Showing posts with label Holy Prophet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holy Prophet. Show all posts

Sunday, October 14, 2018

'Salat': Indispensable to Spiritual Life


'Salat': A Pillar of Islam 

Allah has established five pillars for the maintenance of the balance and strength of Islam, and Salat is the second, after the Shahada (Laa-Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rassullullah); that is to say, the attestation of the oneness of God and the recognition of the status of Muhammad (pbuh) as the Messenger of Allah. As a result, all the good deeds we perform depend on Salat because it is the main prayer. So much so that even the other pillars such as fasting (Sawm), obligatory alms-giving (Zakaat) and the Pilgrimage (Hajj) depend on the Salat.

Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra) that our beloved prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The first action for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded. If they are lacking, then he will have failed and lost.” (Tirmidhi).

Salat in other words is the key to the believer’s temporal and eternal success. Without the Salat, no one can access Allah, because Salat is the link, and even the essence of the relationship between man and his Creator. It is through the Salat that man can see God through the eye of God. It is the sacred rendezvous between the Creator and His creature, a daily appointment which is obligatory upon him. For the true believer, this meeting with the beloved is not a burden or a difficult task to accomplish, but a real pleasure, and as a result, he will reap the paradise and the eternal pleasure of God.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Du'ah: Role in Spiritual Life- II


Du'ah: The Instrumental Role

Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the opportunity to continue the second part of my sermon on Duahs which I started on Friday 07 September 2018.

The duah (i.e. in this context, Invocation to Allah) is a way to obtain from Allah the Exalted One the prerogative (exclusive right, i.e. in a most humble way) that He hears and satisfies our needs in the broadest sense of the word. It is therefore a factor that can affect even our fate and change our destiny. Surely, Allah the Exalted is always “closer to man than the vein of his neck (jugular vein) as He explains in a Qur’anic verse (Qaf 50: 17).

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Muharram: On 'Ashura' Fasting


A new Islamic Year

Best wishes for the Islamic New Year to all my followers and the entire Muslim community in the world. Alhamdulillah, we begin the New Year of the Islamic calendar and therefore, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam presents to all Muslims and Muslims its best wishes for the New Year. We hope that this year we can continue to do good deeds with solid faith (Iman) in Allah and the will to fulfill His instructions and commands in the best way possible.

The month of Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. This month is not only sacred but also full of blessings. Even in the pre-Islamic era, the Arabs respected this month, stopped fighting and prevented themselves from harming each other. It’s a month dedicated to Allah.... 

10th of Muharram: Yaum-e- Ashura

When talking about Muharram, we also recall Ashura, the 10th of Muharram which also reminds us of the sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain (ra). In this month devoted to Allah, Islam has given Muharram its true value because the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) revealed to us the greatness of the Yaum-e-Ashura which is found in this month. On this day, one of the greatest acts of worship (Ibadat) is to fast or do a lot of duahs, Istigfaar, and reading the Qur’an with translation and also make Nafil Salat. Many major events took place on this date.

Friday, September 14, 2018

'Khilafat': Ahmadi Misconceptions


Serious misconceptions exist among Ahmadis today about the spiritual status and authority of their 'Khalifatul Massih'. Through an incremental process of  theological engineering in institutional practices over a century of its existence, the Nizam-e-Jamaat manufactured a special spiritual 'aura' around its assembly-elected leader. The institutional role and administrative authority of the office of the Khalifatul Massih has been calibrated into an 'infallible' league of its own, almost as an equivalent of an Elect of God. Today, the carefully-crafted image of 'a leader who enjoys the shadow of Divine protection' has been conferred upon the Caliph by his own sect and as such the title of 'Khalifatul Massih' holds special significance in the mind-space and religious imagination of the folks within. So much so that most members of the Jamaat today swear by a notion that 'Ahmadiyya Khilafat' is the unchanging institutional order of Islam till the Day of Judgement (Qiyamah)

Monday, September 3, 2018

Patience in Adversity


Patience, Perseverance and Endurance

To succeed in establishing in his soul beautiful qualities, such as patience, perseverance, endurance, the Muslim must absolutely resort to various verses of the Holy Quran and explicit Hadiths on the subject. Certainly the Holy Quran gives us clear examples that make us think, to boost us to take this path and succeed. Without patience, perseverance and endurance, the believer will not succeed in opening himself spiritually to the understanding of religion - in this case, Islam - and the essence of faith in itself.

Our Lord, Allah (swt) tells us in the Holy Qur’an:

Give good tidings to the patient, those who, when disaster strikes them, say, ‘Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return.’ Those are the ones upon whom are blessings from their Lord and mercy. And it is those who are the [rightly] guided.” (Al-Baqara 2 : 156-158).

O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance; strengthen each other; and fear Allah; that you may prosper.” (Al-Imran 3 : 201).

We will surely give those who were patient their reward according to the best of what they used to do.” (An-Nahl, 16 : 97).

Be patient, your patience is not but from Allah.” (An-Nahl 16 : 128).

Bear anything that happens to you steadfastly, for this is firmness (of purpose) in (the conduct of) affairs.” (Luqman, 31 : 18).

And We made from among them leaders guiding by Our command when they were patient and [when] they were certain of Our signs.” (Al-Sajda 32 : 25).

The patient will be given their reward without account.” (Az-Zumar, 39 : 11).

These are some blessed verses from the Holy Qur’an that God the Exalted has sent down to humanity for all times. They show that where patience and endurance prevail, success is a sure cure. To these two elements forming the character of man, we must certainly add faith and piety as a whole. It is then that the divine blessing falls. For Allah (swt) reminds the Ummah through the Qur’anic verses of the value of patience and endurance.

Indeed, among the virtues that constitute the adornment of a Muslim, there is patience and endurance. These two elements, adopted with conviction help to combat the harm of others for the sake of Allah. Patience is simply the constraint of the soul to accept what is repugnant to it and to endure with impassivity, with constancy the evil that reaches it.

In times of trials, Muslims and especially my disciples of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam must restrain themselves and persevere in the accomplishment of good deeds and become models of virtues. You must not be alarmed or irritated or angry. On the contrary, you must have complete trust in Allah. Remember that the difficulties you are experiencing are only trials that you must overcome for the sake of Allah. These are tests, exams that God makes you undergo to bring out your true value and your true faith.

Sunday, August 26, 2018

'Jumu'ah': The Friday Prayer in Islam

The Spiritual Value of Jumu’ah

O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if you but knew!” (Al-Jumu’ah 62: 10).

I want to take the opportunity of today’s Friday sermon to answer some questions about FRIDAY (Jumu’ah).

What is the spiritual value of FRIDAY (Jumu’ah) in Islam? First, this day is mentioned in the Holy Quran: 

“O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed to prayer on Friday (the Day of Assembly), hasten earnestly to the Remembrance of Allah, and leave off business (and traffic): That is best for you if you but knew!” (Al-Jumu’ah 62: 10).

The Muslims (men and women) are ordered to close shops and stores, to stop any transaction or activity and to rush to the mosque to complete the Salat-ul-Jumu’ah (Friday Prayer) when the call of the Friday Prayer is given. In full, this includes the sermon pronounced by the Imam before the Salat itself. This sermon is part of the Salat-ul-Jumu’ah.

More blessings are bestowed on believers on Friday (Jumu’ah) and more value is given to Jumu’ah by Allah the Exalted Who created the day and the night in perfect order. According to Ibn Majah and Ahmad, the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that Friday is the most prominent (or leader) of days, the most important to (and most honoured in the sight of) Allah the Exalted. It is on Friday that Allah (swt) grants the requests of His worshiper, whatever they may be, so long as this request is not unlawful. The Last Hour shall be established on a Friday.

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Eid-ul-Adha: The Significance of 'Qurbani'


Every religion has certain rituals. They are worn as ornaments and become the very face of religion. It is important to value these rituals in order to situate oneself in religion. Islam is a religion that includes two days of the year that are celebrated ritually and which therefore have more religious significance than others: Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.

Note that these two festivals each have a special prayer. In fact, before the arrival of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) in Medina, its inhabitants celebrated two other days of the year. When the Prophet of Allah (pbuh) arrived there, he said, “You had two days when you would play, but Allah (swt) has given Muslims something instead that is better than them: the day of Al-Fitr and the day of Al-Adha.” (Nasai)

The days of Eid are the only festivals of the Islamic calendar. These two days of celebration each include a special prayer. The Muslim therefore celebrates his festivals with more prayer and fervour in thanking his Lord for all the favours He pours on him. It is therefore with an additional prayer that the Muslim expresses his joy while thanking his Creator.

And on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Adha, it is with the sacrifice of an animal in the name of Allah that he thanks his Lord and shows generosity to the poor.

The term “Qurbani” is derived from the word “Al-Qurban” which means any work that leads to divine proximity. Thus, every religious service is called ‘Qurbah’ or holy work and especially sacrifices. (Inset: a picture from the Hajj of 1953 when the pilgrims were able to choose the animals they wanted for Qurbani and would keep their livestock with them during the Hajj)

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) reports that our Lord (Allah) has said, “My servant constantly approaches me by performing additional acts of devotion until I grant him My affection. Thus, I become his ear by which he hears, his eyes by which he sees ... And if he asks Me something, I grant it to him and if he seeks My protection, I protect him.” (Bukhari).

This day of Eid-ul-Adha leads us to reflect on the sacrifices offered by Ibrahim (as) to his Lord: the hardships of emigration, being thrown into the fire and being separated from his family among others. And moreover, Allah the Exalted ordered him to sacrifice his son Ismail (as). He submitted to the divine will and placed the knife on the neck of his son to slit his throat.

But Allah the Exalted decreed that Hazrat Ismail (as) was not going to be sacrificed and he was thus spared, and this human sacrifice was replaced by the sacrifice of a sheep. By this, Allah the Exalted wanted to fill Muslims with benefits compared to fellow Christians and Jews, but for that it was necessary to offer in sacrifice Ismail (as), father-ascendant (biological ancestor) of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said, “I am the son of two sacrificed people.” (Mustadrak Hakim) Ismail (as), the eldest son of Ibrahim (as) and father of the Arabs, and Abdullah, the biological father of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). Both were about to be sacrificed.

It is to revive the memory of the spirit of sacrifice of Ibrahim (as) that one is called every year to sacrifice animals during the days of Eid-ul-Adha. The sacrifice of animals during the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah is an integral symbol of Islam. Allah the Exalted said: “And the camels and cattle We have appointed for you as among the symbols of Allah.” (Al-Hajj 22: 37).