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.

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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.

Worshipping God, or Idols ?

‘Your God is the one God: there is no god except Him, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy. In the creation of the heavens and earth; in the alternation of night and day; in the ships that sail the seas with goods for people; in the water which God sends down from the sky to give life to the earth when it has been barren, scattering all kinds of creatures over it; in the changing of the winds and clouds that run their appointed courses between the sky and earth: there are signs in all these for those who use their minds.’ (2: 164 -165)

 

Islam privileges an uncompromising belief in the unicity of God as the true religion of people. In the Islamic tradition, the personal name of God is ‘Allah’, and in the Arabic language, ‘Allah’ has no plural, masculine or feminine form; the expression is never used for any other object or being. ‘He is Lord of the heavens and earth and everything in between so worship Him: be steadfast in worshipping Him. Do you know of anyone equal to Him?’ (19:66)

 

‘Say, ‘He is God the One, God the eternal. He begot no one nor was He begotten. No one is comparable to Him.’ (112: 2-5)

Many other Qur’anic verses also testify to the Lord’s awe-inspiring presence: ‘Allah is He besides Whom there is no god, the Ever-living, the Self-subsisting by Whom all subsist; slumber does not overtake Him nor sleep; whatever is in the heavens and whatever is in the earth is His; who is he that can intercede with Him but by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot comprehend anything out of His knowledge except what He pleases, His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great.’ (2:256)

A 'Khalifatullah' to Revive True Faith

  

In his Friday Sermon of 27 May 2022 ~25 Shawwal 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Muhyi-ud-din Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his  exposition upon a great spiritual malady afflicting almost all the world of religion today: the problem of worshipping false gods, or the practice of 'Shirk': people joining several deities- an angel, prophet or saints- along with the worship of the True Lord of Humankind. Unfortunately, idolatry has consumed much of the ancient religions. In several Muslim lands even today, the Dargah-related rituals mirror the practices of idolatrous communities of the past- away from the true legacy of Islamic monotheism. In this discourse, based on Qur'anic revelations and Prophetic traditions, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) eloquently elucidates the correct spiritual doctrine of Tawheed and urges folks to avoid 'Shirk' and associated  Satanic practices of deviance in everyday life, in religious practices. 

Moreover, in this era of moral and spiritual corruption where people have lost their inner compass of righteous living, and consequentially, the world is afflicted with many maladies and calamities of all kinds, Hazrat Saheb points out that it is all the more important for humanity to move away from the frenzy of hedonism and return to its sense of balance and moderation by rediscovering the value of Divine-restraints and other higher values of spiritual realization. To guide human kind through this darkness, the All Merciful Lord, our God, has raised a chosen spiritual guide in our midst. In this context, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) in this discourse, once again acknowledges his spiritual mission and Divine mandate, and brings forth to all our collective attention the Divine revelations that were vouchsafed to him almost 14 years ago concerning the appointment of a 'Khalifatullah', the model-exemplar of Faith; the high representative of Allah (swt) in the mantle of the prophets of the past- with all the spiritual titles attached with it, with a view to renew the true legacy of 'Tawhid' and to combat 'Shirk' in all its manifestations,  Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah. 

'Tawheed' & 'Shirk'

 

 

If man is aware that Allah is the Lord Who has created and nourished him, and is the Only True God with no partners associated to Him, and thus, that He is the only True God, Who deserves to be worshipped, and if man knows also that Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of Allah to mankind, he must also know that his faith in Allah and His prophet Muhammad (pbuh) will not be perfect unless he is acquainted with the religion of Islam, believes in it, and behaves according to its precepts. This is due to the fact that Islam is the true religion approved by Allah (twt) to mankind. Allah has commanded all His Messengers, before Muhammad (pbuh), to follow Islam, and He sent Muhammad (pbuh) as the seal of His prophets, to propagate Islam, and enjoin people to behave according to its precepts.

