Sunday, December 27, 2020

'Obey and Follow the Messenger'

Obedience to Allah & the Khalifatullah

 


“And whoso obeys Allah and His Messenger, and fears Allah, and is mindful of Him, it is they who will be successful.” (An-Nur 24: 53) 


The responsibility of the Messenger of Allah, the Khalifatullah is so great and vast and frightening that it reminds one of the commandments of Allah and His Messenger Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to obey Allah and the divinely-appointed Messenger and to fear Allah and to obey Him in everything He has said and to regulate and live our lives as per His Instructions, in the Holy Quran and in the practices (Sunnah) and sayings or teachings (Hadiths) of His noble prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). 


Allah (swt) appoints His own representative (Khalifa). I have always believed in this, because the first Khalifatullah whom Allah (swt) sent was Hazrat Adam (as) with the Ruh’il Quddus (Holy Spirit) and by the grace of Allah this has been continued throughout the eras and Allah appointed Hazrat Dawud (as) as the Khalifatullah of his era, and this kind of divine appointment to caliphate is a continuous process for as long as humans exist on earth. So, I always believed that such divine-appointed and divinely-guided caliphs will come to guide men in the right path.

 

It is also true that no human hand can interfere with this process. As Khalifatullah, I am accountable neither to you nor, for that matter, to anyone else. But this does not mean I am free and unaccountable; far from it! Instead, I am directly accountable to no less a being than my Lord, my Allah. You could very well be ignorant of my errors. You cannot look into my heart. You do not have certain knowledge of the known and the unknown. But my All-Knowing God perceives my heart, every bit of it. He will not accept any excuses if they are not true.

 

Only that act of mine shall find acceptance with Him which I perform with His fear in my heart and out of a genuine regard and loyalty to Him. Thus, my head which has become free from the hold of the weak, bows down before God Almighty, and is held in His grip. This is no ordinary burden. Every particle of my being trembles when I think of it. May God, the Lord and Sustainer, be ever pleased with me. May He keep me alive as long as I am capable of treading the path of His pleasure and accomplishing my mission successfully! May He grant that not even for a single moment should I be able to think and act without His pleasure or ever dare think of doing so! May He enable me to safeguard the rights of all and establish the kind of justice which Islam envisages for I know that without dispensing justice He cannot bestow Ihsan or grace which indeed is the condition precedent to establishing a state of society which should be a veritable paradise on earth.

 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) taught his followers implicit obedience and submission. I will illustrate by an example which you have heard a number of times. One of the companions of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) when going to the mosque happened to hear the following words of the Holy Prophet (pbuh): “Please sit down.”  He sat down at once in the passage and began to move towards the mosque while sitting. He was actually skipping like a bird when another companion saw him and asked what was wrong with him. He replied, “Nothing is wrong with me. Only, I happened to hear the Holy Prophet (pbuh) say, ‘Sit down’.” - “No”, said the other companion, “these words of his were addressed to those who were present in the inner compound of the mosque!”“True”, he replied, “but I did not hear like this. I only heard: ‘Sit down’ and I sat down as soon as I heard the command.”

 

Remember as humble servants of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) we have to conquer and win the hearts of the world. There is indeed no salvation except in surrender to the Holy Prophet (pbuh). No emancipation lies except in submission to him. The principles he enunciated in the presence of his devoted companions and actually practiced during his lifetime are eternal and alive and valid till the Day of Judgement.

 

The exalted station of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has the inherent right, and through him the station of those who, as his humble and respectful representatives, succeed him bowing before his sacred throne and reciting Darood, also inherit the right to elicit obedience. For the teachings of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) are not passing in nature. They shall remain active and alive as long as this universe continues to be active and alive. And in token of this representation, you will have to obey his servants like us - who are both his disciples and divinely-elected servants - the way the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has taught you to obey, humble as we are and though we don’t deserve it. It is through the sheer grace of Allah that we stand as the guardians of faith through the mercy of Allah and His guidance through the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Divine Revelations. In this regard the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has left no room for doubt.

 

It is reported by Thawban (ra) that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) informed about the advent of the Khalifatullah who is also the Mahdi, saying: “…When you see this (man) pledge allegiance to him even if this requires you to crawl on snow as he is the Caliph of Allah, Al Mahdi.” (Ibn Majah)

 

By His immense grace, Allah causes His elects to come at their decreed time. The world may witness the raising of several Mahdis and Khalifatullahs, and even Massihs. It is His prerogative. For this present era, I have been appointed directly by Allah as His Khalifa, i.e. Khalifatullah, the second Messiah and a NON-LAW-BEARING Prophet and Messenger of the Islamic Dispensation.

 

So, as the Khalifatullah, through the grace of my master, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the chosen one, and by virtue of his teachings and in fulfilment of what he has said, I have been required to occupy this high office. I do not think I deserve it. I know it more than anyone else. God alone knows best what His will proposes to perform. I for one do not know. But one thing is certain. As long as Allah in His infinite power is pleased that I continue to function in this capacity, the benefits you can derive from my station shall solely depend on your performance of the duties which my master, the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has prescribed and made obligatory on you vis-à-vis this office. For my part, I also know it too well that I shall be able to enjoy Allah’s pleasure and His approval as His Chosen Amir’ul Mumineen, Muhyi-ud-Din, Khalifatullah, and Messiah of this era etc., as long as I carry out my duties to you.

 

And you too should comply with the Divine Commandments to obey the Khalifatullah, Allah’s own representative to you, His blessed Messenger who is also an obedient follower of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

 

In keeping with the letter and spirit of the teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), I would like to tell you all to keep two things in view while praying. Firstly, pray that Allah (swt) enables you to discharge with your heart and soul the obligations which lie on you regarding Allah’s Caliph (the Khalifatullah). Also pray that Allah (swt) grant me the strength to carry out my duties in this era to you, to all humanity and to the office with which I have been entrusted and also to arise and create a new world, that is to bring a big change, in the lives of all peoples to bring the great revolution of divine spirits, make each of them become good human beings and hold the rope of Allah together and turn to only one God, Unique God, Insha-Allah, Ameen, Summa, Ameen.

 

I request that in your prayers you especially remember our Beloved Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and also the Promised Messiah, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as).

 

Remember one thing. In every crisis, persecution, boycott, backbiting etc., Allah (swt) is always here to protect His Khalifatullah and all who believe sincerely in His Khalifatullah and the divinely-raised Jamaat, i.e. Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.

 

In His infinite mercy, He has viewed the weaknesses of His Khalifatullah and his followers with mercy and has always been true to His promise that He would transform every fear into peace and calm, confer dignity on the faith and establish His Oneness, in our hearts. Let us pray that our Lord and Master, Allah (swt) than whom there is none more faithful, may treat us with the same grace as before. May He overlook our faults and in His infinite mercy continue to visit us with blessings and bounties and compassion and succour. Ameen.

 

I would also like you particularly to pray that He spare us from trials and tribulations, that He grants health to the sick souls. My heart will bleed even if one life, one solitary soul is lost. And I am sure the heart of the Khalifatullah is the heart of the Jamaat, there is no difference between the two, none whatever. Let us, therefore, all choose to suffer well before actual suffering overtakes us. Let us pray with anguished souls for His help and succour and say: “God, save and protect all our brothers, sisters and children. Let not one single soul be wasted. If there be any who is injured, grant him health and the strength to re-establish his ties with the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, with a truly penitent and contrite heart.” Ameen, Summa Ameen. Ya Rabbul Aalameen.


---Friday Sermon of 25 December 2020 ~10 Jamadi’ul Awwal 1442 AH delivered by Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.