Kerala Jalsa 2022: A Report

 

Alhamdulillah, with the approval and blessed permission of Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius, the Thirteenth Jalsa Salana (Annual Meeting) of the Kerala Jamaat took place at the historic Noor’ul Islam Masjid, Mathra, on 23-25 December 2022, Summa Alhamdulillah. 

In addition to the members in Mathra; brothers and families from Pappankulam, Karunagappally and Alappuzha, and Delhi also could reach the Masjid venue ahead of the commencement of the three-day Programme.

On the first day, all brothers and sisters collectively offered the Tahajjud prayers at 4.45 am, and it was followed later, at 5:10 am, by the Namaz-e-Fajr. Mukarram Amir Jamaludin Raother Saheb conducted a Dars-ul-Qur’an, immediately after the Fajr Namaz. After morning works and breakfast, there was a round of Waqar-e-Amal around the Masjid premises and surroundings. Later, Mukarram Amir Saheb led the Jumuah prayers, and for the Friday sermon, the Amir Saheb chose to speak on “the exemplary life of the Holy Prophet (sa)”- explaining a classic Qutubah of Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) on the theme for the benefit of all members present. 

Jesus’ Travels Post Crucifixion

  

All the Messengers of Allah, especially the law-bearing prophets were made in some way or another to leave their initial place of residence for another place through the will of Allah. Sometimes, places within their own homelands or they switched altogether countries where their missions went on to be successful.

Today I would like to put before you the heart-touching story and the lesson which Jesus – Hazrat Isa (as) has given us in his emigration from Jerusalem to Kashmir in India. [Inset: Jesus in western art, symbolic- not historically accurate, representation]. 

In his post-crucifixion period, Jesus was helped by his well-wishers and disciples in secret. His disciples on record may have been official twelve men, out of which one (i.e. Judas) became a hypocrite and “sold” him to his enemies, but he may have had many secret disciples not recorded in history who became sincere help when he had to flee Jerusalem. From a study of his life, and the research of various authors including the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), Jesus (as) may have stayed in Palestine, as well as Afghanistan and Northern India before he finally met his lost sheep, i.e. the Lost Tribes of Israel.

Power and the Doing of Good

In his Friday Sermon of 09 December 2022 ~14 Jamadi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his series of reflections on the state of international politics, and relations. In the previous sermons in the series, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) noted the war strategies and economic rivalry of major nations in their quest for global dominance- illustrating these earthly struggles for supremacy with reference to the policies of the United States and  China, in Africa and elsewhere. In the present Sermon, Hazrat Saheb (aba) continues to expand on the broader theme by referencing China's growing global footprint in the world through developing trade and transportation linkages, maritime connectivity projects and other transnational banking and commercial linkages collectively known as 'One Belt, One Road'.  

As against the crass materialism and cut-throat quest for profit over people that is at the heart of these transnational economic initiatives,  Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) advocates that true politics of imperium should promote just dealings and benefit common people and the society at large by encouraging charitable giving and developing shared facilities. In this context, Hazrat Saheb (aba) points to some outstanding episodes from global history: the critical role played by exemplary Muslim women such as Hazrat Khadtija (ra), and also a lady of the Ottoman household in leaving an enduring legacy of beneficial giving through Waqf endowments. Both affluence and power are opportunities for doing good, especially for the indigent and other less privileged of the society. May Allah (swt) enable everyone of us to live with a wider consciousness about the state of our world, and seek to improve its situation through doing good, individually and collectively at our own levels, Insha Allah, Aameen.    

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

The US-China Rivalry in Africa

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the Tawfeeq to put before you the strategies of the countries which take themselves as superpowers and whose actions and plans are made to drift people away from the right path and to cause bloodshed to spread throughout this temporal world.

 

Today I will talk more precisely on the rivalry which exists between the USA and China, especially in Africa.

 

Africa is a critical component of China’s strategic objectives for economic growth and hegemony. China’s expansion across the continents has been dramatic, from trade to extraction to manufacturing. Chinese companies are responsible for more than 12 percent of the continent’s industry. During the last one decade, China has become the largest trading partner of Africa. China has significantly expanded African railways, investing in various projects in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Angola and Nigeria; it has invested in the construction and setting-up of a massive hydroelectric dam in Angola and has built Africa’s longest railway connecting Ethiopia and Djibouti; it has built the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa and the West African regional bloc, i.e. the Economic Community of Western African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja.

