In a historic Friday Sermon delivered at Abu Dhabi, UAE on 09 May 2014- (09 Rajab 1435 AH), the Muhyi-ud-Din, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius spoke profoundly and feelingly on the dismal state of spirituality among the Muslims in our times. Notwithstanding apaprent signs of religiousity among the masses, the kernel of faith has slipped out of their minds and every day lives and the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (sa), in the pursuit of material interests, gropes in the wilderness of synthetic pleasures. To rejuvenate the common Muslims and thereby, reclaim Islam through providing a living, practical, contemporary model in our times, Allah (twa) has raised His servant and blessed him with His revelations and messages. Conveying this message of hope and the glad tiding of Divine Blessings to an audience that included many Arab Muslims who were listening to his words directly for the first time, Hadhrat Sahib (atba) cautioned them against hasty rejection and counselled for considered reflection on the Sermon.
Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:
A Divine Servant for the service of Islam
O you, who are present here today, listen to my words. It is inconceivable that God could have
bestowed His trust to whoever spreads his nets to lure His creatures, which
makes them go astray instead of guiding them, who is an enemy of Islam firmly
decided to ruin it, who never made the face of Islam sparkle with the light of
truth, who never spent his nights or days in the remembrance of Islam and never
made an effort to revive it, one who, on the
contrary with his lies would add to the already accumulated dirt in the minds
of men who, by falsehoods, would have raised the dust of controversy among
Muslims.
No, what is certain is that God always
humiliates and crushes such impostors and ranks them among the cursed. Since long, I
receive revelations but I did not told anyone then and it was only when I was
directly ordered to announce it that I comply with the order. Therefore, my mission is
to eradicate the evils and errors; I must also fight against injustice and
properly guide the righteous, while the impure and the proud who stand on the
sidelines; they will be crushed by the strength of divine arguments.
Attacks on Faith and the Indifference of the Muslims
The enemies of Islam and of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) have published
thousands of books and pamphlets and drew cartoons containing nothing but
insults and lies against Islam and its prophet. These books are so vile that it
is even difficult to read them. You will also have noted how their lies have
spread throughout the world, how they do not respect any sense of justice and
became a real threat for the existence of the Muslim community, and how many a
low and petty mind is attracted to them like straw in the whirlpool.
My tears are for Islam.
How its former splendour is gone, and there are days I feel (intense) sadness,
noting how they (the Muslims) have changed. Men have forsaken the right way to
take the desert (the wrong path upon which there is nothing); they adopted the
winding paths and prefer narrow and bumpy paths. In their misadventure they
accept that which verily should lead them astray and ruin them.
On the other hand, many of the Muslims who were born in great and respectable families are attracted to other religions to enjoy the pleasures of life more freely, and to be free of restrictions that Islam imposes on them. They are deceived by the piety of circumstances (occasional show of piety) and their hypocritical air. The actual cause of this religious activity is in the fact that most people stumble on the side of materialism; they have no more fear of God and ceased to love Him. Upon seeing the key to worldly pleasures in the hands of other religions, they thus turned to them with all their hearts. Thus everyday thousands of Muslims say goodbye to the divine light to penetrate the darkness of other religions.
Reclaiming Islam through Heavenly Signs
So, there is a need for
heavenly signs to restore for them their faith. For years their Ulama have tried
to wake them up but they continued to sleep without any worry. Preachers have
made their calls but they held themselves back (they did not come forward to
accept the call); simple reason or even traditions are of no assistance to
them, and they transgress and become hardened all the more. They abandoned the standards of justice and
fairness because their hearts have become myopic, their reasoning misty, and
their passions uncontrolled; and accordingly they have succumbed to temptation.
The veil thickens: looking, they do not see, listening, they do not understand.
To cure such diseases there was the need for the descent from heavens of such a glory and the manifestation of signs in rapid succession; because faith is gone and scepticism grew and led the world to the brink of despair. The greater part of mankind only thinks in terms of this world, and is crazy for it, and is indifferent to matters of faith and religion.
The majority of Muslims, like I've said, have very little faith; sin burned the few virtues they had left, and that is what led them to apostasy. For when God saw them indulging in vices and hypocrisy, like the hunter, He made them prey of those who spread evil. No sermon could save them, nor warnings of any Warner; and they would not budge (from their positions) unless they were sent clear signs or miracles shown to them. It is for this reason that God has raised a messenger in this century, raised me as Muhyiuddin, Khalifatullah and to demonstrate the glory of Islam.
Before I end my sermon/speech, I wish that all you people who are listening to me will not make a hasty opinion on my person, and will not reject my words until you have put them into practice, but I hope that you will listen to me and afterwards decide in whichever direction that God has inspired you. I pray that God inspires you good and righteous thoughts, and Allah is indeed the best guide and teacher. Ameen