Thursday, June 21, 2012

‘Say A BIG NO to Birth Control’


The long term sustainability of the economic development models being pursued by various nations is under a shadow these days with multiple crises-economic, political, social and financial- afflicting even the affluent among the peoples and societies. Instead of addressing the glaring inequalities in income and wealth and the insane disparities in the resource distribution structures that under grid the modern economies, the priority of our finest minds seems to have been diverted to no less a thing than ‘playing’ God. How else would you explain the global focus on ‘birth control’ as the panacea for gross mismanagement of economies/ resource distribution patterns?! Alas, for a world that has lost its sense of proportionality and is out of ‘balance’, flawed logic, warped thinking and anti- natural policies seem to appeal more than ethical concerns.

To contain the many issues emerging out of the inequitable economic and social policies followed thus far, nations seem to have found a magical solution in population control/ birth control. Abortion and Birth Control as a conscious state policy to reduce population figures is antithetical to the spirit of life and natural growth and as such, against the Islamic values. In his Friday Sermon of June 15, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius (atba) explained at length the ethical teachings of Islam with special reference to marital life- the ways in which Islamic ethics seek to inject personal happiness, the joy of togetherness, emotional bonding and the bliss of progeny into the very special relationship between a man and his wife. Drawing on the fine metaphor of beautiful flowers, the Messenger of Allah of our times points out that children are the Roses in the garden of life and calls our attention to the traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa) who wanted to see hundreds of flowers to bloom in the garden of Muslim Ummah.

Read the extracts from the Friday Sermon:




 Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah, today again Allah the Almighty has given me the opportunity to continue my sermon of last Friday 08 June 2012 on the subject of the abortion, and now it is a fact that the authorities have already voted for the legalisation of abortion, and thus at the same time encouraging Birth Control.

This is the kind of society in which we are now living, and this concerns all people of all religions, in all countries around the world. Allah the Almighty in His wisdom has put man’s every need at his disposal. Sexual relations between husband and wife is something which has already been established in the nature of these two creatures. Now if we restrict or control the desire (especially the one for procreation) which is present in both sexes then automatically (if the restriction is established) there shall be hatred and disgust which shall crop up in the relation of the couple. (Such feelings like) anger comes to the surface. Life starts becoming bitter. Where there should have been love, hatred has taken place. The social relation between man and wife becomes fragile.

The teachings of Islam on this subject is clear, and there is even a divine commandment established whereby a man has got the legal authority from Allah to marry more than one wife (that is, two, three or four) like it has been mentioned in the fourth chapter of the Holy Quran. There is not only the question of the equal taking care of these women in respect to food, drink, clothing, relaxation (out of the house) etc. but also in respect to sexual desire which Allah the Almighty has perfected so that the man can satisfy his wife. In the religion of Islam whenever there is the legal marriage (and in legal marriages whereby the man marries several the wives shall earn great rewards from Allah the Almighty in that which they respected the prescribed divine commandments) and whenever a man and his wives (or even one wife) share their lives together (by living together), therein also is reward for them.

If the same thing (that is co-habitation and sexual relations) is done illegally there is punishment for them. Therefore the couple must act according to the divine commandments and keep away from that which will bring the wrath of Allah upon them. In other words, they must keep away from Birth Control and abortion. One of the reasons behind this act (sexual relations) is to produce children. Therefore, for this purpose, the sexual act is not an animalistic behaviour or just physical, No! This act, this meeting between man and wife must be a spiritual one also. There must be a purpose which shall please Allah by continuing the system of procreation.

If man and wife meet in a sexual relation filed with tension, and by all means try to restrict that which must happen (for procreation) therefore, where is the pleasure in that act? How can you seek pleasure in a tensed moment? This is not possible! And it is a fact that the Creator has already cater for the needs of each of His creature on earth. Birth is found only in the Hand of Allah. It is also a fact that contraceptives do not totally work. Whether there is (birth) control or not, if Allah has decided (that a baby be born), there is no restricting Allah from doing so. If you want to destroy your inner system without valid reasons, therefore you must take full responsibility for your act. Allah the Almighty has said in the Holy Quran (Chapter 17, Verse 32): “Do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We shall give them their provision like We give you. To kill them is a great sin.”

A child is definitely a great help for a parent. The more the children, the more we shall see that beauty later on. The joy he brings in the house is something which cannot be explained. When someone plants a Rose plant, one takes great precaution and devotes time to care for it, and when one sees it grow and blossom, having got many blooms, one is happy with the result. And when later on these blooms open (with the flower exposed for full view) then how happy is that person (gardener) when he sees those Rose flowers. Despite being pricked with thorns of the plant when you were watering it, but afterwards when you look at the Rose flowers, you forget the pain you went through before when you were caring for it when it was just a small plant. And the more there are Roses the more you are happy. Likewise we shall see the value of our children (Insha-Allah).

Hazrat Muhammad (sa) wished to see the people in His Ummah in great number. In a Hadith found in Sunan An-Nasai, in the Chapter of Marriage, Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sa) advised his Ummah to marry women who shall give them lots of children and he expressed his wish to see his Ummah in great number and surpass the number of the people of other faiths. Therefore it is clear that we belong the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (sa). We must follow the advice of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sa). When we say that we love the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sa), we must follow all his teachings. How can we say that we have to heart the teachings of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (sa) and at the same time we are following the path of abortion and Birth Control? Where is that spirit to expand our numbers, the numbers of this Ummah? For we know very well that there is no question that abortion or Birth Control can increase our number. On the contrary we are destroying ourselves (the Ummah) and the consequences for this shall be very serious.

In the era we are now living, there are all sorts of campaign to restrict birth of children. How happy shall Allah be with us and love us when we put into practice that which Allah and His Messenger (sa) has taught us. If we want to live only for this temporary world, therefore we shall follow our wishes (and desires) which shall only please us (not Allah). The love of a believer must firstly be in harmony with his Creator, and afterwards his love must be for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) before loving himself. If we must love the Holy Prophet (sa) that much, then we must obey him when he said that he wished to see (on the day of Judgement) his Ummah in great number. 

And O people of the Ummah of the noble prophet (sa), follow the teachings which this prophet had taught you. Do not let go of his teachings to only please your own ego, your own desires. Do not abandon the divine teachings to follow to the letter the teachings of man or that of the unbelievers.

There is an important factor which we Muslims of Mauritius must not forget. We are a minority group in this country, but I have to point out the fact that despite that we are in minority but we are in majority in faith in Allah and in His Prophet (sa) for Islam is the only true religion which exist. Our percentage is minimal, about some 16 to 17 percent. According to the last census which the government conducted, the number remained the same as in the past. Let us analyse the truth which is staring at us in our face. The only community which is suffering the most due to drugs is that of the Muslims. It is an absolute truth that if drugs were affecting the youths of the majority, then since long they would have found a solution to the problem. Drugs are destroying the youths of our country. Many of them are dying with drugs. Now you see that many young Muslim girls also are leaving Islam to marry men from other religious faiths, or they leave Islam on the pretext that they do not find suitable husbands for them to marry. Is this a plan against the Muslim community? If this continues like this, in the next census that number, 16 or 17 percent shall visibly decrease. And especially this shall be so if the Muslims women let themselves be trapped by abortion or Birth Control. This shall be a complete mess. To outdo the plan which there is against the Muslim Community, therefore the Muslim Ummah must encourage its members to increase their number (by procreation) and not to decrease (its number).

Nowadays there is a notion which is circulating among the young couples. They think that when they beget only one or two children they shall be able to have more control over them and therefore they can plan their future in the proper manner, but this is not completely true. Let us analyse the dangers when parents have only one or two children. The future (of children) is in the Hand of Allah, not in the hands of men. Nobody knows what shall happen in a blink of an eye, in less than a second. Only Allah knows the invisible. If through Birth Control one beget only one child and after some years this child becomes ill and dies or he dies through an accident or any other cause which Allah determine, you shall return back to zero and now you have health complications for you have been conditioning your body with an anti-reproduction system.

When there is only one child, you shall have the tendency to spoil him. You shall think that as you have only one child, therefore whatever he asks you, you must give him. And later on, the child becomes so much spoil that he himself is at a lost, and it is them that you shall regret, you shall suffer. You shall wish that you had more than one child (so that this situation would not have occurred). But when the time was ripe for Allah the Almighty to give you children, you let go of that opportunity. For you, you preferred to enjoy life first. You wanted to appear young. And now the consequences of bearing only one child (through Birth Control etc.) are before you. If we do not know possess any knowledge of the future, then why take such useless risk?

Once we die and leave this world, it is only our deeds which we shall bring with us. All that which we possess on earth shall be left behind: wives, children and wealth. They shall be left behind. As long as man does good deeds on earth, he shall earn rewards for these. Upon his death he stops receiving those rewards. There are such deeds which a Muslim does on earth and the rewards of which he continues to receive after death. This is what we call Sawaab Jaariya. For example the building of a Mosque or a pious child who prays for you after your death.

A child who prays for his mother and father, Allah the Almighty accepts his prayers. When this child asks Allah to forgive his parents, then the value of this prayer is inestimable, especially when we (the parents) are in our tombs. Therefore the more we have children the more there is the probability that they pray a lot for us. We are but travellers for a short period of time in this world, therefore we more have the capacity to do so, and thus we must promote good, and do good deeds. The more children we leave behind on earth, children who have good Islamic education, the more it shall be to our advantage.

I pray to Allah the Almighty that He enables each of you to ponder over what has been said in the two Friday Sermons (on abortion and Birth Control) and let us pray also that we always take the path of morality. Insha-Allah, I shall talk more on this subject in my speech tonight. And to end this sermon, let man learn to say A BIG NO TO BIRTH CONTROL and a BIG NO TO ABORTION before it is too late for him. Insha-Allah, Ameen.