Continuing the series on the theme of 'Ghibbat'- the vice of speaking ill of others behind their backs-, Imam Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius, in his Friday Sermon of 27 September 2019 ~ 27 Muharram 1441 AH, provides fascinating insights into the working of the human psyche in inter-personal and social settings. There are intimate connections between backbiting and hypocrisy: whereas a hypocrite will indulge in backbiting; the habit of backbiting can lead the person who indulges in it away from the holy path of Faith. Secondly, while those who indulge in backbiting seek to defame or destroy reputations of others; this vice may have ironical consequences: if the backbiters challenge common sense and attack the reputation of a pious soul, the deception will boomerang on the backbiters, and they will lose face before the people. Likewise, severe backbiting by religious leaders and the priestly class often lead the people away from taking religion seriously. Indeed, people may lose interest in, and they may keep aloof from, the spiritual way altogether. Thirdly, 'Ghibbat' is also a manifestation of other vices in human nature: hatred and jealousy.
During the early days of the Divine Manifestation, the Nizam-e-Jamaat officials in Mauritius brazenly and openly indulged in 'Ghibbat' and other vices against the recipient of Divine revelations among them as they did not comprehend the descent of Divine revelations on someone in their midst. Likewise, people who recognize the sign of God in the person of an Elect of Allah (atba) among them sometimes display great emotions of sincere respect and deep affection and it would be unfair to belittle their sentiments of respect by equating it with Shirk-like practices (God Forbid). Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) warns against talking ill about things one do not fully understand, and persons who speak that way need to be wary of the sin of backbiting and hypocrisy.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
Surah Al Hujurat: Ghibbat, Part III
By
the grace of Allah, I am hereby continuing the 3rd
part of my Friday Sermon on the subject of “Ghibbat”
(backbiting), seeking the defects of others, spying, suspecting and
doubting others, putting false allegations, blames etc. on them.
Thus, this sermon continues…
Many
times, by keeping hypocritical relations with your innocent brothers
or sisters, you become a hypocrite. And when hypocrisy arises
somewhere, then, there are also possibilities for hypocrisy to
develop elsewhere also, in many places/ situations. When
someone makes it a habit to adopt hypocrisy, it is “Ghibbat”
which becomes a great factor that helps him to become accustomed to
hypocrisy.
A hypocrite refers to someone who is accustomed to talking
behind someone’s back, but in front of him, he says the complete
opposite, and thus gives that person the impression that he was
talking in his favour [when this is not the case at all]. In front of
him, the hypocrite says lots of things which is very different from
his true point of view and what he was really thinking. This is
hypocrisy.
And when you behave hypocritically towards others, then
take care, because this hypocrisy shall little by little make its way
in your faith also. And it is then that you begin to maintain a
hypocritical relationship with the Amir Sahib, or Naib Amir, or with
the Sadr, the Qa’id, with the Jamaat officials, and thus the
“Ghibbat”
which was individual become this time a collective “Ghibbat”,
at organisational level. And when you talk against the Nizam-e-Jamaat
(administration of the Jamaat), behold, it is an even greater sin,
for when such a situation arises, you [speaking of the hypocrite and
his hypocritical nature] propagate such bad talks against the people
who work for the cause of Allah, to incite other people to have
disgust for them and to let go of their cooperation with them.
Sometimes
when you backbite the officials [working for the cause of Allah],
then the people who listen to you develop a disgust, and can even
state that: “If
this is what religion [Islam] is, then it is best for us to go away,
to retreat from it.”
This is exactly what happened when I was expelled me from the
Nizam-e-Jamaat
Ahmadiyya;
delegations from the Jamaat Ahmadiyya of Mauritius went to such
islands, like Reunion Island, Mayotte, Seychelles, Rodrigues etc., as
from the year 2001 onwards and began to do “Ghibbat”,
and said all sorts of great lies and put all kinds of false
allegations on my person, saying that I take drugs, that I take
medicines and that under the effect of those medicines I say that I
receive revelations. On the contrary, if that was indeed true, then
they should have rushed forward to know what kind of medicines I was
taking which makes me get DIVINE
revelations and they should strive to take those medicines to get
such revelations! But what did they do? They labelled the revelations
I was receiving as satanic revelations, God Forbid - Nawzubillah
min Zaalik.
When
they acted like this, they have deviated the people on the islands
from the teachings of Islam and Ahmadiyyat. They thought that they
will make these people have disgust for me and abandon me only, but
these people retreated from the very practice of Islam and
Ahmadiyyat. They thought that they were doing a great work and that
those people would believe in their lies. On the contrary, they were
themselves greatly humiliated in front of those people because the
latter knew me very well and how I worked hard throughout the years
on the islands with them, and they knew what kind of person I was and
many among them even said: “If
the missionary say that such a person like Sheikh Munir Azim has been
expelled from the Jamaat, then what is the use of staying in this
Jamaat? It is through him that we have come to know this Jamaat.”
Moreover,
there are some who have gone on an island and declared to a big
family who once took the Bai’at
through me and who were sincere [in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya at that
time] and who did lots of sacrifice for the Jamaat; so, to get in
their good books etc., one of them posed as a judge in the court of
justice in Mauritius, while another one as a great lawyer in
Mauritius. What did they not do in their imbecility?!!! They
belittled themselves to such a level that the people on those islands
are talking bad things for them, as if cursing them for the bad
things and talks that they have committed and said. Despite all their
evil attempts, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam keeps progressing greatly
in those islands! Alhamdulillah
Summa Alhamdulillah.
[When
these evil-minded people tried to create problems for me and ruin my
reputation] These people [i.e. on the islands] lost all interest and
enthusiasm for the Jamaat Ahmadiyya which I established on those
islands from 1990 to 2000.
[A
statement which happened in the past, and also a warning for future
occurrences – the Jamaat of Allah – as well]
So, it is disgusting how such hypocrites attack someone who is
working for the cause of Allah and attack also the other
office-bearers who are working for the Jamaat. And one shall see that
all this starts by the ignition of hatred, and jealousy and
thereafter, there is “Ghibbat”
(backbiting).
So,
“Muhabbat”
(love) and “Ghibbat”
(backbiting) cannot be together. Love and affection have no relation
to backbiting. There are many ways with which we can fight
backbiting. A positive way to do it is to establish a relation of
love with others and also to strive to earn the love of those who are
working day and night for the cause of Allah (for the Jamaat of
Allah/ Divine Manifestation) and establish a bond of love and respect
for those who are administrating the Jamaat with sincerity and Taqwa
(fear of Allah, piety, righteousness).
You
need to have this line of thought: “We
are free and are able to do our personal works whereas the bearers of
responsibility of the Jamaat are doing the work of religion and if we
keep good relations with them, then it will be a way for us to gain
the pleasure of Allah. It is indeed for the sake (pleasure) of Allah
that we will keep good relations with them.”
If
the people think along these lines, they will intentionally establish
a relationship of respect with the people in charge of the Jamaat,
even if those bearers of responsibility are younger than them; and
therefore they will strive to forge a strong bond of love [brotherly
or sisterly love for the sake of Allah] with them. Even if you don’t
have this love naturally, then you should strive to develop it in
you. Sometimes respect change into love. And sometimes love change
into respect. This subject is naturally complementary. I am not
talking about the natural love which is created following a
manifestation of beauty, no.
I am talking about such love which is
acquired through certain beauties, i.e. love which is manifested
because the object of your affection [whether a person or the works
of religion] is deeply connected with other objects of love. If you
have love for someone, then you will also have love for the things
which is connected with that person, such things which if the person
loves them, you also will love them. You will love them despite the
fact that you don’t have a natural love for them, but you develop
this love only because the person that you love loves these things.
[Huzur
(atba) cited the example of Laila-Majnu which is an epic love story
where Majnu, due to his love for Laila even developed love for the
dog of Laila!]
And that’s a truth [i.e. such kind of love]. Therein there is no
doubt that when love increases to such an extent as to become to the
level of madness, then you will love all things that are connected
with the people you love. And therein, it is not possible for someone
to do otherwise. It is beyond his control.
So,
when I am telling about “Muhabbat”,
I am not teaching you any hypocrisy. I am telling you a deep truth. I
am telling you also that love has an effect on your connections as
well. That is why I have many times put the example of the Sahaba
(companions
of the Holy Prophet (pbuh)) before you. The love which the Sahaba
had was indeed extraordinary. Today also many in the world claim to
have such great love but the love of the Sahaba
was of a very great nature, to a great level. Love was in their eyes,
on their faces, in every parcel of their body. Each part of their
body testified to that love. That is why in the beginning, when I
travelled and met my disciples/ companions (Sahaba),
especially in the islands and countries of Africa, they grabbed my
hand and kissed it. I used to be very shy about it. They displayed
beautiful love and affection. At that time, I used to be embarrassed
by this display of affection. I did not understand well the affection
which these men showed, and I even wondered: “Is
it not Shirk?”
But, seeing this respect, and the love and affection on their faces,
I remained silent.
After
making duahs
(praying) on this subject, Allah (swt) made me understand that the
love which they have for Nabi Kareem (pbuh), for Hazrat Masih Ma’ud
(as), for the teachings of Islam, their love is so great that they
display this happiness because of the honour which they have received
to have witnessed the advent of a Messenger of Allah in their time.
As for the others, despite the fact that Allah has also given them
this divine favour, but they turned on their backs to it. As for
those who have recognized this truth, they feel happy, despite the
loads of trials they undergo; they feel fortunate to be like the
Sahaba
in the time of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) or those Sahaba
in the time of the Promised Messiah (as).
Today
among you there is someone who is sent by Allah and Allah talks with
him and he comes from Allah to revive His teachings and the works
which Nabi Kareem Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) came to do. The same
teachings which Allah (swt) sent through him (pbuh) to bring all
mankind to Him – the Unique God.
Today
also my followers feel happy that among the billions of people who
live in this world, they have received the honour to witness divine
revelations, and how divine revelations are bestowed [on the Elect of
Allah], how Allah pours down His messages [Divine Messages]. - [And
when Allah gives them instructions/ messages through the Messenger,
they take it as a blessing, they feel fortunate, they don’t cry and
feel that the messages are directly pointed at them – whether
positive or negative (for their reform). They take it as a blessing
and they obey].
So,
when I have well understood this message from Allah, now I am not
embarrassed when my disciples take hold firmly of my hand and there
are others who kiss my hand and all this is a way through which my
disciples show their love for the Khalifatullah. So, in this
situation, it is not right for me to offend the sincerity found in
their love which they display for the Khalifa
(Caliph) of Allah of this era. Alhamdulillah.
May
Allah the Almighty always make you remain sincere with His Caliph -
Khalifatullah without any hypocrisy, without any show/ ostentation.
Ameen.
Insha-Allah,
I shall continue the other part of my Friday Sermon next week...