Published on Dec 03 2010 by Nadimur Rahman

Hudhur said when the enemy tries his utmost in persecuting and eliminating God’s people, he adopts ploys that belie humanity to indiscriminatingly torture people of all ages. Such brutality is to distant God’s people from following ways that attain God’s pleasure. At such times, steadfast and resolute believers turn ever more to God to seek His help. The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has captured the scenario of the enemy exceeding all limits and the resulting condition of the believers in an Urdu poetic verse:

When the enemy exceeds in noise and clamour

Hide do we in the Hidden Friend

Hudhur said thus is the model of believers who are victimised and indeed, it should be their model. Today, it fits the state of affairs of the Ahmadis alone. The poetic verse makes it clear to the enemy that while he persecutes in the assumption that we will beg for mercy, he is mistaken. We are the followers of the great Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) who demonstrated a model of supreme courage and with his power of holiness his Companions too displayed great bravery and regardless of extreme cruelty only ever raised the slogan of One God and only ever turned to Him. Thus, when the commandment is to follow this model, how could we be in step with our opponents? Indeed, all their ploys will rebound on them and they will never see their desires fulfilled because in following the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) we have seen God’s practical testimony to be in his favour. How could we leave our God Who has placed tranquillity in the hearts of the Community at every challenging occasion. It is not possible for us to leave our God and make these people our idols and if they are persecuting us in these presumptions, they are wrong. We aspire to be included among those about whom God states: ‘Those to whom men said, ‘People have mustered against you, therefore fear them,’ but this only increased their faith, and they said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah, and an excellent Guardian is He.’ (3:174).

Hudhur said the unanimity of the enemy increases us in our faith because we note that it is in fulfilment of a prophecy of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) that all the sects will get together against the community that will have God’s support in the time of the Messiah. In the aforementioned verse, God’s quality of being ‘Sufficient’ encompasses every aspect. Who else can better understand the matters of His servants and seize the enemy and declare blessings for the believers? Hudhur said those who ‘hide in their Friend’ endure all difficulties to seek the pleasure of God and God states about them: ‘It is these on whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy, and it is these who are rightly guided.’ (2:158). They do not let go of their God even after enduring the harshest of tortures, on the contrary, they try and hide/absorb in their God even more. God states that these are the people who will attain spiritual heights and will also be granted material blessings and they indeed are the guided people.

Hudhur said our opponents may insist that as they are in accord with each other they are in the right, but God states that when believers turn to Him in times of trial and safeguard their belief against throngs and remain calm after professing: ‘Surely, to Allah we belong and to Him shall we return.’ (2:157) are indeed the guided ones. The testimony of the Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) goes against them, their unanimity does not make them the guided ones. On the contrary, to continue to endure persecution and to turn to God with ever more sincerity is what makes one the recipient of God’s mercy and a body of people who follow this may be in the minority at the present but it is indeed the guided one. In order to attain God’s mercy and blessings, to be declared guided necessitates that one absorbs/loses oneself in God. God, Who is not apparent to the materialistic worldly person, but is of course evident everywhere and guides those who believe Him. He is identified from His blessings, is identified from acceptance of prayers and He contends with the enemy Himself.

The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said, ‘lose yourself in the God Who grants all the blessings and Who accepts prayers.’ Hudhur said this alone is the formula which has always come in useful for believers. When the world persecutes God’s peoples He and His angels shower every blessing on those who ‘hide/absorb themselves in their Friend’ and declare that regardless of the brutality of the enemy, it is these people who are recipients of God’s mercy and blessings and are indeed the guided ones. In addition, guidance of the world is also associated with them.

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