How Can We Attain Righteous Progeny?

4 Questions to Ask Ourselves in light of the life of Hadhrat Musleh Maud (ra)

Personal Reflection: Are you worried about your children and their level of righteousness?

Please share your general concerns.

Personal reflection: What steps have you taken to try to guide your children back to the right path?

Have you sent them to expensive counsellors or therapists?

Are you paying for extracurricular activities to keep them busy?

…Then what’s missing?

The most important child-rearing tool is absolutely free: PRAYERS

Personal Reflection: God has told us we can talk to Him and no prayer will go unheard. Do we treat Allah as a living God in our everyday lives?

Do you have an example of a time that you prayed for your children and God answered your prayers?

Please share.

QUESTION #1: Do I have firm faith that God is Alive and Will Hear me when I pray?

Another companion of the Promised Messiahas, Hadhrat Sheikh Ghulam Ahmad Sahib narrates that one night he decided he would spend the entire night in worship of God Almighty at the Mubarak Mosque in Qadian. He said when he arrived he saw a young person bowed down in prayer. The emotion of the scene was such that the narrator said that he himself started to pray to God that whatever this person is beseeching Allah may grant it to him. He continued by saying he did not know for how long prior to his arrival the person had been bowed down in prayer but that whilst he was there this continued for a long time. Finally when he arose the narrator saw that it was Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mehmud Ahmad (ra). He said that he immediately went to meet him. Hadhrat Sheikh Ghulam Ahmad Sahib inquired: ‘Tonight what have you taken from Allah?’ Upon this Hadhrat Musleh Maud (ra) replied, ‘I have only asked that may Allah grant me the ability to see Islam as a living religion.’

God is Alive and Hears Your Prayers “It is strange that our religious scholars make efforts regarding death of Hazrat Isa but do not try to bring God Almighty to life. They do not generate the spirit which instills insight and perception of Allah the Exalted. Our main effort should be to bring God to life and to inculcate greater connection with Him. If we have a living connection with God, then no matter how much noise is made by those who consider that Hazrat Isa is alive, our faith will not be corrupted because God will guide us every step of the way.” -Hazrat Musleh Maud (may Allah be pleased with him)

QUESTION #2: Am I praying for my children before they are born?

Is it important to pray for our progeny before we become parents?

How can we pray for our children before they are even born? What can we pray for?

Please share your thoughts.

Prophecy of Musleh Maud The life of Hadhrat Musleh Maud (ra) was blessed due to the immense prayers offered by his father before he was even born. In January 1886. God revealed to the Promised Messiah (as) the prophecy of Musleh Maud, which he published on 20 February 1886

It is never too early to begin praying for your children – even they can be encouraged to start praying for their own children!

• A companion of the Promised Messiah(as), Hadhrat Mufti Muhammad Sadiq Sahib had the fortune of seeing Hadhrat Musleh Maud (ra) during his childhood. He said three things characterized him firstly his goodness, secondly his total honesty in all matters and thirdly his interest in religious matters. He said that he regularly saw him offering prayers at the side of the Promised Messiah(as). He further narrates that on one occasion, when Hadhrat Musleh Maud(ra) was around ten years old, he saw him praying next to the Promised Messiah(as) in the Aqsa Mosque. He narrates that even though he was but a child he was bowed down and weeping constantly in holy supplication beseeching God Almighty.

QUESTION #3: Am I Praying for My Children in Seclusion?

• • The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) wished to perform a “Chilla” (a spiritual exercise entailing prayer in seclusion for 40 days). For this purpose, divinely guided, he went to Hoshiarpur in January 1886. God granted him many glad-tidings as a result of this Chilla. One of these was the aforementioned prophecy of Musleh Maud.

Those whose lives have been significantly blessed spent time praying in solitude: • • • • Holy Prophet (sa) spent much time in solitude in cave of Hira.

Jesus Moses (as) fasted in the desert for forty days and forty nights.

(as) fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai Elijah fasted for forty days and forty nights during his journey to the mountain of God • • • • Gautama Buddha achieved meditating under the enlightenment Bodhi Tree after fasting and for forty days.

Guru Baba Nanak has known to perform many chillas.

Many Muslim Saints have known to perform chillas.

The Holy Qur’an on Praying in Solitude

The Holy Qur’an on Praying in Solitude

Personal Reflection: On average, how many hours have you spent in the last week in solitude – away from your family, friends, cell phone, computer, and television set – doing nothing other than praying to God for the righteousness of your children?

Do you have any ideas that you can share with us on how praying in solitude can be possible with a hectic schedule and a busy house?

QUESTION #4: Are we offering Tahajjud to pray for our children?

• "Every night there is a brief space of time during which whatever of good pertaining to this life or the next a Muslim supplicates for, it is granted to him. And this happens every night.“ -Holy Prophet (sa)

Personal Reflection: When was the last time you sacrificed your sleep for the sake of your children and prayed for them in the hours of the night, when God is listening most closely?

Praying at Night • • • “What was this, do you know? This most wonderful thing which happened in the wilderness of Arabia? Spiritually dead millions became alive again in a matter of days; those without eyes began to see, those without speech began to speak the language of seers gifted with divine knowledge. This was, a revolution which no eye had seen before nor had an ear heard of it before.

What was it, do you know? It was a miracle performed by the mighty prayers of a man who had dedicated his life to God. Prayers offered in the dead of night. These prayers shook the world. They wrought changes impossible for an unlettered person to bring about.

God! Shower Thy blessings and send peace on this man! Bless not only him but also those who come after him and follow him! Remove their fears, their sorrows, and their anxieties. And on this his Umma, shower Thy bounties and Thy blessings until the end of days.”

(Barkat-al Dua pg. 10-11)

Hadhrat Musleh Maud (ra) & Tahajjud • Another incident of his solicitation to Allah is enshrined in my memory and I feel the presence and freshness of that awe even today some sixty-sevens years later. I was asleep at the outer courtyard of our home in Qadian on the experience has never left me any time ever.”

mardana

(men's) side on a summer night when I heard heart-rendering cries of prayers. The initial impact on sudden awakening was scary and when I regained my composure, I found it was Hazrat Musleh Maud engaged in Tahajjud prayers in the upper courtyard of Hazrat Umme Nasir's home whose wall adjoined our home. As I tried to listen closely, Hazur was repeating the prayers with such pathos that it looked as if a kettle was boiling on a stove. And the repetition of this part of the verse and prayer went on for what looked like eternity. The memory of that night and - (“Pearls of Memory” by M.M. Ahmad)

Khalifatul Masih V (atba) on Prayer: “Every member of the Jama’at also needs to self-reflect and reform practices. For this the greatest weapon is prayer and in this regard we should keep in view that God states that one should develop one’s faith and abide by the modus operandi that has been given to us. If practice and prayer and prayer and practice go hand in hand we will be able to truly reform ourselves.”

Personal Reflection: How many hours have you spent in the last month worrying about your children?

Imagine if you devoted that many hours to praying to God to Guide your progeny to righteousness.

Say

to the disbelievers

: ‘But for your prayer care for you. You have indeed rejected

to Him the truth

my Lord would not , and

the punishment of your rejection

will now cleave

to you

.’

Personal Reflection: What is one change you will make in your prayers habits (Insha’Allah) in order to have God’s personal protection for the righteousness of your children?

Please share.