My Dear KhuddamBrothers,
Assalamo Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu
I hope and pray that this new edition of An-Nida reaches you in the best of health. With this new edition, I wish to draw your attention to one of the most, if not the most important aspects of our lives. From the beginning of our human species, we have been spread across the world, oceans apart, observing different traditions,culturesand behaviours.
Ifwe compare some ofthe oldestcivilized human beingswith ourselves, there will be stark differencesin our ways oflife. Almost nothing would be common between us; whether it be language, appearance, social roles,and so on. Yet, there is one thing that does unite us,and that isthe purpose of our lives. The purpose of the oldest civilized human being, and the purpose of the humans that exist today is one and the same; connectingwith our Creator. Afterspending decades on this planet, one has to think nearing death, is this all there is to life? Is our existence limited to accumulating wealth, or working our whole lives to provide for ourfamilies, ortoiling away to raise ourstandards oflife? And atthe end,we justleave everything behind?
Many of us are familiar with Alexander the Great, perhaps one of the greatest conquerors of human civilization. He was at the pinnacle of success, accumulating mountains of wealth and power. Yet, when he saw his demise drawing near, he gave a strange instruction to his royal court. He desired thatafter he passed away, his handsshould be hanging outside hiscasket,and thisshould be shown publicly
The message he – a worldly man – was trying to give to the world was that when we leave this world, we also leave everything behind. Our cars, houses and wealth do not benefit us after our death. Nor does anyone remember us for our wealth. The only thing we take with us is ourworship and good deeds. Thus, itisimperative thatwe recognize the purpose of our existence, so that we leave this world with troves of treasureswe can presentto God.
It isn’t just a matter of fulfilling our purpose in life; prayer allows us to befriend God and unlock the greatest powers of the universe. Imagine being able to speak to the Creator of the universe. That is what prayer enables us to do. The Promised Messiah (as) states: “If prayer did not exist, man would have no means by which to attain perfect certainty in cognisance of the Divine. It is through prayer that a person is blessed with revelation. It isthrough prayer that one en- gagesin converse with God Almighty.”(Malfuzat Vol. 2, p. 11)
We claim to have accepted the Promised Messiah (as), and also claim to be a part ofthisJama’at. Ifthisclaimholdsanyweightan importance for us, then we must abide by the teachings of Islam. If we do not wish to follow the commandments of Allah, then we should not claim to believe in the Holy Prophet (sa), in the Promised Messiah (as), nor in Khilafat. If we claim to be from among their followers, we must also be praying, otherwise we have not followed their most beloved practice. I wish to leave youwith thewords of our beloved imam, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (aba). He states: “A faith that has no prayer or worship cannot be considered atrue faith.”
Dear brothers, let us move forward with the firm resolve of utilizing prayerasameansto connectwith and befriend God Almighty.May Allah the Almighty enable us to do so. I also wish to draw your attention toward praying for the conditions of the world. Beloved Huzoor (aba) has been continuously reminding us to pray that Allah the Almighty improves the conditions of the world and prevents the calamity of war to overtake theworld.May Allah protect usall.
At the end, I also wish to ask you all to continue praying for Beloved Huzoor (aba). As Beloved Huzoor (aba) mentioned himself, he recently underwenta medical procedure. Pray that Allah the Almighty grants our beloved imam a long, healthy and prosperous life. Pray that Allah the Almighty grants help to our beloved imamat every step.
