Fulfilling Quranic Commandments

Reem Shraiky, Tongham

Lajna Ima’illah, meaning community of servants of Allah, is the name of the women’s auxiliary organisation of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and it is indeed aptly named. Ever since it was founded a hundred years ago, its aim and objective, as stated by His Holiness Mirza Bashir-ud-din Mahmud Ahmad, who founded it, is, ‘to attain Allah’s pleasure and receive His bounties’.

Islam is a religion of brotherhood and sisterhood where the strong take care of the weak, the rich take care of the poor, and the able-bodied help the infirm.

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be on him), whose life was a personification of the Holy Qur’an stated: “He who has an extra mount should give it to the one who has no mount, and he who has extra provision should give it to him who has none”, and he made mention of so many kinds of wealth until we were of the opinion that none of us has any right over anything extra.’ (Muslim)

The Holy Qur’an states that the case of those who spend in the way of Allah is like that of a seed which is multiplied 700 times and beyond. Thus 700 times is the least reward that will be given to Muslims, and there is no limit to what God will bestow over and above this. We read in the Holy Qur’an:

‘The similitude of those who spend their wealth for the cause of Allah is like the similitude of a grain of corn which grows seven ears, in each ear a hundred grains. And Allah multiplies it further for whomsoever He pleases; and Allah is Bountiful, All-Knowing’ (2:262)

The Qur’an speaks of spending money in the cause of Allah as giving a loan to God, meaning that this money is not something wasted or consumed as Allah will return it to the lender manifold:

‘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.’ (2:246)

Furthermore, the Holy Qur’an elucidates that offering Prayers and feeding the poor constitute the two pillars on which the whole edifice of Islam stands. These pillars represent man’s duties to God and to his fellow beings. It states that when the guilty ones would be asked ‘what has brought you to the fire of Hell?’ They would say:

‘‘…We were not of those who offered Prayers, ‘Nor did we feed the poor’ (74:44-45)

The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) stated: ‘Woe to the rich from the poor on the Day of Judgement; they say: Our Lord, they did not pay our rights that were prescribed on them. Upon this Allah would say: “By my Might and Glory, I will bring you closer and place them at distance’’’ (Majma’ al-Zawa’id).

Therefore, the rich are just trustees over the money which Allah has given them. He commands them to fulfil the rights of the poor, Allah the Almighty states in the Holy Qur’an:

‘Believe in Allah and His Messenger, and spend in the way of Allah out of that to which He has made you heirs. And those of you who believe and spend will have a great reward’ (57:8)

In the light of these great teachings, Lajna Ima’illah, seeks to extend a helping hand with all it can whenever needed. To cite a recent example, during the Covid-19 pandemic we witnessed first-hand, their huge efforts whereby Lajna Ima’illah UK made and donated thousands of PPE and other essential items to local hospitals and distributed cooked food and food parcels to NHS frontline workers as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation, as well as distributing cooked meals to the sick and the homeless.

Moreover, on the auspicious occasion of the Lajna Ima’illah centenary, Lajna UK is building a maternity hospital in Sierra Leone. This hospital will, God willing, serve the vulnerable and needy women who are deprived of even basic medical needs, which we are fortunate enough to have here in this country.

I have spoken specifically about the charity work of Lajna Ima’illah UK, but I also have to mention that wherever Lajna Ima’illah is established in the world, they likewise serve humanity and contribute to the welfare of society to the best of their abilities in order to please Allah the Almighty and do justice to their special role as servants of Allah.