Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Ramadan and the Light of Faith


In his Friday Sermon of 30 April 2021~17 Ramadan 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius speaks about the holy month of Ramadan. Following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet's practical ordinances concerning fasting in Ramadan, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the importance of the devotional practice with its inherent physical and spiritual benefits for those who observe it. Under the sacred Islamic teachings, Ramadan is meant to be observed as a month of patience; of caring and sharing; of charity and giving; of virtuous deeds and steadfastness in ultimate remembrance of God through the recurring undertaking of different faith rites and sublime invocations. 

Describing the ways in which ignorant and negligent people waste away the precious occasion of Ramadan for the pursuit of entertainment and social pleasures, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) points to the very many benefits of fasting as an Islamic practice, and exhorts all believers to be conscious of the Divine commandments and Prophetic teachings to fulfill duties in this regard. Indeed, an occasion for the believer to focus on the big picture of spiritual life and therefore, to abandon his vain pursuits of earthly pleasures, in favour of the enduring favours of forgiveness of sins and the open-gates of Paradise. Noting that the many disasters striking the world around us is indeed a grave sign of the Hour (Qiyamah) promised in our sacred books, Hazrat Saheb (aba) exhorts everyone to benefit from the opportunity of Ramadan fasting to bring about internal cleansing and to put things right in social relations among peoples so that we may truly gain the Light of God in our remaining moments in this world, Aameen


Read the Friday Sermon Below:

  

Leave the Reprehensible & Return to God

All praise is to Allah for His favours and goodness. He has favoured us by enabling us to reach the month of Ramadan and has strengthened us with the good works that bring us closer to Him. And peace and blessings be on our prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the first [in rank] in the accomplishment of good deeds, and on his family and his companions, those who believed in him, supported him and followed the light that was revealed to him. They are the ones who truly succeeded. 

Then I commend you and myself the fear of Allah [Taqwa] both in this month of Ramadan and in other months. But Allah (swt) attributes special merit to this month, since it is a unique occasion for doing good deeds. The prophet (pbuh) called on Allah to be able to reach Ramadan. 

If I am not mistaken, when the month of Rajab began, our beloved prophet (pbuh) said: Allahumma barik lana fi Rajab wa Shabaan wa ballighna Ramadan. [O Allah! Bless for us the months of Rajab and Shabaan and make us reach [live] the month of Ramadan!] 

And the Holy Prophet (pbuh) also used to encourage his companions to make an effort in good deeds, obligatory or supererogatory, such as prayers and alms, to be good and beneficent, to be patient in the face of obedience to Allah, spend one’s day in fasting, one’s night in prayers and hours reciting the Quran and doing the Zikr of Allah. 


So do not waste your time by being neglectful and forsaking [good works], like the unfortunate ones who forgot Allah, so He made them forget their own person. They do not benefit from opportunities to do good, nor do they realize their sacredness or know their value. A lot of people don’t know anything about this month except that it is the month of various foods and drinks. So they exaggerate by giving their souls what they want, and by buying appetizing food and drink.

 

You know a few years ago, there was an innovation that started to flourish in Mauritius: the Iftar Party. In the past years I have spoken at length about this innovation which does not find its place in the divine teaching as well as that of our beloved prophet (pbuh). So, it is known that excess of food and drink causes a person to be lazy in acts of worship. The Muslim is therefore asked to decrease the intake of food and drink, so that he becomes dynamic in performing acts of obedience. And some people only know the month of Ramadan as a month where one sleeps during the day and stays awake at night doing things that are of no benefit and which cause harm. They [i.e. these kinds of people] stay up most or all of the night, then sleep during the day, even during the time of the obligatory prayers. They therefore do not go to pray in congregation (i.e. with the assembly of believers for prayer) and do not pray at the prescribed time.

 

Another group of people sit in front of the served table when it is time to break the fast, and stay there [for a long time] and thus abandon the Maghrib prayer in congregation. These types of people do not know the value of the month of Ramadan, and do not refrain from violating its sacredness with forbidden vigils [at night], the abandonment of obligations, and practicing the forbidden. Alongside these people are those who see Ramadan only as an opportunity to do business, display their wares and hanker after this fleeting [temporal] world. They are, therefore, very active in buying and selling, filling markets and deserting mosques.

 

And when they go to the mosque, they are rushed and stressed. They are not relaxed because they have left the apple of their eye [i.e. what they desire doing more than praying] in the markets. There is another type of people who view Ramadan only as a time of begging in mosques and streets. They spend most of their time going back and forth, moving from one country to another in order to collect money by walking and presenting themselves as needy when they are rich, or like the disabled when they are in good health! They deny the blessing of Allah be upon them in wealth and health, and take people’s property unjustly. And they waste their precious time on things that are harmful to them. Ramadan therefore has no particular virtue for these people.

