Ashhadu alla ilaha illallahu wa ashhadu
anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasuluh.
I bear witness that
there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that
Muhammad (pbuh) is His servant and Messenger.
Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah,
I continue on the same subject of faith, my faith, and what Allah has commanded
us, Muslims and humanity, to believe.
As I mentioned last
week, Allah created Jinns and humans to worship Him alone, without associating
any other deities with Him in His worship.
While the Jinns are responsible for their own actions, we, humanity, are also responsible for our own actions. Therefore, Allah created humans and the universe with a purpose. The purpose of human creation is that within the limits of their capacities, they manifest the divine attributes within themselves. To achieve this objective, Allah has given humans the appropriate faculties and capacities and has placed the universe at their service. But that’s not all! It is essential for humans to follow the laws set by Allah so that they receive the necessary guidance to stay on the right path. How does Allah ensure that humans receive His guidance? It is through His prophets and Messengers.
We must keep in mind
that the laws and guidance brought by the prophets before the Holy Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) were limited to the needs and demands of their own times and
applied only to the people among whom they were sent.
With the advent of the
Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Holy Quran as the Guide and Book of laws
for all humanity, Allah specified that this guidance, this Book, would remain
under His protection and He would preserve it. In Surah Ibrahim, Chapter 14,
Verse 53, Allah says: “This is a message for
mankind. Let them take warning from it and let them know that He is but One
God. Let those of understanding take heed.”
Furthermore, in Surah
Al-Hijr, Chapter 15, Verse 10, Allah says: “Indeed,
it is We who sent down the Quran and indeed, We will be its guardian.”
What can we understand from
these verses? That the Quran, unlike other Divine Scriptures, will last
forever, not just in the time of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), but as long as humans
exist on earth. Throughout all that time, Allah will preserve it and prevent
humans from altering its original content. Therefore, in our faith as Muslims,
it is crucial to believe in all the revelations and Sacred Books Allah has sent
to His prophets to guide their peoples. Our faith as Muslims calls on us to
believe that the Quran is a Book of laws that will exist for all times and that
no other prophets can come to annul the Quran! On the contrary, every time
Allah sends His prophets and messengers, it is to uphold the Holy Quran and
firmly adhere to its teachings.
If someone comes
forward claiming to be a prophet and messenger from Allah but rejects the Holy
Quran and invents another book from their imagination, claiming it to be
another Sacred Book, and says that the Quran will not last forever [i.e., as
long as the earth and humans exist], then they are in great error.
When a prophet comes,
especially now after the establishment of Islam by Allah and our beloved
Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), he must be linked to Islam and Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh). He cannot be outside of Islam. The prophets after Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh) whom Allah has raised at present are Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of
Qadian, and in this current century, this humble servant [Munir Ahmad Azim].
Therefore, as a
Messenger of this era, I am connected with Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). I am not
separate from him. Allah has raised me to revive Islam in this century. This
includes calling people and teaching them how to re-establish their connection
with Allah. They need to believe in Allah, His Oneness, revelation, prophecy,
the prevalence of truth over falsehood, and the possibility for each human to
establish this communion or connection with Allah and draw closer to Him.
Thus, I can also
provide commentaries on the Holy Quran that are applicable to my time, and
these commentaries can act as prophecies and be realized in the times after me.
Nonetheless, Allah may raise another Messenger after me to teach new ways to
interpret His eternal verses. Here, I use the word ‘eternal’ not because the
Quran will last forever but to emphasize that as long as the heavens and the
earth exist, and as long as the human race exists, this Quran will also exist.
Compared to the Quran,
the previous sacred books were temporary and applicable only to the people to
whom they were revealed. With the falsification of divine teachings found in
these books, we see how Allah removed the veil of falsehood and revealed the
truth in the Holy Quran. Allah revealed the Holy Quran to someone He decreed
worthy of the honourable title of “Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen” (a blessing
for the universe). And He made the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), among all
humans and prophets, the best of all. Despite him being human, but through him
(pbuh), Allah showed humanity of his time and all future times that humans have
the capacity to surpass the rank of angels and to perfect themselves
extraordinarily. This is why, at the human level of perfection, Hazrat Muhammad
(pbuh) achieved the highest level. It was necessary for Allah to send such a
perfect human to earth so that the people of his time and those to come after
would take him as their perfect model.
Now, the question
arises, has the Quran been falsified over time? The answer is: No! Non-Muslims
have tried to falsify the Quran, and this is not just an ancient practice but
also a very real issue today. Every verse of the Quran that humans try to alter
and ridicule will bring severe consequences. Nowadays, with online social
networking (or we may say, social media), we see how many enemies of Islam mock
Islam and distort the Quran, creating arbitrary and nonsensical phrases and
aligning them together to make resemble the Quran’s alignment. But every
mockery they make of the Quran will bring them punishment from Allah. For instance,
they invented a Chapter on Covid-19 and mocked the Quran about it. Another
time, they printed some copies of the Quran with added elements that are not
part of it and distributed them in Africa. But fortunately, when the Quran is
ingrained in the heart of a true believer (Mumin), they will recognize the
error.
When Allah says that He
will preserve the Quran, it applies only to the verses He wishes to remain
until the end of the world. The enemies of Islam claim that the Quran has been
abrogated. Remember that this abrogation they refer to occurred during the time
of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and as Allah says in An-Nahl, Chapter 16,
Verse 102, we find that Allah is not afraid to speak the truth. He says: “When
We substitute one verse in place of another – and Allah knows best what He
reveals – they say, ‘You are but a forger.’ But most of them do not understand.”
Allah tests His
servants. Sometimes He reveals certain revelations under specific
circumstances, but later, under different circumstances, He reveals a better
revelation that benefits not only the prophet and the believers of that time
but also future generations. Then Allah commands the prophet to include the
later revelation as part of the Quran and to discard the former one.
Now, if we look after
the death of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), Allah inspired Hazrat Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
(ra) to compile the Quran, which was written in different forms such as paper,
stone, leaves, etc. Although Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra) initially disagreed, Hazrat Umar
(ra) eventually convinced him. After all the verses of the Quran were compiled,
available in the hearts of the Sahaba (who knew them by heart), and some in
written form (on leaves and stones), we see how Allah inspired wisdom in Hazrat
Umar (ra) to burn all partial copies of the Quran and retain only the complete
compiled version to ensure harmony among the existing verses, the ones decreed
by Allah to remain for generations.
Here, I speak of Allah’s
decree. If Hazrat Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (ra) had not done this work properly, the
very foundation of the Quran would be questioned. But over the years, we have
seen how Allah has kept His promise and preserved it. Moreover, we must
remember that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) recited the Quran twice during his last Ramadan,
and it was during his first and last Hajj that Allah revealed this verse, a
verse that all Muslims must hold firmly: “This day I have perfected for you
your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved Islam as your
religion.” (Al-Maida 5: 4)
Thus, we see that with
the agreement of the first Caliph and the initiative of Hazrat Umar, who later
became the second Caliph, Allah guided the Muslims in their Deen. For the first
time, considering future generations, the Khulafa-e-Rashideen performed such
work to ensure the Quran remains in its original form. May Allah bless them
always for this remarkable work they have done. Ameen.
Therefore, regarding
the Quran and its verses that exist to this day, we speak of Allah’s decree.
We, the future generations after Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), do not know what
completely transpired during the life of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). We know only
some anecdotes, not his entire life, and we do not know entirely what happened
after the death of the Noble Prophet (pbuh). We must base ourselves on Hadiths
and Sunnah derived from the Quran. Unless Allah grants a revelation to inform
us, we will never fully know. Thus, it is better to practice our Deen in what
is clear to us. By Allah’s grace, the Quran is a living book. Anyone sincere in
his Deen, seeking an answer from Allah regarding anything, will find his answer
in the Quran itself. This is because the Quran is Allah’s supreme word, and it
will last for all time [that is, as long as the heavens and earth, and humans
exist]. The Quran is alive. Its words are alive. Guidance is found within it.
The one who deviates from the Quran is not part of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).
This subject of faith
does not end here. Insha-Allah, I will continue on this next week. May
Allah revive the faith of His servants through the Quran. The one whom Allah
speaks through the Quran is truly fortunate. May Allah connect all sincere
Muslims worldwide with Him through His Quran. Insha-Allah, Ameen.
---Friday Sermon of 31 January 2025~ 30 Rajab 1446 AH delivered by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius.