Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Trajectory of Spiritual Triumph

Divine Messengers appear to call the people back to the sublime path of spirituality, especially when the times witness the materialistic inclinations in society. Since the mundane preoccupations of the affluent will delude them about their sense of destiny and privilege in society, only a few (weak ones) will join the league of the Messenger, initially.  Yet, it is a recurring irony of history that the truth of the Messenger and the power of his messages triumph against all odds.  In spite of apparent weaknesses in terms of material means and riches, the small band of believers prevails over their powerful adversaries. How does this stunning transformation in the fortunes of the two forces come about? What are the spiritual principles in operation in this battle of ideas? What lessons can we learn from the majestic example of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) and from the experience of the Awwaleen (first disciples)?   

In his Friday Sermon of 15 February 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued the discourse on victory of truth over falsehood in the spiritual realm. Drawing upon the lived experience of Divine Messengers of the past and the history of spiritual communities, Hadhrat Sahib (atba) offers an eloquent explanation on a very complex and multi-layered subject of much significance for spiritual seekers in every age. Addressing the small band of believers -Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam-, the Messenger of Allah of our times pointedly observes that if they reflect the “light of Allah” in their everyday lives, they will gradually overcome the forces of falsehood and emerge triumphant: it is this light itself which shall bring into operation all these changes”.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

I continue on the same subject of the sermon I made last Friday, and I read before you the Verse 82 of Chapter 17: “And say, ‘Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, ever bound to depart.’” 

Monday, March 4, 2013

“AL HAQ”- A Divine Attribute


The essence of pure belief is captured in the concept of Taqwah or God- consciousness. When one attains a stage of certainty of faith and establishes a true and real bond with the Truthful Being, it invariably leads to changes in a person- in one’s perceptions and priorities, both internally and externally. Such a person shall be able to walk under the shadow of Divine Help. The special Light or guiding force takes care of all his/her/their spiritual and material affairs in ways that will baffle and confound the mundane world. When a community of such believers straddle the earth, the spiritual light it emanates will illumine the world, conquering the darkness of disbelief and forces of evil. Such a community, howsoever small or insignificant in numbers or material riches it might appear, eventually vanquish their apparently ‘superior’ enemies in the battle of progress and endurance.


The universality of this spiritual principle is a recurring theme in the lived history of Divine Messengers and their spiritual communities. The most important testimonial of its practical application is available to us from the times of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) when the early believers have had to literally confront, far superior armies on the battlefields. It is the readiness to struggle and sacrifice, make efforts and change destinies that characterizes and distinguishes a believer from others. Through grit, determination and a sense of pure belief, the small band of believers go on with their tasks and missions, achieving what are, otherwise, apparently formidable and un-achievable. 

At another level, the principle is a profound commentary on the subtle ways of the Truthful God, AL HAQ. In his Friday Sermon of 08 February 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius provides a profound commentary on the Divine Attribute of Al Haq and exhorts the believers - Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam- who have the Divine mandate to re-establish the faith in this age to take heart from the theory and praxis of this important spiritual principle in their every day lives.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

“And say, ‘Truth has come, and falsehood has departed. Indeed is falsehood, ever bound to depart.’” (17: 82)

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Holy Qur'an at Harvard Law School


Harvard Law School, one of the most prestigious institutions of its kind in the world, has recently posted a verse of the Holy Qur’an at the entrance of its Faculty Library, describing the verse as one of the greatest expressions of justice in history. Verse 135 of Surah Al Nisa (The Women) has been posted at a wall facing the faculty’s main entrance, dedicated to the best phrases articulating justice: 

“O you who believe!
Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses 
To Allah, even as against 
Yourselves or your parents, 
Or your kin, and whether
It be (against) rich or poor; 
For Allah can best protect both". 

Established in 1817, Harvard is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. Among its alumni is US President Barack Hussein Obama and a host of influential journalists, writers, media and business leaders and even professional athletes. According to its official website, The Words of Justice exhibition is a testimony of the endurance of humanity’s yearning for fairness and dignity through law. The words on these walls affirm the power and irrepressibility of the idea of justice.”
We reproduce below an insightful explanation of this particular verse provided by the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius as part of his forthcoming Commentary on the Holy Qur’an:

Saturday, March 2, 2013

‘Humanity at the Brink of Disaster!’


Through recurring revelations of unmistakable intensity and clarity, Allah the Almighty has charged Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius with a heavy responsibility as a Warner sent unto mankind: to alert and warn the world about the impending Disasters. Thus, in his Friday Sermon of  01 March 2013 (17 Rabi’ul Aakhir ; 1434 Hijri ) Hadhrat Sahib has had to convey to the world the spine-chilling news about the Disasters waiting to unfold in a striking way all over the world. The world appears to be condemned to witness the consequences of its evil ways : for the chronicle of earth-shattering events foretold include wars, calamities, ethnic conflicts, communal violence/racial riots, the destruction of despots and the desecration of cities.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:  

Allah (swt) chose me as His Khalifatullah in this era and my Creator has informed me through revelation several times since Friday, 08 February 2013 and continually so, till now that a third world calamity is to come. Despite the fact that these days all these calamities are hitting the world, yet people do not learn from these happenings, and these do them nothing that these calamities come from the Creator of the universe. They continue to persist in their sin and continue in the practice of Shirk on several levels. They have all forgotten the divine teaching; they trampled the teachings of God and give man’s words the greatest value. The majority of people in the world have turned their backs to the divine messages and rejected the Messenger of God in this present age.

