Mauritius and the World

 

The Situation at National Level & In the World

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I have chosen to speak to you today about the situation around the world, and especially in Mauritius. The situation is alarming with pandemics, as well as natural disasters, economic crises, loss of jobs [sudden unemployment]. The prices of all commodities have skyrocketed across the world; many people suffer greatly.

 

But what is happening in Mauritius really has exceeded all limits, especially concerning the increase in the price of medicines, vegetables, meat, chicken, food, fuel, as well as the increase in the price of transport.

 

All Mauritians will agree with me that the current crisis is more serious than the pandemic [of Covid-19 and its variants]. The economic and social crisis currently shaking the country is more serious than Covid-19. This crisis is not only about health but about the ability to see if we can live together as a society with dignity.

 

You know, many people these days live in anguish and suffering at the rising prices of essential consumer items. This rise in the cost of living was felt as a blow and a shock by the poorest in society. All the prophets (pbut) [Chosen Men and Servants of God] since the creation of this temporal world - and it will go on until the days of the Last Judgement - value [we value] work and sharing. Faced with problems of all kinds that seize the disciples who are subsequently taken by discouragement, the Messengers of God not only take an interest in their pain and their daily activities, but also trust them.

In Mauritius, there is public concern about the deterioration of the quality of life. Faced with these brutal price increases that can last, people are very worried and when people suffer they tend to shout or make a fuss and mess.

The Economic System In Islam

In his Friday Sermon of 24 December 2021~19 Jamadi’ul Awwal 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius explains the outlines of Islamic economic values. Islam fosters fair trade, and contractual arrangements based on free consent within a non-exploitative business environment. The prohibition of usurious interest, rejection of monopolistic ownership and control over natural resources, and other unfair trade practices, etc. are emblematic of the Islamic economic system. Likewise, to ensure the fair spreading of economic assets across the social classes and for the welfare of the masses, Islam created a range of institutionalized public-giving and other charitable practices, such as Zakat, Sadaqah, Wasiyyah, Waqf, etc. In this discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the need for the believers of be aware of, and to be conscious of these religious, institutional arrangements for the creation of a healthy economic order and a just society, especially in the context of the foundational obligations of Faith.

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

The Freedom of Women

In his Friday Sermon of 07 January 2022~ 04 Jamadi’ul Aakhir 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius speaks about the evils and dangers lurking beneath contemporary conceptions of women's freedom. The prevailing Western cultural model, or the unbridled pursuit of individual ecstacy at any quest, has twisted people's thoughts on women's liberation.  Hence, the current notions of 'freedom' in the West, ironically and actually, 'enslaves' women within a consumerist, capitalist, and hedonistic cultural milieu of commodification- literally trapping them within a male-centric world of objectification, with its constant need on its victims to 'fitting in' to the male-gaze, and worst abuses (treating women as 'use' and 'throw' chattels; sexual anarchy, abortions; break-down of family system, with increase in divorces and drug addictions) all around.  As true freedom indicates the ability to make well-reasoned choices  in a fully-informed manner about the good and the bad in life, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) calls attention  to the well-balanced Islamic values that safeguard women's role, agency and rights within the social order, and underscores the need for infusing true values of Islamic life in the younger generation so as to prepare them for cultural encounters in the West. 

Read the Friday Sermon Below:   

On 'Zakaat' & 'Sadaqaat'

Islam fosters the spirit of universal brotherhood, and brings about peace and stability in social relations across class divisions through a framework of values that promote empathy, solidarity and genuine concern for the less affluent sections of people by imposing special obligations on the richer classes. The concept of 'Zakaat' stands at the centre of the economic values of Islam on charitable giving. In his Friday Sermon of 07 May 2021~ 24 Ramadan 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius, inter alia, spoke about the significance of 'Zakaat' and 'Sadaqa-e-Fitr' (i.e. Fitra). Speaking about the transformative potential of Zakaat as a dynamic social compact of charitable giving, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes: "The regime of Islam does not foresee misery in society through Zakaat, but unfortunately, many Muslims do not realize its importance and do not fulfil this duty. If Zakaat was managed properly, then many evils in Muslim society and in the world could have been avoided."

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon Below: 

In the Holy Qur'an, Allah (swt) says: 

“And be steadfast in prayer (Salaat); practice regular charity (Zakaat).” (Al-Baqara, 2: 44)

“Take of their riches a donation to purify them and to cleanse them thereby; and pray for them; surely your prayer is sereneness (i.e., tranquillity) for them; and Allah is Ever-Hearing, Ever Knowing. Do they not know that it is God Himself who accepts repentance from His servants and receives what is given freely for His sake and that He is The Accepter of repentance, The Most Merciful?” (At-Tauba, 9:103-104) 

“None of you [believers] will attain true piety unless you give out of what you cherish: whatever you give, God knows about it very well.” (Al-Imran, 3:93)

Covid-19: Crisis & 'Khilafa'

In his Friday Sermon of 09 April 2021~26 Shabaan 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius offers a synoptic view of the looming economic crisis engulfing nations around the world. Speaking against the backdrop of of the devastating  Covid-19 pandemic and other widely-disruptive events such the recent Suez Canal blockage, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) alludes that the tectonic shifts that are taking place in our midst should trigger intense soul-searching to reimagine our world: from the unsustainable inequities of the capitalist order, and the earlier failings of the socialist totalitarianisms of the Soviet era, we need to move to a more balanced, alternative economic order that upholds fair business practices, non-exploitative transactional relations, protection of public interest in common resources, and collective social welfare. In breaking with the past and imagining a new world, Muslims have the historical role and opportunity to establish the ethical teachings and principles of the Shariah for the benefit of all mankind. Based as it is on individual responsibility and accountability to Allah (swt), the laws and practices of Islam promote equity, fairness and justice. Through the discourse, Hazrat Saheb (aba) makes an eloquent appeal, exhorting the Ummah to seize the moment of crisis to reclaim the ethical and social values of Islam and be ready to fight for creating a just world under the Divinely-ordained system of Khilafat-ala-Minhaaj-Al-Nubuwwah, represented by the ranks of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam today. 

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

            وَ اللّٰہُ غَالِبٌ عَلٰۤی اَمۡرِہٖ وَ لٰکِنَّ اَکۡثَرَ النَّاسِ لَا یَعۡلَمُوۡنَ

“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of men know not.”(Yusuf 12: 22).                        

The World Economic Crisis

A great global economic crisis is in sight in the wake of this new century. And this danger is already present in these times of psychosis due to the deadly coronavirus, Covid-19 and its variants. But that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back...

The Vicious Circle of 'Riba'

 Money, Interest, Banks, Governments & Slavery

 

My dear brothers, sisters and children, for my sermon today I have chosen to talk to you about the evil influence of money and interest which are governed by those behind the scene and who control the banking system as it still exist today as well as government and who strive to have the upper hand of it all to the detriment of the human race. 

Like we have learnt since our childhood, throughout history, there existed various forms of slavery. In the dark ages, people were captured and sold on the slave markets. Thereafter, the colonial masters enslaved entire nations. Today, we have perhaps the most intricate network of enslavement strategies… such strategies that threaten to enslave the entire human race. 

The institution of “Riba” (interest/usury) through financial houses like the World Bank and (the) IMF govern and control practically every developing country in the world. Under the guise of foreign aid, the mineral wealth of an entire country is usurped and every individual directly or indirectly contributes to servicing the foreign debt of his country. A child is born into this world already indebted. Indebtedness is the unique inheritance and heritage bestowed on him by his country. The tragedy is that these injustices not only go unpunished, they go unrecognized. And people find themselves slaves to the permanent institution of such banks and banking systems that are heartless and power thirst. 

Thinkers who knew the inside-out dealings and transactions of such systems have warned us about their dangers. There is a saying [also known as the Stamp’s Law] which is quoted to be that of Lord Josiah Stamp, a director of the Bank of England who made the following statement before he was killed in the German bombing called the Blitz. The saying is as follows: “Banking was conceived in inequity and born in sin. Bankers own the earth. Take it away from them but leave them with the power to create credit and with a flick of a pen; they will create enough money to buy it all back again…. If you want to be slaves of bankers and pay the cost of your own slavery, then let bankers control money and control credit”.

Labour Rights and Islamic Economics

May 1^st is celebrated the world over as International Labour Day. In his Friday Sermon of May 1, 2009 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius   reflected on the significance of recognizing and upholding the rights of employees and workers. The sermon makes a searing critique of the ways in which fundamental labour rights and freedoms have been virtually undermined in most countries of the world. Illustrating the case of Mauritius, the Khalifatullah (atba) points out how the political class pay lip service to the working class and indulge in tokenism to avoid addressing the real, substantive issues of their welfare and dignity.

Reflecting on the situation in the Muslim world, the Khalifatullah (atba) takes note of the strong undercurrents of dissatisfaction and discontentment among the Muslim masses against the elites of their societies. Almost presciently, the Khalifatullah (atba) anticipated the "Arab Spring" events of 2010-11 when he noted the revolutionary upsurge among the Muslim youth leading to the overthrow of governments. He noted that the deep divisions among the Muslims would increase the distance between Islamic precepts and the practice of Muslims. In recent decades, the planting of the western economic ideas and philosophies- ranging from socialism to capitalism, individualism to authoritarianism- on the Islamic soil have only created more puzzles and riddles. In these tumultuous times, the Islamic teachings are being trampled to dust by the leaders and the priests. Consequentially, the contemporary Muslim youth is vulnerable to misguidance and susceptible to violence while confusing oneself with the belief that one is doing service to the religion. The guiding presence of a Divinely- raised soul- a Khalifatullah to lead the Muslim Ummah is, thus, a historic spiritual necessity.

In the Friday Sermon, the Khalifatullah (atba) goes on to indicate and describe the outlines of Islamic norms applicable to economic and social systems. Moderation, restraint, responsibility, trust and fellow feeling are among the principles of conduct pertaining to social relations and economic activities in Islam, points out the Khalifatullah (atba). The task is to translate these ethical and spiritual norms of Islam into enforceable measures and legal rules. There could, however, be debates about specific policies and particular measures needed to maintain social equilibrium between individual freedoms and collective responsibilities. Be that as it may, Islamic norms and values can cater to and adapt in, the dynamic environment of changing societies, points out the Khalifatullah (atba).

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And We desired to show favour unto those who were oppressed in the Earth, and to make them examples and make them the Inheritors, and to establish them on Earth…” (28: 6-7)