Ramadan: Training Our Souls

Ramadan: Strengthening the ties of Brotherhood

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).” (Al-Baqara 2: 184) 

Muslims around the world began fasting in the month of Ramadan this week. It is a month of great Divine favour because Allah has Himself promised to those who will fast with sincerity, who will do their best to obtain the pleasure of Allah, who will seek Divine help through prayer and good conduct that they would receive His blessings. This is the long-awaited time [for all believers] to make spiritual progress. Before being a period of fasting; Ramadan is, first and foremost, an opportunity to take stock of oneself. Piety is a whole, a totality. Every human being is liable to commit sins and to transgress the Divine law. It can be due to our ignorance, or to Satan. 

Muslims must, therefore, be particularly careful of hypocrisy, lies, cheating and theft, usurpation [injustice, deception and stealing the rights of others, etc.]… Particularly during this holy month you might tend to go ahead with these bad deeds. But you have to say “No” to all these satanic temptations! On the contrary, this holy month is a training for you for the months to come. 

But being human beings [weak as we are], we need to be rightly-guided and to guide and bring others back on the right path. In a certain sense, we could consider the month of Ramadan as a period of training allowing the believer to learn to approach God by multiplying acts of piety (charities, prayers, invocations, etc.) and to put an end to vices which gnaw at him and torment him.

'Ilham': Recent Divine Messages

Alhamdulillahi Rabbi'l Aalameen. Reproduced below are certain Divine revelations  received by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius in March-April 2021, for the benefit and attention of all Truth-seekers. These messages contain profound thoughts on Divine Mercy, and Divine favours: urging us to lead our lives in awe of God; in peace and solidarity with fellow beings, recognizing the spectrum of Divine commandments beginning with the rejection of evil. Considering that Divine Elects are the practical exemplars of the Prophetic Path;  the raising of an Elect in any era is a great favour  as it leads to certainty of faith and blessings on the believers. Likewise, willful failure to recognize a messenger is a curse on the people who evade or avoid their duties in this regard, and they are rejected at the court of God. It is only those who frequently turn to God in prayer (and offer invocations), and do not blindly follow their own desires and flawed minds, will be able to appreciate the exalted Divine messages and benefit from the superior guidance of the All-Forgiving, All- Knowing Allah (swt). 

Read the Divine Messages Below:

Message received at Noon (Tuesday, 06 March 2021) 

Allah (swt) is the embodiment of truth. Truth emanates from Him continually without His being reminded of it. How can man with his limited intellect advise Him (God)? The current of His mercy is flowing everywhere. It is taking care of us of itself. It knows what is good for us. It is present everywhere. It perceives our feelings and hears us.

Revelations: 01 April 2021 

First Revelation in Chinese (and repeated in Arabic): 

All people and especially the Muslims around the world and in Mauritius to reflect the TRUE significance of Islam and the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam are reflecting HUMAN BROTHERHOOD AND SUBMISSION TO ALLAH’S WILL. 

The Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim of this era shed its brilliant rays on a world shrouded in darkness. This special issue has in mind this objective: Reflect a broad spectrum of what verily ISLAM is; offer to people at large in an objective and unbiased approach; the ethic of life, the jurisprudence governing MUSLIM, the quintessence of our spiritual enlightenment to remove us from darkness; our undivided love for our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) and our unflinching belief in the Unicity of Almighty Allah. 

Covid-19: Crisis & 'Khilafa'

In his Friday Sermon of 09 April 2021~26 Shabaan 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius offers a synoptic view of the looming economic crisis engulfing nations around the world. Speaking against the backdrop of of the devastating  Covid-19 pandemic and other widely-disruptive events such the recent Suez Canal blockage, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) alludes that the tectonic shifts that are taking place in our midst should trigger intense soul-searching to reimagine our world: from the unsustainable inequities of the capitalist order, and the earlier failings of the socialist totalitarianisms of the Soviet era, we need to move to a more balanced, alternative economic order that upholds fair business practices, non-exploitative transactional relations, protection of public interest in common resources, and collective social welfare. In breaking with the past and imagining a new world, Muslims have the historical role and opportunity to establish the ethical teachings and principles of the Shariah for the benefit of all mankind. Based as it is on individual responsibility and accountability to Allah (swt), the laws and practices of Islam promote equity, fairness and justice. Through the discourse, Hazrat Saheb (aba) makes an eloquent appeal, exhorting the Ummah to seize the moment of crisis to reclaim the ethical and social values of Islam and be ready to fight for creating a just world under the Divinely-ordained system of Khilafat-ala-Minhaaj-Al-Nubuwwah, represented by the ranks of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam today. 

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

            وَ اللّٰہُ غَالِبٌ عَلٰۤی اَمۡرِہٖ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ

“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.”(Yusuf 12: 22).                        

The World Economic Crisis

A great global economic crisis is in sight in the wake of this new century. And this danger is already present in these times of psychosis due to the deadly coronavirus, Covid-19 and its variants. But that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back...

Covid-19: World in Panic

The Precarious State of the World 

Everyone is in awe (fear) with the 2nd and 3rd waves of the pandemic which are wreaking havoc across the whole world. People are confined to the house, and those who do not respect the confinement, there are tickets for non-compliance with the confinement, and laws have been passed. [And here in Mauritius, some people are ignoring the warnings of the police and continue to circulate without following health advice and protocols]. The law states that anyone accused of non-compliance with confinement or non-wearing of a mask will have their conviction for this offense displayed on their character certificate. 

Here in Mauritius, there is a scare that governs in the neighbouring regions! The villages will switch slowly into the red zone same as the towns [such as the village of Canot]. The number of cases continues to increase, and the containment which was to be removed on March 31, has been extended until April 30, 2021. The authorities have sealed the perimeters of the most infected places, that is to say, the red zones. No one has the right to enter or leave it except those who are in possession of special “Work Access Permits” [WAPs] for red zones, as well as children who have exams, and the parents who accompany them. And until this ban is lifted, everyone must abide by these limits so that the virus does not spread. Contact tracing continues, and as I told you, the country (Mauritius) has hundreds and hundreds of positive [local] cases. 

For me personally, I fear for all mankind that the Astra Zeneca vaccine would cause long term side effects. 

'Barkah': Revealed Prayers

With the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Ever Merciful. Reproduced below are certain prayers taught by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah  Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius recently for the benefit of all believers in this period of special devotions ahead of the holy month of Ramadan. At a time when the Island nation is still under complete lockdown in view of the Covid-19 pandemic; these fervent invocations were Divinely- revealed to Hazrat Saheb (aba) on Sunday, 21 March 2021 at 4:25 pm soon after he delivered a speech on the true legacy of Hazrat Massih Maoud (as)].  

1.     O Allah, always preserve the Kalima Tayyibah on our tongue.  

2.     O Allah! Grant us complete Faith and always guide us.

3.     O Allah! Grant us Your blessings, light and favours in abundance during the month of Ramadan.

4.     O Allah! Send Your pity upon us, shower Your blessings upon us and grant us licit food.

5.     O Allah! Guide us in such a way as to lead us our lives completely in the religion of Islam

6.     O Allah! Let us depend totally upon You only, and not upon others.

7.     O Allah! Grant us the Lailat-ul-Qadr.

8.     O Allah! Grant us a Hajj Makboul and Makroor.

The Blessings of 'Shabaan'

 

Preparation for the Month of Ramadan

Ḥâ-Mĩm. By the clear Book! We have indeed sent it down on a blessed night [Laylatul Mubarak]. Indeed, We have always been warning. On that night every matter of wisdom is ordained by a command from Us; for indeed, We have always been sending Messengers as a mercy from your Lord, - Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. (Ad-Dukhan 44: 2-7)

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) recited this duah during the month of Rajab: “Allahumma bariklana fi Rajab wa Shabaan, wa ballighna Ramadan.” [O Allah! Make the months of Rajab and Shabaan blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan.]

 

If we analyze this verse, there are about five names [and even more] for this night: Laylatul-Mubarak, Laylatul-Rahma, Laylatul Bara’a, Laylatus Sahk ​​and the Laylatul Qadr; but many commentators on this Quranic verse (44: 4) specify that it only applies to the night of mid-Shabaan. But this is not the case. Although the night of mid-Shabaan is filled with blessings but the fact of specifying through the Quran, by specifying this verse of Surah Ad-Dukhan that it applies for the night of mid-Shabaan is not absolutely correct.

Covid-19 and Civic Duties

On Illnesses & Prevention

Does protecting oneself from such viruses and diseases such as Covid-19, Chikungunya, H1N1, and avian flu etc., fit into the logic of prevention in Islam? 

Prevention does exist in the Shariah, and it seems even more: it is a religious principle. Imam Bukhari (ra) tells a story from the time of Caliph Umar (ra), perfectly illustrating the prophet’s (pbuh) guidelines for the prevention of pandemics and diseases in general. 

Hazrat Umar (ra) was heading towards the land of Sham with a group of Muslims to inspect the situation in the country: arriving near Sargh, Hazrat Abu Ubaydah Aamir Ibn Al-Jarrah (ra) informed him that the plague was raging in these lands. Hazrat Umar (ra) consulted with the Muhajireen, and subsequently the Ansar, who were torn between the desire to continue the journey, and to avoid entering an infected region. Other companions, of the tribe of Quraish, who had made the Hijrat after the conquest of Mecca, unanimously said: “We think it is better to turn around, and that you do not expose the Muslims to this disease.”