Born into the cage of the rat race as your co-workers shed their blood, sweat, and tears to make a living, you have access to the key out of this prison. Do you realize how lucky you are? As the rest of the world chases the riches of this world, you, being an Ahmadi Muslim, have something which can give you both this world and the next. What is this secret?
God Almighty warned us about this vicious cycle. He describes in the Quran, “Mutual rivalry in seeking worldly increase diverts you from God. Till you reach the graves” (102:2-3). God already told us about the rat race, ‘the matrix’ we live in. Spending our entire lives chasing after the spoils of this world, till our final breaths. So what’s the key to escape from this mental prison?
“And spend for the cause of Allah, and cast not yourselves into ruin with your own hands, and do good; surely, Allah loves those who do good” (2:196).
By spending in the way of Allah you can save yourself from ruin. What does spending in the way of Allah mean? Spending money on the needy, fulfilling your chandas, donating for the propagation of Islam. God goes as far as to say that he loves people like you. He loves those who take care of his creation, who spend money in the cause of faith. When Qaid Sahib approaches you to make donations, would you want to lose this opportunity of saving yourself from ruin? From witnessing God’s love? Allah asks us,
“Who is it that will lend Allah a goodly loan that He may multiply it for him manifold? And Allah receives and enlarges, and to Him shall you be made to return” (2:146).
God will take care of those who sacrifice their hard earned wealth in His way. He will give them back more than what they sacrificed. This is a divine promise for everyone who truly believes. And yes, this promise is often fulfilled in this very life. If you have the courage to trust Allah when you are most vulnerable, He will reward you in ways you couldn’t even imagine.
Just a few years ago, brother Abdur Rahman from Gambia was struggling to pay for his children’s schooling fees when he was approached to make a financial sacrifice. He was, like many of us, in a tough situation at the time. Yet he immediately donated 250 Gambian dalasi, trusting that Allah would take care of him. After one week, God blessed him with a job with an increased salary of 5000 dalasi. Not only were his child’s fees fulfilled but even others. (Friday Sermon, January 24, 2020)
Ask Mubarak Munir Sahib of Burkina Faso about how God fulfills His promise. Once, both of his children were very sick and despite treatment saw no improvement in their health. When the local Mua’lim reached out to him for donations, he made a great sacrifice according to his means and prayed for his children’s recovery. Within a few days, one child was completely cured and the other was much improved. (Friday Sermon, November 9, 2018)
He took that step towards God, put his trust in Him, and let the monsoon of blessings pour forth. He saw the promised multiplication of the loan return.
These occurrences are not something which occur in far off lands. They happen here in Canada too. A few years ago, a man in Canada pledged to donate $1000 to Tehrik-e-Jadid. As the end of the year approached, financial troubles kept growing and he couldn’t find a job. The local finance secretary visited his house a week before the year ended. Although the family did not have anything to give, they refused to let the secretary leave while their promise remained unfulfilled. So they scraped together $1000 from their savings account and gave the amount to him right there. Due to their sincerity and loyalty, within a week, the husband found a job which paid $7000 a month. (Friday Sermon, November 9, 2018)
In this job market where unemployment is at a record high, it can seem difficult to answer Qaid Sahib’s call to give chanda or to participate in Waqf-e-Jadid, however this is where the blessing lies. If giving chanda was easy, it wouldn’t be a financial sacrifice. The blessing is in the sacrifice, in giving that which we hold dearest. That’s why it’s a means of attaining God’s love. The Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) explains, “Happy are those who care not for pain in order to attain His pleasure, for it is only after temporary suffering that the believer is granted the light of eternal joy and everlasting comfort” (Tafsir Hazrat Masih e Maud, vol 2, p 131).
The companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) understood this when they answered his call to donate for the cause of Islam. They left their homes empty, donating everything they owned for God. Pioneer members of our community understood this when they answered the call to donate funds to build the Fazl Mosque in London. Women began to literally take their jewelry off in the midst of the speech and men considered selling their businesses. Those were the fortunate among us to witness the love of God, to witness His promises fulfilled.
We are but travelers in this transient world. Alexander the Great, one of the greatest conquerors who amassed the world and had literally billions of dollars in wealth, realized this in his final moments. It is narrated that in his will he made a few requests. One among them was that the path to his grave be laid with treasures. Why? So that the onlookers saw that although he spent his life chasing the treasures of this world, he had to leave it behind. It took Alexander a lifetime to realize this. Don’t repeat the same mistake and realize when it’s too late.
