Whenever God showers a people or a community with His favour and His grace, he invariably requires some sacrifice from them. In other words, sacrifice is essential if one wants to gain the nearness of Allah and His pleasure. What is this sacrifice? It varies depending on the circumstances of every age. At the time of the Holy Prophet sa, for instance, financial sacrifice did exist, but sacrificing one’s life was more important bzecause Muslims were undergoing continuous atrocities at the hands of the disbelievers,  and were forced into the battlefield. The Holy Prophet saw foretold that it would not be necessary to sacrifice one’s life at the time of the Promised Messiahas. The Promised Messiah’sas duty would be to start a Jihad with the pen, for which financial sacrifice would   be necessary. The Promised Messiah as said: “What a blessed time this is! No one is asked to lay down his life. This is not the time for offering the ultimate sacrifice; rather it is the time to spend out of one’s possessions, according to one’s means.” Al-Hakam Qadian, July 10, 1903.