The Trajectory of Spiritual Triumph

Divine Messengers appear to call the people back to the sublime path of spirituality, especially when the times witness the materialistic inclinations in society. Since the mundane preoccupations of the affluent will delude them about their sense of destiny and privilege in society, only a few (weak ones) will join the league of the Messenger, initially.  Yet, it is a recurring irony of history that the truth of the Messenger and the power of his messages triumph against all odds.  In spite of apparent weaknesses in terms of material means and riches, the small band of believers prevails over their powerful adversaries. How does this stunning transformation in the fortunes of the two forces come about? What are the spiritual principles in operation in this battle of ideas? What lessons can we learn from the majestic example of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) and from the experience of the Awwaleen (first disciples)?   

In his Friday Sermon of 15 February 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued the discourse on victory of truth over falsehood in the spiritual realm. Drawing upon the lived experience of Divine Messengers of the past and the history of spiritual communities, Hadhrat Sahib (atba) offers an eloquent explanation on a very complex and multi-layered subject of much significance for spiritual seekers in every age. Addressing the small band of believers -Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam-, the Messenger of Allah of our times pointedly observes that if they reflect the “light of Allah” in their everyday lives, they will gradually overcome the forces of falsehood and emerge triumphant: “it is this light itself which shall bring into operation all these changes”.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

I continue on the same subject of the sermon I made last Friday, and I read before you the Verse 82 of Chapter 17: “And say, ‘Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, ever bound to depart.’” 

In another verse, Allah mentions openly the exact same subject. He mentions that when truth comes, then what are the things which happen, which divine decrees come into operation. There comes a time when the servants of Allah face powerful enemies. But not all enemies in one go. Even if Allah has decreed that His chosen servants must be victorious, but He does not break the established laws, which means to say that if today Allah has decreed that a Muslim believer overcome two enemies, he shall be able to do so, and if Allah has decreed that tomorrow he overcomes ten enemies, then this victory over the established ten enemies shall not come into operation until that decreed tomorrow. A victory for him shall not be fulfilled until the decreed time; he shall not be successful until the decreed time. It must be that he and the other believers are ready for this victory, and when they are, it is, then, that this manifests in their favour.

And it is a fact that it always happens that despite the might and strength of the enemies cannot be of any avail, and they cannot attack, and group themselves properly. They make the intention to attack but they do not succeed. And if they do assemble themselves, but then there are disputes among them, and thus they do not get the proper opportunity to attack (the believers). They are disorganised. But it is not the servants of Allah which makes this occur, but it is the destined truth which enables that, and the destined truth decrees that with each day which passes by, a weak one gains enough abilities to confront strong ones.

And this is a subject about which we find that this has really occurred and been established in the times of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), through the deeds of his followers. This does not mean that Allah loved these first disciples (the Awwaleen) less, no. This is to be understood in another way, in that which when a weak one confronts a strong one, then in a psychological way, it is only little by little, gradually that he gains enough confidence in his abilities and it is not in a fraction of a second that he obtains all the necessary capabilities to face a powerful one (the enemy). No.

It is the law of Allah that He does not overburden someone, more than he can ever be able to bear. Therefore, the most powerful in reality was Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him). He became a personification of truth. There can never be any other (sublime) example/model like Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him). Therefore, he had to be himself the strongest and he was in fact the strongest. It was his truth which was spread in the surroundings (Arabia). And when this truth confronted the unbelievers, it is then that Allah has decided that that truth shall overcome gradually. And it was destined that at the beginning, he had to face the opposition, and it is a fact that this subject also means that Allah never overburdens someone more than he can ever bear (meaning that whatever had happened, then Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers had the capabilities to overcome these difficult times and be victorious).

Therefore despite that he was physically weak, but he was spiritually strong. There was no one who was stronger than him. It was that spiritual strength which took him from victory to victory. And it was upon that same strength that the companions also succeeded in becoming victorious. One believer had therefore successfully confronted ten adversaries or more. And little by little a deeper psychological strength had been created in them.

And this shows that the sacrifices that the first Muslim believers made were really extraordinary. In fact despite their weaknesses, Allah gave them a great power. And in the Holy Quran Allah says that He gave Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) a mighty help. And this might came little by little. He (Allah) created this confidence and enabled this psychological change. And on the other hand, He created a negative effect whereby the enemies just then knew that despite the believers’ weakness, the latter shall be victorious. And this truth has two aspects. One is that you have to become the light of Allah and it is this light itself which shall bring into operation all these changes. The companions (of the Holy Prophet Muhammad – peace be upon him) made this transformation because they followed the example of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was the representative of Light.

Therefore, without struggle (or efforts) there cannot be any victory. But the law of Allah always enable the weak ones (the believers) to vanquish falsehood by overpowering them. This does not mean that you shall not suffer any loss or that places or mosques shall not be destroyed, or that life or riches shall not be lost; it does not mean that you shall never have to emigrate. No. These have always occurred in the past with the advents of the prophets. If you take the emigration as a falsehood, then at that moment, you shall God forbid reduce all prophets as falsehoods.  But when you study the Holy Quran, how it has presented the fight between truth and falsehood, you shall see that it is something which come in stages, and thus, with each step taken, one marches towards victory of truth and the downfall of falsehood. And it is a fact that falsehood always has to back off and disappear.

Now, why is there fight between truth and falsehood?

According to the verse of the Holy Quran which I have recited before you (about victory of truth over falsehood), Allah says that it is falsehood which starts the fight first and it devises ways and means to exterminate truth. Why? This is so because falsehood fears that evil shall not be able to spread; that there shall not be any lie or any other vices and disasters; those vices which we are already witnessing. And falsehood fears that whenever a prophet comes, he begins to wage a war against these evils and make them disappear. That is why they launch all sorts of attacks on the prophets of Allah. They say that these prophets are in fact representatives of evil and they say (among themselves) that they cannot afford to let truth come and triumph. Therefore, they start all sorts of oppositions.

Now, if you understand this subject with reference to Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace), it shall become clear for you. In this time, Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace) was the representative of truth and the subject of the advent of truth and overcoming falsehood applies also for him. But how this struggle had started and how truth was ultimately victorious? The first sign of the victory of truth is clear for us in the severe and cruel opposition which Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace) had to face. This subject was very clear in the times of Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace). In his era, there were all sorts of evils among the Jews. They were not even conscious (of the evils around them) and nobody cared. But it is mind-blowing not to really know why they suddenly raised against Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace) who kept preaching them good teachings such as when someone slap you on the cheek, then offer him your other cheek to slap. His teachings were such that they did not incite to anger. If that message became general (for the Jews), then what harm would it have caused these Jews? Why did they all unite forces to oppose Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace)? In fact they knew very well that this was a message which would triumph, a truthful message. Had they not known that this message was a truthful message and that it would triumph, they would have never devised those cruel oppositions. And for each prophet it is like this, as if there is a light in their truth, and verily it is like this (there is verily a light in their truth).

It is exactly like this for all prophets, that their message holds nothing wrong or evil; there is nothing which incites to anger, but despite this, the havockers reunite their forces to oppose the prophet of their time. And for this objective, they are all on the same wavelength and say: “Yes, we used to oppose each other and call one another infidel, but to oppose this message (of the prophet), we have come together.” Like the 72 sects of the Jews reunited together to oppose Hazrat Isa (upon him be peace), the same also happened for the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace). And in this present era, history is repeating itself. In fact, the truth is that we are in this truth, despite that our number is very few, but they (the opponents of truth) know that this is a truth (we are true) which shall triumph. It is this triumph which is bothering them. Each time they opposed us openly, this (their own plans) turned against them.

Therefore the subject of the effacement of falsehood with the advent of truth, is something which has been decreed and nobody can ever erase this Decree. They used to let their hatred appear on the mimbar of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) in all the functions they used to hold. There were some who made it their duty, like a politician, with their satanic tongue, to show the hatred that they have for us; they put all sorts of blames on us. But this did not hinder the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam from going further in the spiritual path and nothing can be done to stop the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam from doing its work. So, despite all their efforts, they shall not succeed.

What I am trying to make you understand is that the sign of the truthfulness of these verses of the Holy Quran is that despite the weakness of a group, but if it has the high power of truth with it, then we can verily say that with the advent of truth, falsehood disappears. And all the efforts that falsehood makes, expelling people out of the Jamaat, applying boycott, not bidding Salaam, demanding that the seeking of forgiveness be done before creatures and the appearances of all sorts of oppositions, cruelties; all this indicate that they have a fear in them. Each heart is witness that, be it in the Ahmadiyya Association and the other sects in Islam, if these people do not get the support of the Tabshir and the present (man-elected) Khalifa and the other Mullahs also, they think they are doomed. They take these people as a frightener and they take the support of falsehood in their meetings and functions, so that they make incite the majority of people against us, so that nobody approach us and listens the message of truth.

So, see the quality of truth which the Quran has mentioned, which stipulates also that falsehood is decreed to disappear and the Holy Quran has already warned us that, from the start itself they shall see the sign of your triumph, and thus they shall fight. This is because they have already perceived your triumph. When Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) was only one man, alone, they also oppose him fiercely at that time despite the fact that he was alone (as a human). They already knew that through him (one person), triumph shall come all round the world.

Therefore, this subject is quite clear and will always be. The truth is that the enemies already know that the truth lies with Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and his followers. They know that the truth is with the prophets of Allah whereas they are themselves deprived of truth. It is a truth which they have always known. But there is another subject-matter which is linked with it, which is that the true ones shall remain true as long as they have their bond with truth. Once you cut your connection with truth, therefore, the promise of Allah shall not be applicable for you. Therefore, anywhere there is weakness in truth, there itself, there shall be weaknesses in victories.

If you become attached to this world, if materialism has a more than solid grip on you, then you shall notice something dying in you; there is loss of “life”. People shall take in their breath and continue to do so. They accomplished their external demands also. When you look at them, they seem to be people in their comfort and that everything is running smoothly for them. But the truth is that, fundamentally, they are filled with so many weaknesses in their link with truth that the promise of Allah, which is, with the coming of truth, falsehood disappears, is not accomplished for them. In fact, Allah leaves them in their ignorance and they continue to slide deeper into ignorance, till the time when Allah unveils for them the truth, it becomes too late for them (to recognize and accept that truth), unless they strive during their time on earth to seek the light, the divine truth and recognize it before it is too late for them.

Therefore, each member of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam must understand this matter well, that if we hold fast to truth, there is nothing that can frighten us or cause us to worry. May Allah help each of us to understand this well, and Insha-Allah, I shall continue on the same subject for my Friday Sermon. Ameen.