بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

Friday Sermon

 

HAZRAT KHALIFATULLAH AL-MASSIH AL-MA’OUD

 

Munir Ahmad Azim

22 April 2011 ~

 

(18 Jamadal Awwal 1432 Hijri)

 

 

(Summary of Friday Sermon)

 

After having greeted everybody with the Salutations of Peace, the Messiah (Massih’ullah) read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then he said:

 

By the grace of Allah, Allah (Glory be to Him) has given me the opportunity to continue last Friday’s sermon about the importance of the beard.

Firstly, I must say, it is sad that some religious scholars (that is, the Maulanas, amirs, and members of the Islamic central committees etc.) subject themselves to this anti-Islamic act (that is, shaving of the beard). We only have to tell about them: “They are only quadrupeds only to carry books.”

They are indeed in a very distressing and unfortunate position because they know the laws of Sharia that they should have known by preaching. But they do not practice what they preach.

There are plenty of warnings in the Quran and the Hadith for these types of mullahs who do not practice what they preach. We even have the example here in Mauritius in the Jamaat Ahmadiyya the so-called Maulana Basharat Naveed. Unfortunately an ignorant man is driven to follow the bad manners of such-like Maulanas. The sin of such a form of irreligion rightly falls on those kinds of Maulanas and the consequences attached to them, that is, the one whom is the cause of a bad deed is just as guilty as he who committed this sin.

So, he shall be of those who must bear the burden of the consequences of this sin. In my opinion, the amirs, the Maulanas, the executives of all religious Madrassa where students commit this sin (shaving the beard or keep a beard in the latest fashion) or other non-Islamic act, should take stringent sanctions while giving these students the opportunity to repent and stop committing these sins, and then send them back (home) immediately.

 

To give a position as head (Imam) to such irreligious students is to destroy humanity and Islam. Wanting to provide education to the disobedient and naughty (without a good upbringing) is like giving weapons and ammunition to a thief. It must then be remembered that it is not permissible for a Muslim barber to cut (shave) or trim the beard or hair of someone in any other way than allowed by the Sharia. Helping someone in an act of sin is tantamount to doing the act oneself.

A Muslim barber should politely refuse to perpetuate such an un-Islamic act. There are a few barbers who are honest and upright, and who despite being needy, flatly refuse to shave (the beard of) their customers. Although they are few in this case, I know many who bear the full consequences of their refusal, even if they are hard, and remain steadfast in their determination not to commit such an un-Islamic act.

In a kingdom or an organised political structure, each department has its exclusive uniform. The uniform of the police and the army is very different from that of the mounted cavalry and infantry. There is also a difference between the uniform of the Army and that of the Air Force. The uniform of postal workers is totally different from that of other bodies etc. If any of these officers is not clothe correctly in his designated uniform while in service, he shall be severely reprimanded or even punished. Just as these uniforms are required in the effective functioning of each kingdom or government, the same uniforms are very important between the tribes and nations in the kingdom of God.

 

If a study is made, we will see that England, France, Germany, etc. have each their own flag, their own uniforms, so that those who are familiar with them can immediately identify them. They can be identified on the battlefield, on locations of political encounter, on the fronts. Each nation must protect with all its strength its flag and also its national symbols and emblems. In fact, when transgressions occur in this area, they can cause explosive situations. Tear off a flag or insult it in any way, and you will see the consequences it may have; this may even lead to war.

This identification system has always been adopted by governments, nations and religious groups since time immemorial. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to identify the personnel and officials of various government departments, and to distinguish between nations and governments.

How could we otherwise make the difference between a soldier and a civilian, between a policeman and a postman? Uniforms and symbols have been considered necessary by all nations and all countries and this is always the case today. Nations and countries which do not preserve, or do not protect their uniforms and their identities are quickly and easily absorbed by other nations. They disappear so that there remains no trace of their name or their culture.

 

If you look at India for example, Muslims arrived in India more than a thousand years ago and had they not preserve their identity and their uniforms, today they would look like Hindus, like those who arrived in India just before them, and had not preserved their identity. They were totally absorbed by the Hindus, and now, beyond the fact that they are sometimes mentioned in the pages of history books, we do not find in any corner of the world their trace, be it of their name or culture. 

Muslims did not confine themselves to maintain their uniforms, but they retained their religious values, Islamic names for men and women, the Islamic way of life, culture, language, and Islamic customs. That is why they have survived as a nation in India, and that is why their identity will be preserved for as long as they protect these values. When they abandon them, then they will be totally absorbed by others.

It is evident from this point that a nation or religion, whatever it is, cannot continue to survive except if it adopts a unique appearance, a form of civilization, culture, customs and language of its own.

That is why it was necessary for Islam, and much more than all other religions since it is the true religion. To preserve and protect this lifestyle and this uniform and thereby to protect the religion itself, lives must sometimes be sacrificed. This exclusive uniform is for those who are always obedient to Allah, distinguishing themselves from those who transgress the law of Allah.

 

Because of this, the virtuous, the rigorous will be preferred by Almighty Allah to those who transgress the law. This is the essence of the following Hadith: ”He who chooses for himself the lifestyle of a people will be considered as forming part of this people.”

It is Hadith which sometimes embarrass some Muslims who lean toward living the non-Islamic life. That's why Rassoollullah (peace be upon him) has suggested a particular uniform for his disciples. A Muslim must neither shave the beard, nor remove all the hairs of the beard and cut it too short, as some Maulvi Ahmadis; this is forbidden.

Now let’s see the medical aspect of the beard. There are men who think that the beard is an ornament to men and it protects their throat and chest.

(1) If a man shaves continually, the veins irrigating the eye will be affected and it will result in a decreased vision.

(2) A beard prevents microbes from reaching the throat and chest.

(3) If for seven generations men shave the beard continuously, those of the eighth generation will no longer have beards, and thus they shall be beardless, meaning that the sperm is weakening from generation to generation until the eighth when its quality is completely destroyed. All these are not prophecies, or astronomical calculations, but rather strictly medical-based facts. I do not understand why people fear and tremble at the thought of wearing a beard.

 

People let their hair grow on their head, then why do they consider it inappropriate and unacceptable to wear beards on their faces. When the hair stops growing on the head, when they fall, it is regarded as a serious defect and a cause of shame. Therefore, they do everything in their power to prevent this. It is therefore surprising to see that men strive every day to remove the hair growing on their faces, thus depriving themselves of what is the most obvious sign of manhood, without the slightest hint of shame.

 

The beard and moustache gives the face of man a virile force, a firmness of character, an individual integrity and an exclusive identity. His survival and security depends on this brave appearance.

These are the only hairs that differentiate men from women. The rest of the body hair are common to man and woman. Deep in their consciousness, women appreciate more men who wear beards and moustaches. Interiorly, they prefer a man who wears a beard than the one who has no virile characteristic in his face. On the other hand, it seems that some women hate the beard and moustache. The reason is that women are slaves to fashion and blindly follow it and unfortunately today, beard and moustache are not fashionable.

 

So the shaving of the beard, the baldness of the face and being a slave to fashion give man a feminine complex. He considers independence, bravery, and courage as manly qualities and the beard is the foundation of the manifestation of these qualities.

The beard and moustache will come back into fashion in the world and with it shall return the superiority that God has given to men over women. A person who wears the beard is still worthy of the honour of the beard, as is required of him. This gives him the prestigious position only reserved for men.

 

How unfounded is this feeling that pushes an accomplished adult to want that his face resembles that of a child. Allah has created the beard and moustache to adorn the male adult’s face. He who laughs and mocks at those who wear beards are verily laughing and mocking at the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and all the prophets (upon them be peace).

To end this sermon, I would say that to please Allah and His beloved Prophet (peace be upon him), a very sincere and serious effort must be made to follow as much as possible, the (Islamic) teachings which have been revealed and follow not the whims, tastes and fantasies of misguided men and the accursed Satan.

May Allah grant us the 'Tawfiq', strength and courage to adhere to Islam and practice it as we were taught by Rassoollullah (peace be upon him). Insha-Allah, Ameen.