Conditions of Bai'at and Responsibilities of an Ahmadi — Page 152
C ONDITIONS OF B AI ‘ AT AND R ESPONSIBILITIES OF AN A H MAD I 152 gifts. These people should respect the dignity of their brothers and sisters. It is better for them not to give a gift at all if they cannot afford it. At a minimum, they should tell the recipient that the items are used and then ask the recipient if they are willing to accept them. Some people write to me saying that they want to give— for the weddings of poor girls—good clothes that have only been worn for a day or two and were not used again because they were too small or for some other reason. In this regard, it must be clear that even if these items are being given through the auxiliary organisations of Ahmadiyyah Muslim Jam a ‘at, like Lajnah Im a ’ill a h or Khudd a m-ul-Ahmadiyyah , or even if they are being given individually, they should respect the dignity of the poor. They should give away items in a condi- tion that they are still worth giving. The items should not be completely worn out with stains, stench of sweat, etc. If such clothes are given, they should be washed, cleaned, and mended first. As I have said, our auxiliary organisations like Lajnah Im a ’ill a h also distribute such clothes. They should make it clear to the recipients that these clothes are used and that they should only accept them if they choose to. Everyone has a sense of honour, and as I have said earlier, this sense of honour should be respected. The Promised Messiah as says in explaining the verse: 87 …Remember that God the Almighty likes good deeds very much, and He desires that sympathy be shown for His 87. ( al-Dahr , 76:9)