Youth and the Future of Ummah

In his Friday Sermon of 11 December 2009, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius spoke on the role of the youth in shaping the nation. As the future of a community critically depends upon the emotional, intellectual and spiritual culture of  its youth; Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores in this discourse the importance of education and proper training of the youth in the true values of life. Against the backdrop of the materialist cultures of our societies failing its youths, Hazrat Saheb (aba) exhorts the young Muslims to turn to the values of Deen-i-Islam, and correct their elders in clearing theological misconceptions and deviant social practices that compromise an ethical Islamic social life. 

Drawing inspiration from the Abdals [great men of faith in the past], the young Muslims could inculcate within themselves the spirit of good conduct and righteousness in their every day life. Building a spirit of selflessness and service to others even at the cost of one's own self; gaining self control by practicing Divine commands such as offering Tahajjud, and offering regular Salaat at the prescribed timings; being grateful to God by sharing the benefits of one's resources and skills with others in need; abstaining from sins and avoiding evil pathways- Hazrat Saheb (aba) maps deep insights on spiritual values that can empower the youth against all destructive temptations in our times.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

               وَإِذَا بَلَغَ الْأَطْفَالُ مِنكُمُ الْحُلُمَ فَلْيَسْتَأْذِنُوا   

‘And when the children among you have attained to puberty...’ 

[The Holy Qur’an, (24: 60)].  

 

Youth is a very important step in the life of man. It is a stage where his intelligence is strengthened and where he is in a better position to understand practical life through reflection and analysis. If in his youth a person does not acquire a good formation, then he will waste his youth in vain and bad things, and this will put him in a dangerous situation, for his life will take a wrong turn (direction). But if in his prime youth the person prepares himself to follow the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and does the required preparation to take up his own responsibilities as they should be taken, it is then that he will be able to convert a dead nation into an alive one, through his good conduct and his enthusiasm to work — and this dedication of his become a model for others to follow.

Marriage in Islam

 

Marriage is the root of the family structure in society. It is the legal frame for the relief of desires as well as the vital link between generations through children in the family. An enabling environment for the proper upbringing of children in secular affairs and in spiritual ways, the bonds of marriage and family indeed facilitates the construction of a peaceful and harmonious society. In his Friday Sermons of 24 September 2010 [15 Shawwal 1431 Hijri] & 01 October 2010 [22 Shawwal 1431 Hijri], Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius gave a comprehensive exposition on the larger objectives and purposes of the institution of marriage in Islam; explaining the considerations that should guide a Muslim in choosing a life partner. 

In the second discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) explains sacred teachings of the Holy Prophet (sa) on marriage-related questions that emerged in the life and times of the pious companions. The discourse clearly affirms that it is illegal to marry off a woman against her will. Parents or guardians cannot coerce a Muslim woman into a marriage she dislikes. And free consent is a condition precedent to the legal validity of a Muslim marriage. Hazrat Saheb (aba) also notes that Muslim men are not allowed to wear gold ornaments. The believers need to keep in mind the Shari’ah-compliance of cultural traditions associated with marriage rites in their local communities. The principle is illustrated with reference to the exchange of engagement rings as a symbol of the marital commitment.    

 

Read extracts from the two Friday Sermons Below:

 

Marriage: an act of worship. The conservation of life and its continuation until Judgement Day are part of the teachings of Islam and that is why it encouraged marriage and preferred that the couple after becoming parents and children, they have grandchildren.

 

"Allah has given you from yourselves wives, and from your wives gave you children and grandchildren. And He gave you good things." (16:73)

Israel: A Racist Bully

 

Israel & U.S under Fire 

Israel’s attempt to justify its recent brutal assault on Gaza rings hollow to anybody familiar with events in Israel, where the government of Israel, backed by anti-Arab racists, has systematically, cruelly, and persistently violated the basic human rights of the Arab population. Like I told you last week in my sermon, Human Rights Watch, a global NGO with many Jewish leaders, has condemned Israel for crimes against humanity. 

Israel behaviour puts US President Joe Biden’s administration, which professes a foreign policy based on human rights, under the spotlight. If that commitment is genuine, the administration should support an independent UN investigation of Israeli human rights violations against the Arab population and suspend military aid to Israel until the inquiry is completed and the human rights of the Palestinians are secured. 

Become 'Khayrah Ummah'

 

The duty to enjoin virtue, and to forbid evil is among the Qur'anic characteristics and qualities of a true believer in society. Indeed, true devotees of God remain a dynamic force for promoting good among the public. In his Friday Sermon of 18 June 2021~06 Dhul-Qaddah 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius spoke about this vital duty on all: both the common man as well as on the social elites: the intellectual class, and the community leaders. Drawing on Qur'anic teachings, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underlines that lasting Divine Blessings and Favours on a community are conditional upon their righteous living through sincere obedience to His commandments, and that when a people spoil their chances in leadership and eminence by wrongdoing and negligence, they lose out on Divine mercy, and the quagmire of schisms and strife engulf them as a reflection of their misdeeds, a manifestation of Divine Anger and Wrath. It is by transforming oneself by obedience and submission to Divine commandments and by recognizing the guidance on offer through His chosen messenger- the Khalifatullah (aba) of this era- that individual believers can collectively aspire to become the 'Khayrah Ummah' of the Qur'an.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

Islam: Teachings for a Peaceful World

ISLAM: The Religion of Peace

Islam aims to build a peaceful society at all costs. It is because higher human objectives cannot be achieved in the absence of peaceful circumstances. The spiritual as well as moral progress of the individual is possible only in a peaceful atmosphere. Hence the atmosphere of peace is essential for the building of good society. Academic research too is possible only in peaceful circumstances. The task of the propagation of truth too can be performed only in a peaceful atmosphere. That is why one of the teachings of Islam is reconciliation. Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Reconciliation is the best.” (4: 129)

In this regard Islam enjoins us to establish peace even at the cost of unilateral sacrifice and patience. An event of the first phase of Islamic history provides us with an example of this unilateralism. It was in actual fact a no-war pact which was secured by accepting all the demands of the rival group. 

'Do No Harm to Anyone'

To bring about an atmosphere of peace within the society, Islam has given a number of commandments. For instance, the Holy Prophet of Islam observed: “A believer is one from whom people feel secure as regards their lives and property.” (Tirmidhi). Another Hadith has this to say: “By God, he is not a believer from whose nuisance his neighbour is not safe.” (Bukhari) 

Islam aims at making all individuals peace-loving to the ultimate extent. That is why we are enjoined to greet one another by saying “Assalam-u-alaikum”, that is, peace be upon you. According to another saying of the prophet, the best Islam is to greet everyone you come across, whether or not you are acquainted with the person. The frequent reiteration of this phrase ‘peace be upon you’ is in actual fact an external manifestation of the desire for peace within. Islam wishes to inculcate this feeling within every individual that he should become a true lover of peace, to the point that this feeling starts welling up in his heart, finding expression wherever he meets a person.  

Never Insult the Beliefs of Others

"...I would like to briefly address on the unfortunate incident which has transpired last week (04-05 September 2015) at Rivière des Anguilles in the South of Mauritius. The Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and this humble self strongly condemn what some strong-headed and senseless “Muslims” have done at the Amma Tookay Temple, wrecking some idols found there under alcohol influence.

Islam is a tolerant religion, and preaches no compulsion in religion and respect for others. Both Allah, our Glorious Creator and our perfect role model, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) have both condemned such acts because, when one, in occurrence a person who says he is Muslim abuses and wrecks the idols of other faiths on his own, then he is in fact inviting the other party to abuse Allah and Islam and to wreck the perfect teachings of Islam.

And secondly, alcoholic drinks are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Thus the acts of these people are not Islamic at all. Instead they are presenting a dirty image of Islam and its teachings. May Allah protect His Deen-e-Islam from such senseless people who are only “Muslims” in name and who portray Islam as tolerating violence and terrorism. Ameen..."  (From the Friday Sermon of September 11, 2015)

Never Insult Others

It is very unfortunate to see what had happened in the south of Mauritius, as I told you last week how a few idiots spoiled the image of Islam and its teaching. Was all that they did Islamic? First, by the despicable way they behaved, they disobeyed the commandments of Allah and His Messenger (pbuh). So these kinds of people cannot say that they are Muslims. 

I ask those who have the habit of giving fatwas (judgements) on who are Muslims or not, therefore, with such vile actions – and from the teachings of Islam vis-à-vis other religions – can these people still be considered Muslims? 

The religion of Islam has never granted permission to insult, provoke or denigrate people or their beliefs. 

Rather Islam teaches Muslims that tolerance in religion (Islam) is a virtue, and therefore, a Muslim by the belief he professes, he must be someone friendly and who ensures protection for the life, honour and property of his countrymen.

He must not do anything wrong to harm the reputation of others and should respect the beliefs of others and their places of worship.

The Holy Prophet (saws) said that the best Muslim is the one whose hand and tongue do not harm anyone.

Faith and Fellowship in Rodrigues

All my Rodriguan brothers and sisters who are present here, Assalamoualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuhu. I wish to first of all thank you for your presence, and today verily is a historical date: 07 November 2014. We are performing our Friday Sermon in Oyster Bay here in Rodrigues.

And like you all know, my stay here in Rodrigues is for the purpose of seeking a place and also for the construction of our Mosque. And by the grace of Allah, a place has been found, and the construction of the mosque is in progress, but there is also the fact that our opponents of the different religions and from the different sects in Islam are putting obstacles in our works, creating problems so that the construction work of our Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam mosque here in Rodrigues is stopped. It is unfortunate that after doing the necessities for the construction the authorities then reacted differently. It is unfortunate that despite our arrival in Rodrigues, with all the procedures done with the authorities so that we may go forward with the construction project of the mosque and our Mission House here, and to make our Jamaat function and also to have our centre, whereby our brothers and sisters can have a good place for them to perform their Jummah, their programmes and prayers in congregation regularly (therefore there are problems cropping up because of the plans of our opponents).

Another thing I have noticed. When I came here the last time, that is, some months back, I saw the enthusiasm, with the new members etc. But this time around, with this humble self’s presence in Rodrigues, I understood what evil strategies our opponents are using to stop us from propagating the unicity of Allah, to stop our progress. They are making their best in this direction. Therefore those new members who were still weak in faith, whose faith had not had an opportunity to be reinforced in the correct way – and that is why also we need a centre so that someone does this work, to give spiritual education to our members – therefore, the scheming people have seized these opportunities (to brainwash the new members) and unfortunately there are among them people who have left the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. We have to be frank (reveal the truth). By the reports that we received they have come to know what kind of bad works the opposition have made to influence those people who had left the Jamaat. I need to stress that I am not talking of only one group of people, but this is the work of many who have participated to remove these people from the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, and we can say also from Islam altogether.

Decadence in Rodrigues society

Therefore, when I analyse all that has transpired in Rodrigues (everything has changed). I used to know Rodrigues well, how its inhabitants were nice, and used to love listening to religious speeches. It was in 1993 that I came to Rodrigues for the first time, and this continued till the year 2000. Rodrigues was a very quiet place (island). There used to be no fear to stay here. You could leave the house peacefully, leave the door open and nobody would enter to steal. We did not also hear about crimes and violence.

Islamic Ethics for a Better Society

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. Based on a holistic analysis of the profound Islamic ordinances, the Messenger of Allah of our times pin-points several ethical principles which, if kept in mind in our individual and collective life, would go a long way in making the world a better place to live.  

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

Now, allow me to pinpoint certain directives offered by Islam to get rid of some social evils and build a better and progressive society:

1. There should be a good relationship between the high and the low, the aged and the young.

2. Beggary is looked down on with extreme displeasure. The Holy Prophet (saw) has said: “The hand of the donor is better than the hand of the taker.” There came a period in history when people had charity to give but there were no takers.

3. With regard to our neighbours, the needy and the orphans, the Holy Quran has laid this order: “And worship Allah and associate naught with Him and show kindness to parents, and to kindred, and orphans and the needy, and to the neighbour that is a kinsman and the neighbour that is a stranger, and the companion by your side, and the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. Surely, Allah loves not the proud and the boastful.” (4: 37)