A Divine Elect in our Times
The Holy Founder and Imam of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International,
Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) belongs to,
and lives in, the Indian Ocean- island State of Mauritius. For close to two
decades now, this devout servant of Islam has been proclaiming through all means available
that he has a Divinely-inspired mission: of reclaiming and revitalizing the enduring message of Tawheed-thereby helping people appreciate the correct spiritual path; strengthening them morally and spiritually in these bewildering times. Like all men of
God throughout history, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) preaches Divine Love. Sharing pure
Divine Messages coming from the Unseen, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) invites people to recognize the advent of his humble self in our midst as an Elect of God and consider the
extraordinary possibility of acceding to the Divine countenance in
this era as well by following his personal example.
Those familiar with the profound history of Islamic spirituality over the last millennium and more- that witnessed the appearance of so many Divinely-imbued souls as the Pole Stars of the Religion and the Way- would not be surprised by the claims and arguments of Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) in our times.
Like the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian noted in the previous era, perfect followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) have always been blessed with Divine converse and guidance, all through Islamic history. The Promised Massih (as) referred to this special Divine phenomenon in many of his writings, when he stated:
“Of all the leaders of Tasawwuf that there have been till the present day, not even one has disagreed with the point that in this religion the path to become the likes of prophets is open, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad has given the glad tidings for spiritual and godly learned persons that ‘the Ulama of my nation are like the Israelite Prophets’.
The words of Abu Yazid Bustami given below, which are recorded in Tazkirat al-Auliya by Farid-ud-Din Attar, and are also found in other reliable works, are on this basis, as he says: ‘I am Adam, I am Seth, I am Noah, I am Abraham, I am Moses, I am Jesus, I am Muhammad, peace be upon him and upon all these brothers of his’.” (Izala Auham, pp. 258 – 259)
Those familiar with the profound history of Islamic spirituality over the last millennium and more- that witnessed the appearance of so many Divinely-imbued souls as the Pole Stars of the Religion and the Way- would not be surprised by the claims and arguments of Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) in our times.
Like the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian noted in the previous era, perfect followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) have always been blessed with Divine converse and guidance, all through Islamic history. The Promised Massih (as) referred to this special Divine phenomenon in many of his writings, when he stated:
“Of all the leaders of Tasawwuf that there have been till the present day, not even one has disagreed with the point that in this religion the path to become the likes of prophets is open, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad has given the glad tidings for spiritual and godly learned persons that ‘the Ulama of my nation are like the Israelite Prophets’.
The words of Abu Yazid Bustami given below, which are recorded in Tazkirat al-Auliya by Farid-ud-Din Attar, and are also found in other reliable works, are on this basis, as he says: ‘I am Adam, I am Seth, I am Noah, I am Abraham, I am Moses, I am Jesus, I am Muhammad, peace be upon him and upon all these brothers of his’.” (Izala Auham, pp. 258 – 259)
The Promised Massih (as) comprehensively explained in his writings this special type of Divine Manifestation in Islam after the times of the Holy Prophet (sa):
“The whole Muslim nation is agreed that a non-prophet takes the place of a prophet as a burooz. This is the meaning of the hadith: Ulama ummati ka-anbiya Bani Israil [‘The godly learned ones of my community are like the prophets of Israel’].” (Ayyam as-Sulh,p. 163)
“The whole Muslim nation is agreed that a non-prophet takes the place of a prophet as a burooz. This is the meaning of the hadith: Ulama ummati ka-anbiya Bani Israil [‘The godly learned ones of my community are like the prophets of Israel’].” (Ayyam as-Sulh,p. 163)
“Here it is worth remembering that the
spirituality of our Holy Prophet has always manifested itself at times when the
internal crises of Islam became overwhelming, and the ‘essence of
Muhammad’ has always made its appearance through some perfect follower. If
those statements in Hadith are authentic which say: The Mahdi will arise, and
he shall bear my name, and he shall have my morals, then it is a reference to
precisely this descent of spirituality.
But this descent is not confined to any particular sect. There have been hundreds of persons in whom the ‘essence of Muhammad’ was established, and with God they had the names ‘Muhammad’ and ‘Ahmad’ by way of reflection (zill).” (Ainah Kamalat Islam, p. 346)
But this descent is not confined to any particular sect. There have been hundreds of persons in whom the ‘essence of Muhammad’ was established, and with God they had the names ‘Muhammad’ and ‘Ahmad’ by way of reflection (zill).” (Ainah Kamalat Islam, p. 346)
The Divine Mission in India
In the years since the official announcement of the Divine Mission
of the Muhyi-ud-Din (atba) and the establishment of a community of believers,
i.e., the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International, the Jamaat
has found recognition and acceptance among people in different lands, including
in this ancient land of the great savants of many religions- India. As it
happened, it was on the 5th of October 2010 that the first Bai’at from (and in)
Kerala took place- that of Mukarram R. Jamaluddin Saheb of Mathra. This
event in its own modest, humble but beautiful way marks an
important milestone in the annals of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Kerala.
For, it heralded the recognition in India, of the advent of a Divine
Elect in our times in the person of Hadhrat Saheb (atba).
Along with the formal expressions of faith and oath of allegiance taken by R. Jamaluddin Raother Saheb of Mathra (presently Amir Jamaat-Kerala South), posterity will also count the early personal belief and Tabligh efforts of Dr. Edappakathu Tahir Saheb of Kannur (presently Amir Jamaat-Kerala North) as well- the blessed pioneers of the Divine Mission of the Khalifatullah (atba) in Kerala in that early phase, leading to the formal establishment of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India.
Addressing his two Amirain recently, Hadhrat
Khalifatullah (atba) reminisced on the past and present of the Jamaat in
Kerala:
“It is great to see how much good works you both are doing for the
welfare of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Kerala. Alhamdulillah. You both are
the first believer in Kerala by the immense of Allah. Mukarram Dr. Tahir Sahib
first believed and began his tabligh, and Alhamdulillah, through his Tabligh
and the others Mukarram Jamaluddin Sahib gained this message and afterwards
through his email and the questions he (Mukarram Jamaluddin Sahib) asked gained
belief also and took bai'at officially. So by the immense grace of Allah, you
both are the foundation of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in Kerala and it is
very delightful to see you both working hard for the cause of the Jamaat and
preaching Tawheed and the advent of the Khalifatullah of your age.
Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.”
A Divine Message for the Jamaat
It is also instructive to note that during the early days of the
Kerala Jamaat, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) received the following revelation
from Allah (swt):
"Tell them O My Messiah: 'The richness of faith is found in a pure heart, true
dedication to the cause of Allah and obedience to you as My representative and
beloved Messenger of this era.' Allah is pleased that such endeavours have been
made by your disciples in Kerala to recognise you as My Messenger and the
message brought by you to the world. Your humble prayers have been graced with
divine attention. The Hands of Allah was over their hands, reaffirming their
belief in you.
Tell them: 'Never let go of the rope of Allah, never turn your backs to
the signs you received and the oath of allegiance you took, for then neither
Allah nor the angels nor any living human or any creature can ever help you
against Allah.' Approval has come from your Lord, thus, make them close to you,
as brethren of the same mother and advise them so that they may achieved
spiritual insight and come closest to Allah. The Mighty and Wise is ever
Watching. All Glory be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds." --- (Received late at night on Friday 08 October 2010)
The Tasks Ahead
The presence of a Divinely-inspired soul certainly marks an
important opportunity for all persons who come in touch with him to grow in
spirit and to attain purity of faith in its practice, and of course, to learn
wisdom: to take note of something useful to him/them in every day life. One of
the basic postulates of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is that even after finding
the true path, a believer has to constantly struggle against his/her fallible
and malleable consciousness, to protect oneself from falling into error and
deviance. As weak humans who are not immune from abusing the God-gifted ‘free’
Will, we have to be critically-aware of the trappings of the Nafs and
also be ready to strive to withstand the lure of the satans, as we tread
through the difficult spiritual journey in this life- seeking the purification
of one’s heart or the oft-blaming consciousness in each one of us.
In recent sermons, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) has put much emphasis on
the need for evolving, preserving and sustaining the sublime identity of a true
spiritual seeker among all his disciples and followers in the Jamaat Ul Sahih
Al Islam. Beyond conventional declarations of religious identity as “Muslims”,
or even as members of the Ahmadiyya Firqah, true believers would aspire to
transform themselves into dynamic, critically self-aware individuals, capable
of deep introspection and soul-searching, so as to penetrate with the help, mercy and grace of Allah (twt) the elusive path
of Hidaya and Maa’rifa. For, it is
when the believers become capable of treading in the sublime path of the
Almighty that the true purpose of a Divine Mission redeems itself in the ebb
and flow of spiritual history.
As the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India enters into its ninth
year and continues its onward march of progress- with the spiritual tree finding roots and branches in new places, may Allah (swt) grant all brothers in
faith the blessed opportunity of saying 'Labbaik' to the profound expectations
and gentle advice of our Imam (atba) and to remain engaged and connected with
one another in a spirit of spiritual solidarity, shared well-being and residual
goodwill, Insha-Allah, Aameen.