Published on Jul 22 2011 by Nadimur Rahman

Huzur (aba), delivered the Friday sermon on July 22, 2011 at Hadeeqatul-Mahdi, site of the 2011 annual convention of the Ahmadiyya Community of the United Kingdom. Huzur (aba) stated that in last Friday’s sermon, he had provided guidelines to those Ahmadis who are playing the significant role of hosts and hospitality to guests of the Jalsa Salana. He reminded every duty holder that the Jalsa Salana is a blessed occasion, where they can express their etiquettes of hospitality, no matter which department they are executing their duty in. Huzur (aba) said that in the sermon today, he would like to re-emphasize the responsibilities of hosts and duty-holders, provide some guidelines to the guests of the Jalsa Salana, and in addition, would give some organizational instructions. He mentioned that although the organizational directives are printed in the Jalsa Salana program, it has been observed that people either do not read them or do not give them due importance. In either case, it is important to re-iterate them as a reminder.

Huzur (aba) said that we as a Jamaat are blessed to be the followers of the servant of the Holy Prophet (saw) and to be associated with the Nizam-e-Khilafat (system of Khilafat), therefore, when members of this Jamaat are given instructions and guidelines, they should try their best to follow these because if they do not follow, then what is the distinction between members of the Jamaat and the rest. May Allah Almighty enable all participants to be spiritually inspired by this Jalsa Salana.

Huzur (aba) stated the following hadith: “Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should be kind to his neighbour; and whoever believes in God and the Last Day should be generous with his gift to his guest. Someone asked the Prophet what gift was that. He said: A gift sufficient for one day and one night. Hospitality lasts for three days. If it goes longer than that, then it is a charity to the guest. Whoever believes in God and the Last Day should either say something good or remain silent.”

In light of this hadith, Huzur (aba) said that indeed it is the right of a guest to enjoy the hospitality and accommodation provided by his generous host, but he should remember what his limits are. An upright Momin would never accept charity, therefore he should remember that staying over 3 nights counts as charity. It is not appropriate for a guest to overstay his welcome in his host’s residence and become a source of burden for him such that the host begins to feel impatient and frustrated. The life here is such that everyone has commitments and sometimes have limited resources. Hospitality is a moral quality which should result in inculcating mutual respect between the guest and the host and developing a bond of love between them, but extending one’s stay can actually produce the contrary effect.

Islam’s beautiful teachings address the most minor issues and provide guidelines on how to conduct oneself in these circumstances. The guidelines provided on how to deal with the minor issues results in the achievement of bigger virtues. One of the objectives of holding Jalsa Salana as described by the Promised Messiah (as) is to establish brotherhood among the participants and form a loving community. This beautiful bond of brotherhood and unity can only be established by practicing complete obedience to God Almighty and to the Holy Prophet (saw). Therefore, every guest must raise his standards of obedience to take steps forward rather than backwards.

Huzur (aba) also reminded the guests that accommodation provided by the Jamaat is on a temporary basis. The guests who made a commitment of staying for 2 or 3 weeks should honour their promises and if they wish to stay in the country for longer than this period, then they should make alternate arrangements and abide by the rules laid out by Nizam-e-Jamaat, because Jamaat resources are limited, and the accommodation that is offered during Jalsa times is required for other purposes as well.

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