The Plans of Modern Pharaohs

 

The rise of authoritarian strongmen- 'modern Pharaohs' as it were- in numerous countries in recent times through either military takeovers, or by deeply-flawed but populist ('democratic') processes threaten true freedom every where. Countries with dangerous imperial delusions and territorial expansion plans include Russia under Vladimir Putin; China under Xi Jinping; India under Narendra Modi, and Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu. While each of these nations know that international law does not legitimate military conquest and foreign occupation, they plan that 'stealth' and 'subterfuge' can carry their secret plots to fruition: the acquisition and control of territories through any means, including war. Likewise, the return to power in Kabul by the Taliban; by other equally vicious military oligarchs in North Korea, Myanmar, Mali, Sudan, Tunisia, Nicaragua and Egypt mean an era of political repression and glaring injustice for the people of these unfortunate countries. It is also instructive to note that many other nations are also arming themselves to the teeth; preparing themselves for the  'Wars of the future'. 

Against this grim backdrop of international political and strategic developments with the rise of modern pharaohs, in his Friday Sermon of 25 November 2022 ~30 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his series of reflections on the challenges confronting international freedom, peace and tranquillity.    

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

The Modern Pharaohs of this World & Their War Strategies

The pharaonic dynasty was about horrible tyrants who claimed to be all-powerful gods, and they made their people worship them. They amassed unfathomable wealth and power, while the masses, as always, laboured to survive. They built huge monuments to their own praise, big slabs to flatter their ego, to impress their followers and foreign powers with their stature and might. They abused their authority at every turn, killed off the opposition, tortured, maimed, plotted, connived, and clung to power by every means imaginable. And their legacy [i.e. their evil, their thirst for power, grandeur and wealth] has persisted until today.

 

It is well established among the people of all religions, especially, the three main monotheistic ones, i.e. Muslims, Jews and Christians, that Pharaoh was one of the worst disbelievers in God; in fact, in the Quran, Allah does not tell the story of any disbeliever by name more than the story of Pharaoh, and He does not tell us more detail of the disbelief, transgression and arrogance of any disbeliever more than He tells us about Pharaoh.

'Zalzala Azim' and 'Fath-e-Islam'

 

According to Divine Promise- a grand prophecy preserved in the Holy Qur'an-, the religion of Allah as taught by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) shall prevail on, and dominate over, all other so-called ideologies of life in the fullness of time. Yet, ironically, several Muslim communities around the world face glaring existential challenges at the hands of the disbelievers today; anti-Muslim forces in different nations are seeking to destroy Muslim communities. The mass expulsions and genocidal violence orchestrated against the Muslims in Palestine, Bosnia, Central African Republic, the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, the Uighur Muslims in China, etc. are emblematic of the grave challenges of identity, dignity and rights of people who believed in Allah (swt) and followed Islam as their religion. Palestine is a symbol of the oppression and destitution, slavery and subjugation that the Muslim Ummah stares in their political fortunes in our times. 

In his Friday Sermon of 18 November 2022~23 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al  Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius closely reviews the continuing  great injustice in Palestine, and also other internal challenges facing the Muslim Ummah in establishing the Faith and its majesty on earth. Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) cautions the Muslim Ummah about the painful consequences of the lack of unity and joint position within the Ummah on common threats and challenges. Narrow self-serving positions, economic interests, national pride, sectarian prejudices and schisms keep the Arab/Muslim world busy in their own silos, blissfully oblivious of the challenges facing the Ummah. In the meanwhile, other powers, like the Satan, can sense opportunities, easily mount and sustain their assault on Islam by picking sides among the believers, as they find the House divided on multiple fault lines.  Be that as it may, Hazrat Saheb (aba) warns the world that anti-Islam forces will not be able to 'finish' Islam through their maverick plots and conspiracies. The chosen messenger of Allah (swt) in this era foretells that the pharaohs of this era will also meet with Divine vengeance when they seek to destroy His religion, and the predominance of His servants and the religion of Allah will unfurl a new dawn in this world, Insha Allah, Aameen.  

