Sunday, February 21, 2021

The Holy Qur'an and Politics


As a God-centric Text, the Qur'an has a profound ethical vision that appeals to our individual and collective conscience to be good and do good in all phases of life. Indeed, historically speaking, the Qur'an brought about transformational change in the fortunes of a people by virtue of the strength of its moral and philosophical framework. Despite all the provocations and problems that the early Muslim community faced in standing up for freedom of conscience, and of religion within a pagan social framework; the Qur'an does not lapse into any strategies of coercion or intimidation in service of its religious outlook. In his Friday Sermon of 12 February 2021~29 Jamadi’ul Aakhir 1442 AH, Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius explains the fatal mistakes made by the Mawdudians in seeking to deploy the Holy Text as a weapon of choice in the pursuit of capturing elusive State power. 


Elaborating on Qur'anic verses and Prophetic practice, Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) points out that in the complex backdrop of a repressive society, Islam stood up for freedom of conscience in matters of religion- investing in the power of persuasion, not of force or compulsion. The nascent Muslim State's attempts at sovereign regulations on various matters cannot be confused with, and needs to be seen in isolation from the spiritual domain of Islam as a religious order. Any attempt at reading Qur'an as a mere  instrument of power politics- to be deployed in the campaign for seizing power at all costs- will corrode the very spirit and substance of the spiritual framework of Islam, notes Hazrat Saheb (aba) in the discourse.  The Friday sermon also shares recent Divine revelations received by Hazrat Saheb (aba).


Read the Friday Sermon Below: 

 

According to a Hadith, Allah can make things happen through politics that cannot be accomplished by the Holy Quran alone. This prompts some Muslims to argue that the first goal of the Ummah must be secular seizure of power. [According to them] It is only then that the teachings of the Holy Quran can be applied.


It is the Mawdudis who support this point of view. It has absolutely nothing to do with the practice of the Holy Prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). Indeed, contrary to what is advanced, by the authority of Allah he (pbuh) had established the Holy Quran first; long before he came to political power. The teachings were observed [implemented / practiced] even though the political powers of the time opposed them [ie, against the Quranic teachings].

 

In light of what I have just said, the Hadith in question is in contradiction with the established practice of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). It is, on the other hand, with the verse of the Holy Quran which states - No compulsion in religion. Faith cannot be established by using coercive force; to force someone to believe [to have faith]. Several verses of the Holy Quran are clear on this.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

The Spiritual Renewal of Muslims


The Cure of the Hour 


The Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: “Verily, Allah will send for this Ummah (Community) at the beginning of every century a person who will renew (reform and renovate) for it the Deen (i.e. Islam – the perfect way of life).”

 

The condition of the Muslim Ummah at all levels and in all spheres of life is gloomy, pitiful and deplorable. The Ummah is grounded in the quagmire of decadence. Its state of dishonourable existence is indeed heart-wrenching to those who understand the value of Islam and the true position of the followers of Islam. The way of life of the Ummah in present times and the Islam handed down by Muhammad Al-Rassullullah (pbuh) more than fourteen centuries ago are entities widely divergent and poles apart. There is extremely little affinity between the present Ummah and the Islam of the Sahaba of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).

 

Spiritually, morally, culturally, socially and politically, the Muslim nation has fallen to the lowest position. The Muslim Nation is bankrupt in all spheres of its life in relation to Islam. Muslims are in name only. Nothing in their behaviour or clothing reflects the true Islam.

 

Even if they do put on Islamic clothes, covering them, yet their behaviour is not that of Islam, of true Muslims. Be it the men or the women, they have drifted far away from the essence of what Islam stands for and preaches. Islam has become a farce for them, something to be discarded in favour of a westernised way of life. The prayers of the Muslims have now become hollow, without the essence of the true faith which drove the first Muslims to the glory and victory of Islam. Today’s Muslims have let themselves be trapped by the infidels who strive to divide the Muslims in order to better enslave them by giving them the lollypop which shall bring them to destruction. They have let themselves be tempted by this world and all that it contains. The attractions of this world have made them forget Allah. Power, money and a rich life in the luxuries of this world have blinded them. They have become corrupted, or are on the road to corruption. The Muslims are now behaving like the non-Muslims and following them in their creed without even realising it. Even though Allah may be invoked on the lips, but a hundred gods are hijacking their souls and concentration on the true God, i.e. Allah. They have Allah and His Rassool, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) on the lips, yet they discard the teachings which God Almighty and His Prophet (pbuh) have told them to do and those things which they have forbidden the Muslims to do. This is indeed very sad.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

'Nur Ala Nur': A Commentary


The Light Verse in Surah An-Nur (24:36) has attracted much spiritual attention and commentary by eminent scholars and savants of Islam through the centuries, including a famous treatise by Imam Ghazzali (ra). The verse is widely seen as a beautiful metaphor of the profound, transformational impact the Faith in God brings about in the heart of a true believer. The illumination of the pious heart, brought through its God-gifted encounter with the Light of revelatory guidance, is a perfect spiritual promise Allah (swt) vouchsafes to His special servants and Friends in every era (Auliah of Allah). According to some commentators, the Verse alludes to the Divine Light vouchsafed to the Holy Prophet (sa) and his spiritual Khulafa, the Mujaddidin who come in every era of Islam to renew and reform the Muslim Ummah and to guide them on the pristine path of Faith. Indeed, based on the Qur'anic promise of perpetual spiritual guidance and Muhammadan blessings, the advent of a Khalifatullah as an Elect and High Representative of Allah is an occasion when the full brightness and splendour of the Faith becomes visible to the discerning minds- like we witness today in the person of Hazrat Imam Muhyi-ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius, Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah. 

Reproduced Below is a commentary on the Light Verse made by Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as) of Qadian, in the Barahin-e-Ahmadiyya, Part III: 


The Light of Faith in the Heart of a Servant 


God is the Light of the heavens and earth. His Light is like this: there is a niche, and in it a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, a glass like a glittering star, fuelled from a blessed olive tree from neither east nor west, whose oil almost gives light even when no fire touches it–light upon light– God guides whoever He will to his Light; God draws such comparisons for people; God has full knowledge of everything– shining out in houses of worship. God has ordained that they be raised high and that His name be remembered in them, with men in them celebrating His glory morning and evening: men who are not distracted, a either by commerce or profit, from remembering God, keeping up the prayer, and paying the prescribed alms, fearing a day when hearts and eyes will turn over. God will reward such people according to the best of their actions, and He will give them more of His bounty: God provides limitlessly for anyone He will. (Surah An Nur, 24:36-39)

Friday, February 12, 2021

'Rahma': Ethics of Compassion


Humanity is facing perplexing times. With revolutionary advancements in technology and other arenas of human enterprise, 
the prospects for material well being, collective development and shared prosperity are brighter than ever before in our globalized world. And yet, paradoxically, what we witness today is that instead of coming together for the common good, the world is actually falling apart. Despite lofty rhetoric on rule-based international order, global governance is hostage to narrowly-defined economic interests of certain elite classes in richer nations. Economic affairs around the world are run in such a way that the  rich is getting richer, and the poor is becoming poorer in most places. Indeed, it seems day by day, the world is inexorably heading towards an unsustainable imbalance, precipitating man-made, and other ecological, disasters of all kinds. Already, the growing inequality, characterized by islands of affluence and pervasive poverty, is creating emotional heartburns, leading to competition and conflicts over control of resources, tearing apart  communities and nations. The widening disparity and simmering tensions can and will destroy public order if left unaddressed, and it calls for radical course correction in the way in which affairs of the world are being managed.  


The spiritual teachings of Islam provide a comprehensive framework to save the world from the brink of disasters at the moment.  A just world order is possible when we humans in all our systems recognize and return to the foundational values of life bestowed on us by our Rab, the All-Merciful Creator and Master of the Universe. The saviour of humankind, Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) left behind enduring guidance for creating an alternative, a  more compassionate world from the one in which we are living now. The Qur'an testifies: 'We did not send you (O Muhammad!) but as a blessing and mercy for all beings' (21:108).


The Prophetic teachings work to refine the humans by making them mindful of the Divine expectations of a life lived in absolute certainty of personal responsibility and accountability for all our deeds. It seeks to cultivate within the believer the  spirit of fairness, justice, kindness, compassion, benevolence and residual goodwill for all living beings who share the world with him/her. In seeking to obtain the approval of a Merciful Divine, a believer spreads kindness and compassion for all and would not cause harm or injury to anyone- fellow humans, the animals or the natural environment. In addition to insisting on justice and fairness in all settings of life, the Prophet of Islam taught people to develop beneficial solidarity across our differences- class,  race, language, nation, etc.- in a spirit of goodness and equity, and thereby respect the Will of God reflecting through the magnificent diversity in His creations in this world  


Reproduced Below are some of the Qur'anic verses, and the sacred traditions and sayings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) that address the larger theme of Divine Mercy, and also  extracts from the final sermon of the Holy Prophet (sa) on enduring values for a just society: