By A. Abdul Aziz,

(Given below is an excerpt of the Friday Sermon delivered by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Supreme Head of the world-wide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam, on 7 March, 2025, gave a discourse on Ramadhan: Faith, Prayers and Righteous Deeds.)

After reciting Tashahhhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah al-Fatihah, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad (May Allah be his Helper)  recited the following verse from the Holy Qur’an:

‘And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.’’ (Holy Quran 2: 187)

Increased Attention to Prayer During Ramadan

Ahmadiyya Khalifa said that with the start of the month of Ramadan, one’s attention is drawn towards prayers, because this is a month where prayers are especially accepted. Generally, people are more drawn to the mosques and attendance increases as compared to other times in the year. God says that during Ramadan, He closes the gates of hell, chains Satan and opens the door of Paradise.

His Holinesssaid that some may think that it is only during Ramadan that they must offer supplications and that it is only during this time that their prayers will be heard. However, this is not the right mentality. Allah the Almighty has drawn increased attention towards prayers during Ramadan so that it may become a lasting habit for the rest of the year as well. Hence, it is not enough to simply offer prayers and attend the mosque solely during Ramadan. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said that one who supplicates in the nights of Ramadan to fulfil their rights of their faith and for the sake of blessings then their previous sins are forgiven. When a person tries to make these virtuous habits a regular part of their lives, then their attention will increase during Ramadan towards these things.

Acceptance of Prayer Requires Love for God

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa  said that man is prone to make mistakes; however, Allah the Almighty is very Gracious and Merciful. As such, He has given us an opportunity to renew our vows during Ramadan to act according to God’s commandments for the rest of the year as well. Ramadan is for one to attain guidance, and that is not something that can be established just for one month; rather, guidance is something which is meant to be permanently established. Since humans are forgetful, Allah has made Ramadan a recurring time, each year, so that people may be reminded about their duties and rights owed to God and the rights owed to His creation. In the above verse, where God refers to ‘My servants,’ it means those who hold God to be their Beloved – not just for a month but throughout the year.

His Holinesssaid that true lovers are those who adhere to everything their beloved says. One can be disappointed with worldly love, but by loving God, one can never be disappointed and finds nothing but continuous benefit. Hence, we should strive to beseech God for His nearness. We should not only pray for things of our own benefit; rather, we should also pray to attain nearness to God. We should pray that God grants us His nearness, enables us to make supplications that are granted acceptance, grants us a rank of His approval, and that He accepts our fasts. When we do this, then we will be saved from making mistakes even after Ramadan; rather, we will be granted the continuous ability to do virtuous deeds.

Become a Friend of God

His Holiness Ahmadiyya Khalifa said that special attention has also been drawn towards reciting the Holy Qur’an. Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Islam –   The Promised Messiah, peace be on him, said that there are more than 700 commandments in the Holy Qur’an. A true believer not only recites the Holy Qur’an, but they search for those commandments and then make every effort to implement them. Complete belief entails complete obedience to God’s commandments and the teachings of His Messenger Muhammad (PBUH) As a result, God becomes a person’s Friend, as it is stated in the Holy Qur’an, ‘Allah is the Friend of those who believe.’

His Holiness said that this nearness to God is something that never ends; rather, it only increases. Hence, during Ramadan, we must try to attain this rank and consider that if, after Ramadan, we regress and do not offer supplications as we did during Ramadan and do not strive to attain the nearness of God, then how can God become our friend?

Ahmadiyya Khalifa said that there is the example of Chaudhry Zafrulla Khan (Former, Foreign Minister of Pakistan and President, UN Assembly), who was once visiting the Queen’s palace and seemed worried as he constantly looked at his watch. When some officials asked him what the reason was, he replied by saying that it was nearing the time for prayer, a commandment of God which he must fulfil. Upon hearing this, the official made arrangements for him to offer his prayers. This is the confidence that everyone must have.

Ahmadiyya Supreme Head (Khalifa) said that there are countless examples of instances where the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has drawn our attention towards acting with virtue. Similarly, in this era, the Promised Messiah, peace be on him.  has also drawn attention towards acting with virtue and towards fulfilling the rights owed to God and the rights owed to His creation. Hence, we must focus on these things, which will result in God becoming our friend and answering our prayers.

The Need for Patience When Praying

His Holiness said that God listens to the prayers of those who are patient and who do not say that they have been praying a great deal but God has not answered them. Sometimes people complain that despite offering many prayers, they have not been heard. However, they pray not to attain nearness to God but to fulfill their worldly desires. They prayed only when they had worldly issues. True friendship denotes honouring the friendship even under ordinary circumstances and listening to one another. This is something which should always be remembered – we should not turn to God only for the fulfilment of worldly needs, but we must turn to God in order to seek His nearness as well. Then God hears and answers such supplications.

Source: www.alislam.org

Full Sermon in English Translation the, the video link: