Become 'Khayrah Ummah'

 

The duty to enjoin virtue, and to forbid evil is among the Qur'anic characteristics and qualities of a true believer in society. Indeed, true devotees of God remain a dynamic force for promoting good among the public. In his Friday Sermon of 18 June 2021~06 Dhul-Qaddah 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius spoke about this vital duty on all: both the common man as well as on the social elites: the intellectual class, and the community leaders. Drawing on Qur'anic teachings, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underlines that lasting Divine Blessings and Favours on a community are conditional upon their righteous living through sincere obedience to His commandments, and that when a people spoil their chances in leadership and eminence by wrongdoing and negligence, they lose out on Divine mercy, and the quagmire of schisms and strife engulf them as a reflection of their misdeeds, a manifestation of Divine Anger and Wrath. It is by transforming oneself by obedience and submission to Divine commandments and by recognizing the guidance on offer through His chosen messenger- the Khalifatullah (aba) of this era- that individual believers can collectively aspire to become the 'Khayrah Ummah' of the Qur'an.  

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

'Duah': Invocations to Allah-VIII

Waz-zaakiriinallaaha kasiiraww-wa zaaakiraati ‘a-‘addallaahu lahum-maghfirataww-wa ‘ajran ‘aziimaa.

… men and women who remember Allah often—for (all of) them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. (Al-Ahzab 33 : 36)

Abu Huraira reported Allah’s Messenger (pbuh) as saying that Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, thus stated: “I am near to the thought of My servant as he thinks about Me, and I am with him as he remembers Me. And if he remembers Me in his heart, I also remember him in My Heart, and if he remembers Me in assembly I remember him in assembly, better than his (remembrance), and if he draws near Me by the span of a palm, I draw near him by the cubit, and if he draws near Me by the cubit I draw near him by the space (covered by) two hands. And if he walks towards Me, I rush towards him.”

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) gave me the Tawfiq to continue my sermons on the subject of “Duahs” and today is the 8th part. All this is by the grace of Allah (swt) and His blessing and where He is pouring these duahs on me so that I can present them in front of all the brothers, sisters and children in Islam as well as all my dear disciples around the world. Ya Allah, Ya Azim, Ya Ghaffar, Ya Rabbul Aalameen (O Allah The Almighty, The Indulgent, The Master of all worlds), thank you for all Ilm (knowledge) that You pour out on me so that I lead Your servants on the right path. Ameen.

We pray that Allah (swt) will grant mercy, salvation and blessing to our prophet Muhammad (pbuh), as well as to his family and all of his companions. Ameen.

It is thanks to this great prophet Rahmatul-lil-Aalameen (who is a mercy to the whole universe) that we know these duahs. Allah taught us the duahs that His Nabi Kareem (pbuh) used to address to Him, and especially under what circumstances they should be recited. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself is this perfect guide and model, and we have no guide except the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). [That is to say] It is from him that all people take example in order to perfect their own Islam and Iman (faith).

'Be Helpers in the Cause of God'

Become the Helpers of Allah!

“O you who believe! Become helpers of Allah: As said Jesus, son of Mary, to the Disciples, ‘Who will be my helpers in the cause of Allah?’ The disciples answered, ‘We are Allah’s helpers!’ then a portion of the Children of Israel believed, and a portion disbelieved: But We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed.” (As-Saff, 61: 15)

In the history of nations, on occasion they are obliged to take certain basic decisions. This had equal application to worldly as well as divine communities. When confronted with such situation, using a well-known phrase, they have to decide: “to be or not to be?” This is the question. Today the question is whether you will advance or you will perish.

In the religious world, since the origin of faith is divine, this option is not applicable. It is already decreed that the divine communities will advance. There is never a question of retreat. For the achievement of the goal set for them, they are always prepared to sacrifice all. Such an occasion has now arisen in the history of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. The verse that I have just recited is most appropriate for our times also.

Even if Jesus (as), the Messiah and the Prophet of Allah is dead, but his image has come yet again in this era through the will of Allah to give you all a new lease of life. Had the Christians and Muslims understood the real scope of this truth, they would have stopped waiting for the physical descent of Jesus, son of Mary, Prophet of Allah to the Israelites.

Now, a new era has dawned. This era is that of Islam and perpetually so, till the end of times. Even though the origin of all religions or faiths is divine, but through the course of all these centuries, people have lost their original essence, i.e. the unity of God. Thus, with time, association with God became widespread in religions which were basically monotheists and true. Their teachings were falsified to quench the thirst for power of the modern divines [i.e. the high priests, pundits, etc.]

But now, with the rise of a Man of God who has come in the mantle of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to revive the true teachings of all previous faiths, the time is crucial, and help is needed to break all false doctrines which have crept in the pure faith.

The Holy Quran instructs those who believe to enlist themselves as: Helpers in the cause of Allah, in the same manner as Jesus (as), the son of Mary who asked his disciples: ‘Who amongst you will help me for the sake of Allah?’ So Allah enabled a party of the Children of Israel to believe while another party disbelieved.

Furthermore, Allah says: “We gave power to those who believed, against their enemies, and they became the ones that prevailed.”

Sahabiyat: Exemplary Role Models

Siraj Makin, the women’s collective of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, organized a One-Day Ta’lim Majlis (Divinity Study Programme) at the historic Noor'ul Islam Masjid Mathra, South Kerala, India on Wednesday, 11 September 2019~ 10 Muharram 1441 AH. The Ta’lim Majlis essentially sought to build upon the earlier initiatives of the Kerala Siraj Makin- the programmes of 09 February 2019, 19-20 April 2019 & 23 June 2019- for the benefit of its members so as to keep them aware of the Deeni Ta’lim, and to provide them an opportunity for collective learning.

Addressing the women believers on the occasion, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius underscored the significance of personal sacrifices and religious services for nourishing the spiritual landscape around us. The exemplary personal modesty, dignity and morality, as well as the trail-blazing footprints of early believers is certainly an important source to mine by sincere seekers in their individual and collective quest for God's approval in all that they engage in. Illustrating this point, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) calls attention to episodes from the glorious chapter of Islamic golden era: the personal piety and selfless religious services of the Sahabiyat- the women comrades of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). The  remarkable  lives and services of our pious elders from the early Muslim community continues to move the truly devout in the Divine Path in every generation of the Muslims. It is by seeking to honour the blessed memory  of their pious deeds and sacrifices through our own every day life that we can claim true kinship to Islamic values in this darkened era, points out Hadhrat Saheb (atba).

Read the Special Address Below:   

Dear Siraj Makin of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam of Kerala,

Assalamoualaikum Warahmatullah Wabarakaatuhu.

I wish to congratulate you for the initiative that you have again undertaken to organize this Taalim/ Tarbiyat meeting (11 September 2019) and to deepen your ties of sisterhood and to learn new lessons and teachings which will Insha-Allah benefit you your lives throughout.

Today I have chosen to address you on the following topic:

Exemplary Sacrifices of the Sahabiyat of the time of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa).

During the first period of Islam, Muslim women gave examples of sacrifices in the path of religion. These exemplary sacrifices will remain alive in the annals of Islam. These are, for you, examples to follow until the day of Qiyamah.

Prophecies as Tests of Faith

By the grace of Allah, during my visit in their country, my disciples witnessed many divine revelations – such revelations which Allah (swt) had sent down on this humble servant – messages which comes from the Heavens. And whenever Allah (swt) sends a message on any matter/ subject, it may be that you think that this shall come to happen fast or really fast, or you hope to witness that divine manifestation and you can even say with certitude that this revelation/ prophecy shall be realised whereby the one mentioned in the revelation shall have a ghastly end and humiliation.

But when these kinds of people/ believers do not see it happen after witnessing the divine message, and if they have a weak faith, they get upset and they can even stop putting their trust in their Creator. There are even some people who lose faith and leave the fold of the Divine Manifestation.

Like the Quran mentions, for those who had weak faith in the times of the noble and holy prophet – Muhammad (pbuh), when the latter told/ prophesised something, this was not realised on the spot. Therefore, read the Quran and you shall see what these kinds of people used to say: “Allah and His Messenger promised us nothing but delusion!” (Al-Ahzab, 33: 13).

Allah (swt) tried them at the same time but they lost patience and got many bad thoughts on Allah Himself as well as His Messenger (pbuh) – and this verse also applies in all epochs of Messengers/ Elects of Allah.

Becoming ‘Maryam’, Bearing ‘Isa’

Our body is like Mary.

Each of us has a Jesus inside.

If a pain and yearning shows up inside us,

the Jesus of our soul is born.

If there is no pain, no yearning,

the Jesus of our soul will return to its origin from

the same secret passageway he came from…

If there is no pain, no yearning,

we will remain deprived

not benefiting from that Jesus of the soul.

 

-Hazrat Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi (ra) in Mathnawi---Translated by Omid Safi, in Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition (Yale, 2018).

 

A true believer becomes like ‘Maryam’ and is infused with the Holy Spirit

 

In Surah Al Tahrim, we read: “And Allah next compares the believers to Maryam, the daughter of Imran, she took care to guard her chastity, so we breathed into him (the believer who is exemplified here) Our inspiration while she declared her faith in the revelations of her Lord and His scriptures and she became of the devoted ones to prayers and obedient to Him”- (Surah Al Tahrim, HQ, 66: 13)

 

In this Qur’anic verse, Maryam is set as an example for righteous servants of Allah. Like Maryam, true believers- though they are not Prophets of Allah- can also be bestowed with Divine revelations. Such a servant is like Maryam and then Allah will infuse His Ruh in him and he will become the like of Jesus, a servant of God and recipient of His Revelations. According to Hazrat Khalifatul Massih Awwal Allama Hakkim Nuruddin (ra), “the verse clearly informs us that in the Ummah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), there will be people- both men and women- like Maryam, who will guard their chastity, be devoted to prayers, declare faith in the Scripture and because of being an obedient servant of Allah will receive the blessings of Divine Revelations. This promise has been given in the very first chapter of al-Fatihah in the words, “Show us the path of those whom you bestowed your Mercy”.

'Faith Entails Trials in Your Way'

Faith & the Strong Believer

Dear brothers, sisters and children, for today’s Friday Sermon (Khutba Jumu’ah), it is very important that I talk to you about faith (Iman) and Islam and the difference between a weak believer and a strong believer.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Say, ‘You have not (yet) believed; but say (instead), ‘We have submitted,’ (We are Muslims) for faith has not yet entered your hearts. And if you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not deprive you from your deeds of anything’.” (Al-Hujurat 49: 15).

Indeed, Iman (faith) is the confession/ attestation (by the tongue) and acting (according to one’s responsibility) and Islam is confession (by the tongue) without acting.

It should be remembered that those who integrate the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam as Muslims and say that they believe in my advent as the Khalifatullah of the age need to make extra efforts to perfect their Islam and put this Islam into practice in their daily lives. Through the practice of Islam in your daily lives, true faith shall enter your hearts, and no doubt whatsoever, can come into those hearts to deviate you from the right path.

Very often, a Muslim – and I am specifically talking about my followers, the Sahih al Islam members – can feel that he is trying to do all the right things in his life so as to come close to Allah, and despite his various efforts, he is not able to succeed in his efforts and therefore he despairs of the mercy of Allah. He feels abandoned, and thus, he abandons his Salat (prayers) and all acts of worship due to his insecurity and doubts. Now, this is very wrong. This person should bear in mind that acquiring true faith is not an easy matter. He has to go through lots of trials, lots of fires, i.e. difficulties, so that his mettle, his capacities as a true Muslim and believer, and his faith in Allah may be victorious.

