long time.
A member of the Jamaat from South Africa, Shaheen Sahib, writes:
“I paid my chanda for Tahrik-e-Jadid and gave half the amount that was in my bank account.” He says that it was not a substantial amount, but he thought that since it was the last month for the Tahrik-e-Jadid year, therefore if he did not pay it, then he might not get another opportunity. He says that he subsequently paid the amount.
On the same day, his father came to visit him and said that he had transferred some money to him for his use and he would receive it soon. Shaheen Sahib says that the amount he received from his father was 20 times the amount he had paid for the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid. He says that he paid chanda on the amount he received from his father as well for Allah the Almighty had bestowed him a greater amount from where he did not expect it.
On the same day, as he paid this second amount, he received a phone call from his boss, informing him that they were willing to offer him a job in Dubai if he wished to go. Nonetheless, he agreed to go and in this way, he was granted a very good job abroad. He says, “These two incidents were not coincidences; rather, I am convinced that this was the grace of Allah the Almighty because of giving chanda and offering this sacrifice.”
A missionary from Australia writes:
“A member of the Jamaat said that he pledged to give chanda, but his financial situation was not stable. He said that when he paid the amount, he was convinced that Allah the Almighty would grant him a hundred-fold in return as this was Allah’s promise.” Some people also have this thinking.
“He had bought a plot and hardly expected it to increase in value. However, after paying the chanda, he says that miraculously the profit on the plot increased a hundred-fold. He says that after this, he was fully convinced that Allah the Almighty accepted his sacrifice and bestowed His grace upon him.”
The missionary in Kazakhstan writes that a devoted Ahmadi local, Ali Bek Sahib gave 10,000 tenge (which is the local currency there) towards the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid and after giving his chanda, he left for work. He says, “A few days later, a senior executive of the company called me and said that since the company had made an extraordinary profit, the company had decided to give three employees a bonus of 100,000 [tenge] for their hard work.” He then says, “Allah the Almighty gave me 10 times the amount I gave towards chanda and I never expected to receive it.”
A member [of Jamaat] from Birmingham, UK says, “I performed bai‘at in 2016 along with my family. At the time, I was facing severe financial difficulties and was in a lot of debt. After entering the Jamaat, I began paying my chanda according to my means; in fact, on occasion, I gave more than what I could afford in certain initiatives.
“In the early days that I had pledged allegiance, my wife had to set up a tabligh stall in a school. I took a day off work to look after the children. Owing to this leave from work, I suffered a loss of £100. At the time, my financial situation was very challenging and this was a very substantial amount.” Nonetheless, he says, “I thought to myself that it is Allah’s work and one should make a sacrifice for this, and so I took a day off work. However, Allah had other plans. As soon as my wife finished and came home, my boss called me asking if I could come to work within the hour as there was urgent work that had just come up.” He further says, “I left immediately and on that day, I only worked for one hour, but received the full day’s wages of £100. When I came and told my wife”, both of whom had recently accepted Ahmadiyyat, “we remained elated for many days owing to Allah the Almighty’s grace upon us and we expressed our gratitude to Him.”
The Wakil-ul-Mal [finance director] in Tahrik-e-Jadid Qadian says:
“There is a member of the Jamaat in the state of Kerala, India who is very wealthy. He is a well-off businessman and is extremely passionate about giving towards the Tahrik-e-Jadid chanda etc. Each year, he gives a large sum towards it.” He further says, “Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, his situation was such that he did not have the means to give a large amount. He paid his Hissa Amad etc. and other contributions, but did not have enough for Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said, ‘Allah the Almighty has always granted me the opportunity to give chanda [Tahrik-e-Jadid], but at present, my situation is such that there is no means for me to pay.’” Nonetheless, he had full trust in Allah the Almighty that He would provide him with the means to pay it.
He further says, “Just two days before the end [of the Tahrik-e-Jadid year], he gave a substantial amount of one million [Indian] rupees towards Tahrik-e-Jadid.” He says that during the Friday sermon, the missionary reminded people about paying the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid and also narrated some incidents taken from my sermons. This gentleman was so affected by them that instead of presenting one million rupees, he gave 1.8 million rupees for the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid. Owing to this, he was convinced that he would secure the governmental project and said that if he secured the project, he would give an even greater amount for Tahrik-e-Jadid.
Nonetheless, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, even amongst the affluent Ahmadis, there are those who have a passion to offer sacrifices. And instead of storing away their wealth, they strive to spend it in the way of Allah.
Habib Sahib, a missionary from Burkina Faso writes:
“Sore Seydou Sahib is one of our members. He still had to pay 1,700 CFA [for Tahrik-e-Jadid] and there was only one week remaining before the end of the year. In any case, he made the effort and paid 2,000 CFA which was a little more than what he had to pay. He says that not even an hour had passed since he paid his chanda that one of his acquaintances sent him 10,000 CFA and then an hour later, he sent another 10,000 CFA. His friend then phoned him and said that he sent him 20,000 CFA as a gift. Seydou Sahib stated that this friend of his had never sent him any money before that and that it was the first time. He said that he paid 2,000 CFA and Allah the Almighty increased it manifold and granted him 20,000 CFA within two hours.”
Thus, through this, people’s faith is strengthened.
The muallim of the Lungi region in Sierra Leone, Abdullah Sahib, writes:
“Pa JM Kaine Sahib is an elderly member of the Jamaat. Last year, his promise for Tahrik-e-Jadid was 25,000 leone. This year, he promised to pay 50,000 leones but was also facing some financial difficulties. When an announcement was made regarding the collection of the Tahrik-e-Jadid, he enquired what his promise was from the missionary. When he was informed that it was 50,000 leones, he was astonished as to how 50,000 leones had been written because it was not possible for him to pay that much. He was told that in fact, he himself had written the promise. Upon this he became silent.
“A week later, he attended an Ansar meeting and informed them that he had a total of 60,000 leones and he had left 20,000 leones at home and brought the remaining 40,000 leones to contribute towards the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid and that he did not even have any money now for his return journey. In any case, I told him that since he had offered a sacrifice in the way of Allah the Almighty, He would provide the means for it.
“He began to walk home and on the way, he happened to meet an old friend of his. He had not met him for a long time and so they began talking. When the friend was about to leave, he took out 30,000 leones and gave it to this elderly gentleman as a gift. He then stated that he knew a lady and went to visit her to enquire about her health. When he was about to leave from there, she gave him 10,000 leones in order to cover the fare for his journey home. He states that in this way, Allah the Almighty granted him the money which he had paid towards the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid. He then paid the remaining amount of the 50,000 leones he had promised.
“He then states that he was granted another blessing as well. One of his relatives, who lived abroad phoned him and said that he had not spoken to him for a while and that he was gifting him 400,000 leones as a gift. Thus, he was not only granted the same amount in return, but in fact Allah the Almighty granted him 10 times the amount. He said that he was not only able to offer a sacrifice, but it also proved to be a means to strengthen his faith.”
The missionary of the Boke region in Guinea Conakry writes:
“We held a ‘Tahrik-e-Jadid Week’ for the collection of Tahrik-e-Jadid chanda. We drew the attention of local Ahmadis during the Friday Sermon and also visited the houses of members. We visited the house of a very devout member, Jibraeel Sahib, who is a carpenter by profession and reminded him to pay the [Tahrik-e-Jadid] chanda. Jibraeel Sahib stated that at the time, he only had 20,000 francs which he had kept to cover his expenses; however, he contributed it all towards his chanda. He said that he did not have anything else besides that but prayed that Allah the Almighty might accept his sacrifice. Jibraeel Sahib states that he had prepared a wooden bed frame three months ago in order to sell it but no one was buying it. He says that very soon, after paying his chanda, someone came and purchased the bed for 1.5 million francs. Upon this, Jibraeel Sahib immediately phoned one of our missionaries and told him that not only did Allah the Almighty accept his sacrifice, but granted him manifold in return. He also narrated this incident to his friends as well in order to strengthen their faith.”
Munir Hussain Sahib, who is a missionary in Freetown, Sierra Leone, writes:
“There is a khadim [member of Majlis Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya], Sufi Songo Sahib, who is a student and currently residing in the mosque for the purpose of studies.” He had heard my sermon, or perhaps a recording of last year’s sermon on Tahrik-e-Jadid, wherein I mentioned those people who had offered financial sacrifices.
“He says that he heard the sermon very intently and was filled with great passion and a zeal to also have the opportunity to offer financial sacrifice. However, the difficulty was that since he was a student, he could not do any other work and he was barely able to cover the expenses for his studies. Nevertheless, despite his difficulties, he was extremely anxious to take part. He wrote a promise of 500,000 leones to the Secretary Tahrik-e-Jadid, which was very difficult for him to pay. He was worried as to how he would pay it and began praying day and night for it so that Allah the Almighty would grant him some means whereby he could fulfil his promise.
“A few days later, one of his relatives brought his son with him and told him that he wanted to enrol his son into an Ahmadiyya school. And so, Sufi Sahib spoke to the principal and he offered him a place in the school. Upon this, the boy’s father gave him 100,000 leones and said that this would come in use to cover his expenses for food etc. He says that in fact that day he had nothing to eat but despite that, he gave that entire amount towards Tahrik-e-Jadid so that he could at least fulfil a part of his promise. He then states that a few days later, he received a call from an unknown person who told him about some work and that they would pay him a good amount in return if he was willing to take it on. He immediately agreed to it and by the grace of Allah the Almighty he received a million leones as wages for his work and he immediately fulfilled his promise for Tahrik-e-Jadid.”
The missionary-in-charge of Gabon writes:
“There is a new convert, Issa Dindane Sahib; prior to his bai‘at and paying chanda, his circumstances were such that at times, two or three weeks would pass by and he would not find any work. However, since he started to pay his chanda regularly, he finds work on almost a daily basis. He travels from very far in order to pay his chanda and he would almost pay the same amount for the taxi fare as his chanda. Hence, we made an arrangement for him so that he could send his chanda from home instead of spending twice the amount.”
A lady from Jordan, Fajr Attaya Sahiba, states:
“It has been 22 years since I accepted Ahmadiyyat. I have noticed that ever since I have become an Ahmadi, whenever I make the intention of paying chanda, Allah the Almighty provides the means from somewhere. At times, I receive the exact amount which I had intended to pay for chanda. These are the blessings of the Jamaat.”
She further states:
“I have studied engineering. If I find work which I can do from home, I take it. It is my habit that I do not take any money from my husband in order to pay the chanda because often, he does not have enough money. Hence, I pay the chanda from my own earnings. This year, I had forgotten and thought that I had already paid my Tahrik-e-Jadid chanda; however, when I was reminded, I did not even have one dinar at the time. I was concerned as to how I would pay the chanda when a female student came to me and asked if I could give her tuition. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, now, through the tuition fees, I will be able to pay the chanda and will also save some money from it as well.”
The president of the Bokubadala Jamaat in Burkina Faso writes:
“A few non-Ahmadi friends came to me and said, ‘We are astonished upon looking at the condition of your crops. We noticed that you all would spend a lot of time helping in the construction of the Jamaat school and there was no one behind to look after your crops. However, despite that, our crops are not as good as yours. In contrast, we gave all our time to our crops, but our crops are not as good as yours.’”
Upon this, the president [of the Jamaat] stated, “We all did this work for the sake of Allah the Almighty and the Jamaat. Whatever time we sacrificed for the construction of the school, we prayed that ‘O Allah! Protect our crops for we have placed our trust in You.’ Thus, Allah the Almighty accepted our prayers and our crops turned out to be in good condition. Now, we pay our chanda in accordance to the yield of our crops.”
Children also have an understanding of the spirit of sacrifice. They are children living in developing countries, but their awareness is of such a level that in some instances, children in developed countries and children who are well-educated do not possess the same level of awareness. There is an incident that demonstrates this, related by Hussain Yusuf Sahib, the missionary in Zanzibar, who says:
“Some children were playing outside of the mosque when an elder passed by and was happy to see them. He gave them 1,400 shillings so that they could buy themselves some sweets. The children took this money and went to an Ahmadi shopkeeper and had him divide the money into change. The children took this change to the mosque and instead of buying sweets, they divided their money and each gave 100 shillings as chanda and they joyfully kept their receipts. When the Ahmadi shopkeeper learned that the children had got the change in order to give chanda, he was left utterly astonished.”
Insha-Allah, it is these children who will become the firm foundations of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat in the future.
Then, there is another astounding instance of children presenting sacrifices. The following incident is also from Tanzania; the muallim from Samuye writes:
“There are three children in our Jamaat who are studying in the fourth grade and they regularly attend the talim and tarbiyat classes in the mosque. All three belong to financially poor households and they do not have any regular source of income. Since last month, all three were competing with regard to offering contributions for Tahrik-e-Jadid. Each one of them would individually bring their contributions and would try to present whatever amount they had. Whether it was 500, 400, or 700 hundred shillings, they would give whatever they had.”
He continues, “Once, I asked them where they were getting this money from, which they would bring for Tahrik-e-Jadid. One of them said that he would go to the forest with his mother and help her to chop wood and he would set aside whatever pocket money he received to give in Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that ever since he started offering financial contributions, he would always find customers for their wood immediately and they never suffered any loss. The second child said that he would also take out an amount from his pocket money to present as chanda. The third child said that there were some fruit trees near his home. Sometimes, he would sell any extra fruit and would offer the amount he earned for chanda. These three children also spoke about the blessings of financial contributions, and how they experienced peace in their lives by presenting financial sacrifices.”
May Allah the Almighty increase the faith and sincerity of these children. These are the rewards of faith which even our children reap.
The missionary-in-charge of Belize – this is another example of a child, who is living in a completely different part of the world; one child is living in one part of the world and the other in a completely different part and yet their thinking is the same – writes:
“A 14-year-old child in Belize donated all his savings towards the construction of the mosque. He also showed an excellent example of sacrifice towards Tahrik-e-Jadid. This child belongs to a very poor household and his father covers the expenses of the household with great difficulty. When the missionary informed them about the importance of Tahrik-e-Jadid, this young boy presented one dollar and said that this donation was on behalf of his family. The missionary was pleased with this because he knew that based on their financial circumstances, this was a great sacrifice on their part. However, this child, whose name is Danyal, stated not to write down his name. He said that this was on behalf of his family, but he would pay his own contribution later. The next day, this child presented another 10 dollars and said, ‘I was convinced that Allah the Almighty would certainly bestow His blessings upon my family.’ And with that, he presented his own contribution.”
In relation to how Allah the Almighty instils the passion for sacrifice in the hearts of those who have newly joined the Jamaat and how he treats them, Nooruddeen Sahib from Morocco states that after doing the bai‘at in 2017, he started taking part in financial sacrifices. At the time, he had a very meagre salary, but one day, he heard one of my sermons on the Jamaat’s website in which I was mentioning the sacrifices offered by the companions of the Promised Messiahas and other Ahmadi members. He states that after a few days, his heart was filled with passion and he went to the national sadr of the Morocco Jamaat and told him he wished to enter the nizam-e-Wasiyyat. The national sadr explained to him the various conditions and regulations, which in turn further fuelled his desire and he did his Wasiyyat. After a few months, his personal circumstances improved and he found employment in a very good company with a good salary. Currently, he is working as a manager of that company in another city. He said that in just a matter of three years, his salary had tripled. And the company has so much trust in him that when he was about to leave the capital city of Morocco, his manager asked him whether he knew of any other Ahmadi like him who would want to work with them. He says that upon hearing this, he became rather emotional and tears began to flow from his eyes. He then spoke to one of his Ahmadi friends in the city and he got the job. That Ahmadi friend has also been made a manager now. Nooruddeen Sahib says that he is pressured by his family members with regard to him paying the chanda and he is also mocked by some of his other relatives as well. However, he is grateful to Allah the Almighty that owing to his chanda, he has never had to experience any financial difficulties.
A missionary from Perth, Australia writes:
“When a khadim was reminded about paying the chanda of Tahrik-e-Jadid, as he had not yet done so, he said that due to Covid-19, he did not have any work and was facing financial difficulties. A few days later, he came and informed me that in order to fulfil his promise, he sold a few things in his house. He said that a few days after he had paid the amount, he got four different contracts for work and also a new all-expense-paid job; his income increased more than before as well. The khadim said, ‘All of this was only due to the blessings of Allah the Almighty and the chanda I paid by selling things from the house which Allah the Almighty returned it back to me immediately.’”
Then, a secretary for Tahrik-e-Jadid from another city in South Australia writes:
“A devoted member had yet to pay his promise for Tahrik-e-Jadid. When he was reminded about it, he said, ‘I have put my house on for sale. As soon as it is sold, I will pay it.’ Two days later, he phoned me and said that owing to the grace of Allah, his house sold for an unexpectedly high profit and he was convinced that it was due to his promise of paying chanda. He paid six times more than his promise for Tahrik-e-Jadid.”
Allah the Almighty blesses people through worldly gains as well. But despite this, the thinking of an Ahmadi is that these blessings are not due to any excellence on their part; rather, it is due to offering sacrifices, and only an Ahmadi can think in this way and not anyone else.
The missionary of Argentina writes that he wrote an article on the topic of financial sacrifice to raise awareness and included words from a sermon of mine in which I said that new converts should be told that offering financial sacrifices is essential and that they should be told that the message of Ahmadiyyat that has reached them is owing to those who sacrificed their wealth under the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid. Hence, they should also participate so that they could bring reform to their lives and further propagate this message. This is the excerpt he cited from my sermon and published.
He further writes:
“When this article was sent to the members of the Jamaat, Anas Ezequiel, a youth, contacted me and said that he would like to come to the mission house and present his contributions to Tahrik-e-Jadid. Despite the severe heat, he boarded a public bus right after school and travelled for over an hour to reach the mission house and contributed 1,000 Argentinian pesos for Tahrik-e-Jadid.”
He further writes, “I was very surprised. His financial situation was not such that he could afford this; also, he was still a student in school and did not have a particular source of income. The financial situation of his family was not good either.”
He further says, “Even on that day, he did not eat lunch due to a shortage of money. Upon asking him about the matter, he said that the shared excerpt of the Khalifa of the time had an extraordinary impact on his heart, in which it was stated that new converts should also contribute to the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid because the message of Ahmadiyyat reached them by means of Tahrik-e-Jadid. He said that on the one hand, he read this excerpt, and on the other, he came across a verse of the Holy Quran in which Allah the Almighty stated that martyrs and their sacrifices should not be considered deceased; rather, they live on for eternity. I also desired to offer such a sacrifice whose benefits and impact would live on even after my demise.’ He said that his family members, who are all non-Muslims, gifted some money to him on his birthday. He was contributing all the money he had remaining from that amount to Tahrik-e-Jadid so that it could be used to further convey the message of Ahmadiyyat to others just as it was conveyed to him.”
This is the revolutionary change that develops within those who accept Ahmadiyyat.
Whether they are new Ahmadis or Ahmadis of old, all of them are greatly impacted when they hear how the Ahmadiyya Jamaat spends its funds. If there is a lack of awareness in this regard in some members of the Jamaat, then awareness should be raised and the purposes and importance [of financial sacrifice] should be explained to them, which could also result in an increase in contributions.
Nonetheless, there is also an incident from Liberia. Murtaza Sahib, a local muallim and whose local Jamaat consists mainly of new converts who converted from Christianity, writes:
“In regard to the scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid, I went to visit a local jamaat. I arrived there in the afternoon and most people were out working in their fields. I said to those who were present that I would stay the night there and would not leave until a hundred percent of the members contributed to this blessed scheme. In the evening, when all the people returned to the village, I presented the background and importance of the grand scheme of Tahrik-e-Jadid before them and encouraged all of them to participate. By the grace of Allah, every male and female member contributed enthusiastically.
“The next morning, when I was taking my leave, I was told that there was a fellow Ahmadi by the name of Alfanso Sahib who had been living out on his farm for the past two months and had not yet contributed to Tahrik-e-Jadid. However, due to the distance and because the rains had obstructed the pathway, it was difficult for him to reach us. Upon this, I replied that I would certainly reach him, so that all of the members of their local jamaat would be part of this blessed scheme. Some members of the community tried to stop me, but I insisted. Nonetheless, some members accompanied me.
“After a two-and-a-half-hour journey on foot, when we reached Alfanso Sahib, he was shocked, but overjoyed. Immediately, he contributed to Tahrik-e-Jadid. Alfanso Sahib’s wife and children were also living with him. His wife had not accepted Ahmadiyyat. Upon seeing what had happened, she said that she was greatly impacted by the spirit with which Ahmadis served their faith. Therefore, from that day forward, she too would enter the fold of Ahmadiyyat and her children would also become part of the Jamaat.”
As such, due to its blessings, a whole family was enabled to enter the fold of Ahmadiyyat.
How do those who take bai‘at truly understand how important it is to offer financial sacrifices? In this regard, a missionary from Mali writes:
“There is a member in one of our regions by the name of Sedu Sahib. One day, he came to the mission house in Kita and offered his contribution to Tahrik-e-Jadid saying, ‘The year for Tahrik-e-Jadid was coming to a close and I had been worried for days for God Almighty to enable me to pay the amount I had pledged. Today, God Almighty has enabled me to do so, and so I have come.’
“One of his legs was impaired. When he was told that he did not have to trouble himself and that we would have come to him instead, he became impassioned and said, ‘I have accepted the Imam Mahdi and despite my apparent physical disability, I consider myself in much better condition than some of those who are healthy. By the grace of God Almighty, I hold great pain for the cause of my faith. Perhaps my coming here in this condition for the betterment of the religion of God Almighty will be accepted in His court and will become a means of my forgiveness.’”
A missionary from Benin writes:
“There is a local muallim, Moutowama. He said that he went to visit a new local jamaat in his zone. The president of the local jamaat, Ismail Sahib explained, ‘We had always been Muslims and would annually either offer some financial sacrifice or offer some amount to our imam for the sake of Allah. This is the first year that we are Ahmadis, and for the first time, we have offered our financial sacrifices to the Ahmadiyya Jamaat. Previously, whatever we gave to our imams was spent by them. However, we asked the Ahmadiyya missionary about how the financial sacrifices were spent and upon being informed, we realised that we were completely unaware of the extraordinary purposes for the expenditures. The Jamaat does not waste even this meagre offering but uses it in every minor and major work for the advancement and the propagation of Islam all around the world. Even a person who contributes only a few [CFA] francs will receive an exceptional reward for it. Therefore, in understanding this philosophy of sacrifice, we have contributed to Tahrik-e-Jadid and have felt that our homes were not afflicted with financial problems this year, nor have we incurred any expenses for our health and our children’s health this year. Our attendance in our daily prayers has also increased more than before. Allah the Almighty has protected us and, by the grace of Allah Almighty, this time, we have felt comfort and satisfaction in our hearts that our financial sacrifices have not gone in vain.’”
Some people allege that the people of Africa living in remote areas are unlearned or lack understanding. This example, however, is such a profound outlook and such a lofty vision, the likes of which does not occur to even those who are very well-educated. The manner in which they explained everything and how the importance of financial sacrifice dawned upon them, it is the result of the revolution that takes place within people after they pledge allegiance.
May Allah the Almighty enable every single one of us to offer sacrifices for the propagation of Islam, and may we be those who contribute from our pure earnings. May these sacrifices find acceptance in the sight of Allah the Almighty and may He be pleased with us.
Now I shall announce the commencement of the new year of Tahrik-e-Jadid and present some details. By the grace of Allah, the 87th year came to an end on 31 October and the 88th year has now begun. By the grace of Allah, the Ahmadiyya Jamaat contributed £15.3 million, which is an increase of £842,000 from the previous year.
Out of all the jamaats around the world, this year, Germany stood first by some distance. The economic situation in Pakistan remains dire, yet the members continue to increase in their sacrifices. Pray for them also. Aside from this, they are victims to many other difficulties nowadays. Every day, there seems to be a lawsuit against someone, court cases are filed against them and the government is making every effort it can to subdue and harass them. May Allah the Almighty remove all their worries and enable them to hold all their activities freely; whereby they can hold their ijtemas and annual gatherings and be able to present their sacrifices openly. They will, of course, not express their sacrifices themselves, but we can mention them; however, due to certain restraints, it is not possible to even mention some of their sacrifices.
Nevertheless, as for the others who made sacrifices, I have already mentioned that Germany stood first, followed by the United Kingdom, then the USA in third position, Canada in fourth, a Middle-Eastern country in fifth, India in sixth, Australia in seventh, Indonesia in eighth, Ghana in ninth and another Middle-Eastern country in tenth position.
In terms of the overall contribution from the African countries, Ghana stood in first position, followed by Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Tanzania and then Sierra Leone. I have mentioned in the past that Sierra Leone can improve, and despite the fact that there is indeed much room for improvement, they are not giving it the attention that is required. If the people are told in a proper manner, they will find them to truly be those that make sacrifices, as I have presented in the incidents. The remaining positions are Gambia, Benin, Uganda, Kenya and then Liberia.
In terms of the increase in contributors, Nigeria holds the first position, then the Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Tanzania, Guinea Conakry, Malawi, Uganda, Guinea Bissau, Congo Kinshasa, Burkina Faso and then Congo Brazzaville.
As for the increase in participants in the larger jamaats outside of Africa, Germany stands first, then the United Kingdom, Holland, Bangladesh then Mauritius. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, the contributions from the members of Daftar Awal are still being paid.
The first 10 jamaats of Germany are as follows: Rödermark was first, followed by Neuss, Mahdi-Abad, Köln, Rodgau, Nieda, Flörsheim, Pinneberg, Frankenthal and Osnabrück.
The local amarats in Germany are as follows: Hamburg, Frankfurt, Gross-Gerau, Dietzenbach, Wiesbaden, Mörfelden, Riedstadt, Mannheim, Darmstadt, Rüsselsheim.
In terms of contributions towards Tahrik-e-Jadid from Pakistan, Lahore is first, followed by Rabwah, then Karachi. In terms of the districts, Islamabad is first, then Gujranwala, Sialkot, Umerkot, Multan, Toba Tek Singh, Mirpur Khas, Attock, Mirpur, Azad Kashmir and Dera Ghazi Khan.
The position of the local jamaats in regard to the highest contribution is as follows: Amarat Defence Lahore, Amarat Gulshan Iqbal Karachi, Amarat Azizabad Karachi, Amarat Township Lahore, Amarat Model Town Lahore, Amarat Mughalpura Lahore, Amarat Delhi Gate Lahore, Amarat Clifton Karachi, Bahawalnagar and Hafizabad.
The positions of the top five regions in the UK are as follows: Baitul Futuh is first, Fazl Mosque is second, followed by Islamabad, Midlands and Baitul Ehsan.
The top 10 positions of the larger jamaats of the UK, in terms of the total collection, is as follows: Farnham, Islamabad, South Cheam, Fazl Mosque, Worcester Park, Birmingham, South Walsall, Aldershot, Gillingham and Guildford.
The positions of the jamaats in the USA in terms of contributions, are as follows: Maryland, Los Angeles, Detroit, Silicon Valley, Chicago, Seattle, Central Virginia, Oshkosh, Atlanta, Georgia, South Virginia, Houston, York and then Boston.
In terms of the total contribution, the positions of the local amarats in Canada are as follows: Vaughan, Peace Village and Calgary are level, then Vancouver, Toronto West and then Toronto.
The top 10 jamaats in India for their total contribution are: Qadian is first, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Karulai, Pathapiriyam, Kolkata, Bangalore, Kerang, Calicut and Melapalayam.
The top 10 provinces in terms of sacrifices made, are as follows: Kerala is first, followed by Tamil Nadu, Jammu Kashmir, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab, Bengal, Delhi, Lakshadweep.
The top 10 jamaats of Australia are as follows: Melbourne Long Warren, Castle Hill, Marsden Park, Melbourne Berwick, Adelaide South, Penrith, ACT Canberra, Parramatta and Adelaide West. These were the jamaats in Australia.
May Allah the Almighty greatly bless the wealth and progeny of all those who offered sacrifices.
(Original Urdu transcript published in Al Fazl International, 26 November 2021, pp. 5-10. Translated by The Review of Religions.)