Muhammad in the Later Days

 

‘Sirat-un-Nabi’ Reflections

 

‘Exalted is He who put constellations in the heavens, a radiant light, and an illuminating moon- it is He who made the night and the day follow each other- so anyone who wishes may be mindful, or show gratitude.’ (25: 62-63)

 

‘There is a time set for every people: they cannot hasten it, nor, when it comes, will they be able to delay it for a single moment. O children of Adam! Whenever there come to you Messengers from among yourselves, relating My revelations to you, then whosoever (by accepting them) are conscious of God and live righteously, there will be no fear, nor will they grieve.’ (7: 35-36)

 

‘He it is Who has raised among the Unlettered people a Messenger from among themselves who recites unto them His Signs, and purifies them, and teaches them the Book and wisdom, although they had been, before, in manifest misguidance; And among others from among them who have not yet joined them. He is the Mighty, the Wise. That is Allah’s grace; He bestows it on whom He pleases; and Allah is the Master of immense grace.’ (62:3-5)

 

These verses of the Holy Qur’an, in their own mystical and subtle ways, allude to the philosophy of Divine guidance for humanity in darkened times. These verses unmistakably foretell a remarkable spiritual event of profound historic proportions: the advent of an Elect of God in the Later Days of Islam; the raising of an ‘illuminating moon’ [Qamaran Munira] who will reflect the pristine light of the Sun of Faith, Hazrat Muhammad^(sa), as though the Divine servant is a ‘mirror image’ or the second coming of the original Holy Prophet (sa) himself in this era, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

 

Out of His infinite kindness and mercy for His creatures, our Creator placed the constellation of stars and the Sun and the Moon in the heavens to make possible life on earth. Likewise, the Lord Almighty descends the spiritual light of clear guidance for the benefit of humankind through His chosen messengers in every era- especially in phases of history when sin and corruption cloud the path of the peoples to pristine belief in God and righteous living. Hence, the advent of Prophets and other Elects of God among the people is a recurring theme of human history. Indeed, even before the advent of Islam in Arabia; to lead them out of the darkness of ignorance and confusion in which they were engulfed, God raised numerous prophets among various peoples.

 

The Qur’an notes explicitly:

 

‘[Earlier] communities each had their guide.’ (13:8) 

‘Every community is sent a messenger.’ (10:48)

‘We sent a messenger to every community, saying ‘Worship God, and shun false deities.’ (16:37)

‘We have sent other messengers before you– some We have mentioned to you and some We have not.’ (4:165; 40:79) 

‘We have sent you with the Truth as a bearer of good news and warning– every community has been sent a Warner.’ (35:25)

 

Just as life on earth is literally illumined by the heavenly bodies, including the sun and the moon and the stars; the heavenly light provided by the prophets and saints and the pious companions is critical for spiritual illumination, for knowing God and living righteously, in accordance with Divine commands and being respectful of the rights of others. Prophets teach Divine Law for the benefit of everyone. ‘We sent you [Prophet] only as a mercy to all people’. (21: 107)

 

As the religion of God, Islam as taught by Holy Prophet Muhammad^(sa)  preserves the enduring legacy of all messengers who preached the worship of God and the rejection of false gods. Islamic teachings empowered the marginalised in society: the slaves, the orphans, the indigent, the women. When they became embodiments of Islamic teachings, Muslims inherited the earth. Yet, with the ebb and flow of time, decadence creeped in when people let go of the Qur’anic commands and the spirit of Faith (Imaan) so much so that true faith receded to the Pleiades, as if it were.  

 

It is to restore pristine Islamic beliefs and thereby reclaim the true spirit of faith in practice that the mission of a Divine Elect is ordained in the Later Days. When a servant of God imbued with the hues of the Holy Prophet ^(sa) appears among the people, it is as though the Holy Prophet ^(sa) himself has returned to the earth to rejuvenate Islam. Indeed, the appearance of a Divine Elect among the Muslims in our times is a living, thriving example of the vitality of Islam as a religion and way of life.   

 

More than two decades ago, even as the world marked the end of the second millennium after Jesus (as), and commenced a new century in the trajectory of time in the year 2000-01, spiritually-illumined dreams, sublime mystical visions and Divine revelations were bestowed upon a humble servant of God- a man who already made it his life’s vocation to devote all his time and energy in sharing the Word of God to the people near and far. 

 

The Divine Manifestation of Mauritius in the person of our beloved Imam Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) is in perfect accordance with the finest traditions of Islamic spirituality: the deeply-rooted belief in the Islamic world- and also the experience of several Muslim communities around the world- regarding the appearance of Divinely-imbued souls among the believers finds one of its clearest manifestations in the spiritual circle of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam today.  May Allah (swt) strengthen the hands of His devoted servant of this era in every way, and may the cause of His Deen prevail over all other ideologies, Insha Allah, Aameen.