'Knowledge' and the Muslim

 

Knowledge is a critical factor that can determine the fortunes of an individual, and the fate of a nation. When deployed effectively, the light of knowledge can illuminate hidden realities, and thereby dispel the darkness of ignorance. In the secular realm, knowledge is inextricably intertwined with power and triumph, authority and eminence. Those who master useful knowledge relevant for practical application in everyday life, they gain ranks, status, and authority and superiority in this world. Nations that employ rational faculties and develop science and technology effectively; they rule over others who ignore the laws of progress and prosperity embedded in the commanding heights of knowledge.

 

Beyond secular knowledge, Islamic tradition attaches great importance to the pursuit of spiritual knowledge and insight that leads to recognition of God’s exalted station and highest essence by way of unveiling and eye-witnessing.  Knowledge of the Attributes and Names of the Divine, knowledge of Divine Decrees and Bounties also enable one to know that God is Powerful over all things, and to be mindful in choosing wisely in this life, and to seek forgiveness for sins and mistakes. And several traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa) point to the eminent station of the knowledgeable believers:

“The one among you who has the most knowledge of God is the one whose fear of Him is the most intense.”

 

"If anyone travels on a road in search of knowledge, Allah will set him upon a path to Paradise. Verily the angels lower their wings being content with the one who seeks knowledge. And whosoever is in the heavens and on earth, even the fish in the sea, ask forgiveness for the person of knowledge. The virtue of the pious scholar over the devoted worshipper is as the superiority of the full moon over the rest of the stars. Those who have knowledge are the heirs of the prophets, for the prophets did not leave behind dinars and dirhams; they only left behind knowledge: whosoever receives it, receives an abundance of good fortune.”

 

With the appearance of an Elect of God in an era as a 'heir of the prophets', the treasures of spiritual knowledge and insight become available on an abundant scale for the benefit of all sincere seekers of higher truths, and it is by following such a man of deep religious knowledge and spiritual insight that the renewal of the Faith takes place. In his Friday Sermon of 02 October 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius provides a fascinating exposition on Islamic teachings that underscore the significance of acquiring knowledge, especially knowledge of Religion, in the life of a believer. 

Makhdoom Saheb [1957-2023]

 

Janab Makhdoom Muhammad Saheb, a companion of Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Muhyiuddin Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius and one of the senior members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- Tamil Nadu, died yesterday- Monday, 27 November 2023. He was 66 years of age. Inna Lillaahi Wa Innaa Ilayhi Raajioon.  

Marhoom Makhdoom Saheb leaves behind a rich legacy of sincere faith in God and humble service for the benefit of fellow beings despite all trials and tests of faith in life that he has had to undergo as a human. Without thinking about any material benefit and seeking only the pleasure and grace of His Lord, some years ago, Makhdoom Saheb donated and registered a large piece of land for the benefit of the Jamaat, Alhamdulillah. Marhoom Makhdoom Saheb will be remembered in the annals of the Tamil Nadu Jamaat for his enduring good deeds that will benefit the generations to come, Insha Allah. 

Youth and the Future of Ummah

In his Friday Sermon of 11 December 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius spoke on the role of the youth in shaping the nation. As the future of a community critically depends upon the emotional, intellectual and spiritual culture of  its youth; Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores in this discourse the importance of education and proper training of the youth in the true values of life. Against the backdrop of the materialist cultures of our societies failing its youths, Hazrat Saheb (aba) exhorts the young Muslims to turn to the values of Deen-i-Islam, and correct their elders in clearing theological misconceptions and deviant social practices that compromise an ethical Islamic social life. 

Drawing inspiration from the Abdals [great men of faith in the past], the young Muslims could inculcate within themselves the spirit of good conduct and righteousness in their every day life. Building a spirit of selflessness and service to others even at the cost of one's own self; gaining self control by practicing Divine commands such as offering Tahajjud, and offering regular Salaat at the prescribed timings; being grateful to God by sharing the benefits of one's resources and skills with others in need; abstaining from sins and avoiding evil pathways- Hazrat Saheb (aba) maps deep insights on spiritual values that can empower the youth against all destructive temptations in our times.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

               وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْأَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا   

‘And when the children among you have attained to puberty...’ 

[The Holy Qur’an, (24: 60)].  

 

Youth is a very important step in the life of man. It is a stage where his intelligence is strengthened and where he is in a better position to understand practical life through reflection and analysis. If in his youth a person does not acquire a good formation, then he will waste his youth in vain and bad things, and this will put him in a dangerous situation, for his life will take a wrong turn (direction). But if in his prime youth the person prepares himself to follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and does the required preparation to take up his own responsibilities as they should be taken, it is then that he will be able to convert a dead nation into an alive one, through his good conduct and his enthusiasm to work — and this dedication of his become a model for others to follow.

Marriage in Islam

 

Marriage is the root of the family structure in society. It is the legal frame for the relief of desires as well as the vital link between generations through children in the family. An enabling environment for the proper upbringing of children in secular affairs and in spiritual ways, the bonds of marriage and family indeed facilitates the construction of a peaceful and harmonious society. In his Friday Sermons of 24 September 2010 [15 Shawwal 1431 Hijri] & 01 October 2010 [22 Shawwal 1431 Hijri], Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius gave a comprehensive exposition on the larger objectives and purposes of the institution of marriage in Islam; explaining the considerations that should guide a Muslim in choosing a life partner. 

In the second discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) explains sacred teachings of the Holy Prophet (sa) on marriage-related questions that emerged in the life and times of the pious companions. The discourse clearly affirms that it is illegal to marry off a woman against her will. Parents or guardians cannot coerce a Muslim woman into a marriage she dislikes. And free consent is a condition precedent to the legal validity of a Muslim marriage. Hazrat Saheb (aba) also notes that Muslim men are not allowed to wear gold ornaments. The believers need to keep in mind the Shari’ah-compliance of cultural traditions associated with marriage rites in their local communities. The principle is illustrated with reference to the exchange of engagement rings as a symbol of the marital commitment.    

 

Read extracts from the two Friday Sermons Below:

 

Marriage: an act of worship. The conservation of life and its continuation until Judgement Day are part of the teachings of Islam and that is why it encouraged marriage and preferred that the couple after becoming parents and children, they have grandchildren.

 

"Allah has given you from yourselves wives, and from your wives gave you children and grandchildren. And He gave you good things." (16:73)

Patience and Hope in God

  

"O you who believe! be patient and excel in patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful." (The Holy Qur'an, 3:201)

 

Life is a strain to which every believer is called to deal with a lot of patience. God commands the believer repeatedly in the Holy Quran to persevere in patience and constancy in the face of disasters and hardships of life. In that patience lies the happiness of the hereafter.

 

"If Allah gives you His help, none can overcome you. If He forsakes you, who is there then that can assist you after Him? In Allah the believers must put their trust." (3:161)

 

Misfortunes and calamities that visit the believer from God, such as, impatience and frustration cannot eliminate them. The believer must put absolute and clear trust in Allah to be spared from all harm because no one else can help him except God. Anything that affects the Muslim, be it exhaustion, disease, sorrow, pain, suffering or distress, "surely, God is with those who are patient." (2:154)

The First Command of Allah

In his Divinely-inspired commentary of the Holy Qur'an entitled 'Al Azim Tafsirul Qur'an', Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Muhyiuddin Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius gives a profound exposition on the first commandment of the Qur'an- the duty to worship the true Lord to the exclusion of all other imagined deities so that humans could guard against evil and become righteous. For the benefit of all sincere seekers of higher wisdom, we reproduce below the holy verse of the Qur'an and its commentary by  Hazrat Saheb (aba): 

2:22. Yaa- ‘ayyu-han-naasu bu-duu Rabba-kumullazii khalaqal-kum wallaziina min-qablikum la-‘allakum tattaquun.

 

O men! Worship your Lord Who created you and those before you so that you may guard (against evil).

 

This verse contains the first commandment and is addressed to all mankind and not to the Arabs only. This indicates that Islam, from the very beginning claimed to be a universal religion, which conceived mankind as one brotherhood. Allah is full of pity to all His creatures and He will never punish anyone as long as He does not send His Messenger.

 

If we, men, really we have a sensitive heart, recognising the beauty and value of Allah’s creation, realising that God gifted us with basic necessities of life for free for a limited time, so we have to worship only Him and not to associate anything or anybody to Him.

Gaza: Ceasefire Now

 

Given Israel’s prolonged military occupation of Palestinian Territories since the 1967 war, and its grossly unfair and unjust treatment of the 5 million Palestinian people desirous of national freedom, human dignity and basic rights; the deception, duplicity and betrayal that marked its state conduct even after the signing the Oslo Peace Agreements with the Palestinian national movement in the early 1990s, especially its high crime of obstructing the emergence of a viable and independent Palestinian State in the illegally-occupied and confiscated territories; the October 7 declaration of 'Operation Al Aqsa Storm' by the Hamas military wing marks a transformational moment in the wider region.

 

Seeking to avenge its sense of national humiliation over the killing of over 300 soldiers and around 800 civilians as well as hostages taken away into Gaza, Israel lost a sense of proportion in its war against Hamas, unleashing rampant bombing of Palestinian cities and villages- including schools, hospitals and UN refugee camps; displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians from their habitats; killing thousands of innocent children, women and the aged. The already long-besieged enclave of Gaza- the largest ‘open-prison’ in the world with Israel controlling entry and exit points of the Strip-  is now facing a humanitarian disaster with the blockade of even essential food, clean water, medicine and fuel. 

The attitude of the United States, as well as the European states betray their indulgence of Israeli military excesses against the civilian population in the occupied territories. As against the fundamental rules of international law and the demands of international humanitarian law, Israel somehow seems to have an exception crafted into the rules of conduct when it comes to equal application. Such glaring injustice invites resistance, one way or the other.  Against the backdrop of the ongoing bombing of the Palestinian territories, and collective punishment of the people by Israel, leaders of Arab States assembled in Egypt to share a message of peace and prudence to the international community; outlining the immediate steps required to address the conflict, as well as the contours of a shared future for Jews, Christians and Muslims in the region. Reproduced Below is the full text of Jordan’s King Abdullah II remarks at Cairo Summit for Peace on 21 October 2023.