Translation of the Friday Sermon of 13th May 1983 Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad – Khalifatul Masih IV It was revealed to Noah ‘No more of thy people shall believe than those who have already believed so be not distressed at what they have been doing.’ ‘So build thou the Ark under before our eyes by our revelation and consult Me not concerning the wrongdoers. They shall certainly be drowned.’ The Holy Quran. Hud: 37, 38. In my last Sermon, I had mentioned the prayer of Noah which indicated that in the end he supplicated for the destruction of his people that not one of them may be spared and that the world may be purified of them and of their vicious progeny forever. I had also mentioned that this supplication of Noah was not in its essence a prayer for the destruction of his people as Noah had been informed by God that now there was no one left among his people who would be rightly guided. Thus, Noah was not permitted .to pray for their deliverance. It is inconsistent for the purpose of human life that any human being should cut asunder altogether from God and should leave behind vicious progeny. I have just recited the verses on the basis of which I had put forward that thesis. In these verses, Allah has set forth that He had revealed to Noah that no more from among his people would believe except those who had already done so. He was told not to grieve over those who had been condemned, for their end had been decreed. This is followed up immediately by the admonition forbidding Noah from supplicating on behalf of the wrongdoers, for they were destined to perish by drowning. He was commanded to build the Ark under God's eyes and under His directions. This distinguishes in two respects the Ark that he was commanded to build from all other arks. The first is, the Ark was to be built before the eyes of Allah. What is very dear to a person, he requires to be constructed before his own eyes. For instance, when the building of the Talimul Islam College was under construction, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III, who was devoted to the cause of education and loved the College, spent all his spare time, day and night, in all weathers, in supervising its construction. He worked hard in making sure that the building of the College should be perfect. Thus Noah's Ark was a wonderful Ark, the likes of which had never been constructed before, nor in its outward shape ever after. Concerning it, Allah announced that He would Himself watch the construction of the Ark throughout. The second distinguishing feature of Noah's Ark was that he was directed to construct it according to Divine directions. Noah had not learnt the art of constructing arks from anyone else. He received his complete instructions in every detail from Allah. Such a grand and Holy Ark, which was matchless, may possibly have been preserved, at least 1 in part, µp to this time. Urged by this possibility, a great deal of research has been made for the recovery of the whole, or a portion, of Noah's Ark. Several expeditions have been organised for carrying out that search at various times in the area of Mount Ararat and other places. This search was based on data which was deduced from the Bible. The Holy Quran furnishes different indications in that regard. It is possible that an Ahmadi expedition may, by Allah's grace, be enabled to discover the remains of Noah's Ark according to the indications mentioned in The Holy Quran. All this relates to the future. I wish to draw your attention to another Ark which has been constructed before Allah's eyes and under His directions. You are that Ark, that is to say, the Ahmadiyya Movement. The Promised Messiah, peace be on him, was directed by Allah in the revelations vouchsafed to him that he should prepare an Ark. That Ark is the Ahmadiyya Movement concerning which Allah has guaranteed that those who join it will be safeguarded against every kind of ruin and destruction. Noah's Ark, which was made of wood, is also very valuable and those who succeed in their search for it would be most fortunate. But far more valuable than Noah's Ark is that Ark which has been bestowed to the people of Muhammad the Immacuate, peace be on him, first in the shape of a system of teachings which then took the shape of a Community and which today exists in the shape of that Community, models of which are being constructed in every part of the world. This Ark, namely, the Ahmadiyya Movement, is the Holy Ark with all its features shaped before the eyes of Allah and according to His directions. The Promised Messiah, peace be on him, had no part in all this. Allah has said clearly and specifically that all its details were laid down by Him and that it was built under His directions. Thus if the teaching of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, which took the shape of the Ahmaiyya Movement, is Noah's Ark, and most certainly so it is, then every portion of it, every particle of it and every feature of it, has been given shape under the directions of Allah. It is, therefore, incumbent upon you to maintain the features of this beautiful Movement. If future generations should unfortunately alter its features and make changes in them, it would be the greatest wrong that within a few generations, the features of the Ark which Allah has described as resembling Noah's Ark and mention of which has been made in very affectionate terms in The Holy Quran, should be altered out of shape. Another aspect of this topic is that the fiercer the storms that may be apprehended, the greater are the cares bestowed on the construction of the vessels that are designed to negotiate those storms. For instance, a short while before the First World War, a large vessel was constructed in England concerning which it was claimed that it could face every possible hazard and that it was unsinkable. But it so happened that during its maiden voyage, it collided with an invisible iceberg and sank within a few minutes with most of those on board. Thus, man's knowledge is imperfect and in his ignorance, he sometimes makes claims that are not justified and which in practice are not proved true. But concerning the Ark, which is constructed under Divine directions, it cannot be imagined that any storm could sink it. So, if you will safeguard all the features of this Ark, that would be a guarantee of your own security. 2 How many a movement has been launched which had been designed for your destruction, and how was each of them broken and destroyed and no sign of any of them has survived? How grandly and supremely does this Ark constructed by the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, continue sailing above the waves of opposition. If you will not let the vain projects of your own minds interfere with the designs of this holy architect and if you will safeguard even the least of its features with the utmost care and affection and effort, not only a few hostile movements, but even if great storms which could be compared with the storm of the time of Noah were to arise the waves of which could sink mountains and would destroy great peoples, I would assure you on the basis of the teachings of The Holy Quran and in the light of the revelations vouchsafed to the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, that no storm of any type or volume would be able to harm this Ark in the least. It will of necessity be supreme and would be raised above the heights of the mountains and would descend only when the storm abates. There will never be a storm devastating enough to sink this Ark. But the condition is that the Ark built by Divine hands should not be befouled by human intervention. Another aspect of these verses which is noteworthy is the direction: Consult Me not concerning the wrongdoers, for they are destined to perish by drowning. No other Prophet had been commanded to refrain from supplicating for his people; Abraham was not so commanded, nor was Lot. It is true that after Abraham had prayed. Allah directed him to desist, but he had not been forbidden to pray. Concerning Abraham it is said that he pleaded with Allah on behalf of the people of Lot: When fear left Abraham and the glad tidings came to him he began disputing with Us about the people of Lot.1 But this does not mean that Abraham had been told that Allah did not approve of his supplication and yet he persisted in it. Abraham carried on his supplications on behalf of the people of Lot till Allah very affectionately directed him: Abraham: O Abraham! Stop this for certainly the decree of thy Lord has gone forth and a punishment that cannot be averted has been destined for them.2 Allah consoled Abraham with the words: Indeed Abraham was clement and tender-hearted and devout.3 Yet, Noah was not permitted to mention his people at all. There is in this a deep and great lesson for those who reflect; a lesson which raises the status of humankind very high. Abraham supplicated and pleaded for a people with whom he had no relationship. Not one of his progeny was among the people for whom he was anxious and whom he strove to shield against God's wrath; but among the people for whom Noah was likely to plead included Noah's son. Noah was forbidden to pray for those people as it behoves not a Prophet that his mercy should be prompted in the least by some personal interest. That is why Allah, Who permits supplications on behalf of even enemies, forbade a Prophet from supplicating for his people as his son was included among them, lest it should be said that Noah had prayed for 3 1 The Holy Quran. Hud: 75. 2 Ibid, 77. 3 Ibid, 76. his people because his son was included among them. Allah would not let Noah become the subject of such a misunderstanding. The whole of this affair is set out in detail in The Holy Quran as follows. He urged his companions: Embark therein; its course and its mooring will be regulated under the blessing of Allah's name. My Lord is assuredly Most-Forgiving, Ever-Merciful. The Ark sailed along with them through waves towering like mountains. Noah spotted his son drifting away among the swirling waves and called out to him: My son, come along with us and be not among the disbelievers. He shouted back: I shall soon gain a footing on some height, where I shall be safe from the water. Noah warned him: There is no safety today for anyone from the decree of Allah, except for those to whom He shows mercy. Thereupon a wave rushed in between the two, and he was drowned. Thereafter, the command went forth: O earth! Swallow up thy water, and O sky! Desist. The water subsided and the case was closed. The Ark came to rest on Al Judi and the decree went forth: Gone are those evildoers. Noah supplicated his Lord: My Lord, my son is a part of my family, and surely, Thy promise is true, and Thou are the Justest of Judges. His Lord responded: He is surely not of thy family, Noah, for his is one of unbecoming conduct. So beseech Me not concerning that of which thou hast no knowledge. I advise thee lest thou act like the ignorant ones.4 It should be noted that Noah, as has been mistakenly thought by some, did not make any protest against the Divine decree. Yet, he was puzzled that God's promise had been that the members of his family would be safeguarded, then how did it happen that his son, who was a member of his family, had perished. Allah resolved his difficulty by the explanation that his son was of unbecoming conduct and, therefore, in Allah's estimation, he was not fit to be called Noah's son and was not included in the guarantee of safety which Allah had promised for the members of Noah's family. Thus, it was made clear that no blood relationship with a Prophet, or a righteous person, would safeguard anyone unless the claim of relationship was supported by virtuous conduct. Therefore, whoever is cut off spiritually would also be cut off physically. This is another lesson to which I wish to draw the attention of the members of the Community. There is indeed the guarantee of security for all those who embark on the Ark of Noah, both those who are members of the family of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, and those who, despite no physical relationship with him, embark upon the Ark by acting upon his teachings. But this guarantee is conditioned by righteous conduct. Should there be a weakness in that respect, God, Who did not safeguard Noah's son against perishing, would not in future depart from His law. God's justice is free from such contradiction. Thus, we are happy with the Divine guarantee of security against the fiercest storms, but we should also be fearful that our conduct should always continue to be pious righteous and that 4 4 Ibid, 42 – 47. we should lead pious lives in every respect, supplicating for the grace and mercy of Allah. Let it not happen that some who may have embarked on this Ark, should in reality have no connection with it. May Allah not let it happen that some, who are members of the family of the Promised Messiah, peace be on him, and claim membership of the Movement may be separated by the storms that may be encountered and the true may be distinguished from the false. May Allah not let it happen that some of us who are dear to us and who are closely related to us may perish in a storm. May Allah enable us to protect this Ark with the utmost care with perfect righteousness and steadfastness, and with perfect truth. This Ark has been constructed for the security of the whole world. Amen! © The Tahir Archive, 2022. 5