The Wider Plan of the USA in favour of Israel

 

Ever since the creation of Israel, Palestine has become a symbol of unjust oppression. Innocents in millions have since then been debarred from their homes and properties. Peace which was their right was snatched away from them when their motherland became the object of a deep war and division.

 

In one way or another, on a daily basis we hear about the horrors committed against the Palestinian people – heart-breaking and sad; it is such a situation which brings tears to the eyes. They are oppressed in all forms and live in an open prison.

'Halloween' in Arabia

   

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa), in an astonishing tradition (Hadith), presciently foretold the Muslim Ummah that just like communities before them faced different trials in their times, the Ummah will also face real tests of national character in the ebb and flow of time. The Holy Prophet (sa) specifically warned the community against major sins that singed earlier peoples: spread of immorality and open injustice in the social order; unfair dealings and selfish indulgence of the rich, neglect of Divine commands and pursuit of amusement; factionalism among the elites leading to foreign intervention and eventual cultural subjugation under other peoples.

The world of Islam today bear witness to the essential truthfulness and fulfillment of those grim forewarnings. Under the ideological dominance of 'Godlessness' or hedonistic individualism, the social elites in the Muslim world are playing lip-service to sublime spiritual values; they are enamoured of Satanic temptations at amusement avenues and the economics of entertainment opportunities is driving the shifts in national policies. Hence, the Westernization process seems to grip almost all walks of everyday life in the Muslim nations in recent times. In his Friday Sermon of 11 November 2022~16 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius points to the pitfalls of this process for the community and society at large.  

'Kashf': Vision of 11 November 2022

In the Islamic mystical tradition, Kashf  [unveiling] is a spiritual concept dealing with the Divinely-bestowed knowledge of the Illumined Heart. Kashf describes the state of experiencing a personal Divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles, and uncovering the spiritual faculty of heart in order to allow Divine truths to pour into it. Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa ‘Divine disclosure’. It connotes the purified heart ‘gaining familiarity with things Unseen behind the veils. For those who have purified their hearts, and who come to know the Divine Names and Attributes to the fullest of their individual capacities, the veils in front of the purely spiritual realms are opened slightly, and they begin to gain familiarity with the Unseen. Indeed, the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the sincere seeker through the light of knowledge of God. This is called ‘Tajalli-at-Ilaahi’ [Divine manifestation’].

The holy men and women [saints] of Islam, who lived in the centuries after the Holy Prophet (sa), became guiding poles of the religion as they preserved the living spirit of the Faith by renewing his spiritual model and example. Through fervent remembrance of God,  prayer and invocations, they sought to clean their hearts for Divine Mercy and special illumination. It is through the Divine Manifestations vouchsafed to such purified individuals that the rejuvenation of Islam took place in dark times. In our times, Hazrat Imam Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba), the Holy Founder of the Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya Al Muslemeen of Mauritius, and the supreme head of the Jamaat-Ul Sahih Al Islam International, is such a purified soul who is graced with Divine Mercy and is bestowed with many mystical experiences of Divine illuminations over the last two decades. By the immense grace of Allah, the revelations, spiritual visions and Bashaarat being bestowed on Hazrat Saheb (aba) directly point to the enduring light of the Qur'an, Subhaan Allah, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah-u-Akbar! 

Reproduced Below is a Kashf (spiritual vision) experienced by the revered Imam (aba) on Friday 11 November 2022 after Jummah prayer: 

'Duah' and 'Zikr' in the Night

 

True faith in the heart leads to sincerity in devotional worship, marking out true believers from the rest. That is why, along with regular prayers in the day, Islam prescribes supplementary prayers in the stillness of the night for the truly devout who seek nearness to God. Indeed, according to the Holy Qur'an, a clear sign of the true believers is their fervent seeking of Divine forgiveness and mercy, leaving aside the comforts of rest in the night: ‘Those who spend the night in devotion to their Lord, in prostration and standing.’ (25:65) 'Their sides shun their beds in order to pray to their Lord in fear and hope' (32: 17). 

Divine commands exhort the believers: ‘Celebrate the praise of your Lord before the rising and setting of the sun; proclaim His praise in the night, and at the end of every prayer.’ (50:40-41) In other words, true believers are ‘[T]hose who spend the night in devotion to their Lord, in prostration and standing.’ (25:65)  

‘Stand up in Prayer at night except a small part of it–half, or a little less, or a little more– and recite the Quran slowly and distinctly. Verily, We shall charge you with a weighty Word. Verily, getting up at night for prayer is the most potent means of subduing the self and most effective in speech.’ (73:3-7)

‘And wake up for it (the Qur'an) in the latter part of the night as a supererogatory service for you. It may be that Your Lord will raise you to an exalted station.’  (17:80)

Faith: 'Muslims under Trial'

 

In his Friday Sermon of 04 November 2022 ~09 Rabi’ul Aakhir 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius calls attention to a very sobering lesson for all true believers in every era: the future and good fortune of a people is linked to their piety and righteousness in life. Likewise, according to sacred spiritual wisdom preserved in the Holy Qur'an, when a people become lawbreakers and deviates from Divine teachings, the quagmire of misguidance, misfortune and enslavement would engulf them in a cycle of never-ending despair and disaster. 

According to the profound wisdom and prescient assessment of the Holy Prophet (sa), fatal flaws can encircle a people under trial when they let go of the true spirit of Faith, embrace materialism and splinter into different sects and political groupings. When they drown in immorality and injustice; worship money and ease; neglect the poor, and oppress the defenceless; become enamoured of other cultures even at the price of one's Faith and corrode the strength of its values through frequent disputes, schism and factional feuds; they themselves will be complicit in external intervention in internal affairs, perpetuating the vicious cycle of degradation of faith and moral fibre and consequent national decadence. Pointing to a sacred tradition of the Holy Prophet (sa) on the aforesaid theme, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) observes in this discourse that each one of the signs of decadence is discernible in the dire state of our world today, especially in the predicament of the Arab nation.        

 

Reflecting on the continuing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories- including East Jerusalem [the land of the holiest Masjid Al Aqsa]- without any fair deal for the people under subjugation for over half a century, and the recent events involving Arab leaders facilitating Israel's integration into the regional rivalry against Iran, in the backdrop of US- scheming in the region; Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes the searing reality that despite their public statements, the Arab leaders in the ring show no real commitment to the cause of the Oppressed, as they are more concerned about their own narrow interests of power and pelf. The agony and misfortune of foreign occupation and the humiliation of subjugation today is a grim reminder of the ways in which Divine vengeance engulfs a people under trial, observes Hazrat Saheb (aba) in the discourse.

Quran’s Truth in Science

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, in the light of the last Friday’s sermon, let us see today the truth revealed more than a thousand years ago about the creation of this world and man, and what Islam and Science have said on the subject.

 

Compared to the other divinely-revealed scriptures, the Holy Quran is the only Divinely-sent Scripture which has survived the passage of time without interpolations. It is only the Quran which can be interpreted, without altering even a vowel sign of its sacred text, in a manner that completely satisfies the present generation’s sense of inquiry, and approaches its level of intellect, as it did of the preceding one’s in the past.

 

Today, like yesterday, the Quran is speaking to the seekers of truth. Their every question, formulated in the mind is being responded to by Allah through their contact with the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran has therefore become the oracle of truth, the mirror of purity and progress. Opening the Quran has become one’s way to communicate with Allah and vice-versa.

 

The knowledge contained therein, whether spiritual or scientific is amazing. Allah has revealed such details about His creations that an unlettered man from Arabia or any other would not have known until our times today when advanced technologies, by the grace of Allah, have helped to discern the truth found in this amazing Holy Book.

Islam & Women's Rights

 

In his Friday Sermon of 21 October 2022 ~24 Rabi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his exposition on the rights of women in society- aspects of a theme that was eloquently explained in the previous Friday Sermon in the light of specific Divine revelations he originally received  as early as two decades ago. Against the backdrop of contemporary issues in various nations involving Muslim women's status and social rights, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the truly progressive spirit of original Islamic teachings concerning appropriate social conduct among men and women, and the related regulations it introduced to enable people to safeguard against evil and indecency. Despite the rise of Islamophobia in the West, the growing number of women from non-Muslim cultures and  social backgrounds discovering Islam, including its modes of dressing, in recent years testify to the essential wisdom underlying the enduring teachings of Islam. 

At the same time, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) calls attention to the gross excesses being committed by those in authority in the name of implementing religious norms. The ongoing protests in Iran, in the aftermath of the killing of a young Mahsa Amini in the name of Hijab violations by the national "moral police" may also mark the beginning of the end of an oppressive regime of Mullahs playing God on earth.    

   

Elucidating on the Islamic concept of a non-exploitative social order where men and women have an equal responsibility in recognizing the dignity, rights and interests of one another, Hazrat Saheb (aba) underscores the need for the community of believers- both men and women- to gain a proper appreciation of the ethical roots and subtle wisdom that underlies the Islamic regulations of social life.   

'Pardah': A Divine Message

 

An Important Message on the Islamic Pardah

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, as you all know that Allah, through the advent of Islam and the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has restored the Status of Women in society. This creature that has been trampled on for so long, Allah and His beloved Nabi [prophet] has given them back their value, but the ladies too must not exceed the limits in what Allah has given them permission to do.

 

Today, I am sharing with you a divine revelation that I received on Friday, 21 May 2004, in the beginnings of the Divine Manifestation, and the creation of the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen. Today, the same message is valid for the gents and ladies of the Divine Manifestation with the advent of this humble Servant of Allah as the Khalifatullah and the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.

 

I will put in front of you the parts that concern you today and which are very important that you pay very particular attention to and that you also follow this divine advice so that you may gain the benefits of these instructions too, and you come closer to Allah through you obedience to Allah and His Muhyiuddin Al-Khalifatullah of this century. Insha-Allah.

Noble Traits of the Prophet

 

 The Character and Life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

It is essential to inculcate in one the reverence and respect for the lofty character and habits of the Messenger of Allah, the Holy Prophet of Islam and [of] whole Humanity Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). It is necessary that the morals of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) become established in one’s heart so that love for the best of mankind (pbuh) becomes dominant in the heart and eagerness to follow his holy character is induced in the believer. I will mention some Quranic verses and Hadiths in this regard.

 

Allah the Exalted has said: “Verily, you (Muhammad) are on an exalted standard of character”. (Surah Al-Qalam 68:5)

 

Allah furthermore says: “O you who believe! Do not enter the houses of the Prophet for a meal without permission. If you are invited, you may enter, but be punctual (so that you will not be waiting while the meal is being prepared). When you have finished eating, leave his home. Do not sit around chatting among yourselves. This will annoy the Prophet but he will feel embarrassed to tell you. God does not feel embarrassed to tell you the truth...” (Al-Ahzab 33: 54)

 

This is a reference to a particular incident. Some companions stayed longer than what was proper on this occasion at the home of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) who was anxious to retire for the night. They continued in conversation. Although the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) was inconvenienced by their late stay, he nevertheless refrained from telling them anything. This was in regard to his personal matters and not to such affairs which came within the purview of Tabligh.

 

Hazrat Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (ra) narrated “The Prophet (pbuh) was more shy (from Haya: i.e. pious shyness from committing religious indiscretions) than a veiled virgin girl.”

Revelations of 17 October 2022

 

‘O you who believe! When you hold secret counsels do not confer to promote sin, transgression and disobedience to the Messenger. Rather confer (to promote) piety, and righteousness and restraint from evil. And take Allâh as a shield, (Allâh) before Whom you shall be gathered together. Holding secret counsels (with evil intentions) is (the work) of satan (who does it) to cause unrest and distress to those who believe. Yet he can do them no harm at all except by the leave of Allâh. Therefore let the believers repose their trust in Allâh.’ (58:10-11)

On Monday, 17 October 2022 at 11.45 am, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius received Divine revelations during Duah and Zikr. These revelations, along with a brief commentary provided by Hazrat Saheb (aba) while announcing the same, contain pure guidance that can benefit all true devotees of God in this era- an era of stealth and subterfuge, of secret plots and dark deeds. 

Indeed, true believers need to be aware of the secret, black deeds of the Hypocrites who seek to deviate people who joins the Divine Elect of their times, by sowing the seeds of doubt and suspicion in their minds by spreading false accusations. The Holy Qur'an emphatically states that the good and the bad are not alike, and that the believers have to be vigilant against Satanic impulses that lead to secret plots, sin and transgression at all times, and in all contexts, they should be ready to fight along with the Elects of God for establishing equity and justice on earth by promoting good and righteous causes. 

Qur’an on Witchcraft

 

‘Say: I seek refuge with the Lord of the Dawn, from the evil of that which He created; from the mischief of Darkness as it overspreads; and from the evil of those who spit on the knots, (i.e., perform malignant witchcraft). And from the evil of the envious when he envies.’ (113: 2-6) 

Last week, two macabre murders- apparently, ‘human sacrifices’ to propitiate the Devil in pursuit of fortune and riches- were reported from Kerala, sending shockwaves across the nation. According to the Police, the accused couple (currently in custody) staunchly believed in sorcery and witchcraft, indulged in criminal conspiracy with a habitual criminal who exploited their black magic inclinations, and the three together killed two hapless poor women, one after the other over a period of three months. It should also be noted that other incidents of abuse and assault involving occultists and sorcerers have also been reported in the recent past, not just from the State but also elsewhere in India, including from Karnataka and Maharashtra. Superstitious practices gaining ground among all communities is indeed a reflection of the rot in the wider society: worship of wealth and possessions even at the price of one’s soul. 

Worshipping God, or Idols ?

‘Your God is the one God: there is no god except Him, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the seas with goods for people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the changing of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their minds.’ (2: 164 -165)

 

Islam privileges an uncompromising belief in the unicity of God as the true religion of people. In the Islamic tradition, the personal name of God is ‘Allah’, and in the Arabic language, ‘Allah’ has no plural, masculine or feminine form; the expression is never used for any other object or being. ‘He is Lord of the heavens and earth and everything in between so worship Him: be steadfast in worshipping Him. Do you know of anyone equal to Him?’ (19:66)

 

‘Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’ (112: 2-5)

Many other Qur’anic verses also testify to the Lord’s awe-inspiring presence: ‘Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.’ (2:256)

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.

'Salah': Errors to Avoid- 3

  

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, since last two weeks I have expounded before you on an important subject, i.e. the errors that all Muslim believers must avoid while praying [Salat]. Being an important pathway to Allah, each Muslim must see to it that he perfects his Salat so that his connection with Allah is perfected, the path leading to Allah is wide open, pure and clear. So, let us see the rest of the errors which the Mussalli does while praying.

 

21) Neglecting to sit in the Iftirash or Tawarruk position in the prayers during the last Tashahhud [i.e. sitting position].

 

It is praiseworthy to take Iftirash or Tawarruk position only in the last sitting position of prayer, i.e. during the last Tashahhud. So, what is Iftirash and what is Tawarruk ? How do we define them? The Iftirash position is to place the left foot on its side and sitting on it; and keeping the right foot vertical while resting on the bottom of the toes turning them towards the Qibla. 

The Tawarruk position is when a person sits with the left posterior on the ground; his right foot placed vertically with toes pointing towards the qibla; and the left foot on its side emerging from under the right foot. 

Concerning the Tawarruk position, Hazrat Abu Humayd al-Sa’idi (ra) narrated: “I have preserved for you the Prophet’s (pbuh) prayer; I saw him… when he would sit from two Rak’at he would sit on his left foot and raise his right. When he sat in the final Rak’ah, he would bring forth his left foot [from under the shin, i.e. the front of the leg below the knee], raise the other, and sit on his posterior.” (Bukhari)

 

Following the Hanafi School of thoughts, we Ahmadi Muslims follow the Iftirash position in the sitting position, especially the final one as the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) has sat in the Iftirash position in all sitting positions of his prayers for the greater part of his life. Even Imam Tirmidhi has stated this to be the practice of the majority of scholars. As for the few times the Messenger (pbuh) did practice Tawarruk - as some narrations do state - it was either due to weakness and not being able to sit in Iftirash position in the latter part of his life, or it was merely to show to his Companions [Sahaba] that it was permissible for them to do so.