‘When I Die’: A Reminder

  

‘Every soul will taste death and you will be paid in full only on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever is kept away from the Fire and admitted to the Garden will have triumphed. The present world is only an illusory pleasure.’ (3:186)

‘Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children. It is like plants that spring up after the rain: their growth at first delights the sowers, but then you see them wither away, turn yellow, and become stubble. There is terrible punishment in the next life as well as forgiveness and approval from God; the life of this world is only an illusory pleasure. So race for your Lord’s forgiveness and a Garden as wide as the heavens and earth, prepared for those who believe in God and His messengers: that is God’s bounty, which He bestows on whoever He pleases. God’s bounty is infinite.’ (57:22) 

‘Lord, inspire me to be thankful for the blessings You have granted me and my parents, and to do good deeds that please You; admit me by Your grace into the ranks of Your righteous servants.’ (27:20)

Life is transient in this world, and the lost moment never comes back. It is our responsibility to be conscious of our precious opportunity in this world before go forever from here to the Hereafter: to be good, and to do good; to uphold justice and to help God and His messenger/s, in our times among the people. On the Day of Resurrection and of Judgement, we are to give an account of our deeds- good and bad- to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, our Lord Almighty as we await our rewards- the Paradisical Gardens of Divine pleasure and nearness in the world to come; or, our punishment- the Hellfire of Divine Anger and Rejection, God Forbid.  

 

Reproduced Below is a powerful reminder on the big picture of human life in this world, and the forthcoming accountability that everyone of us need to be prepared for, in the world to come after death and departure from here; a devout Muslim writer of Arab descent has left behind a succinct statement of our essential beliefs on individual accountability on the Day of Judgement when we face the chronicle of our records before God:

Financial Sacrifice- 2

  

In his Friday Sermon of 15 September 2023~29 Safar 1445 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius gives an exposition on the larger theme of financial sacrifice in the Divine Way. Continuing on the theme from previous week, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores that true believers only seek God’s approval and pleasure in obeying His prescriptions and prohibitions and it is they who inherit Paradise as a reward for their goodness in this world. Just as the rich are on trial on how they conduct with the possessions they have been entrusted with, the needy also have obligations of patience and goodness in the Divine Law of life.

Elaborating on the theme of a Qur’anic verse identified at the beginning of the sermon (13:23), Hazrat Saheb (aba) notes that the true believers perform their social obligations and do all the services that they render only for the sake of God’s countenance: they do not do charity or other good deeds for selfish reasons, or out of pride or religious ostentation. Needy believers endure hardships caused by restricted means of livelihood, or other emotional deprivations, and yet they do not incline to evil and bad deeds, remaining steadfast in faith, in goodness and in fact, they also race to do good in their own way. Diligent in the performance of devotional prayer at prescribed times; disciplining the self and its inclinations in this temporary world; being mindful of the reckoning before the Lord on the Day of Judgement, true believers are hopeful of the enduring rewards of God’s pleasure and blessings in the Hereafter.  

An 'Imam' guided by Allah

 

The Divinely-Elected Imam & True Guidance (Part 2)

“One day We shall call together all human beings with their (respective) Imams; those who are given their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure), and they will not be dealt with unjustly in the least.” (Al-Isra 17: 72) 

 

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue today the second part of my subject on the explanation of the verse which I have just recited before you.

 

Allah says: “those who are given their record in their right hand will read it (with pleasure)” – This is the Quranic metaphor for passing the test of faith and for undergoing all trials successfully. The right hand is a symbol of blessing while the left is that of punishment. Also in the human body the right side enjoys superiority over the left since the tissues of the right side are generally stronger than those of the left.

'Taqwa': 'Shun the Roots of Evil'

'Ghibbat'- VIII

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, today also I continue my series of sermons on Surah Al-Hujurat, and [more specifically] the Hadiths on the subjects of “Ghibbat” (backbiting, gossips - spreading misinformation), thinking badly of others and spying on people, etc.

I now quote a second Hadith that is very long and found in [the book of] Muslim and also in [that of] Bukhari, Kitab-ul-Adab.

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying: “Avoid suspicion, for suspicion is the gravest lie in talk and do not be inquisitive about one another and do not spy upon one another and do not feel envy with the other, and nurse no malice, and nurse no aversion and hostility against one another. And be fellow-brothers and servants of Allah.” (Muslim)

In another version of this Hadith, reported in Muslim, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) tells us to stay away from badzani, to think badly of a person, because badzani is a bad kind of lie. Do not stay engaged in looking for the faults of others. Do not spy on your brothers, do not be greedy for good things, do not be jealous, have no enmity for your brothers, do not be insolent. Do not break relations with your brothers. Become servants of Allah and live like real brothers. A Muslim is a brother to another Muslim. And do not commit injustice among you. A Muslim does not diminish his brother and does not humiliate him either.

And Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) also pointed to [in the direction of] his heart and said that: Taqwa is here.

'Live A True Ramadan'

Ramadan's Identity

We are living the days and nights of an exceptional month; a blessed month that has a lot of benefits and an opportunity for every Muslim. In order to enjoy it fully, it is important to know what this month symbolizes and what we can draw from it so that we can acquire the divine love and salvation, and hope to enter paradise one day. Insha-Allah.

Our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said, “There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast.” (Nasai).

For some Muslims, the arrival of the month of Ramadan is not welcomed because they will have to deprive themselves of food and drink and a lot of pleasures that they used to do. However, for a true believer, Ramadan is synonymous with Allah’s favour because this month is:

(1) The Month of Victory

Ramadan is a symbol of the victory of Islam and the Muslims because it was during this month that the first great battle took place at Badr on the 17^th day of Ramadan in year 2 of the Hegira (AH) between the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) – accompanied by his 313 companions / believers – and the infidels of Mecca and it was the Muslims who came out victorious. It is during this month that Allah chains our worst enemy, Satan, so that each individual can be victorious over him.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “When the first night of the month of Ramadan comes, the devils and rebellious jinn are chained up and the gates of Hell are closed, and not one gate of it is opened. The gates of Paradise are opened and not one gate of it is closed…” (Tirmidhi).

It is an undeniable truth that our life on earth is marked by a perpetual fight against Satan. He swore to deviate us from our Creator and to enslave us through his many attractions. He desires at all costs to separate us from the Master of the Worlds [Allah] and to make us become his own slaves; like puppets moving at his command. This makes Ramadan an opportunity to free ourselves from Satan’s slavery and avoid his traps. If a person cannot get the upper hand on Satan during the holy month of Ramadan, when does he think he can do it? That is why Allah and His Messenger (pbuh) taught us that through the prohibitions imposed during the holy month of Ramadan, and through our attachment to Allah and spirituality (Islam), we need to abandon Satan and prevent him from attacking us.

So who will succeed in this initiative? They are the true believers! It is for them that the gates of paradise will remain open and the gates of hell will remain closed. Allah gives each of us an opportunity to reform, to take the right path and to keep treading on it. It is for those who will take into consideration these divine counsels and commands that the demon will not succeed in influencing.

'Zikrullah' for Inner Happiness

“Those who believe and whose hearts find rest in the remembrance of Allah: 

Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.” (Ar-Rad, 13: 29).

Zikrullah (Remembrance of Allah) is the true nourishment of the hearts. The heart, mind and soul of man thrive on Zikrullah and shrink without it. Zikrullah is not difficult. It is indeed a most simple duty and the reward and significance of Zikrullah are indeed great. One who is neglectful of such an important, yet simple and most rewarding practice is most unfortunate. Indifference to Zikrullah is an invitation to calamity upon oneself.

Allah describes in the Holy Quran those who have let go of Zikrullah and relegated it to oblivion:

“Satan has gained the mastery over them, so he has caused them to forget the remembrance of Allah. They are the party of Satan. Verily, it is the party of Satan that will be the losers.” (Al-Mujadila, 58: 20).

Therefore, we Muslims should strive to remain in the remembrance of Allah (swt) even if it becomes increasingly hard when we engage ourselves in our worldly activities. Zikrullah is a powerful weapon against Satan’s whispers which slowly try to overtake our hearts and lead us to self-deception. Today we notice how even though technology is supposed to help people gain extra time and better quality of life, people are more and more restless, sad, stressed and anxious. This is because Satan is winning them over by distracting their attention from Allah (swt) and misleading them in their decisions. Staying in constant Zikrullah makes us fear Allah (swt), always allowing us to put life matters into perspective by rearranging priorities accordingly to Allah’s commands in order to maintain individual, social as well as environmental harmony. Consequently, evil deeds are wiped out by sincerity of the heart to enjoin what is good and forbid evil acts, permitting us to find tranquillity of heart.

Islam on Protection of the Environment

Cleanliness is not a secondary issue. Islam has placed much importance on cleanliness as it is considered an integral part of our faith. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Purification is half of faith.” (Muslim).

It is also said in the Quran: “Allah does not intend to make difficulty for you; He only wants to purify you and complete His favour upon you, that you may be grateful.” (Al-Maida, 5: 7).

And it also mentions that “Allah loves those who repent and who purify themselves.” (Al-Baqara 2: 223).

However, cleanliness applies not only to the body but it also relates to our environment. The Holy Prophet (pbuh) challenges us: “Keep clean the area in front of your house so as not to offend passersby.”

Then we understand how important it is to properly maintain one’s interior, not only that, but also to respect the environment in which we live, that is to say, our neighbourhood, our city and above all, nature. This is an order of our beloved Prophet (pbuh). Therefore, as Muslims, we must comply to this instruction if we do not want to incur the wrath of Allah (swt) upon us. 

Also, do not forget that our behaviour is a reflection of Islam. Others judge our religion through our behaviour. Some believe that a well-kept house is a waste of time and is quite unimportant in the eyes of Allah (swt). Now we have just pointed out that it is not.

'Tahajjud' and 'Ibaadat' in Ramadan

Tahajjud in Ramadan

وَ اِذَا سَاَلَکَ عِبَادِیۡ عَنِّیۡ فَاِنِّیۡ قَرِیۡبٌ ؕ اُجِیۡبُ دَعۡوَۃَ الدَّاعِ  اِذَا دَعَانِ  ۙ فَلۡیَسۡتَجِیۡبُوۡا لِیۡ وَ لۡیُؤۡمِنُوۡا بِیۡ  لَعَلَّہُمۡ  یَرۡشُدُوۡنَ ۝

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah, I thus continue my sermon which I started last Friday. I read the verses 184-187 of the Surah Al-Baqara, and when one reads the last verse (i.e. Verse 187), Almighty Allah says:

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, then surely I am very near; I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he calls on Me, so they should answer My call and believe in Me that they may walk in the right way.”(Al-Baqara, 2: 187).

This is also a verse which is subject to long commentaries and we can say that this is a period when Almighty Allah comes nearer to us (His servants), and when He is prepared to receive/ accept our supplications/ requests (duahs). But this is not without condition! There are some conditions which are attached with that (divine) statement/ promise. One must listen to Allah (listen to what He has to say), obey Him and have faith (Iman) in Him. It is then that Almighty Allah shall be ready to listen to our duahs.

‘Jesus is in the Third Heaven’

Religious beliefs sometimes have a tendency to challenge common sense. Thus, the Christians hold the belief that the founder of their religion, i.e., Jesus, Son of Mary is the literal ‘Son of God’. Likewise, defying gravity, logic of reason and experience of history, sections of the Muslims continue to hold the belief that the Prophet Jesus (as) is still ‘alive’, two millennium after his birth and they say that he would physically descend in our times among the Muslims as their Imam!

     

No doubt, in the Muslim spiritual tradition, Jesus (as) is one of the great messengers of the Almighty, celebrated along with Hadhrat Muhammad (sa). However, the ‘belief’ on or the myth of, a physically alive Jesus crept into Islam/among the Muslims in the medieval period when the influx of Christians into Islam led to a mixing of ‘cultures’ and the dogmas of the Christians found their way into, replacing the traditional Muslim understanding on the matter, shaped by the Qur’an and taught by the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa). In a special Sermon delivered on September 07, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius throws searching light on the physical death of Jesus (as), as emerging from the express Qur’anic verses and the opinions of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) on the matter.    

Read the Extracts from the Sermon:

Allah says in the Holy Qur'an:

Fa lammaa tawaffay tanii kunta ‘Antar-Raqiiba ‘alayhim: wa ‘Anta ‘alaa kulli shay-‘in Shahiid.

But when You cause me to die, You were the Guardian over them, and You are, over all things, Witness. (Al-Maida 5: 118)

Death and life are not alike. If God has given us life, He also decreed death for us, humans, and all living creatures that He has placed in the universe. And verily, in death, there is life and in life, there is death.

Divine Messengers: Trials and Rewards

Islam presents a Most Compassionate and Ever Merciful Lord Almighty. The enduring practice of the raising of Divine Messengers among human communities testifies to the all-encompassing Mercy of Allah. Yet, when a Messenger presents himself before the community, they reject him. In the times of a Messenger, most people would revel in inequities under a veil of ignorance. The pride of riches, vanity of material favours, hubris of mundane power and social influence, arrogance of family inheritance- all seem to keep them away from God and His Messenger. Unfortunately for man, ingratitude and ungratefulness seem to be deeply embedded and ingrained as part of his DNA!

In his Friday Sermon of 26 April 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius gave a profound discourse on the Divine Law of raising of Messengers. Drawing upon the sacred traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), the Khalifatullah (atba) points out that for Allah and His Messengers, it does not really matter how many will follow them, for the Messenger’s duty is to convey the Divine revelations and Message. History bears testimony that some prophets, rejected by their own people, found acceptance after their death and departure from this world. Some others may have had few disciples only. Yet, the situation did not and will not cast any shadow on their truthfulness or the veracity of their claims.  

The denial and rejection of Divine Messengers in the past notwithstanding, Allah the Almighty will continue with His enduring practice: of raising Messenger(s) who will call to Unity of God and the eternal well-being of Man through God-consciousness. Islam offers the glad tiding of heavenly bliss for the early believers in Divine Messengers, whose faith and practice will testify to their gratitude to Allah who raised the Divine Messenger, sincerity of heart and good deeds. Alhamdulillah, these blessings are available for believers in this age as well. Likewise, divine punishments await a generation that rejects the Divine revelations and Message. The contemporary situation of horrifying disasters and havocs visiting almost all the world should be fodder for serous reflection for all. For, these events are taking place at a time when the Messenger of Allah has been and is warning us against the evils of our times.  

  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

And there came to them a Messenger from among themselves but they falsely rejected him; so the wrath seized them even in the midst of their iniquities. (16: 114)

The Divine Favour of Ahmadiyya Khilafat

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community takes pride in the Khilafat system which they have instituted among themselves. They elect their Khalifa from among themselves once a vacancy arises within the leadership. Both literally and in fact, that is the practice. Yet, Ahmadi leaders delude themselves to believe that they did not elect their Khalifa and that the electoral process in the International Majlis Shuura, is simply and merely a method for the implementation of the Divine Will, as their minds conceive it. And the Ahmadiyya theology would have us believe that the Khalifa or the man-elected-man enjoys the shadow of Divine favour and protection. 

With such theological technologies at hand, the leadership practices sophistry with élan: common folks in the Jamaat have been hoodwinked into vain desires of Divine nearness by their leaders for too long. Yet when you question Ahmadis about the Divine connection of their Khalifa, honest among them will admit: they have no sure knowledge on it, and they are merely following conjectures within the Jamaat and they never applied their reasoning power on their beliefs. It is instructive for Ahmadis to remember the admonition of the Holy Qur’an which provides a simple method to test the veracity of claims: And they say, ‘None shall enter Heaven unless he be a Jew or a Christian.’ These are their vain desires. Say, ‘Produce your proof, if you truthful.’ [Surah Al Baqarah, 2:112].

Unfortunately for the Jamaat –e- Ahmadiyya, the deep waters of Divine favour seem to have been dried up in our times. The present Khalifa Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib seems to have been deprived of the great and august blessing of Divine revelations. There is damning evidence that corroborates the assertion that Masroor Sahib does seem to have been stripped of this great Divine favour: for he completes almost a decade on the high seat of Khalifa, without ever presenting a Divine Message.

The Heavenly Signs of Hadhrat Ahmad (as)

One of the most important beliefs among the Muslims is the appearance of Al Imam Al Mahdi in the Latter Days. The grand prophecies of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) regarding the appearance of his substitute in the Latter Days also point to the sign of solar and lunar eclipses. The appearance of the Divinely-ordained soul took place at the appointed time and the signs of celestial events also fulfilled as foretold in the holy traditions. Allah the Most High kept his side of the bargain. Yet, the world in general and the contemporary theologians in particular, rejected him. 

In his Friday Sermon of 22 March 2013, Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius reflects on the personal background of Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian who was raised to the august spiritual office of Al Imam Al Mahdi by Allah the Most High, against the backdrop of the decline of the fortunes of Muslims in India and their capacity to articulate Islam’s spiritual appeal in general. In his speech, the Khalifatullah (atba) bears witness to the sublime truth of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) and further, confirms that his own Divine Mission in this era is inextricably intertwined with the Divine Mission of the Promised Massih (as) in the previous era.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

The year 1835 holds a proud place in the human calendar. During that year a child was born in Qadian, an obscure village in northern India. For generations his ancestors had ruled with distinction over the region around Qadian. Prior to his arrival even Islam fell in decline and lost much of its glory. The child who was born was not ordinary. He was intended to bring about a great revolution not only in the realm of the spirit, but also well into the realm of matter. He was born on 13 February 1835 and was named Ghulam Ahmad by his parents and later became famous under the name of Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Qadiani. He was appointed by God as the Messiah and Mahdi.

Heaven and Hell and the DIVINE WILL

One of the questions that many people raise is this: what will be done to the people who reject the Divine Message of an era and His Messengers? 

The grandeur of the Divine scheme of things is such that the unique Lord, the Almighty Allah, does what He wills. His Mercy and Forgiveness encompass the whole world so much so that He may forgive whomsoever He wants. And no one can question Him as to what He does. The practical operations of the Divine Will, thus, remains for the most part, shrouded as a matter of profound mystery. Except, of course, what He teaches and informs His Messengers through the angels and the Spirit of Holiness. Even His Messengers had only the duty to convey what had been conveyed to them. They had also been instructed to openly declare that they would not know about what would be done to them in this life or in the life to come.

It is plausible to consider that that people might have failed to recognize the Divine Message as a consequence of the complex circumstances and varied conditions of social life of their times.  The limits of our awareness at a humane level to factor in all those colours of human situations through our myopic eyes can and will blur our vision of reality. The essential un-know-ability of the Divine Will also must be kept in mind while interpreting the mystical, spiritual ideas such as fear of Hell and hope for Heaven and salvation of the believers and the damnation of the disbelievers,

In his Friday Sermon of 07 September 2012, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius shared some light on the meaning of these concepts for the benefit of our everyday life. The discourse of the Messenger of Allah of our times deeply underscores the limits of human knowledge to comprehend the Divine Will. He exhorts us to “remain ever at the service of God and humanity also so that you may earn not this world, but everlastingness through your devotion to God”.