It is a disease that affects the organs of people disabling the God-given immune system of the human body to fight infection thus causing the body to succumb to any and every infection, resulting in a painful death after a prolonged and painful illness.

Sadly a very large segment of the Muslims of today, both here in Sri Lanka and abroad seem to be suffering from a similar ailment aslo called AIDS - Acquired Imaan Deficiency Syndrome.

What is this AIDS?

This is a disease that affects the hearts and minds of people by taking away their ability to understand and hold fast and act according to the Commandments in the Book of Allaah - The Qur'aan and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad (S) contained in the Authentic Hadeeths.

How do we diagnose this ailment amongst the Muslims?

Simple! Look at the practices of the Muslims in their daily lives and the manner in which they conduct themselves, both in their worship of Allaah and in their interaction with their fellow Muslims. Is it in accordance with the Qur'aan and Sunnah? Definitely not!

Allaah orders us in the Qur'aan to:

Obey Allaah (Qur'aan) and His Messenger (Sunnah)"

This has been explicitly and repeatedly ordered in the Qur'aan in no less than eighteen instances viz: 3:31, 3:32, 4:13, 4:59, 4:64, 5:92, 8:1, 8:20, 8:46, 9:71, 24:56, 24:52, 24:54, 33:71, 47:33, 49:14, 58:13 and 64:16.

Allaah also states in the Qur'aan that All Praise and Worship is due only to Him and no one else, as in the following verses; 2:267, 4:131, 11:73, 14:8, 22:64, 31:12, 31:26, 35:15, 41:42, 42:28, 57:24, 60:6, 64:6 and 85:8.

But what do we see happening amongst the Muslims?

They resort to obeying others other than Allaah and His Messenger. They blindly obey and follow others like sheikhs, pirs and other charlatans. They even praise and invoke them.

Surely, are they not suffering from this dreaded disease called AIDS?

Yes, surely they are losing their Imaan if they have already not lost it. They are losers both in this world and the hereafter.

There is a cure, and it is simple. The proper understanding of the Shahadatain - the testimony of faith: that Allaah is the only One worthy of worship and the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allaah. To consider Allaah as the only one worthy of being worshipped means that we should not associate partners with Him and to recognise the Prophethood of the Messenger implies that we obey and follow him only. This is to conform to the Thauheed and avoiding Shirk and to follow the Sunnah and avoid Bid'ah.

May Allaah guide us all and shower His Mercy on us.