Monday, October 24, 2011

Munir A. Azim Sahib: Family Background


Hundreds of thousands of men of God and His Messengers have passed away in history. Most of them lived among the common people, preached the message of Tauhid, in a language the people could understand and relate to. Invariably, the Messengers used to say: I am only a man like yourselves; but I have received the revelation that your God is only One God. So let him who hopes to meet his Lord do good deeds, and let him join no one in the worship of his Lord’.  (HQ, 18:111)

The followers of the Promised Massih Hadhrat Ahmad (as) used to consider that Allah never leaves aside the requirements of Deen-i-Islam and would raise-up His Messengers to call the people back to the path of Allah whenever faith degenerates in society, just as had been His practice in the past. All praise belongs to the Almighty Alone. Today, at a time when the land and the sea are both corrupted materially and spiritually, we have a Messenger of Allah among ourselves, who fits the Qur’anic descriptions of Divine Messengers, word by word, phrase by phrase!

Now the same Jamaat-e- Ahmadiyya has changed doctrines and adopted an official policy that Allah cannot raise a common Ahmadi with a Divine Mission to rectify the creeping mistakes and blunders within! Surely, no people can be fooled by the official system for long. Those who make an independent study of the claims and doctrines of the Promised Massih (as) and his prophecies regarding the future of the Jamaat cannot condone what they see- Ahmadis now venerate their man-elected Khalifa by elevating him to the august status of an Elect of Allah. 


However, to be fair to the Fifth Khalifa, he has not allowed anyone to accuse him of being a recipient of divine guidance in spite of his coterie’s image-building exercises! Thus, in spite of this idol worship or perhaps because of it, Ahmadis genuinely feel that they are glaringly missing something: their Khalifa is seriously, spiritually handicapped- 

 (i) blind,  for he does not see any spiritual vision worth sharing with the Jamaat;

 (ii) deaf, for he does not receive any revelation from Allah the Most High to guide the Community and the world at large, and 

 (iii) dumb, for he cannot speak on spiritual matters without being corrected and reminded of his mistakes by the Chosen Messenger of Allah of our times. 

That is why, in recent times, there has been considerable international interest in understanding the spiritual claims of the Khalifa of Allah Hadhrat Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib of Mauritius. Awestruck by the extraordinary convergence of factors and circumstances that testify to the need for a Messenger now and the essential validity of all the arguments and claims of the Khalifatullah, thoughtful Ahmadis are rushing to find out more about the Background of the current Divine Manifestation. Those who want to know and understand more about the family background and parents of the Khalifatullah, read on: 

Father 

Solim Azim (the eldest child and only son of Abdul Azim Sahib and Banu Rustom Sahiba), the father of the Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim Sahib was a renowned entrepreneur in the timber trade, and his wife Bibi Momin Azim (born Aullybux) was a housewife and devoted mother.

Both husband and wife knew harsh times, undergoing all kinds of difficulties to raise their six surviving children (four boys and two girls): Rashid, Azize, Momin, Salim, Munir & Sajeda. Allah so decided to try them in all sorts of ways, be it in their financial situation, through early and late pregnancy losses, and even with the death of two of their daughters, Rashida, better known as “Peeran” (aged 7) and Fazila (aged 6) within one week.

Despite all difficulties faced, the parents of the Khalifatullah (atba) succeeded in saving enough for the growing up and welfare of their children. Alhamdulillah. His father Solim (known better as “Bhye Solim”) was very much attached to his prayers, never missing his Tahajjud prayers. Moreover, he was a generous soul, ever ready to help those facing difficult times, giving away generously in times of Jalsa Salana, during wedding preparations of some underprivileged members of the Jamaat Ahmadiyya and for the construction of some Mosques in Mauritius (Darus Salaam, Fazl Mosque, Umar Mosque etc.). He did not hesitate to help his neighbours also, keeping a good relation with them. Late Solim Sahib knew also how to cook delicious meals and snacks. He used to prepare the family’s food during the family reunions.

As he was friends with some of the men who worked in the Darus Salaam Mosque, it so happened that one day he discovered how they unfeelingly abused their position at the Jamaat centre. When he saw such things, he maintained his distance with those officials and rarely did he go to follow them in Salat, because he knew how corrupted they were. He preferred to do his prayers at home, confiding his joys and sorrows only to Allah. His home became his Mosque. He did not have anything against the Jamaat of the Promised Messiah Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (as), but rather he had a problem with the corrupted people who were sullying the teachings of Hazrat Ahmad (as) at that time.

When his son (Hazrat Munir Ahmad Azim (atba)) decided to go and work for the Jamaat Ahmadiyya, he told him: “O my son, I am not forbidding you to go and work for the Jamaat, but I deeply know how these people (whom you will be dealing with) are. One day, you will see for yourself their true faces.”

The Khalifatullah (atba) was deeply attached to his father. As a child he used to like being held on his shoulders and sharing a special father and son relationship. This attachment and love grew more solid over the years. Late Solim Sahib rarely reprimanded his children severely, but when he did, then the fate reserved for that young beloved son of his was that he was bedridden with fever (due to his anxiety that his father has been harsh to him)!

During the last years of his life (in 1983 when he was severely ill, and even the doctors were desperate about his case), it so happened that one day the Khalifatullah (atba) – aged 22 – dreamt that the roof of his house was being flown away.

He understood that this meant that his father would be no more and therefore he pleaded with Allah to postpone the death of his father. Thereafter, he saw the roof coming back on the house and a voice said that in the aftermath of his prayers, therefore Allah has accepted his Duah and shall take his father after seven years. This proved to be completely true when after seven years, his father passed away at the age of 67 on 06 September 1990.