'Salat': Indispensable to Spiritual Life

'Salat': A Pillar of Islam 

Allah has established five pillars for the maintenance of the balance and strength of Islam, and Salat is the second, after the Shahada (Laa-Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rassullullah); that is to say, the attestation of the oneness of God and the recognition of the status of Muhammad (pbuh) as the Messenger of Allah. As a result, all the good deeds we perform depend on Salat because it is the main prayer. So much so that even the other pillars such as fasting (Sawm), obligatory alms-giving (Zakaat) and the Pilgrimage (Hajj) depend on the Salat.

Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra) that our beloved prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) said: “The first action for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded. If they are lacking, then he will have failed and lost.” (Tirmidhi).

Salat in other words is the key to the believer’s temporal and eternal success. Without the Salat, no one can access Allah, because Salat is the link, and even the essence of the relationship between man and his Creator. It is through the Salat that man can see God through the eye of God. It is the sacred rendezvous between the Creator and His creature, a daily appointment which is obligatory upon him. For the true believer, this meeting with the beloved is not a burden or a difficult task to accomplish, but a real pleasure, and as a result, he will reap the paradise and the eternal pleasure of God.

Why Follow A ‘Mujaddid’- I

Islam after the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa)

Contemporary Muslim world is riddled with profound paradoxes and deep ironies both in its secular and spiritual realms. Muslims today stand at the crossroads of time: from providing frameworks for the profound transformation of whole communities and nations, and guiding people on the virtues of inner peace and social equilibrium; the Muslims have come to witness periods of decline and fall in their political and spiritual fortunes as well. Severe trials of history in the forms of colonialism and imperialism- the long onslaught of alien economic, military and ideological dominance over the Muslim lands- scarred the psyche of many Muslim societies and peoples. Even in the face of the jealous machinations of the enemies and the many failings of its claimed adherents, it is astonishing that Islam could survive and flourish against all odds. Indeed, by all indications and empirical projections, Islam is poised to outgrow all other religions and is destined to embrace every nook and corner of this world in the foreseeable future. Insha Allah, Aameen. 

The Path of the Saints: Mujaddid/Muhaddith/Khalifatullah 

Notwithstanding the clear intimations of Divine favour on Islam as the paramount belief system of the evolving future; it is deeply ironical that the religion is besieged by simmering internal crises. Much of the Islamic world is beset with looming fires of various kinds amidst deepening sectarian divisions. At a time when the propaganda against Islam as an oppressive social order (God forbid) remains raging in non-Muslim public/ social circles, it is also disconcerting that there is a glaring disconnect between the ideals of the Faith and the realities of practice in every day life among the Muslims. 

Since most Muslims today have an imperfect understanding of Divine commandments and religious doctrines they have inherited from their pious ancestors, it is a religious imperative that the spiritual appeal and ethical beauty of Islam is reclaimed and renewed by living testimonials in the everyday life of the community at large. It is instructive to note in this context vital Islamic teachings regarding the continuity of spiritual vicegerency in every era of Islam through the advent of some perfect followers of the Light of Muhammad (sa). Indeed the Qur'an makes a spiritual promise that Allah (swt) shall raise His special servants with a mandate to hold aloft the torch of Faith and for the renewal/re-birth of sublime morals of Islam among the believers. Such teachings about the coming of the Saints of the Faith to serve as the guiding stars even in times of crises and confusion powerfully point to the inner vitality of the Islamic Way. If Islam has survived and continues to endure as the Holy Path of God despite all the political crises in Muslim lands, it is indeed in large measure due to the instrumental and exemplary roles of the extraordinary men (and women) of God who appeared to serve the Faith over the centuries. 

Mujaddidin will continue to Appear

The Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian was a spiritual polymath, steeped in all the religious sciences. He spoke with extraordinary urgency and consistency on the need for the wider acceptance within the Muslim Ummah of forgotten Islamic teachings- regarding advent of Divinely-imbued souls such as a Mujaddid/Muhaddith/Khalifatullah among the Muslims in every era. 

Perhaps some of the finest explanations on the purpose and significance of such Divine Manifestations in Islam is found in the enduring writings of the Promised Massih (as). In an era in which his own so called followers and disciples have completely trampled to dust the great legacy of the Promised Massih (as) by ignoring and evading the Divine Manifestation of this era among the Ahmadis in the person of Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius, it is all the more important to revisit his thoughts and reclaim his profound reflections on the advent of Mujaddidin and Muhaddithin among the believers. Reproduced below are certain extracts from the Speeches and Discourses (‘Malfoozat’) of the Promised Massih (as) on the theme:

“If now is not the time for the advent of the awaited one, the earliest that he can appear now is after a hundred years. For a divinely appointed Reformer (Mujaddid) must always appears at the head of the century”. -----The First Address of the Promised Messiah (as) at the Annual Convention on 25 December 1897).

