Sunday, October 13, 2013

Eid-ul-Adha: Qurbani is Obligatory

Through his willingness to offer his son Hadhrat Ismail (as) in sacrifice, Hadhrat Ibrahim (as) displayed tremendous commitment and extraordinary faith in executing a Divine Command. Islam, thus, commends the sublime spirit of sacrifice for the sake of seeking the pleasure of Allah (swt) in its rituals and faith-practices. The festival of Eid-ul-Adha and the ritual of Qurbani integrated with it, in many ways, represent the permanent remembrance of Muslims of the great sacrifice of the Great Patriarch and Khalilullah.  In his Friday Sermon of 11 October 2013 (05 Dhul-Hijjah 1434 Hijri), the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius continued the theme of the great sacrifice of Hadhrat Ibrahim (as) and underscored the significance of Qurbani or Udh-hiya on the occasion of Eid-ul-Adha.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And when he reached the age of travelling with him, he said: ‘My son, while I was sleeping I saw that I shall slaughter (sacrifice) you, tell me what is your opinion.’ He replied: ‘Father, do as you are ordered (by Allah). Allah willing, you shall find me one of those who are steadfast.’” (37: 103)



Allah expounds on the sacrifice of cause of Hazrat Ibrahim (upon him be peace) and Hazrat Ismail (upon him be peace) in praiseworthy words. He (Allah) informs humanity in which way the unique son of Ibrahim (upon him be peace) preferred the decree of Allah above all things. In the verse which I just recited, Hazrat Ismail (upon him be peace) tells his father: “Father, do as you are ordered (by Allah). Allah willing, you shall find me one of those who are steadfast.” (37: 103)

Therefore, when both father and son submitted to the will of Allah, then Allah Himself was extremely pleased with such a proof of love and submission which both His chosen servants showed towards Him. Hazrat Ibrahim (upon him be peace) offered the life of his son at the command of Allah the Almighty, but (then) Allah, the Exalted says: “Wa fadaynaahu bizibhin ‘aziim” (37: 108) - And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.

The degree of the manifestation of this love which Hazrat Ibrahim (upon him be peace) had for Allah was so great that it made manifest such an event which has since marked the history of Islam. This gave way to a rite called Qurbani or Udhiya, which has become a part of Islam. This sacrifice was continued by Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and Allah made it obligatory on the Muslims who have the means to do it. This sacrifice is not only prescribed for us, the people, Ummah of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) but it was prescribed also to people of the past also, like mentioned in the Holy Quran: “To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice), that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustenance He gave them from animals (fit for food).” (Al-Hajj 22: 35)

Saturday, October 12, 2013

A Message of Peace to All Hajjis

The journey to the House of Allah in Makkah, prescribed as part of the religious obligations of the able faithful, is the representational act of complete submission to the Divine Will and Command in this life and the ultimate metaphor for the journey to the Hereafter. In November 2007, Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius paid a poetic tribute to all Hajjis on the occasion of their proceeding on the spiritual pilgrimage to the land of the Prophet of Islam for the Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha. The depth of meaning and sheer beauty of the soulful prayer captures one’s imagination so much so that one keeps repeating the poem long after the first recitation. As another Hajj is culminating in the Eid, we reproduce the poem below for the benefit of all our readers:   


From the bottom of my humble heart,
May your flight to the land of the Prophet of Islam,
Bring about a great spiritual change in you,
And may you revolve in Allah’s Love,
And gain proximity with Him,
Who have made Hajj the essence of purification,

I call to you O Allah, my Lord,
To bless all those who are dear to You,
And who have readied their heart,
To accomplish Your command,
And come to You,
From all corners of this temporal world as true devotees of the Lord of all the worlds,
To sacrifice their selves in the hands of purity, Incha-Allah. Ameen

Thursday, October 10, 2013

The QURBANI of Hadhrat Ibrahim (as)

People practice different rituals in their quest for Divine satisfaction. Sincere good deeds and personal sacrifices made solely for the purpose of seeking the pleasure of Allah have special resonance at the throne of Allah (twa). In the quest for understanding the spirit of sacrifice in the service of Tawheed, the life of Hadhrat Ibrahim (as) serves as an enduring model and inspiration for all believers. For his experiences in all their complex and varied settings represent an extraordinary saga of submission to the Divine Will. Even under conditions of severe trials, requiring extreme patience in the contingencies of life such as being asked his son, Hadhrat Ibrahim (as) remained sincere, solely devoted to the protective hands of the Divine [Inset: Artistic impression of that great sacrifice).

In his Friday Sermon of 04 October 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) Mauritius reflected on the purpose of Qurbani, a ritual of faith all devout Muslims observe on the occasion of the performance of Hajj / Eid-ul-Adha in the backdrop of the story of the life of Hadhrat Ibrahim (as).

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

(O Prophet) Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds.” (6: 163)

Friday, October 4, 2013

Unity of the Muslim Ummah

Islam envisions a world order of peace and brotherhood, celebration of linguistic, racial and cultural diversity, human equality and international solidarity, empathy and care for the less privileged. Yet today, Muslim Ummah everywhere seems to be under a siege from within and outside: economic upheaval, social turmoil, a loss of values, political unrest and even war among the brothers in many societies. The class of Mullahs have discredited their leadership  with theologies of terror, obscurantism and formulaic rigidism, bereft of empathy and understanding for the complex circumstances of the Muslim peoples struggling to adjust with the ebb and flow of life. In his Friday Sermon of 27 September 2013, Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba) of Mauritius profoundly underscored the need for serious reflection on the part of the Muslim Ummah in an age of multiple crises and Satanic trials afflicting the entire Ummah.      

