Labour Rights and Islamic Economics

May 1^st is celebrated the world over as International Labour Day. In his Friday Sermon of May 1, 2009 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius   reflected on the significance of recognizing and upholding the rights of employees and workers. The sermon makes a searing critique of the ways in which fundamental labour rights and freedoms have been virtually undermined in most countries of the world. Illustrating the case of Mauritius, the Khalifatullah (atba) points out how the political class pay lip service to the working class and indulge in tokenism to avoid addressing the real, substantive issues of their welfare and dignity.

Reflecting on the situation in the Muslim world, the Khalifatullah (atba) takes note of the strong undercurrents of dissatisfaction and discontentment among the Muslim masses against the elites of their societies. Almost presciently, the Khalifatullah (atba) anticipated the "Arab Spring" events of 2010-11 when he noted the revolutionary upsurge among the Muslim youth leading to the overthrow of governments. He noted that the deep divisions among the Muslims would increase the distance between Islamic precepts and the practice of Muslims. In recent decades, the planting of the western economic ideas and philosophies- ranging from socialism to capitalism, individualism to authoritarianism- on the Islamic soil have only created more puzzles and riddles. In these tumultuous times, the Islamic teachings are being trampled to dust by the leaders and the priests. Consequentially, the contemporary Muslim youth is vulnerable to misguidance and susceptible to violence while confusing oneself with the belief that one is doing service to the religion. The guiding presence of a Divinely- raised soul- a Khalifatullah to lead the Muslim Ummah is, thus, a historic spiritual necessity.

In the Friday Sermon, the Khalifatullah (atba) goes on to indicate and describe the outlines of Islamic norms applicable to economic and social systems. Moderation, restraint, responsibility, trust and fellow feeling are among the principles of conduct pertaining to social relations and economic activities in Islam, points out the Khalifatullah (atba). The task is to translate these ethical and spiritual norms of Islam into enforceable measures and legal rules. There could, however, be debates about specific policies and particular measures needed to maintain social equilibrium between individual freedoms and collective responsibilities. Be that as it may, Islamic norms and values can cater to and adapt in, the dynamic environment of changing societies, points out the Khalifatullah (atba).

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And We desired to show favour unto those who were oppressed in the Earth, and to make them examples and make them the Inheritors, and to establish them on Earth…” (28: 6-7)

Divine Messengers: Trials and Rewards

Islam presents a Most Compassionate and Ever Merciful Lord Almighty. The enduring practice of the raising of Divine Messengers among human communities testifies to the all-encompassing Mercy of Allah. Yet, when a Messenger presents himself before the community, they reject him. In the times of a Messenger, most people would revel in inequities under a veil of ignorance. The pride of riches, vanity of material favours, hubris of mundane power and social influence, arrogance of family inheritance- all seem to keep them away from God and His Messenger. Unfortunately for man, ingratitude and ungratefulness seem to be deeply embedded and ingrained as part of his DNA!

In his Friday Sermon of 26 April 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius gave a profound discourse on the Divine Law of raising of Messengers. Drawing upon the sacred traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), the Khalifatullah (atba) points out that for Allah and His Messengers, it does not really matter how many will follow them, for the Messenger’s duty is to convey the Divine revelations and Message. History bears testimony that some prophets, rejected by their own people, found acceptance after their death and departure from this world. Some others may have had few disciples only. Yet, the situation did not and will not cast any shadow on their truthfulness or the veracity of their claims.  

The denial and rejection of Divine Messengers in the past notwithstanding, Allah the Almighty will continue with His enduring practice: of raising Messenger(s) who will call to Unity of God and the eternal well-being of Man through God-consciousness. Islam offers the glad tiding of heavenly bliss for the early believers in Divine Messengers, whose faith and practice will testify to their gratitude to Allah who raised the Divine Messenger, sincerity of heart and good deeds. Alhamdulillah, these blessings are available for believers in this age as well. Likewise, divine punishments await a generation that rejects the Divine revelations and Message. The contemporary situation of horrifying disasters and havocs visiting almost all the world should be fodder for serous reflection for all. For, these events are taking place at a time when the Messenger of Allah has been and is warning us against the evils of our times.  

  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

And there came to them a Messenger from among themselves but they falsely rejected him; so the wrath seized them even in the midst of their iniquities. (16: 114)

Why God Allow Suffering?

The human condition seems to be riddled with the mystery of unconscionable suffering. For, disasters are striking the world and the people are being caught up in the maelstrom everywhere - in the land, on the air or even at the sea! Almost on a daily basis, innumerable events are taking place- earthquakes, devastating floods, hurricanes, horrifying forest fires, building collapses, accidents of colossal magnitude, terror bombings, deliberate (racial, ethnic or genocidal) killings on a horrendous scale, fresh outbreak of long-forgotten/contained epidemics, etc. How does one look at and begin to explain the occurrence of these incidents that inflict much pain and loss on the humanity of our times? Are they mere natural disasters or do they belong to the grave category of divine punishments when occurred after clear warnings and exhortations from the Divine Messenger of the times? In his Friday Sermon of 19 April 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius discussed profoundly and provided illuminating insights on the subtle subject of ‘natural’ disasters in the times of a Divine Messenger.   

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

وَ لَوۡ اَنَّ  اَہۡلَ الۡقُرٰۤی اٰمَنُوۡا  وَ اتَّقَوۡا لَفَتَحۡنَا عَلَیۡہِمۡ بَرَکٰتٍ مِّنَ السَّمَآءِ وَ الۡاَرۡضِ وَ لٰکِنۡ  کَذَّبُوۡا فَاَخَذۡنٰہُمۡ بِمَا  
کَانُوۡا  یَکۡسِبُوۡنَ ۝

“And if people of the towns had believed and feared Allah, then certainly, We would have opened for them the blessings of the heaven and the earth, but they disbelieved. So We seized them for what they used to earn.” (Al-Araf 7: 97)

Divine Prophecies for Our Times

Allah raises His Messenger to guide people to their Lord and to warn them against evil. The Divine Messenger is, then, given special knowledge about matters of the Unseen and he makes his prophecies accordingly. Some of the prophecies so made, shall find their fulfilment in the very lifetime of the Messenger. Some prophecies may, however, remain unfulfilled in his lifetime. From the grand scheme of Divine Plan, the fulfilment of prophecies or their deferment to another time and space, make little difference. After all, everything depends upon Divine Will and Decree of Allah. And the Messengers have only the duty to convey the message. This is the enduring Divine practice emerging from spiritual history.

Several verses of the Holy Qur’an indicate these different possibilities in the aftermath of Divine prophecies. With full confidence in the ways of the Lord and with absolute detachment, the Holy Qur’an declares the principles: 

“…And if he be a liar, on him will be the sin of his life; but if he is truthful, then some of that which he threatens you with will surely befall you…” (40:29).

“…And if We show you in your lifetime the fulfilment of some of the things with which We have threatened them, you will know it; or if We cause you to die before that, then to Us is their return, and you will see the fulfilment in the next world; and Allah is Witness to all that they do”.  (10:47). 

“Allah effaces what He wills, and establishes what He wills, and with Him is the source of all decrees. And whether We make you see the fulfilment of some of the things with which We threaten them or whether We make you die, it makes little difference, for on you lies the delivery of the Message, and on Us the reckoning”. (13: 40-41)

When a Divine Messenger arrives and delivers his spiritual message, it is for the people to consider and ponder over its import. It is for them to take positive and proactive-action to benefit from it. It is also for them to move away from proceeding in a direction being forewarned against in the message. Yet, history and the Holy Qur’an testify that most people are/will be heedless in the times of a Messenger, chained as they are/will be, in their family beliefs and religious traditions. They are familiar with and ‘comfortable’ at the old ritual practices in which they found their fathers indulging in. Indeed, they are glued to these rituals so completely that their beliefs are like ‘chains around their necks’ ‘reaching unto the chins’. It is the baggage of inherited notions, ideas and beliefs that comes us a barrier to the appreciation of pure belief/spiritual philosophy being articulated by the Divine Messenger. In short, their truth-perception ability itself comes under a veil.   

 

Consider our own times. Most Ahmadis are under wonder-struck that a Divine Messenger has been raised among them in the person of Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) Mauritius. They are glued to their inherited notions and traditional practices so much so that they deify their elected Khalifa. They exalt him in defiance of Allah’s decree which has caused the coming of a Messenger in our times.  Regardless their wishes, Allah in His Infinite Wisdom, has set in motion a chain of events, including the fulfilment of Divine Prophecies vouchsafed to the new Messenger of our times. Alhamdulillah, like in the times of previous Messengers, there are many instances of fulfilment of Divine Prophecies in our times, as we have noted in recent weeks in the Sahih Al Islam Blog.

TEN YEARS of the Divine Manifestation

From the long and great history of the arrival of Divine Messengers in the world, believers have numerous lessons and insights to keep in mind. Every Messenger has to go through countless trials- his own people will turn back on him and boycott him. His own people, who may have received countless signs and blessings, may desert him in the hour of need. Countless years may pass by, before the world begins to take notice of the Divine Message in full measure, just as it happened in the time of Jesus (as). It may also happen that those who desert the Messenger may later realise their mistakes. They might return to the path of rectitude eventually, as did the brethren of Yusuf (as) in another time and space.        

The need for the appearance of a Divinely-raised Messenger in this era among the Ahmadi Muslims has been fulfilled with the raising of the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. Thus, 19 April 2013 (08 Jamad’ul Aakhir 1434 Hijri) marks an important milestone in the sacred history of modern Islam. For, it was on this day in 2003 that the Jamaat of the Divine Manifestation took their first Bai’at in the hands of the Khalifatullah (atba). The first Bai’at was held in the house of Hazrat Ummul Mumineen Sadr Sahiba Fazli Amena on the second storey, at Louvet Avenue, Quatre-Bornes.

The fact that the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius has completed 10 years in relative obscurity will only surprise those who have no knowledge or understanding about the working of the spiritual realm. The duty of the Divine Messenger is only and merely to convey the Message; Allah the Most High is the Reckoner. There are indeed many spiritual lessons and lofty insights to be derived by observing and understanding the Divine favour on the Khalifatullah and how he goes about with his deep and unwavering commitment to advance the cause of Allah and His Message in the last ten years.  

It is instructive for Ahmadis to understand that the emergence of the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius coincided with the decline in physical health, spiritual faculties and eventual death of the Fourth Khalifa of the Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya, Hadhrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad Sahib. In his last years, the ageing Khalifa was already in a zone of his own, where he was in constant need of sound advice for prudent governance of Jamaat affairs. Yet, as it happened, he was badly advised regarding the nature and character of the Divine Manifestation then emerging in the horizon of Mauritius. Unscrupulous and scheming people, who worked behind the corridors of influence, suggested vanity of office and pride of legacy. Instead of showing humility and open heart to understand the lofty claims and spiritual verities on offer, the Khalifa chose the other road. May Allah forgive him for his blurred vision in his last days, Ameen.

Islamic Ethics on Business Transactions

One of the fundamental problems facing the world today is the lack of ethics and fair-dealing. In politics, administration, business, media, academia and public life- virtually everywhere- the tentacles of corruption manifest itself in different ways and forms. So much so that most countries in the world are neck deep in irregularities and corrupt practices. Sadly, Muslims or their countries cannot absolve themselves from blame and shame in this connection. Yet, the teachings of Islam and the noble example of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) points to the value of integrity and ethics and fair dealing in all that we do and Islam prescribes a normative code of conduct for economic activities. In his Friday Sermon of April 12, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) profoundly expounded on these ethical principles in the backdrop of the high profile-corruption and fraud cases in Mauritius and elsewhere.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

In the Holy Quran Allah says:

“Do not usurp one another by unjust means, nor bribe with it the judges to wrongfully deprive others of their part.”  (Al-Baqara 2: 189)

“… give full measure and weight in justice and do not deprive the people of their due and do not commit abuse on the earth, spreading corruption.” (Hud 11: 86)

“Give full measure, when you measure, and weigh with even scales. That is fair and better in the end.” (Ar-Rahman 55:  10)

Fraud and Corruption in Mauritius

The predictions and warnings issued by the Khalifatullah (atba) in recent months delivered a Divine message to the world, which may be summarized as follows: The synthetic happiness of material pleasures shall have a blinding impact on people. The greed for accumulation of property and resources will lead to the pursuit of unjust enrichment. Bribery and corruption, fraud and embezzlement- all would appear mere ‘ways’ to reach where one wants to go. Ethics and fairness, prudence and caution – all the  ‘values’ shall reach the vanishing point from the mind-space of man, with consequences for his mental peace and physical happiness,  only to find oneself  among the lost at the end of the day! By the Grace of  Allah the Most High, His Chosen Messenger Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius could comprehend  the national events and understand the shady dealings waiting to unfold among his own people, especially on the great frauds and astounding corruption in society.

Recent weeks have witnessed the unfolding of a spate of corruption cases in Mauritius.  In the tangled web of fraud and deception, duplicity and embezzlement, are the ‘big’ people of society- politicians, corporate honchos and other influence-peddlers such as media-pundits. They have dirtied their hands with ‘shady’ deals and ‘black’ money, or embezzled public funds from the exchequer or defrauded the people by indulging in bribery or corruption. An account of the financial corruption scenario in Mauritius and the fulfilment of the predictions in this regard, emerge from the Friday Sermon of April 12, 2013 delivered by the Khalifatullah (atba).