 

WHAT IS ISLAM?

Then, let us see what Islam is. Muhammad (pbuh) the seal Messenger of Allah to mankind, defined Islam as follows: “Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad (pbuh) is His messenger, to perform prayers, pay the poor tax (Zakat), fast the month of Ramadan and do pilgrimage to the Holy House in Mecca if you have the means for that”. 

Keep Away from 'Shirk'

  

True Oaths in Islam 

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-Baqarah, 2: 187]

Islam teaches man to address his Creator directly. There is no need to use any intermediary. There is no need to go through creatures to join the Creator. It is on earth that man uses this means to reach another person like him. For example, to join a Minister, you have to make an appointment with his secretary and then later you join him [i.e. the Minister].

 

This is the way [of doing] of man. But talking with Allah is so easy that you just have to call on Him, and He will answer your call. If someone offers a sacrifice (e.g. an ox, a hen etc.) to others besides Allah, he is committing Shirk. He has no right to say: “I am doing this sacrifice on the name of such Pir or such Saint.” It’s Shirk.

Khalifatullah: Guardian of the Faith

Each time Allah (swt) sends His Caliph (Khalifatullah) on earth, people refuse to accept him; they not only refuse to accept him but they also make all sorts of evil plans to stop him from spreading the message of His Creator. In the message he gives there is protection for humanity, to safeguard the true faith and guide them towards (the worship of) only the Unique God. He also shows them the path which shall lead them to the Unique God. Unfortunately, through their arrogance and ignorance, they persist in worshipping the idol/idols of their own making.

A Khalifatullah is a guardian of the Tawhid (unicity of Allah) in a particular/special way. Allah (swt) has fulfilled His promise after Nabi Kareem (pbuh) where there were the Khulafa-e-Rashideen and after the Promised Messiah (as), there were the Khulafa-e-Massih; but like Allah (swt) has promised in the Holy Quran, in Surah An-Nur, Chapter 24, Verset 56, those who have faith and do good deeds as per the commandments of Allah, and who follow the divine instructions as to how to obtain (true) faith and who obey Allah (swt) in the performance of good deeds – whereby these shall be reflected in their deeds – then Allah shall establish them as His representatives, Khalifatullah on earth like He did with those who came before them. And moreover Allah shall reinforce for them their religion which He has perfected and loved for them and He shall transform their fear into security.

Verily, this promise (and actual materialization of that promise) is a divine gift to the sincere believers who have firm faith in the unicity of Allah, who have Taqwa (fear for Allah only) and not fear for creature/s. They worship Allah only and do not associate anything to Him in this worship. Their love for Allah (swt) is infinite and they are always ready to lay down their lives for the cause of Allah.

A Khalifatullah is a guardian for everybody; he becomes their heart and brain and whenever the Khalifatullah sees a sprout (the manifestation) of Shirk, he eliminates it. A Khalifatullah also does not worry about what the world may think of him – either positive or negative. He trusts that in such situations of negativity (against his person), Allah (swt) shall always help him (His Khalifatullah) for it is Allah who has chosen and raised him.

With the advent of a Khalifatullah, what has transpired in the past in the times of the Khalifatul-Massih, Insha-Allah, with the help of Allah, the Khalifatullah shall not permit that all these mistakes be repeated in the Jamaat wherein the Khalifatullah is found! And I, as the Khalifatullah of this era, I make this firm announcement that wherever there is the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in the world, we shall not let innovations and Shirk enter the Jamaat. If ever these exist in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, that I am not aware of, then (after taking knowledge of it) I cannot let these kinds of Bai’ats remain attached to me as the Khalifatullah of this age; I cannot let Shirk and innovations etc. enter the Jamaat. For me personally, I would prefer that these kinds of people break their Bai’ats and this shall not affect me. If someone becomes Murtad, Allah (swt) shall enable hundred pious and sincere people, Muwahid to enter the fold of the Jamaat (Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam).