'Duah' for Healing

Tarbiyyat Lessons-16: 

Duah for Prevention of Cancer 

'Start reciting this powerful verse from the Qur'an, for yourself, and for your loved ones, and Allah will protect you from cancer developing in your body.

You must be always in a state of wudu (ablution). Recite every day, especially after Salah:

 

‘Rabbi qad aataitanee minal mulki wa allamtanee min taaweelil ahaadees, faati ras samaawaati wal ardi anta waliyyee fid Dunyaa wal Aakhirati tawaffanee Muslimanw wa alhiqnee bissaaliheen.’

 

‘My Lord! You have given me authority; You have taught me something about the interpretation of dreams; Creator of the heavens and the earth, You are my protector in this world and in the Hereafter. Let me die in true devotion to You. Join me with the righteous.’

 

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The Sheikh on Life Lessons- 3

 

Those who learn the history of Islam will be astonished by facts that speak for themselves- the great role women believers [Sahabiyat] performed around the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and the early Muslim community in Makkah and Madinah. Look at certain facts: the first person to embrace Islam was a woman – Hazrat Khadijah (ra); the first person to die for Islam was a woman- Hazrat Sumayya (ra). The greatest scholar of lslam was a woman – Hazrat Aisha (ra). The person who loved the Holy Prophet (sa) the most was a woman– Hazrat Fatimah al Zahra (ra). The person who made the biggest sacrifice for lslam in one day was a woman – Hazrat Khansaa (ra). One of the greatest fighters in Islamic history was a woman – Hazrat Khawla Bint Alazwar (ra); Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah.

Spouse Relations and Duties

 

Divine commandments are a light. Illuminating the darkened horizons of human nature; impulses, desires, emotions and biases; the divine commands in the Holy Qur'an offer profound teachings of great subtlety and much wisdom for our own benefit in the varied settings of life.  Hence, the Holy Qur’an promotes prudential course of conduct in family and social relations, recognizing the identity, capacity, authority, role and functions of individuals: between husbands and wives, parents and children, relatives in the home. It is God’s extraordinary mercy and grace that we have these sublime teachings and guidelines of proper conduct.  

For instance, the Qur’an provides a well-balanced framework of rules on spouse relations and duties, to be observed in marital space by the partners, but also when the going gets tough, with disputes leading to separation and divorce, impacting the lives of not just the spouses, but also their children and the wider family. By following the Divine teachings on love and mercy, good morals, and on just and fair dealings; spouses can enjoy the ‘bliss of heaven’ on earth. On the other hand, by evading and ignoring divine prescriptions; rebelling against divine prohibitions, couples turn their matrimonial home into a virtual hell on earth.

'Daughters, Help to Grow the Jamaat'

On the occasion of the Ijtema of the Siraj Makin Djawaharatul Kamal [Women's wing of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International]- Tamil Nadu, International Sadr of the organization Hazrat Ummul Mu'mineen Fazli Amena Varsally Saheba addressed the spiritual gathering of women believers in India, on 24 December 2023. In this deep discourse, International Sadr Saheba underscores the spiritual significance of cultivating a personal  relationship with Allah (swt), our Creator and Sustainer of the worlds, and the role of women believers in strengthening the collective cause. Furthermore, Hazrat Saheba notes what it takes to lead a life of commitment to the cause of God in our times: cultivation of a strong personal relationship with God; a readiness to contribute selflessly, morally and materially; embracing a culture of giving and sacrifice for the sake of community; devotion to the strengthening of bonds and relations within the Jamaat; re-establishing the noble values and practices of the early Muslim believers, etc.

Read the Special Discourse Below:

My dear daughters,

Assalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh.

 

I pray, may Allah bless your togetherness for His sake, and help you in all spheres of your life which you devote to Him and His works.

 

I am delighted to address you today on the occasion of your IJTEMA. It is time that all the Siraj Makin stand up and come to help the Jamaat in great ways. Whether you are good at knitting, translating, speaking many languages, and other talents, Insha-Allah, through these gifts from Allah, I pray that you may help the Jamaat financially with your contributions and participations.

Marriage in Islam

 

Marriage is the root of the family structure in society. It is the legal frame for the relief of desires as well as the vital link between generations through children in the family. An enabling environment for the proper upbringing of children in secular affairs and in spiritual ways, the bonds of marriage and family indeed facilitates the construction of a peaceful and harmonious society. In his Friday Sermons of 24 September 2010 [15 Shawwal 1431 Hijri] & 01 October 2010 [22 Shawwal 1431 Hijri], Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius gave a comprehensive exposition on the larger objectives and purposes of the institution of marriage in Islam; explaining the considerations that should guide a Muslim in choosing a life partner. 

In the second discourse, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) explains sacred teachings of the Holy Prophet (sa) on marriage-related questions that emerged in the life and times of the pious companions. The discourse clearly affirms that it is illegal to marry off a woman against her will. Parents or guardians cannot coerce a Muslim woman into a marriage she dislikes. And free consent is a condition precedent to the legal validity of a Muslim marriage. Hazrat Saheb (aba) also notes that Muslim men are not allowed to wear gold ornaments. The believers need to keep in mind the Shari’ah-compliance of cultural traditions associated with marriage rites in their local communities. The principle is illustrated with reference to the exchange of engagement rings as a symbol of the marital commitment.    

 

Read extracts from the two Friday Sermons Below:

 

Marriage: an act of worship. The conservation of life and its continuation until Judgement Day are part of the teachings of Islam and that is why it encouraged marriage and preferred that the couple after becoming parents and children, they have grandchildren.

 

"Allah has given you from yourselves wives, and from your wives gave you children and grandchildren. And He gave you good things." (16:73)

Segregation in Islam

To protect the dignity and privacy of individuals while respecting their need for engaging in social relations, the Islamic ethics of Taqwah prescribes ‘Pardah’, a code of conduct for unrelated men and women in their possible social interactions. These days such interactions take place on an everyday basis both on physical spaces- schools, colleges, universities, work places, transport vehicles, etc.- and on virtual spaces such as social media, online meetings, chatting networks, etc. This raises profound questions of practical guidance on related issues for the believers- men and women of faith. For instance, how should a boy or man behave towards a girl or woman he interacts with in the context of social media? Can a man shake hands with a woman and vice-versa in social settings? What about singing Nazms where men and women use their voices and can attract each other’s attention?

Recently, in a programme telecast over the Sahih Al Islam YouTube Channel, a number of issues of appropriate conduct and behaviour between unrelated men and women in social settings were put before Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius for guidance and clarification from the perspective of the Law of Shari’ah. 

Reproduced Below is the text of the Question and Answer session with Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) anchored by Tayyeba N.A. Saheba in July 2023.

Power and the Doing of Good

In his Friday Sermon of 09 December 2022 ~14 Jamadi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his series of reflections on the state of international politics, and relations. In the previous sermons in the series, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) noted the war strategies and economic rivalry of major nations in their quest for global dominance- illustrating these earthly struggles for supremacy with reference to the policies of the United States and  China, in Africa and elsewhere. In the present Sermon, Hazrat Saheb (aba) continues to expand on the broader theme by referencing China's growing global footprint in the world through developing trade and transportation linkages, maritime connectivity projects and other transnational banking and commercial linkages collectively known as 'One Belt, One Road'.  

As against the crass materialism and cut-throat quest for profit over people that is at the heart of these transnational economic initiatives,  Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) advocates that true politics of imperium should promote just dealings and benefit common people and the society at large by encouraging charitable giving and developing shared facilities. In this context, Hazrat Saheb (aba) points to some outstanding episodes from global history: the critical role played by exemplary Muslim women such as Hazrat Khadtija (ra), and also a lady of the Ottoman household in leaving an enduring legacy of beneficial giving through Waqf endowments. Both affluence and power are opportunities for doing good, especially for the indigent and other less privileged of the society. May Allah (swt) enable everyone of us to live with a wider consciousness about the state of our world, and seek to improve its situation through doing good, individually and collectively at our own levels, Insha Allah, Aameen.    

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

Islam & Women's Rights

 

In his Friday Sermon of 21 October 2022 ~24 Rabi’ul Awwal 1444 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius continues his exposition on the rights of women in society- aspects of a theme that was eloquently explained in the previous Friday Sermon in the light of specific Divine revelations he originally received  as early as two decades ago. Against the backdrop of contemporary issues in various nations involving Muslim women's status and social rights, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) underscores the truly progressive spirit of original Islamic teachings concerning appropriate social conduct among men and women, and the related regulations it introduced to enable people to safeguard against evil and indecency. Despite the rise of Islamophobia in the West, the growing number of women from non-Muslim cultures and  social backgrounds discovering Islam, including its modes of dressing, in recent years testify to the essential wisdom underlying the enduring teachings of Islam. 

At the same time, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) calls attention to the gross excesses being committed by those in authority in the name of implementing religious norms. The ongoing protests in Iran, in the aftermath of the killing of a young Mahsa Amini in the name of Hijab violations by the national "moral police" may also mark the beginning of the end of an oppressive regime of Mullahs playing God on earth.    

   

Elucidating on the Islamic concept of a non-exploitative social order where men and women have an equal responsibility in recognizing the dignity, rights and interests of one another, Hazrat Saheb (aba) underscores the need for the community of believers- both men and women- to gain a proper appreciation of the ethical roots and subtle wisdom that underlies the Islamic regulations of social life.   

'Pardah': A Divine Message

 

An Important Message on the Islamic Pardah

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, as you all know that Allah, through the advent of Islam and the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has restored the Status of Women in society. This creature that has been trampled on for so long, Allah and His beloved Nabi [prophet] has given them back their value, but the ladies too must not exceed the limits in what Allah has given them permission to do.

 

Today, I am sharing with you a divine revelation that I received on Friday, 21 May 2004, in the beginnings of the Divine Manifestation, and the creation of the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Al Mouslemeen. Today, the same message is valid for the gents and ladies of the Divine Manifestation with the advent of this humble Servant of Allah as the Khalifatullah and the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam.

 

I will put in front of you the parts that concern you today and which are very important that you pay very particular attention to and that you also follow this divine advice so that you may gain the benefits of these instructions too, and you come closer to Allah through you obedience to Allah and His Muhyiuddin Al-Khalifatullah of this century. Insha-Allah.

'Hijab' in the Time of 'Islamophobia'

  

In his Friday Sermon of 25 February 2022~ 23 Rajab 1443 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius eloquently explains the ethics of Hijab in Islam. Speaking against the backdrop of the ongoing controversy in India and elsewhere over unfair restrictions on the civic freedoms of Muslim girls and women to access education and employment in the name of their religious attire, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) offers an exposition on the Islamic approach for the protection of women's identity, dignity,  privacy interests, and rights in the social order. 

 

As Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) alludes in the discourse, the present controversy over Hijab is indicative of a deeper crises in societies fuelled by internal political conflicts over unemployment and other issues, including the recognition, accommodation and integration of minority groups. Liberal States in the West and elsewhere swear by their commitment to democratic values and fundamental human rights- including freedom of conscience, freedom of religion and minority rights- and yet, the apparently neutral policies that they espouse betray direct or indirect discrimination- with disproportional impact upon the religious minorities living in the land; forcing the minority communities to choose between their commitment to religious beliefs and cultural practices and the dictates of national culture -raising searing questions of justice and equity in law and policy. 

Consider the present, manufactured controversy over Hijab. The 'presence' of Muslims as a people manifesting their religious practices such as Hijab and going about their everyday lives apparently challenge pre-existing notions of 'secular' public sphere with their rules of engagement such as uniforms in academic institutions and dress code in employment, etc. Majoritarian intolerance and hatred against minority groups point to political mobilization. Illiberal forces weaponize secular law to erase the 'hated' symbols of minorities- such as the Hijab- from the public sphere. Indeed, beneath the veneer of liberal quibbling over the role of 'religious' symbol- Hijab- in 'secular' space, with no corresponding attention to the symbols of the majority that are all over the public sphere; Islamophobia- the prejudice and suspicion and hatred and intolerance against Islam as a religion and Muslims as a community- is 'the elephant in the room' that needs to be called out. 

With ideologies of racial supremacism, ethnic nationalism, and religious majoritarianism increasingly gaining public support in several multicultural states,  'Islamophobia' is indeed regrettably widespread in our times. In the names of modernity and secular values of women's emancipation and empowerment, the Islamic headscarf and other veiling practices are viewed as 'oppressive' by the non-Muslim world. Hence, Muslim girls and women are left with no option but to resist and mount legal struggles to gain recognition and public acceptance for their Hijab. It is instructive to note in this context that without clear respect for the inherent dignity and rights of the human person and her free choices, including the recognition of 'difference' in the spirit of diversity; without an ethic of compassion for 'minority' groups who don't share the values of the majority; the claims of upholding liberalism, democracy, secularism and human rights are empty or hollow. As more and more women- [both Muslims and non-Muslims]- are recognizing the appeal and benefits of Islamic teachings and embracing the convenience of the Hijab, the societies that seek to ban Islamic values are destined to be profoundly transformed in their approach sooner than later- whether they like it not, Insha Allah, Aameen. 

Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

Muslim Family Life

 

Islam stands for harmonious relations among human beings. Islamic teachings promote peaceful coexistence among people in society: be it at home; among one’s family circles, or within the larger clan, or with other peoples. Islam exhorts everyone to respect and safeguard one another’s dignity, interests and rights. Indeed, in the Islamic view of the Divine scheme of things for the world, all humans remain on a plain of equality. No one has any share in God's divinity, or any superiority over fellow beings, nor any exceptional status that allows them to act with hubris or arrogance. Contrary to pagan notions of special claims of privileges attached to tribal/racial descent, social or national origin, and other markers of group identity; Islam seeks to foster a feeling of realism by reminding man of his truly humble origins and of his duty to cultivate best relations with all of humanity as we are from one another- like a family, as it were.

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) famously stated: ‘Behold, God has removed from you the arrogance of pagan ignorance (jahiliyyah) with its boast of ancestral glories. Man is but a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust'.  The Holy Prophet (sa) reminds us that all the world is family, and that he who renders the greatest service to God’s creation is the dearest and nearest to him.  

Allah (swt) states in the Holy Qur’an: ‘O mankind, We have created you from a male and a female; and We have made you into tribes and sub-tribes that you may recognize one another. Verily, the most honourable among you, in the sight of Allah, is he who is the most righteous among you. Surely, Allah is All-knowing, All-Aware.’ (49: 14)

Islam & Humans

 

Islam is a religion that is both temporal and spiritual. This is because this religion emanates from the One Who created the human being and Who knows, therefore, what suits him best. Allah, our Creator, knows, in particular, what is necessary for the relations of man with his fellows to be harmonious. For social relations to be good, they must be based on right principles; it is necessary that the individual does not feel attacked either in his physical person, or in his moral personality, so that a healthy and united society is achieved.

 

Allah honoured the descendants of Adam (as) by endowing them with reason, which should be able to lead man to faith in Allah: “Verily we have honoured the Children of Adam. We carry them on the land and the sea, and have made provision of good things for them, and have preferred them above many of those whom We created with a marked preferment.” (Bani Isra’il, 17: 71) 

This faith, this conviction, requires that we recognize Allah and accept His Laws. Obeying Allah and His Laws is the culmination of self-knowledge, as the Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever among you knows himself best, knows his Lord best!” He who is convinced that Allah is indeed the Creator and the Lord of the universe not only comes to have admiration for the laws of Allah, but also to want to respect them, because he knows that these laws are what is best for each individual and for society. 

Many of these laws relate to social relations without which there would be no human civilization. They govern the relationship of the individual with himself, with his fellows, and with the universe in general. 

General laws are useful; but, in everyday life, the rules of convenience and good manners, which relate to details, are just as necessary. One of the qualities of Islam is to contain both general laws and precise rules of life. 

Instincts exist in humans as in animals, it is true. But, unlike the animal whose destiny is to obey its instincts, the human being, who has been endowed with reason and a sense of responsibility, must be able to control his instincts. It is not a question of “suffocating” them, but only of making them speak wisely. Indeed, Man was not created solely to survive and reproduce. Allah has assigned him and the Jinn a higher purpose: “I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me.” (Az-Zariyat 51: 57) 

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:   

'Deeni Ta'lim': Learn & Teach

 

Iman, Islam & Spiritual Education 

Both the words, Islam and Iman, are used synonymously. Almighty Allah says in the Holy Quran: “Verily, (the true) Deen with Allah is Islam”. (Al-Imran, 3: 20) 

“Whoever searches for a Deen other than Islam, never will it be accepted from him (i.e. His adoption of any other religion will never be acceptable to Almighty Allah). And, in the Aakhirah he (the one who chooses another religion) will be ruined”. (Al-Imran, 3: 86) 

“Whoever among you turns away from his Deen (Islam) and then dies being a Kafir, his good deeds will be ruined in this world and the Aakhirah. Such people are the inmates of the Fire; therein will they remain forever”. (Al-Baqara, 2: 218)

 

The ruin of one’s Islam in this world is the nullification of one’s Nikah. By reneging from Islam, the renegade’s (Murtad’s) wife falls out of his Nikah. He is also deprived of inheritance. He will not inherit in the estate of any Muslim. After death there is no Janaza Salat for him. The ruin of one’s deeds in relation to the Aakhirah is the everlasting residence in hell.  

Women in the Jamaat System

 

[Note: This is the third and final installment of the 3-Part Friday Sermon of 06 August 2021~26 Dhul-Hijjah 1442 AH delivered by Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius on the institutional rules and general regulations applicable to office-bearers in the Jamaat System. 

In this section of the Sermon, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) unveils his vision and expectations concerning Siraj Makin Djawharat-ul-Kamal- the women's wing of the Jamaat; recognizing the extraordinary space women occupy, and the vital, complementary role they can play in the reformation of fellow women as well as in the construction,  nurturing and fostering of larger society through their critical role on the proper upbringing of children in family and community. Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) exhorts women to organize priorities in every day lives so as to reflect the commitment to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills necessary for effective participation in, and performance of varied responsibilities, including in the training of children, and within the fellowship of women like them in the Jamaat. Hazrat Saheb (aba) exhorts us to grow in spirit and become role models and change-makers in personal, family and Jamaat settings so as to bring about much-needed spiritual transformation in society, Insha Allah, Aameen].  

Read the Extracts from the Sermon Below:

'Sirat Allah' and Women

Two distinct strands are visible in male attitudes towards women in different cultures before Islam. At one end of this spectrum, in idolatrous nations, in the rituals of religion, we see the celebration of women as daughters of God, making them deities and goddesses on a lofty pedestal. On the other end, in real life, women face discrimination and injustice and ‘glass ceilings’ everywhere. This glaring contradiction in religious outlook and social practice abounds, on a much larger scale, in the traditional patriarchal frameworks of our societies: the male elites claim to respect and 'worship' women deities, yet they relegate their women to an inferior position- ignoring their dignity and identity, and denying them their interests and rights on an equal footing. 

Islam emerged in an Arabian social order that was already grappling with these broad trends on the status of women. In the pre-Islamic Arabia, many people worshipped female deities and goddesses as well as angels with female names such as al-Lat, al-Uzza and Manat, etc. In spite of such religious practices, like many other patriarchal societies around the world at that time and later, in pre-Islamic Arabia, the dominant male gaze betrayed a contempt for women- reflective in their preference for male progeny and regarding daughters as no more than a necessary evil. While the gender of the child should make no difference in the flow of parental love, it is the decadent social order that hinders the true appreciation of, and gratitude towards God, for the miracle of life in their midst. Indeed, to expound on its progressive outlook on women’s role and function in the social order of the believers, the Qur’an condemns the manifest contradictions in the pre-Islamic Arab attitudes on the question of women: 

‘They ascribe daughters unto God, who is limitless in His glory- whereas for themselves (they would choose, if they could , only) what they desire (male issue): for, whenever any of them is given the glad tiding of (the birth of) a girl, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger, avoiding all people because of the (alleged) evil of the glad tiding which he has received (and debating within himself:) Shall he keep this (child) despite the contempt (which he feels for it)- or shall he bury it in the dust? Oh, evil indeed is whatever they decide!’ (16: 58-60). 

‘Why for yourselves (you would choose only) male offspring, whereas to Him (you assign) female: that, lo and behold, is an unfair division!’ (53: 22-23). 

Hence, the Qur’an utterly condemns the pre-Islamic male attitudes towards the suppression of women. Female infanticide and foeticide are among the evil practices that continue to exist even in our times. The pre-Islamic practice of burying girls alive may or may not be happening on a larger scale now. However, its modern equivalents such as denying girls’ access to opportunities for developing their qualities and potentials continue to be a bane of several societies. For instance, it was only recently that the Taliban regime wanted to close down women’s education in Afghanistan. It is ironic that Muslim communities privilege pre-Islamic practices that ignore or evade or seek to bend Islamic teachings to suit their social conservatism. In the name of religion and customary practices, women are being denied ‘an equal sky’. 

Mauritius: Politics and the Muslim

Political theory privileges democratic form of governance. A democracy works on the edifice of rule of law coupled with constitutional checks and balances and effectively functioning public institutions, manned by people who do their duties without fear or favour. Periodic elections ensure people's participation in the governance process in a democracy, nudging the rulers to listen to the aspirations and will of the people; formulate accomodative and  inclusive policies that adjust or settle diverging interests and specific claims of several communities and social groups inhabiting the land. In a progressive democracy, the interests and rights of all peoples/ social communities- including ethnic, racial, religious and linguistic minorities- find political accommodation and social recognition within the framework of national law and policy. 

It is against this ideal of a multicultural and multi-ethnic society reflecting the diversity of its peoples and respecting the equal rights of all communities that we can examine the lived reality of our nation-States. In his Friday Sermon of 25 October 2019~ 26 Safar 1441 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) takes a closer look at the state of national politics in his home country, Mauritius, at a time when the Island-nation is gearing up for the general elections in the coming week. As responsible citizens, it is the duty of everyone to participate in the electoral process to ensure that good and just representatives are elected to  serve the larger cause of the nation and the people, reminds Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba). 

The forthcoming elections are also a time for  soul- searching for the Muslim community of Mauritius. Representation in all levels of government, including the civil services, is critical for ensuring that the legitimate interests and rights of the community are not overlooked. However, in the absence of prudential interventions to protect its identity, the minority community continues to see erosion of its political space and identity-related group rights, including the right to exercise its religious freedoms under the Shariah. 

Setting the agenda for discussion, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) highlights a number of social justice issues that need urgent political attention at this point of time. In a cultural environment where every community's sacred festivals are acknowledged and celebrated, it is scandalous that the country does not observe Eid-ul-Adha Holiday, the biggest festival day of the Muslims. One can only agree that the situation does indicate an appalling neglect and cultural insensitivity towards a minority community. Likewise, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) also calls attention to the anomalous situation created by the virtual abandonment of Muslim Personal Law in the country, especially for the Mauritian women- those of them who are in religious marriages are deprived of the legal sanctity of a civil marriage. 

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.

Banning ‘Triple Talaq’ in India

In recent years, Muslim women in India have publicly raised issues of unfair treatment at the hands of their unjust husbands, triggering wider debates on the reform of Muslim personal law in a secular country. As it happens, an unscrupulous husband  makes an oral pronouncement or a simple declaration of 'Triple Talaq’ by sending an e-mail/mobile phone text message/WhatsApp/Facebook/Twitter posts, etc.- to his wife and such a communication would apparently result in instant and irrevocable divorce, valid for the purpose of the Muslim law.  For, ‘Talaq-e-Bidd’at’- an irregular form of divorce under Muslim Law- does seem to allow men to simply evade their marital obligations with their wives and to end the spouse relations without any regard for the ethical framework of the Qur’an and the Ahadith on matrimonial justice. Indeed, a grave distortion of the Islamic institution of divorce has been created in recent times by rotten husbands, leading to an unfortunate public perception that a Muslim husband may put away his wife at his mere caprice. Seeking to prohibit and penalize this kind of deviant practice -‘Talaq-e-Bidd’at’- that is tilted against Islamic values, women’s rights and gender justice;  India recently announced a new national legislation entitled the ‘Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019.