Atheistic
notions and materialistic preoccupations generally dominate the societies
today- East and West, North and South. The counter-religious, atheistic ideas and
prejudices have evolved over the past many centuries, especially in Europe.
This is, in many ways, a consequence of the corruption in the very idea of
religion itself as presented by its so-called adherents in history. When the ‘religion’
challenged common sense and instituted anti-nature notions and belief systems
in the name of God, thoughtful people moved away from what they could see
around.
One of
the world’s most influential scientists, Sir Isaac Newton (January
4, 1643 - March 31, 1727) was among those who
rejected such inherited beliefs and distorted religious traditions. In the 1690's, Newton wrote a number of religious tracts
dealing with the literal interpretation of the Bible, including a manuscript in
which he disputed the existence of the Trinity. Many
others preferred to be agnostics or even atheists, rather than follow what their
intellects could not agreed to. The trajectory of spiritual history and the
secular revolt in Europe testify to this. Given this historic background and
contemporary situation, the dilemma of the Believer is this: how to do the preaching
of Islam to a world that does seem to reject the concept of God itself?
In his Friday Sermon of
November 02, 2012 Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of
Mauritius analyses the larger context and problem. The Messenger of Allah of our
times points out that the issue is not beyond a solution. The believers have to
equip themselves with sufficient knowledge and understanding about the
background of people to whom they are bringing the message of God/Allah. Different
strategies and tools have to utilised and deployed in reaching out to people
from diverse backgrounds. At the end of the day, it is one’s own
example-sublime faith in God and the profound practice of Islam in the everyday
life of the believer- that will attract the world to the fold of Islam.
Read the Extracts from
the Friday Sermon:
“And
who is better in speech than one who invites (people) to Allah and does good
works and says, ‘Indeed, I am of the Muslims’.” (41: 34).
Nowadays it is
very important to put emphasis on Dawa – Inviting people to Allah,
throughout the world. The winds which are coming from the heavens are such
winds that shall support and help you to invite people towards Allah. And it is
with the blessings of these winds along with your own efforts which you make
which shall help the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (sa) to reap its fruits. If there
is no such winds of divine help which blows, then the fields which are already
ready for harvesting shall become completely dry. Therefore, it is only when
the winds of Allah blows that you shall reap fruits of your own efforts. On the
contrary, you shall reap more than enough fruits, even more than the efforts
you put in. There is no real comparison between these fruits and your own
efforts. We must say: “Alhamdulillah” (All praise be to Allah), for it
in our own era that the International Dawa Academy Insha-Allah shall be created and shall Insha-Allah bear its fruits, and this
shall operate alongside with the winds which is blowing from the heavens and
with the input of the efforts of each of us.
We are living
in a materialistic world, filled with sins of all sorts, and everywhere around
the world, there are the winds of atheism which are blowing hard, as if God is
separated completely from the lives of humans. But from among all those
countries, there are specific countries where this poison of atheism has been
ingrained more profoundly than in other countries and which affects the lives
of people. Atheism has verily poisoned the whole atmosphere (in these
countries). There is Switzerland which is at the head of the list of countries
which is most affected by this poison, and afterwards there are Denmark and
Norway which, compared to all other countries, are most affected by this poison
of atheism. It is their circle of education which has pushed them towards that
frame of mind (that is, to believing that there is no God). Therefore, to
direct them to Allah, this will prove to be a difficult work if you do not know
which way or technique to adopt to deal with them. As long as you do not
analyse well the situation and take the appropriate measures, then you shall
not be able to call these people to Islam. It shall prove to be a difficult
task.
It is a
worrying situation, yes, but not despairing. It is worrying in the sense that
we shall have to seek the means to use to call these people or nations towards
the religion (of Islam, the true faith). Concerning the verse of the Quran
which I have recited before you, it does not mention either Islam or any other
religion, but there is the mention of invitation to Allah, and the verse has
presented Hazrat Muhammad (sa) as a Inviter to Allah (a preacher, a Dai-Illallah). There is a deep
wisdom in that. And it is an error on our part if we establish a Dawa plan by neglecting this
wisdom.
The nations who
have strayed have connection with deformed beliefs of their religions, beliefs
which are totally contrary to their reasoning. Thus, (some can think that) if
they have become atheists, then they are not completely at fault, if one look
at their cases superficially. No. If the religious background is eliminated, if
in religious affairs there is total absence of reasoning, if the religious
beliefs are contrary to the human thoughts and reasoning, then the people who
link themselves continuously with this kind of religion (or irreligion), this
is not (the reflection of) a beauty from their part. On the contrary, if they
link themselves to that religion, despite the beliefs they hold, then one can
qualify them as imbeciles, those who do not have enough reasoning and are not
proactive (they are blind). It is like this that these people must be qualified;
those who practice religion with these kind of deformed beliefs. This is the
situation which we have to analyse.
Verily, everywhere in Europe, where Atheism has
spread, it is because of the deformed beliefs of Christianity which is the
cause to a great extent. This is not a recent occurrence, but it is a thing
which began centuries ago. In fact, intellectuals have continued to do researches on the deformed
beliefs of Christianity. And they were even subjected to punishments for those
researches and discoveries which they made on the beliefs of Christianity.
Among those who underwent those hardships, there was Newton. In fact, there is only few people who know that Newton did
not rebel against that religion, but he rebelled against the wrong and deformed
beliefs of that religion (that is, Christianity).
The University of Cambridge gave Newton the
professoriate of Cambridge. He indeed had great intelligence. Allah gave him a
great mind and gave him Taqwa (fear of God) also. Newton never believed
in a thing which was not true. That is why in the present times it is Newton who is most recognised for
his researches and scientific researches. Without doubt, he was the one who
made the greatest discoveries. He was born Christian, with the belief in
trinity, but when he made his began his (religious) researches, he came to the
conclusion that Allah (God Almighty) cannot be three, that there is only one
God and he said that the universe as a whole give the necessary testimonial of
the existence of one God. He proved with the help of Allah that the Trinitarian
beliefs and arguments of the Christians did not have any link with Jesus
himself.
This is the kind of intellectual that we need. It was not only on the basis of his discoveries
that he rejected Christianity, but he went further in his researches till the
time of Jesus and the original verses of the Bible. He analysed all books, even
the Torah which came before, and also the Ancient and New Testament. He reached
the conclusion that these deformed beliefs of Christianity which the Christians
present (these days) have no link with the Ancient and New Testament. Because
of this, he said that he cannot have faith in such beliefs and that it is a
fact that there is only one God. The God of Moses and Jesus is the same God.
When he made his beliefs clear, therefore despite his intelligence, having got
an international recognition, despite the fact the University of Cambridge
considered it a great honour to have him as professor in the University, but
once he announced his belief in one God, then they began dishonouring him and
call him names. And the Church went against him, saying that he did not have
any connection with religion. But it is a fact that Newton abandoned trinity
and returned on the belief of one God. Despite all the scheming which these
people did against him, he did not let their talks affect him and stayed firm
in his faith in one God.
There are other
examples of those kinds of intellectuals, philosophers, men of justice who
rejected the belief of Christianity concerning trinity and adopted the belief
in one God. But writers who came after
them also took these people as heretics, as atheists, as those who do not have
any connection with religion.
The first
message is that it is not at all correct to reject those kinds of people
completely, and label them as atheists, as enemies of God. They paid a great
price for their belief in the unity of God. Thus, today if you sever connection
with the majority of those who are atheist, only because that they are
atheists, then they shall never come towards religion (that is, Islam, the true
faith), and if you sever connection with them, and you do not invite them
towards Allah, then it shall be a great error from your part. If you call them
(that is, a certain category of among those people – those who are diehard
atheists) towards ISLAM, but here also you will be acting against the wisdom of
the Quran.
People who do
not have any certitude on Allah, as One GOD, therefore they shall certainly not
come to any religion. The first basis which is most fundamental is that there
must be belief in Allah. One can make countless debates with these category of
people, and tell them the true (negative and defective) state of today’s
Christianity compared to the truthfulness and beauty of Islam, but despite all
this, this shall have no real effect on them. This is the lesson which Allah
gives us in the Kalima (Shahada): “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God
but Allah) and only afterwards says “Muhammadur Rassulullah” (Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah).
Hazrat Muhammad
(peace be upon him) has put much emphasis in the importance of “Laa Ilaaha
Illallah” (There is no God but Allah) that on one occasion he said that the
one who says: “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God but Allah), he
shall enter Paradise. He did not even stress upon his own apostleship! The
truth is that it is in “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God but Allah)
itself which all apostleship are found or included. That is because when you
say that there is no god to be worshipped except Allah, then how do you think
one can gain connection with this Allah (God Almighty)? It is through
apostleship, through the coming of prophets that one can gain this connection.
And just after mentioning “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God but
Allah), only then does Allah mentions “Muhammadur Rassulullah” (Muhammad
(peace be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah).
Therefore, if
you call them towards apostleship, and you do not direct their attention to “Laa
Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God but Allah), therefore this move shall
prove worthless, without any result. It is like a blackboard on
which there is much grease, and you cannot write on it. You have to clean it
first. Likewise you have to remove the grease of atheism first, and then
afterwards you shall see how they shall come towards Islam. But in the present times, and especially in our
era, if you talk Islam with them, they shall at once rise up and go away or
flee. They shall
keep their distance, and if they do listen to you, but they will do so in a
bored way, without demonstrating any interest. You shall not be able to attain
the hearts of those people by comparing Christianity with Islam. There is only
one way.
Allah is saying
to invite them to Allah. Each person can adopt a different way. And each person
feels that he must come to Allah. Therefore when you plan for a Dawa Academy, you must do such plans
according to these ways (or paths you have chosen to invite them to Islam).
A Severe Warning to the Mullah Class of Pakistan
Due to
restricted time, Insha-Allah
I shall continue on the same subject next Friday. But before I end (this
sermon), I wish to give a severe warning to PAKISTAN and its Mullahs who think
that the patent of faith-giving is found in their hands. We present our sincere
condolences to the families of all the Ahmadi Muslims who have been martyred
these last few days by cowards who pretends to be Muslims but who in fact have
great hatred for the people who have believed and accepted the Messiah Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace). The people who did such grievous
crimes, their consequences shall be grievous, to such extent that a great
divine wrath shall befall them. They have persisted in their campaign and
hatred against the Ahmadi Muslims, by killing them and removing the Shahada from the Mosques, houses
and even tombs of Ahmadi Muslims. Verily, the calamity which they are asking
for shall befall them. It is not tears which shall be shed then, but they shall
shed tears of blood.
May Allah give
us all the Tawfiq to not become unworthy and stupid like these so-called
Mullahs of this era, those who have great hatred against their own brothers,
sisters and children who have believed in an excellent servant of God, Hazrat
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (upon him be peace), the Messiah of his era. May Allah give
patience and steadfastness to the families of the victims (martyrs), and bless
them in such a way that they do not fear any other except Allah, the Lord of
all the worlds. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
May
Allah give us all the Tawfiq to
help ourselves first to our own selves to Islam, so that when Islam is
well established in us, we may then be able to invite others towards Islam. When this shall be, people shall perceive the true
beauty of Islam through our own selves. Insha-Allah.
Ameen.