بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

FRIDAY SERMON

 

IN RODRIGUES ISLAND

 

HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN

AL KHALIFATULLAH

 

MUNIR AHMAD AZIM

 

Friday the 10 April 2009

 

(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 read the following verse of the Holy Quran:

 

SURAH AL-IMRAN VERSE 104

 

 

Wa A`taşimū Bi ĥablillāhi Jamī`āan Wa Lā Tafarraqū Wa Adhkurū Ni`matallāhi `Alaykum 'Idh Kuntum 'A`dā'an Fa'allafa Bayna Qulūbikum Fa'aşbaĥtum Bini`matihi 'Ikhwānāan Wa Kuntum `Alaá Shafā Ĥufratin Minan-Nāri Fa'anqadhakum Minhā Kadhālika Yubayyinullāhu Lakum 'Āyātihi La`allakum Tahtadūn.

 

You shall hold fast to the rope of Allah, all of you, and do not be divided. Recall Allah’s blessings upon you – you used to be enemies and He reconciled your hearts. By His grace, you became brethren. You were at the brink of a pit of fire, and He saved you therefrom. Allah thus explains His revelations for you, that you may be guided.

 

In connection with this Quranic verse, I will explain it with reference with a commentary of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) on this verse. Thus, I start this Sermon with the explanation of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) on this same verse. Hazrat Hass Ashari (May Allah be pleased with him) has reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “Allah gave five commandments to Yahya son of Zakaria (on him be peace). Thus five commandments had been given to Yahya son of Zakaria, and I also command you to put into practice five commandments which Allah gave me.”

 

These five commandments which Allah told him, in fact was given also to all prophets, and especially to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thus there is certain wisdom behind the execution of these five commandments which have a connection with the unicity of Allah and the five daily prayers where the believer can hold fast to the rope of Allah. Thus in connection with the above-mentioned verse of holding fast to the rope of Allah, Allah has also given me and all my disciples firm instructions about the implementation of these five commandments. These can have two interpretations and that is why we must take into consideration these main two commandments.

 

But unfortunately, the fourth Caliph of the Ahmadiyya Movement, in one of his Friday Sermon, before his death, perhaps in the year 1998 or 1999, has given the following explanation of this verse, which the Ahmadis have translated as thus: (1) Firstly one must remain with the Jamaat and (2) also to hold fast to the rope of Allah, means that to hold fast to the Khalifa.

 

I firmly affirm that one must be very careful when giving the translation of Hadiths. One must be careful of not associating with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) a saying which he had not said.

 

Of the five commandments which Allah had given the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Listen to and obey Allah and His Prophet, do Jihad in the path of Allah, remain firmly attached to Islam, the religion which has been perfected and named by Allah Himself. The one who finds himself in Islam, finds himself, his faith and temporal life in security. Just as if Islam has gripped itself to his neck in such a way that he cannot go without it. Thus, it has been recommended that this Islam be well kept. If the Muslim does not obey Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him), then he goes beyond the limit prescribed by Allah, that is, he deviates completely from the teachings of Islam (Allah and His Prophet). Thus, by this means, he removes the Islam which was attached to his neck.

 

The Sahaba (May Allah be pleased with them) have asked: “O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), even if this person performs prayers, Fasts and considers himself to be a Muslim?” The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) replied in the affirmative.

 

These three things are not sufficient in the eyes of Allah. Whenever a person turns his back to the signs and the manifestations of Allah, even if he performs prayer, Fasts and at the same time has the fear of man more than the fear of Allah in his heart, and gives man’s words priority instead of the words and instructions of Allah, then the heart of this person is attached more to the love of his idols instead of Allah. In this way, this is pure association to Allah (Shirk). If you hold fast to “Laa Ilaaha Illallah”, no problem will befall you and you also do not commit any wrong by doing so. Thus, if you recognized the signs of Allah and the Divine Manifestation which Allah is manifesting upon His Chosen Servant, then, your Prayers, Zakaat, Fasting and other good deeds which you will do will become lively. As long as there is a pious chief who leads you towards the unicity of Allah and is teaching you what Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have commanded you to do and at the same time, having the fear of Allah in his heart, then you will always be on the Sahih Al Islam path.

 

But when this chief takes himself as god on earth, and starts judging the faith of people, and thus issues authority and instructions which he takes as more important than the Quran and Sunnah (practice of the Holy Prophet – peace be upon him), then this same prayer, fasting, Zakaat etc. becomes a routine for him, whereby there is no fear of Allah in any of these actions. He is presenting himself as god on earth and he makes people afraid of him and then these people (around him) give him greater importance than Allah the Almighty, and thus, they also deviate from the righteous teachings of Islam. They hold fast his hands instead of holding fast to the rope of Allah.