Remember, Allah always gives more trials and difficulties to those whom He loves the most. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has said: “How wonderful is the affair of the believer, for his affairs are all good, and this applies to no one but the believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful for it and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience and that is good for him.” (Muslim).

Divine Elects and the Light of Revelation

« Wa immin Ummati illaa khalaa fihaa Naziir. »

There is no nation but has had its Warner. 

(Fatir 35: 25)

As Allah (swt) is the Lord of all mankind, He has equipped all humans with the power to think for themselves. And thus, He could not deprive any nation of His guidance. Like the verse of the Holy Quran which I have recited before you, in which it is said: “There is no nation but has had its Warner”.

Allah (swt) has sent His messengers among all nations and in all ages, and like the sun lights up the whole world, the light of revelations has ever lit up the darkest corners of the earth. If today we cannot discover the light of revelation among a particular people, it does not mean that no prophets have appeared among them, but the truth is that these people have allowed their national traditions and faith to die out.

Over time, most people believed that (divine) revelation was limited to the founders of their respective religions, and even those who believed that divine revelation was given to those who profess other religions did that, more like a kind of personal tribute to the founders of these religions because of the services they had rendered to the cause of humanity than the result of the acceptance of the doctrine of the universal providence of God. For example, today we see that Christmas has become a national and international festival where even the adherents of other religions like the Hindus celebrate it with fanfare. Why? Is it because of their belief in Jesus just like the Christians have in him? Or is it simply because of the attraction of this festive celebration and as a tribute to the Christian beliefs about Jesus’ birth? They are fully engaged in this feast while in reality they do not believe in the authenticity of Jesus as a prophet, or even (may Allah forbid) as son of God, a belief that the majority of Christians espouse.

The services rendered to humanity by the righteous servants of God have certainly been preserved in history, but God’s attributes and words also reflect the fact that each nation, whether its traditions have been preserved or not, had its prophet and to receive guidance through prophets is the right of humanity that God never ignores. This doctrine has opened for all nations the doors of God’s love to the point that it has put the internal relations of humanity on a consistent and friendly basis and preserved the founders and righteous men of all religions from all kinds of insults.

The world has seen the greatest universal prophet for all humanity, for all nations, for all peoples of the world. This greatest prophet is indeed our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). He was raised among the Arabs as the universal prophet for the entire human race. Although he was the last prophet bearer of divine laws, with the last code of revealed laws, i.e., the Quran, the complete Holy Book, which contains the necessary lessons for the needs of all times, the doors of revelation and spiritual advancement are, however, still open and will continue to be forever.

The metaphor of 'Fruit-bearing Trees'

“This (Quran) is enlightenment for mankind and guidance and mercy for a people who have Faith with certainty. What! Do those who commit evils think that We shall hold them equal with those who believe and do righteous deeds - that equal will be their life and their death? Ill is the judgment that they make. And Allah created the heavens and earth with truth and so that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned, and they will not be wronged.” ---(Surah Al Jathiya, 45: 21-23).

By the grace of Allah, I continue my sermon today on the same subject that I started two weeks ago.

In my last Friday Sermon (04 September 2015), I told you that when Allah makes this honoured treatment with someone (where the person is under the refuge of Allah), then it is as if he/she becomes a beautiful plant that emerges, which flourished (in the Garden of Allah). He becomes a plant of good deeds, a plant that yields fruit. Allah protects him and keeps away from him all sorts of problems and dangers. Now you may find that this seems to be very difficult in the beginning but with time this journey becomes easy; where there is no difficulty. Therefore, all you have in your possession, you present all with love and affection, in humility to Allah and to Him you say: 

“O Allah! I have nothing more (of what I now present to You), but I certainly have love for Your religion, and this love that I keep in me for Your religion (Islam) forces me to present all that I have for Your cause.” 

And when after addressing Allah in this way you have patience, you will certainly find what treatment Allah shall do with you!