Condition VI

That he/she shall refrain from following un-Islamic customs and lustful inclinations and shall completely submit himself/herself to the authority of the Holy Qur’an; and that he/she shall make the Word of God and the sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) his/ her guiding principles in every walk of his/her life.

The Promised Messiah(as) admonishes us not to follow the un-Islamic customs that people have added to their faith because of the influence of the society in which they live. These customs have been adopted from other religions. For example, there are some frivolous customs during celebrations of marriage — like showing off the dowry given to the bride by her groom’s family, or the gifts brought by them, or publicly displaying the dowry given to the bride by her own family. There is quite a show. Islam only enjoins haq mehr [bride’s due right] to be publicly announced as a part of the religious marriage ceremony. All other customs are frivolous. First, when showing off the dowry from either side, those who are well-off want to show that they are giving more than their counterparts did in their marriage. All of this is worldly competition and show.

These days, there are many among you whom Allah the Almighty has blessed greatly after migration1. This is one of the blessings of joining the Jama‘at of the Promised Messiah(as). It is a consequence of the sacrifices made by your forefathers and a blessing resulting from the supplications offered by them. But there are some who, instead of being thankful by bowing before Allah the Almighty and spending in His way, become a prey to self-exultation and demonstration by excessive spending in marriages.

A lot of food is wasted in marriage celebrations and walimahs [reception given by husband after the marriage has been consummated]. Many dishes are prepared for public display. As a consequence, those who are not so well-off go into debt in order to have bridal dowery to display publicly. Some parents have to go into debt for fear of criticisms from their in-laws that their daughter has not brought much dowry with her. The groom’s family should fear Allah. Do not permit your poor in-laws to go into debt in order to maintain your own false sense of self-esteem because the claim you make is that you are Ahmadis and are committed to abide by the ten conditions of bai‘at.

I have thus far briefly mentioned one custom during marriage. If I elaborate upon the subject further, I can cite many other prevailing customs during marriage ceremonies.

When the customs take root, their victim is blinded and gradually comes fully into the grip of carnal desires, whereas the pledge during bai‘at is that he/she will safeguard completely from the carnal desires and will be completely subservient to the sovereignty of Allah and the Holy Prophet(sa). What do Allah and His Apostle expect from us? Only that we forsake frivolous customs and abide by the commandments of Allah.

Allah the Almighty says in the Holy Qur’an:2

But if they do not accept this invitation of yours, then know that they only follow their own evil inclinations. And who is more erring than he who follows his evil inclinations without any guidance from Allah? Verily Allah guides not the unjust people.

In this verse Allah has given a very clear verdict that should make us fearful: those who follow their vain desires will never be rightly guided.

We claim that we have recognised and accepted the Imam of the Age but despite taking a pledge with the Imam to forsake all vain customs we are clinging to them. Everyone should examine himself: Are we taking retrograde steps? If we are true to the pledge and — fearing our Lord and eschewing carnal desires — we turn to our Beloved Allah and praise Him, He gives us the glad tiding of Paradise.

As Almighty Allah says in the Holy Qur’an:3

But as for him who fears the station of his Lord, and restrains his soul from evil desires, the Paradise shall surely be his home.

I will present a few ahadith pertaining to the topic of rituals and customs.

Hazrat ‘Aishah(ra) has related that the Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘An innovation in religion which has nothing to do with matters of faith is to be rejected and is unacceptable.’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari, Kitab-us-Sulhi, Babu Izastalahu ‘ala sulhin jaurin)

Hazrat Jabir(ra) relates that the Holy Prophet(sa) addressed us and his eyes were showing redness, his voice became louder, and he was very excited as if he was warning us of an invading army. He said, ‘The enemy is about to attack you any time during the day or night.’ He also said, ‘I and the Hour have been sent in close proximity.’ (He joined his two fingers to demonstrate the closeness while he said this.) Then he added, ‘Now I tell you that the best discourse is the Book of Allah and the best guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad(sa). The most evil thing is to introduce innovations in religion; and every innovation leads to error.’ (Sahih Muslim, Kitab-ul-Jumu‘ati, Babu Takhfifis-Salati wal-Khutbah)

Hazrat ‘Amr Bin al-‘Auf(ra) has narrated that the Holy Prophet(sa) said, ‘The person who revives any one of my sunnah so that others start practicing it, he will reap the reward equal to all those persons’ rewards who act upon that sunnah, and their reward shall remain with them as well. The person who introduces an innovation and others adopt it, he shall share in the sins of all those who act on it, and their sins will remain with them as well.’ (Sunano Ibn-e-Majah, Kitabul-Muqaddimah, Babu man Ahya Sunnatan qad umitat)