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Some instructions for our progress
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
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Translated below is a letter by Maulana Muhammad Ali addressed
to the members of the Lahore Ahmadiyya community, published
in the community’s Urdu newspaper Paigham Sulh in
its issue for 24 February 1944. It contains directions and advice
on what each individual member can do to strengthen the cause
of the Movement. The image of the original Urdu letter as published
in Paigham Sulh is reproduced after the
translation.
1st February 1944
Respected brother,
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu
Our Jama‘at can grow in strength only when all its individuals
realise their responsibilities and strive hard to fulfil them.
Thus, in order to give strength and stability to this Jama‘at,
which has now proved itself by the grace of God as the sole
bearer of the Holy Quran in the entire Islamic world, I appeal
to you to direct your attention to the following matters. Keep
this letter safe with you, read it from time to time, and do
not hesitate to take any of the steps listed below that you
are able to undertake.
- In your immediate family, your wife and children, if there
are any adults who have not yet joined the Jama‘at, try
to persuade them to join. This will not only build up the
Jama‘at, but it will also bring greater peace to your
household.
- Turn to your brothers, sisters and other relations, and
make your best efforts to bring those towards the Jama‘at
who are still deprived of its blessings.
- From among your friends and acquaintances, whomsoever you
can directly invite to join the Jama‘at, you must do
so.
- To all the people who are within your sphere of influence
or with whom you have some dealings, explain that this Jama‘at
is engaged in the highest service of Islam and that they,
too, should join its ranks.
Note: Not only invite people in these four categories
to join the Jama‘at, but also make every possible effort
to convince them of its truth. Send them our booklets, and
then seek the help of one of our missionaries for this purpose.
If necessary, contact the Central Anjuman so that correspondence
may be established with interested individuals and necessary
literature be sent to them. Some copies of the bai‘at
( pledge) form are enclosed with this letter.
- Be aware whether those connected with you are regular in
offering the daily prayers as far as they can. If you see
any of them neglectful and lax in this regard, try to make
them understand gently and keep trying. Similarly, also remain
vigilant that they follow all other key Islamic practices.
If you perceive a failing is not within your power to correct,
resort to praying or make some other attempt to bring about
improvement.
- Inculcate the habit of regular prayer in your children,
whether sons and daughters, from the age of seven years.
- Encourage your children right from the start to give money
for the propagation of Islam every month, no matter how small
an amount, and have their names entered in the lists of regular
contributors. In this way you will sow in their hearts from
an early age the seeds of passion for the propagation of Islam,
which will develop into a strong tree when they are grown
up.
- Establish the practice in your households of reading the
books of the Promised Messiah, our Urdu and English periodicals,
and other religious literature. Not only you but also members
of your household should peruse these writings.
- Make a plan to teach your children the Holy Quran with translation.
Either do this yourself or engage the services of an instructor
from your local centre. If possible, this should be a daily
activity, or at least once a week when it is a holiday. Even
once a week will amount to fifty lessons a year.
- Find out if your adult, financially independent offspring
(for instance, your sons who earn their own income or your
daughters who are married) give the monthly donation to the
Jama‘at, subscribe to the periodicals of the Jama‘at,
and participate in other religious initiatives, or not. If
you find any shortcomings, try to rectify them yourself. Inform
the centre if your own efforts do not succeed.
Wassalam,
Humbly,
Muhammad Ali,
Head of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Jama‘at
I will await a response to this letter for two months so that
I may know which friends
have made what efforts and the results achieved by them.
Shown below is the original article in Urdu
from Paigham Sulh:
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