Illnesses of the 'Ummah'- 5

 

DAWA/ TABLIGH: How To Do This Work

 

The most important point in this work of Dawa / Tabligh is the way and method that we will do it. We simply need to follow exactly the principles adopted by the Sahaba (ra) who followed the teachings and practices of the noble prophet (pbuh) to the letter.

In this true form and meaning, the Tabligh is a very important action and a very great benefit. Verily, it is to follow truly the path of the prophets (as), because this work is a great work, and it is also based on the high principles that we must always follow carefully. Each individual needs to feel the need to reform himself instead of changing others. While doing this work, and even outside the Jamaat [Community], he should behave like a true Muslim, a sincere servant who at all times obey and follow Allah’s commandments as per the Shariah and he seeks always the blessing and pleasure of Allah (twt). This is the basic condition, the Ruh (soul) and foundation of this work of Tabligh. Once this has been rooted deeply and firmly into the hearts of the workers [of Deen], the other principles, regulations and actions that I will mention further on will become easy to follow:

Eid-ul-Adha 2022

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India commemorated the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha on 10 Dhul Hijjah 1443 AH~ 10 July 2022 with spiritual fervour, collective prayers, distribution of sacrificial meat and community feasting. 

In a special message telecast through YouTube on the occasion on the request of his disciples in India, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Muhyi-ud-Din Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (aba) of Mauritius  conveyed a blessed Eid, 'Eid Mubarak' to everyone. Reminding all devout Muslims about the deeper meanings of Eid-ul-Adha by alluding to all Islamic rites attached to this occasion of Hajj, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) exhorts everyone to imbibe profound spiritual lessons by reflecting on the blessed, sacrificial lives of the Patriarch among the Prophets, Hazrat Ibrahim (as), and his holy family. In their ever-readiness or pure willingness to sacrifice personal interests and worldly comforts in the service of Divine commandments, preferring Divine pleasure and approval above all personal wishes; Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and family have left a lasting legacy of utter devotion, pure sacrifice and high spirituality for all generations of men and women to emulate and profit by. While seeking to tread on the path of the Prophets by performing sacred rites of sacrifice on this occasion, it is true piety and righteousness that will attract Divine approval, (Insha Allah, Aameen)-  reminds Hazrat Saheb (aba) in this special discourse.   

Eid-ul-Adha 2022: Special Message

 

[On the occasion of the Eid-ul-Adha 2022, the print and electronic media in Mauritius carried a special message of Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba), calling attention to the deeper meanings of the religious festival].

Read the Special Article Below: 

The Muslims enjoy two major celebrations in a year, i.e. the Eid-ul-Fitr and the Eid-ul-Adha. While the Eid-ul-Fitr is the day of rejoicing which the Almighty gives the Muslim believer after a month of fasting for His sake, the Eid-ul-Adha is a time for deep reflection and analysis of one’s own obedience to Allah’s commandments and the teachings and practices of His beloved prophets and role models for mankind.

Illnesses of the 'Ummah'- 4

  

SOLUTIONS

 

As I have already clearly explained before, the sickness that has entered the Muslim Body [Community] these days has been caused by the disappearance of the true value of Islam from our hearts. As a result, the true feelings and love for Islam have died within us and our belief in Islam has disappeared.

 

Certainly, when the “source” has become dry, the paths of good deeds, virtues and excellent qualities which sprung from this source have disappeared. This is exactly what we see today. I have already explained this in detail and made it clear that the only way to rebuild this source and keep it flowing with the deeds of Deen which are profitable is this work which is called Dawa/Tabligh, which we can consider really and truly like the Ruh (soul) of Islam. As long as we do not revive this work, we will not be able to accomplish anything good in this temporal life because no nation, no people can know glory without having excellent qualities and high characters that only Islam can produce.

 

It is our duty as soon as possible to revive this work of Tabligh which is indeed obligatory. Only then can we have hope of bringing the true Deen of Islam to life in the Muslim community. Only by this means can we truly recognize and understand Allah (twt) and His Beloved Prophet (pbuh), and thereafter submit to their commands and desires [i.e., the commands of Allah and of His Messenger (pbuh)].

 

To succeed in doing this, we need to adopt the exact methods and means which Nabi Kareem Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) used and which he put into practice to transform the Arabs (from the period of ignorance to Islam). Allah (twt) says in the Holy Quran: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow...” (Al-Ahzab, 33: 22)

Illnesses of the 'Ummah'- 3

 

In his Friday Sermon of 17 June 2022 ~16 Dhul Qaddah 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues the larger reflections on the spiritual maladies that afflict the Muslim psyche today: the mental attitudes and emotional roadblocks that prevent them from engaging with energy, vigour, enthusiasm and enterprise in the larger goals of Dawah (preaching and propagating Islam).  In this discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) points out how to think through the confusing maze of Muslim renewal in this complicated era.  

As Hazrat Saheb (aba) alludes in the discourse, based on Qur'anic principles and Prophetic practices, the Sahaba-e-Kiram, the pure Companions of the Holy Prophet (sa) and the Tabi'un, the pious generations that followed them became living exemplars of the Faith in the early days of Islam, and wherever they went to preach the message of Tawheed, people en masse abandoned their pagan notions and embraced the Light of Islam in their midst. As time went by, and the original spirit of faith ebbed away; decadence and degradation have returned to the societies that were once 'Muslim'. And today, in the fifteenth century after the Holy Prophet (sa), the Muslims in general seem to be bereft of the true essence of Islamic teachings in their everyday lives. Even worse, far from upholding the spirit of Tawheed as Muslims, many among them have turned into tomb-worshippers; instead of praying God, they invoke the intercession of long-dead saints, just like the idol-worshippers performing rituals before the lords beside Allah (swt), [God forbid].   

Against this dismal contemporary scenario of gross misunderstandings and corrupt religious practices, reclaiming the true teachings along with its progressive potential and transformative spirit is the larger responsibility of the lovers of Allah (swt), including common followers of the Faith today. Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes that this task can only be achieved through sustained work involving every segment of the Muslim society, and not by the Ulama and others working in silos. Promoting goodness of every kind and forbidding the bad from spreading in society are the real tasks of everyone at their own levels- indeed, duties and responsibilities are attached to every 'Muslim'- the one who has surrendered his God-gifted free will and submitted his everything to the Divine commandments. Moreover, Tabligh, or striving in God's cause by communicating Divine message to people also entail the willingness to withstand hostilities and insults at the hands of unfair critics and enemies of the Faith, like the Prophets in the past has shown: with patience and fortitude, they preached and lived the message of God against all odds, and the strength of their conviction and the beauty of their character changed hearts and they became victorious in the battlefield of Dawah. It is by following in the footsteps of true lovers of the Faith and in adopting their strategies and steps of engagement with the people that we can make progress in the path of Dawah, indicates Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) in this discourse.  

'Dawa' and the Renewal of Islam

 

Islam stands for Tawheed, the uncompromising belief in the Lordship of a Unique God who is the controller of all affairs in all the worlds. True faith in the Lord Almighty is reflected in good deeds- actions that stand to benefit all of His creations in this world. Hence, Islam expects the Muslim to accomplish the worship of Allah by serving humanity; standing up for the truth; establishing justice by fighting against evil; promoting goodness in society by caring and sharing life's blessings with the less fortunate, and thereby help creating a social order of equity and balance.

 

In a world riven by competition, and conflicts over mundane resources and other material interests among different groups splintered on diverging identities; the Muslim Ummah everywhere also face these profound structural and existential conditions of societies today. Whereas Allah (swt) has willed the diversity of His creation as a grand Sign of His Unicity, and to test the true mettle of the humans who inhabit this world, the real challenge and larger task of the Muslims in every era is to become a beacon of divine light and spiritual hope. In a morally- darkened world of egoistic passions of jealousy, hatred and arrogance; creating an alternative social order is indeed a heavy responsibility: a world inspired by faith in God and the higher values of life and fostered by true piety and goodwill for everyone.  

 

 

Recently, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius launched a very important initiative for the religious education and spiritual training of the Jamaat members in Kerala, India, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah. While announcing the establishment of the Dawa Academy in the region, and also entrusting the coordination of administrative responsibilities among members, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) urged the believers to arise and diligently and patiently strive to create a just world under Islam. In this context, Hazrat Saheb (aba) shared with everyone some of the Divine revelations and visions he received as early as April 2004 during the early days of the Divine Manifestation, in the times of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Al Muslemeen.  The revelations and spiritual visions, between them, contain a deep and profound message of wisdom for the resurgence of the true spirit of Islam among the Muslim peoples in this era. May Allah (swt) grant everyone the blessing of comprehending the ways of attracting Divine pleasure and the benefits of harmony and unity, true faith and patient striving in spiritual and temporal life, Insha Allah, Aameen. 

Civility in Religious Debates

Be it writing on social media, or appearing on television channels on public debates; the persons exercising their free speech rights have a duty to observe civility and courtesy, and not to fan hatred between different classes of people, nor spread bigotry among religious communities, especially so when they are leading politicians and spokespersons of a party ruling a country. When political elites fail to observe restraint and cross the red-lines in public discourse on people’s beliefs, or faith-related controversies; it invariably generates public resistance and political backlash, muddying the social relations- nationally and internationally.

Recently, two leaders of the ruling BJP in India, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, indulged in wanton anti-Muslim tirade, in public television and on social media. In their visceral hatred of the Muslim community in the country, these ruling politicians went to the extreme extend of attacking and vilifying the religion of Islam, and insulting the sacred memory of the Holy Prophet (sa) and his family. Making hurtful comments about the Holy Prophet’s life with his young wife Hazrat Ayesha (ra), these thugs from the majority community in the land sought to humiliate the minority community by insulting their religious beliefs. With the Muslims in India holding angry public demonstrations against the culprits, and many Muslim majority-nations in unison calling out the Islamophobia on full display in India, the episode involving the gross misconduct of its spokespersons embarrassed not only the governing party but also caused deep humiliation for the country’s image and standing internationally. [Inset: People hold posters during a protest demanding the arrest of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and expelled BJP leader Naveen Jindal. Credit: Reuters photo/ Deccan Herald/ PTI, June 10, 2022].