'Preach Islam through Good Deeds'

 

The Duahs of the Holy Prophet ^(sa) & The Promise of Allah- Part 5

'O you who believe! Remember Allah with much remembrance. And glorify Him morning and evening. It is He Who blesses you, as do His angels, to get you out of darkness into light, and He has always been Merciful to the believers. Their greeting on the Day they meet Him will be, “Peace!” And He has prepared for them an honourable reward. O Prophet, We have sent you as a Witness and a Bearer of glad tidings and a Warner, as one who calls people to Allah by His leave, and as a light-giving lamp. Give good news to the believers that they will have a great bounty from Allah. Do not obey the disbelievers and the hypocrites. Overlook their annoyances, and put your trust in Allah. For Allah is sufficient to take care of all matters.'  (Surah Al-Ahzab 33: 42-49)

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, I am continuing the fifth part of my Friday sermon concerning the invocations of our beloved Prophet and the promises that Allah has made to us through him.

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. 

The Fate of Muslims & Unity

“… when guidance comes to you from Me, whoever follows it, there will be no fear for them, nor will they grieve.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 39) 

 

“Fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is all for Allah. But if they cease, then Allah sees all that they do, but if they pay no heed, be sure that Allah is your Protector; the best Protector and the best Helper!” (Al-Anfal, 8: 40-41)

 

The times we are living are difficult times for Islam. While those who sow hatred against Islam are doing their best to destroy the true path that leads to Allah The Almighty, on the other hand, Allah is inspiring other hearts to accept Islam. Through the satanic plans of the hate-mongers who sow hatred against Islam – whereby they have devised strategies to picture the religion of Islam as a terrorist religion, but Allah is devising another vaster plan, for the great victory of Islam.

Civility in Religious Debates

Be it writing on social media, or appearing on television channels on public debates; the persons exercising their free speech rights have a duty to observe civility and courtesy, and not to fan hatred between different classes of people, nor spread bigotry among religious communities, especially so when they are leading politicians and spokespersons of a party ruling a country. When political elites fail to observe restraint and cross the red-lines in public discourse on people’s beliefs, or faith-related controversies; it invariably generates public resistance and political backlash, muddying the social relations- nationally and internationally.

Recently, two leaders of the ruling BJP in India, Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, indulged in wanton anti-Muslim tirade, in public television and on social media. In their visceral hatred of the Muslim community in the country, these ruling politicians went to the extreme extend of attacking and vilifying the religion of Islam, and insulting the sacred memory of the Holy Prophet (sa) and his family. Making hurtful comments about the Holy Prophet’s life with his young wife Hazrat Ayesha (ra), these thugs from the majority community in the land sought to humiliate the minority community by insulting their religious beliefs. With the Muslims in India holding angry public demonstrations against the culprits, and many Muslim majority-nations in unison calling out the Islamophobia on full display in India, the episode involving the gross misconduct of its spokespersons embarrassed not only the governing party but also caused deep humiliation for the country’s image and standing internationally. [Inset: People hold posters during a protest demanding the arrest of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and expelled BJP leader Naveen Jindal. Credit: Reuters photo/ Deccan Herald/ PTI, June 10, 2022]. 

Islam and International Law

Religion, Law and State

In his Friday Sermon of 08 November 2019~ 10 Rabi’ul Awwal 1441 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius spoke about the significance of law in upholding the dignity of the individual as well as in sustaining the global order for the collective progress of human kind. Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) identifies the distinctive contribution of Islamic values to the development of International Law in this context. 

It is instructive to note that while modern international law was for long considered to be a product of Western, Christian civilization and generally traces its origins to the legal problems that emerged in the context of the European imperial conquests (of South America in the 16th century and Asia and Africa in the subsequent centuries); there is increasing recognition in the academic literature now regarding the  profound debt the discipline owes- in shaping the contours of the subject- to the seminal writings and juristic interpretations of Hazrat Imam Muhammad Al Shaybani (ra), the great disciple of the great Muhaddith Hazrat Imam Abu Hanifa (ra), almost eight centuries before European scholars like Hugo Grotius- the 'father' of international law- began to engage with, and write about, the discipline.   

International Law as it stands today may broadly be defined as an ensemble of normative rules and diplomatic practices that guide actor-expectations in the world of international relations. And the actors on the global scene include, besides the States, international organizations, a host of official governance networks; multinational corporations, indigenous communities and the civil society organizations campaigning on reforming the systems of global governance. Despite the dynamic nature of the actor-interactions as well as the development of global rules in specific areas; the foundational values of International Law remain the same: sovereign equality and peaceful co-existence of States; the sanctity of covenants and the bindingness of legal obligations; the obligation of the Parties to act in good faith; respect for the symbols and signs of sovereignty of States, including the privileges of ambassadors and State agents; respect for diversity of community traditions and practices, etc.  Hadhrat Saheb (atba) illustrates these points with reference to Qur'anic verses and Prophetic practices, as it is the task of the true believers in this era to shun hypocrisy and work to create a just world under Islam. 

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

The Divine Messages of 21-23 June 2018

In his Friday Sermon of 06 July 2018 (21 Shawwal 1439 AH), Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius presents before the world the recent Divine Messages which he received from Allah (swt). These Messages from the Unseen contain profound insights into the uncompromising monotheism that Islam espouses as the spiritual path for the humans. Under the Islamic conception of God, the ultimate sovereignty and authority lies entirely with that Unique, Eternal and Everlasting Being who is the Lord of the Universe. So comprehensive and so complete is the Lord’s control over all affairs that the humans are utterly dependent upon His favours for the chance gains of this life. Divine Grace and Mercy determines his very existence and continued welfare, both in this world and in the world to come.

A necessary corollary of this concept of Divine Lordship/Rule is the ideas of human equality and universal brotherhood. In the Kingdom of God on Earth, all people of various identities- across classes, peoples and nations- are to share the global space and live in harmony and amity, celebrating the promise of diversity in our common humanity and shared destiny. Amidst all the God-made differences in the world, people can and should learn from each other in a spirit of humility and modesty, building networks of solidarity and mutual cooperation and of healthy competition in the pursuit of good deeds. In such a Divine Order, there is no space for Satanic impulses like arrogance, false pride, vanity and hubris.

The Divine scheme of things in the real world of the humans acknowledges that 'spiritual diseases' are a reality and that the true believers need to be aware of it. The vicious offshoots of satanic impulses can prevent us from being just to God and the fellow humans. Both in human relations and international affairs, one can see the individual and collective ‘self’ at work. Often the way in which one defines the ‘Self’ also determines his/her attitude towards the ‘Other’. A capacious conception of the ‘self’ make us humble and humane and allows us to empathize to, and identify with, the problems of other peoples/nations like us, whereas a narrowly-defined ‘self’ induces us to have a blurred view of the 'other'. The chance gains of this life- individual attainments; family ‘pedigree’; riches; class/group identities; national power- can even turn us away from our larger responsibilities towards God and our fellow beings. Whereas all blessings of this life come from God, to credit these bounties to any false sense of 'self' is nothing but delusions induced by the work and whisperings of the satans. As it happens, false pride and arrogance leads to an inexorably destructive trajectory of intolerance, fanaticism, extremism and violence; whereas humility and empathy for others lead us to gaze at the whole human race as ‘limbs of the same body’.

The Divine Message invites our attention to the ‘Way of Allah’. In a world that has virtually turned upside down- riven with imperialist overreach fueling conflicts in the poorer nations; capitalist aggrandizement exacerbating global injustice; inequality and poverty amidst concerns of global warming and climate change; scant regard for human dignity and the rights of the indigent masses, migrants and refugees- it is important to underscore spiritual values and ethical principles in the quest to reclaim the world on an even keel. By raising an Elect of His with a mission- the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International- the Lord of the Universe indicates where the future belongs in our world, Insha Allah. Just as all prophets and other Divine messengers in the long chain of human history had called the people of their times to God; a Divine servant of our times is here to remind us about the wisdom of eternal teachings preserved in the Holy Qur’an- be humble; shun arrogance and seek to strive in the pure and clear path of Divine proximity, Alhamdulillah, Soumma Alhamdulillah. 

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

Today I have chosen to present to you the Divine Messages which I received from Allah on the 21 June 2018 in English, messages which continued sometimes continuously and other times intermittently till 23 June 2018.

Al-Yawma ak-maltu lakum Diinakum wa atmamtu alaykum nimatii wa raziitu lakumul Islaama Diinaa. [Which means: This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as religion.]

O Munir Ahmad Azim, My Khalifatullah and Messiah of this era, I raised you in this era as Dalil Al-Khayrat (The Guide to good deeds) and Nasih (The True Counsellor and Transformer of Men’s souls) with a Jamaat named Sahih al Islam.

Sahih al Islam means: The truth of Islam which corrects and cancels man’s distortions of divine truths previously revealed and re-establishes the true message of Allah (swt).

The Middle East on Short Fuse

Based on recurring Divine inspirations and special Messages in recent times, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Khalifatullah  Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius is inviting the world's attention to the looming dangers lurking beneath our troubled global order. These Divinely-inspired warnings can be read in his recent Friday Sermons, shared also through this Blog. When they look at, read up and reflect on these profound words intimating about the extraordinary dangers facing our small world; knowledgeable Muslims will remember the prophecies contained in the Holy Qur’an, as well as in the Prophetic traditions on the portents/events of the End Times. Ahmadis among them will also remember the dire warnings lefty behind by the Promised Massih (as) in the last century and also the unfulfilled aspects of those grim prophecies concerning the Later Days. 

