AN UNSECURE FUTURE
Man’s future, our future rests in our Creator, in our pure
relationship (between Him and us) which existed long before our existence on
this ephemeral earth. So why is there this distance, now that we exist on this
earth? Certainly the pursuit of pleasure associated with uncontrolled freedom
has made the society as it is today. We profess to be free, but free from what?
(Sadly) We have liberated ourselves from the bonds that bind us to our Creator!
It is what we now observe worldwide on the concept of freedom; to be free of
anything related to the nobility of the soul, to be free of the magnanimity of
the heart that creates in man his sense of responsibility and limiting his
unbridled pursuit of pleasure. It’s that kind of freedom that the Muslim world
and the world in general now continue to pursue – a mad pursuit of this
pleasure – anywhere he can find it and forgetting limits that must not be
exceeded.
Man is born with capabilities, resources and a limited
imagination; and thus should his pursuit of pleasure be limited, for if unchecked,
shall lead him to a dead end. Numerous side effects then stand in his way and
society becomes increasingly nervous and turbulent. The Muslim world is
unfortunately not spared today.
But compared with other Western countries who
claim to be advanced and modern, oriental societies and particularly those that
are Islamic still retain to this day a certain moral dignity.
For example, in Eastern societies, especially those under
the influence of the Islamic religion, men and women are usually separated from
each other and there exists within these societies standards of conduct so as
to curb to a certain degree the attraction between opposite sexes. The negative
wire of an electrical cable is different from that which is positive – so we
can imagine what can happen if these two wires are not isolated?
Islam advocates that humans control their natural urges and
put them at its service. According to Islam, giving vent to impulses and
desires is synonymous with destruction, because not all desires are holy for
the physical, moral and spiritual health of man. There are animal instincts which
drift him away from their Creator, and thus suffocating him in a lawless world.
In societies where women are separated from men, beauty is
not captivated by the entire physique of the woman but just a small gaze on a
beautiful face can give pleasure to the people of those societies, such pleasure
that the so-called liberated countries could never offer even today despite the
many completely stripped Eves (women), however beautiful they are, because in
those restrained societies (the oriental/Muslim ones) a gaze suffice (and not
the whole physical traits of the women). The search for pleasure and passions
are fleeting. The euphoria fades gradually, like for the alcoholic. The first
sip of alcohol gives the drinker euphoria at the beginning, but little by
little he derives relatively less pleasure until he becomes an addict, a sick
person. This (initial source of pleasure) becomes for him a source of pain.
That’s what has happened to the global society today in its philosophy of
taking as principle of morality the pursuit of pleasure. In the name of freedom,
and their liberation from all that appear to them as old games, the west
create, invent new sources of pleasure, and gradually they infiltrate their thoughts
and cultures in the Islamic community.
So just as our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had
once predicted a day would come when Muslims will follow the Jews and
Christians (People of the Book) in their actions. Moreover, Muslims shall
increasingly be indifferent to the faith and practice of Islam. Ignorance will
reach unprecedented levels – that is to say, ignorance in matters of religion,
otherwise, writings will be widespread. Many Muslims will not know how to
perform prayers or fast in Ramadan, and they shall even forget the profession
of faith. Muslim Believers are a small minority; despised, they conceal their
faith like formerly the Hypocrites faced the believers in the times of the Holy
Prophet (pbuh).
By studying the world’s societies, especially the American
society (USA) which takes itself as the superpower of the planet, that nation
had, at one stage in its history, started to work on new ways to bring pleasure
to its citizens. All magazines lent their support and institutions of psychological
studies felt concerned by this phenomenon. In the name of science, America
advised its people to blow off steam, to get high – sadism and homosexuality became
rampant... this was that type of message that this so-called modern nation had
launched, by being a permissive society in which the American people were
called to indulge body and soul and the latter did not lose time in putting
into action this type of freedom and nothing was taboo for them. The path that
the Americans took led them always to a dead end and they were aware of that. A
kind of madness took hold of this nation and therein flourished hippies and
skinheads. Drugs Addicts increased considerably, so much so that for fear that
America become a nation of drug addicts, the government after having tolerated
drugs amidst its lands decided to deal with the problem seriously, but it was a
losing battle because it was finally the addicts who won.
The American society today feels helpless; it is delivered
into the hands of the Mafia. Crime in America is an ordinary occurrence and
there killing is done purely on basic instincts, just to feel the emotion it
brings (to kill). There is not a minute that goes by that without a crime being
committed there. One wills and one kills, not for a piece of bread but for the
pleasure it gives to the killer. In the name of freedom, Americans have put
themselves in chains, such chains which they shall never be free thereof. No
longer being able to go without these moments of madness, they head to their
total destruction. They forget their dependence on God, they do not want Him,
and materialism leads them increasingly to their annihilation. They do not know
where to go in that pursuit of pleasure which they had chosen as their
lifestyle. It is not anymore pleasure they feel but only bitterness and
disillusionment.
America is today confronted to new forms of sexually
transmitted diseases and also other diseased which show resistance to all that
can be used to combat them and doctors see themselves helpless before these
diseases. Herpes, AIDS, Cancer, H1N1, H5N5, and Zika etc. are ravaging America
and other countries. Regarding venereal diseases, the pursuit of pleasure thus
became a source of terror to the American people and no American would feel
safe in the company of another of his countrymen – making them unstable and
nervous people. This attack of fleeting pleasure is leading the world into
darkness; nay, I need to say that the world is already in darkness and feels
helpless and hopeless.
So what is the answer to all this? It can be summed up like this: the real pleasure, the pleasure that
lasts, the real satisfaction, true contentment comes to us through our
relationship with our Creator. This is the purpose of our creation. The human
society is now skewed and man has lost his bearings. That is why when darkness
invaded the whole world, He (Allah) found the need to send His Messenger, His
Caliph (representative) on earth to guide people back to the right path.
Allah (Almighty God) loves His creatures, especially the
human race that He created in His own essence (from His own breath). As He
promises in the holy books and in the last code of law, the Qur’an, He does not
punish without first sending a Warner to the nations. If these people do not
take into consideration the divine message and the messenger, then why must God
be interested to protect and save the one who cease to fulfill the duty that
was assigned to him and who rejects guidance He sends to those kinds of people
so that they may find the right way and the desire to get closer to Him?
Therefore, everything is created for a purpose, and man,
according to the Holy Qur’an was created to make himself known by the Almighty.
During the stages of evolution no animals have developed to the extent that humans
could attain.
The first specie that could come into contact with his
creator was man – understand that I am referring to direct contact with God (i.e.
divine revelation). The Holy Qur’an teaches us that we must to make efforts to
get in contact with our Creator as soon as possible and we must persevere in
this direction in order to feel His presence. The Qur’an tells us that this is
the real joy and pleasure. God is noble and it is in His company that we become
also noble.
The only way to improve the quality of a nation/ community
is to bring it to God, because God belongs to all without distinction of class
or race. Those who are close to God have compassion for men. These types of
people do not distinguish between black and white, north and south, east and
west.
Here is the message I want to give you: Act now. Strive to
reform yourselves. Serve humanity with love and pray much because prayer is the
sure way to get in contact with our Creator. We humans are powerless, but we
must keep in mind that we have a Creator who is Almighty. Trust in Him and the
effort made in His direction will allow us to win many victories:
Victory over
our own ego/ passions/Seeking of ephemeral pleasures (in other words, our nafs)
and the victory over evil that are found all around us. God raised me in this
world as His Messenger, His Caliph (Khalifatullah),
and thus despite the tough mission given to me, but I do not lose hope because
we must never despair as long as we ask the assistance of God, as long as He
listens to us with mercy. It is not allowed for us to lose hope, but things are
really going wrong nowadays, and thus my call is that the world needs to shake
off its lethargy because Islam calls it (all mankind) to a God Who wants his
submission, his love and gratefulness forever.
The world is in danger, humanity is in danger, and awareness
to the sole existence of a merciful God is required for saving the people of
the world. Oh Lord God (Allah), the world is plagued by doubts about Your
existence. They prefer abandoning You in their ignorance for ephemeral things,
but Oh Lord God (Allah), have mercy on them and removed the veil of ignorance
from their eyes so that they can finally find the real image of Your love and
existence, and that they may finally agree to submit themselves body and soul
to You. Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 19 February 2016 ~(09 Jamad’ul Awwal 1437 Hijri) delivered by Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al-Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.