This verse of the Quran calls you every time. And you will not be able to achieve this without passing through Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). That is why in the Quran and also in the Hadiths, more instructions are given to have Muhabbat (love) for Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And after that, the subject that comes is that there needs to be a link between the two [for one another]. This is not a separate matter. They are branches of one central subject. As you progress further in this matter, there are still many open paths and many beautiful views ahead. It is like a tree that has its roots well planted in the earth and its branches spread out and each branch shows its own beauty, its own greenery. But despite showing their beauty separately, they are always part of the same tree. And they cannot be separated from their tree. It is exactly the same for the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And this is how the Ummah is spread. It blooms and propagates and develops. And all of us together - all Muslims - we are branches of one single being. I try to clarify this subject in reference to the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, the Jamaat that Allah has given me to bring this unity, to re-establish this Islam. Put in your mind that you are the only beings that are part of me. So: “O green branches of my own being! I am the tree that regained life after receiving water and food from Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And I saw a new spring. O people of the Jamaat who are connected with me, you are the flourishing branches of my tree.”
You must also keep in mind that just like
Hazrat Massih Ma’ud (as) received the mission to unite the Ummah, but
this started with his own Jamaat, just like today, with my own Jamaat. This
Jamaat, the Jamaat of Allah is destined to conquer the whole Ummah. Don’t
you say that you are in this Jamaat, and that is enough for you! No! You need
to make an effort to make the Ummah join the unity that you are enjoying
today, and it is important that this unity is not translated only in words, but
in action as well. You should not put in your mind that being the followers of
the Khalifatullah is sufficient for you and you are satisfied with where you
are without participating in the unification of the Ummah. The Ummah
is the body of Nabi Kareem [the Noble Prophet] (pbuh). Are you going to let his
body be divided, and leaving it in pieces, in a bad condition? Are you going to
revive this blessed body or are you going to let it be abandoned like a
decaying corpse about which no funeral rites had been done, and which is not
buried [as per the rites of Islam]?
Be careful not to leave the body of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) dead. It is important that all Muslims without distinction,
like one body, we all come together, because we are from the essence of Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh). This is true for all sincere Muslims around the world, for
those Muslims who do not let their Deen be lost, who do not sell their Deen
at a low price to have the material life of this temporal world.
So, the branches are nothing as long as they
have no direct connection with the tree. And those trees are the prophets. They
gather their followers in one place; they (the prophets) bind you [the
believers] all together. The Imam about whose advent Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has
given the good news, the primary objective of the coming of this Imam is to
gather the people who have gone astray as ONE once again, those very
people who had abandoned the hand of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And so his mission
is to make them all unite again, as one body; in such a way that once again
Islam gets back its reinforced unity that is disappearing in the world [today].
I deliberately mentioned this subject in
reference to excellent moral qualities. Because if I didn’t explain it like
that, many people would enjoy it as a spiritual luxury and then they would
forget it. I want to make you understand that this subject is connected with
moral qualities. And without morals, neither you can establish a bond with the
Holy Prophet (pbuh) nor can you establish a bond among yourselves. And today
morality is more than ever necessary, because by the grace of Allah the speed
through which the Jamaat is propagating, this will make our enemies panic
completely. They are hatching all kinds of evil plans. They are burning with
jealousy but they are not able to do anything. They are doing evils plots at
government level as well and by the grace of Allah we do get those news.
So it seems that they are trying to trouble the
Jamaat. And one of their efforts is the same as I just told you; it is creating
divisions in the Jamaat by drawing wrong conclusions from verses of the Quran.
If we look at the Jamaat of Hazrat Massih Ma’ud (as) only, we [all the Ahmadi
Muslims] have all the time preached that the door of prophethood is always
open. As a missionary of the Ahmadiyya Jamaat at that time, this is the same
main argument that we have against the other Muslims who think that Hazrat
Massih Ma’ud (as) is false. But what has happened to you [Oh Ahmadis] today? You
base yourselves on only the sayings of the previous Caliphs [Ahmadiyya Caliphs]
who have based themselves on their own opinions to say that the Khilafat-e-Massih
will last for 1000 years and that it is not necessary that another Imam chosen
by Allah comes with the Ruh’il Quddus (the Holy Spirit).
Therefore, those words that you [Oh Ahmadi
Muslims!] pronounce are completely contrary to what Allah says in the Holy
Quran; they also contradict what Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has said in the Hadiths
and even what the Promised Messiah (as) said and has written in his books where
he is clear on the fact that he is the Seal of the Caliphs, but this does not
mean that he is the last Caliph of Allah or the last Messiah. He says if this
be the will of Allah - as long as the heavens and the earth exist - Allah has
the capacity to raise more Messiahs.
Here, what do the Ahmadi Muslims do? They act
just like the rest of the Muslims whereby they close the door of prophets and
of Messiahs and they say that Hazrat Massih Ma’ud (as) is the last Messiah, and
that after him, no Messiah will ever come. What is happening? What do we see? History
is being repeated! It is mentioned in the Holy Quran that even during the times
of Hazrat Yusuf (as), some people said that Hazrat Yusuf (as) was the last
prophet and that after him there would be no other prophets. But is this true? Is
that what happened? Were it to be true, then the other prophets like Hazrat
Musa (as), Hazrat Dawud (as), Hazrat Suleiman (as), Hazrat Isa (as) and even
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) were not suppose to come - if the opinions of the people
were taken into account. They would have trusted their own opinions instead of
basing themselves on the divine teachings!
So, today, what do we see? Those kinds of
people have forgotten the divine teachings and have ended up taking some pieces
of words of some of the representatives of the prophets and messiahs to say
that the Caliphs elected by man will continue to rule for 1000 years. In fact,
they are deceiving the members of the Jamaat of Hazrat Massih Ma’ud (as), a
Jamaat that I, the Khalifatullah of this century, am a part of, because I
cannot be the Chosen One of Allah without believing in Allah and the Messiah of
the past era. Those people are stubborn in rejecting the idea that Allah has
raised a humble servant like me, modest, but from a noble and respectable
family, and yet there is hardly any verse of the Quran that can be used to
create divisions among the members of Hazrat Massih Ma’ud’s (as) Jamaat and
even the Ummah as a whole.
If it’s like that, it means that it’s not the
Quran that’s being put in front of you. They are satanic words, words that
contradict the Quran, because the Quran has come to assemble and not to divide.
So, all the references that are given to create
divisions among you and at the same time you say that these are the words of
the Quran, but the fact remains that you are letting yourselves be influenced
by the spirit of Satan who is trying to make you take your own ideas and
opinions as divine instructions. And when Satan quotes something and when a
good person quotes something, the difference is that Satan draws satanic [evil]
conclusions while a good person draws good conclusions. And it is easy to
recognize a tree by its fruits.
So all Quranic references create love for
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) in your heart and those references do not separate the
Quran from Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) but they on the contrary show how they are
one same thing and whereby they encourage you to grip fast to the Rope of Allah
– i.e. holding it firmly. And then it shows you that if Allah is One, then the
people who believe in Allah must also be one, must be united. This is the
divine meaning of this. This is the objective of the Quran. And it has no
connection with Satan. But this is a very great work which requires a lot of
effort.
If you only nod your head when you hear this,
it will not solve the problem. It is necessary that you reflect on the
excellent qualities of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) one by one and reflect on his
advice, one by one. And then you need to see to what limit it is applicable on
you, and where it is applicable to you, and it is then that you can be certain
that you have established the bond with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And wherever it
is not applicable to you, then there is something amiss (missing) [something
which is not right and which must be corrected].
If you apply more efforts – with all your might
and ability - to establish a bond, the more you make efforts, the firmer will
be the bond. The place where this bond begins to weaken and is uprooted, there
itself it creates a void, even in existing relationships. It is like the
example of an eye. Part of the eye forms the image and is connected to the eye,
and on the other hand, it is also connected with the brain and memories. It is
like a veil. That is why some people encounter some difficulties when the
screen of their eyes is affected by some disease. This is the case especially
with blacksmiths who work with fire. They are too close to the flame, looking
at it with their naked eyes. And there are also people who look at the sun
directly; they too are affected by this disease. This is so because the eyes
normally are not made to withstand direct sunlight. People can become blind
like this!
So if you don’t monitor those parts of yourselves,
where the moral qualities of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) are not reflected in each
part, then your bonds and links [with Allah, His Prophet and Islam] will begin
to be uprooted. And thus, you will not get any protection. There are just two
types of voyages, either a voyage that increases your bonds, or a voyage that
decreases your bonds. There is no other voyage in-between. So if you don’t
carefully monitor your moral qualities, then the connection that you think you
have with the Holy Prophet (pbuh) will also cease to exist. It will drift away
slowly.
So, make sure that you obtain that certainty,
that every step you take is bringing you closer to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). If
you are weak, then take small steps. If you can’t walk, you can always crawl to
go forward. If you can’t move forward by foot, move forward inch by inch. No
matter how you need to do it, there is a way to move forward. If you are going
forward, there is no danger for you. Then your weaknesses will go away on their
own; and despite the fact that there will be obstacles in your path, but you
will succeed in overcoming them; because Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) even mentioned
this subject as follows: Once upon a time there was a person who committed many
sins. And he committed many crimes. Then he went to the great scholars and asked
them, is there any remedy for my sins?
And he told them the crimes he had committed.
But all those great scholars told him that he had exceeded the limit in his
sins and there is no cure or solution [forgiveness] for him. And every time they
told him that there was no solution for him, he killed them, one by one. He
thought that if there was no remedy or solution for him, then there is no harm
for him if he continued in his sins, and thus it did not matter if he killed
more and more people. This continued like this, until he finally came to an Arifbillah
- A person close to Allah. And that person ends up telling him that “all
sins can be forgiven if you have the right intention and if you are determined,
and if you start moving from bad deeds to good deeds.”
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has mentioned this in a
very parabolic way. In a parabolic term, he says that the person started to
leave behind all sins [i.e. in a manner of speaking, the place from which he
was full with sins]; he began to leave the place of sin and finally adopted
goodness, by doing good deeds. So he tried so hard – in striving to do good –
till he died. And he was presented before Allah. Allah said to the angels that:
Look! That person started to migrate from the land of sin and he was moving
towards the land of good deeds. So make arrangements for his forgiveness. So, they
[i.e. the angels] said that he only just began his way from the land of sins to
that of good deeds. He only walked through a small distance on the way to
goodness, while there was much distance to be closed before he actually
accomplished to the whole to goodness. So, he was still far from reaching the
land of good deeds. So Allah told them to increase the distance between the
place where he died and the land of his sins and then reduce the distance
between him and his good deeds. This is the way Allah forgives!
And here Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is explaining a
great wisdom. It does not mean that the measurement was really in terms of feet
etc. It is only a beautiful parable. When the angels were gradually measuring
the distance between the place where he died and the land of his sins, then
Allah lengthen that distance [making him come closer to the land of good deeds].
He made it in such a way that they finally found that he had advanced very far
from that land of sins. And after measuring the place of his good deeds, then Allah
reduce the land so that they found him very close to the land of good deeds.
This means that if in your life you
intentionally start moving from evil to good, if you start moving towards
Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) then, even if you die after covering a small journey,
even then, Allah will lengthen this journey for you. You walked only a small
distance from evil to good, but then Allah lengthen your journey so that you
can reach the place of good deeds quickly. He favours you with such
forgiveness, treating you with so much forgiveness as if to say, to encourage
you, saying that, had you lived long enough and maintained your steady journey
from evil to good, then you would have succeeded in your endeavour – to reach
your goal. do such a treatment of
forgiveness you can say whether or not you remain alive, or you will certainly
be able to reach the goal.
This is what we call divine grace. So, in fact
forgiveness comes through the Fazl (Grace) of Allah, through blessings.
And the subject of Fazl also takes on capital importance. In the eyes of
Allah forgiveness also deserves some justice. And no action of Allah - even if
it concerns His extraordinary favours - cannot be established without any
justice! It is always based on justice. So,
in the demands of justice, Allah also includes this: If one of My servants has
very good intentions and directs them towards good deeds, then I should forgive
him for this because his life is in My hand and one should assume that were he
to be still alive and had continued on that same path, then he would have certainly
been able to arrive completely towards the accomplishment of all his good deeds.
So this is the subject that has
been taught to us in his Hadith. Keeping this in view, you can make efforts to
straighten out your morals and begin to emigrate to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And
the more you approach the Prophet, the more you will also approach your other
brothers, because the one who had deep love for the Ummah was Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh). He had love [for the Ummah] more than anyone else. He
was Rahmat-Ul-Lil-Alameen [a blessing for all the worlds]. But here wherever
there is the mention of the believers, there itself there is the mention of the
attributes of Allah “Raoufur-Rahim”, for undoubtedly he was the one who
manifested the divine attributes in him to the highest level.
So, whoever is close to Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh), is automatically close to the Ummah. Therefore, these
moral qualities are like a cement which on one side makes or binds him with the
Holy Prophet (pbuh) and on the other hand brings all Muslims together as one –
whereby you one – One Ummah, and ultimately, all of humanity, where
Insha-Allah, you will also emigrate to the Ummat-e-Wahida (Humanity as
one nation, as one body of believers). And you develop very firm bonds.
