Spiritual Progress in the Spring of Renewal

'March' and the Spring of Renewal

Every March, we remember: the beautiful beginnings of the spring of renewal in the faith of Islam in our times. The Divine Manifestation in Mauritius in the humble person of our beloved Imam Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) has had its modest and sublime beginnings in the month of March, in the year 2000. 

With the advent of a Divinely-raised soul as an exemplar of faith to guide and lead people in the path of true spirituality on the Highway to Lord Almighty, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam was established after years of patience and trials in the year 2008, in Mauritius at a time when the country was celebrating its national liberation from the bondage of foreign occupation and colonial exploitation, Alhamdulillah, Soumma Alhamdulillah.

 Just as a people celebrate their national freedom, the advent of a Divine Elect is an occasion of celebration for the people of God. After all, a Divine Elect appears to liberate the people from the slavish bondage of moral decadence and mindless practices that keep them away from their Lord. In his Friday Sermon of March 10, 2017 Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) summarizes for us the distilled spiritual wisdom on how to liberate ourselves from the slavish bondage of a mundane existence and to gain spiritual freedom and progress in the personal fortunes of the human soul. Just as in secular life one attaches value to one's material engagements, so should one need to learn and appreciate the profound space of spirituality in our ultimate destiny both in this fleeting world and the lasting Hereafter.

Developing a liking and keen interest for Deen, and following that up with the practice of the Deen in our every day settings and surroundings, is an important condition precedent for making spiritual progress. Further, for cultivating the love and connection with Allah (swt), one needs to attach oneself with a spiritually-evolved and illumined soul, even as one should also aspire and strive to keep away from all wrongful influences and satanic impulses. 

Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) notes that the great spiritual goal of attaining nearness to God cannot be achieved except through striving to be a Muttaqi- someone who is mindful of God and the Divine commandments at all moments and contingencies of life. For a Muttaqi who strives to obtain freedom from the synthetic pleasures of this world by attaching the soul to the commandments of his/her Lord, Allah (swt) has kept hidden behind the veils of future many delights both in this life and the Hereafter. As Hadhrat Saheb (atba) notes: "All that a person seeks in this world through his efforts, he can acquire it in an effective way by being Muttaqi (being a person who has the fear of Allah). For, verily, Allah has promised a very pleasant life to him who practices His Deen. He has given him the assurance that He will solve his problems and give him everything he needs in unexpected ways".  

Read the Friday Sermon below: 

'Muhabbah': The Love that Inspires

Muhabbah

A believer must have love (Muhabbah) for Allah and a connection with Him. The Muhabbah (love) or an admiration for someone makes you do everything for the person you admire. The Muhabbah does everything that seems difficult, easy. And as a result, the unthinkable becomes feasible. As a person loves something, he makes efforts to acquire it. If he really likes this thing, then he does not care about time or money. He arrives at a point where he forgets everything. He finds nothing around him (Nothing really matters for him except for the loved one). Only one thing exists for him: it is the thing (or person) that he loves and admires.

See a young man of today who has just reached his 18^th birthday. (When he loves), he loves to such an extent that it becomes unbearable for him to live without the person loved. Without hesitation he leaves the family roof to live with the object of his love/ affection. He leaves his family, his mother, his dad, his brother, his sister, his comfort and even his Deen (religion - Islam) only for the cause of the loved one. He does all this with contentment and joy. If we (Muslims) had this same (kind of) Muhabbah for Allah, then we would never find the Deen (religion - Islam) difficult (to practice). We would have suffered all with joy and contentment only for the love we have for our Rab (Lord - Allah).

The practice of the Deen would then become not only easy but also delicious. The example of the pious personages is before us. They have not hesitated to give up whatever it is that becomes an obstacle for them in their quest of Allah the Almighty. Hazrat Ibrahim (as) has abandoned his kingdom in order to reach Allah the Almighty and to acquire His love (literally: to acquire Allah). If someone can sacrifice his honour, his dignity, his status for a corpse that will die and who is condemned to become dust one day, then why can man (the human race) not  give up everything for Allah Who is Al-Hayy, Al-Qayyoum - Who has existed for all time and whose existence will never stop (that is, His existence has neither beginning nor end). Allah is the One who watches us all the time. He is a Being who is there for us all the time, giving us everything we need. 

A Revealed Prayer, with Commentary

From the early years of the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) recieved from the Unseen so many spiritually-uplifting messages, including known and unknown prayers and supplications in the Islamic tradition. Like the Qur'an testifies, in the dawn of human memory and world history, Allah (swt) did teach His Khalifa (Khalifatullah of the era) Hadhrat Adam (as), about the names of things. Even in this age, Allah (swt) continues His enduring practice: through dreams, visions and Divine revelations vouchsafed to His Chosen Messenger, teaching him ways of offering prayers and supplications, Alhamdulillah, Allahu Akbar!

Presented below is a revealed poem in Urdu, recieved on 13 June 2002, along with a detailed Commentary and explanations on the same offered by Hadhrat Saheb (atba)  while addressing the gathering of the Siraj Makin in Mauritius, on 14 August 2016.  

The Revealed Poem in Urdu:

Ya Khuda Shak nahin iss mein ké gunehgaar houn mein
Par yé irshaad hé téra hi ké « ghaffaar houn mein »

Saath apné liyé taqseeron ké ambaar houn mein
Mujh pé rehmat ho khudaayaa ké khataakaar houn mein

Apnaa ghagheen banaa kar mujhé har gham sé bachaa
Ya ilaahi ghamé duniya mein giraftaar houn mein

Ya qadeer ab to ho aasan méri har mushkil
Sakht majboor houn haïraan houn naachaar houn mein

Sab ko ho méri naseehat ka assar ya mawla
Ho a’mal aïsa ké bass shaamilé abraar houn mein

Ya ghani hashr mein mehroom ha rakhnaa mujhko
Houn Faqeer aur téra taalibé deedaar houn mein

The Poem in Translation:

The Myths of The Hindus

"And they have taken (for worship) gods other than Allah, to give them power and glory! No! Those "gods" (i.e. false gods) will deny their worship of them and will be against them as opponents [on the Day of Judgement]." (Maryam, 19: 82-83)

Today is a Public Holiday in Mauritius (i.e. Maha Shivaratree). Perhaps in the other countries also, they are celebrating the Maha Shivaratree. My Hindu friends have requested me that today in my Friday Sermon I talk about their three gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

Poem: 'In Praise of Allah'

I happen to glance into the piece of flesh which is my heart and

Found the marvellous exalted presence and existence of Allah;

The never-ending relationship which assures

Eternity in Allah for as long as Allah exists;

The sweetness of a camaraderie
which is priceless and untouched by any evil;

The price of this love is found in Allah Himself;

He is the Love which makes the heart pound,

He is the Fashioner of forms and existence;

He is the never-ending light towards fulfilment,

He is fulfilment and tranquillity,

He is my Light, my Love

The marvellous glow of His love has touched my heart,

Such a touch that even an angel cannot accede to,

Such a level of thought that no human has ever witnessed before,

Save those whom my Love has elevated with His precious comprehension.

His Glory surpasses the glories of the deities of man’s imagination and creation,

This understanding is only for those who wish to merge themselves in that light and

Be untouched by anything which may separate the Creator with His subject.

'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.