Du'ah: Role in Spiritual Life- II

Du'ah: The Instrumental Role

Alhamdulillah, Allah has given me the opportunity to continue the second part of my sermon on Duahs which I started on Friday 07 September 2018.

The duah (i.e. in this context, Invocation to Allah) is a way to obtain from Allah the Exalted One the prerogative (exclusive right, i.e. in a most humble way) that He hears and satisfies our needs in the broadest sense of the word. It is therefore a factor that can affect even our fate and change our destiny. Surely, Allah the Exalted is always “closer to man than the vein of his neck (jugular vein)” as He explains in a Qur’anic verse (Qaf 50: 17).

Eight Years of the Jamaat in India

A Divine Elect in our Times

The Holy Founder and Imam of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam International, Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) belongs to, and lives in, the Indian Ocean- island State of Mauritius. For close to two decades now, this devout servant of Islam has been proclaiming through all means available that he has a Divinely-inspired mission: of reclaiming and revitalizing the enduring message of Tawheed-thereby helping people appreciate the correct spiritual path; strengthening them morally and spiritually in these bewildering times. Like all men of God throughout history, Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) preaches Divine Love. Sharing pure Divine Messages coming from the Unseen, Hadhrat Saheb (atba) invites people to recognize the advent of his humble self in our midst as an Elect of God and consider the extraordinary possibility of acceding to the Divine countenance in this era as well by following his personal example. 

Those familiar with the profound history of Islamic spirituality over the last millennium and more- that witnessed the appearance of so many Divinely-imbued souls as the Pole Stars of the Religion and the Way- would not be surprised by the claims and arguments of Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) in our times. 

Like the Promised Massih Hadhrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian noted in the previous era, perfect followers of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) have always been blessed with Divine converse and guidance, all through Islamic history. The Promised Massih (as) referred to this special Divine phenomenon in many of his writings, when he stated: 

“Of all the leaders of Tasawwuf that there have been till the present day, not even one has disagreed with the point that in this religion the path to become the likes of prophets is open, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad has given the glad tidings for spiritual and godly learned persons that ‘the Ulama of my nation are like the Israelite Prophets’. 

An Advice: 'Live for Allah'

Oh My Dearest Disciple,

Be Always Dynamic,

And Overpower all 

Hurdles which may 

Come your way.

The World and its beauties 

And majesties

Shall try to cast your eyes away

From that Moment of Nearness

Which you share with Allah and His Messenger.

Let go of every shackle,

Which bounds you to this

Temporal Life;

Live for Allah

And Allah shall be for you.

The blood of your soul,

Shall then taste finally

Of the Elixir of Allah's Praises,

As to keep it 

Alive for Eternity. (Insha-Allah. Ameen)

[---Being an inspired, special Advice given by Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Saheb (atba) of Mauritius to a disciple on 19 March 2016]. 

Conjugal Relations in Islam

Imam Bukhari mentions a Hadith of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), reported by Hazrat Abu Huraira (ra) which is as follows: “If a husband calls his wife to his bed (i.e. to have sexual relation) and she refuses and causes him to sleep in anger, the angels will curse her till morning.”

 

There are many women who, as a result of a dispute between themselves and their husbands, think that they are punishing them (i.e. their husbands) by not allowing them to satisfy their carnal desires. However, this attitude can lead to serious problems that can lead the husband to commit a prohibited act or things can turn against her (i.e. the wife) and he will think about getting married to a second woman. The wife must therefore satisfy his desire by putting into practice a recommendation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):  “If the man calls his wife for sexual intercourse, she must answer spontaneously even if she is on the saddle of a camel!” 

 

All the same, the husband must also take into account the condition of his wife, who may be sick, pregnant or have trouble, all this to reach an agreement (with her, mutual agreement) without difficulty.

Shi‘a Islam: Beliefs and Practices

The Shi'a belief on 'Imamat'

The Shiites believe that after the death of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and this till the end of the world, Allah has nominated twelve Imams. According to them, those twelve Imams had been nominated by Allah through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The first Imam according to them is Ali (ra), the second one, his son, Imam Hassan, the third one Imam Hussein and the rest of the nine Imams being found in their bloodline.

 

From the first Imam (i.e. Ali) till the eleventh Imam (Hassan Askari), all died a natural death like the rest of mankind. As for the twelfth Imam, the son of Hassan Askari, he mysteriously disappeared in this youth and went into hiding in a cave. Now till the end of the world, according to the Shiites, he alone has the exclusive right to reign upon the world. The belief in Imamat is obligatory (Farz) for a Shiite and the one who does not believe in it shall see himself being rewarded hell as resting place. In one of their books, Al-Kafila there is the mention that if the earth (i.e. the world) remain without an Imam, it shall sink. Still according to this book, the (Shiites) Imams are selected by Allah just like Allah chose the prophets.