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In the month of Ramadan Maulana Muhammad Ali used to exhort the Lahore Ahmadiyya community (Jamaat) to undertake a spiritual exertion (mujahida) in two forms. One was to fall in prayer before God and beseech Him tearfully in tahajjud prayers to enable us to carry out the work of the propagation of Islam and the Quran, and the other was to make financial sacrifices. In this connection he has written many heart-felt, moving prayers in his articles and khutbas published in Paigham Sulh (the Urdu organ of the Movement) and entreated every member of the Jamaat that at least in the month of Ramadan they should treat the tahajjud prayer as obligatory for them.

Some prayers that he urged upon the Jamaat are given below. These begin with a verse of Sura Fatiha, which is followed by a prayer based on the meaning of the verse.

Al-hamdu li-llahi Rabb il-‘alamin  — ‘All praise is for Allah, the Lord of the worlds’.

O God, You have provided the very best means for the physical development of human beings. Now provide for Your creation spiritual nourishment through the Quran, as they have moved far off from You and are lost in darkness racing towards destruction. Acquaint their hearts with the bliss that is attained by bowing at Your threshold.

O God, Who granted the Holy Prophet Muhammad and his Companions unique success enabling them to transform the destinies of the entire countries and nations, foster and nourish us and our Jamaat today to make it reach the pinnacle of success in spreading the Quran and propagating Islam in the world. Let the foundations for the propagation of Your religion be laid by our hands, upon which an edifice continues to be raised till the Day of Judgment.

Ar-Rahman-ir-Rahim — ‘The Beneficent, the Merci­ful’.

Your mercy is so boundless that it is aroused even without humans asking for it. It is by Your mercy that the efforts of human beings come to fruition. By Your beneficence provide guidance through the Quran to those who are engulfed in darkness. Make successful our insignificant efforts, that we may take Your holy message to these people.

Maliki yaum-id-din — ‘Master of the day of Judgment’.

O God, we are Your humble, unworthy servants. There are shortcomings in us, in myself, in my Jamaat. Sometimes Your orders are even disobeyed. By means of Your authority of judgment, forgive our faults and infringements, and let them not be obstacles to the success of our efforts.

Iyya-ka na‘budu wa iyya-ka nasta‘in —‘Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help’.

We serve You and wish to exalt Your name in the world. This is the sole aim of our lives. But we are small in numbers and weak while the task is mammoth. We who are exhausted, weak, humble and sinful, beg only You for help. Grant this Jamaat the success which You bestow on people who spread Your name in the world.

Ihdi-nas-sirat al-mustaqim, sirat-allazina an‘amta ‘alai-him — ‘Guide us on the right path, the path of those upon whom You bestowed favours’.

You have been showering Your servants with the greatest favours. You have never let those fail who made it their aim in life to exalt Your name. Guiding us on the straight path, confer on us the same favour which You granted to those before us. Blow the breeze of Your help upon us as You made it flow for them and open the doors of Your bounty upon us in the same way.

Ghair-il-maghdubi alaihim wa la-ddallin — ‘Not those upon whom wrath is brought down, nor those who go astray’.

O Master, let it not be that we make worldly gain to be our objective and give up spreading religion, as is the state of the general Muslims today, or that we become misguided and destroy our powers for the sake of following exaggerated, wrong beliefs, as some are doing.

More prayers by Maulana Muhammad Ali:

• ‘Thee do we serve and Thee do we beseech for help.’ O God, we do as much as it is in our power to obey You and to spread Your name and Your Word in the world, but we are weak and cannot fully discharge our duty of obeying You. Help us and produce within us the greatest strength to obey You. O God, spreading Your name in the world is the exalted mission for which You had been appointing Your chosen ones, and it was only with Your help that they succeeded in achieving this magnificent goal. One such chosen man of Yours (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad) has entrusted us with this task, but we are small in numbers, weak, and lacking in means. We are opposed not only by outsiders but also by our own who hamper our way. Guide us through Your graciousness and infuse in us the same strength with which You have ever filled Your chosen ones, and create in our hearts the same light with which You have been illuminating the hearts of Your chosen ones. O God, spreading Your message in the world is the most difficult of tasks in the world. Whenever such a reformation came about, it was not because of the strength of any man or army but it was from Your aid and succour. So we seek from You that help and aid which You have been bestowing upon Your chosen ones.
• O God, Your Holy Word that was revealed for the guidance of the world is not being spread even by its believers. But it is Your promise that You will make it prevail in the world. We too heard the voice of one who came to call to Your message (Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad), and our feeble hands came forward to take this great burden. It was this voice which revived our dead hearts. But our Jamaat is like an ant facing the mountain of unbelief. It is Your promise that has strengthened our hearts. We need Your help above all. We know we are unworthy and not fit to receive Your help, but, O God, Your religion, Your Quran and Your Prophet are deserving of Your help. Let help for them be today manifested through our hands, may Your light illuminate our dark hearts, and may we witness with our own eyes the fulfilment of Your promise.

(From Mujahid-i Kabir, Urdu biography of Maulana Muhammad Ali, pages 267–270)