Youth Activism for a Better Society

Youth is an invaluable asset for a nation since it guarantees their safety and hope. Unfortunately, today, we find that the Muslim youths, especially in Mauritius are too focused on themselves. If you ask them what they do during the holidays, they will answer unanimously: Tuitions, TV, Facebook, going out with friends in shopping malls etc.

Does youth comes down to this? Rare are the people who practice other activities. Similarly, in colleges, there are a significant number of absentees on the day when the school decides for example, to do a charitable activity as students prefer to stay home to work out test papers, to do their tuition homework, or worse, to go out and have fun with friends. They do not realize what they are losing because precisely our Islamic training recommends us to be generous and to help one another, to defend just causes and to work for the good of humanity. The Muslim youth must share and affirm the values ​​he believes in by taking part voluntarily and actively in community life.

Social engagement has countless benefits on the psychological level. There is first a better understanding among people from different backgrounds. Today, the youth with material wealth remains in a (too protected/spoiled) cocoon with his studies, his latest mobile, gadgets and connection on social networks (Facebook, Twitter etc.) without having an idea of ​​the difficulties faced by others who are worse off, like the poor, the sick, the disabled, the illiterate, the orphan, and the list is long. It is by putting himself at their service that he can mature both physically and emotionally.

Stoning to Death for Adultery ?

“The Islamic law attaches great importance to chastity and condemns illicit relations before marriage. 

Severe penalties sanction this kind of crime, but it is false to say that Islam has made provision for the stoning to death of the offenders. 

In fact, the Quran makes no mention of stoning as a punishment, whether for the sin of adultery or for any other crime. The verse establishing the sentences for adultery contains no ambiguity.

“The woman and the man guilty of adultery or fornication, flog each of them with a hundred stripes: Let not compassion move you in their case, in a matter prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day: and let a party of the Believers witness their punishment.” (24: 3)

 Although the Quran has clearly prescribed flogging, some schools of thought maintain that this verse deals exclusively with the punishment reserved for unmarried people who commit the sin of adultery and that married persons who are found to be guilty (of the sin) have to face the penalty of death by stoning.

However, the word “Al-Zani” denotes both the fornicator and the adulterer. The fornicator is that unmarried person who commits the sin of lust. No linguistic authority has so far proved otherwise and it is obvious that the above verse does not distinguish between married and unmarried people.  

The confusion seems to exist because the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) had, on certain occasions, ordered the killing of those accused of adultery. However, it should be noted that before the Holy Quran was revealed in its entirety, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) conformed to the laws contained in the Torah to judge certain crimes, for the books of Moses (as) have provided for the stoning to death in these cases (Leviticus 20: 10, Deuteronomy 22: 122, John 8: 3-5).  

Khalifatullah's Visit to the Island Nations

VISIT OF THE KHALIFATULLAH TO THE COMOROS & REUNION ISLAND- (21-27 October 2015)

After a flight of 2hrs 25 minutes through Reunion Island, the Khalifatullah (atba) reached the Comoros (Moroni Airport) at 12.10 (local time). He was warmly welcomed by the members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Union des Comores as well as the members of the Amila.

¨     The same day, the Khalifatullah (atba) held an important meeting with the officers of the Jamaat, and was briefed on the works done. 
 

¨    After the Asr prayers, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) went in a village and met with some Imams there as well as the village chief. AlhamdOlillah, the meetings with them were very successful. The Imam invited the Khalifatullah (atba) to lead the Maghrib prayer, and afterwards, the people of the village came to meet the Khalifatullah (atba) with much love. They maximized this special moment to ask a lot of important questions to Huzur (atba) and Alhamdolillah, the Messenger of Allah (atba) gave them such answers which pleased them, and thus in capacity of spiritual leader, the Khalifatullah (atba) explained to them about his mission and invited them to the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. By the grace of Allah, they were highly pleased to have met with the Messenger of Allah, and they recognized and accepted him as well as integrate the Jamaat. They planned to give the message of the advent of the Khalifatullah as well as our Jamaat to the people of other villages also. Alhamdolillah. May Allah count them among His sincere ones. Amine.

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.

Muharram: New Islamic Year Begins

Naya Saal Mubarak!

The Islamic calendar begins with Muharram, which is considered sacred a month. Muslims today do not take into account the value of our Islamic year. The majority of them do not even know when our Islamic year begins. 

Allah (swt) says in the Quran: 

Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve (lunar) months in the register of Allah (from) the day He created the heavens and the earth; of these, four are sacred (that is to say, Dhul-Qaddah, Dhul-Hijjah, Muharram and Rajab): That is the correct religion, so do not wrong yourselves during them. (9: 36)

Allah (swt) has given us a sacred month and year based on the Islamic calendar but unfortunately a great number of Muslims - especially here in Mauritius - do not take this into consideration, whereas on the other hand they take into great consideration the Gregorian and Christian calendar, celebrated at the end of December. So in preparation for the Gregorian year, they go shopping, and moreover, those working as officers in the public sector (Government servants) and also the private sector - hotels, factories etc. - organize parties and also receive year-end bonuses (called also, “13^th or even 14^th months” – that is, a surplus in salary amounting more than the 12-month salary scale) to celebrate the new year.

It is during this time of year (end of year - December) that we see a lot of waste. People spend their money and their all their bonuses in firecrackers, fireworks, liquor, gifts and the celebration continues until New Year’s Eve whereby many families today prefer to spend these days in hotels or to meet in a place where food - especially the barbecue - and several alcoholic beverages are available in large quantities. As for alcoholic drinks, it is true that the vast majority of Muslims do not consume this poison, but this custom does exist for people of other religious communities. For them, they must have an alcoholic drink because without it their New Year’s Eve won’t be complete! So you can imagine how much money is wasted in the weeks preceding the end of the year and the beginning of the following year - especially on the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd days of the first month (January) of the New Year, even going until the 6^th of January.

People do not realize that they must make savings. They wrongly spend their money in vain things such as in parties and preparations of the New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, Muslims also have entered into the same circle as these people. They imitate them and their customs. There are many of them who do not even perform their Tahajjud prayers and even the Fajr prayer at the prescribed time. They are too busy partying with family and friends!