by A. Abdul Aziz, Sri Lankan Correspondent, Al Hakam, London.

(Given below is the gist of Eid-ul-Adha Sermon delivered by His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Supreme Head of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community on 6 June 2025 at the Mubarak Mosque in Islamabad, UK, after led the congregational Eid-ul-Adha Prayer)

After reciting the first part of the Arabic Sermon Ahmadiyya Khalifa  recited the verses of the Holy Quran Chapter 22 verse 35 – 38, the meaning of which goes:

And to every people We appointed rites of sacrifice, that they might mention the name of Allah over the quadrupeds of the class of cattle that He has provided for them. So your God is One God; therefore submit ye all to Him. And give thou glad tidings to the humble.

Whose hearts are filled with fear when Allah is mentioned, and who patiently endure whatever befalls them, and who observe Prayer, and spend out of what We have provided for them.

And among the sacred Signs of Allah We have appointed for you the sacrificial camels. In them there is much good for you. So mention the name of Allah over them as they stand tied up in lines. And when they fall down dead on their sides, eat thereof and feed him who is needy but contented and him who supplicates. Thus have We subjected them to you, that you may be thankful.

Their flesh reaches not Allah, nor does their blood, but it is your righteousness that reaches Him. Thus has He subjected them to you, that you may glorify Allah for His guiding you. And give glad tidings to those who do good.” (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.35-38)

His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Hazrat Khalifatul Masih (may Allah be his Helper) said that these verses explain that true sacrifice isn’t merely sacrificing animals for the sake of it, rather the lesson that is imparted is that lesser things are sacrificed for greater ones. So just as animals are sacrificed for God the Great, in the same way if we are ever required to provide any sacrifice for God we should put ourselves forward.

The commandments given by God should be acted upon, as this is how we will reach the true standard of sacrifice. We should be ever ready to extend our necks for the sake of Allah the Almighty.

Huis Holiness went on to explain that the meat that we distribute and the resulting blood that is spilled does not benefit God. What He wants is your taqwa (righteousness), that you remember to fear Him, and that you always stay aware of how to act upon His instructions to attain His pleasure.

His Holiness mentioned that in Pakistan, Ahmadis are barred from offering the Eid sacrifice, since the past few years. However, the purpose is taqwa, so even though we’re unable to sacrifice an animal on Eid, the important thing is that God is more concerned with our intentions. If our intention is that we want to offer a sacrifice in accordance with the commandments of God and to seek His pleasure, then God will accept that as a sacrifice.

There are many people who buy lots of animals to sacrifice, and make huge announcements about it. But is this really the true essence? Does God instruct those same people to put others through difficulty to attain His pleasure? Not at all. God’s Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH) said that whoever said la ilaha illallah (I bear witness that there is no God but Allah) is a Muslim – but what these so-called Muslims do is against the commandments of God about treating others well.

We should remember that these sacrifices are only to improve our taqwa and lead us closer to God. Whilst acting upon His commands, we should obey Him to the best of our abilities. Even if we aren’t able to sacrifice an animal on Eid, but we act on the rest of our teachings then God will accept the intention of that sacrifice, as He has explicitly mentioned that it’s not the meat of the animals that reaches Him (Surah al-Hajj, Ch.22: V.38). In light of this, we should focus on acting on God’s commandments.

Through these commandments, God has informed us that our true purpose is worship. This can only be done once huqooq-ul-Ibaad (the rights owed to mankind) are fulfilled. HIS Holiness went on to explain that the other side of this, huqooqullah (the rights owed to Allah), consist of the five daily prayers, particularly in congregation at the mosque. 

However, if for instance in Pakistan, Ahmadis are stopped from congregating at the mosques, then if there are places or houses where the conditions are not as harsh, Ahmadis should congregate there for their prayers. This way we’ll be able to find solace in God from our opponents.

His Holiness went on to explain that in order to fulfill the rights of this sacrifice made on the day of Eid, we must fulfil the rights of our worship by falling in prostration to God, weeping like children and beseeching Him, in result of which He’ll listen to us and safeguard us from our opponents.

His Holiness instructed the Ahmadis of Pakistan to particularly focus on this because God keenly listens to the supplication of the oppressed. (Jami` at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3598) Hence, If we give due attention to this we will become the recipients of God’s blessings.

Salat (obligatory prayer) is not meant to just be a tick-box exercise, rather we should offer our prayers in a proper manner. If we do this then God will bless us so much that the obstacles created by our opponents will be removed.

His Holiness emphasised that on this day, we should take an oath to increase the standard of our worship.

This also applies to others across Europe and other parts of the world where Eid is being celebrated.

In Pakistan, Ahmadis cannot offer Eid in congregation due to the authorities, whilst we [outside of Pakistan] are able to pray feely. However, we shouldn’t let this cause despair. His Holiness instructed Ahmadis in Pakistan to offer Eid prayers in their homes and to take an oath to fulfill the rights of God, and to worship in such a manner as if they are at the throne of God. This will result in God’s blessings and favours, so much so that the opponents will wither away.

To fulfil the standard of Salat and worship, we should make our utmost effort. His Holiness explains that the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad – Promised Messiah, peace be on him, has expounded on this philosophy (Al Hakam, 24 July 1902), in which he explains that there are two parts to worship, which are the fear and love of God.

The fear of God is such that it takes us towards the fountain of God, and that we are able to fulfil the rights of worship. 

The Promised Messiah^, peace be on him, went on to say that man should love God according to His due, by discarding the love of the world and making God the true beloved.

There are many ways to fulfil both of these huqooq (rights), but they are interlinked to the emotions of fear and love. It might seem like a strange thing to have both of these together, how can one love someone Who they fear? However, the fear and love of God is an entirely different philosophy.

The more a person fears God, the more his love for Him will increase and vice versa. This will take him away from vices and bring him closer to good deeds. In this way, both of these emotions are interlinked.

The Promised Messiah^, peace be on him, said that to develop both of these emotions, Islam has established Salat (for fear), and Hajj (for love).

Ahmadiyya Khalifa mentioned that these days people have gone for Hajj. This is a show of love [for God]. Although Ahmadis are generally barred from Hajj, many manage to go for Hajj anyway to partake in this endeavour.

Hence, because Salat increases our fear of Allah, to transform that fear into love, God instructed us to perform Hajj.

Hajj includes all pillars of love. A person adorns himself with less clothing than in ordinary circumstances, which is a sign of love, since we’re not concerned with what we’re wearing in that condition. This is like the example of a person who removes their clothing for their beloved. That’s a worldy person’s love – our love for God should be even greater. Other elements of the Hajj also emulate the emotion of love, such as the kissing of the black stone, and the  sacrificing of animals which is the highest standard of love.

Hence, Hajj is performed to express this love, as is the sacrifice offered on Eid. Wherever we are stopped and obstacles are placed in front of us, God knows the condition of our hearts and of the standards of our worship. He will bring ease for us. And He will reward us for the worship we are being stopped from, since He is extremely generous.

If we attain the proper standards of worship and fulfill the due rights, we will reach a level of the fear of God which will then culminate into love. As we get closer to God, He will make our opponents disappear.

Our opponents desire to make us leave our faith, but those Ahmadis who have true faith in their hearts do not falter.

We should increase our worship. If we can’t sacrifice an animal, then wherever possible and to whatever degree, we should worship God in our houses and prostrate to Him.

We should increase our worship to such a degree that it is an expression of the true fear of God. This will enable us to reach the highest standards of sacrifice.

We should also obey God’s command of helping the poor, since it’s not just about feeding ourselves and our neighbours. Where animal sacrifices are not possible, other sacrifices can be made to help the poor, for which the Jamaat provides platforms.

People should also help their friends and relatives in other countries who are not as well off. There are many Ahmadis who haven’t just sacrificed animals, but also given lots of financial sacrifice using their money as donations.

So even if we’re being stopped from one path of sacrificing, God has provided us with other routes. The Ahmadis of Pakistan are being stopped from these sacrifices, but in other parts of the world we should step forward and increase our tabligh (preaching) efforts, in line with God’s instructions. Whilst fearing him we should pray that he allows us to understand the true essence of sacrifice.

Additionally, God instructs us to keep away from vices and bad environments. In this day and age, bad environments aren’t merely confined to physical gatherings, rather they include consuming harmful content on the internet, TV, and other digital platforms. This is not an issue limited to the youth, but even older people fall into this vice. If we partake in such things then sacrificing an animal on Eid won’t be of much benefit to us.

The spirit of sacrifice should be in accordance with that of Abraham^, peace be on him, Hajra^, peace be on her  and Ismail, peace be on him. Only in that case will it be considered a true sacrifice. 

In Pakistan as well as other places, if people can’t offer animal sacrifice, they should increase their good deeds and sacrifice their desires.

Ahmadiyya Khalifa explained in depth further and concluded sermon, then extended a hearty Eid mubarak” to everyone and led everyone in du‘a (silent prayer).