Friday Sermon 21 February 2003.

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The Friday Sermon today is based on the Divine attribute of a-Sunnah [The Most Appreciating]. The connotation of the attributes of Shakar and Sunnah is in the root word Shukr rwhich epresents an expression of gratefulness while being mindful of [God's] grace. Shakar is one who is grateful for grace and blessings whereas Sunnah is one who is even grateful in deprivation and hardship. When applied to Allah the trait of Sunnah denotes His bestowal of grace on His servants, which He abundantly grants in response to meager, and trifle efforts of His servants.

The Holy Prophet ? enjoined that one who is not grateful and appreciative of less is also not thankful for large blessings and that one who is not grateful to people is not grateful to Allah either. The Holy Prophet ? said that Allah likes the effect of His grace and blessings being evident on His people and that faith constitutes of 2 parts, one being patience and the other thankfulness.  To give up gratitude is disbelief. Thankfulness must be paid with the heart, words and all other organs.

The best reciprocation of a favour is the salutation of 'Jazakumullaho Khaira' [May Allah reward you with the best] and 'Jazakumullah ahsanal jaza' [May Allah reward you with the best reward]. To Praise and Glorify Allah is also an act of gratefulness. To be grateful to one's parents is also an obligation.  Islam lays great importance on being grateful to one's parents for their favours and kindness and there are Ahadith [Tradition of the Prophet] on this subject. The Holy Prophet ? enjoined to be aware of those who are in a less fortunate position than oneself and not to notice those better off than oneself and said that this too is an expression of gratefulness and a Believer has a wondrous state of affairs, in that during comfort his thankfulness is a virtue and during a trail his patience is deemed a virtue.  Those who praise and glorify Allah are of Paradise. Blessings are linked with gratefulness. Shakar is the one who is grateful in comfort and Shakur is the one who pays gratitude even in times of hardship. One who is grateful tries to follow the example of the spiritually exalted ones and is thankful to Allah when he sees those who are less fortunate than him in this world.

As a mark of thankfulness for Allah's blessings and in dedication to the memory of my blessed mother, who had taught me by her own example how to be caring and supportive to the needy, I am announcing my intention to help and support all those young women of marriageable age within the Community who could not afford to have a few items of embellishment at their marriage. The Sunnah [Practice] of the Holy Prophet ? in this respect was extreme simplicity, however, nowadays it has become customary to have a little adornment at the time of marriage. In announcing this blessed intention I hope to be able to meet the required needs. If I am not so enabled, then Allah's Community has adequate funds to sponsor this particular need. *

* Towards the end of his life he launched a scheme for poor girls by the name of Maryam Fund and said that he was launching this scheme for girls who are in grave difficulty in their homes from a paucity of dowry 'I desire that no girl be deprived of the joys [of married life] just for this reason that she has come without a decent dowry.'

A strange thing here is that once whilst writing about the character of his deceased mother Huzur mentioned that 'I do not know whether she had even thought of my name in her final moments. But I definitely ascertain and am convinced that I will remember her in my final breaths'. [i]  Among Huzur's last tasks this was the last major work which he associated with the name of his mother.  How beautifully did Allah Almighty blend that expectation of his into a living legacy.  'All Praise be to Allah' This is how he remembered his mother in his last moments.  It should also be remembered that due to the special emotions of love he had surging in his heart in relation to women Allah Almighty Graced him with the ability to perform this final task to support and well-being of ladies.

(Sahibzadi Faiza.  Address Delivered at Jalsa Salana [Annual Conference] of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.  July 2003 in Surrey - United Kingdom).

[i] In the end the uninvertible destiny of Almighty God arrived with the final beckoning and she gave her life to the Ever-living One on 5 March 1944.  I was in Qadian at the time.  I do not know whether she had even thought of my name in her final moments.  But I definitely ascertain and am convinced that I will remember her in my final breaths.

(Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih IV.  'A Few Pages on the Character and Personality of my Deceased Mother'.  In Malika Salahudin, M. A.  'Seerat Hadhrat Umm e Tahir Sahiba'.  1963, 1979, 1990).
Friday Sermon 21 February 2003.

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