‘It is He who made the sun a shining radiance and the moon a
light, determining phases for it so that you might know the number of years and
how to calculate time. God did not create all these without a true purpose; He
explains His signs to those who understand.’----The Holy Qur’an, (10: 6)
‘By the passage of
time! man is [deep] in loss, except
for those who believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge
one another to steadfastness.’ (103: 2-4)
For a man without Faith, the flight of time and all happenings are merely accidental and without any consequences in this world, nor in the world to come! On the other hand, for a believer, there is a meaning and purpose attached to all the events in the ebb and flow of time. He/she lives with a wider consciousness about Divine commands and the Day of Judgement when one’s deed shall make or break one’s fortunes, eternally, as it were. Hence, every New Year is a great reminder- of the years passing by, and the times coming ahead by the Will of Allah, and more importantly, about our duties to choose wisely and act prudently as time goes by.
The Reawakening of the Spiritual Self
There
is little doubt that our small earth is dying and the world we inhabit is going
virtually upside down, with profound challenges confronting humanity on so many
levels: global warming; climate change; species extinction; deforestation;
droughts; floods; wars and arms race among nations; genocidal violence and
human rights violations; resurgence of idolatry, witchcraft and other pagan
practices among peoples; modern forms of slavery and slave-like exploitation of
weaker groups by richer classes and nations; hedonistic materialism engulfing
vast sections of the affluent, and a section of people experimenting with their
sexual identity (gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and queers)- in the
pursuit of earthly pleasures, and social legitimacy, etc.
As
stated above, ours is an era of widespread spiritual confusion, moral decline
and mental anxiety. Hence, perennial wisdom of the spiritual texts call for a
Spiritual Anchor: For, profound changes in society and the consequent shifting
of human perspectives is a reality. Indeed,
every Age requires practical, living role models to reawaken the spirit
of Faith and sacrifice originally displayed by the Prophets. What is right and what
is wrong on contingent circumstances call for clear light of guidance in a New Era-
to be explained by a living exemplar of Faith. That is why Islam swears by the
concept of inspired saints and savants of Faith who follow in the footsteps of
the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa); inspirational souls appearing to revive and
reawaken the true and original spirit of Tawheed
among the people of their times, and thereby enable the people to see through
the darkness of evil and embrace the path of true guidance. In the Islamic
spiritual tradition, numerous titles are bestowed on such Heavenly men on
earth: Khalilullah, Muhyi-ud-Din,
Mujaddid, Khalifatullah, Hazrat Amir-ul-Mu’mineen, Massihullah, Musleh Maoud, Sheikh-ul-Islam,
Hujjat-ul-Islam, Khwajah Noor-ud-Din, Qutbuddin, Hakimuddin, etc.
23 YEARS OF THE DIVINE MANIFESTATION
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 most humble man- Hazrat Munir A. Azim of Mauritius- 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. As the Divine Manifestation of Mauritius enters its twenty-third year in perfect accordance with the finest traditions of Islamic spirituality; it is a living, thriving example of the vitality of Islam as a religion and way of life. The deeply-rooted belief in the Islamic world- and the experience of the distinct 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, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah. Today, many people who have a duty to recognize
and support the Divine mission of an Elect of God among them, continue to
remain aloof, in denial mode. Two decades ago, the Nizam-e-Jamaat-e-Ahmadiyya conspired and planned to wish away the
Divine Will- of raising an Elect of God among them- through invoking their
mundane power in, and administrative fiat over, the community of believers! Yet,
Allah (swt) preserved the spiritual mission He entrusted to His chosen servant!!
Do they think that their
politics of denial and social boycott has a chance against the tide of history
and the destiny of a Man of God?
Allah says in the Qur’an: ‘We will soon show them Our signs all around the world and in
their own selves, until it dawns on them that indeed this is the truth. Is your
Lord not Sufficient (to confirm your veracity), for He alone is (also) witness
to everything?’ (41:53)
[Edited extracts from a Speech given by Abu Zaahidah at a ‘Majlis-e-Irfan’ special session of the Noor’ul Islam Masjid at Mathra on 01 January 2023 at 7.00 pm].