Monday, December 29, 2014

'Jalsa Salana' Address to the Kerala Jamaat

My dear brothers, sisters and children of the Kerala Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam,

Assalamoualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuhu.

It is a great pleasure for me to address you for your Annual Jalsa Salana in Mathra, South Kerala. I may be far away from you, but you are very close to my heart, in my thoughts and prayers.

Today, I have chosen to talk to you about the need for believers to remain ever true and sincere to their faith. Remember my dear ones, there shall be a thousand, nay a million trial which shall inevitably cross your path, but when you choose to trust in Allah, and keep firm in your faith, and at the same time strive to give your best for the propagation of the message of Allah in the four corners of the world, then definitely Allah shall become your closest Friend and Support, and help you through all ordeals in life.

The time you are living is not an ordinary time. Allah has chosen you in this era and guided you and then placed you in His Jamaat, under the leadership of His Messenger, the Khalifatullah. You are not ordinary people. You may think you are ordinary out of your humility, but indeed you are exceptional, and in each and every one of you – provided you are truly sincere – is found the light of different talents which Allah has vouchsafed you to help His cause and message to propagate in the four corners of the world.

Sunday, December 28, 2014

End of the Year: Celebration of Vanity

December - the month of revelry

The end of the Gregorian year is drawing to a close; everyone is so busy, so much that he forgets his own soul. December is a month of great temptations. Everyone is preparing for the end of year party, because the fun and entertainment are paramount whatever the circumstance, as an excuse just to relax after a long year of hard and stressful job.

Joy or excitation reigns in the atmosphere especially when people have a lot of money. It’s time to spend the hard-earned money. Like you know, the last month of the year allows officials, employees and workers to receive their bonuses or their rewards. So they feel a desire to buy, spend. But buy what? All they have under the eyes, little everything and nothingness. This is a first sign of temptation. They buy clothes and expensive footwear, alcoholic beverages that cost thousands of rupees, they organize parties, banquets, open buffets that cost a fortune. They buy firecrackers and fireworks at very high prices. Everyone thinks to do more than the other, if not to compete for more glory.

As for the merchant/seller, he is there to attract customers and to satisfy their needs as much as possible. Often, the (market) place (or place where the sales are being done) is invaded by loud music or songs that wreck the ears. We find the men and women mixed, especially in very narrow places. Many of these Muslim traders do not perform Salat (prayer) or do not close their stores for Salat-ul-Jummah (Friday prayers); for the simple reason of not losing a single client and not to leave any money to escape from their crates.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Divine Precepts on Political Order

Islam is a World Order; hence the conception of Islamic state is that of a World State, for God is the Sovereign of all:

“Command is for none but God.” (12: 41).

“His is the sovereignty of the Heavens and the Earth.” (57: 6).

“Blessed is He in Whose hands is the sovereignty and He over all things has power.” (67: 2).

The ideal of Islamic state (or an Islamic country), like I just mentioned, is righteous life as it further proved by the oft-repeated voice of the Quran, “Believe and act righteously” which forms its leading theme. And to achieve this ideal God says: “Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong.” (3: 105).

Righteous life is the life lived in strict conformity with divine laws. The Quran is the code of right conduct which equips man to establish the will of God on earth and to lead humanity to its noblest destiny. Righteous life cannot be achieved unless society is purged of evils and virtue prevails. Virtue consists in moral excellence and in conformity of life and conduct with the laws of God who alone knows what is really good. There is no specific form of government prescribed by the Quran and the Sunnah. It seems that no detailed blue prints for the form of government are given so that flexibility be retained as to the adoption of some form suited to the occasion except despotism, for the head of the Islamic State himself is subject to the dictates of Islamic laws.