Sunday, July 21, 2024

The Sanctity of Places of Worship

 

In democratic theory, freedom of religion includes freedom to profess, practice, and propagate the beliefs that are closely held by a person and worship in a place of worship with security, regardless of what others think about his beliefs, or faith. Yet, in actually existing conditions in our societies, often majoritarian groups try to control and limit the freedoms of worship available to minority religious groups, often attacking the places of worship of such minority groups. Indeed, in an era of identity politics, inter-religious tensions as well as intra-religious sectarian strife within communities, places of worship of different religious communities bear the 'markings' of the times.



Consider the recent inaugural of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya in India. At the very place where a historic Masjid of the Muslim community stood for close to four-centuries, after destroying the Masjid, a Hindu Temple is recently built over there, after the country's top court endorses Hindu claims over the mosque on the basis of religious majoritarianism! While Hindu extremists executed the despicable crime of destroying the historic Masjid after a vicious hate campaign against the Muslim minority, the Indian State-despite its supposed secular neutrality- exonerated and rewarded, rather than punishing, the thugs involved in the horrific crime. [Inset: Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, a picture from the 19th century, taken by Samuel Bourne, sourced from Wikipedia]. 


While in India, extreme-rightwing Hindu assertions of majoritarianism trump the rights of the Muslim minorities on a range of issues; in Pakistan, it is Sunni fundamentalism that thrives at the cost of other minority groups within- such as the Ahmadi Muslims. For the Ahmadis of Pakistan, in the last several decades, the freedom to worship in a place of their choice without hindrance is at stake due to the Mullahs calling the shots in society through blasphemy laws and violent mobilizations, attacking Ahmadi mosques and killing Ahmadis- painting a bloody picture of gross distortion of foundational Islamic teachings by the far right among the Muslims. [Inset: debris of an Ahmadi mosque demolished in Sialkot, Pakistan, May 2018].    
   

 

Against this backdrop, in his Friday Sermon of 28 June 2024~21 Dhul-Hijjah 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius reflects profoundly on Islamic teachings on the sanctity of places of worship. Hazrat Saheb (aba) gives an exposition, and underscores the need for all Muslims to understand, respect and adhere to correct teachings of Islam when it comes to our approach towards the places of worship of other communities as well as fellow groups within the Muslim community. 

  

Read the Friday Sermon Below:


Respect to the Mosques of Allah

 

Who does more wrong than he who prevents the Allah's name from being remembered in mosques, and who makes an effort to ruin the mosque? Such people can only enter the mosque with fear. For them is disgrace on earth, and a great punishment in the life to come (after death). (Al-Baqara 2: 115)

 

This verse constitutes a strong indictment against those who take their religious differences to such an extreme that they do not even hesitate to commit evil acts against places of worship belonging to true believers in the unity of Allah. They seek to destroy the Masjids (Mosque) of Allah to establish the worship of their false gods.

 

But Islam has never taught that a Muslim should go and destroy the place of worship of other people, unless it happens only in the time of a Messenger of Allah where he receives direct instruction from Allah to destroy the idols and establish His worship, without associating anyone with Him [Allah].

 

We saw this during the conquest of Mecca, where Allah “claimed back” as we say [in English] His Holy House, and made His prophet (pbuh) through Divine Revelation, to destroy the idols and establish the Tawheed (Unicity of Allah) in that sacred place that has always been reserved for the [worship of the] One True God.

 

But apart from that, in the Quran, Allah has taught believers tolerance in religious matters. Allah says to the believers, in Surah Al-Anam, Chapter 6, Verse 109: “Do not insult what they [i.e., the non-believers] worship, lest they insult Allah in return in their ignorance [or lack of knowledge].”

 

And Allah says in Surah Al-Baqara, Chapter 2, Verse 257: “Do not force anyone in the Deen [the religion or the true path of Islam].”

 

Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), the last of the law-bearing prophets has always based himself on the divine commandments to bring about the advancement of Islam in the world. He first refined himself inwardly before preaching to others. The qualities that he encouraged are tolerance in matters of religion. It even happened once that when the Christians of Najran came to have a debate with him, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) granted them permission to use the Masjid of Allah to pray when their time came for prayer. And it was on that same occasion that the verse of Mubahila (Duel of Prayer) was revealed where Allah commanded His Prophet to invite those Christians in a duel of prayer so that people would later be able to distinguish the true from the false, because Allah knew, knows and will always know with whom He will stand and support.

 

Islam has always taught tolerance, and the Quran is proof of that, and the example of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) is proof of that as well. But what do we see nowadays? The enemies of Islam cannot see Muslims in peace. So what do they do? They make plans to first make Muslims start fighting among themselves. Secondly, to make them attach themselves to the attractions of this world, to power and money. And today it is unfortunate to see some countries that say that they are Islamic countries behaving like non-Muslims, where it is only on the lips that Islam and being Muslim exist, otherwise the very essence of the Islam has disappeared from them. It is as if a light has been extinguished, and where now they are in the darkness of ignorance like the other unbelievers.

 

So, these are the plans of non-Muslims, but unfortunately Muslims have become blind. And the unbelievers have sought by all means to weaken the Muslims so that they can have the upper hand over Islam. And slowly, they begin to control Muslims, to say what Muslims have the right to do or not. These days, those persecutions have reached their peak. Non-Muslim countries, and even Muslim-majority countries such as Tajikistan have banned the wearing of the Hijab (head covering) and Niqab (face covering) for women in public. Where are we heading to? Are these same governments, one that is non-believer and the other that has denied the precepts of the Quran, trying to make this world walk according to pagan ideology? I must say Pagans here, because it is not the teachings of Moses, Jesus, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), or any of the prophets. On the contrary, all the prophets have come and taught respect for our own bodies, whether for a man or for a woman!

 

And that’s not all, the world has turned upside down, where countries that claim to be Muslims like the United Arab Emirates have agreed to build temples of idols for non-believers who work in their countries, while the Prime Minister and the Government of the country of origin of those people (Indian workers - India), have given the order [masked as a so-called judgement of the Court], whereas they [i.e. the Indian Government] demolish a mosque [Babri Masjid] in Ayodhya to build in its place a temple filled with idols, and where they have done so only because they have based themselves on an assumption that in that particular place, Ram was born there. While they worship Ram as a god along with Allah, we, Muslims, consider Ram only as a pious man, a prophet. So while so-called Muslims are building temples of idols in countries that say they are Islamic, meanwhile in a country that is trying to become officially a Hindu country, the Masjids (Mosques) of Allah are destroyed, to establish the worship of false gods. The world has indeed turned upside down!

 

So, as Allah says in the verse that I recited at the beginning, which is found in Surah Al-Baqara, Chapter 2, Verse 115, these unbelievers prevent people from worshiping Allah; they destroy mosques. So, Allah strongly condemns these acts of violence and a great disgrace awaits them.

 

So, we see the contrast between Islam and other cults that were initially monotheistic but later became polytheistic. The Quran recognizes for all people the free and unrestricted right to use their temples, and it (the Quran) declares that if anyone wants to worship God in a place, then he should not be prevented from doing so. Here, by God ALLAH is being specified because Allah has condemned Shirk (associating false gods in His worship), but still has preached tolerance in matters of religion as I have already told you.

 

So, Allah has given all people their free will, even if a person is going to worship an idol instead of Him [Allah], the very own Creator of that person. Therefore, Islam condemns the worship of false gods, but it is tolerant of those who do so, because there is an Almighty Judge Who will take the matter into His own hands when the time comes. There will be a Master [Lord] Who will question His creatures [i.e., on the Day of Judgment].

 

Whoever demolishes a mosque or even a temple of idols without the permission of Allah, he has made a serious mistake because in that particular case, he is looking for discord instead of peace.

 

It is unfortunate that in the name of Islam, there are Muslims like in Pakistan who are destroying the mosques of other Muslims, especially the Ahmadis. Some Muslims have planted bombs in places of worship of Allah, and are judging the faith of others, while Muslim countries around the world are committing wrongs upon wrongs (against the very tenets of Islam). That's why it is rightly said that patience is a virtue. Allah is not in a hurry to mete out justice, to give a good correction also to Muslims who believe that they have the patent of faith in their hands.

 

But what do we see today? A section of Muslims who used to be persecuted only because they believed in an Islamic Messiah, a reformer of Islam, now the same group of persecutors are inventing non-Islamic laws [nonsense laws] to remove people from the true path of Allah in this century of Divine Manifestation. Is this a vicious circle? Bear in mind that every action you take has its repercussions.

 

There was a time when the other Muslim factions were persecuting the Ahmadi Muslims to the extreme, and today the same persecuted group is trying to persecute the other believers, and command the faith of the people. Allah is giving everyone their jolting dose [a slight jolt to awaken their consciousness concerning the evil they do] as a lesson, as an awakening of conscience before His greatest punishment catches up with them. Today, the majority of Muslims are suffering because non-believers are in turn destroying their mosques and killing them everywhere, but here, I must specify, that WE as MUSLIMS, who have FAITH in ALLAH, and His PROPHET, Hazrat MUHAMMAD (pbuh), we must always be open-minded and invite others to do good, and stop the habit of taking revenge. The time has come for ALL MUSLIMS to unite now, so that Islam can prevail in the world, so that ALLAH can win over the challenges of SATAN. What are we, Muslims waiting for? Is it still the time for us to fight among ourselves, tearing our own bodies while the unbelievers are applauding? Think before it is too late, O my brothers, sisters and children of Islamic faith. Reflect! Sometimes we see this manifested, where the reason wants it (to realise), but the flesh is weak, but the time has come to fight against your own nafs (ego, passions), and make your Islam shine in you, and everywhere in the world. Insha-Allah, Ameen.