The Shahada- 1

  

The Shahada, that is, the testimony of faith, is a simple yet profound declaration which forms the heart of a believer in Islam. When a believer says: Ash-hadu alla ilaaha illallahu, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadar-Rasullullah (I bear witness that there is no other god except Allah and that Muhammad (pbuh) is [simply] His Messenger), it is not merely a phrase upon the lips and tongue; it is a spiritual commitment, a promise that this believer is making before Allah, for this phrase which appears very simple is in fact the key that opens the door of faith.

 

(The first part of the Shahada i.e.) “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” is beyond what people can describe, beyond what they can comprehend; it separates the believers from the disbelievers, those who are blessed and in peace and happiness from those who are far from Allah’s blessings and who make their lives bitter through their own faults; thus this Shahada (Laa Ilaaha Ilallahu Muhammadur Rasullullah) represents the very foundation of Islam. Whoever holds firmly to this word, this key, attains eternal life; whoever neglects it falls into perdition.

'Tawheed': Mission of the Prophets

  

Tawheed, that is to say the absolute Oneness of Allah, remains the very foundation of Islam. Tawheed means to believe in one single God, without giving Him any associate, child, or even wife (spouse).

 

The Holy Qur’an establishes Allah’s Oneness clearly in a direct and plain way: “Say: He is Allah, the One; Allah, the Only One to be implored; He has not begotten (has no child), nor has He been begotten (none has brought Him into existence); and none is equal to Him.” (Al-Ikhlas, 112: 2-5).

 

This Surah summarises all the beauty and truth of Tawheed; each verse evokes the Oneness of Allah, either positively, or by rejecting all associations that humans or jinns attribute to Him in His worship.

 

Islam refuses all diversity in divinity. In Surah Bani Isra’il, Allah says: “Say: Praise be to Allah Who has not taken any child, Who has no associate in His sovereignty, Who has no need of any Protector out of weakness...” (17: 112).

 

In Surah Al-An’am (6: 102), Allah says: “How could He have a child, when He has no wife?”

 

This proves that Allah remains Unique and Alone – He alone is our Creator and none resembles Him in His complete, perfect and eternal attributes. Allah is One in His essence and in His divine nature.

Miracles of 'Tawheed'

 The Duahs of the Holy Prophet ^(pbuh) & The Promise of Allah- Part 1

 

If today we are Muslims, and we have received the names and titles of Muslims, it is only through Allah and His greatest, most honourable and most perfect prophet [from among all Messengers and Prophets] Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). He was someone who preferred to sacrifice worldly pleasures for the greatest pleasure, i.e. the spiritual pleasure which is eternal. And the meaning of this spiritual pleasure is to acquire the love of Allah and His approval and mercy. So, through his sacrifices, obedience, goodness, and following the divine instructions he received, he (pbuh) has secured a reserved and most honourable place for him in the “heart” and “sight” of Allah.

 

That great personality who is the most perfect of all law-bearing and non-law-bearing prophets is none but Muhammad (pbuh). He was born in Arabia at a time when Arabia and the rest of the world were plunged into the darkness of infidelity to Allah. Idolatry was rampant and caused havoc everywhere. It was him, a very humble and weak human who was moreover an orphan – of both mother and father – from his early childhood, who enabled a great spiritual revolution in the world, not just in Arabia.

 

Bear in mind that Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) did not let himself be attracted by gold and silver, by the superficial riches of this world. He preferred sacrificing for His Ummah so that they [i.e. all of us, his followers] may harvest the good of the hereafter as well as the pleasure of Allah when they [we, Muslims] follow in his footsteps.

‘You Are Not A Muslim’

  

Sufyan Bin Abdullah related, “I said to the Messenger of Allah, ‘Tell me a statement on Islam such that I need ask no one else but you about it’. He told me, ‘Say, ‘I believe in God,’ and be upright.’ ”  

‘One who observes the same prayer as we do, faces the same direction in prayer as we do, and partakes from the animal slaughtered by us, then such a one is a Muslim concerning whom there is a Covenant of Allah and His Messenger: so you must not seek to hoodwink Allah in the matter of this Covenant.’  

'A believer is still within the scope of his religion as long as he does not shed forbidden blood....If anyone curses a believer, that is like murdering him; and if anyone accuses a believer of disbelief, that is like murdering him...A slanderer will not enter the Garden of Paradise’. 