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Pakistan and the cult of Militancy


[According to the Holy Qur’an, peace, amity and brotherhood among the people are among the blessings of Allah, Correspondingly, the Divine wrath and punishments take different forms, including civil strife and “violence of one another”. In the last decade, Pakistan’s descent into chaos has been observed with deep anguish and profound sadness by the Messenger of Allah of our times, Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius. Time and again, he has warned the Muslim country and its religious and political leadership against the egregious violations of freedom of conscience, of basic human rights and the norms of Islamic propriety and decency in the country. Recent events from there confirm that country is in the grips of Divine wrath: the deer prophecies and warnings made by the Divine Messenger have been proved to be presciently true and correct.    
For the benefit of our readers, we reproduce below an essay on the cult of militancy in Pakistan from one of the leading writers from contemporary Pakistan, the Award-winning novelist Mohsin Hamid who is the author of the novels 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist' and the forthcoming 'How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia'. The essay was originally written for, and published in, the New York Times. India’s leading newspaper, The Hindu also carried it on February 24, 2013].
At the heart of Pakistan’s troubles is the celebration of the militant
On Monday, my mother’s and sister’s eye doctor was assassinated. He was a Shia. He was shot six times while driving to drop his son off at school. His son, age 12, was executed with a single shot to the head.
Tuesday, I attended a protest in front of the Governor’s House in Lahore demanding that more be done to protect Pakistan’s Shias from sectarian extremists. These extremists are responsible for increasingly frequent attacks, including bombings this year that killed more than 200 people, most of them Hazara Shias, in the city of Quetta.
As I stood in the anguished crowd in Lahore, similar protests were being held throughout Pakistan. Roads were shut. Demonstrators blocked access to airports. My father was trapped in one for the evening, yet he said most of his fellow travellers bore the delay without anger. They sympathised with the protesters’ objectives.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Abolition of Slavery: Islamic Ethics


In the dark chapters of human history, social relations were characterized by exploitation, oppression, subjugation, domination and hegemony. Perhaps slavery represents the worst example of this social order. On the other hand, Islam seeks to create an egalitarian social order where traditional practices that unjustly discriminate against fellow beings will be contained and eventually abolished. Islamic teachings are, thus, designed to reduce and abolish the class differences and the institutional vestiges of inequality in society. Islam imagines a social space where diversities lead to creative ensemble and the flowering of the human spirit and not to oppression and injustice and the unjust enrichment for a few over the many. [Inset: Watercolor by unidentified artist, depicting plantation slaves dancing and playing musical instruments; banjo player and a percussion player (possibily playing a gourd) at right.  Image courtesy of The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record  ]

In his Friday Sermon of 01 February 2013 the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius explained the Islamic attitude towards the ancient problem of slavery. Drawing upon the express verses of the Holy Qur’an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa), the Messenger of Allah of our times demonstrates the spirit of human equality and empathy for the victims of slavery apparent in the teachings of Islam. In a world characterized by neo-slavery mind-set of modern men who consider women as chattels and sexual trafficking of women and girl children are everyday occurrences, the Islamic teachings are a reminder to the oft-blaming conscience of man.  

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

The year 2013 marks the 178th year since the abolition of slavery in Mauritius. Thus, every 1st February is a public holiday in Mauritius. A section of the Mauritian population is made of African originated slaves, thus the appellation of these types of people, Creoles. But as a generality, every Mauritian is known as Creole despite his or her religious or cultural background and beliefs, and our mother tongue is Creole.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Prophet Muhammad (sa) and His Marriages

Both anti-Islam elements and mindlessly ignorant critics have long called attention to the multiple marriages of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), in an effort to tarnish the sublime spiritual life of the father of Muslims and to decry that Islam has no space for women’s dignity and rights. Nothing can be further from the truth. For history and traditions of the Muslims testify that the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa) elevated the status of women in society through his precepts and practices. If one cares to examine the historical record in its entirety and the material circumstances of the events of the Prophet’s marriages and the times in which such marriages happened, one could come to an intelligent conclusion-that Islam and the Holy Prophet (sa) upheld the dignity and rights and status of women in society. 

In his Friday Sermon of 25 January 2013, the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius continued his exposition on some important aspects of the life of the Holy Prophet of Islam (sa), a theme he began in the previous week. The Sermon especially provides profound insights on the attitude of the Holy Prophet (sa) towards women and the circumstances of his many marriages. In a fractured and divided tribal society, where women’s lives were considered cheap and disposable, the Prophet’s marriages brought dignity to vulnerable, widowed women and protection to their young children, mend the faultiness of tribal discord, raised the status of slave women, provided unique opportunities for the training of the Ummah on religious values and norms, points out the Messenger of Allah of our times.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon:

Islam has over the centuries been both commended and criticised concerning the rights of women in society. The modern westerners flaunt the so-called liberty of their women folk before the world, and in their ignorance falsely allege that Islam reserves an inferior place to woman and that she is more of a slave than a person of equal status to man. Whilst the world before Islam casted women as a lowly thing, with the advent of Islam the woman regain her true identity as excellent servant of God, and man’s great treasure, help and equal.