Tarbiyyat Extracts from 12/6/13 Friday Sermon: "Introspection and Self-Reformation"

Ease of travel, television, the internet and various media have made localised evil international evil. Contacts are forged on the internet across thousands of miles to spread evil. Young women are deceived into falling for lax morals and are even made distant from faith...each Ahmadi also needs to commit to a personal Jihad to avoid this foulness.

It should be remembered that we cannot avoid the facts. Progressive communities keep an eye on their weaknesses and we should keep an eye on the facts. We cannot feel happy that 50% or such and such percent of us are reformed. If we are to bring about a revolutionary change in the world we need to keep 100% reformation as our target.

If a sense of responsibility is instilled in us we would consider service of faith as a Divine blessing. Some may say in response to this that indeed they consider service of faith a Divine blessing, but 100% of the office-holders do not think this. Matters are brought to Huzoor’s attention showing that office-holders do not have self-control and tolerance. If someone speaks to them in a loud tone their ego and honour gets in the way and false sense of pride surfaces. One who considers work as Divine blessing tolerates everything for the pleasure of God and the knowledge that all honour belongs to God forces him to be humble and meek. Close scrutiny tells us that the adage of ‘Assume that you are worse than all the rest’ is not being acted upon and in some form or the other egotism flares up. We have appreciation of [revelation given to the Promised Messiah] ‘He is pleased with your humble ways’ [Tadhkirah 2009 edition, p. 931] but do not think that this is also the teaching he gave to those who took his Bai’at.

If one is given an office or the opportunity to serve, then the following words of the Muhammadan Messiah should always be remembered: ‘I was but poor, helpless, unknown and without talent!’ One fulfils the rights of service of faith when this helplessness, meekness and humility are inculcated and this may lead to hope of: ‘For this may admit you in the abode of union with God!’