'Eid-ul-Fitr': Celebrate with Devotion

We are living the last days of this blessed month of Ramadan. Its departure is indeed imminent. Fortunate are those who have taken full advantage of the blessings of Ibadat (worship) and repentance. Bear in mind that the Ramadan may be a witness for or against you. Those who have been blessed to fill it with faith and good deeds should thank Allah for this great favour and continue this good practice even after its departure. 

Indeed the reward for fasting the month of Ramadan is Allah Himself. Fortunate are those to whom Allah have chosen to disclose His presence by pouring down upon them the grace and blessings which is embedded in the fasting of Ramadan and the Night of Qadr (Decree). Indeed Allah  never denies a soul his or her just and complete reward.

Allah says in the Holy Quran: So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. (Az-Zalzalah 99: 8)

Allah has ordained for the Muslims such acts of worship at the end of Ramadan in order to assist us all in our expression of love and devotion for Him, to consolidate our faith and increase the weight of our good deeds. There is:

1) The proclamation of the Takbir (i.e. the glorification of the grandeur of Allah) beginning on the night of 1^st of Shawwal, i.e., the beginning of the Eid-ul-Fitr which starts at sunset on the last day of Ramadan.

Bear in mind that in Islam, by way of importance, the night precedes the day, all because the Islamic month is lunar. Therefore, the new Hijri date begins with the setting of sun. So, if today is Friday (Yaum'ul Jumu'ah) 28 Ramadan 1438 AH, then the moment Maghrib time begins, it shall then already be Saturday (Yaum'ul Sabti). And since the day starts at Maghrib, then on the last day of Ramadan (which can either be 29 or 30 days), we do not pray Tarawih (Voluntary Night prayers, usually in congregation). This is because the new day of Eid has already started at Maghrib. So when the moon is sighted Insha-Allah on the following Sunday night (i.e. 30^th day of Ramadan), then Eid-ul-Fitr shall begin, and this shall also mark the end of the Ramadan.

'I'tikaaf' and the Blessings of 'Laila-tul-Qadr'

“In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 

Indeed, We sent the Qur’an down during the Night of Decree. And what can make you know what the Night of Decree is? 

The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months. 

The angels and the Spirit descend therein by permission of their Lord for every matter. Peace it is until the emergence of dawn.” (Al-Qadr 97: 1-6).

Like you all know, we have already entered the third part of the month of Ramadan, whereby in one of these nights there is a extremely special night which is worth more than a thousand months of blessings which we usually receive through our Ibaadat (all acts of worship) in normal times.

Like mentioned in a Hadith, our Noble Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) has said: “This is a month, the first part of which brings Allah’s Mercy, the middle of which brings Allah’s forgiveness, and the last part of which brings emancipation from the hellfire.” (Bukhari). In another Hadith, Hazrat Anas bin Malik (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah stated about the month of Ramadan: “This month (of Ramadan) has begun and therein is a night better than one thousand months. So, any one deprived of its blessings is actually deprived of all goodness. Indeed, He is truly deprived who is kept away from its good.” (Ibn Majah, Mishkat).

Behind the Divine Scheme on Laila-tul-Qadr

In the light of these verses of the Quranic Chapter Al-Qadr (the Destiny/Decree) and the Hadiths which I have put before you today, it shall be good if I explain to you once again how these verses were revealed. Years come and go but the words and teachings of Allah and those of His Messenger (Rasul) shall ever remain flawless and whole, and it is my duty to repeat these teachings to you for all this forms part of our history as Muslims, such a history which needs to remain alive till the Day of Judgement, such a history which shall encourage all Muslims to give their time, means and lend their helping hands to enable Islam to shine in the world.

Reclaim Islam from 'Jihadi' Terrorists

On Monday, 22 May 2017, the city of Manchester (United Kingdom) witnessed a deadly terror attack, claiming the lives of 22 people, including many children and young people; moments after US singer Miss Ariana Grande finished performing, at around 10:30 pm. Investigators have identified the suicide bomber as Salman Abedi, a 22 year-old youth, Manchester-born British national of Libyan-Arab-Muslim-refugee-descent. 

Global political fault-lines, especially its searing manifestations in the Arab-Islamic world in recent decades, have created the cult of violence called "Jihadism". Accentuated by revolting political realities such as the prolonged Zionist military occupation of Muslim lands; the strategic and economic subjugation of the Persian Gulf nations by the US-led western powers; the suppression of political and personal liberty in the Arab world by the hedonistic oligarchs working in alliance with their western masters; internecine conflicts forcing widespread displacement of people, rendering millions into refugees and stateless persons- the simmering political conditions in many parts of the world are conducive for the flourishing of extremist ideologies and the radicalization of youth. 

Likewise, the apparently remote and self-contained western world's 'racist democracies' also face humongous challenges of multicultural integration: their policies are currently designed to discriminate, oppress and ghettoize the non-European peoples among them, especially of the North-African Arab descent. 'The wrenching process of remaking life and society in all their aspects (social, economic, existential) frequently collapses in violence'. Hence, the completely-alienated youths in many of these countries are increasingly drawn to entities such as the "Islamic State" in their quest for seeking 'resistance' and 'vengeance' against the perceived, oppressor "infidels" through all means possible, including 'martyrdom' (Shahada) operations/suicidal attacks. While devout Muslims find the horrific terror attacks completely at odds with the teachings of their religion, the 'material' (and as we shall see below, even the religious and spiritual) explanation for these attacks cannot avoid the role of extremist preachers who 'condition' the mindset of would-be assassins/potential suicide bombers by offering them the deadly cocktail of 'radical' theology as political praxis. Mindless violence needs to be condemned, more so in an age of widening rift in inter-community relations. This is regardless of who perpetrated it, or in the name of which group identity- races, tribes, religions, languages, nations, peoples- it was executed. 

In a message issued on 23 May 2017, the Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah of this era, Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius calls our attention to the profoundly negative implications and potentially enormous consequences of such extreme brutalities, being perpetrated in the name of the religion and community of the Muslims, for everyone: the victims; the perpetrators; for wider inter-community relations and social peace; public perceptions on Islam and the Muslims in everyday life settings; and even on international relations. 

Hazrat Khalifatullah (atba) addresses all humanity, especially Muslims, on the complex challenges that we face today- in an era of deep sectarian divisions among the Muslims, the hardening of denominational identities leads to much injustice and strife within. The bloodshed and killings are regrettably becoming routinized in many societies- Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan, Pakistan. Among the innumerable sects within the Muslims, interpretational differences over even basic spiritual doctrines abound and the very definition of being 'Muslim' is under intense disputation, with profound implications for the basic human rights and political entitlements of 'legally excluded' Muslim sects and denominational groups, such as the Ahmadis in Pakistan and elsewhere. To establish peace and reconciliation across our multiple divides in society, Muslims need to be role models for others.  In reclaiming the heart of our faith and our own spiritual identity as devout Muslims in this difficult era, Hazrat Saheb (atba) exhorts us to be people who stand in awe of God, and who display the spiritual humility of non-judgmental affection and residual goodwill for all of His creatures-fellow Muslims (of different sects) and the non-Muslims alike. 

Read the Special Statement on the Terror Attack in Manchester Below:  

First of all, in my own name as the Khalifatullah and reformer of this era - for humanity as a whole and particularly for all Muslims - and on behalf of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, I present our sincere condolences and sympathy for what transpired - a really painful event- in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a very deplorable situation that those who take themselves as great defenders of Islam are in fact doing much harm to the perfect religion which Islam is. They have taken themselves as great defenders of Islam but they have stooped very low in their acts. They have harmed the very religion that Allah has perfected and named: ISLAM.

Islam means a complete submission to the will of Allah, and it means peace and submission. Peace should come first, then submission (to the will of Allah). Islam has never taught/ preached acts of barbarism such as the atrocious acts they have perpetrated (in Manchester, UK). As the Khalifatullah (Caliph of Allah) and the Mujaddid (Reformer) of this era, for me personally, and for my Jamaat (Community) also, and also I am sure for the other Muslims from the other Jamaats, we sincerely and strongly condemn these acts (of terrorism). What happened (in Manchester, UK) is really heartbreaking.