In his Friday Sermon of 26 May 2023 ~05 Dhul-Qaddah 1444 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius reminds us profoundly about the forthcoming accountability that all of us- human beings on the face of earth- are bound to face on the Day of Judgement. Allah (swt) has gifted us the freedom of choice in this world, and the power is hinged with responsibility and consequences for our own future well being- both in this world and in the world to come. As God is Just, and no injustice shall be done to anyone on the Day of Decision when the Book of Records shall be unveiled; indeed, in the life to come, the fire of Hell or the bliss of Heaven awaits people based on the record of their deeds.
Allah (swt) raised messengers and prophets in the past to guide human communities on the correct path to follow in life. The 'Imams' so raised warned people about the two highways of life: of the need to believe in Divine guidance and messages, and to be wary of the deviant path and temptations the Satanic forces promote. Indeed, Prophets and saints imbued with the Holy Spirit (Roohul Quddus) provide true guidance to people in every era. They are the true ‘Imam’ believers follow in their spiritual quest, for these men of God lead people to the heavenly abode whereas the deviant ‘Imam’s- satanic leaders- marshal people to Hellfire. Whereas the True Imam leads to Divine Contentment and Heavenly Bliss, Divine Wrath and Hell fire is the fate of those who follow their own whims, or the lead of those who promise delusion.
In this discourse, Hazrat Muhyiuddin (aba) points out that Divine revelations and inspirations are a subtle spiritual reality that has meaning and substance even in this era. Contrary to popular perception, the door of Divine communion and communications remain wide open. To attain true guidance and certainty, one needs to purify one’s heart for sincere faith in God; offer repentance in true devotion to the One and Only God. Such truly humble devotion and secret invocations and prostrations at the Throne of God can open up one’s spiritual path, and enable one to experience true guidance and mystical communion even in this era.
Read the Friday Sermon:
The Divinely Elected Imam & True Guidance
“One day We shall call
together all human beings with their (respective) Imams; those who are given
their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and they will
not be dealt with unjustly in the least.” (Al-Isra 17: 72)
In the Holy Quran Allah
(swt) says: “One day We shall call together all human beings with their (respective)
Imams”
What is the meaning of being Imam here? Some understand the meaning to be that each nation or group will appear with its leader, who will bear witness to its virtues or sin. Another view is that the imam is their revelation, their book [which they received].
On Judgement Day the
children of light will be informed of, receive, and peruse their record, and
will render joyful thanks to Allah (swt) for His mercies. What about the
children of darkness? They had already been blinded in this flimsy life on
earth, and they will not receive the light of Allah’s countenance, because they
have rejected the prophets of Allah who came with Divine Revelation to bring
them to the Divine Light. On the contrary they will find that the longer the
time they have travelled, the farther away they have gone from the divine path.
Notice that the Quran
labels these people as those who are blind, not seeing the light, and who go farther
and farther away from the true path.
It happens with men of
God, and it happened with the Holy Prophet (pbuh), that they are tempted by the
leaders of darkness with many attractive things or people [especially attractive
women] of this world, so that they renounce in preaching the truth from Allah.
Those disbelieving leaders and people may try to attract the people of light to
their darkness which is masked by the beauty of deception. If those men of God
succumb to worldly attractions, way beyond the limits set for them by Allah,
then, the plans of the people of darkness may be able to overturn their
position and neutralize the whole teaching sent by Allah. Had the Holy prophet
(pbuh) accepted the wealth and position which the Quraish presented to him in
return of stopping his divine mission and to “respect” their idols by
recognizing their existence along with Allah, then Allah would have overturned
him and seized him with severe punishment.
While the Quraish would
have taken him into their inner circle, Allah would have seized him by his
jugular veins for turning against his divine mission and accepting the
establishment of Shirk (association of God Almighty) in the world. Had
our beloved prophet acted like a dishonest servant for Allah, then a dishonest
liar like Musaylima would have jumped at the opportunity and been hailed as a
friend and associate and made much of fun of the prophet [because the latter
would have turned against his own mission – the divine mission he received].
But men of God are made of sterner stuff. They are given special strength to resist
all plausible deception in the path of truth.
From a purely human
point of view it may seem normal or something which is politically right to
make a small “concession” and fall to men’s weakness in order to fulfil a
divine mission. But the Divine Messenger is given special strength to resist
such temptations. If such a thing was possible for a true messenger of God, viz.,
a compromise with evil and a dereliction of his mission, he would be no
exception to the law of personal responsibility – which means that he also as a
prophet or messenger of Allah would have to account for all that before Allah.
Indeed, as the power
and the responsibility were greater, the punishment would have been greater
too. It would have been doubled, an exposure in this life and the usual
punishment in or after death for a desertion of the truth.
The motive held out by
the world for a compromise with truth is itself fallacious and a trap. The
motive is doubtful, and it [i.e. the motive] is that the compromise may bring
influence, position, and opportunity, if not wealth and the other good things of
life. But these, if attained, would be of no use or help if pitted against the
command of God. These won’t be of any help to those Men of God if they oppose
themselves to the Divine Commands. As happened in the case of the Holy Prophet
(pbuh), the enemies tried to seduce him [with the attractions of this world]
and (when they failed) they even frightened him away from their midst, so that
once away, they could expel him and keep him out [i.e. he would have no means
to return to his homeland]. But when they put into execution their evil plan
and moreover, they started to persecute the righteous, they dug their own
graves! This was no new thing in history. God protects those whom He considers His
own, and the ungodly cannot long enjoy the fruits of their unrighteousness even
if their punishment is delayed a little while.
You know the Messenger
of Allah (swt) only acts on Allah’s commission and thus when he receives inspirations
from Allah’s pure nature, therefore falsehood must perish (and disappear), for
it is the opposite of truth, and truth must ever prevail.
In Allah’s revelation
there is healing for our broken spirits, hope for our spiritual future and joy
in the forgiveness of our sins. All those who work for the faith and with faith
will share in these privileges. It is only the rebels against God’s law who
will suffer loss. The more the state of sin and wrath is worse, the worst is the
destruction [i.e. for the miscreants].
Truth saves the true
believers from two extremes: when they are happy, they are saved from becoming
arrogant, for they realize that everything comes from Allah; and when they
suffer misfortunes, they are not in despair, for they know that Allah is their
sure refuge and help. If the wicked go their own ways, there is nothing to
discourage the believers. It is their nature. The true believers must seek and
hold fast to true guidance.
Now we come to the
questions [which many people have asked and which I answer here in this sermon]:
What is the nature of inspirations? Who brings it? Can it ask its bringer question? Can we ask
anything which we wish? This is
the sort of questions which are always asked.
Inspirations are one of
those high spiritual mysteries which cannot be explained in the terms of our
everyday human experience. It is spiritual. The Holy Spirit (Gabriel) does not
come of his own will. He comes by the command of God, and reveals what God
commands him to reveal. Of the sum-total of true spiritual knowledge which
exists and which is imparted to the people by the Messengers of Allah, only a
small part it is that ordinary mortal can understand! Unless the prophet or
messenger or the reformer of the time who receives the inspirations explains
them, i.e. those messages – from the knowledge vouchsafed to him by Allah –
then nobody can really understand them in their profound meaning. For examples,
many parables are used by Allah in His revelations and inspirations to convey
His message. Thus, if the recipient of revelation or inspiration does not
explain the message he has received, therefore, it will be difficult for the
people listening or reading the message to understand. The messages are wrapped
in mysteries until the appointed time and Allah unveils the truth.
So, some explanations
are given to them [by the Prophet of Allah] about those revelations and inspirations
and only part of those messages - which the people can grasp and understand -
are explained to them until the time comes when the full extent of the message
is finally manifested – and becomes clear for all. They can be only given [by
the Prophet] that which they can understand, however dimly. He explains to them
the message – sometimes only part of it – to the extent of what they can
understand. The believers are not in a position to ask anything that they wish.
If they did so, it would only make them look foolish, and they would be
profoundly confused, for the guidance – the true explanation of those messages
– comes from God’s wisdom, not from their worldly knowledge.
Let me give you an
example: We all know that Allah has forbidden the believers from lying. Lying
is reprehensible. This is the law that Allah established for the people of
truth on earth. But Allah is beyond the concept of truth and lies. He does what
He pleases and He helps His servants in extraordinary ways so that the
disbelievers realize their mistakes. This happened during the time of Hazrat
Yusuf (as) when Allah hid his identity from his half-brothers who still had a
grudge against him. But according to the law of the country, he could not
retain his own brother Benjamin with him unless there was something that
detained him in the country because of something that he was supposed to have
done, but which he has not done. So, Allah established a plan for Yusuf (as).
By the command of Allah, Yusuf (as) put the big cup of the king in the bag of his
own brother so that the royal guards could arrest him for stealing and then he would
be able to stay in Egypt and thus Yusuf (as) would have his brother with him.
Did the brother steal?
No! But Allah made this plan for Yusuf (as)! Can we accuse Allah, or His
prophet of lying? No! Because this command, this plan comes from the Creator
Himself, Who finally made this plan to reunite Yusuf with his full brother and
to teach his half-brothers a lesson. Did Yusuf (as) end up throwing his brother
in prison? No! Because he did this only to reveal himself to his brother and
that the latter may know that he [Yusuf] is alive and that he is enjoying a
position of honour in the country by the grace of Allah, despite the plots of
his half-brothers .
So we find that this is
a solid plan of Allah. Not all people have the ability to understand Allah’s
plan. They can accuse Allah of lying or the prophet of lying, but this “lie”
was the Truth of Allah, the Plan of Allah to save His prophet and his honour.
So, we see that Allah’s plan is solid.
Even the spiritual
knowledge that comes to them [i.e., the believers] comes because of the favour
and mercy of Allah. What would have happened if He were to withhold it? Who can
call Him in question?
A Messenger of Allah is
a man at the command of Allah and not to satisfy the disingenuous whims and
fancies of the unbelievers. The dealings of the unbelievers with him cannot
hinder him from accomplishing his Divine Mission. Miracles far exalted in
greatness and wonder than any that their foolish fancies could devise were manifested
in the past before them [i.e. the unbelievers]. The Quran was such a miracle,
and it is a standing miracle that will last through the ages. This means that
the miracles it proclaims can repeat in any era and which will stand as a proof
of its truthfulness and the sublime wonders it relates. Why did those people in
the past then not believe? And why are the people of our era not believing?
The real reason was, is
spite and jealousy like that of Iblis. When a man is raised to honour and
dignity, his sincere brothers rejoice, for it is an honour that reflects its
glory on them. But those with evil in their hearts are jealous like their
prototype Iblis. To such men the mere fact that their own brother receives the
grace of God is enough to turn them against that brother. Any other reasons
they may devise are mere make-believe. If you want a real witness it is that of
the true ever-living God, not the fancies of the unbelievers. Allah is always
everywhere and with you. Purify your hearts and ask Him in true contrition and
repentance, and He will guide you and show you the way. All your insincere subtleties
[O unbelievers!] are of no use. The only real guidance is the guidance of God.
If you do not seek His grace, you will be lost. Besides Him, there is no true
friend or protector.
If you still persist in
your evil ways, what is to be your evil end? You will become more and more
identified with the company of evil. You will come to shame and ignominy, like
men thrown down prone on their faces. You will lose the use of all the
faculties of judgement with which God has endowed you. Instead of seeing, you
will be blind to Allah’s signs. Instead, of having the power of seeking Him in
prayer and rejoicing in His grace, you will be dumb. Instead of hearing the
harmony and music of the spheres, as typified in the pure and harmonious lives
of men, you will hear nothing or only hear dull or confused sounds like deaf
men. The scorching fire of your punishment will not grow less, bur grow fiercer
as you go deeper into hell.
Allah Who created all
that is in the heaven and on earth, has surely the power to receive the life of
individual souls after their bodies have perished and receive them with
memories of their past life and for a continuation of their spiritual history
(in the Hereafter). Only He has fixed a term for each stage of our existence
which we can neither prolong nor shorten.
A Muslim’s state of
mind when in the posture of prostration, the realization of the greatness of
God and of his own weakness humbles his spirit. The believers are required to
prostrate themselves and put in mind that Allah possesses innumerable
attributes and he should then invoke in his prayer that particular Divine Attribute
which has special bearing on the matter for which he seeks Divine guidance and
help. Insha-Allah.
So purify your hearts and ask Him in true contrition and repentance, Insha-Allah, Allah (swt) will guide you and show you the way, Insha-Allah.