Balancing 'Freedom'

 

The modern concept of human freedoms and individual rights emerged in the long, complex struggle for a new, social contract between the people and the State in actually-existing social conditions of slavery and serfdom in pre-modern Europe and elsewhere. Against the backdrop of the great struggles for independence from colonial subjugation and imperial practices of racial segregation and social discrimination, people looked upon Constitutionally-guaranteed and legally-defined freedoms as the bulwark against potential oppression and highhandedness of the ruling elites operating in the name of the State.  In Rule of Law theory, it is expected that the provision of separation of powers and the presence of an independent judiciary will facilitate the freedoms of individuals in society.  The proper functioning of the social wheel requires that everyone works within the functional work of personal responsibility and moderation of interests so as to respect the similar rights of others.  

In his Friday Sermon of 25 June 2021~13 Dhul-Qaddah 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba)of Mauritius initiates a probing discussion on the abuse of 'freedom' in our times by those who reject any limitations and restrictions on their concept of freedom. As Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) notes, such a context-free 'freedom' can have very negative implications: Hate speech, Islamophobia, racial and communal prejudice, bigotry and defamation; capitalist ownership of, and monopoly over Natural Resources, etc. 

The Shariah, or the Islamic Way of Life, contains a framework of ideas for shaping norms based on a true conception of individual freedom blended with social responsibility. Avoiding or evading Divine regulations in the name of 'freedoms' may unsettle the delicate 'balance' the Shariah seeks to achieve among competing public interests in a pragmatic way. While libertarians and anarchists call for freedom and rights for the sake of rights without any restraints and regardless of context; in reality, many nations are passing laws that severely restrict even the freedoms that people have reason to value. Sometimes, the laws made in the Assemblies and Parliaments of the people in various States do not get the balance right as they often 'lean' on the State's need to keep regulatory control and authority firmly in place, and when these man-made laws fail to gain the balance right in their regulations and policies, it invariably impacts peoples' freedoms and the  society's true progress, warns Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba).

Read the Friday Sermon Below:

The Agony of Palestine

'When they enter a country as conquerors, they destroy it and disgrace and humiliate its elite citizens. And these (people) too will do the same'.   (27:35)

The Zionist entity's military conquest of Palestine and the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel in 1948 created profound consequences for the over a millennium-old Arab way of life in the land. The 'Nakba' (the Palestinian Catastrophe or the destruction of the Palestinian society in 1948) forced millions to leave their homelands and live in exile as refugees or stateless migrants. With the 1967 war, more Arab territory came under Israeli occupation, and the Arabs living in their own lands became a subject people at the hands of the occupying forces (the State of Israel), and the humiliating political, religious  and national conditions continue to engulf the people even after half a century. It is manifestly unacceptable that a State (Israel) perpetrates racist/apartheid policies under their administration. Under international law, the right to national self-determination is a fundamental right of all enslaved peoples who are either under colonial subjugation or foreign occupation. Indeed, the Palestinian people deserve their freedom from slavery and national liberation. [Inset: Israeli soldiers stand guard as Palestinian demonstrators gather during a protest against Israeli settlements in Beita town near Nablus [Mohamad Torokman/Reuters/Al Jazeera]

The recent explosive political situation obtaining in the Occupied Territories of Palestine- Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem -is indicative of the widespread distress the Israeli policies anchored on the dispossession of the Palestinian peoples of their land are causing. While Israeli security and well being is being privileged in media bytes from influential leaders, the everyday struggle of the Palestinian people for dignity and rights and freedom continues to be ignored and trampled upon with impunity. In his Friday Sermon of 09 July 2021~27 Dhul-Qaddah 1442 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius speaks movingly about the precarious situation of the Palestinian people and the need for the international community, especially the United Nations, to "force Israel to end the occupation and find a solution to the endless acts of violence which claim innocent lives on both sides [Muslims-Jews – Palestinians-Israelites]."

Read the Friday Sermon Below:  

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:

The Leaders We Follow

In shaping the destiny of nations and communities, whether in secular matters or in religious affairs, the nature and quality of leadership plays a vital role. Good leadership leads to the progress and wellbeing, whereas arrogant and unscrupulous leaders preside over the gradual destruction of nations. Leaders and scholars, the chiefs and the priests, the caliphs and the Ulema- they are the influential groups in every society as they are the literal embodiment of prudence, wisdom and sagacity, as it were: when they go in the right direction, nations flourish and when they go wrong, communities stare at wholesale decadence and ruin. Indeed, the Holy Qur'an contains profound observations on the fate and fortune of people linking it directly with the choices they/we make in life, in deciding to follow the 'leaders' we encounter and accept. In his Friday Sermon of 11 June 2021 ~29 Shawwal 1442 AH, Imam-Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir A. Azim (aba) of Mauritius underscores the need for caution and prudence in following 'leaders'. Drawing on Qur'anic warnings against keeping blind faith in misguiding leaders who will lead their followers to Hell-fire, and also the exemplary sociological insights of the Holy Prophet (sa) and his wise second Caliph Hazrat Umar (ra) on the future of leadership within the community, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) recommends Taqwah for everyone in choosing/following leaders and scholars as good leadership is central for social and national progress. Read the Friday Sermon Below: