Text Box: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Friday Sermon HAZRAT AMIR’UL MOMENEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN AL KHALIFATULLAH Munir Ahmad Azim 25 June 2010 (12 Rajab 1431 Hijri) (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: أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَى وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ ۝ “O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).” (49: 14) Righteousness is one of the foundation bases of Islam. Righteousness is what enables man to keep a pure heart, opens for him the gate of Paradise and save himself from the fire of Hell. Allah has clearly stated in the Holy Quran that those who say that they believe, that they are Islam, believers, should be foremost righteous in all their acts and abandon all wrong deeds. Abu Huraira (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, “He who called people to righteousness, there would be reward (assured) for him like the rewards of those who adhered to it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who called (people) to error, he shall have to carry (the burden) of its sin, like those who committed it, without their sins being diminished in any respect.” (Muslim) From this Hadith it is evident that the Muslim believers are called to spread goodness and teach righteousness through their own examples, as role models in society. Society is the seat of all thoughts and deeds. Indeed the true believer is he who calls his surroundings to be righteous in all their dealings and to reflect goodness and righteousness not only outwardly, but their endeavour must be made from within, with a pure heart. It is this pure heart, obedient to the call of Allah and His Prophet which will enter the Gardens of Paradise, as promised by Allah in the Holy Quran. This is also a call for the righteous Muslims to devote themselves to the spread of the clear messages of Islam, as carriers of the divine light, to call others to do good and abandon wrongs which can lead them to chaos both in this world and the next. The clear distinction between the righteous person and the evil-doer is clearly defined and no soul shall ever carry the burden of others, except his own. Moreover, Allah says in the Quran: “By no means shall you attain righteousness unless you give (freely) of that which you love; and whatever you give, of a truth Allah knows it well.” (3:93) Thus, to be righteous, one has to give wholeheartedly of the things that he loves. He should also always keep Islamic brotherhood intact and solid by spending of what he loves most in the path of Allah. Thus, the believer is called to give gifts to strengthen brotherhood, and also as an act of charity to those in need. Nevertheless, he must do so, not as a means to attract attention on him and that people get to see him in action – that is, for ostentation, but he must do so only to please Allah, for the love of Allah. Wabisha Ibn Wa’bad (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah said: “…Righteousness is that with which the soul is tranquil and the heart is tranquil, but sin is that which rouses suspicion in the soul and is perplexing in the breast, even if people give you a decision in its favour.” (Tirmidhi) Thus, righteousness goes hand in hand with Taqwa (Fear of God). One must have fear of Allah. Once fear of Allah is profoundly settled in his heart and soul, then all deeds he shall do shall be righteous, for he becomes ever conscious of Allah seeing everything that he does, and he fears lest Allah becomes angry with him. Thus, he maximises good deeds, done with good intention to please Allah and as a sign of his love and devotion to Allah. Thus, as the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, righteousness then regulates the heart and consciousness of the believer who then finds tranquillity in the acts he does, for he becomes aware of the good behind his good endeavours and also he gets to feel the wisdom of Allah behind the revelations of all His commandments, that is, for the moral and spiritual elevation of man, be it in this very life and the life to come. Allah loathes the spread of evils and the ones who follow the path of Satan, their hearts become dark and they find no tranquillity therein. All their deeds become void, for they have preferred turning their backs to the good teachings of the prophets and gripped instead the rope of sins. Sins lead to the transformation of the human soul from light to darkness, leaving nothing for him to hope for, except chastisement, be it in this life and the hereafter. Now, Allah is also All-Forgiving, and He surely forgives those whom He feels that their repentance are sincere, and that after erring from the right path, they have come to realise that only righteousness and their adherence to Islam (that is, complete submission to Allah) can save them from a spiritual death! We find Allah say in the Holy Quran: “…the bounty of your Lord is not closed to anyone.” (17:21). Allah gives His bounties, favours, grace and mercy to whomever He feels like. He forgives whom He wants, for He alone knows for sure what all hearts conceal. Allah tries all His servants to know who among them are really sincere to Him, when they will be clothed with the human and temporal body, filled with weaknesses and vain desires. This is the reason why non-Muslims who desire and work for material prosperity, fame and other worldly needs in this world become wealthy, famous or attain worldly success. But nevertheless, they receive Allah’s reward for any righteous deed or virtuous act done in this world. If they desire happiness in this present world and work for it, Allah grants them their need. However, their happiness is nothing but temporary and in the Hereafter, they shall suffer the consequences of praying other divinities other than Allah, the One True Lord, and each time rejecting the messengers of God whenever one came to them to deliver them the divine message. As for the true believers, those who, against all odds have stood firmly in the right path, not deviating from it, even though Satan devises all sorts of traps to make them lose the precious faith they received from Allah, upon getting the divine messages from the Chosen Man of God of their time. For them, Allah has recognised that they are truly righteous, for their inside is pure, and when this purity has got an aim, it has spread to the acts of these believers who then, against all odds, strive for the cause of Allah with everything that they possess, for they know quite well that what they shall lose, is not lost altogether. Everything will be returned to them with bonuses, in this life itself, and most surely in the Hereafter. Thus, it is my humble prayer to Allah that all of us, in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam we strive in the path of Allah selflessly, and with a good heart, so that Allah may come to put the seal of righteousness in the books of our life and loves us for the love we spread for the cause of Allah, by obeying His every command and submitting ourselves to His every decree, come what may so that we become real Muslim believers in every sense of the word. Allah has chosen this humble one as His Messenger in this era, and He has reinforced this humble self with the necessary faculties so as to guide you to Him, in humility and so that the world tomorrow may take you as excellent role models for their spiritual achievements. Insha-Allah. Ameen.