 

‘People, We created you all from male and female, and made you into races and tribes so that you should get to know one another [like relatives from the same origin]. In God’s eyes, the most honoured of you are the ones most mindful of Him: God is all knowing, all aware’. (Holy Qur'an, 49: 14)

Lessons from Hazrat Ibrahim (as)

 

'The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. (They proclaim) “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You (alone) is the final return.” (Al-Baqara 2: 286)

 

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah [Praise be to Allah, Praise be to Allah again], I continue on the subject of my Friday sermon from past weeks on the Messengers of Allah. Today, I come on the life story of Hazrat Ibrahim (as) – Abraham.

 

After Hazrat Nuh (as), there were several prophets who came in the footsteps of Hazrat Nuh (as), who consolidated and fulfilled the Book of Law that he received. Then, after a lapse of time when those teachings were falsified and lost, Allah raised Hazrat Ibrahim (as) as a prophet and messenger. Allah blessed him with His revelations and sent down His commandments upon him. And Allah mentions this in the Holy Quran where He says: “Indeed, this is found in the former scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.” (Al-A’la 87:19-20)

Prophets and Divine Love

 

The Messengers of Allah 

 

'The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. (They proclaim) “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You (alone) is the final return.” (Al-Baqara 2: 286)

 

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, I resume my sermon on the subject I discussed last week regarding the creation of Adam (as).

 

So, we see that just as the angels submitted to the will of Allah when He created Adam (as), and accepted His will as His law without finding within themselves the idea to revolt against Allah’s will, and where they [i.e. not just the messengers but the angels as well] said: ‘We have heard and obey,’ similarly, all souls, even before the creation of Adam (as), whom Allah had decreed to send to earth, all of them – including us – submitted to Allah’s will when Allah decreed our coming into this world, and where He placed us among the descendants of our ancestor Adam (as) who contained within him the divine essence. Therefore, the human race also bore witness that we would be obedient to Allah and submit to His will. We must be very aware that all prophets and messengers are also included, because we too (the Messengers) must believe in the Messengers who came before us. We have the duty to confirm the coming of the prophets and messengers before us, and we also announce the coming of the prophets after us, until the final limit of the end of the world where it is in Allah’s decision to destroy the earth and create other creations, because nothing is impossible in His power.

God's Prophets

 

'The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. (They proclaim) “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You (alone) is the final return.” (Al-Baqara 2: 286)

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah has done a great favour to mankind, and in the past to every nation of the world, whereby sometimes He sends one, two or sometimes even four prophets at the same time with the same message, i.e., to preach: “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no one to worship but Allah).

 

Even today, Allah continues to pour down His favours and has chosen you, in this century to witness the advent of one of His Elects and Messengers, this humble servant to show and guide you to Allah, and to manifest such positives changes in you to enable you to see the divine light.

Allah & His Chosen One

In his Friday Sermon of 05 July 2024~28 Dhul-Hijjah 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Al Mahdi Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius speaks on true faith and devotion to God, explaining what it entails from sincere believers in every day life.  In this era, as in the times of Divine Elects in history, believers stand to gain rewards when they demonstrate  gratitude and loyalty to God and His commands; a commitment to struggle against the selfish [evil] impulses through patience and prayer; a sound heart embracing God’s will and pleasure at all times regardless of mundane setbacks and personal losses, notes Hazrat Saheb (aba). 

The Sanctity of Places of Worship

 

In democratic theory, freedom of religion includes freedom to profess, practice, and propagate the beliefs that are closely held by a person and worship in a place of worship with security, regardless of what others think about his beliefs, or faith. Yet, in actually existing conditions in our societies, often majoritarian groups try to control and limit the freedoms of worship available to minority religious groups, often attacking the places of worship of such minority groups. Indeed, in an era of identity politics, inter-religious tensions as well as intra-religious sectarian strife within communities, places of worship of different religious communities bear the 'markings' of the times.

Consider the recent inaugural of a grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya in India. At the very place where a historic Masjid of the Muslim community stood for close to four-centuries, after destroying the Masjid, a Hindu Temple is recently built over there, after the country's top court endorses Hindu claims over the mosque on the basis of religious majoritarianism! While Hindu extremists executed the despicable crime of destroying the historic Masjid after a vicious hate campaign against the Muslim minority, the Indian State-despite its supposed secular neutrality- exonerated and rewarded, rather than punishing, the thugs involved in the horrific crime. [Inset: Babri Masjid at Ayodhya, a picture from the 19th century, taken by Samuel Bourne, sourced from Wikipedia]. 

While in India, extreme-rightwing Hindu assertions of majoritarianism trump the rights of the Muslim minorities on a range of issues; in Pakistan, it is Sunni fundamentalism that thrives at the cost of other minority groups within- such as the Ahmadi Muslims. For the Ahmadis of Pakistan, in the last several decades, the freedom to worship in a place of their choice without hindrance is at stake due to the Mullahs calling the shots in society through blasphemy laws and violent mobilizations, attacking Ahmadi mosques and killing Ahmadis- painting a bloody picture of gross distortion of foundational Islamic teachings by the far right among the Muslims. [Inset: debris of an Ahmadi mosque demolished in Sialkot, Pakistan, May 2018].       

 

Against this backdrop, in his Friday Sermon of 28 June 2024~21 Dhul-Hijjah 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius reflects profoundly on Islamic teachings on the sanctity of places of worship. Hazrat Saheb (aba) gives an exposition, and underscores the need for all Muslims to understand, respect and adhere to correct teachings of Islam when it comes to our approach towards the places of worship of other communities as well as fellow groups within the Muslim community. 

Hazrat Ibrahim: An 'Ummah'

 

 إِنَّ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةٗ قَانِتٗا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفٗا وَلَمۡ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ

 

Indeed Ibrahim was a whole community by himself, obedient to Allah, exclusively devoted to Him. And he was never one of those who associated others with Allah in His Worship. (An-Nahl 16: 121)

Hazrat Ibrahim (as) – Abraham – is considered to be a community (Ummah) and a universe by himself. The question that arises is why Hazrat Ibrahim (as) was granted the title of ‘Ummah’?

Ibrahim (Abraham) was an Ummah i.e. a leader having all the good, righteous qualities of a nation, obedient to Allah, Hanif i.e. being someone who worshipped none but Allah and he was not one of the polytheists, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allah, and those who joined partners – false gods – with Allah.

On the Inner 'Shaytan'

 

Tawheed & Shirk- 3

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue the series of sermons which I began elaborating on the subject of Tawheed and Shirk.

 

Today, I want to draw your attention to something: every day we say we will do something but we end up not doing it. And Allah is not pleased at all that you do not do what you have said you will do. 

Whenever we start praying (Salat) and anytime we read the Holy Quran, we start by saying: Aouzubillahi Minash Shaytaan-ir-Rajim. This simply means that we seek protection with Allah against Satan the Cursed, the one whom Allah rejected. But many times people don’t reflect upon those words: What am I saying? Where is that Shaytan (Satan)? And where does he stay? They think: In what way will Satan come to me so that I can repel him?

'Tawheed' & 'Shirk'- 2

  

Is love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) against Tawheed or is it not?

Love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is not against the Tawheed; on the contrary it supports the Tawheed. The more the believers show love for the Holy Prophet (pbuh) and all the prophets before and after him, it is a sign of Tawheed. It sources from logic and is not imaginary.

​

There is a relationship between Tawheed and love for humans. If as a result of love for someone, your love for Allah increases, that is not Shirk; it is pure Tawheed. On the other hand, if as a result of this, Allah’s love begins to diminish in you, the image of Allah fades from your vision, if you begin to recede and the love for humans conquers your heart, then it is purely Shirk and it had no relationship with Tawheed. A great sign of love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is that it increases love for Allah in the heart. Therefore, Tawheed has a great relationship with love for the Messenger of Allah.

'Tawheed' & 'Shirk'

 

'And hold firmly to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favour upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you - by His grace - became brothers. And you were at the brink of a fiery pit and He saved you from it. This is how Allah makes His revelations clear to you, so that you may be (rightly) guided.' (Al-e-Imran, 3: 104)

 

Allah has put a responsibility on us - the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam - to make the world come under the Millat-e-Wahida, or Ummat-e-Wahida – as one nation, people or community of believers, and that time is fast approach. We are already seeing its realisation and effect through a clear and illuminating light. The project to bring the world as a Millat-e-Wahida also forms a part of Tawheed (the Oneness of Allah), and has a great link with Tawheed.

From all over the world, despite the Islamophobia that has crept into the world, we are finding that after more than twenty years, the world has opened itself to Islam. Allah is inspiring hearts to become Muslims. Now, with the same fervour, Allah has trusted to this humble servant - His Khalifa [Khalifatullah] – the mission to spread the message of His Oneness throughout the world. Apart from me, there are many Muslims around the world who are doing excellent work in the field of Dawa/ Tabligh. They are giving their time and efforts in this endeavour. Now, with the Divine Manifestation, slowly but surely you will find how Allah will open many hearts to recognize the Manifestation of this era with the advent of His Khalifatullah. Victory does not come at once. It comes step by step, and when you find the dawn of that victory, it will have a different effect on your hearts.