The Spirit of Financial Sacrifice

The spirit of financial sacrifice in the cause of Allah is central to the growth and progress of the Community. In the times of a Messenger of Allah, there are many who deeply attach themselves to the Divine cause and are unwilling to let go of the opportunity to learn something new and fresh from the Divine Messenger. They prefer an ascetic and humble life, cherishing knowledge and worship. They forgo the possibility of material gains for the sake of preserving the inherited knowledge for posterity and a distant future. Such dignified people might prefer their poverty over begging to people for their survival. It is the duty and responsibility of the Community at large, especially those who can afford to do so, to take care of the needs and requirements of such spiritual souls.

In his Friday Sermon of October 19, 2012 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued with the larger theme of spending in the cause of Allah. Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

HIDAYAT and Financial Sacrifice

The Divine Path has so many subtle verities. True guidance or Hidayat comes from Allah the Most High.  He bestows it on whomsoever He pleases. For, the purity of the human heart is only known to Him. The Messengers have only the duty to convey the Divine Message and not to enforce it on an anyone as they do not have ascendancy over the hearts of men. Likewise, in the spiritual path, mere verbal acceptance of faith does not amount to anything. The transformation of the inner world becomes real only when it leads to good deeds and sacrifices in the service of the religion of Allah.

In his Friday Sermon of 12 October 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued the theme of financial sacrifice which was started in the previous Friday. Drawing upon the verses of the Holy Qur’an, the Messenger of Allah points to the sublime promise of Allah: those who do good deeds and spend in the cause of His path and to seek His pleasure will find their reward in this world and the Hereafter and they will not be wronged.

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

It is not your duty to guide them, but Allah guides whom He wills. And whatever good you spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good, it will be fully repaid to you, and you will not be wronged. (Charity is) for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of Allah, unable to move about in the land. The ignorant would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their (characteristic) sign. They do not ask people persistently (or at all). And whatever you spend of good, indeed, Allah is aware of it. Those who spend their wealth (in Allah's way) by night and by day, secretly and publicly, they will have their reward with their Lord. And no fear shall there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. (2: 273-275)

Zakaat and Financial Sacrifice

In his Friday Sermon of October 05, 2012 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius underscored the significance of Zakaat as one of the pillars of Islam. Financial sacrifice is needed in the noble service of humanity and for meeting the manifold expenses of the growing spiritual community of believers- the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) exhorts the community of believers to assume personal responsibility and to contribute to the larger cause of Islam.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“My Friday Sermon shall today have a profound connection with financial sacrifice. By the grace of Allah, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is doing much progress in the field of Dawa and the message is being spread in the four corners of the world, Alhamdulillah.

The message is being propagated, yes, but there are no Dai-Illallah or missionaries there (in those countries) to take care of these seekers of truth. The tree has been planted and is growing, but there is the risk of weeds coming to attack this tree, and dries it up. Why so? Because there is no gardener to care for those trees, to enable it to bloom and produce their fruits in the future. When there is a gardener, the weeds do not have the time to attack, and make this observation: that the weeds grow more in intensity and rapidly than the fruit tree. The fruit tree takes its time to grow, but when it has established itself firmly (in the soil), therefore nobody can uproot it and it brings forth lots of fruits.

Blaming the Victims: a Strategy of the West

In the post-Communist, contemporary world, Islam is considered the potential threat and rival to the designs of the imperial West and its grand strategy of dominating the world. For, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion with a population of around 2 Billion and counting. Indeed, every fourth person on the face of the Planet is a Muslim and over 50 countries have a predominant Muslim presence. The world’s most strategic energy resources- oil, natural gas and other petroleum products- are located in the Muslim lands of West Asia and Central Asia. With this kind of huge natural advantages, the Muslim nations can and should be able to control the world and its destiny in material terms.Yet, that is not happening. How do we explain this irony of Muslim fortunes and what is the way out for the Ummah? 

The imperial powers of the Occident know their game well. The strategic containment of Muslim nations is thus sought to be achieved through military domination, economic subjugation and political division of the Muslim nations and peoples. Yet, for winning the war of public legitimacy, this agenda of imperial strategy shall have to be camouflaged. For implementing this grand strategy, the language of public articulation and diplomatic positioning comes in handy for imperialism and its strategic deceptions. For instance, while perpetrating ‘‘State Terror’’ against the Muslim Ummah in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, these western powers claim they are waging “war on Terror”! [Inset: Front cover of "Covering Islam"- Prof Edward W. Said's classic study on media perceptions and projections on issues concerning Muslims and Islam in the US].    

In his Friday Sermon of 28 September 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius profoundly reflected upon this theme. Drawing upon Qur’anic verses, the Khalifatullah (atba)  asserts  that the Islamic ethics and values shall win over all other ideological rivals and belief systems. For the benefit of Muslims, the Divine Messenger also mentions a prayer revealed and taught by Allah the Most High to recite in these troubled times for Islam and Muslims.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way (to overcome them).” (4:142)

Anti-Islam Film: A Challenge for Crossing Swords

Evil elements in society seek to extinguish the light of Allah and trample upon the fair name and basic teachings of the true religion, the Sahih Al Islam and to revile the father of Muslims. The inflammatory anti-Islam film in the United States-- entitled "Innocence of Muslims" on its 14-minuteYouTube trailer -- was such an attempt. The film was produced by a religious group called Media for Christ.  Sam Bacile, the man apparently behind the film is a US-based Egyptian Copt and fraudster who may also have violated his parole. And the film was reportedly directed by a pornographer Alan Roberts.

The soldier of Islam of our times Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius, has now decided to confront these elements in a duel of prayers [Mubahila] through a special speech made on September 17, 2012. Instead of hiding behind the facade of fraudulent methods and virtual space, let these elements,- if they have any spine, that is- come to the open space and battle it with the ‘sword’ of Muhammad (sa)- the armament of prayers and supplication to the Lord Almighty. [Inset:  Zulfiqar - the bifurcated sword of Prophet Muhammad (sa). Hadhrat Ali (ra) who inherited it from the Holy Prophet (sa), went on to become the Fourth Khalifa of Islam and the sword is famous in Islamic history as the Sword of Ali].

Read the Extracts from the Invitation for Duel of Prayer:    

In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful

INVITATION TO DUEL OF PRAYER TO MEDIA FOR CHRIST, PASTOR TERRY JONES, STEVE KLEIN, ALAN ROBERTS AND NAKOULA BASSELEY NAKOULA (ALIAS “SAM BACILE”), AND ALL THE HIDDEN PEOPLE BEHIND THE PRODUCTION OF THE ANTI-ISLAM FILM ENTITLED “THE INNOCENCE OF MUSLIMS”

As God Almighty said in the Holy Quran (Al-Imran Chapter 3 Verse 62):

“If anyone argues with you, despite the knowledge you have received, then say, “Let us summon our children and your children, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves, then let us invoke Allah’s curse upon the liars.”

MUNIR AHMAD AZIM of Mauritius challenges Media for Christ, Pastor Terry Jones, Steve Klein, Alan Roberts and  Nakoula Basseley Nakoula (alias “Sam Bacile”), and all the hidden people who are behind the production of the Anti-Islam film entitled “The Innocence of Muslims”, and therefore tarnished the honour and image of Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Anti-Islam Film is ‘Hate Speech’

For the Western Orientalists and their intellectual progenies, in the post- Communist era, Islam is the quintessential ‘Other’- the evil enemy that does not share their values of ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’. The ‘West’, in this narrative, represents all that is ‘liberal’, ‘progressive’ and ‘modern’, in that order. Correspondingly, Islam is deemed the negation of all that ‘civilization’ and ‘culture’ stands for. Under this skewed logic and perverted reading of history and blatant distortion of the lived experiences of people, a political and cultural climate is created that incites the lampooning of the sacred symbols of Islam.

Thus,anyone who abuses the religion of Islam or vilifies the father of Muslims automatically and instantaneously becomes a champion of free speech and liberty! Muslims who oppose such characterizations and resist these representations would be branded intolerant and worse. In short, anti-Islam hate speech and the vilification of Holy Prophet (sa) would be mere expressions of freedom of speech and intellectual liberty and those who oppose such elements are projected the real trouble-makers! [Inset: A protest march in Cairo against the recent anti-Islam Film].

In a special speech on September 17, 2012, the Messenger of Allah and Khalifa of Islam Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius took note of the disturbingly, deviant social trends in the western world which incites the vilification of the noble character of the Holy Prophet (sa). The Khalifatullah (atba) took serious note of these contemporary trends where Muslims and their sacred symbols are treated as “doormats...to rub their dirty feet...” and warned the anti-Islam elements and hate-mongers against what they are sowing. 

 Read the Extracts from the Speech:

And if Allah were to punish people for what they do, He would not leave upon the earth any creature; but He grants them respite until an appointed term. And when their time comes, then Allah has all His servants ever under (His) sight. (Fatir 35: 46)

Prophethood: A Divine Favour

Islam, as taught by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), validates the universality of spiritual experience and recognizes the fact that all communities in the past were recipients of Divine favour through the raising of spiritually awakened souls among them. Reflecting upon the profound impact of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) on the history of spirituality, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius, in his Friday Sermon of 21 September 2012, spoke about the extraordinary spiritual revolution brought about by the arrival of Islam in a world of pagan rituals and animistic practices. The Khalifatullah describes the raising of prophets as a special Divine blessing for the human kind, for such spiritually-aware souls provide a living, practical example for the common folks to emulate in their own individual, spiritual lives.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“Certainly Allah has conferred a favour upon the believers by raising among them a Messenger from among themselves, who recites to them His revelations and purifying them and teaching them the Book and wisdom, although they had been before in manifest error.” (3: 165).

The expression, by “by raising among them a Messenger from among themselves”, is intended to awaken in the hearts of Muslims a desire to follow the example of the Holy Prophet (sa) who was like them and one of them. The prophet was not only a man like them but was actually one of them. If he could rise to such spiritual heights, why could they not?