 

O servants of Allah! The Holy Prophet (pbuh) used to try harder [in sacrifice and good deeds] in this month than he did in other months. And although he was diligent in worship at all times, he (pbuh) and his companions left the preferable acts for the more preferable ones. The Salat followed this example, and this month was the occasion of higher [spiritual] ambitions; they devoted themselves to good works, spent their night in Tahajjud and their day fasting, doing Zikr, and reciting the Holy Quran. 

They frequented mosques to do these acts. We must therefore compare our situation to theirs and see what the limit of our capacities is in this month.

 

So, all of this is what happened in the world before the Covid-19 pandemic and its variants. Because nowadays, mosques are closed, and there are no prayers in congregation, except in family. And so, farewell to non-Islamic innovations and meetings! And I pray to Allah that He will prevent Muslims from practicing these innovations and become aware of true Islamic values. This pandemic must awaken the conscience of people, especially Muslims, so that they take the right path and leave all wrongdoing.

 

So the merit of the fast has been recognized by the Hadiths where our beloved prophet (pbuh) says: “One of the gates of paradise is called “the gate of Rayyaan”- the gate of refreshments. Only those who fast shall enter it. It will be said: "Where are those who were fasting?" They will then get up and enter, no other person will enter it. [Then] It will be closed forever.” (Hadith reported by Abu Souni and Abu Naim).

 

Another Hadith: The month of Ramadan exceeds all months in blessings. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “On the first night of Ramadan, every evil devil, every jinn is in chains. All the gates of hell are closed, none open. All the doors of paradise are open, none close. A caller calls out: ‘O seeker of good, come forward, and O seeker of evil withhold!’ This call is renewed each night, and each night Allah (swt) saves a number of believers from hell.” (Tirmidhi).

 

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) also said: “The five (daily) prayers and from one Friday prayer to the (next) Friday prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan are expiations for the (sins) committed in between (their intervals) provided one shuns the major sins.” (Muslim)

 

In another Hadith Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) says: “Whoever fasts the month of Ramadan with faith counting on divine reward, his sins will be forgiven”. (Bukhari and Muslim)

 

So the spiritual benefits of fasting are manifold. Fasting allows man to test his endurance, to strengthen his piety, his piety which is the basis of fasting, and also there is the social advantage of fasting, where fasting accustoms society to more justice, charity, equality. It also preserves from corruption, wickedness and the like and also there is the physical benefit of fasting. The purifying virtues of fasting on the body are unanimously recognized by modern medicine. 

Also, we should know that just as good deeds are multiplied during this month, so bad deeds are so much more serious and their punishment harsher. We must, therefore, fear Allah (swt) and magnify the sacredness of this month. 

This is (what must be observed) and whoever takes the sacred limits of Allah into high consideration, it will be better for him with his Lord.

 

Calamities and Destructions- A Scene of the End of the World:

 

The world is in terrible convulsions. This is a scene from the Qiyamah (Judgement Day) that we all witness around the world. Sometimes there are earthquakes, landslides, and the tsunami of death due to the Covid-19 pandemic and unknown viruses, known as coronavirus variants and whose waves have reached several countries causing thousands of deaths. In the United States and India, as well as European countries, it is a disaster. People are infected with these unknown viruses - the Covid-19 variants - and which attack people by the millions, causing deaths like a scene of doomsday. The world is on its knees, the so-called super-powered countries find themselves powerless. Hospitals are overcrowded. There are no more places. In India, it is a disaster. There is not enough medical equipment for all the sick. Many find themselves outside hospitals awaiting death. And the dead are burned en masse without funeral rites. This is the scene before our eyes today.

 

Here in Mauritius, since Thursday April 15, 2021, there have been flash floods which spread to the south-east of Mauritius and intensified on Friday April 16, 2021, damaging houses and leaving many people blocked on the roads. Up to 375 to 408 mm of rain was recorded in Plaisance, the double of the average for the April rain there. 

The bad weather continued on Friday April 16 and the following days, leading to evacuations. In Bambous Virieux, nine people were rescued from several flooded areas, while schoolchildren were rescued in a bus stuck in the rising waters. 

The Mauritius Fire and Rescue Service said it has carried out more than 30 emergency and assistance operations. 

Other affected areas include Vieux-Grand-Port, Petit-Bel-Air, Bois-des-Amourettes, and Plaine Magnien. In Petit-Bel-Air, a landslide occurred, completely blocking access to a road. 

Such heavy rains to date have inundated parts of the south-eastern region and the upper Plaine Wilhems, and the risk of water accumulation still exists in these areas. Local media reported damage to several houses and several people trapped in vehicles.

 

So we see that the Hour is serious. We must forget our differences and turn to the One God in prayer and have sympathy and empathy for our fellow citizens of this world. The Hour demands that people stop fighting and chasing this world and cleanse themselves internally so that the light of the Creator, The One and Mighty, can enter their hearts. 

May Allah grant us the opportunity to have good words and deeds, and have mercy on the Ummah Muhammadiyya (pbuh) and mankind as a whole. Ameen.


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