Text Box: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم   Friday Sermon   HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN AL KHALIFATULLAH   Munir Ahmad Azim     09 October 2009   (Summary of Friday Sermon)     After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he read the following verse of the Holy Quran:        Wastagfirillaah; innal-laaha kaana Gafuurar Rahiimaa.   You shall implore Allah for forgiveness. Allah is Forgiver, Most Merciful. (Chapter 4 Verse 107)   Forgiveness means being shielded from the harmful consequences of wrong actions and the veiling of them by the Powerful Lord, Lord of Mercy, Allah the Almighty.   Repentance and forgiveness go in pair. Repentance is turning away from wrong actions with both heart and body. Allah loves the one who implores Him for forgiveness and repents for his sins and mistake and hope in Allah to be forgiven and admit in Allah’s mercy. Thus, seeking forgiveness is frequently associated with asking for forgiveness with the tongue and also with the heart and soul. Seeking forgiveness is similar to supplication in that Allah, if He so wishes, responds to it and forgives the person who seeks His forgiveness. This is especially true if the supplication came directly from the servant’s heart which is troubled by wrong actions, or if it was made during the times most favourable for His response, such as in the early hours of the morning or immediately following the prayer.   The Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (on him be peace) has likened seeking forgiveness to that of the roots of a tree, which as long as it is beneath the soil, it holds hope of producing green leaves. For him also pure repentance is not just in a given word, but the repentance should be shown in the implementation of good deeds and the desire to reform oneself. Thus when the servant of Allah repents and seeks forgiveness, he does such good deeds which will beautify his repentance. His repentance to Allah is filled with humility, and from this humility of the heart he gets a new life, bringing him nearer to Allah.   One must make it a habit to have one’s tongue utter the words, “O Allah, Forgive me” for there are certain times during which Allah will not disappoint a servant who calls on Him. Ask for Allah’s forgiveness frequently in your homes, at your tables, on your roads, in your markets, at your meetings, in your workplace, wherever you may be. You never know when you will be granted Allah’s forgiveness.   Abu Huraira reported that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “I swear by Allah that I supplicate for Allah’s forgiveness and turn to Him in repentance more than seventy times a day.” (Bukhari)   On the authority of Shaddad ibn Aws (May Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The most superior way of asking for forgiveness from Allah is:      “Allahumma anta Rabbi laa ilaaha illa, anta khalaqtani wa ana abduka, wa ana ‘ala ahdika wa wa’dika mastata’tu, A’udhu bika min Sharri ma sana’tu, abu’u Laka bini’matika ‘alaiya, wa Abu’u bidhanbi faghfirli innahu la yaghfiru adhdhunuba illa anta.” O Allah, you are my Lord. None has the right to be worshipped but You. You created me and I am your slave, and I abide by your covenant and promise as best I can. I take refuge in You from the evil which I have committed. I acknowledge your favour/blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me, for verily, none can forgive except You. The Prophet (peace be upon him) added. “If somebody recites it during the day with firm faith in it, and dies on the same day before the evening, he will be from the people of Paradise; and if somebody recites it at night with firm faith in it, and dies before the morning, he will be from the people of Paradise.” (Bukhari)   When we commit a sin, four witnesses are established against us. First, there is the place where we did the crime, like the Holy Quran says: “On that day, the earth will reveal all its secrets.” (Chapter 99 Verse 5) Secondly, the organ we used to commit the offense. This is stipulated in the Quran in the form of this verse: “When their ears, their eyes, their skin will testify against them.” (Chapter 41 Verse 22) and “That day we seal up mouths, and hands speak out and feet bear witness to all that they did.” (Chapter 36 Verse 66) Thirdly, Allah mentions the fact that there are angels who record the deeds of His servants. “The honoured writers know what you do.” (Chapter 82 Verse 12) “We record that which they send before them, and their footprints, and all things we have kept in a clear register.” (Chapter 36 Verse 13) Allah is All-Aware, All-Knowing and the Seer of our both good and bad deeds. Once regret is felt in the heart of a servant of Allah and he directs his tongue, heart and soul towards repentance to Allah for his wrongdoings, Allah becomes a shield, a protection for him against his own wrongs and acts as the smartest of lawyers, defending His servants and accepts his repentance.   Hadith: Abu Huraira said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, “A servant committed a sin and he said, “O Allah, I have committed a sin, so forgive me.” Allah said, “Does My servant know that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and helps him? I forgive My servant.” After some time, the man committed another sin so he said, “O my Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” His Lord said, “Does My servant know that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and helps him? I forgive My servant.” After some time, the man committed yet another sin so he said, “O my Lord, I have committed another sin, so forgive me.” His Lord said, “Does My servant know that he has a Lord Who forgives sins and helps him? O servant, do what you like. I have granted you forgiveness.” (Bukhari)   On the authority of Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) who said – “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying: Allah the Almighty has said: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” (Tirmidhi)   Thus Allah is all Forgiving, except for one main major sin which He will never forgive, that is, association of another deity to Him (Shirk). But we must keep in mind, that this applies for us Muslims, and other people who throughout their lives they devote their time more to other things and other purposes of prior importance to Allah. But for the one who repents sincerely to Allah, accepts his errors and submits himself totally to Allah, then Allah washes away his sins and make him as pure as a newborn.   Ubada ibn As-Samit (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever gets up at night and says ‘None has the right to be worshipped but Allah. He is the Only One Who has no partner.  His is the kingdom and all the praises are for Him. He is Omnipotent. All the praises are for Allah. All the glories are for Allah. And none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and Allah is the Most Great and there is neither might nor power except with Allah.” And then says: “O Allah! Forgive me” Or invokes (Allah), he will be responded to and if he performs ablution [and offers Salat (prayer)], his Salat (prayer) will be accepted.’” (Bukhari)   Islam further guides us to salvation with various supplications for forgiveness.  Examples of such supplications are as follows:      “…Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall into error. Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden as You did lay on those before us. Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to bear. Blot out our sins and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. You are our Protector. Grant us victory over the unbelievers.” (Chapter 2 Verse 287)   Allah loves our repentance and seeking for His forgiveness. He loves when His servants need him, and to ask of Him for their needs and to forgive them, for the human species have been created weak. We in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam must be ever absorbed in seeking forgiveness from our Lord, Allah (Exalted is He) for every weakness that we may have. Man as a baby is born pure but along with his environment, he is made to stumble into errors and sins. Only our repentant heart and seeking of the forgiveness of Allah with a sincere heart can erase our failings and especially in this era, the habit to ask for Allah’s forgiveness like the like of our beloved model the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) can help us to face the difficulties that the propagation of Islam entails. But let me assure you my dear companions that your time and hard work for the cause of Allah will never be overlooked by Allah. You are indeed His beloved and dear servants. Strive hard and do not hesitate to pour your heart in front of your Lord; seek His forgiveness for your every mistake, for everything that you think you may have done wrong. Allah loves those who recognise their faults and repents, and ask of him. So never be tired to ask forgiveness to Allah. Allah does not tire to hear the pleas and heartfelt grief of His servants. We are imperfect and have many failings whereas Allah is Perfect and infallible.    Thus after repenting and asking for forgiveness, we must mend our ways and not go back to infidelity and fall prey to the tactics of Satan again. As Allah is merciful towards us, we must show us kind also towards the human species, our fellow brothers, sisters and children. We must learn to forgive and forget and pray for others; when our heart will be filled with this merciful sentiment, Allah’s forgiving heart will be opened for us. But if we are callous to other people, denying them the right to be forgiven, Allah will not show Himself so Merciful towards us. We will cultivate His attribute for forgiving in us, so that we can expect to be shown forgiveness by Him who is our Master. Allah is Forgiving but also punishes also if need be, especially in this present era whereby the world has fallen in an abyss, where the unity of Allah has lost its value in the heart of humanity.    “Our Lord, we have wronged our souls and if you forgive us not, and bestow not upon us your mercy, we shall be losers.” (Chapter 7 Verse 24)