The Value of the Sea/Ocean in this World
The sea/ ocean is a
creation of Allah (swt) that contributes to the well-being of humanity. It is
full of signs of Allah for one who has the ability and intelligence to reflect
on its wonders.
The ocean is an
extraordinary means of transport, a means of subsistence also thanks to its
fish, its salt, its purity, and its tides. It is a universe in itself, and it
is a world of opportunities also through the exploitation of pearls, algae,
minerals and so on. The sea is also a great sign of Allah and we must reflect
on this extraordinary sign that Allah has granted us. The sea is huge and it
has very important roles to play. One must appreciate its role of regulator
with respect to the atmosphere, the formation of clouds and the terrestrial
climate.
The Sea as a Means of Transport
Allah (swt) says in the
Qur'an - It is a long verse of which I will mention only the part where Allah
speaks about the sea: “Indeed, in…the
[great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people… are
signs for a people who use reason.” (Al-Baqara, 2: 165).
“And of His signs are the ships in the
sea, like mountains.” (Ash-Shuraa, 42: 33).
Previously we relied on
the sea for transportation, to travel from one country or place to another.
There was no plane and so at the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), he (pbuh)
predicted that just after him, there would be the development of stable ships
at sea.
It is reported by
Bukhari that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “Some of my followers were
displayed before me as warriors fighting for Allah's Cause and sailing over
this sea like kings on thrones.” (Bukhari).
Today’s ships can carry
hundreds of tons of goods without hindering navigation. The Quran has described
them even before their appearance in history.
“And to
Him belong the ships elevated in the sea like mountains.” (Ar-Rahman, 55: 25).
It is because Allah
wants to facilitate and honour man on earth as well as on the sea: “And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam and
carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and
preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.”
(Bani Israel, 17: 71).
So the sea is useful
for man to transport his goods and his even heavier raw materials. Open your
eyes and look for the signs of Allah wherever you are. Look how the power of
Allah is such that, by His permission, tons of iron on ships do not sink into
the water. This is a great favour of Allah.
The Sea as a Means of Subsistence
Allah (swt) puts all kinds of fish in the sea. Fish are
healthy foods for humans. Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an: “And it is He who subjected the sea for you to eat from
it tender meat and to extract from it ornaments which you wear. And you see the
ships plowing through it, and [He subjected it] that you may seek of His
bounty; and perhaps you will be grateful.” (An-Nahl, 16: 15).
In fact we can even
fish in the state of Ihram [for the pilgrimage]. Allah (swt) has created
fish as food for travellers who make long journeys on the sea. (Al-Ma'ida 5: 97).
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)
said that even dead sea creatures like the whale is Halal (licit) for
consumption. Hazrat Abu Hurayrah (ra) reports that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said
of the sea: “Its [i.e. the sea] water is pure, and every sea animal found
dead is lawful to consume.” (Abu Dawud).
There was an incident
during an expedition where the Sahaba [Companions of the Holy Prophet
(pbuh)] were very hungry. On the way, they saw a huge dead whale that had
failed on the beach / coast. So they ate it for a fortnight, and the whole
group had received a good share of the whale to eat. When they returned to
Medina, they informed the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) about it and the latter
approved this food, and he even asked that a share of it be brought for him if
there was one left, and indeed the companions brought some for him and he ate
of it. (Bukhari, Muslim).
The Purity of the Sea
A Muslim needs to pray five Namaz/ Salat daily and
at different times. So a situation happened where the Sahaba
(Companions) asked this question to the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh): “We
sail on the ocean and we carry only a little water. If we use it for ablution,
we will have to go thirsty. May we use sea water for ablution?”. The Holy
Prophet (pbuh) replied, “Yes, its water [sea water] is pure.” (Tirmidhi).
The peculiarity of the
sea is that Allah (swt) made it vast and put it in constant motion. There are
currents on the surface of the sea and below; there are waves, evaporation,
tides - high tide, low tide - and rain. It keeps its purity by its movements.
Thus, although the sea
absorbs the impurities of men, the waste water of the inhabitants, the dead
fish, the debris, etc., it is always pure. Therein is one lesson for us. But
that does not mean that we consciously pollute the sea with all kinds of
poisonous substances. When Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said this saying, there were
no chemical and toxic developments as we see today. The sea itself is pure and
vast, but if man abuses its purity and dirties it in an excruciating way where
it can affect the lives of people and creatures of the sea, then that water
will not be pure. We must keep this in mind. Allah has given us everything in a
pure state. It is man who makes it impure by his actions.
TIDES
Allah (swt) uses the
moon to influence the tides. Thus the sea rises to a certain level to come down
after approximately 6 hours and 50 minutes. A high tide brings the fish into
the lagoon or brings them closer to the land. Thus the fishermen are active for
fishing according to the tides. And a low tide keeps the octopus and oysters on
the coast. So, baits like oysters or octopus are used to fish at high tide. The
fish follow the tides for their activities. Fishermen set their nets/ pots at
high tide. When do we see the splendour and beauty of the underwater sea? It is
during high tide, where we can dive and admire the underwater wonders created
by Allah. On the water we can see the green become blue and likewise the colours
of life change. Also the tides make it possible to use the pressure of the
waves and the water to produce electricity, etc. In short, Insha-Allah,
we could use wave energy for further advances in the future.
SALT
Among the resources
that the sea offers us is salt. Drying the waters of the ocean gives us salt ready
to eat. Salt is an important food that man needs to feed himself on daily. Salt
is used to preserve fish and meat, and this was a common practice among our
parents / ancestors. Fish and meat were dried with plenty of salt and kept in
the sun. Even today, we continue to keep the practice of “salted fish” as well.
Travellers could fish for food and also keep extra fish with sea salt.
AND IF
THE SEA WAS INK ...
So, we must preserve
nature, both the sea and the land, and we must be good and help others. We must
accept the difficulties of people and offer them a sweet smile, our friendship
and gifts and show them the way to Allah by showing the greatness of Allah
through His various signs, and we pray for them.
As Allah says in the Quran: “Say,
‘If the sea were ink for [writing] the words of my Lord, the sea would be
exhausted before the words of my Lord were exhausted, even if We brought the
like of it as a supplement.’” (Al-Kahf, 18 :110).
As I told you, the sea
preserves its purity by its movements. Let us also be in constant movement in
the path of Allah, on journeys of Dawa to keep the purity of the heart,
to have good manners and a lively/ alert mind.
We can never count the favours
of Allah on us, and especially today in the period of the Divine Manifestation,
where Allah is speaking and has raised one of His servants as His chosen
Messenger, as His representative (Khalifatullah) on earth for the whole
universe. So it is a great grace that Allah bestows on this humble servant when
He opens the way for me to accomplish His mission in the four corners of the
world and He shows extraordinary signs and favours on this humble servant and
the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.
Alhamdulillah, Summa
Alhamdulillah, we have returned
from our visit to Mayotte and Comoros where there was important work and
certainly this great work was accomplished - a successful job. Allah by His grace
has facilitated all my work in an extraordinary way and He has opened several
paths for the progress of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.
In Mayotte, there
was an extraordinary enthusiasm, a mobilization that we cannot even describe
and they showed an extraordinary love for the Caliph of Allah and I can even
say that there was a vibration of joy at each hour of prayer (Salat / Namaz)
and our Mosque was filled, be it ladies, children and gentlemen. By the grace
of Allah, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam has grown in the other villages in
Grande Terre as well.
As you know, our Jamaat in Mayotte is located in Petite
Terre, with some members in Grande Terre, but by the grace of Allah with this
recent visit of mine, the Jamaat received a very large number [of members ] in
the south of Grande Terre, and during my visit there were several programs and
meetings with several personalities. Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.
In the Comoros, as
soon as I got off the plane itself, I was surprised [I did not expect that I
would be greeted] by a very warm welcome from our members, accompanied by new
members. On their faces was reflected a joy, contentment and love, and this was
evident by the welcome in itself. And they did all this despite a very harsh
cyclone which had ravaged the Comoros. The country itself is in a very
difficult situation and agriculture has been destroyed and many animals have
died and thousands of homes have been destroyed.
I can say that by the grace of Allah in the region that the
cyclone hit very strongly, despite the fact that several houses were destroyed,
trees and electric poles fell, and in the situation where electricity was cut
off, but the homes of many of our members have not been damaged; yet they are
very poor, their houses are made of iron sheets and straws, and our mosque and
school, which are made of sheet metal, have not been ravaged. All the people
there witnessed this miracle of Allah.
Our members have already seen many miracles of Allah, but
now I do not speak about them but many others who do not belong to the Jamaat
Ul Sahih Al Islam. They approached me to express how Allah protected the houses
of the members of my Jamaat. They kept telling me about these miracles. And
what surprised them most and that they saw as a miracle is that everywhere
there was no electricity except in our Mosque, where they could hear the call
of prayer (Azaan) in the speaker, and do the Salat / Namaz in
congregation.
There was also the presence of the media on the day of my
arrival who asked me questions and all this was broadcast in the whole Comoros
[several islands of the Comoros] and so all these islands have got to know about
the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. Despite the presence of the mullahs who created a
lot of disorder there, with the support of the Islamic court, but that did not
stop others from coming forward and believing in the message of this humble
servant [of Allah].
Alhamdulillah, We have opened a library and
there are many new members who have joined the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and we
have opened three Madrassas for the education of our children and our new
members can also use the Madrassa to do their Salat-ul-Jummah and the
construction of our Mosque in the capital of Comoros, in Itsandra (Moroni) is
being done. Insha-Allah, the largest mosque [of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al
Islam] in the capital of the Comoros is being realized by our contributions:
their contributions [at the local level] and also the contributions of some of
our members in India, as well as the contribution of two sisters in Mauritius
[who are not members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam], as well as my family and
myself.
The Great Mosque since Tuesday 18 June 2019 has seen a boom
in its construction. The mosque will have a storey that is in the construction
phase too. There will be a separation (Pardah) for men and women, as
well as offices and Insha-Allah, there will be a library and classes that
will be used for religious and academic education.
Alhamdulillah, this is only a summary of my
visit and my work in Mayotte and Comoros. I cannot tell everything - all the
favours of Allah - in my sermon today. Whenever I find the divine signs, I think
of this revelation that Allah (swt) had granted me: “If
the world is with you, but Allah is not with you, nothing is with you; but if
Allah is with you, even if no one is with you, everything is with you.”
Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, by the immense grace of Allah, I am
living these divine words, words that come from heaven. Masha-Allah, Allahu Akbar!
---Friday Sermon of 21 June 2019¬17 Shawwal 1440 AH delivered by Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius.