The Signs of Qiyamah- 4
“But man desires to persist in his evil ways. He asks, “When will be this Day of Resurrection?” When eyes are dazzled and the moon is buried in darkness, and the sun and the moon are joined together, on that day man will say, “Where to escape?” Alas! There will be no refuge.” (Al-Qiyamah, 75: 6-12)
The situation in the world is becoming
increasingly serious. We see corruption everywhere now, at all levels. Those in
power are doing whatever they want to stay in power and to subject people to
their will.
Among the Hadiths where our beloved Prophet speaks about the approach of the Hour, meaning the moments before the Day of Judgement takes place, he says: “Near the establishment of the Hour there will be days during which Religious ignorance will spread, knowledge will be taken away (vanish) and there will be much Al-Harj, and Al-Harj means killing [Al-Qatal] (murders, assassinations, etc.).” (Bukhari)
We find that our period is one of Qayamat,
where, one by one, all the signs prophesied by Hazrat Muhammad (saws) are being
fulfilled. Even among those who profess to be monotheists, what they declare
does not reflect in their practices. Paganism has infiltrated all monotheistic
religions, and even Islam has not been spared.
Today, there are Muslims who say they are
Muslims, who even have Muslim names, and who live in countries that call
themselves Muslim countries, but despite all this, we see how they corrupt the
teachings of Islam and continue in their practices that imitate Western customs
and behaviours, thus falling into ignorance and sin.
This is what we call religious ignorance, and
the true Deen is Islam. Islam is the foundation of all religions of
Allah since the creation of the heavens and the earth. When ignorance spreads,
the essence of Islam is trampled - Muslims are not what they claim: Those who
say they are Muslims but their practices are not Islamic. For example, a Muslim
girl or woman today; you will find her dressed in a boyish style, with a short
T-shirt or blouse, wearing pants like men, where all her body shapes are
apparent, but then she puts on a Hijab to cover her hair. This is not
called Pardah! It is far from the concept of Pardah in Islam.
Many Muslim women living in European and American countries adopt this style of
dressing. When we see a whole generation that has followed and adopted this way
of dressing, we find how parents have failed in their duties, especially when
they live in a country where the majority of people are Christians, Jews, or
atheists, and in countries like India, where several religions exist, and the
influence of Hinduism is widespread. Compared to fifty years ago, a new
generation has taken place, and they have, in turn, brought a new generation
into the world, and these generations have fallen into ignorance and indecency.
Allah draws our attention in the Quran to the
concept of Pardah, especially regarding clothing. It requires attire
that adequately covers the body, particularly the private parts, and the
garments should be loose enough not to reveal the body’s shape. For Muslim
women who do not adopt the full robe or cloak with Burqa or Hijab,
it is essential that their clothes are long or, if not long, they must wear
women-designed trousers (In India and Pakistan, it is known as “Salwaar”)
that are sufficiently loose and do not show the shape of their bodies/ legs.
Even the shawls they wear should be wide enough and not transparent. Therefore,
a woman is not forced to wear a full loose garment over her ordinary dress and
also cover her entire face with a Burqa or Hijab. No, the concept
of Pardah requires that a woman knows how to respect her body and
dresses in a way that does not show its shape. If her dress becomes a bit
tight, she must cover her chest with a wide shawl and ensure her dress is long
enough to reach her ankles. If it is not long, it should reach below her knees,
and she should wear loose trousers (like the like of the Salwaar) underneath to
avoid showing the shape of her legs.
We find that Islam is flexible. It does not
place a burden on someone more than they can bear. So, a woman who dresses like
a man and then puts a small scarf on her head as a Hijab and goes out in
public like that is making a big mistake in thinking this is Islamic Pardah.
The fact that she wears a Hijab does not qualify her as a Muslim. Many
Jewish and Christian girls and women also cover their heads well with a scarf,
but they wear short blouses and skirts. In such cases, instead of Muslims
leading others to follow them, the opposite has happened. To integrate into a
predominantly Christian society, Muslims have abandoned their Islam and gradually
started adopting pagan customs just as Jews and Christians have done. I specify
“pagan” because neither the prophets of the Bani Israel nor even Jesus [Isa]
(as) preached such indecency in society. Believing women in the time of the
prophets, after receiving their teachings, became the best representations of
Islam.
Here, I also specify “Islam” because,
fundamentally, all prophets preached Islam and were Muslims. This trend has not
only affected girls and women but also men. Today, it is regrettable to see
young boys and even adult men dressing like women. In the past, we only saw
this in films, where actors did this only to gain maximum viewers for their
films. But what have we found after that? These films have had a severely
negative influence on society, where children watching these films find it
interesting and decide to imitate these actors, taking them as their role
models and idols, and imitating them in behaviours that are completely against
the teachings that God (Allah) revealed to all His prophets.
When we speak of “Muslim,” we speak of “submission
(Submitters) to Allah,” and within this submission, there must be obedience.
Without obedience to Allah and His prophets, society will be corrupted. If we
look at the world today, most people have abandoned the original Islam. While
India and China have collectively become centres of Paganism, we also find that
this disguised paganism has infiltrated the Arab world, a world that was
supposed to be 100% Muslim. But such decadence was necessary for Allah to send
His chosen ones for the reformation of Islam and humanity. Allah does not send
a prophet-reformer until society has decayed. When His teachings are trampled,
Allah sends His guides to bring people back to true Islam, to the worship of one
God, so that Islam may revive in them.
Today, in the world, we have many schools and
universities that supposedly provide good academic instruction to our children,
but what do we find? Gradually, these institutions have become centres of fear,
where a parent now hesitates to send his child there because there is no proper
guidance and rebellion is widespread. If the rebellion is against injustice,
against immorality, that we encourage, but if it is a rebellion against
justice, against the essence of submission to Allah, then we say and find that
these new generations have lost the compass (direction) of their lives.
So, as signs of the Resurrection (Last Day/ The
Hour), Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said that knowledge will disappear. This is a
very serious matter. Knowledge is connected to a person’s intellect, and when
knowledge disappears, we find that their intellect stops functioning, and they
fall into ignorance. When we look at the Arab society before Islam, we find
that despite the Quraish being very rich and economically powerful, they were
an ignorant people. Despite knowing how to read and write, that instruction was
of no use to them because their ignorance was linked to their disconnection
from their Creator. Once they lost the teachings of Hazrat Ibrahim (as) and
Hazrat Isma’il (as), after several centuries, they fell into unimaginable
debauchery! Despite some being academically strong, true intelligence is not
what Allah refers to. When Allah speaks of “Ulul al-Baab” (people
endowed with intelligence), He speaks of those who are truly intelligent. What
is this intelligence He speaks of? It is a person who recognizes the signs of
his Creator and worships only his Creator, not false gods that have no
connection to his creation and no part in his life. The conception of false
gods is implanted by Satan in people’s minds. The spirit of evil first attacked
Iblis, making him rebel against Allah’s decisions regarding Adam (as). Today,
we see how the spirit of evil has infiltrated everywhere, and so Muslims must
safeguard their Islam and not let it be lost. If they truly consider themselves
Muslim, if they truly believe in Allah and His prophets, and have hope in
Allah, then they should not adopt customs that fundamentally contradict what
Islam condemns. When they realize that everything Islam has set for us Muslims,
the guidance it has laid out for us, then we should feel fortunate that Allah
wants us to stay on the right path and not lose the way that leads us to Him.
Now, let us turn to the mention of murders and
bloodshed that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) referred to in the Hadith I cited
earlier, where he (pbuh) said: “There will be much Al-Harj, and Al-Harj
means killing [Al-Qatal] (murders, assassinations, etc.).”
“Al-Harj” is an
Arabic term that can have multiple meanings depending on the context. One of
its main meanings is “confusion” or “chaos.” It can also imply distress,
difficulty, or turbulence, and it is often used to describe periods of moral
and social disorder. But here, in this specific Hadith, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh)
clarified that when he says Al-Harj, it means Al-Qatal, that is,
killings and bloodshed that will escalate during the periods of Qiyamat.
From this Hadith, we understand that in the
last days there will be so much disorder on earth, great confusion in matters
of religion, and ignorance will spread, depriving people of religious and
Islamic knowledge. People will be like animals at war with each other, and they
will shed blood on the earth thinking they are doing good. This is what we have
been witnessing in the last two centuries. It existed before as well, but not
to the extent we see today. Today, this Hadith has been fulfilled 100%. We see
it in daily life and in all societies, whether Arab or non-Arab. Although some
Muslims are kind-hearted and inherently good, they follow the customs of their
countries and reflect non-Islamic practices by imitating others in their dress
codes or behaviours. The influence of their friends and acquaintances plays a significant
role in their lives, so even if they are naturally good, they are practicing
Islam incorrectly. When new people are converting to Islam, they see that
Muslims dress like them, wearing pants and blouses, only adding a Hijab to
cover their heads.
When it comes to men, they look for flaws in
Hadiths to argue that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) never intended such teachings. But
the reality is that while Islam is flexible, once one understands the Islamic
principles as Allah has set in the Quran, then Allah and His Prophet Hazrat
Muhammad (pbuh) tell you to remain firm in Islam, otherwise you too will slip
like the peoples before you (Muslims) who lost divine favours because they
followed pagan customs and lost the essence of fundamental faith. And what is that
fundamental faith? It is Laa-Ilaaha Illallah – There is no god but Allah.
But think carefully, when you say you are
Muslim, it is not necessary to have a stone idol in front of you to commit
Shirk. In Islam, Shirk [associating other deities with Allah] is a great sin.
There are several forms of idolatry that Muslims fall victim to:
(1) Shirk al-Akbar (Major Shirk): Where
a person associates others with Allah in His worship. This includes praying to
or worshiping other things or people, attributing to them divine
characteristics. But what they do goes against the fundamental principle of the
Oneness of God, as these people violate the worship of Allah and put
intermediaries between them and Allah.
(2) Shirk al-Asghar (Minor Shirk):
This includes any action that compromises the pure worship of Allah. It
endangers pure monotheism. This can include making oaths on other people or
things apart from Allah or showing off piety and good deeds only to gain people’s
admiration (Riya) without truly being sincere Muslims.
(3) Shirk al-Khafi (Hidden Shirk): This
form of Shirk is very subtle and internal, for example, placing too much
trust in someone or fearing others besides Allah, or giving more value to the
opinions of others instead of to the commandments of Allah.
We find that Muslims have fallen into the
second and third categories of Shirk that exist. Think carefully that
when Muslims fall into the trap of these forms of Shirk, we must say
that they are Muslims in name only. They perform Prayer (Salat/ Namaz),
but their actions cancel out their Prayer. And even when it is time for Prayer
– and I am particularly addressing the youth – they prefer to stay in the
company of their friends, amusement, and games instead of performing Prayer. This
is also highly condemnable in Islam. When it is time for (the obligatory)
Prayer, one must accomplish it. You must respect your connection with your
Creator and not let that connection break.
What I appreciate as a Messenger of Allah is
that despite all the killings, wars, and bloodshed in Palestine, committed by
Zionist terrorists, whether in Palestine or Lebanon, especially in Palestine,
many of these Palestinians have not lost their faith. They accept losing
everything for the love of Allah and His Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Many
have also lost patience, lost courage, and seek to leave Palestine. Allah says
in the Quran that His earth is vast, and a persecuted people can go to other
places for refuge, but here we find that it is precisely the plan of Netanyahu
and his government and the plots of all Zionists like him. They seek to
completely rid themselves of Palestinians in Palestine and take the land for
themselves. They drop bombs to frighten them and force them to leave their
country to save their lives. But Palestinians, who feel they have a duty to
protect the Sacred Mosque, Al-Aqsa, as well as the Dome of the Rock, do not
move an inch to save the Mosque/s of Allah. They accept losing their lives but
will protect the Mosques of Allah so they do not fall into the wrong hands. Insha-Allah,
their faith, courage, and suffering will soon be rewarded, and this reward will
not only be enjoyed by them but also by the true Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh), such Muslims who do not associate themselves with the enemies for their
own profit, such Muslims who will elevate the glory of Islam and not trample
it.
May Allah protect the Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh) from this ignorance and loss of knowledge! May Allah honour Islam
through this humble servant and my true sincere disciples! May Allah protect
Islam from Al-Harj where the blood of innocents is shed! May Allah
execute His plan for the victory of truth, of Islam in the world. Insha-Allah,
Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 01 November 2024~ 28 Rabi'ul Aakhir 1446 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius.