بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
Friday Sermon
HAZRAT AMIR’UL MUMINEEN MUHYI-UD-DIN
Munir Ahmad Azim
Made in Comoros Island
19 July 2013 ~
(10 Ramadan 1434 Hijri)
(Summary of Friday Sermon)
After having greeted all his followers and truth-seekers in the Comoros Island, and addressing also the salaams to all the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam members (and all Muslims) round the world – mentioning the other nearby islands, India, Kerala, Trinidad and Tobago etc. – with the Salutations of Peace and wishing them “Ramadan Mubarak”, Hazrat Muhyi-ud-Din (atba) read the Tashahhud, Taouz and Surah Al Fatiha and then said:
Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, I am by the grace of Allah here in the Comoros and I am here as a Messenger of Allah, the Caliph of Allah (Khalifatullah) and it gives me great pleasure in this month of Ramadan to pronounce my second Friday Sermon on Ramadan here in the Comoros – after pronouncing the first sermon in Mayotte – and by the grace of Allah with the arrival of this humble servant of Allah in the Comoros, the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam was officially registered and the respected Prefect in person is with us today in the Jumu’ah, and he took the Bai’at along with his family with this humble servant of Allah and here in the capital of Comoros, Moroni so far, over 35 people took Bai’at, Alhamdulillah.
And this afternoon, after Jumu’ah we shall all go to the village where we have thousands of followers (disciples) in the Jamaat and that since my arrival here (in the island) and the mayor of the village and the Imam and also members of the village gave us a large portion of land, the contract made and registered in the name of Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam before the Qadhi, a plot of land worth more than 20 million Comorian francs, Alhamdulillah, and this afternoon, the Jamaat will post its (official) sign in the land, in the village of Mjezi Mboudé and at the same time the materials to build a Masjid will be disembarked there and the first stone of the Masjid of the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam will be laid in this village, and Iftar and Salat-ul-Maghrib shall be held there and the other Salat, Insha-Allah.
Later we will talk about these developments and spiritual revolutions in the Comoros in several villages and here also in Moroni, Insha-Allah.
Now I return to the subject of my Friday sermon based on Ramadan - this is my second Khutba Jumu’ah of Ramadan, after my first Khutba Jumu’ah of the month of Ramadan made in Mayotte.
Allah Ta’ala states in the Holy Quran:
وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلاَ يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
Wa man-kaana marrizan aw alaa safarin-fa-iddatum-min ayyaa min u-khar. Yuriidullahu bikumul-yusra wa laa yuriidu bikumul usr.
“And whoever is ill or on a journey - then (to replace the missed fasts) an equal number of other days. Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.” (2: 186)
Hazrat Aisha Siddiqua (ra) reports that Hazrat Hamza bin Amar-al Aslaami (ra) was used to fasting and he asked the Holy Prophet (pbuh) if he could observe fasting during travel and the Holy Prophet (pbuh) replied:
“If you want, you can observe the fast, but if you do not want, then do not fast.” (Bukhari, Muslim).
Being a traveller according to the Shariah (Islamic law based on the Quran and Hadith) means one who from his home, travels 92km or more (57 ½ miles or more) and decide not to stay 15 days or more in one place. But if he makes intention to stay in one place for 15 days or more, then it is not considered a (long) travel despite the distance. If there are 2 or more places, for example, if he spends 10 days in one place and five days in another place, he shall be considered as a traveller.
The Shariah allows certain exceptions in the non-observance of fasting. And thus, these exceptions are no way sins. Such exceptions as: Travel, pregnancy, illness, old age are valid reasons for not observing the fast and for these reasons, we do not become sinners, but as soon as these problems or difficult situations are resolved, we must replace the missed fasts. The sick person who risks seeing his disease worsen or prolonged, the person who is too old and who weakens with each day that passes by, cannot observe the fast and do not hope to regain courage to fast. If a pregnant woman fears that fasting can represents a threat for her own health and/or that of her baby. If a breastfeeding woman has the same fear, and this exception also applies for a girl or lady who is exempt from fasting during her menstrual period or labour-related bleeding. All these categories of people are forbidden to fast according to the verse which I just read before you.
Now, as to the definition of the meals for the fasts (i.e. the Iftar and the Suhur) – the Suhur or Sehri as I have already explained is the meal taken before the fasting and the Iftar is the snack (or meal) taken to break the fast. Almighty Allah tells us in the Quran:
“And eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread (of night). Then complete the fast until the sunset.” (2: 188).
Hadiths:
1. Hazrat Anas (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Have suhur. There is blessing in suhur.” (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, Mishkat).
2. Hazrat Umar (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said that Allah and His angels send blessings on those who have Suhur (Sehri).
3. Hazrat Abu Huraira reported that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Allah has said that the servant He loves the most is the one who breaks his fast quickly.” That is to say, one who does not take too much time to break his fast. (Tirmidhi, Mishkat)
4. Hazrat Salman bin Amir (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said that when someone will have Iftar, let him have it if possible with dates because there are blessings in it. And if there is no date, then let him have Iftar with water because water is pure.
5. Hazrat Salman Farsi (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) has said that whoever made Iftar with lawful food or water, the angels pray for his forgiveness and Hazrat Jibrail (ra) asked for the forgiveness of this person during Laylat-ul-Qadr (Night of Destiny). And from a narrative (Riwayat), one who offers water to a faster for his Iftar Almighty Allah will make him drink from the fountain of the Prophet (pbuh) where after he shall never again feel thirsty until he enters Paradise.
6. Hazrat Zayd bin Khalid (ra) relates that the Holy Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whoever offers Iftar to a fasting person will have the same amount of reward as the fasting person.” (Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah)
Taking the Sehri and to do it at ease is a Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh). But however one must not take too much time, exceeding dawn and it is a Sunnah to break the fast a bit quickly and to do it while making sure that the sun has set. We have the right to fast without Sehri. There are people who think that their fast will not be valid if they do not make the Sehri or do not have the time to do it and they also think that if they woke up late without having had time to the have the Sehri, they think they need to drink at least a sip of water to observe fasting, this is completely false. You should know that the Sehri is Sunnah but fasting is Farz. It is best to do what is Sunnah, that is, Sehri, but if the time of Sehri has passed, then fasting should be observed without Sehri.
Beware, brothers and sisters of Comoros and also those of Mayotte, you do not practice the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (pbuh), you do not make the Sehri and Iftar and after Salat-ul-Maghrib, you organize yourselves into group and treat yourselves to big feasts. And after Salat-ul-Esha and Tarawee you stay awake until midnight and after midnight you eat and then you go to sleep until sunrise and there are some people who wake up late, until noon and it often happens that you do not make the Salat-ul-Fajr.
I’m here in the Comoros Islands and before coming to Comoros, I was in Mayotte. I saw your culture, and frankly speaking it is not an Islamic tradition and the practice of our beloved Prophet (pbuh). There are people who are have taken the bad habits (because of laziness), while making the intention of fasting on the eve to sleep at the time of Sehri, thus neglecting this Sunnah and Ibaadah. And they very often continue to sleep until dawn and even end up missing the Salat-ul-Fajr. I remind you that fasting is not valid without the Salat, because they are both Farz (obligatory).
The fidyah applies on persistently sick people or other elderly people, pregnant women, women in childbirth (labour) or those who are breastfeeding their babies; therefore for them fasting can be replaced by the giving fidyah. Giving a fidyah means offer food to a poor person for a whole day (minimum 2 or more meals) per fast. In the case of kaffara (compensation), feeding 60 poor people and in the case of Ramadan, 29 or 30 poor people corresponding to 29 or 30 days of Ramadan. The fidyah is also possible as the amount of money offered to the poor corresponding to this amount of daily food.
We implore Allah Almighty to give us the Tawfiq to be among His faithful servants and allow us to enjoy the maximum infinite blessings He booked us during this great month. Ameen Soumma Ameen!
