Our riches and resources come from God Who bestows on us all earthly blessings for a period of time. It is our duty to be grateful and thankful for the Divine grace of mercy; be generous and charitable with the less fortunate in society. Sharing provisions with the needy is recognition of this social mutuality: producers paying a part of the crops on the day of harvest with the poor are only fulfilling the dictates of public conscience, or the Divine command on social responsibility. In his Friday Sermon of 13 November 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides an illuminating exposition on the parable of the owners of the garden in the Holy Qur’an. (68: 18-34)
Whereas equity and charity attracts the Divine grace of mercy and the flourishing of possessions; greed and miserliness remove the protective shield from riches, and expose it to decline, loss and destruction- inviting feelings of ultimate regret on those who displayed arrogance and open ingratitude to the Supreme Lord.
'It is He who produces both trellised and untrellised gardens, date palms, crops of diverse flavours, the olive, the pomegranate, alike yet different. So when they bear fruit, eat some of it, paying what is due on the day of harvest…' (6:142)
‘Consider the seeds you sow in the ground– is it you who make them grow or We? If We wished, We could turn your harvest into chaff and leave you to wail, ‘We are burdened with debt; we are bereft.’ (56: 64-68)
Read the Friday Sermon Below: