Heaven and Hell and the DIVINE WILL

One of the questions that many people raise is this: what will be done to the people who reject the Divine Message of an era and His Messengers? 

The grandeur of the Divine scheme of things is such that the unique Lord, the Almighty Allah, does what He wills. His Mercy and Forgiveness encompass the whole world so much so that He may forgive whomsoever He wants. And no one can question Him as to what He does. The practical operations of the Divine Will, thus, remains for the most part, shrouded as a matter of profound mystery. Except, of course, what He teaches and informs His Messengers through the angels and the Spirit of Holiness. Even His Messengers had only the duty to convey what had been conveyed to them. They had also been instructed to openly declare that they would not know about what would be done to them in this life or in the life to come.

It is plausible to consider that that people might have failed to recognize the Divine Message as a consequence of the complex circumstances and varied conditions of social life of their times.  The limits of our awareness at a humane level to factor in all those colours of human situations through our myopic eyes can and will blur our vision of reality. The essential un-know-ability of the Divine Will also must be kept in mind while interpreting the mystical, spiritual ideas such as fear of Hell and hope for Heaven and salvation of the believers and the damnation of the disbelievers,

In his Friday Sermon of 07 September 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius shared some light on the meaning of these concepts for the benefit of our everyday life. The discourse of the Messenger of Allah of our times deeply underscores the limits of human knowledge to comprehend the Divine Will. He exhorts us to “remain ever at the service of God and humanity also so that you may earn not this world, but everlastingness through your devotion to God”.  

Islam and Polygamy

Polygamy as an institution has been discredited the world over in our times. Unlike in the medieval times, the patriarchal practice is now seen as an affront/insult to the dignity of women. In an age of increasing consciousness about human dignity and the basic rights of women, polygamy has gone against the grain of societal acceptance as an indulgence by men and worse. Critics of Islam always frown upon Islam for the perceived/alleged legitimacy it extends to men through the institution of polygamy. They argue that it militates against the notions of equality and women’s rights.

The Mujaddid of the Fourteenth Century, Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian engaged with the arguments of the critics of Islam in several of his writings and even defended the practice from the point of view of individual liberty and human rights. While Islam recognizes the practice of polygamy and allows men to take more than one wife at a time, as the Promised Massih (as) points out, Islam has not made it a compulsory institution or an obligatory practice on the men.

Marriage is a bilateral agreement/contract under the Law of Islam. Hence, the parties are perfectly entitled to design the conditions of agreement/rules of engagement as well. Muslim women can, if they so wish, certainly determine the conditions of their marriage and not powerless, as is generally being thought of. In the search within the Islamic tradition for the empowerment of Muslim women against the abuse of religious doctrines by the men, the viewpoint of the Promised Massih (as) has been found to be singularly useful. It is pertinent to note that in the century that followed since these observations were made by the Promised Massih (as), the family law reforms in most Islamic countries have moved in this direction as well.

ISLAM and the Universality of Spirituality

Those who study and reflect upon the belief systems of religions and cultures are immediately struck by the common humanity and shared spirituality so unmistakably apparent in all of them. A profound faith in the Unity of God, a strong orientation to be good and do good to the wider society in which you dabble in, individual accountability for our every day actions- these are characteristic traits that are distinctly present in almost all religions. As a spiritual order, Islam validates this universality of spiritual experience and seeks to consolidate and build upon the profound legacy of religions that emerged before it on the horizon of humanity. The Holy Qur'an recognizes the diversity of clans, tribes, languages, religions, cultures and nations as a blessing for humankind.

In his Friday Sermon of August 31, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius shared some light upon this important theme which places the experience of Islam firmly in its wider historical and spiritual context.

Read the Extracts from the Speech:

“Surely those who believe and the Jews and the Christians and the Sabians – whosoever truly believe in God and the Last Day and do good deeds, shall have their reward with their Lord, and no fear shall come upon them, nor shall they grieve.” (2: 63)

'Taqwah': Meaning and Essence

In his special sermon on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr on August 20, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim(atba) of Mauritius gave a discourse on the most important quality a Muslim aspires to acquire: TAQWA.

Read the Extracts from the Eid Sermon:

“...When a person does a good deed, he must do so only for the pleasure of Allah. That person must have the Taqwa, that is, piety, righteousness.  Of what essence is that Taqwa? If you ask somebody on the street, what is that piety (Taqwa), he shall be embarrassed to give you an answer. And if you tell him that it means becoming pious, he can open wide his eyes or laugh at you. In his ignorance, when he hears those words, he can laugh it off. Therefore it must be understood that Taqwa is the master of words, a key word in Islam. Taqwa designates a virtue, a quality which is precise and well appreciated by Allah the Almighty.

Islam: Responsibilities of the Youth

In his Friday Sermon of 24 August 2012, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius addressed the youth of Islam and exhorted them to seize the extraordinary opportunity they have in creatively utilizing their enthusiasm, courage and youthful zeal in the advancement of the Divine cause of our times.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

The progress of God’s work in all areas requires enthusiasm, courage and youthful zeal. To plan and execute with clarity with a firm hand, we need new energy. Thus Allah (the Exalted) desires that young people contribute to the advancement of His cause.

He invites young men and girls to devote their strength to Him. The use of their faculties, the liveliness of spirit and the strength of their actions, glorify Allah (the Exalted) and bring salvation to their fellow men. I have a strong interest for the Youth, and I love to see them fight for the development of the character of the Muslims, the Sahih al Islam – Islam in its perfection – and strive, by diligent study and fervent prayers, to obtain the necessary preparation for the cause of God in a proper manner. I ardently desire that our young people help each other to achieve a higher level in the experience of Islam.

Laila-tul- Qadr and Mujaddid

A living, thriving spiritual role model is a psychological and emotional need of all human beings. For, humans are genetically programmed, as it were, with an innate capacity to rise above their mundane self and seek to reach their Creator. Without the light of Divine revelation and clear spiritual guidance and leadership in every age, men are prone to fall into trials and tribulations, error and sin, evil and misdeeds. As a religion designed and perfected by the Creator Himself, Islam offers the possibility of meeting this easily recognizable, almost inherent quest of humankind for perpetual Divine guidance. 

The appearance of a Mujaddid/ Muhaddith/ Muhyi-ud-Din /Khalifatullah/ Massih is indeed based on the glad tidings vouchsafed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) in this regard. Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Holy prophet Muhammad (sa) said; “Allah shall raise for this Ummah at the head of every century a man who shall renew (or revive) for it its religion."  [Sunan Abu Dawood, Book 37: Kitab al-Malahim [Battles], Hâdith Number 4278]. In its own way, the appearance of a Mujaddid to teach the Holy Book and to illuminate the Divine path confirms an enduring practice of Allah the Most High- the raising of His Messengers in every age, among every people, in every land.

The mystical phenomena of Divine revelations and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Night of Majesty (or Laila-tul-Qadr) is a theme with profound spiritual connotations and has inextricable linkages with the appearance of a Divinely-raised soul in Islam. In his Friday Sermon of August 17, 2012,  Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius offers an illuminating commentary on the subtle, deeper meanings of Laila-tul- Qadr for our times.

I'ithikaaf and Laila-tul-Qadr

In an article published in the Mauritius-based news paper Le Mauricien on 14 August 2012 Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) explained the significance of the last Ten days of the Fasting Month of Ramadan for the spiritual life of the believers. Drawing upon Qur’anic promises and Prophetic traditions and the long-established Muslim practice of going into a spiritual retreat (I’ithikaaf) in those days, the messenger of Allah of our times exhorts Muslims to “do plenty of acts of worship which shall earn him (or her) the pleasure of Allah”.   

For the benefit of our esteemed readers, we are reproducing the article below:

Our Muslim brothers and sisters have prepared themselves to go into retreat during the ten last days of Ramadan to seek the “Laila-tul-Qadr” (that is, the Night of Destiny). They are into retreat in the Mosque, and are in another state of mind to concentrate themselves wholly on such acts of worship as the obligatory prayers, the voluntary prayers, the remembrance of Allah, reading of the Holy Quran and even devoting them to the learning of Deen and working for the spread of the message of Allah. In a nutshell, they shall do such acts which shall profit both their soul and Islam, be it in this world and the hereafter.

What is the Laila-tul-Qadr? 

Both the Quran and Sunnah provide us an insight into the meaning of such a night and its impact on the lives of Muslims. In the Holy Quran, Allah says: 

“Surely, We have revealed it (that is, the Qur'an) during the Night of Destiny. And what will make you understand what the Night of Destiny is? The Night of Destiny is better than a thousand months. The angels and the Spirit descend therein by the command of their Lord, with the divine order on everything. All is peace until the appearance of dawn.” (Chapter 97, verses 2-6)

Traditions relate that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was on his way to inform the Muslims of the date of the Night of Destiny, when he encountered two persons who were quarrelling, and thus because of that interruption, he forgot its specific date. He expressed hope that it was good for Muslims. His noble wife, Hazrat Aisha (ra) informs us: “The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) used to go in seclusion in the mosque during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, saying 'Look for the Night of Destiny in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.'” (Bukhari and Muslim). So, the possible nights for this blessed night are the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th and 29th.