The Divine Promise of Establishing Global Unification by Assembling All the Nations in the World at One Centre of Tauhid (Unity of God)

Friday Sermon, May 19, 1967, Mubarak Mosque, Rabwah.

“As the Ka‘bah was the centre for all mankind at the outset, this House of Allah, was again, meant to become a centre for the unification of mankind in the latter and consummate time. Therefore, the House of Allah was chosen for the advent of the Chief of the Prophets, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas), so that, both, the Prophet and the Qibla of human unification may be joined to belong to one place.”

After Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz and Surah Al-Fatihah, Huzoor recited the verse:

“And remember the time when We made the House a resort for mankind and a place of security; and take ye the station of Abraham as a place of Prayer.”1

The verses of the Holy Quran, a portion of which I have recited, explain the twenty-three objectives. I have already talked about seven of these objectives in my previous sermons and explained how these objectives were achieved by the advent of the Holy Prophet (sas).

The eighth objective which I would like to talk about now is discussed in the word Mathabah (resort). This objective of the reconstruction of the Ka‘bah is that a Prophet will be raised here who will unify all the nations in the world as one umma, and a shariah will be given by whose virtue all the scattered and dispersed nations will be united at one point of Tauhid (Unity of God) and purity. This objective, too, was achieved solely by the advent of the Holy Prophet (sas).

One literal meaning of the word Mathabah is: (Al-Qamusul Muhit) that is, to re-assemble people at one point after confusion and dissension.

Another implication of Mathabah is that is, the place where orders for reward and requital are issued and written.

Allah the Almighty says here that He is going to make the Ka‘bah such a central point where all the scattered and dispersed nations of the world would be united once again after the advent of the Holy Prophet (sas). And no place other than the Ka‘bah would be left for them wherefrom they could hope and expect reward from their Lord.

As I have explained to you, Allah the Almighty raised the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) and sent down the Islamic shariah to meet this end. In the time of Hazrat Adam (as) there was only one Prophet, only one nation and only one shariah. Hitherto people had not spread into the world and divided into various nations. Thus, spiritually the Ka‘bah was the centre for all mankind. Thereafter the progeny of Adam (as) began spreading in the world and inhabited far off places. Their mutual connections were severed. God Almighty started sending Prophets in each people for their spiritual uplift and progress, thus spiritually they no longer remained one people, rather they dispersed and disintegrated and the progeny of Adam was split into various nations.

As the Ka‘bah was the centre for all mankind at the outset, this House of Allah, was again, meant to become a centre for the unification of mankind in the latter and consummate time. Therefore, the House of Allah was chosen for the advent of the Chief of the Prophets, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas), so that, both, the Prophet and the Qibla of human unification may be joined to belong to one place.

The Promised Messiah (as) has thrown light on this topic at length. For the time being I present two extracts of the Promised Messiah (as) that are related to this topic. He says:

“In the beginning human beings were fewer in number; so fewer in number as to be called a nation. Therefore, only one book sufficed them. When thereafter people spread in the world, and inhabitants of every region constituted a nation, and became unaware of the circumstances of each other as they had far distanced from each other, then, at that time, the prudence and expedience of God Almighty demanded that every nation should be given separate Prophets and books; so did it happen. And when mankind had multiplied in number and ways had opened for interaction, and means had become available for the people of one country to meet the other, and when they had learnt that mankind inhabited such and such region, and when God Almighty desired to again unite them like one nation and gather them after dissension, He sent one Book for all the countries. And in this Book He commanded the people of various countries to accept it and believe in it when it reached them. The Book is the Holy Quran which has come to establish a relationship between all the countries. All the Books before the Holy Quran were called Mukhtassul Qaum, that is, they were meant for their respective nations only … But, at the end of all of them came the Holy Quran which was a UNIVERSAL BOOK and it was not meant for a particular people but was meant for all. Similarly, the Holy Quran came for an umma who gradually sought to form into one people. So, now the means have become available in this age that form a kind of alliance and union amongst various people. The interaction, which is the essence for making people one nation, has become so easy that the distance of years can be traversed in a few days. As for communication, such means have been invented that the news which could not reach somebody even in a year from a far off country can now reach in just a moment. Such a great revolution is taking place and the course of civilization is heading towards such direction which reveals that God Almighty now wants all the nations scattered in the world to make one people and reunite those who are cut off from each other for thousands of years.”2

Similarly, at another place the Promised Messiah (as) says:

“The time of the Holy Prophet (sas) is stretched to the end of time and he is the Seal of the Prophets. God, therefore, did not wish that the unification of peoples should attain the perfection point in the very lifetime of the Holy Prophet (sas). For, this would amount to the culmination of his time. One might have doubted his time to end then and there; for, the final task of his would have reached its culmination in that age. Therefore, God ordained the completion of the task of unifying all the peoples like one and their joining one faith to be achieved in the latter part of his era, which is close to the end of time. And for the completion of this task, He appointed a vicegerent from this very umma who has been named as the Promised Messiah (as); it is he who is Khatimul Khulafa’ (the Seal of the Vicegerents). Thus, the Holy Prophet (sas) is at the head of the Muhammadan age and the Promised Messiah (as) at its end. It was necessary that the world had not come to an end until he had appeared. As the service of bringing all the peoples under one banner has been assigned to that vicegerent of the Prophethood. It is to this very fact that the verse alludes to, which is as follows:

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That is, God is He Who has sent His Messenger with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may cause it to prevail over all religions, that is, grant him a global dominance. And since this global dominance was not achieved in the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (sas) and it is impossible for the prophecy of God to remain unfulfilled, therefore, all the divines of old who have passed before us held that this global dominance would be achieved in the time of the Promised Messiah (as). Three factors, which have not been found in any age before, are essential for this global dominance.

1. First, that all the ways and means be opened for various nations to interact fully and easily and unbearable hardships of journey be removed.

2. The second condition to be fulfilled that a given religion, by virtue of its excellence, has dominance over all other religions is that all peoples in the world enjoy freedom to hold inter-religious debates. Every people may present the excellence of their religion before other people; and present the excellence of their religion and shortcomings in other religions through publications as well. And for religious contest all the religions in the world may get equal chance to assemble at one platform and compete each other in religious debates … and this religious contest should not be between one or two peoples but be on a global scale.

3. The third condition to be explained to the whole world that a given religion, in comparison to all the other religions in the world, is specially supported and seconded by God is … that in comparison to all other religions in the world that religion is given heavenly signs of Divine support the like of which have not been given to any other religion … No other religion, from one end of the world to the other, could compete it in showing heavenly signs, despite every habitation in the world being aware of this competition.”4

The Promised Messiah (as) says that such means have become available now in the world as the competition of all the religions in the field of theology and spirituality has become possible. All religions with their representatives at one platform can compete with other religions. Since the Promised Messiah (as) called upon every religion to compete with him in the field of theology, this competition was initiated in his time. I, too, invited the whole world for competition on the occasion of the last Jalsa Salana. If Almighty Allah grants me opportunity of touring the European countries, I intend to repeat these invitations in those Christian countries and extend to them the invitation of competition against Islam in a friendly and peaceful atmosphere to prove the authenticity and truthfulness of their religion (if they believe it to be true). I hope from my Lord that if they came for a decisive competition, Almighty Allah would furnish such means that they would have to admit their defeat before the whole world. Inshallah Ta‘ala.

Thus, the eighth objective is to unify all the nations in the world, and Allah the Almighty has given His word that He would fulfil this task through the Holy Prophet (sas). As the Promised Messiah (as) expounds on this topic saying that the achievement of this objective is related to the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at, and as a result very heavy responsibilities are laid upon the members of the Jama‘at to which I and you all should pay heed.

Thus, the eighth objective has been explained in the word, (Mathabah). It is evident that this objective has never been, nor can it ever be, achieved by any other Prophet other than the Holy Prophet (sas), for no other Prophet has been given a shariah which was not particular to any one people and which did not belong to his people and his time alone. Only the Holy Prophet (sas) has been given a shariah which meets all the requirements of mankind and which belongs to every people and every age until the last day. The promises made to the Holy Prophet (sas) have been kept on their time. As regards this promise the Promised Messiah (as) says that the appointed time for this promise is the age of the Promised Messiah and the responsibility to fulfil it lies with the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at. May Allah enable the Jama‘at to do so.

The ninth objective mentioned in these verses is discussed in the word (Amna). The word, (Mathabah) implies international relations to be on sound foundations. For the establishment of brotherly international relations it is essential to provide means of peace of mind to maintain global peace and mutual relations between nations. The glad tiding was that the promise made in the word , (Mathabah) would be kept, and an essential factor of it that the world peace be established would also be fulfilled. The shariah given to the world through the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sas) would contain the teaching for the establishment of global peace. The promise was that the true peace in the world could be achieved only by following the teaching brought by the Seal of the Prophets, who would be raised in Mecca. For, this final shariah would carry the means for proper nourishment of all the natural potentials and capabilities; and human intellect and soul would be satisfied by this teaching.

The Holy Quran has a detailed teaching with regard to the establishment of global peace and I do not want to go into its detail at the moment. This topic has been expounded in Ahmadiyyat, the True Islam and Nizam-e-Nau written by Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ud (ra). He says in these books that the Holy Quran lays down five fundamental points of establishing global peace. No international organization, whatsoever, is likely to succeed unless it abides by these rules. First, the League of Nations failed and now we can see UNO drawing close to failure. The basic reason for this, rather the only reason, is that they have not heeded to, and have not adopted the teaching of the Holy Quran about global peace. As a result of rejecting these principles they are facing incessant failures. Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ud (ra) has explained this point in his books saying that, contrary to the principle of signing one international treaty set out by the Holy Quran, the world, at once, signs two different kinds of treaties. One kind of treaties are related to all the nations in the world and the other are those that are signed by major nations between themselves. They fail on account of their feet being, at once, in two boats. In UNO itself one treaty was amalgamated into another one. Instead of making this treaty a purely international one they introduced veto into it, that is, some nations were granted the distinction by the UNO that certain issues would not be settled without their opinion. If law-abiding governance is aimed at, then no distinction can or should be made between the rich or poor and between the powerful or weak, in the manner of a law for individuals; similarly, it is essential not to give precedence to any nation over another in international treaties. An international law which gives precedence to one nation over the other is surely bound to fail.

The teaching of the Holy Quran was that preference should not be given to one nation over the other. They considered themselves very powerful and thought they could do whatever they wanted. Veto rights were given to certain nations and some retained these rights for themselves. The major cause for UNO’s failure at this time is that instead of signing one treaty which would be international, they introduced some other treaties into it which belonged to only certain nations and which were not meant for all the nations in the world.

The second guideline of the Holy Quran (with regard to the establishment of global peace) was that a dispute should be tried to resolve the moment it begins. But today the world has taken to prolonging, or let prolong, a dispute in view of certain personal gains. Certainly, peace cannot be maintained in the world in this way.

The third guideline was that regional prejudice is detrimental to international treaties, rather it is fatal. But despite the international treaty that appeared in the form of UNO, the nations which became its members and played major role in it started signing treaties on their own, and also started exhibiting prejudice and favouritism for the nations they were on good terms with.

Thus, the Holy Quran says that global peace can be maintained only when favouritism is not shown among nations and no nation is bent on exhibiting partiality to any other nation.

The fourth thing that the Holy Quran condemns, but this cruel world favours, is that when a dispute arises, instead of reconciling it, they propose punishment for certain nations out of sheer prejudice. And whenever and wherever they get a chance they start creating rift between them. Despite the presence of UNO and despite all its tall claims that they are a peace-making organization, Germany was divided into two countries, and Korea and Vietnam also are going through the same fate.

The Holy Quran says, you can maintain peace only when you walk under its shade. And when you come out of its shade, satanic scorching heat will bother you and will not let you live in peace.

The fifth guideline of the Holy Quran was that every nation will have to make sacrifice to maintain global peace. But now the state of affairs is such that some nations do make sacrifice while some others deny to do that. Thus, it is only the teaching of the Holy Quran through which global peace can be established in the world.

Summing up the whole discussion Hazrat Musleh Mau‘ud (ra) writes in his book Ahmadiyyat, the True Islam:

“If these defects are removed a League of Nations could be established on the lines indicated by the Holy Quran. It is only such a League that can be safely entrusted with the maintenance of international peace, and not a League whose very existence is dependent upon the good-will of others.”5

In Nizam-e-Nau he says:

“The League can never succeed. Only that league can succeed which is in harmony with the teachings of the Holy Quran.”6

As I said Allah has made a promise that the whole world will be strung together in one dispensation, thus will be established the international unity. God then says that the establishment of international unity demands guarantee of global peace, and the Quranic shariah gives the guarantee of global peace. He says, follow the teachings of this shariah, and if disputes happened to arise among the nations, they would be resolved on the principle of justice and equity and peace would not suffer at all. Thus, the Holy Quran expounds on this teaching at great length which leads to peace in the world. As the onus of achievement of the objective of (Mathabah) is on the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at, the responsibility of ample propagation of the teaching of the Holy Quran, which it has brought to us to establish peace among nations in the world, is, too, on the Ahmadiyya Jama‘at. If the world remained in dark about this teaching they might be in the position to say on the Judgment day, O God! We were unaware of it. Those who were aware of it and who were responsible to inform us of it had not conveyed it to us. Therefore, pronounce us innocent and bring your wrath down on those who are guilty. May Allah protect us from His wrath.

The tenth objective of building the House of Allah is (take ye the station of Ibrahim as a place of Prayer) which implies that the world will recognize the station of man’s obedience by means of Mecca, the House of Allah, and with the help of the Great Prophet who will be raised from Mecca. And the foundation of the true worship which originates from the fountain of meekness, lowliness and humility will be laid down there. Hence, Zills [reflections] of the Holy Prophet (sas) will appear in every nation, and centres for the propagation of Islam will be set up in every region of the earth, where the Greatness and Majesty of God Almighty will be professed and manifested by means of humble prayers. And as a result of this humbleness and humility, which will be practised only for the attainment of God’s pleasure and approbation, those nations will be bestowed upon heavenly blessings and will deserve salvation.

Thus, owing to Mecca and the shariah which will descend here, an umma will be raised who will offer prayer with all its obligations and requirements, and who will be firmly established in the station of obedience.

In fact, this objective, too, is linked with the earlier two objectives. The eighth promise was that all the peoples will be unified as one Muslim umma and this is not possible unless global peace is achieved. So, first, a word was given, and then it was kept in the form of the Quranic shariah–a perfect teaching meant to establish global peace for peace-loving nations. Now, in the tenth objective, God says that this teaching cannot be truly followed unless the umma of Muhammad (sas), that is, the promised umma, practises humility and meekness. Therefore, He said, (take ye the station of Ibrahim (as) as a place of prayer) that you cannot establish global peace without [taking the station of Ibrahim (as) as a place of prayer]. Thus, the promise here is that by the Holy Prophet (sas) an umma will be raised who will be firmly established in the station of obedience. The Promised Messiah (as) says, that the devout followers of the Holy Quran who are aware of their station of obedience and are firmly established in it are those who:

“Always remain in lowliness, nothingness and humility in the presence of the greatness of the Almighty Creator. They deem their reality as nothing but humility, poverty, penury, full of sin and error; and regard the competence and excellence they have been gifted with like a temporary light, which falls on a wall from the sun, which in reality has nothing to do with the wall, and is subject to decline like a borrowed garment. Thus, they consider every excellence and beauty to be confined to God only, and regard that Perfect Being as the fountainhead of all virtues. And with a full observation of the attributes of God, their hearts are filled with the certainty that they are nothing, so much so, that they are totally lost to their own existence, will and desire. And the surging ocean of God’s grandeur so encompasses their hearts, that, thousands of considerations of their own nothingness take hold of them, and they become totally cleansed and purified of all the hidden traits of associating anything with God.”7

At another place the Promised Messiah (as) says:

“Different postures of prayers are a manifestation of respect, humbleness and humility. In Qiyam [standing posture] a worshiper stands with his hands folded like a slave standing respectfully before his master or king. In Ruku‘ [bowing posture] he bows down with humility and the greatest humility is shown in Sajdah [prostration] which exhibits the extreme state of humility.”8

Allah the Almighty says here [in the tenth objective] that, out of His grace, He will carry on with raising such group of people amongst the followers of the Holy Prophet (sas) who shall adhere to humility, humbleness, meekness and modesty. As a result of this lowliness and humility Allah the Almighty will create the possibility of peace which has been referred to in the word (Amna) and a detailed teaching of which has been given in the Holy Quran.

Remember that true worship is nourished by the mixing of both (1) love and sacrifice and (2) humbleness and humility. Sometimes the facet of love becomes prominent and at times humility and meekness dominate. Human heart becomes filled with love for his Lord when the beauty and favour of God Almighty is manifested. He attends to every call of His (God’s) like a passionate lover and makes circuit around Him. Having worn the mantle of non-existence he becomes all His, and a kind of absolute death overtakes his self and he is granted a new life by his Lord. But the world does not recognize him and he, too, does not care for the world in the least.

But when he witnesses the manifestation of the majesty and grandeur of God Almighty, his heart is filled with awe and hope, as well as faith and fear. Nothing of his personal nobility and eminence is left in him after the manifestation of the Divine majesty and grandeur. He puts on the garb of meekness; adopts humility as his habit; becomes covered with the dust of humbleness; and adopts the course of humility. Shaking and afraid he bows before his Lord with humility and a fearful heart and professes His grandeur and majesty. Every particle of his body and every bit of his soul shakes with the fear of his Lord. The manifestation of the grandeur and majesty [of God] establishes him firmly in this Haqqul Yaqin [certainty of faith] that all of the creation is dead and nought in comparison to His grandeur. And that, no good can be expected from all the creation, neither do they have any power for that by themselves. If any hope can be pinned it can be pinned on the Lord of majesty and holiness. Then along with fear a hope flares up in his pure heart and all his hopes are pinned with his Lord and he puts all his trust only in Him, and knocks only at His door when in need. His heart is filled with the conviction that whatever he would get would come from only His threshold whether be lace of a shoe or honours of the world.

Now he, who witnesses the manifestation of the grandeur and majesty [of God], does not make a beggar’s bowl of his Divine visions and dreams, and ornaments it with incidents of acceptance of supplications. He does not go door to door begging for worldly respect, honour, commendation and praise from people, seeking a place of honour for himself in their eyes. What has he got to take from a dead? And what has a corpse got to offer him? Once the awe of His grandeur and majesty, and the hope of His unlimited mercy have reduced him to be a beggar of His threshold, he keeps sitting at that threshold patiently, passing the days of his life between fear and hope. It is only then that his Lord is pleased with him and seats him lovingly in His lap, and bestows upon him the heaven of this world and the hereafter. Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.

The glad tidings of such an umma by Muhammad, the Holy Prophet (sas), was given to Hazrat Ibrahim (as), and by God He has kept His word. There is none worthy of worship except Allah, Muhammad (sas) is the Messenger of Allah.9