The World at the Brink

There is little doubt that humanity is at the brink of Disaster(s) in our times. World nations are facing multiple dangers of an existential proportion: of environmental degradation, species extinction and the grim prospect of nuclear annihilation. The unsustainable consumption patterns in the industrialized world have also produced the irreversibly great danger of global warming and climate change, as science now confirms. The devastating consequences of this drastic change in weather patterns would be felt everywhere. Indeed, climate change threatens as it comes home not just in the main lands of the industrial world, but even the inhabitants of remote island nations who had done nothing comparable to  to bring about the whole problem. 

Likewise, powerful nations have arrogated to themselves ‘total security’ of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and they threaten other nations that defy their dictates. So much so that countries like North Korea seek nuclear capability as a security imperative; triggering global fears of a nuclear war in the not so distant future! Short of being fully wiped out from the very face of the earth through the aforesaid blinding passions of riches and excesses, the unbridled armament race among the nations has the potential of promising a veritable Hell on Earth for those of us- the hapless common humans- who are condemned to live amidst all these dangers.

The multilateral system, forged after the Second World War, is bedevilled by multiple crises and it seems incapable of providing effective solutions to the manifold challenges of global governance- poverty and rising inequality;environmental degradation; the arms race and the quest for nuclear weapons; internal conflicts and terrorism; racism and xenophobia, national chauvinism and Islamophobia, etc. International institutions and organizations are designed in such a way that these works to protect the entrenched interests of the Big Nations, rather than seeking to sub serve the larger cause of global justice and equity. These organizations largely ignore the real concerns of the poorer nations when they raise their experiences of political injustice and  colonial exploitation. 

Coercion- Against the spirit of Islam

A common misconception that has resurfaced recently and this time in a magnified, out-of-proportion blow is that the instrument for the spread of Islam was force. This is indeed an age-old allegation, the root of which kept on growing with hatred against Islam, to stop the progress of truth, peace and harmony.

Islam never advocated compulsion. If the Holy Quran, the books of Hadith and historical records are carefully examined, studied and listened to attentively, as far as possible, one is bound to reach one positive conclusion. That conclusion is that the allegation that Islam permitted the use of sword - or any other armament for that matter - for the spread of religion is shameless and utterly unfounded. This, in fact, is the view held by only those who have not studied the Holy Quran or the Traditions or other reliable sources of Islamic history without prejudice. 

Some have even gone to the extent of fabricating lies and levying unfounded charges upon Islam without inhibition. I know that the time is approaching fast when those who are hungry and thirsty for Truth will see through their deception. 

Can a religion be described as a religion of compulsion when its Holy Book, the Quran, has categorically prohibited the use of force for the spread of faith? So says the Holy Quran: There is NO COMPULSION in religion. (2: 257).

Can we accuse that great prophet of using force against others, who for thirteen years, day and night, exhorted all his companions in Mecca not to return evil for evil but to forbear and forgive. When, however, the mischief of the enemy exceeded all limits and when the various peoples around him made determined efforts to exterminate Islam, God’s attribute that He always defends His beloved one so demanded, “Let those who raised the sword perish by the sword.”

Terrorists, Islamophobes and Our Faith

CURBING VIOLENCE & RETURNING TO ISLAM

No one can deny the fact that terrorism, barbarism and violence are among the “malaise” from which the Islamic world is suffering in today’s fast growing global world. The rush and invested energy to seek and work for material progress has on the other hand brought about the moral and spiritual decline of human beings, including Muslims. They find their spiritual foundations shaken and to further complicate the situation, it is not a secret to anyone that a few Muslim countries have become the greatest producers of drugs and other intoxicants which are exported to African and Asian countries where there exist a majority of Muslim countries, and this despite the fact that Islam condemns the consumption and sales of intoxicants.

Modern psychologists and specialist doctors in the field had discovered that an excess of drugs and other intoxicants lead to terrorism and violence in the various forms they exist. Under these circumstances, the American and European mass-media have caught the golden chance to present the Muslims as a band of terrorists in the late 20^th Century for the simple reason of frightening the non-Muslim world and to tarnish the image of Islam. And, during the 1990s, the mass media embarked on an aggressive campaign to accuse the Muslims as barbaric people who are still living in the pre-Islamic age and given to debaucheries by frequently using the connotation “Jihad” in their own distorted comprehension. This campaign of theirs have gained all the more weight at the turn of this new era (the 21^st Century) when a so-called or well-planned venture to depict Muslims as terrorists was put into execution with the terrorist attacks of 9/11 (the World Trade Centre and Pentagon Attacks).

Islam's Legacy: Non-violence

The greatest Muslim and non-Muslim historians can bear testimony to the fact that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) has never, on any single occasion during his prophetic mission in Mecca or Medina used violence to counteract his enemies’ persecutions, but it can be safely said, without exaggeration, that he was the first leader to have taught “non-violence”. However, today “non-violence” is associated with Gandhi, Martin Luther King or Nelson Mandela when people at large tend to forget the teachings of Islam which are universal. It is equally true to mention that with the present situation, almost all religions in this modern age are in a state of crisis; but Islam being a complete code of life does not lack solutions to the problems of violence affecting society. 

'No' to Aggression; Only self-Defence'