Hazrat Ameerul Mumineen (may Allah be his Helper) gave detailed and important guidance to members of the Jama’at about their responsibilities with reference to different relationships and familial ties in a Friday sermon. As regards the rights of husband and wife, Huzoore Anwer said:
“‘And worship Allah and associate naught with Him, and show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans, and the needy, and to the neighbour that is a kinsman and the neighbour that is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hand possess. Surely, Allah loves not the proud and the boastful.’ (4:37)
“In the verse (Surah Al-Nisa, Verse 37) that I just recited, Allah the Exalted commands us to worship Him and to worship Him in the manner that is befitting to His worship. Idols, whether big or small, or idols that you have let occupy your hearts should not deter you from the worship of God. It is then enjoined to treat parents kindly and this kind treatment towards parents has been explained in multiple angles in various places.”
Huzoore Anwer added: “It is then stated that once these two basic matters are instilled, further stages of advancement have to be traversed. In order to put the correct religious teaching in practice, one must demonstrate further levels of high morals. If these levels are attained, one is worthy of being called a Muslim in the real sense. If these levels are attained and high morals are instilled, then one’s objective is realised and one becomes a recipient of blessings of Allah the Exalted and InshaAllah will continue to be a recipient. It should be remembered that Allah the Exalted greatly dislikes it if these levels are not attained and one is arrogant and is ever concerned about self-promotion. In this way one would not be paying the dues of humankind and will be wasting away one’s worship of God. If a high standard of morals are not attained then one’s worship of God will be wasted.
“What are the standards that Allah the Exalted wants us to establish? He states that the standards constitute showing kindness to kindred, the close relations from your mother’s and father’s side, who are your familial relations. For married people, relatives of wife and husband both come in the category of close relations. Both husband and wife are equally commanded to be courteous to these relations. Obviously love and affection between a husband and wife would inevitably enhance when they are both courteous to each other’s close relations and try to fulfil their rights. It is stated that if they try their best to pay the dues of each other and if they protect familial relations, they would become God’s favourite.”
(Friday sermon delivered on 23 January 2004 at Baitul Futuh, London. Khutbaat e Masroor Vol. 2. Pp. 64-65 2005 Edition. Published by Nazarat e Isha’at Rabwah)
With reference to respect of close relatives of husbands and wives Huzoore Anwer (may Allah be his Helper) said at one occasion:
“Many domestic conflicts stem from disregard for each other’s relatives. The closest relation of husband and wife are parents. While kindness to your own parents is enjoined, kindness to each other’s parents is also enjoined to husband and wife. At times the husband acts unfairly by disparaging the wife’s parents and close relatives and at other times the wife acts unfairly by disparaging the husband’s parents and close relatives. This should not be the practice in Ahmadiyya society which is commanded by Allah and His Messenger to spread peace and security. Moreover we have accepted the Imam of the age and [he], the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) has also taught us the ways to stay firm on high morals. He has also told us that if we wish to be connected to him we have to adopt the high morals enjoined by Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be on him). We should ponder over the fact that we are faced with opposition in this day and age for accepting the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) as to why we accepted the individual who claimed to be the Promised Messiah and a Prophet from God; after accepting Ahmadiyyat some people are also given a great deal of pain by their relatives who sever relationship with them. Fathers have been severe to their children and have thrown them out of homes for accepting Ahmadiyyat. In this situation how much regard should an Ahmadi have for his relationships! Each Ahmadi should realise that after being associated with the individual who is called ‘Prince of Peace’ by Allah the Exalted, how much peace and security we need to spread and how much endeavour we need to put into strengthening relationships!
“Thus, each Ahmadi should instil the feeling that he should not be the one to mar the name of the prince of peace. How can we have a connection of kindness and indeed enhance the connection and be caring to those with whom we do not have close familial ties if we do not look after our close familial ties and are not kind to them and do not pray for them and do not seek their prayers!”
(Friday sermon delivered on 1 June 2007. Published in Al Fazl International 22 June 2007)