Muslims have a duty towards the world and towards the fellow humans.

[Guest guest]

To the devotees of His Ruh Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi,

 

According to Dr. Shahid Athar presentation at a Millennium &

Religions Conference held in Chicago, Nov 20, 1995, by " the token of

time (through the Ages), man is in a state of loss, except those who

truly believe, act correctly and act together in mutual counsel of

Truth and patience' (Al — Asr 103).

 

The Islamic calendar does not start with the birth or the death of a

person, but with an event, the migration of believers from

oppression to freedom, freedom to practice 'submission to the will

of God' in order to attain peace within and around. The advent of

Prophet Jesus (Alaih Salaam-peace be upon him) was similarly an

epochal event in the history of humankind. The Qur'an calls him

a 'sign', a 'mercy', a 'witness' and an 'example'. He is Messiah,

Messenger, Prophet, Servant, Word and Spirit of God. The calendar

may not be exactly precise but the millennium can serve as an

important point of reference in the Divine scheme of message and

revelation. And take us into the future.

 

The future is very dear to us. Even if it has not arrived yet, the

future is already in our thoughts. On the other hand, the past is a

collection of good and bad experience, its use is in shaping the

present and shaping the future. . . .

 

Muhammad, (SAWS — Allah's Mercy & Peace be upon him), task,

defined in the Qur'an, is to be 'a giver of the glad tidings as well

as a warner'. The Our'an reminds us of nations who were destroyed

—

because they had rebelled and disobeyed — and gives us a glimpse

of the life in hereafter of people who do good and who love and obey

God. In the scheme of divine revelation, the past, present and the

future are one continuum. . . .

 

In Islam service to humanity is a function of their duty towards

God. The Qur'an says: 'And from among you there must be a society,

community or party that should invite people to all that is good and

enjoin the doing of all that is right and forbid the doing of all

that is wrong.' (Ali-'Imran, 3:104)

 

In inviting people to goodness and forbidding from the wrong,

Muslims will need to join hands with other believers who share a

great deal of these values about good and bad and about right and

wrong. The conflicts that we witness today are not conflicts between

religions, they are conflicts of irreligion. Therefore, those who

believe in God and know the right from the wrong — Jews,

Christians and Muslims, especially — can join together to build a

not a perfect, but an incomparably better world than we live in

today: a society of neighbors who are just and fair to each other.

 

The second half of the millennium has seen two world and several

local wars. It saw nuclear incineration of entire populations. It

invented a savage new crime against humanity: ethnic cleansing. The

new millennium ought to be different. Let the people of faith and

goodwill work together to turn it into a thousand years of peace and

prosperity, love and mutuality.

 

Prophet Muhammad, (SAWS — Allah's Mercy & Peace be upon him), has

foretold that 'after many years of bad times, an era will come when

humanity will re-commit itself to God and there will be peace and

prosperity in the whole world.'

 

On the threshold of the next millennium, Muslims have a duty towards

the world and towards the fellow humans. It is their unilateral

obligation to invite others, and to work together in building a

better and a peaceful world: a world which is free from oppression

and exploitation, where rights are a reality and where justice

prevails over hypocrisy. " 1

 

In the early centuries of Islam small bands of Ansars - the desert

warrior of Islam's early era: courageous, austere, honourable,

driven by faith - and explorers helped spread Islam from Morocco to

China. " In Islamic culture, as in Japan, a noble warrior who battles

impossible odds, knowing he will die, is held in highest esteem.

Martyrdom for Islam is also venerated by Muslims. " 2

 

We are talking about ordinary humans who sacrificed everything and

battled incredible odds to spread the message of Prophet Muhammad.

Till today they persist in their resilience. That is why men like

Dr. Shahid Athar belive that " Muslims have a duty towards the world

and towards the fellow humans. "

 

Shri Mataji recently declared that the " world is in turmoil today.

People everywhere are anxious about the future. What they need is

the soothing, uniting, elevating spiritual message of Sahaja Yoga.

They have to be enabled to experience " Self-Realization " and thereby

attain inner transformation. Only then they will begin to regard all

human beings as members of one large human family regardless of

their race, culture etc. Only then will they discard hatred and

violence.

 

Sahaja Yogis have a momentous responsibility at this crucial time

in human history. They have to spread Sahaja Yoga in all the parts

of the world by written and spoken word.

 

For this purpose, a well thought out approach is needed. "

 

When are Her ganas - the courageous, austere, honourable noble

warriors driven by faith - going to respond and rise to meet this

challenge? Don't we SYs " have a (far more important) duty towards

the world and towards the fellow humans " ? Last, but not the least,

what is that " the soothing, uniting, elevating spiritual message of

Sahaja Yoga " that begs a " momentous responsibility at this crucial

time in human history. " ?

 

Jai Shri Mataji,

 

 

jagbir

 

 

-----------------------------

 

1. Dr. Shahid Athar, Millennium — An Islamic Perspective

(Millennium & Religions Conference Chicago, Nov 20, 1995)

 

2. The Use of Media as a Weapon, Toronto Sun, October 21, 2001