Caring People, Changing Perceptions

Good Neighbourliness

By the grace of Allah I continue today on the subject of the Friday Sermons I had done three weeks back (09 & 16 October 2015), and today it is the third part of my sermon on the topic of “Khidmat-e-Khalq” (Service to Humanity).

So, this is a vast subject and we can ponder much over it, especially on the kind of society our master Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had created and prepared carefully. We can have an idea of ​​this through the small advices that He gave us. Thus, according to the Hadiths, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had talked about a very important subject, that is to say, to take great care of our neighbours. He (pbuh) said that no one, especially women, should look down upon their neighbours. Women (Muslim women) must establish a connection with their neighbours, even if it is through a leg of goat she offers them as a gift.

It is certainly a very pure advice that our prophet (pbuh) gave us and there is in this advice extraordinary eloquence. He said not to consider the neighbours as inferior to you. He lets you know that through gifts, you honour the neighbours, especially those who are closest to you (to your homes). If you do not offer gifts to your neighbours, then it means that they have no value (they mean nothing to you) in your eyes. And it is usually in human culture to have a tendency to give gifts to people of the same social rank than themselves or to those who are superior to them (in rank). And so, they forget to honour those who have the lowermost status or are less affluent and lower in rank than them. This should start with the lowest level and continue at the highest level. In terms of human relations, gift-giving is a culture inherent to humans. And usually they frequent the circles of people that form part of their own (social) order or those who are superior to them. But the Quran has given a very important advice against this.

Love and Sacrifice

The Quran says that when you spend something for the cause of Allah, then you must ensure that this expenditure does not flow only among yourselves. This expenditure (for His cause, in His path) must reach those who are below you (in respect to social status), or in other words, those who are in need. If you are doing this action for the cause of Allah, then you must keep in mind that all humans are creatures of Allah (and deserve the same treatment), lest these good deeds that you do to your relatives or even to your neighbours but only for ostentation, such as present them with gifts etc. will be in vain. Thus, it will become an action that will appeal only to your ego, your passion, your own self (nafs) and not to Allah.

As Allah says in the Quran: “And they give food in spite of love for it to the needy, the orphan, and the captive, (Saying), ‘We feed you only for the countenance of Allah. We wish not from you reward or gratitude’.” (76: 9-10)

Khalifatullah's visit to the Comoros

Visit to the Comoros and Reunion Islands

 

By the grace of Allah, and through His divine instructions, I had to go to the Comoros and Reunion Island last week. My presence was required there where our brothers and sisters were waiting since 2013. 

There were important works to do and thus I had to go and by the grace of Allah, there manifested “Laa Ghaliba Illallah” – it is Allah who came out victorious in all aspects of the works done there. And it is really difficult for me to explain how those (spiritual) fruits have been reaped from above which was quite unexpected. Despite the many obstacles all went really well. 

Like I told you in the past, with the advent of a Messenger of Allah, don’t expect that you shall have everything easily. Like Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur'an:  “Do the people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ and they will not be tried?”  – Allah shall verily try you in all ways possible, through your wealth, children, your own person etc. to see whether you have true faith (Iman) when you said you have believed in Allah and in His Messenger.

Therefore, despite all the obstacles which the destructors have tried to do to restrict our progress – to uproot all flourishing plants that we have planted to stop their growth and so that they don’t reap fruits – by the grace of Allah, Allah did not let them succeed in their plan. They wanted to uproot all those plants to plant them in their own land, as if it is them who sown the seeds, but Allah did not want that the hard worker’s works to go in vain. According to the Divine plan, the hard worker had to reap the fruits of his own labour. Therefore, never become like the gardener who leaves out all wild plants and eliminates the good ones.

By the grace of Allah, after much effort we became highly successful in the Comoros, and last week itself after a warm welcome from our brothers and sisters there, I had the opportunity to deliver my Friday Sermon in the great mosque (in one of the villages). Insha-Allah, our members (of the Jamaat) shall get more details on our website.

Meanings of 'Laa Ilaaha Illallah'

Laa Ilaaha Illallah - There is no god but Allah. This statement (of faith) has two pillars.

Ø  The first: “There is no god” is to deny that the true divinity (the right of worship) belongs to other than Allah.

Ø  The second: To affirm that Allah alone is worthy of 

being worshipped.

Allah (swt) said: 

 

“And when Abraham said to his father and his people: ‘I totally disown what you worship’.” (43: 27).

It is not enough to only worship Allah, but this worship must be reserved exclusively to Him. The Unicity (Tawheed) is only valid when we proclaim that Allah is unique while disavowing polytheism and its followers.

It is reported that “The key to paradise” is: “There is no god but Allah.” However, do all people who pronounce it deserve that all the gates of Paradise are opened for them? Is the statement “There is no god but Allah” not the key to paradise? This is definitely the case, but each key has teeth. So if you bring a key that has teeth (with the correct teeth), that door shall be opened to you, otherwise it will not be opened for you.