Flowers for the Women Wearing Veils - Volume I — Page 143
! ! 143 Appeal for C onstruction of the Ahmadiyya Mosque Berlin Address to La jna in the Friday Sermon Delivered by Hazrat Mirza Bashir - ud - D in Mahmud Ahmad , Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra March 2, 1923 After recitation of Tashahhud, Ta‘awwuz , and Surah Al - Fatihah , Haz rat Khalifat - ul - Masih II ra stated: One of the sayings of the Promised Messiah as draw s attention to a universal law of nature and I like it very much. It states: “A tree is recognized by the fruit it bears. ” A tree ’s value , its quality, benefits , its general usefulness , and it being a source of blessing for people, can all be assessed by the fruit it bears. By f ruit , we do not mean what is simply edible , but th e objectives and goals, the advantages and purposes for which a tree is planted. If you receive benefits from the leaves , then the leaves a re its fruit. A tree which is planted for its firewood, the wo od is its fruit. A tree which is pl anted for its fruit, that itself is the fruit. Thus, if a tree produces fruit according to the purpose for which it was planted and people derive benefit from it, then the fruit it bears is of the highest quali ty. For example, a tree planted for its leaves due to their usefulness in making medicine, or for its branch es due to their value and worth in trade and ma nufacturing, or for its shade , which is so pleasant that people receive comfort fro m it; when that tree serves its purpose then it is considered a good tree for its fruit is good. If it does not achieve the purpose for which it is planted then it will not be useful , and even if the whole world says it is good , it cannot become good. If, however , it fulfills its objective , then even if the whole world calls it bad , it will not become bad. This is a truth , which can be applied in thousands of circumstances. The truth and veracity of a n organization can also b e judged