Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah.

May the Lord of mankind open unto you all the gates of His mercy and may He so ordain that you are always accompanied by the supplication of His angels.

“O ye who believe! When the call is made for Prayer on Friday, hasten to the remembrance of Allah, and leave off all business. That is best for you, if you only knew.” (Holy Qur’an, Ch.62:V.10)

We Ahmadis are most fortunate that we live in the era of the renaissance of Islam. We live in an era, where under the guidance and instruction of the institution of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyyat, our Jama’at is spreading far and wide. Each year millions of people are joining the Jama’at of the Promised Messiah (as) and by doing so they are accepting the true Islam as revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) over 1400 years ago.

One of the foremost obligations for any Muslim man is to observe the Friday prayer. This is made abundantly clear in the verse of the Holy Qur’an quoted above. The command of Allah is clearly evident; when it is time for the Friday prayer then a person must leave all worldly engagements and proceed to the mosque.

Thus I urge all Khuddam and Atfal to take whatever measures are necessary so that you are able to observe Jumu’ah prayers. In some cases, this may cause you difficulty in the short term but in the long term it will prove a gateway to success.

Furthermore, we as Ahmadis are so fortunate that we have a shining light who guides us towards the path of Allah. I am, of course, referring to the shining light of Khilafat-e-Ahmadiyyat. Every week our Beloved Huzur (atba) delivers a Friday Sermon replete with profound knowledge, wisdom and guidance. Each and every word spoken by Huzur (atba) is steeped in Divine Wisdom. Hence, if we hear and obey, then those words will prove to be our salvation.

For those of you who live in the London area, I would urge you to try and attend Jumu’ah prayers at Masjid Baitul Futuh as often as possible so as to join our beloved Huzur (atba) in the Friday service. Indeed those who live outside of London should also try, according to your capabilities, to come to London from time to time and listen to Huzur (atba) directly. There can be no substitute to sitting in front of Huzur Aqdas (atba), listening directly to his blessed words and joining him in Jumu’ah prayers.

Admittedly, despite best efforts and intentions, some of us may still not be able to attend Jumu’ah prayers at Baitul Futuh in person. Nevertheless, you should make it a priority to listen to Huzur(atba)’s sermon. These are available via repeats on MTA, online at Alislam.org and even through podcast such that there can be no excuse for not listening to the sermon.

We must always keep the status of Hadhrat Khalifatul Masih (atba) in our hearts and realise that his words are a source of everlasting prosperity if they are acted upon. May Allah enable us all to do so. Ameen.

Wassalam.