Restoring All That Is Just and Good

Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim, my dear brothers and sisters, Assalamu alaykum jami'an, wa Rahmatullahi, Wa barakatuh.

On a day like today, I wish you all well and I pray that Allah's blessings be upon you and that He guides us all to the straight path for the salvation of humanity, for the improvement of our lives and the lives of everyone around us.

The Holy Qur'an describes in a very beautiful Ayah saying: Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim. "Fi buyootin adhina Allaahu an turfa'a wa yudhkara feeha asmuhoo yusabbihu lahoo feehaa bi'lghuduwwi wa al-aasaal"(24:36). There are certain houses that Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, has made respected and He has declared that in these houses His name and He has given His authorisation that His name will be extolled in these houses and that the members of these houses, the people of these houses, will be the ones who remember Him and praise Him day and night' .

Let us remember, on a day like today, remembering the legacy of Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), alayhi as-salatu wa as-salam, what it means to be truly blessed in the eyes of Allah, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, and that as humanity progresses in time, unfortunately, we see the state of how we live and how we interact with each other, the use of our resources, how we deal with the land and the environment and the world that Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala has given to us and where we are headed.

And unfortunately, the picture does not look good. Unfortunately, the world is filled with strife and inequity and injustice. That is why we believe, just like others believe, that Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), alayhi as-salatu wa as-salam, who was raised up by Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, was not killed and crucified, that he will return back at the end of time, and that he will be part of Allah's grand plan to restore justice and equity. And in the same manner we know and we believe that Al-Imam Al- Mahdi, ajjal Allahu ta'ala farajuhu ash-shareef, will also return and that the goal will be to restore Allah's justice, to restore equity so that nobody is left behind.

And we are as Muslims, the only ones who really believe in this idea that not only will Imam Al-Mahdi, ajjal Allahu ta'ala farajuhu ash-shareef, return, but also Prophet 'Isa (Jesus), alayhi as-salatu wa as-salam, and that how magnificent is this that this will bring together the houses of Prophet Ismail, alayhi as-salaam, and the house of Prophet Is'haaq, alayhi as-salaam, and these two prophetic trees that come and end in Prophet 'Isa (Jesus) and and al-Imam Al-Mahdi through our Holy Rasul sallal-lahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam.

Now brothers and sisters, why is it important to believe that these two saviours will arrive? Well, we know that to right a wrong, that to improve the state of humanity, we need a beacon, a shining example of what it means to be just and equitable, to be able to provide for every human being such that they have the opportunity for salvation in the eyes of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala. This begins with personal balance, to bring balance into our own lives, to remove the excesses that we have accumulated, and to stop our injustices on ourselves and on other people as well.

And that is why when these two holy personalities return, they will become an example of how that can happen. They will show not only that they are the obedient and true sincere servants of Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, but that in engendering those qualities, what it means to be a true servant of Allah, that they will be able to spread goodness. And indeed, we know that 'Isa (Jesus), alayhi as-salatu wa as-salam, he comes from that blessed tree and that he brings with him the lifestyle, the example, and the actions by which if we were to implement ourselves, we could create a harmonious world, a world filled with love, a world filled with compassion.

And on the same token, the leader of all humanity and Imam Al-Mahdi, ajjal Allahu ta'ala farajuhu ash-shareef, when he returns and comes to restore the same ethos of justice and equity for everybody, he will do so as an Imam Al- Baqir is reported to have said: "idha qama qa'imuna wa dhaha Allahu yadahu 'ala ru'usi al-'ibad, fa jama'a biha 'uqulahum wa akmala bihi akhalaqahum". Al-Imam Al-Baqir is reportedly has said that: "When our Qa'im, when Al-Imam Al-Mahdi from our children returns and reappears in the earth, Allah, Subhana wa Ta'ala, will ordain it, that he will place his hand upon the heads of all of the servants of God and by doing so he will accumulate and complete in them all of the qualities of perfect reasoning. And he will make it so that their ethics and their morality becomes perfect. It will become the height of what it needs to be".

We look forward to these personalities. We look forward to a world in which we can welcome these Holy personalities. And we ask ourselves the very question of what do we need to do so that we can be of their true followers?

My dear brothers and sisters, we must begin by being the servants of God and to live in obedience of Him and in service of His religion and what He has ordained to be correct and proper.

Number two, we must try to ensure that there is balance in our lives, not only for ourselves personally, but for those around us. This means that we avoid wastage, we avoid hoarding, we stop miserliness. We keep our eyes open to the plight of other people and engage those who are in need, those who are disenfranchised.

Because indeed, that is the legacy of 'Isa (Jesus), alayhi as-salatu wa as-salam, Jesus Christ, who sought out the poor, and this was indeed the legacy of the master of all human creation, Muhammad, salla Allahu alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, who sought out those in need. We must do so so that we can find ourselves on the right side of Allah's justice and to be the instruments, even in the smallest way possible of anything that is good and that restores balance and equity to the world.

With this, I wish you well. Wa assalamu alaykum, wa rahmatullahi, wa baraktu.