SOLUTIONS
Certainly, when the “source”
has become dry, the paths of good deeds, virtues and excellent qualities which
sprung from this source have disappeared. This is exactly what we see today. I
have already explained this in detail and made it clear that the only way to
rebuild this source and keep it flowing with the deeds of Deen which are
profitable is this work which is called Dawa/Tabligh, which we can
consider really and truly like the Ruh (soul) of Islam. As long as we do
not revive this work, we will not be able to accomplish anything good in this temporal
life because no nation, no people can know glory without having excellent
qualities and high characters that only Islam can produce.
It is our duty as soon
as possible to revive this work of Tabligh which is indeed obligatory.
Only then can we have hope of bringing the true Deen of Islam to life in
the Muslim community. Only by this means can we truly recognize and understand
Allah (twt) and His Beloved Prophet (pbuh), and thereafter submit to their
commands and desires [i.e., the commands of Allah and of His Messenger (pbuh)].
To succeed in doing this, we need to adopt the exact methods and means which Nabi Kareem Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) used and which he put into practice to transform the Arabs (from the period of ignorance to Islam). Allah (twt) says in the Holy Quran: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have a good example to follow...” (Al-Ahzab, 33: 22)
In this context, Imam
Malik (May Allah’s mercy be upon him) said: “The Reformation for the last
era of this Ummah will not be possible if we do not adopt the method that was
used in the first era [by the Messenger of Allah (pbuh)].”
In the beginning, when
the noble Messenger (pbuh) invited people [mankind] to Islam, he did not have a
single follower with him, nor did he have political power or money. The Arabs
at that time were arrogant, independent and proud. None of them were willing to
listen to the truth, use their reasoning, or agree to obey. They bitterly hated
and fiercely opposed the Kalimat-ul-Haq that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had
brought, but the Holy Prophet (pbuh) eventually gained such invisible strength
and ability [from divine source] to eventually attract the entire Arab nation
towards him.
First we need to think
carefully and look at what he was inviting his people to. In the beginning they
refused his invitation but afterwards when they saw [received] the light (when
they received guidance - faith), they rushed to him; they stood so close to him
that they never left him afterwards.
It was the Message of
Eternal Truth to which he called them! And the noble Messenger (pbuh) has made
this truth the only mission and goal of his life. And he presented this to his
people in the most beautiful way! This truth is: “We
worship God alone, we ascribe no partner to Him, and none of us takes others
beside God as lords.” (Al-Imran, 3:65).
Certainly, when we
propagate this same truth, then we will achieve the same result.
The Holy Prophet (pbuh)
has prevented his people from praying and obeying any other (being) except
Allah (twt). Not only did he succeed in his goal, but he made his people sever
all connection with anything foreign [which is not Islam] and ‘tied them up’
into a single way of life that the sincere never have tried to leave
afterwards. They became true models that Allah (twt) mentioned in Quran:
“Follow what has been
sent down to you from your Lord; do not follow other masters [protectors]
beside Him. How seldom you take heed!” (Al-A'raf, 7: 4).
This is the true
message that Allah (twt) ordered Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to teach and propagate.
We will find this more clearly in the next verse where Allah says:
“[O
Muhammad!], Call [people] to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good
teaching. Argue with them in the most courteous way, for your Lord knows best
who has strayed from His way and who is rightly-guided.” (An-Nahl, 16: 126).
The path that has been
traced for Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions to continue to progress
and advance has been specified in this verse: “Say,
(O Prophet), “This is my way. I invite to Allah with insight—I and those who
follow me. Glory be to Allah, and I am not one of the polytheists.”
(Yusuf 12: 109)
The sole mission and
purpose of Hazrat Muhammad’s (pbuh) life was to invite people to Allah (twt)
and show the true path to all those who strayed from it. For this same mission,
Allah (twt) sent thousands of prophets (as) – more than 124,000 prophets. Allah
(twt) says: “And We sent not before you any messenger except We revealed to
him that, ‘There is no deity except Me, so worship Me.’” (Al-Anbiya 21: 26)
The life of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) and the other prophets (as) show that they had only one goal in
their life: to believe in one true Allah, to believe in His Supremacy (Zaat)
and His Attributes (Sifat).
This belief is the very
basis of Islam. Allah sends man into this world to recognize and put into
practice this very belief, as we find mentioned in this verse: “I did not create jinn and humans except to worship Me.”
(Az-Zariyat, 51: 57).
Until now we needed to
understand man’s true purpose in creation and how we Muslims in particular need
to live. We are also aware of the real disease that we are suffering and how it
can be cured; so it is not difficult to find which treatment we need to follow
to regain our strength.
If we take into
consideration everything that has been explained so far and with this
understanding, we will act sincerely, whatever method we will adopt, Insha-Allah,
to benefit us will be successful.
The method that I will
explain forward has already proven itself and works successfully, Alhamdulillah.
The Principle of the Work [at Hand]
Despite what little
knowledge and understanding I have of this ‘great’ work of Tabligh (to
encourage good and prevent evil), I will give an explanation of a plan of work
and plan of action for the reformation of Muslims and their progress in the Deen.
Actually, I do nothing except give you a little description of the practical
life of our spiritual ancestors [the Sahaba of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) and the
Muslims who came after.]
First and foremost, we
need to change the direction of our life; leave all our material ambitions and
desires to gather wealth, and we establish as the purpose of our life to
propagate and transmit Allah’s (twt) word and His Deen; we need to set
as the only objective of our life to follow all the orders and commandments of
Allah (twt); make a firm and sincere decision: “I will obey every command of
Allah (twt), I will put it into practice in every aspect of my life, I will not
disobey Allah (twt) under any circumstances.”
This firm decision to
bring Deen fully into our life, and to propagate it [this Deen]
needs to become the primary goal of our life. We will be able to organize
ourselves and act on this great objective when we adopt this practical method:
1) Memorize
and recite the Kalimah correctly: Laa Ilaaha Illallahu Muhammadur
Rasulullah.
2) Understand
its direct meaning and also what it entails. That is to say, believe, say and
act on the belief that Allah (twt) alone possesses all ability, and that He is
the only Rab (Master) who has control over everything. He alone deserves that
we worship Him, obey Him; He alone gives success or defeat in life.
Our success depends on
how much we truly adopt the way of life (Tariqah) that the noble
Messenger (pbuh) preached and taught; how much we accepted him as a true
Messenger.
With this as our goal,
we begin to change our lives in the direction that this Kalimah demands:
1.
Do all
five Namaz everyday in their appointed time.
A Muslim needs to
fulfill this important obligation, strictly according to the teaching of the
Holy Prophet (pbuh) with the utmost humility and submission. The Greatness and
Superiority of Allah (twt) must always be in our minds throughout our Namaz; at
the same time we need to feel our humility and weakness. In other words, we
need to do Namaz as if we are standing before Allah (twt) in a way that brings
honor to His Greatness and Glory. If we don't know Namaz procedure
(regulations), we need to learn it properly and keep every detail in mind.
2.
Keep
us attached physically and spiritually to the Quran-e-Karim, i.e. attaching the
body and heart in this way:
i. Recite
the Holy Quran every day even if it is little, with the utmost respect and
devotion for this holy book and trying to understand its meaning, and also we
need to recite it with belief and hope because our success and progress depend
on it. A simple recitation of the words of these verses is also a great
blessing. If someone does not know how to read, they need to spend a little
time every day to learn.
ii. To
ensure that our children, the children of our neighbours, and fellow Muslims
learn the Quran-e-Paak and other important books of Deen; this is the
first step towards Taalim [education] of the Deen.
3.
It is
necessary to devote some time to doing Zikr every day, which means
concentrating on the power, greatness and attributes of Allah.
4.
It is
also necessary to send Darood (blessings) on Nabi Kareem (pbuh).
In this context, it is
good to seek guidance and advice from a spiritual guide [in your time] whom
chooses you carefully for his perfect Taqwa and his dedication in
following the Shariah and Sunnah. He can prescribe for you
certain duahs that you can recite in your moments of Zikr. If you do not
have contact with any of these people whom Allah has blessed, it is recommended
to recite these Tasbih a hundred times a day, morning and evening:
a) The
third Kalimah [Tamjeed], i.e., Subhaana-llaahi
Walhamdu Lillaahi Walaaa Ilaaha Illa-llaahu Wallaahu Akbar. Walaa Hawla Walaa
Quwwata Illaa Billaahi-l ‘Aliyyil ‘Azim. [Glory
be to Allah and all praise be to Allah, there is none worthy of worship except
Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. There is no might or power except from Allah,
the Exalted, the Great One.]
b)
Darood
Shariff [sending blessings on Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)]
c)
Istighfar
[asking the forgiveness of Allah (twt)].
We need to consider
each Muslim as our own brother and always have affection, respect and sincere
attention for him, especially in times of difficulty. Anyone who proclaims his
belief in Islam automatically enjoys the right of respect and esteem from every
Muslim. We need all the time take precautions not to give our Muslim brother difficulties,
whether physically or mentally.
All the actions I have
mentioned, all of us – Muslims – need not only to include them in our lives but
at the same time make every effort for others to do the same. The only and best
way to do this is to devote a little time, especially to learn and develop
these extraordinary Islamic qualities and at the same time convince others to
make the same efforts. In this way, a united movement will arise and this will
automatically bring about the progress and spread of Islam in its true form and
this is something that is urgent and necessary especially today when Islam and the
Muslims are persecuted at all levels.
It is precisely this
effort that every prophet has received the instruction to do as his only work. To
do this work, almost all the prophets (as) had to bear all kinds of sufferings
and hardships. The Sahaba (ra), and other devoted Muslims in the early eras of
Islam spent their entire lives in struggling and fighting for [the cause of] Islam
in the same way. Most of them have sacrificed their life in the way of Allah. We
will be very unlucky and we will suffer great loss if we do not devote some
time, even if it is little, to propagate and defend Islam. We need to recognize
that it is by our neglect to do this important work that the Muslim community
has fallen in this current situation, where it has fallen morally low and close
to crumbling. So, it is necessary that we get up and make the maximum efforts
[to revive it].
Previously, the real
objective of a Muslim was to sacrifice his life, honour and wealth to defend
Islam and to keep this Kalimah at the height of its greatness. In this
era, if someone decides to act like that, where he is ready to sacrifice his
life for Islam, then the current Muslim society considers him a stupid and
useless person. But this is very saddening!
Nowadays, despite the fact that we feel proud of ourselves
as Muslims, we are not making any move to stop this enormous loss. On the other hand, if we learn a lesson from this situation,
we can realize that our true mission, our true goal in life, is to spread Islam;
our existence as Muslims, our success, our glory and our ultimate success is
found therein. But the opposite is also true. When we neglect
this important work, we will plummet morally and socially. The only way to
escape with this is that we sincerely need to do Taubah [repent with
Allah] about our laziness and the wrong that we have done in the past, and take
action right away to revive this Tabligh effort [work] and make it
become our first work. Only then can we expect the blessing and mercy of Allah
(twt) to be showered on us in abundance and to give us success and contentment
in this temporal world and in the hereafter.
This does not mean that we need to leave everything behind
us: - work, commerce, occupation and spend all our time for this work. What we
need to understand is that the same way we dedicate the maximum attention and
time to the occupations of this world; we need to dedicate the maximum time to
do this work too.
When a group of people
are ready to do this sacred work, they get in touch with comrades or other
brothers in their locality who are already engaged in this effort [i.e. Tabligh
work] and spend some time with them each week.
Next Step: And
always with advice from those who are doing this work, they spend three full
days each month in a neighboring locality. Later, but Insha-Allah this
materializes as soon as possible, they spend a whole month or even better,
forty days every year in a farther place to continue this work. And finally,
this Tabligh effort requires us to spend four full months, once in a
lifetime in an appropriate environment. All this time needs to be used fully to
learn and propagate true Islam and adopt the “Way of Life” recommended by the Shariah.
In this way, our efforts will progress and eventually reach
everyone: rich and poor, worker and boss, city dwellers and country dwellers,
those who can read and those who cannot read. Together ALL Muslims can join in
this work and be united by this true Islam which is ordered by Allah (twt) and
His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Insha-Allah Ta’ala Al-Aziz.
And Insha-Allah – for lack of time, I will continue
this Khutba next week on that work which we need to do, i.e. Dawa/Tabligh.
May Allah inspire the hearts of Muslims to understand my words and my call and that we all establish ourselves on Islam and practice all that Allah has ordered us and stay away from all that He has forbidden for us, and Insha-Allah, by His All-Power, He helps us in our work to spread His Tawheed in the world. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
----Friday Sermon of 24 June 2022~25 Dhul Qaddah 1443 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.