It is for the Muslim Ummah to introspect on what goes wrong with their spiritual and material self. The promise of Divinely-inspired Khilafat in the form of the arrival of the Khalifatullah with the Holy Spirit has been astonishingly fulfilled in this age in the personhood of Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. Yet the world of Islam is yet to awaken to this awe-inspiring spiritual development in our times. In the age of a Divine Messenger, trials and rewards await the believers; just as the Satanic impulses of the age will induce the people to deviate from their noble selves. To defeat the army of Satan, the believers have to wage a war at all levels of consciousness and follow the true guidance which is the guidance of Allah (twa) being made available through His Khalifa.While the Satanic forces of the age may rejoice at the apparent dangers to the faith of Islam, Allah (twa) raises His own small army to register and record a model of Living Islam for all sincere, truth-seekers and Divine –worshippers.     

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

Monday, September 30, 2013

Divine Message of Our Times: Don’t Rush to Reject

Islam claims the legacy of all religions that came before it and consolidates within it the great spiritual message of all times:Believe in One God and leave aside the gods besides God, the Lord. According to the Holy Qur’an, that is the simple but profound Message all Prophets and the Divine Elects of the past have always taught their people(s).

And Islam promises the great blessing of Divine Elects who will come in the Ummah as practical role models of living spirituality in every century. To raise and appoint a Messenger to teach the Book and practical wisdom is a Divine prerogative. Consequentially, it is the duty of people of the age to recognize, accept and assist the Messenger when he announces his Divine Mission. Yet, when Allah (twa) appoints a Divine Messenger, the people of his times will most likely, cling to their traditional rituals and inherited notions of faith and belief. Arrogance of affluence and vanity of pride will induce them to look down upon the Divine Message and the Messenger. When they seek to reject a Messenger, they do it only by trampling upon the eternal spiritual teachings and the subtle ways of the Divine Will.

Ahmadi Muslims know in the heart of their hearts that there is nothing in the spiritual doctrine which stands in the way of the appearance of a Divine Messenger in this age- the Fifteenth Century of Islam. Yet, they are not able to come forward to recognize the Divine Messenger among them because of certain wrong notions they have developed as their theological doctrines. They have not understood the full significance and grandeur of the Divine Message descending down upon the Chosen Messenger of Allah in our times. They are in doubt as to how can this happen when they have themselves elected a Khalifa for themselves and remain ‘united’ largely as a community. To protect the power and authority of their elected Khalifa, however, Ahmadis have no option but to propagate that which contradicts their own inner conscience: Khatme Massih Maoud. Many Ahmadis are increasingly unhappy with this kind of theological foreclosure of Divine Elects by the community’s own divines and leaders and are coming forward to embrace the Divine Manifestation in Mauritius.

On September 22, 2013 the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala (India) organized a special Tarbiyyat and new Bai’at Programme whereby some Ahmadis from Kerala took Bai’at at the hands of the Imam of the Age, Muhyi-ud-Din Khalifatullah, Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. The special address of the Khalifatullah on the occasion throws profound light on the subject of living Islam and the vital blessing of a Divine Elect being raised in this age.

Read the Extracts from the Speech:

Sunday, September 22, 2013

New Bai’ats in Kerala: A Report

On Sunday, September 22, 2013 Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala (India) organized a special Tarbiyat & New Bai’at Programme at the historic Noor’ul Islam Masjid, Mathra.

The Programme began with the First Session at 10.45 a.m. (IST). On Chair was the respected Amir of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, Kerala, Janab R. Jamal-ud-Din Sahib. Zulfiqar Ali Sahib, Kaliyikkavila offered Tilawat-Ul-Qur’an

Welcome Address was delivered by Janab Saleem Sahib, Alappuzha (Treasurer, JUSAI, Kerala).

In his inaugural address, the Amir Sahib explained at length, the Special Message/Address of the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. Three brothers from Kaliyikkavila-  Zulfiqar Ali Sahib, Sadiq Ali Sahib and Azim Ahmad Sahib-who joined and integrated with the Jamaat in August 2013, shared their spiritual journey and the Bai’at Experience, including the trials and challenges they have endured from their Ahmadi  relatives and the community in general.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

The Divine Khilafat and Nubuwwat-II

In the modern world, the Muslims have a national presence in almost all the countries, whether as the majority or as a minority community. Yet, the fact is that the Muslim Ummah is caught up in the cauldron of political and economic imperialism of the outside forces, everywhere. They can’t see any Messiah arising among them to redeem their predicament. Yet, the latent consciousness within them suggests that navigating through the troubled waters of the modern age is almost impossible without the leadership of someone immersed in the Divine waters. In the quest for a spiritual solution to meet the guidance imperative of our times, the religious scholars are searching for the practical embodiment of the idea of Khilafat.

Yet, the religious divines are grossly divided among themselves and are unable to rise above sectarian differences. Even when they elect a man to preside over their affairs, the man is unable to give them the requisite spiritual and material advice as he himself is bereft of Divine guidance in the absence of nourishing Divine revelations. As the Islamic ideal of Divine Khilafat is based on the precept of Nubuwwat, the declaration of Khatme Nubuwwat” (end of Messengership) by the general Muslims and the declaration of Khatme Massih Maoud” by the Ahmadis, mean that they are unable to recognize the Divine Khilafat when it is established by Allah (twa). In his Friday Sermon of September 20, 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius profoundly reflects upon the problems and perils of man-elected Khilafat systems that the Muslim Ulema and the various sects are conjuring up and devising for themselves.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon: