Thirty-one years after the Waqf-e-Nau initiative was launched, there are now over 61,000 Waqf-e-Nau in the world. In the hopes that they will serve the Community in various capacities, these young devotees are placed into the initiative by their parents. Yet, despite having a large number of children enrolled in the initiative, many are unaware of the true significance of being Waqf-e-Nau. The Essence of Waqf-e-Nau is a translation of a Friday Sermon delivered by the worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad(at) on October 28th, 2016. In this sermon, His Holiness espouses the true essence of the Waqf-e-Nau initiative. The purpose is to raise children to be devotees of the Community, those who are willing to lay down their lives and spiritually attain lofty heights, just as the companions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(sa) had done. Having a Waqf-e-Nau child does not deem any merit on its own. His Holiness stresses the point that these children are not special just by being Waqf-e-Nau. Rather, they will be seen as special by Allah only if they uphold their responsibilities and become true, ardent servants of Allah. Just as Hazrat Maryam(as) devoted her unborn child in the way of God, it is the parent’s duty to raise their children with the proper intention and sincerity.

Shock waves of indignation ran across the Muslim world following the recent publication of offensive and crude caricatures of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) in some parts of Europe. The un-informed, as ever, misled by the mullah gave in to public display of rage and rampant chaos ensued. Midst this confusion of an undeniably distressing time for all Muslims, spoke the voice of reason, calm and peace, precisely in line with the teachings of the 'prince of peace' himself, the Holy Prophet (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This was the voice of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih V (may Allah be his Helper) that unfolded the reality of the Islamic ways and means to respond to injustice; calling for peace, reasoning, endeavour to enlighten the world with the power of the pen and ultimately to always put one's trust in sincere prayers. He delivered a series of five faith-inspiring and enlightening Friday Sermons on the subject that are a beckon of light for anyone in this often perplexing world that we live in. These Friday Sermons are being presented in this booklet.

Barakatud Du'a or The Blessings of Prayer, written by the Promised Messiah in 1893, is a refutation of Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan's view that there is no such thing as the acceptance of prayer, and that prayer is no more than a form of worship. The Promised Messiah rejects this view and proclaims that Allah hears and accepts the supplication of believers which are offered in humility and sincerity, and that the acceptance of prayer sets in motion its own chain of causes which culminates in the fulfilment of the objective prayed for. In the second part of the book, which deals with Sir Sayyid Ahmad Khan's other book Usulut Tafsir (On the Principles of Commentary of the Holy Quran), the Promised Messiah presents his criteria or guiding principles for the correct interpretation of the Holy Quran.

Drawing on insights from theoretical engagements with borders and subalternity, Beyond Religion in India and Pakistan suggests new frameworks for understanding religious boundaries in South Asia. It looks at the ways in which social categories and structures constitute the bordering logics inherent within enactments of these boundaries, and positions hegemony and resistance through popular religion as an important indication of wider developments of political and social change. The book also shows how borders are continually being maintained through violence at national, community and individual levels. By exploring selected sites and expressions of piety including shrines, texts, practices and movements, Virinder S. Kalra and Navtej K. Purewal argue that the popular religion of Punjab should neither be limited to a polarised picture between formal, institutional religion, nor the 'enchanted universe' of rituals, saints, shrines and village deities. Instead, the book presents a picture of 'religion' as a realm of movement, mobilization, resistance and power in which gender and caste are connate of what comes to be known as 'religious'. Through extensive ethnographic research, the authors explore the reality of the complex, dynamic and contested relations that characterize everyday material and religious lives on the ground. Ultimately, the book highlights how popular religion challenges the borders and boundaries of religious and communal categories, nationalism and theological frameworks while simultaneously reflecting gender/caste society.