Epigraph:

We prescribed for the children of Israel that whosoever killed a person — unless it be for killing a person or for creating disorder in the land — it shall be as if he had killed all mankind; and whoso gave life to one, it shall be as if he had given life to all mankind. And Our Messengers came to them with clear Signs, yet even after that, many of them commit excesses in the land.  (Al Quran 5:33)

Friday Sermon by the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on this Subject

‘By the heaven having mansions of stars,

And by the Promised Day

By the testifier and the one who is testified

Cursed be the people of the trenches –

The fire fed with fuel –

As they sat by it,

And they witnessed what they did to the believers.

And they hated them not but because they believed in Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy,

To Whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth; and Allah is Witness over all things.

Those who persecute the believing men and the believing women and they repent not, for them is surely the punishment of Hell, and for them is the punishment of burning.

But those who believe and do good works, for them are Gardens through which streams flow. That is the great triumph.’ (Al Quran 85: 2 – 12)

Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said that these verses illustrate exactly the incident perpetrated against Ahmadis in Gujaranwala. It is such a testimony of the truthfulness of Ahmadiyyat and the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that if fair-minded Muslims reflect over Surah Al Buruj the reality of the persecution of Ahmadi would open up to them. They would realise the extent of the actions of their leaders, politicians and the government in this regard and they would believe in the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) and not be part of this persecution. However, in order to understand the Word of God, one also needs someone commissioned and sent by God and they do not accept that at all and exceed in their persecution.

In brief explanation of these verses, Huzoor said the ‘heaven with mansions’ in the verses above are the twelve stars/planets about which astronomy informs us. However, here the allegorical reference is spiritual and means the twelve Mujaddids of Islam who gave light to Islam after the setting of its sun. Hadith refers to this period. It is strange that Muslims accept the twelve Mujaddids who came in the twelve centuries of the period of gloom of Islam to give light but when according to ‘And by the Promised Day’ which refers to the promise of the advent of the Promised Messiah in the thirteenth century and he came, they rejected him. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) had only mentioned about the earlier ones that a Mujadddid will appear at the top of each century whereas not only the Holy Qur’an mentions separately about the Promised one but the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) also gave different signs of his advent like the solar and lunar eclipse etc. And these prophecies have come to pass as clear as the day, yet they do not believe in him. After his advent and up to now, they started saying that no Promised one is now needed. This is so because the Maulawi and the so-called religious scholars would lose their pulpit (member ممبر ) and the veneer of their knowledge and their sense would be exposed.

The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said: ‘It is an amazing matter and I consider it as a sign of God that exactly in 1290 Hijrah this humble one had experienced converse and dialogue with God Almighty.’ After a short while the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) also made his claim and heavenly and earthly signs corroborated his truthfulness. Details of this can be found in our Jama’at literature and also in the Promised Messiah’s (on whom be peace) books. In short, Divine succour testifies that this age is the age of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). God states that Islam’s revival will take place in this age though the true believers who will accept him will have to give great sacrifices.

It is then stated: ‘…Cursed be the people of the trenches – The fire fed with fuel – As they sat by it, And they witnessed what they did to the believers…’ This is an illustration of the opponents depicting how they will oppose. However, their ending will be terrible and they will be destroyed. True believers will have to endure being targeted for oppression for a long period. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said that progress of Islam demands of us and the demand is of life!

The verses above inform us that a strong fire will be kindled and it will be fuelled repeatedly and its perpetrators will look on; they will besiege the believers and will spark fire and although believers will have to endure the pain, ultimately those who in their presumption will besiege believers from all sides will themselves be destroyed. We saw in Pakistan, the police also participated in the persecution and those who kindled the fire delighted in burning true believers. Therein is a prophecy that this is how the opponents of true believers will light fire and will encircle them and this is a proof that we are true believers and this includes our opponents in the category of those who kindle fire for the true believers, encircle them and delight in their act. The details of the Gujaranwala incident shows that they shut eleven women and children in a room and kindled fire and mocked those trapped in the room with their gestures and slogans that they could not escape. Videos of the incident clearly show the brazenness and the shamelessness on the faces of the perpetrators and their slogans also depict the same. This was the height of their enmity. Later, a local Maulawi is known to have promised to do worse in future and has taken promises from others for the same.

We cannot say that after this incident perhaps the opponents will be embarrassed or mortified. Among them are such barbaric people who have gone on Twitter to say that what happened with Ahmadis was very good and this is what should have happened. What is regrettable is that they do this in the name of God and His Prophet!

‘As they sat by it’ also signifies that they will make long-drawn plans of persecution. It is an idiom which means that they will continue to carry on for a long period and their lies and deception and persecution will continue and will perhaps continue for a long time with new opponents emerging and their efforts continuing. However, the end of it is decreed by God and that is that they will be burned.

Their religious leaders know that they do not have any evidence against the claim of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), so they fabricate and falsify and in order to fuel fire they get the public to join them. At times they kindle fire in the physical sense at times succeeding in doing so and at times failing. They also light fire of opposition of Ahmadiyyat all around by heaping lies upon lies. In Pakistan false allegations against us are daubed all over the place, on official buildings, even the High Court! They associate matters with Ahmadiyyat which do not even have remote connection with our beliefs. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said:

‘Do not think that God will waste you. You are the seed sown by the hand of God in the earth. God states that this seed will develop and flourish and its branches will grow in every direction and it will become a large tree. Fortunate is he who believes in God’s word and is not afraid of the intervening trials.’

With the grace of God, the tree of the Jama’at will grow and flourish and for this the members of the Jama’at will have to give sacrifices. As for those who kindle fire, they will themselves burn in the same fire or God will destroy them by other means. ‘Cursed be the people of the trenches – ‘ is a prophecy which has been fulfilled in favour of the Jama’at and will continue to do so. But the opponents will not desist, they will continue with their oppression and persecution but the tree of Ahmadiyyat will also continue to grow. They should have taken lesson from the 125 year old history and progress of the Jama’at that it is not a man-made matter and is from God and by trying to curtail it they are only incurring the displeasure of God. They know neither the Holy Qur’an nor anything said by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) corroborates them.

Huzoor said that the accounts of the companions of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that he has related in the past and also accounts of those who accept the truth these days and take Bai’at illustrate that the so-called religious leaders of our opponents coach their followers not to discuss matters with the ‘Qadianis’ based on the Holy Qur’an because they will prove death of Jesus from it, they will prove their definition of finality of Prophethood through it and they will prove truthfulness of the Promised Messiah through it; therefore do not discuss matters with them. They realise they have nothing in light of proofs and reasoning, it is simply their obstinacy and inflexibility! They have made fools of the public with their wrong teaching and views. Such is the situation that without naming Ahmadis, a Maulawi speaking on the governmental TV channel rather than emphasise on pacifying the public, said that the minorities should also be careful about the emotions of the majority. They are the perpetrators, they are also the judge and they also give out guilty judgement. They have power and political backing and the government agrees with whatever they say. They do not know what their ending will be!

God states: ‘Those who persecute the believing men and the believing women and they repent not, for them is surely the punishment of Hell, and for them is the punishment of burning.’ God indeed states that those who torment believers and encircle them will be sent to Hell. They kindle physical fire and also hidden/metaphorical fire so that they can torment true believers in every way! These days they inflame the situation by saying that, God forbid, Ahmadis do not consider the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) as the last law-bearing Prophet or that they insult him. This baseless allegation is extremely painful for us to endure. Today Ahmadis are actively involved in upholding the respect and honour of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) in every corner of the world. Ahmadis are the first to respond when the honour of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) is attacked. An Ahmadi can accept death but cannot tolerate even trivial words of insult for the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) and this is what the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) taught us. God knows what is in our hearts and what our practices are. It is not for nothing that in spite of the persecution He is granting us progress upon progress. God says that He will not leave unpunished those who burn the bodies, homes and hearts of those who are ever active to promote His majesty and the majesty of His last law-bearing Prophet. He says He will punish them with the Fire of Hell unless they repent and says: ‘…for them is surely the punishment of Hell, and for them is the punishment of burning.’ Just as they tried to burn the bodies, homes and hearts of believing men and women, at times succeeding and at times failing at it, similarly they will be punished. Their punishment will be physical as well as hidden; of Hell and of burning.

They associate falsehood with us regarding a being who is more dear to us than our own lives. They try and inflame our hearts but their own hearts are on fire with jealously to see the Jama’at progress in spite of their overwhelming opposition. They are vexed as to why every Ahmadi is still firm on his faith and no Ahmadi child, elderly person; man or woman is afraid of them and contends with their persecution fearlessly and courageously!

Read further or listen to the sermon in Urdu

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