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)