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The seven loved by Allah by Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim Chief Justice of Maldives 24 January 2003 Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim has allowed the disintegration and perversion of the Maldive legal system at the hands of the President's Office and the NSS. The Chief Justice of Maldives is considered a sad joke among his peers, and among the Maldive people. His popular derogatory nickname 'Silly Rasheed' seems to be derived from a pun on the Dhivehi pronunciation of 'Sheikh' (Islamic religious scholar) and 'seyku' (silly). Below is a translation of one of his regular sermons published in Dheenuge Magu (Religion's Path) a weekly publication under the editorship of President Maumoon Gayyoom. This publication is distributed free to the public on Fridays. Chief Justice Mohamed Rasheed Ibrahim Every man hopes for a prosperous eternal life after spending a happy life in this world. Allah's Prophet, peace and praise be upon him, has shown the way to reach such prosperity. A hadith I translate here says, 'On the Day of Judgment when there is no protection other than the shelter of Allah's mercy, Allah will be kind and merciful to seven types of men. These are: 1. The just judge. 2. The young man who grew up worshipping Allah and continued during later life. 3. The man who wanted to join the prayer congregation in the mosque. 4. The people, who for the sake of Allah, become friends and love each other. These people meet to do Allah's approved deeds, and then separate when they realise that they cannot live in this way. 5. A man who says, 'I fear Allah', and distances himself, when his heart is overwhelmed by a beautiful woman who asks for an act not permitted by Allah. 6. A man who gives alms and hides it in such a way that his left hand is unaware of what his right hand is spending. 7. The man who sits on his own and thinks of Allah and perceives in his mortal heart, the greatness and majesty of Allah, as tears fall from his eyes.' Yes, these seven types of people, described in this hadith, are beloved of Allah. Although these men are to have one of the described characteristics, they must also respect other religious duties and keep themselves away from prohibited things. They must be patient in worldly matters, and relate well to people. Islam contains everything about religion, this life and the life thereafter. It is a religion that commands men to keep an equal balance between the material and spiritual. Being obsessive about materialism or spiritualism is being extremist. For example, it will not suffice to only pray or give alms; one must respect all aspects of religion. Original sermon in Dhivehi and Arabic top

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