Unity and Brotherhood among Muslims

“O mankind! We created you from a male and a female, and made ​​you into nations and tribes so that you may know each other. The noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous. Allah is Knower, Aware.” (49: 14)

The concept of Jama’ah (Group/Congregation/One single fraternity) in Islam is exclusive. Religion is the law and the law is religion. Known as Shariah, the law of Allah the Exalted is the motivating force in the community. As such, we can say that social success for Muslims is drawn in a very simple formula: Shariah – Community – Mutual Strength. However, nothing can be achieved in the division of personal, ideological and partisan values. The unit is the cornerstone of success for Allah the Exalted explicitly commands and strongly warns in His Book:

“And be not like those who are divided and began to argue, after the clear proofs had come to them, and these will have a grievous chastisement.” (3: 106)

It is not enough to simply pronounce the Shahada to become a Muslim completely. It also requires conviction and resolution by applying the decrees that God has provided for His servants. It is then that the Muslim community shall realize the importance of brotherhood and unity in Islam. This unique form of union that Islam prescribes is the backbone of any society. The very basis of citizenship is universal brotherhood in piety. Brotherhood in Islam translates to “community”, “nation” or “people”, and includes people of different temperaments, different qualities, different races, languages ​​and histories, but who are nevertheless united at the heart of servitude to Allah the Exalted. We received a single instruction, and we were ordered to live within a single religion, and so our goal should be distinct and unique, propagating or serving the oneness of Allah the Exalted, the Almighty. The ideal Muslim community is one that is happy, far from doubts, anger, jealousy, and not affected by hypocrisy, pride and hatred.

Abdullah ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:“A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. So he should neither oppress him nor hand him over to an oppressor. And whoever meets the needs of his brother, Allah will meet his needs.” (Bukhari). 

In another Hadith narrated by Anas ibn Malik, the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Do not hate each other and do not be jealous of each other and do not desert each other, O worshipers of Allah! Be brothers! It is not permissible for a Muslim to abandon his brother for more than three days.” (Bukhari)

The Quran and Sunnah emphasized the eminence of brotherhood. It is the key to the door of social success. Therefore, as Muslims, we have the responsibility to build our society according to the principles of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) who defined for his community an ideal way of life and a perfect model of community maintenance. We must live in accordance with the Sunnah which orders us to be kind to our brothers and sisters, to be tolerant, humble and supportive to achieve peace and success. It is the key to the door of achievement.

Brotherhood is the emblem indicating our superiority over other communities. If we are all facing in the same direction in life, our mutual support will be added to our winning probability. Unity is strength, builds confidence and prosperity. Therefore, Muslims around the world should not be driven by carelessness and indifference to his brother, far from it! Mutual support and cooperation should be the moral principle by which Muslims relate to each other. It is then that the binding of hearts shall come out stronger and protected.

Renewal of Faith among the Muslims

In a historic Friday Sermon delivered at Abu Dhabi, UAE on 09 May 2014- (09 Rajab 1435 AH), the Muhyi-ud-Din, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius spoke profoundly and feelingly on the dismal state of spirituality among the Muslims in our times. Notwithstanding apaprent signs of religiousity among the masses, the kernel of faith has slipped out of their minds and every day lives and the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (sa), in the pursuit of material interests, gropes in the wilderness of synthetic pleasures. To rejuvenate the common Muslims and thereby, reclaim Islam through providing a living, practical, contemporary model in our times, Allah (twa) has raised His servant and blessed him with His revelations and messages. Conveying this message of hope and the glad tiding of Divine Blessings to an audience that included many Arab Muslims who were listening to his words directly for the first time, Hadhrat Sahib (atba) cautioned them against hasty rejection and counselled for considered reflection on the Sermon. 

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon: 

A Divine Servant for the service of Islam

O you, who are present here today, listen to my words. It is inconceivable that God could have bestowed His trust to whoever spreads his nets to lure His creatures, which makes them go astray instead of guiding them, who is an enemy of Islam firmly decided to ruin it, who never made the face of Islam sparkle with the light of truth, who never spent his nights or days in the remembrance of Islam and never made ​​an effort to revive it, one who, on the contrary with his lies would add to the already accumulated dirt in the minds of men who, by falsehoods, would have raised the dust of controversy among Muslims. 

No, what is certain is that God always humiliates and crushes such impostors and ranks them among the cursed. Since long, I receive revelations but I did not told anyone then and it was only when I was directly ordered to announce it that I comply with the order. Therefore, my mission is to eradicate the evils and errors; I must also fight against injustice and properly guide the righteous, while the impure and the proud who stand on the sidelines; they will be crushed by the strength of divine arguments.

'Ethnic Cleansing' of Muslims in Central Africa

LIBREVILLE: "Ethnic cleansing" is being carried out against Muslim civilians in the Central African Republic, with international peacekeepers unable to prevent it, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. France's defence minister earlier called on international forces deployed in the Christian-majority country to put an end to attacks by the militias "by force if needed". Amnesty said it had documented at least 200 killings of Muslim civilians by Christian militia groups known as the anti-balaka, set up in the wake of the March 2013 coup by the mainly-Muslim Seleka rebellion. (Inset: Burning/looting of Muslim property and a mosque in PK 26 area, north of the capital Bangui in late January.© Amnesty International)

"Ethnic cleansing' of Muslims has been carried out in the western part of the Central African Republic, the most populous part of the country, since early January 2014," Amnesty International said in a report. "Entire Muslim communities have been forced to flee, and hundreds of Muslim civilians who have not managed to escape have been killed by the loosely organised militias known as anti-balaka." 

Exclusion of Ahmadis from HAJJ: A Grave Error

Performance of Hajj is one of the fundamental religious obligations of the Muslims. Yet, today Ahmadi Muslims are legally prohibited from enlisting themselves for the same, as the Ulema in Pakistan have succeeded in writing their bigotry and intolerance into legal injunctions. The Saudi Arabian authorities who take pride in the title of “Custodians of the Holy Mosques” have failed to estimate the gravity of their mistake in preventing those who believe in Allah (twa) and His Messenger from doing Hajj. The Kaaba, in the course of its several millennium of history, had witnessed some tragic transgressions, including the installation of idols and the taking away of the Black Stone itself for a period of time. Allah the Most High has informed the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius that the present legal restrictions/ religious prohibitions would also be thrown into the dustbin of history as it unjustly prevent the Ahmadi Muslims from being able to perform the Hajj.   

Read the Extracts from the Eid-ul-Adha Sermon, delivered on 16 October 2013: 

 And who is more unjust than he who prevents (men) from the Mosques of Allah, that His name should be remembered in them, and strives to ruin them? (As for) these, it was not proper for them that they should have entered them except in fear; they shall meet with disgrace in this world, and they shall have great chastisement in the hereafter. (2: 115)

Muslims of Mauritius: Challenges Ahead

Mauritius is an island-state situated in the Indian Ocean with a population of over a million,  belonging to numerous ethnic/religious/linguistic groups, including the Hindus, Christians and Muslims. After centuries of colonial mercantile interests that caused and brought about waves of immigration from South Asia and elsewhere, the country today has the Hindus as the largest ethno-linguistic and religious group while the Muslims (at around 2,00,000) constitute a minority with around 17 per cent of the national population. With the attainment of independence from Britain in 1968, the country adopted a secular and democratic Constitutional framework and all social groups, thus, enjoy full freedom of worship and performance of religious rites and rituals. As the dominant community, the Hindus, however, continue to occupy important political and administrative positions and enjoys certain other privileges. On the contrary, the minority Muslim community remains to be on the social periphery with many grievances yet to be addressed.

In his Friday Sermon of June 07, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius has called attention to the several problems and legitimate grievances of the Muslims of Mauritius, including on the twisted Hajj policy of the Mauritius Government. The spiritual pilgrimage to Makkah (in Saudi Arabia) for the performance of Hajj is one of the fundamental religious obligations of Muslims, wherever they are. In our times, thanks to improvement in transportation linkages and communication facilities, millions of Muslims engage in the preparation (of a life time) to make that august journey to Makkah. The Saudi Arabian Government has thus been constrained to delimit the number of believers assembling at the Holy City at this most important period of time due to logistical and accommodation/space- related concerns. Thus, countries have been allotted Hajj-quota (limiting the number of persons who will get visa to perform the Hajj in a specific year) and the opportunities to receive the visa are limited.

In the case of Mauritius, it is observed that influence-peddlers and other vested interests exercise undue influence to bear on who gets the recommendation for Hajj visa under the national quota. The politician-ministers tilt the scales in favour of their own cronies and other elite sections, leading to the unjust deprival of the opportunity to perform the Hajj to common Muslims who may be saving all through their lives for the purpose. Thus, year after the year, the same set of people-who are highly connected and politically influential- manage to get the visa and go for the Hajj, though it is not mandatory to perform Hajj more than once. On the contrary, most poor Muslims who may save for many years to go and perform the Hajj may not be able to get even the visa. The political leadership in the country essentially seeks to manipulate and exploit the divisions within the minority Muslim community and has virtually ignored or put on cold storage the important concerns of the Muslim community, including the need for an embassy in Saudi Arabia, which would facilitate the negotiations for an increase in the Hajj quota as well as in seeking trading and other labour market opportunities.     

Even at the risk of being labelled “communal”, one may have to warn that both secularism and democracy in Mauritius are under threat from racist vultures in its body politic, feels the Khalifatullah (atba). When the minority Muslim community’s religious rights- to go on pilgrimage to Makkah for Hajj- and their social, administrative and economic progress within the country are being thwarted surreptitiously, it points to the presence of communalism on the body politic, points out the Khalifatullah (atba). Further, the Sermon provides illuminating guidance to the Muslims to come out of their predicament by paying attention to their community identity and the responsibilities of solidarity being conveyed through the Divine Messages available in their midst.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:   

Remembering Asghar Ali Engineer (1939 – 2013)

One of India’s leading Muslim scholars, Asghar Ali Engineer, passed away on Tuesday, May 14, 2013. Innaa Lillahi Wa Innaa Ilaihi Raajiuun...As a reformist scholar, Engineer’s was an important voice in the debates on issues concerning Muslims in India in the last couple decades.

In the post-partition India, the Muslims became a vulnerable minority in a sea of Hindus. While the country’s secular Constitution and the Laws professed equality before law and the equal protection of the laws in terms of status, rights and opportunities for Muslims, these were not borne out by the facts of their representation and visibility in the public sphere, including in education and employment avenues in the country. Issues of identity and personal law have taken an emotional dimension at a time when communal riots raised the physical security and safety and protection of Muslims under a shadow of uncertainty. The members of the community have ingrained a ‘siege’ mentality where by Muslims looked at with suspicion on any reform proposals aimed at the community. The governments in India were unable to bring about internal reforms to the Muslim personal law system because of a credibility-deficit and resistance within the community.

In the 1970’s, as a member of the Dawoodi Bohra (Shia Muslim) Community, Asghar Ali Engineer stood for internal reforms and democratic deliberations and resisted the authority of the Syedna Burhanuddin, the ‘Khalifa’ of the Community. In later years, Engineer worked on several aspects of “social engineering, dedicating himself to three things that defined his life — helping interpret and explain Islam from a modern perspective, emphasising gender justice within Islam, and working for inter-community harmony”. While Engineer resisted the views of the Hindu right wing in India, which sought to treat the Muslims as “second- class citizens”, as it were, he also stood up for reforms within the Muslim community, including for the freedom of conscience of the Ahmadis in Pakistan and elsewhere in the Muslim world.

Reproduced below is an Op-Ed Article by Meena Menon, published on May 15, 2013, in The Hindu, one of India’s leading newspapers, paying tribute to the memory of the departed soul.

Sacrifice and Striving: The Road to Success

The political, economic and ideological precepts and value systems being practiced today are leading the world, inevitably and inexorably, to the brink of natural and man made-disasters, including war. On the other hand, as a religion, Islam offers a fascinating, analytical framework to lead life in all its complex settings. Islam’s ability to appeal to the human mind and its innate capacity to recognize and accede to what is just and right and morally appropriate is evident from its great confidence and self assurance in declaring that the norms, principles and methods that Islam deploys to analyze and critique the worldly  systems and competing ideologies, will eventually gain universal appeal and traction. The open challenge to produce an equally appealing, if not exceeding, philosophy of life that Islam presents to the world stand testimonial to this magnificent edifice, built on the sure foundation of guidance from a Living and Ever-Subsisting God, as against the illusion-filled worship or pursuit of mere human images and conceptions.

Through his exemplary personal conduct and exceptional sacrifices, the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) portrayed the trajectory of practical spirituality in  individual and social life. Hadhrat Muhammad (sa), thus, left enduring imprints on the sands of time for all peoples and souls in search of the ultimate Divine reality. It is astonishing to note that even at times when material preoccupations have corrupted the general Muslim populace, Islam’s inherent capacity to produce the Divinely-raised saints in every age was never in doubt. These saints or Khalifatullah, who gave practical guidance on the ordinances of spiritual life in their epochs, injected fresh blood and revitalized Islam through their tireless sacrifices and striving in the cause of Allah and His religion.

As a way of life, the superiority of Islam over all other frameworks and ideologies, is self- evident to Muslims who practice Islam. The incremental expansion of the Muslim Ummah, in its own way, slowly but surely, testifies to the turning tide and the inevitable victory of the Divine Truth. The Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam is today engaged in this noble and extraordinarily important mission of spreading the message of Islam at many, different levels, with different initiatives being pursued simultaneously. In his Friday Sermon of March 15, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius exhorts the noble believers to imbibe and imprint in their hearts the culture of supreme sacrifice and mighty striving and do all they can in their every day life so that the glory of Islam can illuminate the world in its darkest hour.

Prophecy on the "ARAB SPRING"

Contemporary world is characterized by an upsurge of democratic aspirations and collective struggles over fundamental human rights and freedoms and the quest for dignity and quality of living standards. And the signs of the "Latter Days"- prophecied in the Holy Qur’an -are apparent everywhere: in contemporary history, national political orders, international relations, economic systems, governance systems, human rights, women’s rights,  scientific breakthroughs, technological innovations, emergence of geological and astronomic insights, the phenomena of globalization, etc. At another level, developments in all fields of human activities and critical intellectual engagements, both in the Arab world and outside it, in our times, provide a profound testimonial to the wisdom and foresight of the author of the Holy Qur’an which contains the promise of enduring divine guidance for the believers along with the prophecies on the signs of the “Latter Days”.  It is to guide the mankind in these troublingly complex times that the Holy Qur’an prophecied about the advent of Divine Messengers in the Latter Days. 

According to the Holy Qur'an, "Allah knows  best where to place His Message" [6:125] and He raises His Messenger accordingly. We are, thus, living through a defining moment in world history: at a time when a Messenger of Allah in the person of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius (atba) is present among the African people to guide us on the path of spiritual upliftment and material progress.  Hadhrat Khalifatullah’s statements in 2009, appears in retrospect, a prescient forecast or prophecy on events yet to unfold with the recent emergence of the Arab Spring when the Arab massess in North Africa Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Algeria and elsewhere- revolted against their dictatorial elites and liberated themselves from decades of oppressive oligarchies.

Muslim Parents and the Upbringing of Children

In his special sermon of October 05, 2012 on the occasion of the Annual Conference [“JALSA SALANA”] of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius reflected on the fundamental values and structural norms on which the edifice of human society is constituted. The proper upbringing of children is central to the evolution of an orderly society and Islam lays much emphasis on this by insisting upon, inter alia, the moral standing of parents themselves.

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

“Now I should like to say a few words on the Islamic teachings concerning the right upbringing of children. Islam has laid a strong emphasis on this point. Many social evil can be removed by the way we bring up our children, and the future generation may be saved from a lot of difficulties if kids are brought up properly and made to follow certain lines of conduct. Because we belong to diverse religions and diverse races, our children grow up with certain prejudices that could be eliminated through proper education in their very childhood.

Let us teach our children to love one another irrespective of caste, colour or cult. Let us tell them that the same blood courses through their veins and the incidence of birth in different homes does not make them different from one another. All children are equal and hence they should love one another. The fact of belonging to such a religion or such a race does not make one superior and another inferior. All are children of God and there should be no ill-feelings, rancour or hatred among them.

The Moral Standing of Parents

The first guidance offered to us by the religion of Islam is that husband and wife should marry on the basis of virtue and good moral standing. All psychologists agree on the point that the moral standing of parents leave an abiding impression on the children born of their union. Another guidance is that at the moment of this sexual relationship the father and mother say this prayer: “O our God, keep us away from Satan and keep Satan away from us.”

Blaming the Victims: a Strategy of the West

In the post-Communist, contemporary world, Islam is considered the potential threat and rival to the designs of the imperial West and its grand strategy of dominating the world. For, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion with a population of around 2 Billion and counting. Indeed, every fourth person on the face of the Planet is a Muslim and over 50 countries have a predominant Muslim presence. The world’s most strategic energy resources- oil, natural gas and other petroleum products- are located in the Muslim lands of West Asia and Central Asia. With this kind of huge natural advantages, the Muslim nations can and should be able to control the world and its destiny in material terms.Yet, that is not happening. How do we explain this irony of Muslim fortunes and what is the way out for the Ummah? 

The imperial powers of the Occident know their game well. The strategic containment of Muslim nations is thus sought to be achieved through military domination, economic subjugation and political division of the Muslim nations and peoples. Yet, for winning the war of public legitimacy, this agenda of imperial strategy shall have to be camouflaged. For implementing this grand strategy, the language of public articulation and diplomatic positioning comes in handy for imperialism and its strategic deceptions. For instance, while perpetrating ‘‘State Terror’’ against the Muslim Ummah in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan, these western powers claim they are waging “war on Terror”! [Inset: Front cover of "Covering Islam"- Prof Edward W. Said's classic study on media perceptions and projections on issues concerning Muslims and Islam in the US].    

In his Friday Sermon of 28 September 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius profoundly reflected upon this theme. Drawing upon Qur’anic verses, the Khalifatullah (atba)  asserts  that the Islamic ethics and values shall win over all other ideological rivals and belief systems. For the benefit of Muslims, the Divine Messenger also mentions a prayer revealed and taught by Allah the Most High to recite in these troubled times for Islam and Muslims.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And never will Allah give the disbelievers over the believers a way (to overcome them).” (4:142)

Anti-Islam Film is ‘Hate Speech’

For the Western Orientalists and their intellectual progenies, in the post- Communist era, Islam is the quintessential ‘Other’- the evil enemy that does not share their values of ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty’. The ‘West’, in this narrative, represents all that is ‘liberal’, ‘progressive’ and ‘modern’, in that order. Correspondingly, Islam is deemed the negation of all that ‘civilization’ and ‘culture’ stands for. Under this skewed logic and perverted reading of history and blatant distortion of the lived experiences of people, a political and cultural climate is created that incites the lampooning of the sacred symbols of Islam.

Thus,anyone who abuses the religion of Islam or vilifies the father of Muslims automatically and instantaneously becomes a champion of free speech and liberty! Muslims who oppose such characterizations and resist these representations would be branded intolerant and worse. In short, anti-Islam hate speech and the vilification of Holy Prophet (sa) would be mere expressions of freedom of speech and intellectual liberty and those who oppose such elements are projected the real trouble-makers! [Inset: A protest march in Cairo against the recent anti-Islam Film].

In a special speech on September 17, 2012, the Messenger of Allah and Khalifa of Islam Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius took note of the disturbingly, deviant social trends in the western world which incites the vilification of the noble character of the Holy Prophet (sa). The Khalifatullah (atba) took serious note of these contemporary trends where Muslims and their sacred symbols are treated as “doormats...to rub their dirty feet...” and warned the anti-Islam elements and hate-mongers against what they are sowing. 

 Read the Extracts from the Speech:

And if Allah were to punish people for what they do, He would not leave upon the earth any creature; but He grants them respite until an appointed term. And when their time comes, then Allah has all His servants ever under (His) sight. (Fatir 35: 46)

'Allah raises His Elect, Not men'

In reply to a question pertaining to the Mujaddid claims of Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius, Dr. Rashid Jahangiri of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement stated the following in their official  Blog:

“No one among Qadianis, who has spent years in Qadiani jamaat listening and believing what Qadiani Khalifas has been saying, can all of a sudden become a Mujaddid.

Here is my reason: Intelligent Muslims who may even not be Mamur-min-Allah themselves have sight to “see”, “smell” and “feel” with in moments of meeting someone who claims to be a “mamur-min-Allah” (e.g. Qadiani Khalifas) and can figure out genuineness of his claim.

Example: Maulana Noor Ud Din when first time went to Qadian to look/ meet HMGA, while his carriage (tonga) hardly stopped and he stepped off of it and asked to see HMGA. Someone pointed out to a person sitting on a cot, who was “Mirza sahib”. Maulana Noor ud Din took a look and decided to return the very moment. At that moment someone again realized that he wants to meet Mirza Ghulam Ahmad the ‘massitar’ (nick name for HMGA as he use to spend most of his time in Mosque).  So Maulana was directed to HMGA house. There Maulana saw HMGA coming down his house stairs. Maulana before talking to HMGA asked his carriage driver to leave, and he (Maulana) decided to stay in Qadian.

So, a person who has spent his life looking for a one chance in his life to shake hand with “hazoor” (Qadiani Khalifa) can NOT become Mamur-min-Allah one morning.

Bottom line: No one among Qadianis can become Mujaddid one morning when they get out of their bed. I think Mujjaddid will be some one among general Muslims. I personally would give more credit to Javed Ahmad Ghamidi if he makes any such claim over Qadiani claimants.” (http://ahmadiyya.org/WordPress/2011/06/13/  ~ 17 June 2011)