Allah (swt) has created the humans
as His trustee(Khalifa) on earth. We owe our Creator, our very existence. Human life
and progress for a period are all entirely due to His mercy and unending
blessings. The Divine Trusteeship entails grave responsibility of conduct on
our part. As trustees of Allah (swt) on earth, we owe a duty to care for all of
His creations on earth- being just in all financial transactions; doing
fair in all human relations; remaining moderate and balanced in our social
engagements, etc. It is to remind us of this heavenly trust on our shoulders
that the Prophets and saints of God appear in every era, among the people-
'weak' and 'forgetful' and 'prone to the temptations of Satan' as
we flawed humans are.
Hence, it is height of stupidity
and ignorance to challenge common sense and combat God's Message. Blinded by their own passions, the arrogant elites in their vanity laugh at the messages they dislike, seeking to fight against God and His Elects when they come to lead them to prudence and wisdom. If only the
spiritually blind had the 'vision' to recognize the Light they are
missing! The light of wisdom that the Prophets bring in do not profit a
people who are self-satisfied, who remain aloof from, and who show contemptuous disregard
for the higher values of life that these messengers teach- clinging as those
earthly worms to the pleasures of a fleeting time. Like Qur'an testifies in the
case of numerous communities that persecuted Prophets in the past, Divine
justice will pursue their excesses in ways they will least expect, and in
moments of His choosing their reckoning would take place. Indeed, going by evidence of what happened in the recorded
past, Divine vengeance is something to be wary of, by anyone who is
sensible. Allah's mercy and blessings engulf a people who listen and follow the
Divine commandments and teachings that the Prophets bring in, for their own
welfare in this world and for salvation in the world to come.
Divine Calamity To Those Who Disobey
In his Friday Sermon of 26 November 2021~20 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius explains the life and times of Prophet Shuayb (as) as a spiritual lesson for our times. The Holy Qur'an preserves the example of Hazrat Shuayb (as) as a man of Divine principles and ethical restraint in a society given to the worship of riches at any cost. Yet, all that people amassed in excess through unfair methods proved to be of no use to them on the day of Divine punishment. On the other hand, those who follow the Prophets in letter and spirit, they become recipients of Divine Mercy and Grace in every era, Insha Allah, Aameen.
Read the Friday Sermon Below:
The story of Prophet Shuayb and his people
Shuayb (as) was one of the Messengers that Allah (swt) sent to the people of Madyan on earth. The people of Madyan were Arabs who lived at the far end of Syria. They were known as Ashab-al-Aika, that is, the people of the forest.
Allah (swt) had given the inhabitants of the forest considerable wealth. These people had wrong scales and measurements. Their business activities were intense. They worshiped idols and accused the prophets of deception. In addition to their disbelief, they cheated and skimped on weights and measures. They stood in the way of all the caravans to loot and threaten them. Likewise, they sowed corruption on the earth, as do the rich and strong that have no accountability and fear no punishment.
Allah (swt), therefore, sent them the Messenger Shuayb to remind them of His command. Shuayb said to them: “Fear Allah! I come to you as a trustworthy apostle. Fear Allah and obey me. I do not ask you for any salary. My wages are borne by Allah, Ruler of the Universe.”
Shuayb (as) invited them to complete the measure and not to commit fraud to their fellows. He ordered them to weigh with an exact balance and not to walk on the earth creating havoc.
“Do not make the way crooked by ambushing any path that believers take.”
To those who believed, he preached patience to them. Shuayb’s (as) message was very clear. Shuayb (as) wanted to deliver his people from the complex of love, money and wealth; his advice was sincere and loyal.
Like a loving father and a very
wise teacher; he said: “O my people! Submissively worship Allah, you have no
God other than Him. There has come to you a clear proof of your Lord. So
respect the measures and weights, do not depreciate people of their goods and
do not sow corruption on the earth after its improvement! It is much better for
you if you are a believer. Do not stand in the way, threatening and pushing
away from the way of Allah those who have believed in it and seek to make it
crooked. Remember that when you were few in number, that Allah multiplied you
in great number and see how the end of the corrupters was.”
The smartest of the people of Madyan carefully considered the explanation of Shuayb’s (as) call. Those who listened were few. The majority responded recklessly to Shuayb (as). They say, “O Shuayb! Does your prayer require us to abandon what our fathers worshipped?”
They laughed at Shuayb’s (as) speech. They wanted to make more money and they did it by cheating.
“O my people! What do you say if I base myself on clear proof from my Lord and He has bestowed a good gift on me? And then, I do not want to do the original in what I forbid you [i.e. meaning that other prophets also before me preached the same to their peoples], but I am only trying to reform as far as I can. If I am following the right path, it is only by the grace of Allah. It is to Him that I have surrendered and it is to Him that I always come back.”
“Fear Allah! I come to you as a
trustworthy apostle. Fear Allah and obey me. I do not ask you for any wages, my
wages are payable by Allah, Ruler of the universe.”
They mocked the speeches of Shuayb
(as). They called him a liar. In an ironic tone they say to Shuayb (as): “Why
do you forbid us to follow a religion to which we are accustomed and a law
which we have inherited, when you are so wise and insightful and serene?” However,
Shuayb (as) remained very affectionate. He continued to explain his call
patiently. He wasn’t harsh and didn’t get angry. He explained to them what his
calling and advice brought to them. Their morals were indeed corrupt and their
actions unjust, except those whom Allah (swt) had given grace through prophecy
and the bringing of divine light. Shuayb (as) explained that he was not driven
by envy, Allah (swt) having enriched him by granting him an honestly acquired lawful
good, which gave him happiness, serenity, relaxation and gratitude to Allah
through the heart and speech. Shuayb (as) sought to lead them to the right
path, to make them happy and to save them from a retribution that threatened
them.
The people of Madyan ignored what Shuayb (as) was saying. It was as if he was speaking to them in a foreign language, although he was one of them and the brother of them all, although his speech was more eloquent than them. With perseverance, Shuayb (as) continued to strengthen the hearts of the faithful who did not believe the words of the [rest of the] Madyanites.
He said to them, “If one part
believes in the thing for which I was sent, and the other part does not believe
it, wait patiently for Allah to judge between us for, He is the Best of
Judges.”
The majority of the unfaithful Madyanites feared that Shuayb’s (as) message would spread and that his followers would redouble in numbers. They threatened him and those who believed in him to drive them out of their town if they did not turn away from this religion and join their tribe.
The Madyanites said: “O Shuayb (ra) - We will drive you out of this city with all those who have believed your word, so that you and them may return to our religion.”
Shuayb (as) replied, “None of us will ever return to your religion. If we returned we would be liars to Allah. If you drive us out of the city, we trust Allah only.” So the Madyanites made Shuayb (as) their target. They associated with him all kinds of magic and quackery and challenged him to drop pieces of the sky on them, if he was true.
So Shuayb (as) despaired of being able to put them on the right track. They persisted in remaining in the ranks of the infidels. The atmosphere among the people of Madyan became more and more unbearable. Desperation to correct them set in and Shuayb (as) begged for help from Allah (swt).
“O Lord, judge righteously between
us and this people. All of us [those] who are in the right way, help them, and [as
for] all [those] who have gone astray, destroy them. You are the Best of all
judges.”
Allah (swt) answered His call and granted His help. He overwhelmed them with stifling heat, no amount of water could quench their thirst, and they found no refuge under any house or roof. They ran out of their homes. They saw a cloud and believed it had the power to shield them from the heat of the sun and keep them away from the heat. They gathered below this cloud so that it may cover them with its shadow. But when they were all gathered and their number was complete, a deafening noise reached them from heaven. They felt the ground shake under their feet and were struck with fear by what they saw. But they did not have time to realize what was happening that their souls were taken from them and they became dead corpses.
Shuayb (as) witnessed the plight of
his people, so he turned away from them, weighed down with sorrow for their
condition, but remembered their ungodliness, their sarcasm at his advice, their
mockery of those who believed in him and their disobedience and these memories
lessened his pain. Thus the people of Madyan paid the most ignominious
punishment for their disdain towards Allah (swt) and His Messenger Shuayb (as).
Obedience in Harmony
We know that Allah (swt) knows everything and sees everything, which explains the need to behave well in the depths of one’s thoughts as well as in everyday reality through word and deed.
The Muslim avoids what is forbidden and undertakes what is commanded. Once this idea is understood and accepted, he submits to the will of the Most High.
A Muslim who is insensitive to the principles of his religion commits sins the seriousness of which depends on the importance of his act. The idea of equating to Allah (swt) other gods or some of His creatures is the gravest of sins and leads a Muslim to godlessness [impiety].
One cannot obey Divine decrees and rebel
against His prophet. The later is only responsible for transmitting to men in a
clear way the prescriptions of the Almighty. Any rebellion against him is
considered a transgression of the revealed law.
“Say: ‘Obey Allah! Obey the Prophet! If they turn away, then the prophet is only responsible for what he is responsible for and you are responsible only for what you are responsible for. If you obey him, you will be well guided; it is only the prophet’s responsibility to convey His messages clearly’.” (An-Nur 24: 55).
“O you who believe! Fear Allah!
Speak righteously so that he will reform your conduct and forgive you your
sins. Anyone who obeys Allah and His Prophet has truly achieved a great triumph.” (Al-Ahzab 33: 71-72).
There are non-Muslims who are
generous, benevolent, generally adopting perfect morals. Likewise there are
Muslims who do good without, however, complying with the revealed
prescriptions.
The works of one another lose all or much of their spiritual significance. The authors do not enjoy the mercy of Allah (swt). “Obey Allah and the Prophet that you be shown mercy.” (Al-Imran 3: 133).
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the Messenger! And do not let your deeds be in vain!” (Muhammad 47: 34).
As for those who fear Allah (swt) and abide by the laws set by Him and taught by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), they are always winners. They will enter paradise and will be counted among the best guests of that Place: “These are the laws of Allah: Those who obey Allah and His Prophet will be brought into the gardens where the streams flow; they will remain immortal there: that is the great attainment!” (An-Nisa 4: 14).
“Those who obey Allah and His
Prophet are among those upon whom Allah has bestowed with blessings; the
prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous – what honorable company.” (An-Nisa 4: 70).
The Muslim must also obey those among the Muslims who hold authority. Respecting their decisions amounts to submitting to the decrees of Allah and the rulers themselves must scrupulously apply Islamic dogmas.
“O you who believe! Obey Allah and obey the prophet and those of you in authority.” (An-Nisa 4: 60)
Allah (swt) created man. He created the universe for him. He created a law defining the duties towards Himself and towards his fellow human beings.
To translate the words of Allah into action, man can only really do so if he truly knows the contents of the Quran and his Creator, the Ruler of the heavens and the earth. Faith in Allah (swt) deepens and continues; acceptance of Divine unity involves faith in the absolute power of the Divine and is based on absolute trust (Tawakkal) in Allah (swt). We know that Allah will reward good and punish evil. We know that Allah knows everything and sees everything, which explains the need to behave well in the depths of one’s thoughts as well as in everyday reality through word and deed.
May Allah grant all my disciples and the Ummah Muhammadiya the ability to fully understand the messages [lessons] found in this sermon and to stay on the right path, come what may. Insha-Allah, Ameen.