'Yaum-un-Nabi': The Prophet as a Father

The Holy Prophet of Islam as a Father

Today is Friday the 12 Rabi'ul Awwal 1439 AH. The majority of the Muslim World is celebrating Yaum-un-Nabi - the Day of the Prophet (pbuh), while others call it Milad-un-Nabi - the birthday of the Prophet (pbuh). While celebrating birthdays was not a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), each Muslim must bear in mind that celebrations which resemble the practices of the non-Muslims (e.g. cake cutting and blowing on candle and making wishes, partying with dancing, music and alcoholic drinks etc.) are strictly forbidden in Islam.

As for us, we prefer to commemorate the Seerat-un-Nabi, i.e. the life story of the Prophet (pbuh) so that we may remind ourselves of his perfect character as a human being and prophet.

Muhammad literally means much praised. Even before he made claim to prophethood, his own people knew him to be truthful and trustworthy. The Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) was the father of three sons and four daughters. Two sons, Qasim and Abdullah, named in the family Tayab and Tahir were born from Hazrat Khadija. Another son, Ibrahim, later on, was born from Hazrat Maria, his Coptic wife (who later became Muslim).

The first born was Qasim after whom, according to the Arab custom, the Holy Prophet himself was called Abul Qasim, i.e. father of Qasim. Qasim died at the age of two before the advent of Islam. Next to Qasim was his eldest daughter named Zainab. Next to her were daughters Ruqayya, Umme Kulsoom, and the youngest of all daughters was Fatima. The youngest offspring of the Holy Prophet and Hazrat Khadija was Abdullah, who passed away as an infant before the advent of Islam.

'LIQA': Man's Quest for the True Beloved

Personal Relationship between man and God

Someone, once, asked the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh): When would the Day of Judgement be? The Holy Prophet (pbuh) responded by asking the person what had he done in preparation for it?

That was indeed an affectionate reply with deep meaning. One should be more concerned in preparing oneself for it rather than wondering when it would be. Everyone will have to appear before God (Allah). At that time what preparation would you have made in this world to meet God? What is meant is that one should also establish communion with Allah in this world by developing a personal spiritual relationship with Him. It is not a momentary contact with God like a temporary meeting with a friend. It is a continuous and permanent relationship with Allah. The state of personal relationship with God involves continuous and progressive connection with Him. There is no turning back. 

Qur'an: A Divine Favour

This is the Book; there is no doubt in it, a guidance for those who fear Allah. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come. (Al-Baqara, 2: 3-5).

Today by the grace of Allah, I continue the same the sermon that I had started 3 Fridays ago on the subject of the Quran, by reciting the verses 3-5 of the Surah Al-Baqara.

The believers need to know when reading the Quran that there is not the least error, or contradiction in it. On the contrary, each verse of the Quran strengthens the other verse and do not create any doubt. But, there are also some people who instead of having their doubts cleared concerning the Quran, their doubts increase. Thus, these types of people need to know that they are not the category of people mentioned in the beginning of the Chapter (Al-Baqara), i.e. they are not the pious, God-fearing people as stipulated in the verse (Verse 3).

Those people who do not have any doubt that the Quran contains no doubt, and that it is sure guidance for them, those people are certainly the Muttaquun, i.e. those who have the fear of Allah, and who are truly pious. So, when you invoke Allah through supplications (and prayer), you also need to understand the subjects of the Quran or ask Allah for help to enable you to understand it and Insha-Allah, Allah shall give you the knowledge to well understand the contents of the Holy Quran. It is then that the heart shall be cleansed of any kind of doubt. But love for the Quran also demands that you seek this certainty directly from it (i.e. the Quran itself).

And the subjects (knowledge) of Allah are unlimited. A lot of times, for the people who have such (positive) thoughts, Allah (swt) enable them to understand certain points (from the Quran). And if they are Muttaquun, then there shall be no problem for them to understand what Allah (swt) has made put in the Quran. It becomes easy(for them). But if they are not Muttaquun, then the same knowledge that they have received becomes a source of doubt, fitna, and disputes for them.

On True Faith in The 'Ghayb'

The Perfect Book - III

This is the Book; there is no doubt in it, a guidance for those who fear Allah. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come. ---(Al-Baqara 2: 3-5).

By the grace of Allah, Allah (swt) has given me the Tawfeeq today to continue on the same subject of my sermons from the previous two Fridays. So, I stopped where, when you go to the mosque, then you have to take your beauty with you too, i.e. in this case, your Taqwa (fear of God, piety). The Quran has already described this beauty as Taqwa. It is necessary that each person becomes a Muttaqi (that is, someone who has the fear of Allah, who is pious), otherwise it will be difficult for him/ her to keep the mosque prosperous, and if the God-fearing people preserve the prosperity, freshness and peace of the mosques, then there will be so many blessings in these mosques, beyond your conception/ imagination.

Then Allah (swt) says that it is these people who will have faith (Iman) in “what is yet to come”. Here, “what is yet to come” is two-ways (i.e. has two interpretations) when we study (closely) this verse. As you follow this verse, you will find that Allah says, “And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come (i.e. in the future).” - Then, like I have already told you in my previous sermons, it refers to the continuation of divine revelations and messengers after Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), those who will confirm this Quran, The Perfect Book of Allah.

‘Dhu’l Qarnayn’: History and Prophecy

In a recently released book entitled Dhul Qarnain: The One of Two Epochs (Originally written in Creole in 2009; Translated into English by Hazrat Ummul Mu’mineen Fazli A. Varsally Saheba), the Holy Founder of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and the Divinely-raised Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius makes an important declaration: 

“Once I was reading the Chapter 18 of the Holy Quran, Surah Al Kahf, which means “The Cave”. This Surah mentions the Dhul Qarnain. When I studied this chapter deeply, I noticed that the story mentioned in it coincides with the conditions we are living in this era. This chapter mentions the first trip (travel/journey) of Dhul Qarnain (in the West), where he reached a place where he found the sun setting as if it were in a pool of murky water. 

After that, the Dhul Qarnain made another trip and this time he went to the East. During the course of that travel, upon reaching midway he met a person/people who were naked, totally exposed to sunlight; there were nothing to protect them from that deep heat, not even a shadow. Then the Dhul Qarnain made a third journey and at the end of it he met a people who informed him about the persecution and ill treatment of Gog and Magog upon them. These people even supplicated him to protect them against Gog and Magog. 

Allah, the Great has given us a parabolic description. However, the name of Dhul Qarnain can be given to the one who lives during two centuries and I have come in two centuries in such a way that no objection can be levelled upon me. Definitely, I belong to both Islamic centuries, and if you do the calculation in the proper way, this will prove my veracity.”

'Taqwa': Path to a Spiritual Life

 The Perfect Book- Part II

ذَلِكَ الْكِتَابُ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ ۝

الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ ۝

والَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِمَا أُنزِلَ إِلَيْكَ وَمَا أُنزِلَ مِن قَبْلِكَ وَبِالآخِرَةِ هُمْ يُوقِنُونَ ۝

This is the Book; there is no doubt in it, a guidance for those who fear Allah. Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them. And who believe in that which has been revealed to you and that which was revealed before you and they are sure of what is yet to come. (Al-Baqara 2: 3-5).

By the grace of Allah, Allah (swt) has given me the Tawfeeq to continue the second part of the sermon which I started last week there (Last Friday) in which I mentioned the absolute necessity for the Mumineen (believers) to undertake journeys/ voyages of the Holy Quran every day. Quran says that for this voyage, there should be all kinds of provisions.

The provision which has been mentioned is Taqwa, i.e. the fear of Allah. And that's the same provision which is needed to acquire (the in-depth meanings of) the Quran also. Taqwa and Quran do not concern the daily (mundane) voyages (of someone). There are not gained through only one such voyage which you may do only once a year.

You need the Quran everyday and every day with the support of Taqwa as a provision you would be able to obtain something from the Quran. This is indeed very important, fundamental. And for that, it is not necessary to organize programs. Certainly, programs create the interest for it (i.e. the Quran) all year long, but it is the interest of parents which is necessary (which needs to be awakened). Firstly, parents - mother and father should take interest in it for their own beings. At whatever age they (be them the parents themselves, or their children) have reached, they must determine that we start the journey to Allah. And this journey/ voyage is not possible without the Quran. And to enable the journey of the Quran, we should have provisions, just like when people travel, they take stocks/ provisions with them. And here the provision which is fundamental for that voyage is the Taqwa.

Allah (swt) states that this is indeed a perfect book in which there is no doubt. But there is no doubt also that this Book is guidance for the truly pious (God-fearing) only. Those who have Taqwa shall certainly receive guidance from the Quran. So, Taqwa has been linked together with the Quran. 

New Bai'ats in India & A Testimonial

Several Ahmadi Muslim brothers and their families in India, previously working within the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya under the Khalifatul Massih V, recently came to hear about the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba), and his claims about being Divinely-raised as the "Muhyi-ud-Din" and "Mujaddid"/"Khalifatullah" of this era, with a mandate for the reform of the human morals and the renewal of the Spiritual Path in our era. Based on their fervent prayers and supplications, Allah (swt) has unveiled the Divine mysteries of raising His Elects through beautiful dreams vouchsafed to these fervent seekers, Alhamdulillah. 

In his Friday Sermon of 20 October 2017(29 Muharram 1439 AH), speaking in the context of Divine revelations, especially prayers and supplications that could be fervently invoked by true seekers in the Divine Path in the varied contingencies of our everyday lives, the Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah (atba) officially acknowledged the new Bai'ats in Tamil Nadu, India and also shared a beautiful testimonial made by one of the new brothers in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International, Alhamdulillah, Soumma Alhamdulillah.   

Read from the Extracts of the Friday Sermon: 

"O my dear disciples throughout the world, become such kinds of people who, through them Allah (swt) can manifest Himself, and be present with them wherever them are. Become such kind of people and Allah shall show extraordinary signs in your favour and He shall manifest His signs (for your sake) more quickly, Insha-Allah.  I give you an example. 

By the grace of Allah, there are our brothers and sisters in Tamil Nadu in India who have recently recognized the truthfulness of this humble servant and messenger of this era and they took the Bai’at (oath of allegiance).