Q. What is freedom, how do we conceive human freedom?
A. Freedom is for people of authority and is granted through just, fair law. We believe the Prophets and Imams are the only true free ones in this regard, Mujtahid i-Mutlaq (Absolute Law Giver), who are free to act at will. They are able to demonstrate their free will by virtue of miracles and super human powers. For example the Prophets – who were in fact kings according to Islam – drowned the entire earth because the vast majority of those who were on it refused to accept their free will and authority. Hence they demonstrated their power and free will and drowned the entire earth in Noah’s flood. Other Prophets demonstrated their free will and authority by parting the sea and drowning their enemies as their people watched in horror. This Prophet sent rain of blood and caused the son of a rebel Pharaoh to die in his arms. Others demonstrated their free will and authority by speaking from the cradle, healing lepers, and raising the dead and making them speak and testify to their authority. Others lived in blazing fire for forty days and walked out to the astonishment of the entire world unscathed, while another lived underwater without oxygen, inside a whale for forty nights. The Seal of Prophets sallallahu alaihi wa sallam split the moon by gesture of his index finger while his enemies watched in a stunned condition, and performed countless miracles to subtly demonstrate his absolute authority and free will over nature. All people of real authority and free will defied the laws of nature like gravity at will, life expectancy, etc., in order to first establish their authority as Mujtahid i-Mutlaq, or Absolute Law Giver.
Q. What does religion have to do with freedom?
A. Those who witnessed this power first hand submitted to their power. Those who didn’t, didn’t. Religion was the Just Code or Just Law set from the direct free will and authority of these Prophets for those who believed to ensure justice in the geographical areas in which they appeared. These laws were granted by those who demonstrated absolute free will and authority i.e. raised the dead or split the moon.
Q. Is freedom found in self definition or in self surrender?
A. These individuals who were Prophets with absolute free will and demonstrated authority established their authority in the land and vanquished oppressors and tyrants who spread fear and oppressed humans, and enslaved them. Once the oppressors were removed, people were granted freedom from slavery to take and and do as they wanted, but within just and fair constraints to ensure they do not repeat the same mistakes of their predecessors.
Hence in each era there was a conflict between authority and oppressors for the freedom of people. It is sometimes referred to as the struggle between good and evil etc., but it is vague in such terms in my view. My sohbet on ‘Abundance is from Allah‘ sheds light on slavery or oppression we see today in the name of freedom.
When Divine Providence has already provided land, cattle, gold, silver, water etc., unlimited for free for all inhabitants of the earth, why are people having to work for little amounts of paper to acquire it? This is because they are enslaved and not free with freedom.
After the era of the Prophets, their appointed successors inherited their super human powers and aserted their authority through miracles as well. These are the Imams, the real Awliya of Allah. They appointed Substitutes, Abdaal, and the chain of authority came to our GrandShaykhs.
As I mentioned earlier, freedom or absolute free will and authority was for those with super human powers, who had nothing to fear. They demonstrated they could bend the laws of nature to their will, hence became the Absolute Law Giver for their people.
Submitting to them granted people freedom from oppression and the tyranny of hoarding oppressors.
As such, it is my personal view and understanding, freedom is found in self surrender which leads to self definition.
A Muslim is one who submits and Islam means Submission to people with free will.
Debates do not do justice since they are based on theory. You cannot fight someone who has the strength of one thousand men. You will lose. Nimrod and the corrupted Pharaoh and Abu Sufyan could not fight authority, and lost in the end. They had to submit or were drowned, killed by a mosquito, or forced to surrender by shere might and supremacy. Narrated Anas the Companion, in the Sharah on Bukhari, the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam possessed the strength of three hundred or four hundred men of heaven. Each man in heaven is 100 times stronger than a man from earth. This suggests the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam possessed the strength of thirty to forty thousand humans.
One cannot lie and claim to be free and have free will and authority without demonstrating power. So, it is a lie to say ‘I am absolutely free’ by self definition. No, such a person is a liar. They have no freedom. Go take gold, can you? What authority do you have over free distribution of the earths natural resources and even grain for that matter? Fake authority. It is like saying “I own this city”. It is simply a empty claim without a real meaning. Such authority is transmitted by hereditary and biological right. It is also delegated. When our Shaykh was temporarily jailed, like Joseph, who was to be granted manifest authority in the land in the future, in the case of Mawlana, the government collapsed and he was freed subsequently. In the case of Joseph, the land was afflicted with seven years of famine and drought. His enemies, his brothers were afflicted with famine and came to him begging thereafter and were humbled into submission before his real authority. The only reason the drought did not immediately occur in Egypt as a result of the error they committed in confining Joseph, was because it was to be instrumental in handing over authority to Joseph and demonstrating his superior intelligence to the entire country, and subsequently the world. Who does not recognize Joseph’s authority and who can dare challenge it today? Such examples show us what real authority is capable of doing and demonstrating. It is undeniable.
Real freedom, and people with real authority cause all to accept their power and authority and free will. It is like a undefeatable super human power and it is friendly but invincible and cannot be defeated. Real kings inherit through their DNA such authority and used to demonstrate it on the battlefield and in the administration of their kingdoms. This is why the House of David and House of Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam enjoy as kings the power they do. They have a power, but it needs to be harnessed under pressure.
Q. How are religious ideas of freedom different/seperate from ideas of freedom from cults?
A. Religion is based on facts and direct witnessing of power. Jesus raised the dead. People saw his power and submitted to him. They are known as Christians. Jews the same, Moses drowned the Pharaoh and split the sea, people saw this and submitted to him – they are followers of the Mosaic law, Ten Commandments. Likewise, Arabs witnessed the super natural power of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alaihi wa sallam and he set for them a law and successors, they are Muslims. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib’s conquest of Khaybar demonstrated super human strength and free will and authority. ‘Ali inherited this and it continued with his bloodline in the Twelve Imams even if people deny it. This is why Mawlana repeatedly said ‘Ali had the strength to cut the earth into two pieces like a watermelon. GrandShaykh ‘Abdullah Daghestani said, according to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib was strong enough to carry the weight of the entire planet earth. Religious freedoms are based on actual truths and real demonstrated power not theories.
Cults are based on a lie and forged authority. A cult leader pretends without direct proof to demonstrate free will and authority like Prophets and Imams by using trickery and words. You will find such trickery today amongst many Fuqaha who have used words to enslave the Muslim world.
The difference between religious ideas of freedom and cult ideas of freedom is factual evidence. It is a demonstration of real power. The central figures in Islam, Middle Eastern Christianity, and Middle Eastern originated Judaism (not European Judeo-Christianized Odinism) demonstrated those powers and so they had followers willing to die for them.
Hadrat Mahdi alaihi salam and Jesus will return with such powers very soon. It will be like the wind. You cannot oppose it. Those who do, do so to their own peril.