Matchless Examples of Devotion, Loyalty and Service of Humanity

[From the Friday sermon delivered at the Fadl Mosque, London, United Kingdom, on October 17, 2003]

In our Jama‘at, social service and service of the humanity is greatly stressed. Everyone, rich or poor, according to his/her capacity, seeks an occasion to perform some service to humanity for the pleasure of Allah the Almighty.

Why every Ahmadi so zealous for service to humanity? The reason is the beautiful teachings of Islam that had been forgotten, that if we seek the pleasure of Allah the Almighty, we should treat humanity with beneficence and take care of its needs. This is also how we will be rewarded with the nearness of Allah the Almighty. The Promised Messiahas has made this teaching a fundamental condition among his Ten Conditions of Bai‘at. After establishing a bond with him you should utilise all your powers and means for the sympathy and welfare of humanity. If need arises to help the victims of an earthquake or flood, the Ahmadi should come forward to help. On occasions the Ahmadi young men have sacrificed

their own lives in the surging waves of a flood but led the drowning to safety.

When the Khalifah of the time announced that he needed a specific amount of donations to establish schools and hospitals in Africa for the education of the poor children, and to provide medical aid to the suffering humanity, the Jama‘at welcomed this and presented the Khalifah an amount many times larger than he asked for. The money was donated by the members of the Jama‘at because of their sympathy for the suffering humanity. When the Khalifah declared that the required amount was received, and he needed manpower to establish schools and hospitals, Ahmadi doctors and teachers volunteered themselves with equal zeal.

The situation in Africa has now improved greatly but in the seventies when the Nusrat Jahan Scheme was launched, the conditions were very unfavourable. These devotees managed to live in such adverse circumstances. Many of those doctors and teachers had good jobs before they devoted their services for this purpose. In Africa, they had to live in villages. The majority of the hospitals and schools were in the villages where there was no electricity or running water. But they had to fulfil their promise to serve the suffering humanity; they did not care for any obstruction or lack of comfort. In the beginning they had to lay the patient on a wooden table and use the light of kerosene or gas lamps to operate upon him using knives, scissors and whatever instruments were available. Then they prayed, ‘O God I have treated him with whatever was available to me. My Khalifah had said to me, treat with prayer and Allah the Almighty shall grant bestow cure to your treatment! Grant him cure, O Allah the Almighty.’ Allah the