Taqwa: Go Beyond your Comfort Zone

“This (Quran) is enlightenment for mankind and guidance and mercy for a people who have Faith with certainty. 

What! Do those who commit evils think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous deeds -

that equal will be their life and their death? 

Ill is the judgment that they make. 

And Allah created the heavens and earth with truth and so that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.” (Surah Al Jathiya,  45: 21-23)

In the first verse (verse 21), Allah says that the Quran and the words of the Quran contain clear proofs/signs for humanity. If someone carefully studies it with Taqwa (fear of Allah, with piety), and in any aspect that he cares to study it, then, he shall therein certainly will find very clear evidence. Then Allah says it is a guidance and a mercy for the believers, for those who have faith (Iman), and who have a certainty in this book (and its words).

In another verse (verse 22), Allah says: “Do those who commit evils think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous deeds - that equal will be their life and their death.” In other words, do those who do evil deeds think that We will give them the same treatment so that their lives and deaths become similar to the lives and deaths of the believers? No it’s impossible. For those who have faith (who are believers) and do righteous deeds, Allah will make them on this earth itself such treatment that will distinguish them from all others. And it is indeed such a treatment that shall be ongoing. 

So, the treatment which Allah reserves for the true believers is quite different from the treatment which the people who are immersed in evil shall receive. This treatment is different and it is distinguished and when you analyze this treatment closely then you will know for sure that those who are indeed recipient of this treatment are indeed the servants of Allah and that the others are from Iblis. 

Spirituality: Learn about All Religions

My dear brothers and sisters,   

   May the peace of God be upon you.

I most warmly thank you – guests and members of the Jamaat present – for answering the call of our religious society – Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam – and came today. By the grace of Allah (God Almighty), our religious society organised this conference today as part of the centenary of the advent of the message of a reformer of God named Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) – originating from India – in Mauritius.

1915-2015: It has been a hundred years since the message of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) came to our little island of Mauritius. His message was spread to the four corners of Mauritius and today there are thousands of followers (who believed in his message) and who are located in several towns and villages of Mauritius and also in Rodrigues. His coming was already prophesied in the Holy Quran and the sayings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). 

An 'Avatar' in the Age of 'Kalyug'

The Bible as well as the religion of Hinduism also prophesied about the coming of a reformer, and other great religions are still waiting for the advent of a reformer who will come for the reform of humanity. I’m sure that you, my Hindu and Christian brothers and sisters will agree with me that the world has entered the era of Kalyug (darkness), and therefore everyone is waiting for the promised Saviour/Reformer.

Then the Khalifatullah (atba) listed a series of evils which has gripped the present society, describing the actual Kalyug where people (men, women and children/youths) have abandoned Spirituality – the mosques and all places of worship – to grip the vices of this world such as drugs, gambling, fraud, corruption etc. People are now in places of worship only as a routine, but they are devoid of spirituality. 

100 Years of Silsila Ahmadiyya in Mauritius

The Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam, founded by Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian, originated in British India in the latter half of the 19^th century. At a time when the spiritual crises of the Muslim world was graphically reflecting in the dismal political fortunes of the Muslim Ummah everywhere, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) announced his Divinely-ordained mission as the promised Massih of the Later Days and as the Al Imam Al Mahdi of the Fourteenth century of the Islamic Era, to rejuvenate the Faith.

Muslims, who accepted his spiritual claims and enrolled themselves in the Anjuman, have come to be known as the Ahmadi Muslims. Although they constitute a miniscule minority within the larger Muslim population of 1.7 Billion, the different denominations of Ahmadis- including the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Qadian and the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman- are now found in almost all parts of the world.

The birth of the Ahmadiyya Movement in the Indian subcontinent and the story of its remarkable spread abroad over the course of the last century represent an important Chapter in the religious history of our times. This episode from the modern, living history of man is a standing testimonial to the continuing spiritual appeal and religious vitality of Islam as a way of life. 

Ahmadiyyat expanded and revitalized the spiritual horizon of Muslims and others through its very outlook on important spiritual questions that troubles modern minds. By bringing Divine Revelations back to the realm of individual spiritual experience and to the agenda of religious debates as an enduring, unstoppable path to the Divine, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) unveiled spiritual treasures long considered closed and forbidden.  Islam’s original call of “Laa Ilaah Illallah” -(There is no deity, but Allah)- get revitalized every time Allah (swt) raises His Messenger with the Message and to be a practical model to the people of his times.       

      

In an illuminating essay, published as a special Book by the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International to commemorate the centennial of the Silsila Ahmadiyya in Mauritius, Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba), provides a fascinating glimpse into the early days of Ahmadiyyat in the Mauritius island located far away (from India), in the vast Indian Ocean. He portraits the devout souls of the Island who, despite all the hurdles of time and space, searched out for the vital signs of a living faith in the message of Ahmadiyyat and embraced it without hesitation, when they  recognized the veracity of the promised Massih (as). 

'Bai'ah' as 'Amaanah': Do Your Duty

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: 

“Render back trusts to the one who entrusted it to you, and do not betray the one who betrays you.” (Abu Dawud)

Amaanah is honesty. Honesty is the respect of rights and commitments. It is also to assume one’s responsibilities. Responsibilities are a charge that Allah (twa) has entrusted to us. By fulfilling our responsibilities we render back trusts to the one who is entitled to it.

Faith is an Amaanah. The practice of religious obligations such as Prayers (Salat), Fasting (Sawm), Mandatory Tax (Zakaat) Pilgrimage (Hajj) or even the Wudhu and Ghusl, is an Amaanah.

To carefully learn the tenets of the Muslim faith and the laws of Islam is an Amaanah. To teach the Religion (Islam) is an Amaanah. To give sincere and dedicated advice is an Amaanah. Enjoining good and preventing evil, the Haraam (anything that is illegal) and injustices is an Amaanah.

The opposite of Amaanah is Khiyaanah which is only betrayal, cheating, deception, falsehood and deceit. Thus, lying, fraud, deceit and deception are part of Khiyaanah. Amaanah is the characteristic of good, sincere and accomplished believer (Mumin). As for Khiyaanah, it is that of the hypocrite (Munafiq).

The Amaanah which is summarized in the rights and assurance of responsibilities is even more important than charity and forms of supererogatory spending (for cause of Allah) or charity (Sadaqaat). Allah (twa) ordered to first pay off the debts of the deceased, which is a return of the Amaanah to those concerned. Second, beneficiaries of the bequest are to receive their shares, and at last there is the division of the inheritance between the heirs.

Respect for the Amaanah is a character of the Prophets (as). 

When our beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saws) had sent his letter to the Byzantine Emperor (Heraclius) and to invite his people to Islam, the latter wished to have accurate information about our beloved Prophet. He was in the land of Palestine; so he called the Arab traders who were there. Among them was Abu Sufyan which was still a disbeliever (Kaafir). It was him that the emperor questioned because he was an important dignitary of the tribe of Quraysh, the people of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (saws).