And
guard yourselves against a chastisement which cannot fall exclusively on those
of you who are wrong-doers, and know that Allah is severe in punishment. (8: 25)
The Hadiths, narrated by Hazrat Anas (ra) also inform
us that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has said: “A time shall come when those
practicing religion shall be similar to those holding embers in (the palm of)
their hands.” (Tirmidhi).
What is being explained (in the Hadiths) is that
there shall be many people who shall consider it a burden to practice religion
like it is difficult for one to hold embers in one’s hand. And our beloved
prophet (pbuh) has informed his Ummah also that before the Day
of Judgement (Qiyamah) there shall many afflictions (fitna) which
shall be like darkness wherein believers shall not see any way out; such
afflictions which shall be frightening and dangerous. Many of these believers
shall lose faith and shall not practice religion at all. In the morning there
are some who shall have faith (Iman), but due to personal gain, or under the
domination of the tyrants (Zalims), or under the influence of an infidel, such
kind of believer shall lose his faith in the afternoon. As for those who are
weak in faith, they shall see it difficult to remain firm on the path (the
religion) of Islam.
People who have disregard to what is licit (Halal)
and illicit (Haram), and in Bukhari also, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has give
precision on the subject of Muslims not having any regard to what is licit or
not. In Mishkat, it is also mentioned that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said that
after all obligatory acts (in Islam), it is necessary for the Muslims to seek
licit food and Nabi Kareem (pbuh) has made us understand that if in the period
of 40 consecutive days a person eats what is licit without mixing illicit food
(be it food and means and ways to acquire that food), therefore Allah the
Exalted shall filled his heart with Light (Nur) and in his
heart shall manifest a source of goodness and intelligence.
Allah the Exalted
also has made us understand in the Holy Quran where Allah says:
“Oh
mankind, eat from whatever is on earth (that is) lawful and good and do not
follow the footsteps of Satan. Indeed, he is to you a clear enemy.
He only
orders you to evil and immorality and to say about Allah what you do not know.” (2: 169-170)
Hazrat Ibn Abbas (ra) has reported that he mentioned
the above-mentioned verses (2: 169-170) to the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Hazrat Sa’d
bin Abi Waqqas (ra) stood up and said: “Oh Messenger of Allah (pbuh),
pray that Allah may accept all supplications I address Him.” Huzur
(pbuh) replied: “O Sa’d! Consume licit food, then your supplications
shall be heard. By Him in whose hands my life is found (Allah), if someone
consumes a morsel of Haram in his stomach, his prayers shall not be accepted for
40 days.”
Signs of Qiyamah
And the Holy Prophet (pbuh) also said: There are a
lot of people whose food and clothing are from illicit source and each time
they lift their hand in supplication/prayer. How can their supplications be
then accepted? There are also those who contribute financially, give Sadaqua
and donations with illicit money. This is similar to washing one’s dirty
clothes in urine, and this the clothing becomes all the more impure. Allah the
Exalted loves those who seeks the licit means and come back home tired at night
(bringing in licit money). Allah the Exalted is pleased with such person before
he even goes to sleep. One of the signs of Qiyamah as narrated
by Hazrat Huzaifa (ra): The Holy Prophet (pbuh) has said: “Qiyamah
shall not occur till you murder your Imam (Amir’ul Mumineen) and fight among
yourselves with swords (in that period power shall be in the hands of the wrong
people).”(Tirmidhi).
That sign of Qiyamah like mentioned
in the Hadith has materialised in the times of the rightly guided caliphs,
where history of Islam witness how for the first time reactionary Egyptian
Muslims murdered the chief of believers Hazrat Uthman (ra) in the year 35
Hijri. Next, in the year 40 Hijri Abdul Rahman bin Muljim murdered the chief of
believers Hazrat Ali (ra) with his sword. And on 10 Muharram 61 Hijri, some
Muslims, soldiers of Yazid murdered Hazrat Imam Hussein (ra) in the plains of
Karbala (Inset: "Battle of Karbala", Iranian painting from the 19th century).
Moreover the Prophet of Allah said (as reported by
Hazrat Abu Huraira): “By Him, in Whose hand is my life, the world would
not come to an end until a person would pass by a grave, would roll over it and
express the desire that he should be in the place of the occupant of that grave
not because of religious reasons but because of this calamity.” (Muslim).
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) also said (as reported by
Hazrat Abu Huraira) that Qiyamah shall not come until there are
money/riches in abundance. In that epoch, there shall be so much money that
when someone shall extract Zakat money to be given away, there shall not be
anyone to accept it. (Muslim, Mishkat).
Qiyamah shall not come until you possess many riches and the wealthy
shall be afflicted/ sad and say: “Alas! If only we had met someone who had
accepted our Sadaqua.” (Bukhari, Muslim). And Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) announced
six signs of Qiyamah and one of these signs is that there
shall be so much wealth that if one gives someone 100 dinars (gold coins), the
latter shall be angry for he will consider it not enough. (Bukhari).
And you see yourselves how difficult it is when you
need to give away Sadaqua. When the Hour shall draw near, there shall be the
disfigurement of faces, the earth shall sink and there shall be rain of rocks.
In the Ummah itself Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has already said that people shall
consume lots of alcoholic drinks, shall listen raptly to music and the songs of
singers (female singers) that they shall be lost in them, and all these shall
happen in the Ummah where many people shall be trapped by these vices; such
vices to which there is no real solution.
May Allah preserve us from the afflictions of the
last days, and make us taste His pleasure and to enable us to do each deed with
the fear of Allah in the heart, Insha-Allah, Ameen.
- Friday Sermon of August 01, 2014 delivered by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius.