Ihsaan - The Spiritual Essence Of Islam

Ihsaan - The Spiritual Essence Of Islam

Articles - Islamic Spirituality

Thursday, 07 Dhul-Hijjah 1427

Allah, Most High, says in the Qur’an in the 16^th Surah, al-Nahl (The Bee), in verse 89:

And We have sent down to thee a Book explaining all things, a Guide, a Mercy, and Glad Tidings to Muslims.

[Qur’an 16:89]

Introduction

Surah, al-Nahl, Sura 16 entitled, ‘The Bee’ and Allah, Most High, declares, ‘And we sent down the book, the Qur’an, which came down after the Torah, after the Gospel, on thee, O Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam), that this Qur’an might explain all things; that this Qur’an therefore might explain the Last Age, and that with this Qur’an we may be able to understand the Signs Of Allah, Most High, big as billboards; which will appear in the Last Age. In this Qur’an there is guidance, how to live at all times, but in particular, in the Last Age. That explanation and guidance constitute rahmah (mercy) from your Lord. For those who have the good sense and wisdom to accept it, embrace it and apply it - bushra la hum (good news, glad tidings) for such people. They will understand what others cannot. They will succeed when others will not.

 

Brother Chairman, brothers and sisters in Islam; and friends I greet you with as-salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu. We thank Allah, Most High, who has brought us together again in my first public lecture after 1998, three years ago. We pray to Allah, Most Kind, for His guidance, for His blessings, for His protection, as we embark upon an effort to address the subject of al-Ihsaan, the spiritual essence of Islam. Before we tell this story, and it is a story, which Insha Allah you will enjoy, we must make some preliminary observations.

Signs of the Last Day

The companions were sitting talking amongst themselves, when he, the Messenger of Allah (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam), came and he asked, ‘What are you talking about’? They said, ‘We are talking about the signs of the Last Day’. He replied, ‘The last day will not come until....’- and he mentioned ten signs that you should have at the tips of your fingers:

1. Dajjal, ‘the false messia’h. The Christians refer to him as the anti-Christ.
2. Gog and Magog – Yajooj and Majooj. 
3. The Return of the Son of Mary, Isa (‘alaihi al-Salam) - Jesus, will come back!
4. Dukhaan- Smoke
5. Daabatul Ard – More often than not when the term Ard, or ‘earth’, or ‘land’ is mentioned in the context in which this is mentioned it refers not to any land, but to the Land. So, a beast or a creature coming out of the Land.
6. The sun would rise from the West.

The three landslides or movements of the earth! The earth opening and swallowing what it swallows.

7. One in the East
8. One in the West
9. One in Arabia

10.  A fire will come out of Yemen and will drive mankind to their place of assembly.

Of these ten signs the one that is, far and away, the most important, is the one the Qur’an itself refers to is the return of Hazrath Isa (‘alaihi al-Salam).

Allah, Most High, says in the Qur’an in the 31^st Surah, Luqmaan, verse 34:

The knowledge of the Hour is with Allah, Most High, 

[Qur’an 31:34]

When Jesus (‘alaihi al-Salam) comes back he comes back in fulfillment of a promise that Allah, Most High, made. This is the most important event that remains to occur in history.  Allah, Most High, promised to send to Bani Israeel after they had been thrown out of the Land, that Allah, Most High, had given to them. Allah, Most High, promised to send a Prophet, known as the Messiah, who would deliver the return of the Golden Age of Solomon (Sulaiman (‘alaihi al-Salam)).

Sulaiman (‘alaihi al-Salam), was the head of state of, The State of Israel. It was the ruling state in the world. He ruled the world from Jerusalem. That was the Golden Age; and the messiah will bring back the Golden Age. When Allah, Most High, sent the Messiah, they rejected him. They said he was a bastard and later boasted as to how they killed him. 

Allah, Most High, says in the Qur’an in the 4^th Surah, an-Nisaa; verse 157:

That they said (in boast), "We killed Christ Jesus the son of Mary, the Messenger of Allah";

 [Qur’an 4:157]

What they did not know is that Allah, Most High, made it appear that they had killed him. There is no time tonight to discuss this in detail. Allah, Most High, raised him to Himself. He will return and this return will be one of the major Signs of the Last Day.  The Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) informed us that Allah, Most High, is going to send someone endowed with tremendous power and versatility, by Allah, Most High, who would impersonate the messiah and deceive the Bani Israeel. That someone is known as Dajjal, the false messiah; or al-masih ud-Dajjal.

To successfully complete his mission, Dajjal will :

1. Firstly, have to liberate the Land of non-Jewish rule.
2. Bring the Jews back to the Land from wherever they are.
3. Restore the State of Israel.
4. He will have to take that State of Israel to a status of being the ruling state, in the world. This is about to happen.

When this happens then Dajjal has accomplished his mission providing that Bani Israeel is convinced that this is the return of the Golden Age. Thus Dajjal has to offer it by way of deception. That is why he has a PhD in Deception.  

The Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) explained some of the strategies Dajjal would employ in order to fulfill this mission through which mankind would be enslaved and the rule of the world would fall to one people. The method of enslavement of mankind is the economic enslavement of mankind achieved through Riba.

The Prophet (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said that the age of Dajjal will be the age of riba taking control of the economy around the world. The age of Dajjal would also be the age in which he will control the climate. He will stop the rain from falling, not because he discovers a new methodology of climatology, but rather through something called Dukhaan- Smoke. Environmental pollution emerges causing climatic change. The Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) said that the last people to come out to Dajjal would be women. A man would have to return to his home and tie down his wife, sister and daughter to protect and preserve them from Dajjal. Meaning, they are going to be so brainwashed, that there is going to be something like a hypnotic spell upon them that you cannot penetrate them.

Women of the world will be swept of their feet by a new philosophy pertaining to women i.e. feminism and the struggle for women’s liberation. This is the Age of Dajjal and the final stage of the Age of Dajjal! With these preliminary observations, let us now begin our subject.

The Prophet (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) has just completed the Hajj. The first and the last Hajj he ever performed. He gives the Khutbatul wida or The Farewell Sermon and then revelation comes down in which Allah, Most High, announces:

( Qur’an the 5^th Sura al-Maida, Verse 3:

This day I have completed your religion

 [Qur’an 5:3]

‘I have completed My job, the religion is now perfected’.

So we thought that this was the end when this revelation came down. No! The Prophet Muhammad (sallalahu ta‘alah ‘alaihi wa Sallam) returns to Madinah, with about 81 days remaining of his blessed life.  Then two extra-ordinary things happened. The first is that one more revelation of the Qur’an comes down. On the authority of Hazrath Abdullah ibn Abbas (radiallahu ‘anhu) and recorded in the Sahih of Imam Bukhari. He says that the last revelation to come down was the revelation on riba in the 2^nd, Sura al-Baqara (verses 278-281) in which Allah, Most High, declared war for the liberation of the oppressed from the economic oppression of riba.

[O ye who believe! Fear Allah, Most High,, and give up what remains (due to you) from riba, if ye are indeed believers. If ye do it not, take notice of war from Allah, Most High, and His Messenger:

 [Qur’an 2:278-281]

Source: Ihsaan-The Spiritual Essence of Islam

To Be Continued....