'Show Respect for Human Rights'

On oppression and discrimination in history 

Throughout ages, history has borne witness to the inequalities which man inflicts upon himself. He callously degrades some of his identical selves (humans like himself), while elevating others. Thus, man and man got separated through the passage of time because of colour, race, creed, culture and ethnicity. Some became superiors while some inferiors. And the inferiors had to comply with the wishes and commands of those who had the upper hand upon them, for if they refuse to do so, they would be severely punished and degraded further. (Inset: Le Morne Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site- a  rugged mountain that juts into the Indian Ocean in the southwest of Mauritius. "It was used as a shelter by runaway slaves, maroons, through the 18th and early years of the 19th centuries. Protected by the mountain’s isolated, wooded and almost inaccessible cliffs, the escaped slaves formed small settlements in the caves and on the summit of Le Morne. The oral traditions associated with the maroons, have made Le Morne a symbol of the slaves’ fight for freedom, their suffering, and their sacrifice, all of which have relevance to the countries from which the slaves came - the African mainland, Madagascar, India, and South-east Asia. Indeed, Mauritius, an important stopover in the eastern slave trade, also came to be known as the “Maroon republic” because of the large number of escaped slaves who lived on Le Morne Mountain").

Spirituality and human rights

Prophets of Allah came to bring about a change in that state of affairs. The commandments of Allah came through to bring about hope in the life of those whom society viewed as inferior and as having no dignity and the freedom to express their rights as fellow human beings.

Prophets of Allah tried their best to bring about a change, but every time their heartfelt wishes were crushed until the ultimate saviour of mankind was born and promised to create a new world where every man should live as equals, for this is the absolute command of God Almighty who has created all humans alike, except in piety, for those who are truly pious, they are those who truly realise the goal of life, and that of their own creations and presence on earth. That promised hope came in such a country where hope was previously absent, where men and women were treated as the worst of animals, where it existed such a society which were devoid of human attributes.  It was in that society which Allah chose to raise His greatest and the seal of all prophets (last law-bearing prophet), to accomplish a miracle by transforming the lives of those barbarous people, and teaching them humanity, morality and spirituality.

Unfortunately, despite the clear signs of Allah, of Islam and the Holy Prophet of Islam Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), by sending and implementing respectively the divine commandments to bring about transformation in the lives of those barbarous people, and turn them in real affectionate and compassionate human beings and servants of God, yet despite all these, Islam and its prophet are vehemently viewed as greatest promoters of terror for some ignorant people who have not studied the heart itself of the extraordinary life of the best of men and prophets of Allah.

On Islam's alleged 'tolerance' of Slavery 

In the context of the Abolition of Slavery which is commemorated in Mauritius every February 01 – and for which it is a public holiday – I have chosen to talk to you about one allegation against Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It is alleged that Islam encourages slavery, but it a fact that Islam is the greatest enemy of slavery, and has put an end to all modes of reducing men to slavery which were current in pre-Islamic days. Islam forbids the reduction to slavery of men who are captured for no reason, or merely because they belong to a hostile tribe or nation, or who have been taken prisoners in worldly wars.

Living Islam: Miracle on a Dawa Mission

It is refreshing to note the diverse nature of the work of faith and spiritual conviction, being performed by the brothers of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam in India on a voluntary, personal and collective basis, to establish Tawheed in this era and to bring about spiritual transformation in society through the sustained, internal engagement with, and propagation of, the Message of Allah in this era, through the advent of the Khalifatullah Hadhrat Muhyi-ud-Din Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib(atba) of Mauritius. 

In the course of his Friday Sermon of January 23, 2014 the Khalifatullah (atba) shared with the world some of these remarkable efforts being made by his disciples in India. Inspired by the personal example of the Khalifatullah (atba) himself, the Amir Sahib of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, (Kerala-South) Mukarram Jamaluddin Sahib of Mathra goes on a Dawa Mission and is blessed with an astonishing experience of a miracle in favour of living Islam through the advent of the Khalifatullah (atba), and also with an extraordinary dream filled with the sweetness of faith; a Tarbiyat/Tabligh seminar in the northern region where a section of our brothers assembled to talk about the challenges of remaining true to one's own spiritual convictions and the obligations of Bai'at it entails; brothers in Tamil Nadu seek to spread the message of the advent of the Khalifatullah (atba) through publications in their Tamil language, etc.

Read the Extracts from the Friday Sermon: 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, the Amir of our Jamaat in Kerala (South Zone) Jamaluddin Sahib has related to me how he was inspired by Dawa Missions around the world, and he decided after my return from London that he shall also go on a special journey to spread the message of Islam, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam and the advent of a Khalifatullah to all people he shall meet. He chose specific parts of Tamil Nadu, especially those places where Islam were first implanted in those parts of the state. (For a 360 veiw of the Ervadi Dargah in Ramanathapuram District, Tamil Nadu, click here.) 

He says that unfortunately, nowadays these places have become dirty places (both physically and spiritually) and the worst of sins which people commit is when they go on Dargas to pray the saints (Pirs), or people whom the others take as saints. Therefore, along with his cousin who is a member of the Sunnat-e-Jamaat, they went to those places. The Amir Sahib went for his Dawa/tabligh, to bring these people back to Tawheed (the unity of God) whereas his cousin was one of those who are believers in those saints and practices.

Husband and Wife: Rights and Limits

Men are guardians over women by (right of) what Allah has given one over the other and what they spend from their wealth. (An-Nisa, 4: 35)

In the same verse Allah (swt) continues to say that righteous women should be devoutly obedient, guarding in (the husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard, even if nobody is watching them.

Therefore, based on this Qur'anic verse, the husband’s responsibility to fulfill his duties towards his wives is as important as those of the wives (or wife, should he have only one) towards their husband. And the Qur'an makes us understand that a husband has a little more authority upon his wife/wives than the latter upon him.

This verse of the Qur'an also shows that both man and wife enjoy each, rights (which have been bestowed to them by Allah) and which they have the right to demand from each other. And Allah (swt) has also showed the relation and responsibility which must exist between husband and wife whereby each one knows his/her rights.

 

Allah says in the Holy Quran: “They are an apparel (garment) for you and you are an apparel for them.” (2: 188)

By revealing this verse, Allah (swt) wanted to make us understand that the rights of both the husband and wife are equal. You all know that garments are meant to cover our body, especially its defects. Moreover, garments are means to embellish ourselves, man and woman and to protect us from heat and cold.

By likening the husband and wife as garments, Islam wants to show that a good wife is one who protects the honour and dignity of her husband, and she does not go outside and relate to creatures the defects/weaknesses of her husband, and similarly a good husband is one who does not humiliate, blame or relate the defects/weaknesses of his wife with others. This is the beauty of Islam, whereas the garment mentioned means Purdah (covering). The beauty therein is the way in which the woman must neither uncover her beauty nor her clothing before other men. She is to reserve that right to her husband. As for the husband, he is to remain loyal to his life (he must not lead a bad life). It is then that there shall be peace, tranquillity and blessings in their household.

Parental Responsibilities

Nowadays parents are teaching their children a lot on only the material aspect of education. They make all necessary preparations in this field ever since the birth of their children. Here, in Mauritius, we see children being admitted to pre-primary schools at around 3 years old, and when they reach their 5 years old, they go to primary school, then secondary, and finally to university, be it locally or they are sent abroad (to pursue their studies). Parents are ready to make debts so that their offspring study to obtain a degree or diploma. They readily invest a lot of money to secure his (material) future. They are even ready to mortgage their houses, lands to make their children succeed in their advanced studies and become doctors, engineers or lawyers etc., and they do it all with much pride.

All these endeavours are very good, I am not condemning this, but you (parents) should not look at only the material aspect of your children’s education. When you do so, you let this world attract you more so that you may get acclamations in society as the parent/s of such doctor, lawyer etc; and, this despite being overloaded with debts which you contracted to make him/her reach this level of mundane success. And, this despite the fact that there is no guarantee that he/she is grateful to you for the sacrifices done to make him/her get his/her diploma; he may as well neglect you and cast you aside. Or, despite the efforts made, even if your child succeed in becoming a doctor, engineer, lawyer etc., but at the end of the day he is null in Deen (religious) matters. All in all, it is a serious matter for you as parents if all this does not affect you the least.

The neglect of Deen

If your child turned out to be ungrateful and/or disconnected with religion after having obtained his degree as a doctor, or lawyer, and he does not pray Salat/Namaz, neglect the reading of the Holy Qur'an and is not at all attached to the religion of Islam, does this not bring a regret in your heart? Does this not affect you if he is Muslim only in name? Then, who is responsible for this state of affairs? This makes you go back in time to see whether you have given him some teachings of the religion of Islam (and how much of it). If ever you actually gave him some training in Deen (religious) matters, then bear in mind that this is not restricted to only a little practice of Namaz (obligatory prayers) – even then, even if prayer is not done in time – or a little reading of the Holy Quran – whenever he gets the time to do so! Despite a little practice of Namaz (Salat) and Qur'an reading, bear in mind that your child has not obtained all Islamic teachings!

On the "Charlie Hebdo" Attack in Paris

The European religious history in the last millennium is stained with despicable attacks on Islam and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa). The culprits, in their ignorance and hostility, seek to insult and defame the faith of the Muslims, parading and projecting a most hateful image of the religion of Allah (twa) and slandering and caricaturing  the fair name of its Holy Founder so as to destroy his reputation in the eyes of the general public in their societies. Contemporary caricaturing of the Holy Prophet (sa) in the Western media essentially inherits this imbecility from that unfortunate legacy of hate speech and blasphemy, and all of this is indulged in the sacred name of liberty of expression and press freedom.   

As a Divinely-raised Warner and the Mujaddid (Reviver of Faith among the Muslims) of our times, Hadhrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib (atba) of Mauritius has, on several occasions in the last decade, spoken up against this caricaturing of the Holy Prophet of all Muslims in the western press, warning that such offences are punishable in this very world and the repercussions shall be worst for the culprits and their societies. In the aftermath of the recent incidents involving Charlie Hebdo, political analysts confirm that the attacks indeed constitute an "earthquake" for the French society, parading the inadequacies of the French Republic to come to terms with the societal transitions in its backyard and the collective failures in imagining a shared future that accommodates the diversities and integrate the people on the basis of its professed, foundational principles of liberty, equality and fraternity. The astonishing prophecy issued by Hadhrat Sahib (atba),  warning the Charlie Hebdo and the likes in 2011,  had been documented at that time in the Blog and can be read here. 

Presented below are brief remarks on the Chalie Hebdo attack in Paris made by the Hadhrat Khalifatullah (atba) in his Friday Sermon of January 16, 2015: 

Before coming to the heart of my Khutba Jummah (Friday Sermon) on the duties and obligations of parents towards their children, I would like to say few words concerning the Paris “Charlie Hebdo” attack.

As you all know by now, on Wednesday 7^th January 2015 some people opened fire on the newspaper staffs (among others) of “Charlie Hebdo” in France (12 victims), in one of the abominable bloodshed on the soil of France, as the news channel and other media do not hesitate to state. And as usual, Islam is being blamed for such atrocity and not the people behind it.

And as you all know, years ago, around 2006 and 2011, in the backdrop of the first cartoon calumniation of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), I issued a prophecy, a clear warning that those who shall play with the purity of the person of the Holy Prophet of Islam shall be punished by Allah, the Most High. Indeed liberty of expression is one thing and calumniating the heart of a religion on the basis of a so-called liberty of expression is another. Indeed the Messenger of Allah cannot tolerate that a single calumniation be brought on the person on the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) and I shall continue to defend his honour till my last breath.

Advent of a 'Khalifatullah' among Ahmadis

 The System of Khilafat in Islam

Allah has promised to those among you who believe and do good works that He will, surely, make them SUCCESSORS in the earth, as He made Successors from among those who were before them; and that He will, surely establish for them their religion which He has chosen for them; and exchange security and peace after their fear; They will worship Me, and they will not associate anything with Me. Then whoso disbelieves after that, they will be the rebellious.

Hazrat Huzaifa (r.a) reported that Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w) said that prophethood will continue to stay among you for as long as Allah wishes and whenever there is a need to remove these favours, then Khilafat based on the system after prophethood will be established. Then Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w) remained silent for a while.

The lapse of time of his quietness, Hazrat Muhammad (s.a.w) was receiving some messages. That silence increased the inquisitiveness of the sahabas. That silence announced a message coming from Allah that He will send a Khalifa who will stand as a guardian and will guide people to the right path. But when this will continue, people will start having fear for the Khulafa, instead of Allah (swt). And when this fear takes place in the heart, they will start having fear of man and they will invite others towards him, instead of ALLAH. From the verse “Khalifa” is based from prophethood system. Allah raised this person with the status of prophethood where revelation descends upon him.

Khulafa-ur-Rashidun and the Mujaddidin

We all understand that after the deaths of the four Khulafa of Islam, were there not Khulafa who guided their communities on the right path? This procedure had continued till Allah sent Mujaddidin and even nowadays do you think that only the Ahmadiyya Association has a Khalifa, other Muslims sects do not have Khulafa (for their respective sects)? So to understand this. (Khilafat based on the system after prophethood), when this system is being corrupted and misguided, by the grace and mercy of Allah, He raises a Khalifa on the prophethood system. The “Khalifatullah” as he is chosen by Allah. Allah raises him, and he is not elected by man. Then Allah takes controls over him completely.

This verse of the Qur'an is very clear and there is no controversy into it; Allah makes a promise from this verse that those who do good actions, what are these good actions? Those who will worship Allah only and will never associate anybody to Him, that is, those who will have only the fear of Allah in their heart. Allah will give these people successors in this world. Allah will raise a Khalifa among them as a reward of these good actions and He will bestow peace and security after their fear.

'Treat Your Parents Well'

The Khalifatullah (atba) is back home from London

Before getting to the heart of the subject of today’s Friday Sermon, Alhamdulillah, I thank Allah for the immense favour He pours down upon me and our Jamaat, which is making great progress day by day. Recently, like I informed you, I had to go to London, in the United Kingdom and Alhamdulillah, Allah has manifested many signs and has opened the door of Dawa all the more, so that people in general, and the Ahmadis in particular receive the message of peace which comes from Allah and His Khalifatullah of this era. 

The Dawa was great whereby many people – Christians, Hindus and Muslims (Afghans and Arabs etc.) received the message of the unity of Allah and of the advent of a Muhyi-ud-Din (Reviver of Faith) and Khalifatullah (Caliph of Allah) who has come to unite them together under the banner of “Laa-Ilaaha Illallah Muhammadur Rasullullah” (There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, as I was journeying to London, I made it a duty to try to contact the Khalifatul-Massih V, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad. Even before my departure, I sent his officers an email to inform him about my visit to London, and in London itself, I sent him a letter, a Message of Peace, which Insha-Allah, shall be official (along with the other materials) on the website very soon.

What is pleasantly astonishing is that the Ahmadis in London has not put any boycott on me. On the contrary, they received me with lots of love and teary eyes, in the mosque itself. And there was some talks and explanations on the divine manifestation which were very cordial and they even offered me a place to stay (with all provisions) but by the grace of Allah, Allah already made my provision in this regard, and I must appreciate this also. All in all, they are completely different from the Ahmadis in Mauritius with their boycott policy!

OBEISSANCE TO PARENTS

“And your Lord has commanded that you shall not worship (any) but Him, and good treatment to your parents. If either or both of them reach old age with you, do not say to them (so much as) “Ugh” nor chide them, but address them in terms of honour.” (17: 24).

These days, pupils are preparing themselves to take the way back to school. Children also have duties/homework which are not only academic in nature; indeed they also have to accomplish duties with due respect to Allah and His Messenger Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). I have to tell you all children to keep in mind this motto: Water your mind with academic knowledge/education and water your soul with spiritual knowledge/education which is verily essential in the life of a believer, be him a small child or an adult. And this applies also for all children, even the adults who still are children of their old parents and who have the duty to take care of them.