Bring about a spiritual revolution: Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud’s address to Ahmadis in Rawalpindi, 1949

Ata-ul-Haye Nasir, Al Hakam

Jalsa Salana UK is commencing today. The convergence of multitudes of nationalities, ages, and backgrounds at Jalsa Salana, weaved as one body through the “rope of Allah” – Khilafat – to propagate the honour of Allah and gain His closeness, brings a unique sight to the Muslim ummah. The Promised Messiah^as and his Khulafa have repeatedly emphasised that the purpose of Jalsa Salana is to bring about a spiritual revolution in one’s life, unlike any hollow worldly festival. Jalsa Salana seeks to forge the human condition towards the Islamic path of taqwa – righteousness.

Spiritual reformation is a subject that has been regularly emphasised by Khulafa-e-Ahmadiyyat. This article will narrate one such instance.

On 17 February 1949, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud, Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad^ra, addressed Ahmadis in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

At the beginning of his speech, Huzoor^ra said that he wanted to call the Jamaat’s attention to their responsibilities in accordance with the changing circumstances:

“Since the responsibilities of the Jamaat are equally incumbent upon both men and women, I wanted the women to come here as well, so they could listen to my advice in relation to their duties, and if God Almighty enables them, they could mould their lives according to the prevailing circumstances.” (Al Fazl, 13 September 1962, p. 2)

Huzoor^ra mentioned that due to the Partition of India, hundreds of thousands of people had migrated from the eastern Punjab to western Punjab, and some had even migrated from Kashmir and Jammu as well:

“Thus, the circumstances of the society have completely changed, and the people have mixed together in such a manner that the nature of their responsibilities [towards the society] has changed from what was in the past. Similarly, our Jamaat can also not remain unaffected by this unprecedented transformation.” (Ibid.)

Huzoor^ra mentioned that as a result of this mass migration, the number of Ahmadis in Rawalpindi Jamaat has also greatly increased, and thus, the members here are required to align themselves with the needs of the time:

“Hence, I call the attention of the Jamaat to organise themselves in a better way, increase in chandas [financial sacrifices], enhance the level of their sacrifices, and most importantly, strengthen their relationship with God Almighty, in order to become the recipient of His help and succour. Always remember the fact that we do not possess the worldly means that are [considered essential for [material] progress. There is only one thing that can protect us, and that is to bow before Him [Allah] and seek help from Him alone. Allah the Almighty categorically declares in the Holy Quran:

کَمۡ مِّنۡ فِئَةٍ قَلِيۡلَةٍ غَلَبَتۡ فِئَةً کَثِيۡرَةًۢ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ

“‘How many a small party has triumphed over a large party by Allah’s command.’ (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch. 2: V. 250)

“It means that there have been many jamaats in the past that overpowered the comparatively large parties, by the grace of Allah the Almighty. However, the fact is that these examples are only of those people who connected themselves with Allah the Almighty, and eventually succeeded with His help and succour. […] The people of Noah^as attained victory despite being smaller in numbers. Moreover, we find in history that David^as, Moses^as, and various other prophets – despite being in the minority – overpowered their opponents. The followers of the Holy Prophet^sa became victorious despite being fewer in number. As far as worldly means were concerned, they did not have them. However, they had one spiritual power with them, and that was their connection with God Almighty. It was as if the world had divided into two parties: material and spiritual; from among those parties, [the Holy Prophet’s^sa followers] had the spiritual power with them, whereas their opponents possessed all of the material strength. They had the support of God Almighty and His angels, however, material wealth and means were against them. In this contest, where one party had earthly means but the other did not, the ultimate victor was the one who was in the minority and without any material means. On the other hand, the party that possessed a majority and was equipped with all earthly means had to face defeat.” (Al Fazl, 13 September 1962, p. 2)

Huzoor^ra continued:

“The opponents of the Holy Prophet^sa had wealth, armies, government, means of war, experienced warriors, and the nation and country were in support, whereas he [the Holy Prophet^sa] did not have any government or material means; however, he contested them and won, while the [disbelievers of] Arabia faced a defeat in this contest. کَمۡ مِّنۡ فِئَةٍ قَلِيۡلَةٍ غَلَبَتۡ فِئَةً کَثِيۡرَةًۢ بِاِذۡنِ اللّٰہِ. It means, how many nations of the world have passed that were small in number but triumphed over their opponents? It only happened when Allah the Almighty was in support of them. In other words, the nations that are weak and less numerous, either require the immense provision of material means or, if God Almighty is with them, they become victorious.

“It is apparent that we do not possess [worldly] power, thus, until we find a method that frees us from the need for [material] means, it is wrong to hope for success. If one does not possess the material means, there is only one method of achieving success; and that is to establish a relationship with God Almighty, and the connection should be such that you become His beloved. If we foster such a connection with Allah the Almighty, our [worldly] weakness and our being devoid of [material] means can never harm us. We can never be worried about seeing ourselves as fewer in number. Once such a connection is established, we can have certainty that we will be victorious over anyone who confronts us, since Allah the Almighty is with us. And the one who attains the Help of Allah the Almighty can never be overpowered by anyone.” (Ibid., p. 3)

Huzoor^ra further said:

“We are required to inculcate in our hearts the love of Allah the Almighty and to pledge that we will live and die in this world for the sake of God Almighty alone. We will be able to attain the nearness of Allah the Almighty once we desire to attain His pleasure by leaving aside the material gains for His sake and the attainment of His love becomes our sole objective. Once we attain His nearness, it will become impossible for any power in the world to overpower us. The angels of God Almighty would themselves descend to help us, and we would achieve those milestones [about which it is considered that] they cannot be achieved without the material means. […] You need to make a commitment that you will propagate the Faith throughout the world to make it victorious, and the only method to achieve this, is to befriend God Almighty. Once you befriend God Almighty, you will be able to attain every milestone in this world.” (Ibid., p. 4)

Huzoor^ra continued:

“The communities of ma’murin [God’s appointees] do not succeed through material means. If they had succeeded through material means, their opponents would have the right to object that ‘their progress is not the sign of their truthfulness, since anyone can succeed with the help of earthly means.’ In this case, what would be the difference between those [divine] communities and the other [worldly] communities? In short, firstly, we do not possess worldly means, and even if we attain those means [in the future], it would be our mistake to hope that we can succeed by only relying on them. […]

“This age is the time for our Jamaat’s progress, thus, you need to establish a strong connection with Allah the Almighty. You can succeed only through two means:

“First, through the love of Allah the Almighty. You do not need any worldly means to attain His love, but rather, you are required to spend your lives leaving aside worldly desires for His sake. Second, through those means that have been taught by the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa, such as salat, waza’if, remembrance of Allah, seeking prayers from Him, supplicating to Him with great anguish, and asking Him to reform our thoughts, actions, and minds. These are the only means through which one can attain the nearness and love of Allah the Almighty. Moreover, you also need to enhance the level of your sacrifices as much as possible.” (Ibid., p. 5)

Huzoor^ra further said that the attainment of progress requires one to continuously strive, and to never halt their efforts. One should regularly pray اِہۡدِنَا الصّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمَ, meaning “Guide us in the right path” (Surah al-Fatihah, Ch. 1: V. 6), and رَّبّ زِدۡنِيۡ عِلۡمًا, meaning “O my Lord, increase me in knowledge.” (Surah Ta Ha, Ch. 20: V. 115):

“We are required to always ponder over our actions and to make sure that each day is better than the previous one. We should always endeavour to leap forward. We should enhance the level of our worship and remembrance of Allah, and our connection with God Almighty should continue to progress. If one inculcates such a state, they attain so many blessings that it makes them the recipients of God Almighty’s grace. And the one who becomes the recipient of God Almighty’s grace is free from all kinds of worries.” (Ibid., p. 5)

While advising the Jamaat, Huzoor^ra said:

“The communities established by God Almighty are not based on material objectives. Therefore, I advise members of the Jamaat to inculcate within themselves the love of Allah to the extent that they become the beloved of God Almighty, enhance the level of their worship of God Almighty and righteousness, and make a habit of offering Tahajjud prayer. […] It is totally wrong to assume that one can succeed without acting on these things. The ultimate victory belongs to God Almighty. You can never be victorious until [the love of] God Almighty is inculcated in your hearts.” (Ibid., p. 6)

Emphasising the need for Muslims to make efforts with unity and discipline, Huzoor^ra said:

“Islam is a communal [jamaati] religion, and it is impossible for the Muslims to progress until they strive as a Community. Until they act with unity, they can never succeed in their objectives.” (Al Fazl, 19 September 1962, p. 2)

Huzoor^ra then advised the Ahmadi parents to not only inculcate the Islamic teachings within themselves but to teach the same to their progeny as well:

“Therefore, it is not enough that only you exhibit sincerity; rather, you should instil the passion of sincerity within your children as well. If you fail to do so, your individual sacrifices will not be deemed sufficient. I do not say that by failing to do so, you would become hell-bound; however, I would surely say that you would be deprived of a part of your [potential] reward.

“The meaning of a jamaat [divine community] is that it continues till the Day of Judgement. Individuals do pass away, however, jamaats do not. […] Therefore, a jamaat ought to attain an everlasting life. […] God Almighty has stated that Islam will continue until the Day of Judgement. Thus, it is necessary for every Muslim to make sure their children become [true] Muslims. […] We proclaim that Ahmadiyyat is [the true] Islam. If Ahmadiyyat is [the true] Islam, then it is our duty to ensure that our progeny becomes sincere Ahmadis, since Islam has to continue till the Day of Judgement. […] Therefore, not only you are required to create a pious revolution within yourselves, but you also need to inculcate religious passion in your progeny. […] One ought to bring about such a revolution that upon seeing your examples, everyone may realise that God Almighty has established Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya as a source of reviving the Faith in this age.” (Ibid., pp. 2-3)

Huzoor^ra then mentioned the following couplet of the Promised Messiah^as:

سر سے ميرے پاؤں تک وہ يار مجھ ميں ہے نہاں

اے مِرے بدخواہ کرنا ہوش کر کے مجھ پہ وار

“Within me – from head to foot – is concealed that Beloved; O my ill-wisher! Beware when you try to attack me!” (Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part V [English], p. 172)

Commenting on this, Hazrat Musleh-e-Maud^ra said:

“No one can ever remain safe [from God’s wrath] after opposing the one in whose heart [the love of] God Almighty inhabits. In fact, such people are opposing God Almighty. […] Therefore, when one instils [the love of] God Almighty within their hearts, He never lets them face failure.” (Al Fazl, 19 September 1962, p. 4)    

Towards the end, Huzoor^ra said:

“The members of the Jamaat need to increase their numbers, exhibit good examples, and make efforts to strengthen and propagate Ahmadiyyat. Both women and men are required to pay attention to this. It is my prayer that God Almighty may enable you to act upon this, and make you the recipient of His blessings, so that [the name of] the Holy Prophet Muhammad^sa may continue to flourish in the world.” (Ibid.)