What to Do and Avoid in Ramadan

In his Friday Sermon of August 12, 2011 Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius spoke about the larger message of Ramadan for the collectivity of believers or the Muslim Ummah.  The signature tune of the speech was an impassioned plea for unity and brotherhood and harmony in intra-community relations. Fasting in this month of Ramadan being one of the pillars of the Islamic edifice, the Khalifatullah points out the extraordinary opportunity it represents to all denominational groups within the fold of Islam to rise above their differences and celebrate the spirit of Islam as One Community.

The Khalifatullah said: 

“Brothers and sisters in Islam, let us live in harmony; harmony is not a slogan but a mission. Harmony does not fall from the sky like rain! This is a personal work that everyone should do; it requires an individual commitment; that is to put aside one’s own ego and not to promote our interests, but to promote the religion of Allah. Then uproot weeds in the garden of our heart – Hatred, resentment, jealousy, lust for power, the feeling of superiority towards our brothers and sisters in Islam, the belief that we alone are on the right track and the others are in the wrong – but what should be cultivated instead is tolerance, compassion, kindness, patience and forgiveness, forgiving others constantly.

Has not Allah, Exalted is He, taught us, “Let them forgive and overlook (any mistake from their part). Would you not love that Allah should forgive you?” (24: 23)

So we need to analyse ourselves during the month of fasting and ask, “What is my role in preserving harmony?” And each of us has a role and duty – to help this precious Ummah; “Verily this community of yours is a single community” (21: 93) – to regain its honour and strength by cultivating harmony. Similarly, we should reflect on our own character and actions and ask: “Are we helping the process of harmony, or are we a barrier to it?” In His Book (the Quran), Almighty Allah gives us the best way to cultivate harmony: “And hold fast all of you to the ‘Habl’ (rope) of Allah and be not divided.” (3: 104)

Ahmadi View on "Why & When a Reformer"

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community today rejects the coming of Divine Reformers in Islam. 

However, in the official website of the Community -Al Islam-, under the aforesaid title, the following EIGHT cogent reasons have been published to convince the world of Islam that Divine Reformers [or Mujaddidin and other Elects of Allah] will continue to arise till the Day of Judgement among Muslims.

Read the text :

“Some people think that since the Muslims have got the perfect book - the Holy Quran - to guide them no reformer is needed by them; they can get guidance from the Holy Quran by themselves.

The idea is very erroneous and the facts of history do not lend support to it.

1. In the first place, we observe that despite the fact that they have the Holy Quran with them they are deteriorating day by day. Discussions among them resulting in vast differences of opinion even about the interpretation of the Holy Quran are on the increase. No doubt they are conscious of the fact that they are going down, they do not find enough of strength to rise up and stand on their feet. This is exactly what we find in the history of previous religions; whenever their followers have deteriorated they have not risen by themselves.

2. In the second place, the practice of God repudiates this idea, whenever darkness has enveloped the spiritual realm, God has been raising a Reformer for the guidance of the people. Look at the followers of Moses; they had a perfect book (according to the need of their time) which contained guidance for them. But whenever darkness enveloped them, they were given another guide in the form of a Reformer who reformed the followers of Moses. So much so that the Holy Quran says: We sent Messengers when he had passed away.

3. In the third place what is actually meant by the perfection of a teaching is that God has mentioned all the ways of spiritual achievement in that specific book and all the needs (religious and spiritual) have been laid down with the ways they can be fulfilled. But if the human mind distorts it with its self-suiting interpretations, the book would lose its meaning for them and they would not be reformed by it unless the truth is unveiled by removing the curtain of self-styled interpretations. The perfect teaching is no doubt like a sharp cutting sword which cuts the sin asunder but there must be somebody who knows how to wield it.

4. In the fourth place, however perfect and effective a teaching might be, unless an example of its implementation is shown to the people they cannot benefit from it. It is through the people of various spiritual ranks that God gives the people models for them to look at and follow them to their personal advantage.

The Misguiding 'Sathyadoothan' !

Sathyadoothan’ [in Malayalam, it means “True Messenger”] is the Malayalam organ of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Kerala. This venerable journal, established in the early part of the last Century by very distinguished Ahmadi elders, has had an enviable record of enlightening the people of Kerala on the mission and message of the Promised Massih (as) through its elegant articles. Of late, however, unfortunately, the journal is repeatedly drifting away from its high standards, even making blatant errors in the interpretation and understanding of the views of the Promised Massih (as). It is now virtually misleading and misguiding Ahmadis on the most important spiritual issue of the day: the future of Divine Guidance.

In its quest for elevating the status of the current Khilafat arrangement in the Community among its common members, the monthly journal is on a campaign mode:  that Allah cannot and will not raise a Mujaddid in the new century because the current and Fifth Khalifa is Divinely- appointed and guided. It argues that the status of the Khalifa is even above that of Mujaddidin who appeared in every century of Islam. And the institution of Mujaddidiyat is inexplicably dismissed as a mere “temporary phenomenon” that happened to last through the entire Islamic Era. Astonishingly, it put the Khilafat of early Islam (that lasted only 30 years after the death of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) and in spite of its perceived absence for over a millennium from among the Muslims) as the “enduring phenomenon” which made a reappearance after the death of Hadhrat Ahmad (as) with the institutionalization of Khilafat in the Community in 1908.

While dismissing the very need for Mujaddidin in the presence of the “permanent” Ahmadiyya Khilafat, the Journal is cautious enough to acknowledge that prophets can come even in future as the Holy Qur’an keeps the door open for revelation and prophethood through its several verses. It begets a pertinent question: Will the coming Messenger of Allah not be the Mujaddid of his era? Why only the Khulafa elected by men can be raised to these Divine offices as Elects of Allah when the Holy Qur’an offers this possibility of spiritual elevation for ALL righteous believers? 

Even while describing Hadhrat Ahmad (as) as the Mujaddid of the Millennium, the current Khalifa of the Community is on record stating that an Ahmadiyya Khalifa can declare himself as the Mujaddid if and when Allah so informs him through revelation [Friday Sermon of June 10, 2011]. In other words, even the Khalifa does not believe that a Mujaddid will not be raised in future. This is in spite of what his own disciples and scholars of the Jamaat are expressly holding forth in their articles in the Sathyadoothan.   

Eclipse of Knowledge and the Fifth Khalifa

In a Hadith recorded in Sahih Al Bukhari, the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) ruminates about the decline of scholarship and eclipse of spiritual knowledge and right understanding. And in another tradition, the Holy Prophet (sa) spoke about the emergence within the Ummah of misguided (and misguiding) leaders who will deviate people from the Straight Path through their ignorant pronouncements. The traditions are as follows: 

“One of the signs of the Hour is the disappearance of knowledge and the prevalence of ignorance".

"God Almighty does not take away the knowledge of Islamic Law and Faith by removing its books from His servants, but He takes it away through the death of scholars. When all scholars pass away, the public will make ignorant people their leaders; when they are asked about something, they answer without knowledge; they are misguided and they misguide others."

According to the Promised Massih (as), the traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa) are actually the profound commentary of the verses of the Holy Qur’an. These Ahadith could arguably be linked to what Allah says in the Holy Qur’an: “And among men is he who disputes concerning Allah without knowledge and without guidance and without an illuminating book.”(22:9)

In his book “The Victory of Islam”, Hadhrat Ahmad (as) confirms that within a century after the departure of a Divinely-raised Reformer, the community drifts away from the straight path of Sahih Al Islam. Through their grand theological discourses over satellite television and Internet, these leaders misguide the people when they seek guidance on spiritual matters. That is because they speak without knowledge and without divine guidance.

Truth be told, none has exceeded Mirza Masroor Ahmad Sahib, the Fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Community, in paying a greater tribute to the wisdom and truthfulness of these prescient prophecies about the state of spirituality in Islam over time! Through his ignorant pronouncements on Islamic Khilafat and the future of Mujaddidiyat in recent months (May 27 and June 10, 2011), Masroor Sahib is guilty of trampling upon the teachings of the Promised Massih (as) and worse, casting aspersions on the profound Divine Scheme of permanent Khilafat for Muslims.  

In order to perpetuate the mythical grandeur of the Ahmadiyya Khilafat and to preempt any doubts about its aura in the spiritual realm, the Fifth Khalifa has fed a very appealing story to the faithful: That Islamic Khilafat ended in 30 years, Islam was without its divinely-raised Khulafa for 1400 years and that the Khilafat was reestablished after the death of the Promised Massih (as).  A common Ahmadi hearing this story would be forced to bend before the Khalifa as the poor man (and woman) was told that the Divine system has come out of the world after a period of 14 centuries and all blessings originate from there!   

Ahmadis need to awake from their bliss of ignorance if they want to know the true conception of Khilafat and the real teachings of the Promised Massih (as) in this regard. The Promised Massih (as) literally frowned upon the idea of 30-year Khilafat in Islam, pointing out that Islam offers permanent Khilafat for all times.     

Poem: 'Ya Ramadan!'

The most distinguishing feature of the current Divine Manifestation in Mauritius is the descent of Revelations and other spiritual messages from the Unseen. The exalted Lord, Allah the Almighty, blesses Hazrat Imam Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius with special communion and sends down His messages through him for the benefit of mankind. On Saturday, 18 June 2011 at about 12.15 p.m., the Khalifatullah (aba) received the following poem:

 

YA RAMADAN!

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Kind.

A blessed month is casting its shadow upon us;

A night of this month is better than a thousand months.

Bear with patience for the sake of Ar-Rahman.

It’s a continuous training to strengthen our Imaan.

Glory be to Allah Who sent Ramadan as a mercy to mankind.

It’s a purification of our soul, our heart, and our mind.

'Feel Welcome, O Ramadan!'

[Alhamdulillah, on 02 August 2011, LE MAURICIEN Newspaper, published from Mauritius, carried an article by Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International Hazrat Muhyiuddin Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) on Fasting in Islam against the backdrop of the fast-approaching holy month of Ramadan under the Islamic Calendar. We are reproducing the article here for the special attention and benefit of all seekers of spiritual treasures].

The most desired guest for the believers is the Holy Month of Ramadan. Believers are commanded to welcome this special guest with fear of God in their heart and purity of mind and soul. The Almighty (Allah) says in the Holy Quran: “O you who believe, fasting is decreed for you, as it was decreed for those before you, that you may attain salvation.” (Chapter 2; Verse 184).

First of all, what is Fasting? In Quran and Hadiths the word defining Fasting is “Sawm” which means “to abstain”. In our current language, this means that we must not drink or eat, and abstain from sexual relations from the beginning of dawn till sunset. Fasting existed even before the advent of Islam, for all people before Islam received divine commandments to fast, even if the quantity and quality of the different fasts were not the same.

Fasting is one of the fundamental pillars of Islam. The first pillar being the Shahada (Attestation of Faith), the second being Salaat (Prayer), the third being Sawm (Fasting – especially in the month of Ramadan where it is obligatory for a believer except if one is ill, on a long journey, and for the ladies who are in their menses, or pregnant or are breastfeeding their babies), then afterwards come Zakaat and Hajj.

JUSAI, Kerala: Three Day Camp at Mathra-II

Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala conducted a Three-Day Camp on the occasion of the historic inauguration of the Noor’ul Islam Mosque at Mathra, July 22-24, 2011. Members of the small Sahih Al Islam Community in Kerala participated with much enthusiasm and spiritual fervour and spent time together discussing many issues and learning about spiritual verities. It was almost like a family get together of the Sahih Al Islam members in Kerala, with women members of the Jamaat (Siraj Makin) also being present.[This is the second and final part of the Report, the first of which was published here on August 02, 2011.]

On July 23, Tahajjud prayers were offered, followed later by the Fajr Namaz. The Amir Sahib later led a study session on Hadith. 

At 11 a.m., Fazil Jamal Sahib read out the message (in Malayalam translation) of the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir A. Azim Sahib (atba). The original message was issued to coincide with the inauguration of the Noor’ul Islam Mosque and the three-Day Camp. Photos were taken on the occasion as a record for posterity.

                                                                                                                               

In the afternoon, Majlis Amila was held to review the Jamaat developments and to take stock of our programmes. The Meeting expressed satisfaction that our members are increasing and that the message is being spread in the state. The respected Amir Sahib encouraged members to generously contribute to our Muqaddam Fund instituted by Hadhrat Khalifatullah for the renovation of the Mosque.                                                                   

A special meeting of the Siraj Makin sisters took place in parallel to the Majlis Amila.

In the evening, Dr. Thahir Sahib led a study session on the concept of “Roohu and Nafse” as found in the Holy Qur’an. Dr. Thahir Sahib pointed out that the term “Roohu” is found at 19 places in the Holy Qur’an and invariably, the reference was with the meaning of revelation. On the other hand, the term “Nafse” can be found in over 230 verses and the reference was with the meaning of soul. In his famous book “The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam”, the Promised Messiah (as) has used the Qur’anic verse 15:30 to illuminate his point about the origin of the human soul, even though the verse in question has used the term “Roohu” with the meaning of revelation.