What Ails Islam Today ?

Enjoining good and forbidding evil is one of the primary obligations of the believers in Islam. It is indeed a very firm pillar of Islam upon which the branches of faith are held. Yet today, the different groups within the Ummah have turned this pillar of faith on its head. They viciously compete among themselves for forbidding good and enjoining evil. They leave a trail of blood of fellow Muslim brothers murdered in the streets and even in the Mosques. In his Friday Sermon of April 13, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued his magisterial survey on the spiritual ailments that afflict the Islamic world today. ‘True Muslims have become rare’, observes the Messenger of Allah. Drawing upon the sacred traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa), the Khalifatullah shows how the Ahmadiyya Community and the wider Islamic world have drifted away from the quintessential spirit of the religion.  

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

“...I shall put before you a Hadith reported by Hazrat Aisha (ra): 

“The Messenger of Allah (sa) came (home) and from the expression on his blessed face, I understood that something was wrong. He did not utter any word. After performing his ablution, he went directly to the Mosque. I (Aisha) also went near the wall of the Mosque to listen to what he had to say. The Messenger of Allah (sa) stood up on the pulpit and after praising Allah, said: 

“O Muslims, Allah has ordered you to enjoin good and forbid evil, otherwise a time shall come when you shall invoke (Allah), and He (Allah) shall not respond, you shall ask a favour of Him (Allah) and He shall not give you and you shall seek help from Him and He shall refuse.” (Targhib)

In another Hadith, Hazrat Abu Huraira narrated that the Messenger of Allah has said: “When my community shall begin to give much more importance to this (temporal) world over the next world, and consider it as a source of honour, fear (of God) and the value of Islam shall disappear from their hearts. When you shall stop enjoining good and forbid evil, you shall be deprived from the blessings of revelation, and when each shall criticise one another, you shall fall into disgrace in the sight of Allah.” (Hakim)

Therefore, from these two Hadiths which I have put before you, it is clear that when you leave this message which is to be put into practice, that is “Amr bil Ma’ruf wa nahi anil Munkar” (Enjoin good and forbid evil), it is a fact that this is the primary reason which has brought about the wrath, displeasure and curse of Allah (on Muslims).

This is the case of the Muhammadan Ummah whereby the Muslims have received the greatest work towards the other communities (to invite them to Islam), but amongst themselves, they have turn their backs to these divine commandments. Instead of enjoining good and forbidding evil, they are on the contrary enjoining evil and forbidding good. This has caused the degradation of Muslims all the more, because they have given this world more importance (than the hereafter), and each is taking great pleasure in criticising his Muslim brothers, and ordaining that boycott be applied against him. There moreover forbid salaam to be wished to them, this creating hatred in the hearts of Muslim brothers and sisters against them.

They start judging the faith of others to declare who is worthy of being a Muslim (Islam) and who is not. They forbid their brothers from going to perform the Hajj. They attack their Muslim brothers who are giving the Azaan (the call of prayer in Islam), praying and those who recite the creed of faith in Islam (There is none worthy of worship except Allah). We must not forget also how in Pakistan in May 2010, at the time of the Friday prayers, fire was opened on the brothers and sisters who were performing the Friday prayer in two mosques. Is that what is called “enjoining good and forbidding evil”?

These so-called Mullahs are doing great public conferences to criticise the other Muslims and it is most unfortunate nowadays to see that this practice is found also in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya, whereby it has become a MUST for them to enjoin evil and forbidding good. In other words, “enjoining good and forbidding evil” has disappeared.

Like these two Hadiths which I have brought to your attention, likewise there are several other Hadiths on this subject and there are also verses found in the Holy Quran which deals with the same subject. Unfortunately, we see that when they have turned their backs to “enjoining good and forbidding evil” they have been deprived from the great blessing of divine revelation, the chosen blessing of Allah. That is why the Messenger of Allah (sa) had ordained and also qualified this action of “enjoining good and forbidding evil” as “the foundation and particular sign of the religion of Islam.” When you leave behind that deed, it is then that there occurs the degradation and disappearance of the teachings of Islam.

When goodness disappears evil takes its place, and when love disappears, hatred takes its place. Shame be upon those who pretend to have great knowledge of Islam and claim to be its great defenders, for it is them who turn their backs to the commandments and instructions of Allah and that of His Messenger (peace be upon him). They should have had a little self-respect, shame in them. With the kind of hatred they are fabricating, then, what is the use of exposing before one and all wordings “love for all, hatred for none”? What a lie! What a deception (and falsehood)!

Do you seriously think that Allah the Almighty shall give this kind of people guidance to believe in His revelations which He is pouring down upon His humble servant? According to the Hadith which I have mentioned previously, Allah the Almighty shall either give them this light to recognise His (Allah) signs or Allah the Almighty shall leave them in darkness and they shall ever remain blind.

There is no doubt that this commandment and instruction, both from Allah and His Prophet (sa) to “enjoin good and forbid evil” is that very firm pillar of Islam upon which the branches of faith are held. Verily, all prophets (as) were sent by Allah the Almighty for that same mission. If we unfortunately neglect to do this work, and stop doing it, we shall then be able to say that the goal itself of prophethood has been wronged and lost its meaning.

It is then that the conscience of men, which we can consider as their prime wealth shall be deteriorated and degenerated. The mind shall become heavy and dark. The door of vice and arrogance shall be opened and people shall become barbarous everywhere in the world. All invention of men shall become dangerous and this shall be a cause of harm to them. The relation between people shall be cut and the world shall march towards its destruction. People shall be morally abased, but they shall not realise this fact clearly. It is only on the Day of Judgement, when they shall be presented before Allah the Almighty that each of them shall become aware of his own actions and he shall have to give an account for each one of them. It shall be too late for him. His words “woe to us, woe to us; that which we feared came true. It is before our eyes” – “And ever is the command of Allah a destiny decreed.” (33: 39)

The fortress of knowledge and guidance has been destroyed. Goodness and the effect of that knowledge have disappeared completely. Consequently hatred and dishonour has spread everywhere. This noble and intimate relation between man and his Rab has left the realm of his heart. On the contrary, people have become like animals, being slaves of their desires.

Verily in the present times, true Muslims have become rare and it is practically impossible to see someone who is ever ready to bear inevitable sacrifices for the propagation of Islam. Any Muslim who stand with courage to change the present situation whereby religion is being mutilated and is falling apart, whenever that kind of Muslim makes necessary efforts to revive the practice (Sunnah) to propagate religion, and he comes forward to take this responsibility upon his shoulders, he shall surely be considered as the most noble and most distinguished person from among all people.

I pray that through the special grace and goodness of Allah, He gives us the bounty of leading our life with piety and filled with virtue. May Allah give us the wealth of His love, and give us the bounty of following the religion of Islam which He has chosen for us. May He (Allah) give us the strength and courage to propagate Islam in perfect harmony and according to the Sunna of His beloved and distinguished prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (sa). Insha-Allah. Ameen.