 

When such a demented situation prevails, Allah the Almighty then sends His Chosen One. With the arrival of this Messenger of Allah in this world, he comes along with several signs and divine manifestations.

 

The Messenger He sends on earth obeys and work only under the divine instructions. He does not come to let himself be guided by creatures. When this moment comes, then he undergoes great trials, where ignorant people persecute him, treat him as a liar, mad person, sorcerer etc. And this is an established law by Allah, where this prevailing situation will continue to exist till the Last Day of Judgement. Each time that the divine law will be trampled under the feet of people, Allah will continue to send His Chosen Servant. Thus you must be on your guard if you are really a true believer in a Unique God, and where immorality and corruption have invaded the world in all facets. Allah is still manifesting His signs in different forms. Therefore, you must seek that true Jamaat, that Sahih Jamaat!

 

In a Hadith from Musnad Ahmad bin Hanbal, Hazrat Abu Salab (May Allah be pleased with him) has reported that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said that Allah has established certain obligations and thus not to waste them.

 

Then it has been said that Allah the Almighty has established certain limits and that one must not go beyond these limits. Furthermore, there are some things which have not been mentioned by Allah, only because He is full of pity for us. Thus, one must not ask questions about these subjects. There are more things which Allah has not mentioned in the Islamic Law, and due to the capacity of people, He has left open this option for them. There are good people who have capacity to do good deeds, and all paths which they may choose will bring them towards the right path, a solid path. But as for the people who have weak capacities, then they will choose paths which would seem to be more flexible for them.

 

In this way, these people cannot be accused of sins. No! It cannot be said that they have disregarded the teachings of the Holy Quran. It was this that had been mentioned in this Hadith. Allah, full of pity has made some things flexible for His servants, so that each person can adopt a path according to his capacity and nature, and for this, there will be no objection from Allah upon him.

 

I now cite another Hadith which is found in Bukhari where Hazrat Abu Burda (May Allah be pleased with him) has reported from his father Hazrat Abu Musa Ashari (May Allah be pleased with him) that he has heard the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said: “My example, and the examples of the things which Allah has given me, is like a person who has gone toward his people and told them that “with my own eyes I have seen an army of enemies and thus I have come to warn you clearly. Therefore, you must run away.” At that moment, few people listened to him and the same night they fled away. This resembles the story of Hazrat Lut (on him be peace). He warned his people clearly, but there were only few people who listened to him and that same night they left that place. But the rest of his people did not pay attention to his preaching. Some people even said: “This is a liar, let us not go away. Let us remain in our place.” And this is what they did. Finally the next day that army of enemies came and destroyed them.”

 

Now in connection with the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the ‘army of enemies’ means that like the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) warned his people about the invasion of his enemies, likewise, his people also did not perceive the army of angels in their ranks.

 

Thus, whenever the enemies were destroyed, it was in fact the work of the angels, who destroyed them. If not, where would the old Muslims have got the necessary strength to destroy these powerful enemies?

 

In the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), punishment had another colour. In the times of the Promised Messiah, punishment had another colour and let me tell you that in this present era also, punishment will have another colour.

 

It is not possible that when a Warner from Allah comes with clear divine instructions and he receives revelations from his Creator so that he may give the message of Allah to all his people, the latter treats him as a liar, a madman, a sick person, a sorcerer etc. and they also send emissaries here in Rodrigues whereby they talked ill about us, so that your attention may not be brought in my direction and where you would get a wrong and bad opinion on me. Therefore it was there plan to make you base yourselves on their version of things, especially that of their Amir and his surroundings. What is the truth and where does untruth rests, then by this means you would not be able to find that out. They turned their backs and they claimed that this divine manifestation is utterly false. Thus, they started all sorts of propaganda against us. Won’t Allah seize them by His punishment? Definitely Allah will punish them for all their lies which they invented whereby these have induced you people into error. I tell them as thus, Wait, and I also will wait along with you. Insha-Allah I will continue to hold meetings throughout the island. I thus end my Sermon here.

 

May Allah help all of us together as one body and soul and enable us to remain firm with the truth which comes from Allah. After lots of efforts truth has prevailed. Insha-Allah, may Allah keep you all in Rodrigues under His Protection and makes you all become Sahih Al Islam all through your lives, be it in this world and in the Next. Insha-Allah… Ameen…