So, the advice that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has
given on morals, on excellent conduct, analyze this well with respect! And it
is when each piece of advice will become like a rope that the bonds shall be
established. When you will adopt this advice, you will get a new way to be
connected with the prophet (pbuh). If you look at it with negligence, then your
bond with the prophet (pbuh) will be severed.
So, may Allah give us the opportunity to take
small steps to approach the prophet and when we do so, we can then
automatically approach each other too, coming closer and closer to each other. It
is then that there shall be one united community which will have the ability to
bring together all of humanity as a single Ummah. It’s then that you will
spread and grow in number and you won’t have any problem to deal with the
newcomers from a converted country or countries. The remedy which I have given
you, if you use it, then you shall be pleased to notice how closer and closer
you will get to each other! And it is the same good morals that can bind you
together. Without good morals there is no connection, even no cement. It is
moral qualities that unite nations.
That's the end point. If morality breaks down,
people cannot be united. On the contrary, instead of good qualities, you adopt
bad conduct. And each bad conduct separates people; they are not united at all.
Therefore, give great importance to morals. But
take it in reference to the prophet (pbuh), so that your religion be completed
and for the bond of love with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to be increased and the
bond with your brothers to increase naturally. But the great advantage is that if
you learn and inculcate moral qualities in reference to Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh),
then it is something pleasing to Allah. And Allah and His angels send Darood
(blessings) on such people. And those blessings come continuously upon you from
heaven.
So make a must to maximize morality
as well. Some people show good morals, but because of some weakness of their character,
they show some immorality as well in some other parts. And because of this
weakness, the morals that you show are of no importance. It’s a psychological
weakness. Some people don't want revenge. They say “Ok I forgive you.”
But there is certain situation where Allah makes revenge completely legal and
permissible; it is when someone exceeds the limit of what is permissible
against another person. Then the vengeance which takes place there will be
promulgated by Allah Himself.
Some people, out of weakness within themselves,
think that instead of taking revenge, they rather forgive others and thus end
the matter. There are among those people who do not say this because of the
desire to forgive, but because of their fear; they fear some retributions if
ever they go forward with revenge. The revenge which I am talking about is a
revenge which must be done within the limit which Allah allows, according to
the divine laws (not outside the divinely-set limits).
We take the example of the Bani Isra’il. It was
the same for them also. They had a terrible fright for Pharaoh and Pharaoh's
followers. And because of this, they would easily forgive for the oppression
committed against them. They had that fear to such an extent that when Hazrat
Musa (as) came, he put a lot of emphasis in his teachings to seek revenge for
oppression committed. He was forced to do it because the Children of Israel had
too much fear for the Pharaoh, and he had to rid them of that fear [He taught
them, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth etc]. When harshness entered their
hearts completely and they forgot how to forgive, it was then that the Messiah
(Isa (as)) came and advised them to forgive others – thus, not to take revenge.
He taught them that if someone hits them on the cheek [give them a slap], then
they should offer the other cheek as well [he taught them to be tolerant and to
leave their revenge mode].
This is a remedy for different
periods of time. But it is a psychological weakness that sometimes becomes
national weaknesses. In their remedy too, when sometimes it takes a lot of time
to heal, then when a weakness is being reformed, but then in the meantime other
ailments may surface. But that which I am referring to is that if you learn morals
from Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), then you will never reach extremes in those morals
[you will know when and how to apply revenge or when to forgive], because his
light is the middle-way light. He has been given the “Siratwal Mustaqeem”
(the Straight Path).
So the [good] morality which you
will learn with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), therein you have forgiveness too and
you can take revenge too; each according to the particular circumstances. And
therefore, neither forgiveness nor revenge will be a bad thing. The truth is
that if forgiveness goes beyond the limit and as a result it is the cause of
harm, although forgiveness is linked to a good action, in fact in this case it
is linked to bad morality. If it is necessary to take revenge and you do not
take revenge, well at that moment it is not a good action at all; it rather becomes
a sin, an evil.
Therefore it is impossible to learn any moral
without going through Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). And in all morality, in all good
manners, he (pbuh) has adopted the middle way. There is no danger in following
the Holy Prophet (pbuh). There is no danger if sometimes you are on one side
(i.e. forgiveness) or other times you are on your other side (i.e. revenge).
Then when you will establish your links/ bonds among you, well at that moment
this will help you increase your bonds and it will be a means to establish your
bonds with other peoples (other nations) as well. Insha-Allah. Ameen.
----Friday Sermon of 11 August 2023 ~23 Muharram 1445 AH delivered by Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius.