In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Importance of Tarbiyyat
Tarbiyyat is all about one’s moral and spiritual well-being and it is the main purpose of our joining Ahmadiyyat. Thus it becomes obligatory for everyone of us to achieve the standard of Tarbiyyat required of an Ahmadi. The following are a few excerpts from a message to his followers by the holy founder of Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at, the Promised Messiah and Imam Mahdias that covers almost every aspect of Tarbiyyat. The Promised Messiahas says: The members of my Jama‘at, ... should listen carefully to this advice. The purpose of their joining the Movement ... is that they should achieve a high degree of piety and righteousness. No wrongdoing or mischief should ever They should offer the five daily Prayers regularly and with congregation, and should not lie nor hurt anyone by their tongues. They should not be guilty of any kind of vice and should not let even a thought of mischief, wrongdoing or transgression pass through their minds. They should shun every type of sin, offence, undesirable speech and action, as well as all selfish passions and unruly behaviour. They should become pure- hearted, harmless and meek servants of God Almighty, and no poisonous germ should flourish in their beings. Sympathy for the entire mankind should be their motto and they should fear God Almighty. They should safeguard their tongues, their hands and their thoughts against every kind of impious and disorderly behaviour and against dishonesty. They should establish the five daily Prayers with utmost regularity. They should refrain from every kind of wrong, transgression, fraud, bribery, violation of other people’s rights and undue partiality. They should not participate in evil company. ... Do not contrive to harm the followers of any religion or the members of any caste or group. Be true well-wishers of everyone, and take care that no mischievous or vicious person, or disorderly one or ill-behaved one should ever be of your company, or should stay among you; for such a one will, sooner or later, cause you to stumble. ... Let there be no impurity or mockery or disrespect in your meetings. Walk upon the earth with pure hearts and pure tempers and pure thoughts. Remember! Not every evil is worth fighting, so develop the habit of forgiveness, and practice tolerance and forbearance. Do not attack anyone improperly and keep your passions under complete control. ... If anyone misbehaves towards you, withdraw from such company quickly with the greeting of peace. If you are persecuted or reviled, be mindful that you should not meet stupidity with stupidity, for otherwise, you will be accounted in the same category as your opponents. God Almighty desires that you should become a Jama‘at that should set an example of goodness and truthfulness for the whole world. Therefore, hasten to exclude everyone from your company who sets an example of mischief and provocation. He who cannot live among us in meekness and piety, and is not gentle in his speech and righteous in his conduct, should promptly leave us, for God does not desire that such a one should stay among us. He will surely die in misery, for he did not adopt the way of goodness. Be alert, therefore, and be truly good-hearted and gentle and righteous. You will be known by your regular attendance at Prayer and by your high moral qualities. He who has the seed of evil rooted in him will not be able to conform to this advice. Your hearts should be free of deceit, your hands should be free from transgression and your eyes should be free from impurity. There should be nothing inside you except truth and sympathy for mankind. ... I do not desire that there should ever be anyone in our pious Jama‘at whose character is suspect or to whose behaviour any exception might be taken, or who should be inclined towards disorderliness or suffer from any other kind of impiety.
[Majmu‘ah Ishtiharat, vol. 3, pp. 46-49]