Text Box: بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Friday Sermon Hazrat Amir’ul Momeneen Muhyi-Ud-Din Al Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim 04 September 2009 RAMADHAN MUBARAK (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:  Wa ‘izaa sa-alaka ‘ibaadii ‘annii fa-innii Qariib: ‘ujiibu da’-watad-daa-‘i ‘izaa da-aani fal yastajiibuu lii wal yu’minuu bii la-‘allahum yar-shuduun. “And when My servants ask thee about Me, say: ‘I am near. I answer the prayer of the supplicant when he prays to Me. So they should hearken to Me and believe in Me, that they may follow the right way.” (Chapter 2 Verse 187) Allah has established in the Quran two commandments which go in pair: Salaat (Obligatory prayer) and Zakaat (Obligatory tax). The two forms part of the five pillars of Islam. And along with Fasting (Sawm), Allah has called upon each and every Muslim to practice all kinds of good actions in the Holy month of Ramadan; the month in which the Noble Quran was revealed as a blessing for humanity as a whole. For today I will expound more on the importance of Salaat and Zakaat, especially now that we are in the Holy month of Ramadan, we must maximize all acts of worship which will make us become closer and closer to Allah the Almighty. Salaat (Prayer) is the vehicle which leads the believer towards Allah in total submission; body and soul. Allah has instituted prayer as a means for the believer to have regular meetings with Him, in complete need and love for the Almighty. Prayer is that source of good for the Muslim that it relieves him of every pain and difficulty which he may face. Salaat improves and helps us to attain high moral qualities and to build a strong defence against evils which exist around us. It is said in the Holy Quran; surely, Salaat keeps you away from indecency and evil. This is why the prayer is described as “remembrance” to Allah the Almighty. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said the servant is nearest to Allah the Almighty at the moment when he is lying in prostration before Him. Salaat reminds you of Allah the Almighty, when you get up in the morning, it reminds you three more times when you are busy during the day, and once again before you go to bed. When I mention Salaat (prayer), there exist all types of prayer which the believer can perform in addition to the obligatory ones. In the Holy Quran Allah has mentioned the Night prayers “Tahajjud” which the believer who is attached to Allah prays late in the night to get closer to Allah, to expect His love and mercy and forgiveness for his every sin. On the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Our Lord (Glorified and Exalted be He) descends each night to the earth’s sky when there remains the final third of the night, and He says: Who is saying a prayer to Me that I may answer it? Who is asking something of Me that I may give it him? Who is asking forgiveness of Me that I may forgive him? And thus He continues till [the light of] dawn shines. (Bukhari, Muslim) Through this authentic Hadith where Allah Himself is talking, we got the assurance from Allah that He listens to His devoted servant who supplicates Him for His mercy and forgiveness. Man is a weak creature and thus is at every moment incline to do harm to himself and to his environment. By instituting the month of Ramadan as the month of Fasting, the month of sacrifice, Allah gives the believer the appropriate opportunity to doubled efforts at prayer and sacrificing one’s time to obtain the pleasure of Allah. Narrated by Abu Hurairah: I heard Allah’s Apostle saying regarding Ramadan: “Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven.” (Bukhari) Thus, during this blessed month we Muslims are encouraged to do all the more additional prayers, especially the Tahajjud prayers, whereby Allah will be pleased with us, and thus earning proximity to Allah. Allah loves His sincere servants, and He wants us to call out to Him, to need Him, to depend upon Him for our every need and want. Allah wants to fill our lives with divine bliss, provided that we are sincere in our quest to Him, wanting to please Him and achieving this purpose. Prayers, especially the additional ones are a means to get closer to Allah, to show our complete submission to His commands. Our additional prayers will be a boon for us, especially when weighed on the balance on the Day of Judgement. Furthermore, Abu Hurairah narrated from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: “Allah (Mighty and Sublime be He) says: “The first of his actions for which a servant of Allah will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection will be his prayers. If they are in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded: and if they are wanting, then he will have failed and lost.” If there is something defective in his obligatory prayers, the Lord (Glorified and Exalted be He) will say: “See if My servant has any supererogatory (additional) prayers with which may be completed that which was defective in his obligatory prayers. Then the rest of his actions will be judged in like fashion.” (Tirmidhi) Now, an important aspect of Ramadan is the distribution of the Zakaat al fitr, which is a bit different from the Zakaat al-Maal that is, Obligatory tax on wealth and possessions which a Muslim has. Zakaat al-Fitr is a type of charity (Sadaqah) that is obligatory at the time of breaking the fast of the month of Ramadan. The word Zakaat is connected by genitive structure to fitr because the occasion of breaking the fast is the reason why this Zakaat becomes obligatory. Ibn ‘Umar said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made Zakaat al-fitr obligatory”. It becomes obligatory when the sun sets on the last day of Ramadan. Anyone who gets married, has a baby born to him or becomes Muslim before the sun sets on that day, has to give Zakaat al-fitr (on behalf of himself and/or his new wife or new baby), but if that happens after sunset, he does not have to give it… Thus Zakaat al-fitr becomes obligatory before the Eid-ul-Fitr prayer. Ibn ‘Abbas said: “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) made Zakaat al-fitr obligatory as a means of purifying the fasting person from idle talk and foul language; and to feed the poor. Whoever pays it before the prayer, it is an accepted Zakaat, and whoever pays it after the prayer, it is just a kind of charity (Sadaqah).” (Abu Dawud) It is also common practice that Muslim believers distribute their Zakaat from their properties in this month for Allah has put many blessings in this noble month. But Zakaat al Maal is not only restricted to the month of Ramadan. It can be distributed in other months also as per the prescriptions given out by Allah in the Quran. Allah and His Holy Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) have put much emphasis on the distribution of Zakaat. Zakaat is not only for the poor and needy, but also for the traveller and those who work for the religion. Ibn Abbas said, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) was the most charitable amongst the people, and he used to be more so in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel used to meet him on every night of Ramadan till the end of the month. The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite the Holy Quran to Gabriel.” (Bukhari) Through this Hadith, we get an idea about the generosity of the Holy Prophet, and more so during the month of Ramadan where Allah has doubled and even trebled blessings for simple acts of worship, for every good that His servant does during that month. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sacrificed a lot for the love of Allah and for the progress of Islam. He even went without food for days. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him, without nothing being reduced from the fasting person’s reward.” (Tirmidhi) Thus, it is our foremost duty to give away all that which Allah has rendered obligatory for us during the month of Ramadan, so that we may obtain His pleasure. By sacrificing our food and drink, and our routine lawful priorities just for the sake of Allah during Ramadan, then Allah Himself will be our ultimate reward; We, the Sahih Al Islam, the people whom Allah has chosen for the reform of mankind, for the reform of Islam, we must make it a must that we reflect the pure teachings of Islam, in its pristine beauty and faith. During the Holy month which we are living, it is our priority to maximize the benefits which Allah has made flourished in very second of this month; such a month when the Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to deliver to whole of mankind. Our duty as true Muslim believers, and as the chosen people of Allah is to care for the Islam of our soul, the Islam of our family members who loves Allah and whom Allah loves in return, and to our brothers, sisters and children who are thirsty of the Divine Light; thirsty of spirituality, thirsty to know Islam and to live it to the ultimate last of their lives. Salaat and Zakaat are two of the most fundamental pillars of Islam which are to be practiced regularly in our daily life and even more in the blessed month which we are living. Ramadan is a month of training, of sharing and sacrifice. Our generosity and love can bring a smile to our brother, sister or child, be them of any faith. Our role is to teach beautiful Islam to others, so that they may realise the beauty of Allah, and perceives Him through the eyes of their heart. Once someone becomes a Muslim through the heart by accepting that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is His Messenger, then that person is entitled to feel the pleasure of prayer and to happily contribute to the joy of others by distributing part of his wealth for multi-purposes as established in the Quran in Chapter 9. Thus, it is my prayer that we in the Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam, young and old, we never neglect our duty to Allah (through prayers) and our duty to our brothers and sisters in the Deen of Islam (through the distribution of Zakaat as imposed by Allah). Our foremost duty is obedience to the commandments of Allah in every way. Our submission to Allah is our light, the guidance to a better life, be it in this life and the hereafter. We love Allah, and Allah loves us a lot. He blesses us in ways that cannot be described in mere words, but this love is to be felt by each one of us as our special bonding with Allah. May Allah make this Ramadan a month filled with His presence and love. May He forgive us for our weaknesses for the human species have been born weak, a long way from being perfect except for our beloved Master and Prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him). Ameen. Allahoumma anta rabbi laa ilaaha illa anta khalaqtani wa ana abduka wa ana ‘alaa ahdika wa wa’dika mastatagh’tou ‘aouzubika min sharri maa sana’t abu-u bini’matika ‘alayya wa abu’u bi zhambi faghfirli innahu laa yaghfiruz-zhunuuba illaa anta. O Allah! You are my Lord. There is no god except You. You have created me and I am Your servant, and I try my best to fulfil the promise and solemn pact which I have taken with You. I seek Your protection against the consequences of my wrongs. I acknowledge completely the Grace which You have bestowed upon me and I confess my sins. Then (please) forgive me! Ameen.