India @ 77: A Special Message

 

In a special message sent to the Hon’ble President of India, Mrs. Droupadi Murmu, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius shared the greetings of peace and good wishes for the great people of India on the occasion of the nation’s 77^th Independence Day.

At almost 1.4 billion, India is the world’s most populous nation and largest democracy, with the people professing a multitude of faiths and observing diverse cultural traditions and food practices, and speaking numerous languages in distinct regions. The country is bound together by a Constitution drafted by the leaders of the national movement that fought for independence from British imperialism. Indeed the nation’s constitutional norms reflect the values of the great struggle for freedom and equality in India, and celebrate the dignity and rights of the people in their incredible diversity. However, with the increasing assertion of total dominance by the majoritarian ruling dispensation  and its tactics of pitting the dominant community against the minorities, the original social contract of federal distribution of powers as well as individual  rights is fraying at the seams today. The great occasion of national independence is a time for all Indians not only to do thanksgiving, expressing gratitude for God’s mercy on this ancient land, but also to do deep soul-searching in a spirit of humility and prayer for guidance for the nation in the crossroads of time.   

Hazrat Imam Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah’s special message on the auspicious occasion of the celebration of freedom in India is also a gentle reminder of the duty and responsibility of nations- large and small- to embrace the diversity created by God in this world and to abide by the fundamental human values of peaceful coexistence and shared living in our multicultural world.   

Read the Text of the Special Message below:

Unity of the Muslim Ummah- 2

 

Reaching for Unity (Pt.2)

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I shall continue to expound today in my sermon about the Unity of the Ummah, and why the community of Muslim believers cannot bring itself to unite while the non-believers are successfully uniting themselves in their common goals.

 

So, the third cause…

 

THIRD CAUSE

 

Disagreement among the people of truth does not arise from lack of zeal and aspiration, nor does union among the people of misguidance arise from loftiness of aspiration. Rather disagreement among the people of truth arises from their misuse of high aspiration, and union among the people of misguidance arises from the weakness and impotence that come from lack of aspiration. What impels the people of guidance to the misuse of their high aspiration - and hence to disagreement, and rivalry - is the desire for heavenly reward that is counted as a praiseworthy quality in the Hereafter.

 

It is even recorded in authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet that at the End of Time the truly pious among the Christians will unite with the people of the Quran and fight their common enemy, i.e. irreligion. Then the people of religion and truth will sincerely unite not only with the truly pious and spiritual ones among the Christians, but with all classes of pious and sincere people refraining from the discussion and debate of points of difference in order to combat their joint enemy, i.e. aggressive atheism.

'Ummah': Unity in Diversity

 

In his Friday Sermon of 30 December 2022~ 06 Jamadi’ul Aakhir 1444 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius begins a series of reflections on forging unity within the global Muslim Ummah. As the existential conditions of the Muslims around the world are characterized by deep diversity- languages, races, regions, nations and peoples, etc.-and the Ummah is virtually split into numerous sects and factions, with each group claiming monopoly over the Truth; formidable challenges confront the tasks of Muslim unity.

Through this discourse, Hazrat Muhyiuddin (aba) addresses this vital question of Islamic unity by calling attention to the foundational guidance of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) on the role of sincerity and humility in religious relations. People are prone to 'worship' their own ideas and inherited notions, customs and practices; preferring their own position, wealth and power and other passions of the self. On the other hand, overcoming the inclinations of the self and preferring others to one's own dictates is the path to spiritual progress and God realization. For the sake of Divine approval and pleasure over the Ummah as a whole- rather than seeking fringe benefits and cheap sectarian victories-, people have a strong basis in religious sincerity and humility for remaining united for collective welfare and attracting Divine blessings, points out Hazrat Saheb (aba).      

Islamic Teachings for Social Peace

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, my Rab again gives me the opportunity to continue on the same subject-matter of last Friday’s Sermon.

On Social Welfare 

Furthermore, as Islam teaches us, we must stress on the rights of the poor for we must regard them as our brethrens. Thus, a person should not be deprived of that which he has acquired by the exercise of his talents. The competition which is the result of a divergence in talents and capacities is essential for the progress of the world; but that those who are in possession of the wealth of a nation are bound to allot a certain portion of it, fixed by Islam, towards the welfare of the poor, and to employ the balance towards objects of public utility rather than towards the gratification of personal desires; that is to say, that they ought to prefer the happiness to be derived from the distribution rather than that to be derived from the hoarding or squandering of wealth.

The teachings of Islam stand unique in this respect. Islam recognises and upholds the principle of private ownership, but it also recognises that no man can be rich without a contribution of the labour of others, and it therefore explicitly enjoins that out of the wealth of the rich a portion should be set apart and spent through the government for the welfare of the poor as compensation for the contribution made by the poor towards its production. It also enjoins upon the State the duty of providing for all its people the necessaries of life and the means of instruction.

Foreign Relations 

With regard to international relations, they can never be put on satisfactory basis till it is realised that nations and Government are as much subject to the dominion of morals as individuals. Indeed, most international disputes are the result of the false doctrine which prevails that Governments are not bound to conform to the moral standard expected of individuals. For the peace of the world it is necessary that the subjects of each state should cooperate with their respective Governments. There can be no objection to their taking measures to demand and safeguard their rights, but in so doing they must not adopt a course of conduct which is calculated to disturb the public peace or to undermine the authority of the Government, or which is objectionable from a moral viewpoint.

So long as there are people who believe sincerely in some religion or other, and the world is not composed entirely of men who use religion as a cloak to be donned on ceremonial occasions, religions differences are bound to arise. True harmony would be established only when the world, or the majority of its people, were united by the restrictions of one common faith.

Inter-Religious Harmony

To bring peace, therefore, to the universe, I have claimed that God Almighty has sent me so that, through me, men may be gathered in the fold of one faith and thus find outward and inner peace. Even though, presently man and man is not yet united in one religion, the true religion and way of life, viz., Islam, however, to ensure the improvement of the present conditions of individuals, religions and society at large, the following suggestions are to be observed: