In his Friday Sermon delivered on January 1, 2010, Hazrat Khalifatul-Masih V (may Allah be his Helper) drew attention to the importance of starting the new year with prayer and renewed spiritual focus. He stated:
“Today, Allah the Exalted has granted us the opportunity to adorn the very first day of the new year with prayers in such a way that scenes of the acceptance of prayer continue to unfold throughout the year. There are prayers for ourselves. There are prayers for our families. There are prayers for those who offer sacrifices for Ahmadiyyat—that is, the true Islam. There are prayers for the progress of the Jama’at. There are prayers for the society and environment in which we live. There are prayers for the country. A believer can only truly be called a believer when he also prays for the nation in which he resides and of which he is a citizen.
“Thus, these are all responsibilities entrusted to an Ahmadi, and fulfilling them is essential. It is through the prayers of Ahmadis that the world finds survival, that humanity finds survival, and that guidance towards the paths of Paradise is given. If we ourselves do not walk upon these paths, how will we show the way to others?
“We Ahmadis are the followers of the Adam of this age—one who did not come to be expelled from Paradise. He became the heir to both Paradises, and he came with that teaching which leads to Paradise, the same teaching brought by his master and guide, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).”
[Friday Sermon, January 1, 2010; Khutbat-e-Masroor, vol. 8, p. 5, translated from Urdu]
