Text Box: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Eid-ul-Adha Sermon Hazrat Khalifatullah Al-Massih Al-Ma’ud Munir Ahmad Azim 17 November 2009 (10 Dhul Hijjah 1430 Hijra) EID MUBARAK (Summary of Eid Sermon) Eid Mubarak to all brothers and sisters and children of the Islamic world and members of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam. After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace and Eid Mubarak, the Khalifatullah read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he read the following Quranic verses and then said: AL-HAJJ CH.22 V.27-29 وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَن لَّا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ ۝ وَأَذِّن فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِن كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ ۝ لِيَشْهَدُوا مَنَافِعَ لَهُمْ وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ عَلَى مَا رَزَقَهُم مِّن بَهِيمَةِ الْأَنْعَامِ فَكُلُوا مِنْهَا وَأَطْعِمُوا الْبَائِسَ الْفَقِيرَ ۝ “And when We settled for Abraham the place of the Holy Mosque, (We said): ‘You shall not associate with me anything, purify My house for those who circumambulate it and those who stand, for those who bow and prostrate. And make an announcement to the people for Hajj. They will come to thee on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every remote path, to participate in the benefits that have been granted and to invoke the name of Allah on appointed days, over the cattle which He has provided for them, “Eat thereof and feed the wretched poor.” (22: 27-29) My House, the Sacred House, the Sacred Mosque, the House, the ancient House, the First House ... so many designations used by the Holy Quran for the cultural monument at Mecca – The Ka’aba! By doing so, God wanted to highlight and emphasize the excellence and high honour of this monument so that it deserves to be considered the high place of worship of the Unique God. Its location is revealed; from the divine words: “We settled for Abraham the place of the Holy Mosque.” (22: 27), we learn that the House predated the time of Prophet Abraham. Built by Prophet Adam, it was the first centre of divine religion there was on earth, the very first place of worship, the others being established later in time. (3: 97) At the time of Abraham, the Ka’aba was in ruins, and it is thanks to a revelation that he could locate it. With the help of his son Ismail, he rebuilt the House of God. A Prophecy duly coming true as mentioned in the Quran: “Purify My House” (22: 27) is both an order and a prophecy. The command required the setting free of the Ka’aba of all forms of idolatry and iconolatry which can soil it because its purpose (of the existence of the Ka’aba) was monotheistic (for the worship of one God only – Allah). The prophecy made known that the command (of worship only Allah) would be ignored and that idolatry would find its way, but that eventually it would be banned. It vividly happened that the prophecy came true, when the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) rid the place of its abominations, of its 360 idols, to restore the worship of One God, removing all forms of idol worship. This verse (22: 27) therefore indirectly announces the advent of glorious Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the rebuilding of the Ka’aba by Abraham and his son (peace be upon them) was the foundation of it, as stated elsewhere in the Qur’an (2: 128-130). It was through Prophet Abraham that the pilgrimage was instituted as a form of worship. Contrary to the claims of the critics of Islam, the pilgrimage was in no way a form of idolatry in Islam embodied by the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) with the idea of calming and getting the Arabs to be interested in Islam rather than indulging in idolatry. From the days of Abraham to the present day, the pilgrimage to the Ka’aba has continued without interruption and will remain until the end of time. The Ka’aba, which was at one time the centre of pilgrimage for the Arabs alone, is now the focal point for rallying the Muslim world, and it is destined to become the spiritual centre of all mankind, Insha-Allah. It will be the symbol of the oneness of God and the unity of humankind when Islam will prevail in the world. The time is not far when there will be only one God that people worship (undeniably Allah the Unique One, without partner), one sole religion, one Prophet (namely the Holy Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - as the last law-bearing prophet) and one book (the Quran) with the Ka’aba as the only spiritual centre for all mankind. In addition to the spiritual goods that the pilgrimage brings for the Muslims, its social and political avenue also is important. The annual gathering at the Ka’aba can serve as a basis for unification of the various Muslim states of the world into a strong Islamic brotherhood; this may be a place to exchange ideas on international issues, and for the renewal of new brotherhood. States can become familiar with the difficulties that their brethren face in other countries of the world, copying on those states that are progressing economically and socially and establishing between them cooperating agreements in various fields. This rallying point may be the site of a forum of Islamic countries. But it is unfortunate that the Islamic states do not realise that Mecca is the capital of the international Muslim Ummah. The divine words, “to participate in the benefits that have been granted and to invoke the name of Allah” (22: 29) clearly relate to the material and spiritual benefits that Muslims can and should benefit from the pilgrimage to Mecca. I want to talk about some subjects because no specific time is designated for death to come. Nobody can say how many years he will live and the number of days he has left in this world. It is wrong to think that to simply join the Community suffice to obtain salvation. So, I often felt that if some people in this community (Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam) do not know, they should know the purpose for which God created this Community and what it should do. It is wrong to think that the simple fact of joining the Community suffices to obtain salvation. That’s why I thought it would be good if I tell you what God really wants from you. Allah keeps an eye on your hearts and does not satisfy Himself with what you profess only. Everyone should remember that to formally join the Community and to accept me as an Imam is not enough for your salvation. As Allah told me incessantly, to obtain salvation, it is important to really believe in the Oneness of Allah and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as the true Prophet. We should believe that the Holy Qur’an consists of divine messages and no new laws will be revealed till the Day of Judgement. I mean to say, no new laws or any other sacred book is needed now. Remember that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is the Khatam al-Anbiya, that is to say that after him, there will be no new law or new book of new sets of laws. The same book will prevail and the same law (from the Quran) will be relevant for all times. I take the opportunity of this sermon today to explain a bit about Uluuhiyyah (affirming the oneness of Allah, forming part of Tawheed). As I said, the Muslim must really believe in the oneness of Allah because it is not enough for him to recognise that Allah exists and that He (Allah) is the Supreme Creator. Many people believe that Allah exists and that He is the Supreme Creator, but despite that they associate with Allah other false gods in their worship. This is not true Tawheed, or the affirmation of Tawheed. The Tawheed that Allah and His Prophet want from you is the Tawheed Uluuhiyyah. God created man for his vision of Tawheed Uluuhiyyah, that is to say, he recognises from the very depths of his soul and heart that God, Allah is indeed the one and only God, that not only He is the Supreme Creator, but He is the only Creator, unequalled, without a partner. Allah sends someone when the need is greatly felt, and then He gives him the privilege of true revelation. Thus, not only I as a Messenger of God, but my beloved Prophet, the blessing of this universe had already said: “I have been ordered to fight the people until they profess “Laa Ilaaha Illallah” (There is no God but Allah).” (Bukhari, Muslim) Thus, the oneness of God is of great value to the Prophet of God or the true believer, because on it rests true faith, the faith that God wants him to have so as to distinguish him from others. Every prophet before the coming of the noble prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also preached the Tawheed Uluuhiyyah, because the human race was created for the sole purpose of recognising the uniqueness of Allah and worship Him alone, bearing in mind His very superiority. The Meccans at the time of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said they believed in Allah, but despite this they gave partners to Allah. An example of this is found in the Qur’an: Say: “If you have knowledge, ‘to whom belongs the earth?’ and, ‘whoever is in it?’” they will say: ‘To Allah.’ Say: ‘Then will you not remember! ‘Say: ‘Who is the lord of the seven heavens, and of the great throne?’ They will say: ‘Allah’, Say: ‘Will you not be cautious?’ Say: ‘In whose hand is the kingdom of all things, he protects, and none protects against him, if you have knowledge!’ ‘Allah’, they will reply. Say: ‘How then can you be so bewitched?’ (to the point of unbelief) (23: 85-90) Thus we see that the infidels of Mecca recognise the supremacy of Allah as the Lord but absolutely refuse to submit to Him as the One and Only God. So these people despite their belief in Allah are infidels because they have not adhered to “Laa Ilaaha Illallah.” The mission of every prophet or messenger was, is and will remind the people of the Tawheed Uluuhiyyah, that there is no God but Allah! The words Nabi or Rassool which I use in my books definitely do not want to say that a new law or new commands (against the Quran and Sunnah Muhammadiyya) will be taught. Rather, it means when Allah sends someone when the need is greatly felt, then Allah gives him the privilege of receiving true revelation. Therefore, the word Nabi applies to him and he acquired the title Nabi (as mentioned in different parts of the Quran (2: 39, 4: 70 etc.). But it certainly does not mean that he brings a new law, or God forbid, he abolishes the law made by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Everything he does, he does so by following the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him); without this, nothing can be done. There is no doubt that when that takes the world is deep in sin and that people do not understand the true meaning of faith (Iman) and possess only a shell, then the seed and essence disappear. The potential for faith weakens, the satanic forces dominate, and the sweet taste of faith dissolves. So it is for Allah to send someone who is obedience and loyalty personified, and honours him with His conversation (revelation). These times are those in which He (Allah) chose me and sent me to the world because it is a time where love for God (in the hearts of people) has completely cooled.     May Allah guide us on the right path Insha-Allah, Ameen. And again, I wish all my brothers, sisters and children an Eid Mubarak. May the spirit of sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and his eldest son (Ismail) be innate in us, we who say that we are on the right path. Saying and doing are two different things. May the sincerity of your words and promises of submission and sacrifice come to be put into action like it was the case for these two noble prophets. Ameen.