بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

Friday Sermon

 

HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN

AL KHALIFATULLAH

 

Munir Ahmad Azim

 

 

27 August 2010

 

(16 Ramadhan 1431 Hijri)

 

RAMADHAN MUBARAK

 

(Summary of Friday Sermon)

 

After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he said:

 

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ۝

 

“O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).” (2:184)

 

The purpose of fasting is to acquire piety, fear of God and protection against all evils. This is one of the most important wisdom behind fasting. Fasting invites to piety for it diminishes the desire for food and for sexual relations. The one who fasts often can better combat these two desires. It is one of the factors controlling his life, leading him to piety. The purpose of fasting is to reinforce one’s will and to acquire patience.

 

Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) called Ramadan the month of patience for it reinforces our will and enable us to control our desires and reduce to nil the egoism of our soul. This training enables the Muslim to become stronger in following to the letter the commands of Allah, the most important one being to bring forward His message and to communicate it to others.

 

The faster train himself to be more patient in the obedience of Allah and to restrict himself, never going off limits established by Allah, neither in his deeds nor abstention. Allah the Almighty says: “these are the limits of Allah, so do not go near them.” (2:188)

 

Fasting is a pure act of worship, and the fact that the faster abstains from food privately and publicly shows how much honest is his faith and how much profound is his love for Allah. Moreover his knowledge and feeling that Allah is All-Aware deepens whereby He submits himself completely to the commandments of Allah. For this reason, Allah has made for fasting greater rewards than any other forms of acts of worship.

 

Allah the Almighty has said: “Every good deed done by Muslims is for themselves, one good deed will be multiply by 10 until 700 times except fasting. Verily fasting is for Me and I am the One who will reward it Myself. Muslims who fast, they leave their lust and desire, their food and their drink because of Me…” (Hadith Qudsi – Muslim)

 

Fasting is a relief from such distractions as: eating, drinking, social life whereby the latter can distract a person and weakens his resolution to come closer to Allah. It is through the grace of Allah that a Muslim has been commanded to observe fasting so that he may not be tempted by the intrusions which these activities ensue. He is also not to be tempted by thoughts or anticipation in moments of worship, either when he is reading the Quran, praying additional cycles of prayers or staying in spiritual retreat. That is why Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said: “Fasting is an armour and a solid fortress against the fire of Hell.” (Ahmad)

 

Fasting makes one discover the blessings of Allah. The faster comes to experience the difficulties of the poor; thus he needs to thank Allah who has blessed him with great favours compared to the others who are less fortunate, being deprived from these favours. Therefore this makes him become more sympathetic and ready to share these favours with others. as for the poor, he rediscovers that fasting helps him to come closer to Allah in His worship, where he can better concentrate and meditate (on Allah’s grandeur). He thus can continue this devotion all year round, and this is a blessing for which he must thank Allah.

 

Fasting makes one acquire strength and endurance. Research has proved that when the body gets deprive from food for a certain period of time, this helps its defence mechanism and endurance, and brings protection against some sicknesses. Fasting is just not about abstention. The belief that fasting is abstention alone is not true for Allah has established along with it some acts of worship.

 

Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said: “The one who prays at night in Ramadan without anticipating any reward, all his past sins will be forgiven.” (Muslim)

 

He also said: “The one who gives food to a faster will obtain the same reward as him, without the reward of the faster being diminished (in any way).” (Ahmad)

 

One must also study the Quran in Ramadan and also after Ramadan. In Sahih Bukhari, there is an advice of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him): “Recite the Quran for as long as your hearts accept (it); if they do not accept it, stop reciting it (for a little period of time – till the heart is fully opened to its recitation).”

 

The study of the Quran must bring people together. Abased, ridicule and corrupted ideas, innovation and superstition are propagated among people when they go far away from the Quran. And yet, a simple knowledge of the Quran is enough to dissipate their abased and ridicule ideas concerning Quran recitation.

 

Thus, O slaves of Allah, put aside all secondary books and concentrate on the Holy Book of Allah in this blessed month, for the Quran contains all knowledge of the older scriptures, and do not waste time, especially in vain discussions which lead to nowhere, for this is a sign of perdition.

 

Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said: “Whenever a people has lost track after they have received guidance, it is because of argumentation (empty arguments leading to nowhere).” Thus, we must pray that we do not fall in the same category as them and that Allah helps and guides us always on the straight path. Ameen.