بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

 

Friday Sermon

 

Hazrat Amir’ul Momeneen Muhyi-Ud-Din

Al Khalifatullah

 

Munir Ahmad Azim

 

07 August 2009

 

(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:

 

 

“Qul inniii ‘umirtu an ‘a’-budullaaha mukhlisal-lahuddin; Wa ‘umirtu li-’an ‘akuuna ‘awwalal-Muslimiin”.

 

“Say, “I have been commanded to worship Allah, devoting the religion absolutely to Him alone. And I was commanded to be the utmost submitter.” (Chapter 39 Verses 12-13)

 

The above-mentioned verse shows us that submission to Allah (Islam) goes together with Iman (faith). The one who submits himself to Allah completely with sincerity, Allah will pour down upon him the Light of faith (Iman).

 

Let us analyse the meaning of “Iman (faith)” and how man acquires faith in Allah and remains firm in his faith. Each Muslim must have the knowledge of the Affirmation of Faith (Kalima) in Islam for, knowledge of the beliefs of Islam makes someone who says that he believes in Allah and His Messenger, Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) becomes stronger in his stand.

 

An affirmation of faith is the “Iman Mufassal”:

 

 

“Amantu billaahi wa malaa-ikatihi wa kutubihi wa rusulihi wa yawmil aakhiri wa qadri khairihi wa sharrihi  minal-laahi ta’ala wal ba’çi ba’dal mawt”

 

Thus this attestation of belief and faith clearly demonstrates that a Muslim (believer in the unity of Allah) must believe in Allah, in His angels, in His prophets, in His books, in the Last Day (that is, Judgment Day), in Destiny (takdir) and in life after death.

 

In the verse which I have mentioned at the top, Allah is addressing His beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him), and giving him instruction to pass on the divine message to the believers and unbelievers and to make them well understand about his firm belief in Allah and the divine revelation which is pouring down upon him. He is to spread the message for he has the mission to guide humanity towards Allah the Almighty. Islam is a way of living and not a separated religion. The life of our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) clearly shows us that he did not lived Islam as a religion but in fact he lived Islam, that’s all! – That is, he used to submit himself completely to the will of Allah in such a way that when we read the Holy Quran, we will see before us the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and when we will study the life of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), we will see the Quran in practice.

 

The faith which a prophet of Allah obtains is really exceptional, for it is Allah Who guides him towards Himself. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) received clear orders from Allah to testify that he is the first one to submit to Allah. The faith which he receives, it is Allah which has shown him how to obtain this faith, that is, by showing a complete obedience to His commandments.

 

Allah is the Supreme Being and there exists no one like Him. It is Him Who has established laws so that man can worship Him (Allah) alone and so that he may not exceed the limits which Allah has brought about. Like we believe in the good that Allah has sent down for us, we must also believe in the harm which is represented by Satan. Its existence is not only testified by the Holy Quran but also in the sayings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him).

 

There is a Hadith which has been reported by Hazrat Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) where the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) has said: “The angels have been created with Light, the Jinns have been created with a fire without smoke, and Adam (has been created) from what has already been described.” (Muslim)

 

One of the principles of Islam like we have understood by the example of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is that words must be followed by action: the words of our Heart and tongue, and action which the Heart takes, along with the tongue and senses.

 

We get to know the real value of faith through Islam for Islam guides us to have a complete obedience towards our Creator and it (faith) loses its value and becomes weak whenever there is a disobedience to submit oneself to the will of Allah.

 

In several places in the Holy Quran, Allah makes the comparison between true believers and those who are hypocrites and unbelievers. The latter do not believe in the unity of Allah, and the other articles of faith, such as, they do not believe in Allah’s prophets, books, angels, destiny etc.

 

Allah, as described by His attribute of “Al-Ghafoor” (The Most-Forgiving One), verily forgives His creatures for He knows that they are weak and most of the time are inclined towards evil. Thus, Allah makes us understand that He is ready to forgive His creatures, provided that they come to Him with a heart filled with remorse, and that they never come close to commit the same sin or mistake again.

 

In the Holy Quran, Chapter 39 Verse 54, Allah commands the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) to say (on His behalf):

 

 

“O My servants who exceeded the limits, never despair of Allah’s mercy. For Allah forgives all sins. He is the Forgiver, Most Merciful.”

 

 

“As for those who choose the Hereafter as their priority, and work righteousness, while believing, their efforts will be appreciated.” (Chapter 17 Verse 20)

 

But for the one who remains firm in his faith, Allah mentions in the Holy Quran about this type of person, that he will obtain gardens whereby there will have rivers which will flow therein. Allah says: “Yaa ayyuhal lazinaaa aamanuu” – O you who believe (who has faith). The word “believe” which Allah uses is very profound. Not all people can acquire the firm faith which Allah wants His servant to have, despite the hurdles of life. Faith is very fragile. It is very easy to say that: « I believe (I have faith) » but really difficult to follow the principles of faith. People very often despair whereby they let themselves be tempted by the attractions of this world more than being attracted towards Allah.

 

Allah says in Chapter 10 Verses 8-9:

 

 

“Those who are not expecting to meet us, and are preoccupied with this worldly life, and are content with it, and refuse to heed our proofs; these have incurred Hell as their ultimate abode, as a consequence of their own works.”

 

In verse 10 (of the same Chapter), Allah says:

 

 

“As for those who believe and lead a righteous life, their Lord guides them, by virtue of their belief. Rivers will flow beneath them in the gardens of bliss.”

 

Through these verses, we see that Paradise and Hell are a reality which a believer cannot deny (cannot refuse to believe). If he says that he is a believer, he then must believe in all things that Allah has told him to believe in. but his Islam is only towards Allah and his faith is in all things which he has been commanded to believe in.

 

This world is a temporal one. What is lasting and eternal is the one (world) which has been promised for the one who believe (in Allah) and does good actions. Therein, he will obtain great rewards that are beyond his imagination. But unfortunately, the one who says that he believes (only on the tongue), his mind is only concentrated on temporal things. The invisible really exists but the mind cannot picture it as it is. The only guidance that we receive from the invisible is guidance and foretastes which Allah gives us in the Holy Quran.

 

We cannot see with our physical eyes the benefit of Paradise, and we cannot see the atrocities of Hell, but through the descriptions which Allah has mentioned in the Quran, we can imagine how it is. The notion of Hell and Paradise can also be attributed to the Paradise and Hell which a person can live in this very world (temporal world).

 

Hadiths: It is narrated on the authority of Ubada that the Messenger of Allah has said: “If anyone testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone Who has no partners, and that Muhammad is His Slave and His Apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s Slave and His Apostle and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise with the deeds which he had done even if those deeds were few.” (Bukhari)

 

In the present era in which we are living, our Paradise is Allah and the revelation which He is pouring down by way of the Holy Spirit. We can witness the atrocities of Hell in the form of calamities and atrocities which people who have exceed all limits on earth are facing.

 

As long as we remain attached to Allah, we will see this Paradise even though we may have to endure all kinds of trials.

 

A believer’s strength is when he remains firm and makes it a must to put into practice the commandments of his Lord and he invites others to follow this example.

 

Hadith: It is narrated on the authority of Sufyan Ibn Abdullah that he said: “I asked the Messenger of Allah to tell me about Islam a thing which might dispense with the necessity of my asking anybody after you. (In the Hadith of Abu Usama the (words) are: other than you.)” He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: “Say I affirm my faith in Allah and then remain steadfast to it.” (Muslim)

 

In Chapter 49 Verse 11, Allah says:

 

 

“The believers are members of one family; you shall keep the peace within your family and reverence Allah, that you may attain mercy.”

 

The one who help and love one another for the love of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), then Allah will love him in return. All blessings which a believer obtains, he gets it only with the permission of Allah.

 

Hadiths: Narrated by Anas: “The Prophet said: “None of you will have faith till he loves me more than his father, his children and all mankind.” (Bukhari)

 

Faith is the key which opens the door of peace for the believer despite the difficulties of life. Even though man is weak by nature, but if he says that he believes in Allah, then he must strive in the path of Allah. With each effort that he does, and without renouncing his faith despite all kinds of trials he may have to undergo, then Allah becomes nearest to this kind of person, and helps him to consolidate his faith. Moreover, Allah descends upon him peace which he would have never got if ever he turned his back (to the signs and manifestations of Allah).

 

Hadith: Narrated by Zaid bin Khalid Al-Juhani: “The Prophet led us in the Fajr prayer at Hudaibiya after a rainy night. On completion of the prayer, he faced the people and said, “Do you know what your Lord has said (revealed)?” The people replied, "Allah and His Apostle know better.” He said, “Allah has said, ‘In this morning some of my slaves remained as true believers and some became non-believers; whoever said that the rain was due to the Blessings and the Mercy of Allah had belief in Me and he disbelieves in the stars, and whoever said that it rained because of a particular star had no belief in Me but believes in that star.’” (Bukhari, Malik, an-Nasaï)

 

The believer is the one who puts his trust in Allah, who believes that Allah has the power to forgive him his weaknesses and sins. He repents sincerely for his wrongdoings and he has hope in the blessings coming from Allah and he fears the day when he will have to account before his Lord.

 

Hadith: Anas reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered upon a young boy who was dying. The Prophet (peace be upon him) asked, “How are you?” The boy replied, “O Messenger of Allah, I am in between hoping in Allah and fearing for my sins.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “The like of these two qualities do not unite in the heart of a servant except that Allah gives him what he hopes for and protects him from what he feared.” (Tirmidhi)

 

There are several branches of faith. There are the highest degree of faith and the simplest also.

 

Hadith: It is narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: “Faith has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the humblest of which is the, removal of what is injurious from the path: and modesty is the branch of faith.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

 

This Hadith shows that the degree of faith varies according to the actions which a believer does in the path of Allah. For all good actions which he does, Allah will reward him, and through these good actions, this will demonstrate the purity of heart and the degree of faith in Allah that his heart holds.

 

But the most perfect of the degrees of faith is clearly demonstrated in the perfect example of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). What trials had he not went through to prove his sincerity, fidelity and faith in Allah? He has accepted to be persecuted in Allah’s path, and to spread the divine message which he received through revelations to mankind.

 

The Hadith which I will mention shows the great faith which the most noble of all prophets had in Allah the Almighty:

 

Hadith: Jabir bin Abdullah reported: “We went along with Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) on an expedition towards Najd and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) found us in a valley abounding in thorny trees. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) stayed for rest under a tree and he suspended his sword by one of its branches under which he was taking rest. The persons scattered in the valley and they also began to take rest under the shade of trees, and Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: A person came to me while I was asleep and he took hold of the sword. I woke up and found him standing upon my head and I had hardly become alert (and saw) that the sword was in his hand. And he said: Who can protect you from me? I said: Allah. He again said: Who can protect you from me? I said: Allah. He put his sword in the sheath (and you can see) this man sitting here. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) did not in any way touch him.” (Muslim)

 

So, us Muslims, we must not only say that we believe in Allah, but we must also put into practice the principles of Islam as Allah has commanded us to do, so that we may be considered as a true believer. We have the perfect example of our beloved prophet (peace be upon him) to guide us towards our goal: to obtain a solid faith in Allah come what may.

 

 

“Wa maa lahum-bihii min ‘ilm. Iny-yattabi-uuna ‘illaz-zaan; wa ‘inna-zanna laa yugnii minal-Haqqi shay-’aa. Fa-’a’-riz ‘amman-tawallaa ‘an-zikrinaa wa lam yurid ‘illal hayaatad-dunyaa”.

 

But they have no knowledge thereof. They follow nothing but conjecture; and conjecture avails naught against truth. So turn aside from him who turns away from Our remembrance, and seeks nothing but the life of this world.

 

May Allah consolidate our faith in Him and may He give us the courage to assume our Islam in the best way which exists. Ameen. Soumma Allahoumma Ameen.