'Musleh Maoud': Then & Now

Divine revelations and prophecies unravel in subtle ways in the fullness of time: testifying to the Grandeur and Mercy of the Lord by confirming the essential truth of what a Divine Elect foretells the world. Yet, the ways of the Lord Almighty are unknowable for the most part, except to the extent and limits of what He chooses to reveal through His Elects. Sometimes, even the Divine Elects themselves may not comprehend in full measure the nuances and implications of a Prophecy they are made to proclaim, as the Lord in His Infinite Wisdom may choose to keep hidden certain aspects till a time or "substitute one revelation for another and God knows best what He reveals" (16:102,  2:107, 13:40). And the realization of such prophecies, thus, often may not confirm to the dominant notions and prevailing imaginations of people. 

Today, there are major differences of opinion among the various Ahmadi sects about the meaning and interpretative implications of the prophecy on "Musleh Maoud" made by the Khalifatullah of the previous era, Al Imam Al Mahdi,  Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian. 'Mainstream' Ahmadis of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya (Qadian) feel that the prophecy was fulfilled in the person of the second caliph, Hadhrat Mirza Bashir-ud-Din Mahmud Ahmad (ra) (1889-1965) and they attach only some anecdotal value to the fulfillment of this prophecy today, as they do not find any contemporary relevance to it, in a new century of Islam. On the other hand, many other sects of Ahmadis who also believe in the spiritual claims of the Promised Massih (as), do not consider that the prophecy regarding the advent of a Musleh Maoud is fulfilled, especially since they retain, regrettably,  animus against the family and physical progeny of the Promised Massih (as). Many of these groups also feel that the fulfillment of the prophecy is only concerned with the advent of a Ma'mur in the new century of Islam- in the Fifteenth Century Hijri, and are waiting for a spiritual churning to take place within the world of Ahmadiyya Islam, especially with the advent of  a number of claimants who say they are recipients of Divine revelations in this era.   

Remembering 'Musleh Maoud'

Hazrat Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad (as) was the second successor of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as). He was a distinguished Khalifa because his birth was foretold by a number of previous prophets and saints. Moreover, the Promised Messiah (as) received a Divine Sign for the truth of Islam as a result of his forty day's prayers at Hoshiarpur (India). God Almighty told him that a pure son would be born to him within the period of nine years. He had already published this prophecy regarding his Muslih Ma'ud (Promised Reformer) on 20 February 1886. In accordance with this divine prophecy and within the specified period, the Promised Son, was born to the Promised Messiah (as) on 12 January 1889 at Qadian. He was named Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad. 

The prophecy about Muslih Ma'ud had also specified some special qualities of the promised son and reformer. For instance, it was foretold that he would be extremely intelligent and highly learned. His fame will spread to the ends of the earth and nations would be blessed through him.

'Learn to Dance with Your Soul'

Our era is drowned in Synthetic Pleasures

My dear disciples, please be aware that Muslims who copy Europeans seek the source of the Kawthar (Paradisiacal fountain) in a mirage. They are all ignorant of the secrets of faith; They are filled with hatred and resentment. Goodness and good are a dead letter for the privileged (the rich in this world); I found only truth and purity among the small people (i.e. those of humble means). Learn to distinguish people of religion (faith) and people of hatred. Seek out a true friend and stay with him.

I am afraid of that time (era) which has seen you born O my dear disciple - you who are the reflection of my own soul; It (that is, this era) is drowned in (worldly) matter, and knows little about the soul. As the body loses its value when the soul is absent, the man of God hides within himself. The search does not succeed in finding him, although it sees him face to face. So do not give up the taste for research, even if a hundred difficulties arise in your life. 

Need for Righteous Company in the Quest for God 

If you do not find the company of a wise man, take from me what comes from my father and my ancestors. Choose my master (Nabi Kareem, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)) as a companion, so that God may grant you the desire and fervour (of faith), for my master (pbuh) knows how to distinguish things and knows the bark (of a tree; in other words, the extrinsic) and the core (i.e., the intrinsic). His foot stands firmly on the road that leads to the Friend (Allah). Many explanations have been given about him, but no one has really understood him. His true meaning escaped us, like the gazelle.

Men have learned to dance with their bodies, reciting their words, but their eyes have not opened to the dance of the soul! The dance of the body make dust swirl whereas the dance of the soul moves the heavens. Science and wisdom come from the dance of the soul. The earth and the sky also come from this dance. It gives the individual the rapture of Moses, and thanks to it, the community (of the pious) becomes the heir of the Kingdom! 

'Reclaim Your Spiritual Self'

My Friday sermon is addressed to members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and also to everyone. 

Each one of you must exhort to mutual love, generosity, the practice of Islam and the knowledge of oneself.

The Paradoxes in the 'Muslim'Condition

The one for whom the word Allah was a viaticum (that is, the Muslim) is now under the control of attachment to material goods and the fear of death. Drunkenness (in favour of Spirituality/ to lose oneself in Spirituality), fervour and joy have deserted him: His religion is found in the book, and he is himself in the grave. The soul has left the body of fasting and prayer and other pillars of Islam; And as the soul has left prayer and fasting, the individual is without harmony and people without discipline, hearts being empty of the warmth of the Quran. How can we hope for an improvement from such men? 

O Allah! The Muslim has abandoned the self, hold out Your hand to him, for the water covers him higher than the head. The prostration (in Salaat) that makes the earth tremble has the power to make the sun and the moon turn according to its desire. If it were to seek the meaning of this prostration, the stone would vanish in the air like smoke! But now the Muslim no longer knows humility, there is nothing else in him but the weakness of old age. Who still realizes the majesty of the words spoken during the prostration: "My Lord (Allah) is Most High" (Allahu Akbar)? Is all this due to our fault, or is it believed that there is some weakness (may Allah preserve us from this thought) in these words? 

Everyone moves quickly on his own path. Only our mount is without bridle and roams endlessly without a goal. Possessing the Quran and having no ardour for research is a very strange thing. If the Lord has endowed you with vision, look at the coming times: rash reasons and hearts without ardour, eyes without shame and drowned in illusion, science and art, religion and politics, intelligence and sensibility, everything revolves around material things. Young people have thirsty lips, but their cup is empty; The faces are well washed, but the soul is black; The intelligence is luminous but has only a weak vision, it is devoid of certainty and hope. The young people's eyes have seen nothing in the world: They are poor beings, denying themselves, believing others.

Acquire Knowledge of the Self

O my disciples, be always sincere in all your actions; Free yourself from the fear of kings, so-called superpowers and potentates. Do not renounce justice in anger or contentment; Keep moderation, whether you are rich or poor. The precept is difficult, do not ingeniously try to interpret it.

Do not look for a torch except in your own hearts. The support of the souls is the Zikr and the Fikr, and as for the support of the bodies, it is in the respect of oneself during youth. In this world as in the other, power is acquired only by the maintenance of the soul and the body. The purpose of the journey is the joy of contemplation (i.e. contemplation of Allah as the Unique Creator). The secret of religion consists in saying truthful words and abstaining from forbidden food. Solitude and companionship is to contemplate the Divine Beauty. In the way of religion, be unbreakable like the diamond. Bind your hearts to Allah, and live without vain scruples.

Khalifatullah's Delhi Visit

The Legacy of Islam in India

Historically speaking, Islam spread in the Indian subcontinent through a gradual process lasting over centuries. While South India, Kerala in particular, witnessed the advent of Arab traders and early Muslim merchants from Yemen as part of the organic process of international trade in those early days of Islam in the seventh, eight, and ninth centuries; the North of India witnessed powerful military struggles for political dominion and the Muslim armies succeeding in establishing themselves as rulers in this vast land. Delhi, the capital city of India, has thus been a major centre of the Muslims over the millennia. Muslim dynasties, including the Grand Mughals, ruled over Delhi for over seven centuries before the British colonial era began in the subcontinent.

With the establishment of Muslim empires in India and the relative peace it brought into the region from the political turmoil in the extended neighbourhood of India, many Sufi saints and their disciples from different parts of the Islamic world began to travel to India and began settling down here, thereby triggering in its own way conditions for the spread of Islam through the nooks and corners of India. 

Among the major Muslim saints and sages of the medieval era, Godly men who settled in and around Delhi and other parts of North India, one can count several illustrious names: Hadhrat Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki (ra), Hadhrat Mueenuddin Chishti Ajmeri (ra)(1132-1236); Hadhrat Faridudin Shakar Gunj(ra) (1212-1269); Hadhrat Nizamuddin Aulia Dehlvi (ra)(1233-1325);  Hadhrat Shiekh Ahmad Sarhindi (ra) Mujaddid Alf Sani (1563-1624), Hadhrat Shah Waliullah Muhaddis Dehlvi(ra)(1703-62), etc.

Khalifatullah Visits Agra

Acceding to the request and invitation of his disciples in Delhi, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius and the blessed members of the Household agreed to include a visit to Agra and Delhi as part of the Tour Programme during the India visit, Alhamdulillah, Soumma Alhamdulillah. Once the Kerala-segment of the India Visit was completed, the Team that included the family of our brother in Delhi and also our brother Sulfikar Ali Saheb travelled to Agra from Kannur Railway Station on the evening of January 22, 2017.  

Two days later, on the 24^th Tuesday morning, everyone reached Agra, checking into the Hotel and taking rest for some hours. In the afternoon, the Team visited the Agra Fort, one of the World Heritage Sites in India, designated by the UNESCO, marking its significant cultural and historical value.  

The Agra Fort was built up by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in the 1560s as his Imperial Capital in red sandstone, soon after consolidating his political sovereignty over North India. At one point of time in history, Agra Fort was the highest political seat of the Government of India or the capital of the Mughal Emperor so as to conduct the State proceedings, including the reception ceremonies of Foreign Ambassadors. The sensitive political decisions regarding foreign relations and the internal administration of different State provinces and regions used to be taken at the court so much so that senior officials would have to camp at the place for several days often to have an audience with the Emperor on such strategic and diplomatic and administrative matters. 

Khalifatullah's Journey across Kerala

Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, India was established and officially registered with the government in the State of Kerala in the year 2010, with the Bai’at of our brother Mukarram R. Jamaluddin Raother Saheb of Mathra (presently Amir Saheb of the South Kerala Jamaat), Dr. E. Tahir Saheb of Kannur (presently Amir Saheb of the North Kerala Jamaat) and the other brothers in Alappuzha.

It has been a longstanding wish of the members of the Jamaat in Kerala to meet with the Divinely-inspired and appointed Muhyi-ud-Din of this era, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius, ever since the time Allah (swt) blessed them with the light of faith to recognize and accept His Messenger of the era. Alhamdulillah, it is this cherished spiritual wish of the sincere believers that has come to fruition with the visit of the Khalifatullah (atba) and the blessed family members to India in January 2017. Travelling from Mauritius through Dubai, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram airports, with the delegates from the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- South Kerala joining them at both Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, the larger caravan of people reached Mathra on the night of January 16, 2017, Alhamdulillah. For the post on the arrival of Hazrat Khalifatullah (atba) in India, click here.