“End of Year Festivities”:
Like you are aware, the
year 2015 is coming to a close. We are living the last days of the year 2015
and particularly the month of December. The month of December is also a month
known as the month of festivities. Many people make therein provisions for
celebrations and amusement. The public, private and industrial sectors which
all their companies organise end of year parties and this applies also for
individual family units who organise Christmas parties (today is Christmas) and
end of year festivities.
In such situations, a
Muslim must take precautions to preserve his faith, and not to abandon the
teachings of Islam and the perfect role model which Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)
represents. It is not forbidden to have lunch or dinner between friends and
office colleagues, in any workplace (which is licit for a Muslim), but it is
strictly forbidden for a Muslim to associate himself with illicit/forbidden
things and practices. And especially in end of year parties where there is an
unlimited amount of alcoholic drinks which are served. You may be tempted by
friends to drink a little, to have a toast for “good health”. They may tell
you: “Come on, the year is ending. Please
us, and have a drink with us, to toast for good health”. And thus, to
please them you forget the commandments of Allah!
Do you really think
that alcoholic drink shall bring you good health? Or will it destroy your
health?
A glass (of alcohol) will become two and shall keep on increasing, and
thus there shall be no difference between you and them, for then you shall enter
such a trap which shall be grievous (for you) in the eyes of Allah. Your good
deeds done during a year such as: Prayers, remembrance of Allah, supplications,
recitation of the Holy Quran, Fasting during the month of Ramadan, sacrifices
done during that holy month, as well as blood (animal) sacrifice (Qurbani) done, shall be in vain. Also,
many of our brothers and sisters did lots of sacrifices to perform the fifth
pillar of Islam (Hajj). Now on a whim
you prefer to burn down these good deeds with alcohol, cigarettes, fireworks
and you begin to dance to their tune with all their drinking habits, singing
and dancing, and thus you replace what is good, that is, acts of worship with
bad things.
Muslim women and girls
who have a job must also take great precaution so as not to fall prey to
consuming Haram (illicit) food. Do
not fall prey to those vices for those vices shall lead you in a vicious circle
in which you shall not be able to come out. Muslim women and girls must take
precautions for in these kinds of parties, men and women mingle together and
thus there is no Pardah.
Ponder over this: You are barred from mosques and prayers in congregation as well as Jummah prayers, but to participate in your workplace in these kinds of end of year parties, is that not Haram for you? Is this Halal? Are those so-called Mullahs and great defenders of Islam doing nothing to protect the dignity and honour of our Muslim brothers and sisters, to stop them from falling into these kinds of traps? Very often we see parents authorising their children (boys and girls) to attend those kinds of end of year celebrations. They come back home quite late in the night and some even spend the whole night out with strangers with all their end of year amusements. They enjoy themselves so much that they go beyond limit and return back home late or remain outside without any performance of prayer etc. Indeed, where there is such amusement, there is no prayer!
Ponder over this: You are barred from mosques and prayers in congregation as well as Jummah prayers, but to participate in your workplace in these kinds of end of year parties, is that not Haram for you? Is this Halal? Are those so-called Mullahs and great defenders of Islam doing nothing to protect the dignity and honour of our Muslim brothers and sisters, to stop them from falling into these kinds of traps? Very often we see parents authorising their children (boys and girls) to attend those kinds of end of year celebrations. They come back home quite late in the night and some even spend the whole night out with strangers with all their end of year amusements. They enjoy themselves so much that they go beyond limit and return back home late or remain outside without any performance of prayer etc. Indeed, where there is such amusement, there is no prayer!
We all know that here
in Mauritius, final exams are done towards the end of the year be it for
primary, secondary or tertiary schools (primary schools, colleges and universities).
Thus, students study hard throughout the year so as to prepare themselves for
these final exams, and they expect to have good results for the efforts they
have put in those works and exams. If they pass their exams, they shall have
the opportunity to be upgraded to higher classes, for e.g. the pupils of
primary schools who have sat for their Certificate of Primary Education (CPE)
shall be able to have good colleges, and as for those in colleges who have sat
for their School Certificate (SC) and passed their exams with distinction and/
or credit they will go on to do their Higher School Certificate (HSC), and
those who pass their HSC, especially the bright ones, they will come out laureates.
Likewise, in life also,
in the month of December, Allah (swt) prepares a big exam for you to test your
faith. On one hand there are temptations of all sorts, whereby money is burnt
in vain things. There is wastage. Therefore, these situations become a trial
for you, believers. Shall you merry in those end of year parties or shall you
do your level best to score distinction in your exam of faith, and in the same
go make evil temptations fail? In the same way, in those last days of the year,
the priority for a believer who is sincere in his faith in Allah and in the
Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and the teachings of Islam shall be to pass
with flying colours (with distinction) in that grand exam. For him, the
priority is the divine teachings, and he makes those divine teachings have the
upper hand over all unislamic temptations, especially in those last days of the
year.
Do not commit these
kinds of evils where this can make you incur the wrath of Allah and whereby
Allah can remove all blessings from your money, home etc. And verily you don’t
know what the coming days have in store for you! Succeed in these end-of-year
final exams so as these divinely-sourced results may be a harbinger of
distinction for you in all that you do, and which shall assure for you paradise
in your everyday lives as well as in your homes and familial lives, be it on
earth and the hereafter where you get to be saved from the temporal hell as
well as the eternal hell.
Parents should know
what their responsibilities towards their children are and therefore you
(parents) should not give them permission to go out to Haram places. Muslims should not put their feet in such illicit
places. These places are not for Muslim believers, not for those who believe in
the unity of Allah, and in the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) and His Book which He
has perfected (i.e. the Quran).
Do not waste your money
which you receive at the end of the year: salaries, bonuses, one month
additional pay (as a thirteenth month) etc. Do you know what this cost the
country? When you receive this money you are very happy, but do you know how
the country shall recuperate all this money which has been spent on you, money
which you have not known how to save and which you have wasted? This money
shall be recuperated (by the authorities) from us! Before receiving those bonuses
etc., you realised and witnessed how the prices of commodities (such as
tomatoes, beef, fish, chicken etc.) have gone up, and you took precautions,
monitoring your spending in your monthly expenditures. The prices of essential
(basic daily) foods such as rice, oil, milk, sugar etc. – the list is too long
– have also gone up. The same goes for the price of fuel, bus (transport) etc.
Verily, it is you the common (poor and/or middle class) people who suffer the
most!
Do not let yourselves be carried away with the lavish lifestyles of the rich ones (those in authority etc.). They are receiving plenty of money and they don’t know the suffering of having to struggle for a living! They are enjoying their privileges and for them, their end of year bonuses and salaries etc. are much more than the one month bonus which you receive! Bear in mind the costs which you shall have to bear to pay for the school stuffs of your children such as books and uniforms etc., for these are quite costly (in other words, save your money to better cater for the welfare of your family and their basic needs). I know very well that all that I am saying shall not please the authorities etc.
Do not let yourselves be carried away with the lavish lifestyles of the rich ones (those in authority etc.). They are receiving plenty of money and they don’t know the suffering of having to struggle for a living! They are enjoying their privileges and for them, their end of year bonuses and salaries etc. are much more than the one month bonus which you receive! Bear in mind the costs which you shall have to bear to pay for the school stuffs of your children such as books and uniforms etc., for these are quite costly (in other words, save your money to better cater for the welfare of your family and their basic needs). I know very well that all that I am saying shall not please the authorities etc.
Moreover, with the end
of year festivities, it is sad to see the indecent way that Muslim women and
girls clothe. Bear in mind that I am not pinpointing all Muslim women and
girls. It is only a handful (a small percentage) who really preserves their
dignity and honour as well as the dignity and honour of Islam. Thus, Muslim ladies
should dress in appropriate clothing and that too with respect. Honour is a
thing which is not bought in the market! Therefore, when you dress in an
indecent way with the pretext that you are feeling hot or that you are doing it
just because of the holidays, then this is very deplorable from your part.
If you really consider yourselves as Muslims and you believe in Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), then you need to preserve the honour and dignity of these truthful teachings of Islam and you must not associate yourselves with satanic activities. Recall that such activities ignite the wrath of Allah and shall bring calamity on you. Let us pray that Allah (swt) take us away from all satanic temptations. Insha-Allah. Ameen.
---Friday sermon of 25
December 2015 ~(13
Rabi’ul Awwal 1437 Hijri) delivered by Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius. If you really consider yourselves as Muslims and you believe in Allah and His Messenger (pbuh), then you need to preserve the honour and dignity of these truthful teachings of Islam and you must not associate yourselves with satanic activities. Recall that such activities ignite the wrath of Allah and shall bring calamity on you. Let us pray that Allah (swt) take us away from all satanic temptations. Insha-Allah. Ameen.