SHAYKH AL ISLAM
JANASHEEN - MUHADDITH AL A'ZAM AL HIND
Mohabbat-e-Ahl al-Bayt
LOVE OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD'S FAMILY
Salla Allahu 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa 'sahbihi wa Sallam
Taken from a speech by 
Raees al Muhaqiqeen Shaykh al Islam w'al Muslimeen
Hadrat Allama Mufti Pir Sayyad Shah Muhammad Madani Ashrafi al Jilani
Damat Barkatuhum Aliya
Translated into English by Mawlana Waseem al-Din Ashrafi
CONTENTS
The command of the Prophet Peace be upon Him to the Ummah
The offers of the Arab polytheists (mushrikin)
The worst form of dissimulation (munafiqat)
Those who are 'misguided' will have to be declared as 'misguided'
It will become difficult to recite the attestation (kalimah)
The Prophet Peace be upon Him spurned wealth!
The temperament of the Household of the Prophet Peace be upon Him
Why the demand of the Prophet Peace be upon Him to the faithful?
Why is there an insistence on the love of the Prophet's (Peace be upon Him) family (Ahl al- Bayt)?
The training of Hasnayn! (may Allah be Pleased with them both)
The command of the beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) for his Family
Ali is Wali (Wali means Saint)
Love being tested in the presence of Imam Rida Radi Allahu anhu
Love being tested in the plains of Karbala!
May Almighty Allah give us the pleasure of prostration!
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FOREWORD
It is thirty years since His Excellency Imam e Ahl al Sunnah Raees Ul Muhaqqiqin Shaykh Ul Islam Hadrat Allama Mowlana Mufti Shah Sayyad Muhammad Madaně Ashrafě Jilaně of Kichhocha Sharif (India) first delivered a speech in Britain. It has been well documented what the situation of Sunni Muslims was at that time and this is not the occasion to re-visit that period. It is sufficient to say that Shaykh Ul Islam through his speeches, spiritual gatherings and most notably his impeccable character changed the lives of many thousands of Muslims throughout Britain which today is reflected in the large number of followers that he has.
As the Muslim community has evolved and demographic changes have occurred; the requirements of Muslims have also changed, in particular a need has arisen for Islamic knowledge to be conveyed in the English language. This has resulted in an explosion in the publication of Islamic literature in English. Some literature is excellent while some is truly appalling which does more harm than good. Often there is a lack of research on the part of the author and there are no sources contained in the book which underpin the credibility of the written work. Where the issue being tackled is of a technical nature, the author is often religiously ill qualified to comment and his access to the relevant sources and material is limited at best. This then results in deficient commentaries and misleading information which leaves the reader with an incomplete picture of the subject matter at best; and at its worse gives him incorrect and inaccurate information.
With this in mind I asked Mowlana Waseem Ashrafi of Preston, Lancashire [UK] to translate a speech given by Hadrat Shaykh Ul Islam in 1974 which had already been transcribed and formed part of the book 'Speeches of Britain' (Khutbate Bartaniya) which became a best seller among Muslims in the Indian sub-continent, especially among the scholars, who relied on it as a source for obtaining reliable information and who often based their entire speeches on the transcribed material.
The structure of Shaykh Ul Islam’s speeches is such that every assertion is backed up by reference to the Qur'an, Ahadith, books of Fiqh and commentaries written by eminent scholars throughout Islamic history. The audience does not have to second-guess any assertion and is comfortable in the knowledge that what it is being told is the result of a complete grasp of the subject from as broad a range of materials and sources as possible. This complete mastery of facts and ability to access material has led to Hadrat Shaykh Ul Islam becoming a 'source' who can be quoted with confidence on any aspect of Islam that he has commented on.
It was therefore felt that if one of Shaykh Ul Islam's speeches could be translated in to English, we would have an invaluable document which readers could confidently study and feel comfortable that they were reading a correct interpretation of the Qur'an and Ahadith.
The task of translating in any language is difficult and there is always the fear that the message conveyed in the original works will be lost in translation. In this regard a great deal of time and effort has been spent in preparing this book. Mowlana Wasim Ashrafi who completed his studies (Dars e Nizami) in this country worked tirelessly in preparing the first draft. Thereafter, a great deal of time was spent in meticulously trying to ensure that each and every sentence was translated in a way which did not detract from the original works but also made sense to the reader. It is hoped that we have succeeded in our aim. Of course there were sentences which could not be translated literally which made sense in English. This problem was overcome by ensuring the theme or topic of the sentence was adequately conveyed to the reader. Nevertheless and anticipating the problems that may arise, the original speech in Urdu is also included in this book
Despite the difficulties encountered I feel confident that the reader will be able to easily follow and understand the speech whose subject matter is the love of the Prophet Muhammad's (Peace & Blessings upon Him & His Household) family.
Imtiaz Ali Ameen Ashrafi
Dewsbury UK
Command of the Prophet
KULLA AS'ALUKUM 'ALAI-HI AJRANN ILL'AL MAWADDATA FIL 'QURBA
O beloved, [you] tell them [and declare that]:
'for the guidance I have given, the way to salvation (Nijat) that I have shown, the light of truth (farida) I have presented to you and the obligation of invitation (Da'wat) and preaching (tabligh) which has been accomplished, I do not expect any reward from you neither do I do expect any exchange except for you to love my family (Ahl-e-bayt), my kinship (Qarabat) and my offspring (Dhurniyat). All I want is for you to love my family (aal).'
This is a proclamation that Allah ta'ala is asking the Beloved Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him) to make - that Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him) who endured endless hardship and countless difficulties for us, and faced extreme adversity for the welfare and salvation of us all and who faced endless oppression; sometimes besieged between mountains; sometimes vows were taken to deprive Him of food and water, thorns placed in his path, stones thrown at Him and on one occasion even His teeth were martyred.
Those who study the history of Islam should take a look at the life of the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him), whose aim was your salvation and your success. Can there be any reward for such services of the Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him)? Can you exchange anything for what He (peace and blessings upon Him) did? Can any recompense be given? Was the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him) doing all this so that he could gain remuneration? Was He (peace and blessings upon Him) anticipating some reward in this world? Did the most beloved Prophet (peace and blessings upon Him) carry out these services to acquire wealth?
Mushrikin
The offers of the Arab polytheists (mushrikin)
If my Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) required wealth, then He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) would not have declined the offer of the polytheists (mushrikin) when they approached through Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) and said 'O Muhammad (Peace & Blessings upon Him) what do you want? If you want leadership, we shall accept you as our leader, if you want wealth we shall pile wealth at your feet, if you want beauty (husn) and grace (jamal) then we shall deliver the selected beauty of Arabia to you. What do you want and for what reason are you doing all this?' i.e. preaching Islam.
The infidels (kuffar) and polytheists had reached this point of settlement and reconciliation not on the premise that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) stopped declaring La ilaha illallaho Muhammadur Rasulallah, or that He should abandon His religion (din). Reconciliation was only being sought on the basis that He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) refrained from saying that their deities (ma'bud) were evil, that He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) should remain on his path and declare La ilaha illallaho Muhammadur Rasulallah a thousand times as they were not asking Him to leave His religion, but simply to accept their request and refrain from declaring their deities as evil and their worship as untrue and sinful. If He accepted this then they were prepared to accept all His terms and conditions. They stated that they were ready to accept Him as their leader and to bring vast amounts of wealth to him. But the Leader of Arabia (Peace & Blessings upon Him) gave a fitting reply and these words are prominent, affixed and engraved in gold in the pages of history. He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) replied that 'even if you placed the sun in one hand and the moon in the other I will not refrain from my mission' [of preaching Islam and declaring your deities as evil].
Munafiqat
The worst form of dissimulation (munafiqat)
How can He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) whose attestation was La ilaha illallah; that is, there is none worthy of worship except Allah ever accept this foolish offer? Always remember, that before an affirmation, there is always a rebuttal. You can believe in Allah a thousand times, but if you do not deny all the false deities, you can never become a believer. You can prostrate a hundred thousand times before the Lord, but if you can't accept La ilaha illallah, you can never become a Muslim. You will only find Islam, when you first say La ilaha, and then illallah, first the rebuttal, then the affirmation, first the denial, then the affirmation. To believe in one God it is essential, that you deny all the false deities. To believe in one God it is essential that you shun all the enemies of God and that you withdraw and distance yourself from them - this is the rule of faith. It is not faith to say that we believe in Him and believe in His enemies as well and have good relations with them. This is not faith; this is the worst form of dissimulation. Islam is a pure religion and does not cheat us. It does not educate us in ways in which a human becomes a hypocrite (Munafiq) instead of becoming one of the faithful.
This is why the attestation in Islam is La ilaha illallah, first the denial, then the affirmation. When someone says do not call anyone evil or misguided, say to him that you should refrain from reciting the attestation. Who is it that never calls anyone wrong and misguided? Everyone with a religion, everyone with a faith, a person from any era believes [in the light of his belief and views] everyone to be wrong except himself [and his beliefs]. He believes all others are misguided. [Why is it that] others have the right to understand you to be mistaken and you don't have the right to deem them misguided? Others have the right to have a legal opinion (fatwa) drawn against you, others have the right that they may criticize your character, up to the point that if you criticise them they object. This is also a form of denial in that they do not accept what you are saying!
When no one should be told that he is misguided, then accept what is being said [and do not respond]. We are calling you misguided but you should not object and if you do this we will understand you to be true lovers of peace!!
Misguided
Those who are misguided will have to be declared as misguided
Friends, if you are true Muslims, then you will have to call misguided those who are misguided. You will have to declare all the idols wrong, you will have to call the devils evil, and you will have to declare falsehoods as untrue. Whoever Almighty Allah and His Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) have called wrong, evil and misguided, you will have to call wrong, evil and misguided and if you object and state that we want an Islam in which no one has been called misguided [then you will not find it here].
Sometimes people make their desire clear, they want Mowlana Saheb to make a speech in which no one is called misguided and in which nothing untoward is said to others. There are a number of intelligent people present here, think and give me a topic so that when I next make a speech no one feels aggrieved as this is what I also desire. I also want to make that composition in which not a single person is troubled by it, but this is impossible.
I am unable to find such a theme, think deeply and ponder and whenever you give me such a theme I will try and express my thoughts on it.
Concentrate a little - which theme will you give in which the Prophet's (Peace & Blessings upon Him)biography can be stated, His (Peace & Blessings upon Him) qualities identified and no one is troubled? This sort of theme is what is needed.
Friends, it is very difficult, if you give the theme as the 'day', then the 'night' is troubled, if we touch on the topic of 'night', then the 'day' is troubled. If we say something about a fire, then what will water have to go through? Just spare a thought. If something is said of Hadrat adam (Peace & Blessings upon Him), what will the devil have to go through, and if we talk about the devil what will Hadrat adam have to go through?
Then we begin to think, that after all, which topic is there that we may carry on discussing in which no person in the world has a grievance? O you who speak on the biography of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), will there not be a chapter on the Battle at Badar? Will there not be a chapter on the Battle at Uhud? Will there not be a chapter on the Battle at Khandaq? When you state the events at the Battle at Badar, you will show that at one end is the group of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and at the other end the group belonging to Abu Jahal and when you make this observation that is when the grievance will start. I do not understand which topic exists, in which there is a mention of the beloved Prophet Mustafa (Peace & Blessings upon Him)and Abu Jahal remains happy.
Kalimah
It will become difficult to recite the attestation (kalimah)
Which subject is there in which the biography of our Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) can be stated and Utbah and Shaybah remain pleased, where Uqbah bin Abi Mu'it does not have an objection, where Walid-ibn-Mughirah does not suffer any affliction, and where 'Abdullah-ibn-Ubay is not troubled? After all, which theme is there which continues in the remembrance of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him)and no [misguided] one is troubled by it. Friends! If we choose Hadrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) as the subject what will Nimrod (Namrud) think, and if we make Nimrod (Namrud) the subject then what will the Ibrahimis say? If we make the topic of our conversation Hadrat Musa (Peace be upon him) what will the Pharaohans have to go through and if we praise the Pharaoh's what will the Musavis say? It is beyond my comprehension to think of a theme or subject [where no one is offended]. A theme or subject is a secondary issue; it will be difficult to recite the attestation (kalimah), because within this attestation there is first the denial and then the affirmation.
Samaj hi nahi ata ke cherey dasta kesey
Rula'e to bagawat hai, hansaye to bagawat hey
Harifane chaman ketalkh nare musrade rahat
Agars hum ittifakan gungunaye to bagawat hey
Concentrate a little, they [the misguided] do as they please and we are to remain silent. They write books insulting the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and we are to let them, they continue with innovations in faith, we should let them and should not object. This means that the one who takes these steps should carry on and we shouldn't even defend ourselves i.e. our beliefs.
Pay attention and spare a thought, what kind of justice is this? Can this in fact be deemed justice? Anyway, I am only going to say that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) did not accept this during his lifetime. If the wealth of the whole world was brought before Him (Peace & Blessings upon Him) He would still have had no association and relations with the enemies of the Lord. From here it is understood, if you want to believe in one God, you will have to deny all those hundreds of thousands of false deities. If you now want to believe in Muhammad the Prophet of Allah (Peace & Blessings upon Him), you will have to maintain your distance from all of His enemies, you will have to remain secluded from all His enemies. It cannot be that you are loyal to the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and also His enemies.
You will have to give the example of Siddiq-e-Akbar's (may Allah be pleased with Him) conduct of how he was with the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and of how He was with Walid ibn Mughira. Bring forth an event from the lives of the Noble Companions (Sahaba), bring forth an event from the lives of their companions (Tabi'in), bring forth an event from the lives of their companions (Taba Tabi'in) showing that they were believers in the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) yet retained any links with His (Peace & Blessings upon Him) enemies, and if an example cannot be found in those times which were the best times, then for us it is that practice which is worthy of following.
Wealth
The Prophet Peace & Blessings upon Him spurned wealth!
My Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) clearly told those who were making propositions towards Him that this is not what I want. We find that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) did not require wealth, neither did He require stock, otherwise He had great opportunities of accumulating wealth and becoming a rich leader.
We should also remember how our Master (Peace & Blessings upon Him) used to have deep insight towards his objective. The wealth of Hadrat Khadija (may Allah be pleased with Her) came to the hands of our Master (Peace & Blessings upon Him). The reason why He did not keep it is because at some stage He would have been called the 'great rich one'. We see that He spent everything for the essentials of Islam, He spent it in the path of Allah - Al Uzm Fakhri (In poverty I am happy). He used to sit on a mat and cover Himself with a shawl. O' Prophet of Allah (Peace & Blessings upon Him) you sat on a mat, and made exalted those who sit on mats. You covered yourself with a shawl and made eminent those who cover themselves with a shawl. Pay a little attention friends; can anyone give recompense for such services of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him)? Can anyone give any compensation, can anyone have any exchange and can anyone give any reward?
The wealth of the rich is empty as they do not possess any return for the high services of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him). But we feel that certain people had a desire in their hearts, as the circumstances of revelation (Shan-e-Nuzul) also indicate. How they wished that the services of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), the hard work and great efforts, which He undertook could be exchanged for some reward, however, had they thought this then the clear answer would have been that a Prophet does not come to collect reward for his services. This missionary work (tabligh) and performance of duty of invitation are the duties of a Prophet that are obligatory. In performing this obligatory duty a Prophet does not require any exchange or any reward.
Temperament
The temperament of the Household of the Beloved Prophet Peace be upon Him
And friends! The household of the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is an exalted household. Never mind the status of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) take a look at His household and see the sanctified and holy persons belonging to this Noble Family (Ahl al Bayt). Their actions and status have been secured in the Qur'an.
La nuridu minkum jaza'aww wa la shukura
Who said this! Look, we do not require any reward from you – forget requiring a reward or wealth or goods, we do not even require you to be grateful in words!!
They who fed the poor with everything they had in front of him, they who fed the captives with all that they had and gave preference to prisoners over their own and they who stayed hungry continuously for three days but fulfilled the needs of the poor. On the one hand they are fulfilling the needs of others, giving priority to the interest of others before their own, and on the other hand they are saying that we do not require any reward from you. They do not require a single word or action of gratitude or any words of thanks. Then tell me, when this is the temperament of the Noble Family, when this is the temperament of those who were nurtured in the lap of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), then what will the temperament of the trainer i.e. the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) be like?
Demand
Why the demand of the Prophet Peace be upon Him to the faithful?
We see in the Noble Qur'an that there is a declaration of the Prophets' that is secure -
La as'alo kum 'alai hi min ajrinn in ajriya illa 'alallah
Oh People! Listen, we do not require any exchange from you. What we require we shall acquire from our Lord and therefore the Prophets do not ask for any exchange from the faithful, neither do they ask for any recompense. Then how is it possible the Master of all Prophets should take any exchange for His eminent services and should want compensation? But friends we see that the Qur'an al kareem is making an order in clear words, O' Beloved ask for compensation, ask from them a reward. The Qur'an states that Prophets do not want any reward, the Prophets (Peace & Blessings upon Him) themselves have spoken the same, the members of the family of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) have said that we do not require any exchange, but the Qur'an also says, ''O' Beloved ask for an exchange, ask for a reward.''
Do you know what reward is? Reward is the preferential right of a worker. You work for two hours and you are given an exchange for it. It is therefore not a crime to take in exchange. To take in exchange is not a bad thing. To take in exchange is not forbidden (haram) in Islamic Law. It is not a non-permissible, it is not disliked, but listen, if we became entitled to an exchange, and ask for an exchange then this is not a particularly bad thing, but if after acquiring a right to an exchange, you say that 'we do not require any reward, we do not require any requital', then this is proof of you having a 'superior character', you will be praised, you will become famous, and people will say that look, he has worked for eight hours, yet he says that he does not require any exchange for it, he does not require any reward for it and he does not require any recompense for it. From here it can be determined that this person is of a high disposition, that this person is most noble and merciful, that this person is generous, that this person has within him an ocean of kindness - is this not a beautiful thing?
We find that there is more grandeur in not seeking recompense than in asking for it. So it ought to have been that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) was told that, ''O' Prophet, say that you do not require any exchange'', but what we see is that the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is being told to ask and ask from His community and His devotees. These followers will no doubt give later but to ask first has become compulsory.
Qul la asalokum alaihi ajrann illal mawaddata fil qurba
What does it mean? What benefit is in it for the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him)? When all the commentaries and detail are put before us and we form a view, we find that the exchange the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is asking for has no personal benefit. If a person who has worked for two hours says that I do not require any exchange for it; we say that he is a generous person in that he does not require any reward. Why, because from this exchange he only benefits himself. Had he taken it, he himself would have benefited. He removed himself from this benefit and that is why he is being regarded as a good person, but here the situation is different, the reward which is being demanded by the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is a reward which has no benefit to Him personally. Is there any benefit to those from whom he is demanding a reward? It is in this that there is success and futures being adorned.
Insistence on the Love
Why is there an insistence on the love of the Beloved Prophet's (Peace & Blessings upon Him) family (Ahl-e- Bayt)?
Consider this, to succeed in your future; to brighten your future, what a lovely method the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is adopting. By saying that I require an exchange, not an exchange which I need, but an exchange that you need, and the exchange that I ask for, the reason why there is the need for me to ask is because in it is a benefit wholly for you.
Consider what the exchange is, It is to love His (Peace & Blessings upon Him) family. What benefit is in it for the ummah and why is there the need for such insistence in the love of the Ahl al Bayt? This needs some thought. Look, if the dearest to the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) i.e. the Ahl al Bayt were like common people then there would be no reason for the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) to have fixed their love in exchange for His efforts, because He recognizes the disposition of the Qur'an, that is, that obedience and conformity always has preference upon closeness. Those who obey Prophets (peace be upon them) have always had priority and preference over personal links. You will find a verse (ayah) in the Qur'an with this meaning that the rightful ones to Hadrat Ibrahim alayhi asalam were those who obeyed Him. You will also find the event in the Qur'an when Hadrat Nuh alayhi asalam said 'O Lord of the worlds, your promise is true' when he saw his child drowning. The Lord Almighty had said
Innahu laisa min ahlika
O' Nuh (Peace & Blessings upon Him)! He is not from your family. I promised to save your family and the one who is drowning is not from your family. What does it mean? That he is a disobedient, wrongdoing and evil person. He is not from your family. So here, a specific meaning is determined for the Ahl (family), that look even if the son of a Prophet is far from faith and action, then being the son of a Prophet will not save him.
Being the son of a Prophet is not sufficient. We find that if the relationship of obedience is not strong, then there is nothing in outwardly being a son. A disobedient son is never a true son. An undutiful son is not worthy of being mentioned with his father. We find that obedience has great importance and therefore if this is the case then why is my Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) giving preference to those who are close to Him i.e. His kin. If the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) said, look, love those who follow me, love those who are obedient, then we would have understood, but the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is not attaching this with the reward for His efforts. He made it necessary to obey the Khulafa-e-Rashidin and made it necessary to follow his companions but when it came to the question of asking for a reward of his Prophethood, the benefit the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) desired was the love of those who were closest to Him. What benefits are there in this love for the ummah?
Friends; love carries an absorption and an attraction. Those who love understand this reality. Love is not a rational and argumentative thing that can be understood by reason. It is an intuitive thing and it is something that he who loves understands; this is why someone said
Faizane muhabbat am to hey irfane muhabbat am nahě
The state of the people who love
The bounty of love is certainly common, but love with intimate knowledge, mystic insight and recognition is very difficult. A person who is free from the absorption of love cannot recognize it. This state cannot be recognized from a distance. If we say for example, that a fire is raging and in this fire a person is burning and you are nearby but have no understanding or concept of what fire is, you will not appreciate the pain this person is suffering. You will see his restlessness and undoubtedly hear his shrieks because of the pain he is experiencing but you will not comprehend his feelings and the pain he is suffering. If he describes the intensity of the heat you will have to believe him, if you don't, you will think of him as mad because you see the beautiful red coloured flames with their glow but you hear his screaming and screeching and his state of utter restlessness. Looking from afar you see the bright flames and sparks but you cannot appreciate the pain and anguish he is experiencing.
By standing at the side you cannot obtain the intimate knowledge of the heat of the fire. This my friends is the situation with love. Those who have not been given the wealth of love or any part in love, will not know who the people of love are [or understand the concept of love]. How will they know which fire illuminated the heart of Bilal-e-Habshi Radi Allahu anhu, how will they know the status of Siddiq-e-Akbar Radi Allahu anhu, how will they know the condition of Faruq-e-Azam Radi Allahu anhu, how will they know of the love of the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) felt by the Sahaba-e-karam. In reality friends my nature says that if the people of this era saw the companions, they would understand them to be lovers, utterly devoted, and I don't know what else they would think. And if the companions saw us I could not say whether they would have a single word to say about us i.e. our poor state.
Nature of Love
Friends! Spare a thought. Love does not understand its Beloved's excellence from evidence. Love does not need argument for the perfection of its beloved. Love does not need proof to understand the beloved's status. What kind of people are these who ask for proof and evidence for understanding the status of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him)?
I understand that the temperament of true love is such that if the beloved has a fault or deficiency, then his faults and deficiencies are hidden. We know the enemies of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and know whom their love is for. [If love for someone is genuine] you hide their faults!! We are aware of the nature of love in that he who belongs to his lover sings his praises.
Therefore, love carries absorption and warmth; there is this restlessness in love that our appearance accords with the appearance of the beloved, that our character accords with the character of the beloved, that our movement accords with the movement of the beloved, that our conduct accords with the conduct of the beloved and that our conversation accords with the conversation of the beloved. Someone seeing these actions remembers our beloved from them. As you have seen, this is the true temperament of love.
The Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) saw the nature of the Ahl al Bayt, their conversations and their character. There was great confidence in the Ahl al Bayt by the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and therefore He thought that when the ummah is in the grasp of their love then whatever I require from the ummah will be obtained. In reality the ummah will become the ummah of true Islam. Therefore, the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) thought that it should be unequivocally said to His ummah that if you believe in my favours upon you, then give me in return your love of my Ahl al Bayt.
Training of Hasnayn
The training of Hasnayn! (may Allah be pleased with them)
The beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) knows that His family is not like common families. When they are seen, the Lord is remembered, when sat near to them, then the Lord becomes close to you, when you are far from them then you are far from the Lord. The meaning of this is that the Ahl al Bayt has been trained for us; the Prophet has nurtured them in His lap; He let them climb onto His shoulders; He has trained them on His holy back.
Sayyadina Imam Hasan Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu is on one shoulder and Imam Hussain Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu on the other; to let two children climb onto the shoulders is not a sinful or bad thing. The beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) lifted Hasnayn up in love; and after this Hadrat Hasnayn Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu are pretending that they are camel riders but have no reigns so our Master points to His holy hair and tells them to hold it. Now think, you may say that this is something to amuse children with, but listen; this is the act of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him). This is His character.
Fi ' lul hakimu la yakhlu anil hikmati
The act of a wise man (Hakim) is never empty of wisdom (Hikmat). The beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is providing training and practice and showing that O you [i.e. Hasnayn] who are the lights of my eyes, O' you who are pieces of my heart, today hold tight to the noble hair of mine as tomorrow you have to hold tight to the reigns of my ummah and become the guidance for my ummah.
My Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is teaching them all this. Just remember this wonderful event, my Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is prostrating in prayer, Hadrat Imam Hussain Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu comes and sits on top of His back which results in the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) lengthening his prostration. When Hadrat Hussain Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu climbs down the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) lifts His head and completes his prayer. What have you been taught O' Hussain? Understand that even at this age the love I have for you has not made me inattentive. You climbed onto my back, and I wasn't distracted neither did I lose anything; instead the prostration for the Lord became longer. The remembrance of the Lord and the recitation of the name of the Lord were extended.
Those of you, who love your children, should love like this in that you don't become inattentive towards the Lord. The remembrance of the Lord should lengthen, the prostration for the Lord should be extended and the recitation of tasbih, and tahlil widened. The beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) has faith and reliance on the training and is aware that the whole world will be on one-side but these two will not give up and leave my mission. They will not abandon my message, and as history showed they did not leave or abandon this mission. Hadrat Khawaja Ajmeri Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu in whose anniversary gathering (Urs) both you and I are taking part and gaining blessings (fayz) said a lovely thing
Shah ast Hussain baadshah ast Hussain
Din ast Hussain din panah ast Hussain
Sar dad na dad, dast dar daste yazid
Haqqa ke binae la ilaha ast Hussain
Command for Family
The command of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) for his family
So how did Hadrat Imam of Great Rank become the foundation of La ilaha illallah. It was the training of the Most Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him). This is why the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) asked for their love as a reward for His effort. In reality friends, you can choose their friendship or enmity, this is entirely your choice but the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) has fixed their friendship as His own friendship and He has fixed their enmity as His enmity. Why are there these proclamations in the Ahadith?
Al Hasano wal Hussaino sayyeda shababe ahlil jannah
Hassan and Hussain are the leaders of the youths who are in paradise!
Why is it being said?
Ana madinatul 'ilm wa 'aliyyun baboha
I am the city of knowledge ('Ilm) and 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with Him) is the door to that city!
Why is it being said?
Ya 'Ali hubbuka imanun wa bughduka nifaqun
O Ali, your love is faith, and your hatred is hypocrisy!
Why is it being said?
Ahabba Allaho man ahabba Hussainan wa abgadhallaho man abghada Hussainan
Whoever loves Hussain, Allah has made him His beloved
and whoever has hatred towards Hussain, has made Allah his own enemy'.
Just spare a thought friends! Why are such words being spoken? Why is it being said that both of these are the flowers of my world. Why are these stages being shown? Why is this destination being shown? It is because in believing them and in wanting them is beneficial for us. Whenever we love them, we shall be rightly guided. Truly friends, what a beautiful thing my Master (Peace & Blessings upon Him) has said
Hubbu Aliyyiy ya'kuludh dhunuba kama ta'kulun narul hataba
That the love of Ali, eats away sins like fire burns wood.
But friends! Understand this; do not fall foul of the word love. Do not understand it to mean that we will love and there is no need for Salat, we will love, what need is there to fast [during Ramadan]? We will love, what need is there for Hajj? No friends! If you have love for Imam Ali Radi Allahu anhu, then you will be compelled to pray salat, compelled to fast. It cannot be that you have love for Him yet you do not have love for His actions, that you do not have love for worship, that you do not love His character, that you do not have the love for His conduct and we should not fall foul of the word love.
Commentaries of Love
The commentaries of Love
We must go into the depth of the reality of love to understand it. Love has wonderful temperaments. How many commentaries shall I mention on the word love? [Today] I will say a few words on it. I commentated a little on it on one of the Friday prayers, and today as I am seeing some new faces, I wish that they also listen to these commentaries. Look, I won't take you into too much depth as to how many stages love has and at what stage does one immerse oneself in the essence and attributes of the beloved in such a way that he does not even have the knowledge of this. If he immerses himself to this degree, then this is the final and absolute destination of love (fana).
Look friends! In immersing he has also perished like the drop that went into the ocean. That drop has also perished which came to the sea shore but the difference in the two perishing is that the drop that went and joined the ocean perished in such a way that to destroy it, you will need to get rid of the whole ocean. The drop's existence which came to the sea shore came to an end and its existence ended completely. What this means is that when truth meets truth, it immerses and perishes but at the same time remains but when truth meets falsehood, it totally perishes and its existence comes to an end. When a drop meets a drop it becomes a stream, when the stream meets a river it becomes the river, when the river meets a sea, it becomes the sea. All streams and all flowing rivers perish when they came to the sea. But friends after perishing they still exist. There is no perception of them perishing. This is such an intuitive state, that it is difficult to understand and explain.
I shall say another easy to understand word or two before you, that look, the least rank of love is that you remain on the best terms with your beloved and do as much as you can and think of this as nothing. And if the beloved does a little for you, treat and understand this to be a great deal. Pay attention, study the lives of the noble companions and see how they sacrificed their lives at the feet of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) of Allah. If our Master uttered a good sentence for anyone, then they would be extremely proud of this.
Ali is Wali
Ali Wali (Wali means Saint)
Go and ask our master Hadrat 'Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) and what He sacrificed at the feet of the Most Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him)... Sayyidina Ali Murtaza whose name is 'Ali, and what wonders there are in the name 'Ali - what a clean and pure name. We see that this name is such, that if you try to destroy it and be disrespectful, it becomes stronger. Some names can be slandered, but Ali is such a name that if you try and misuse it, it becomes stronger. For example, there is something which is meaninglessly subordinate. You say let's drink some chai wai (chai means tea, wai means nothing). We understand what tea is, but what is wai? Another example is khana waana (khana means to eat, waana means nothing), pani wani (pani means water, wani means nothing) this sort of slang has become a fashion. This is something which is meaningless and is subordinate. It is subordinate to the word yet it is meaningless. But what a pure name 'Ali is, if you say 'Ali Wali your intention was to make a meaningless subordinate to it, you attempted to make a meaningless word, yet you made it Wali (saint). This name is not to be spoiled as the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) has embellished it and to spoil this name is impossible and therefore, how could it ever be possible to spoil his personality?
Once our master Hadrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with Him) was lying down on the ground and some soil went on his noble body. My Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) saw this, and affectionately said 'Ya Aba Turabinn.' Turab is earth, dust, or soil, and Ab means father. O father of the earth – Ya Aba Turabinn, how is this such a good or beautiful name? But whenever anyone called our master Hadrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with Him) Abu Turab He used to be very pleased as if He had received a divine blessing both for this world and the hereafter because this had been uttered from the mouth of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him).
You also call Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with Him) by that name? Who is Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with Him)? Do you know why he was called this? There are so many disputes in his name that one does not know what his real name is as people have forgotten. He had a love of cats, and once he had hidden a small cat in his sleeve and our Master (Peace & Blessings upon Him) saw this. Hurrah in Arabic is the name for a cat. Hurayrah is the word for kitten. He (Peace & Blessings upon Him) said, Ya Aba Hurayrah' meaning 'O keeper of the cats' or 'O father of the cats'. The beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) said this once but Hadrat Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with Him) loved this so much that he made himself known as Abu Hurayrah. I am Abu Hurayrah, he would say and he repeated this so often that people eventually forgot his real name. You behave towards the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) in any way you like and think of it as nothing done for the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) but if the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) in return utters even one sentence [whether in praise or not] you think that the whole universe has been obtained.
Importunity of Love
The importunity of love is such that if you obey the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) throughout your life, think of it as nothing but if you disobey the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) even once, think of it as everything lost. Be obedient all your life, obey all his commandments and think that you have done nothing whatsoever. If you happen to be disobedient once think of it as something grave, which should not have been done, these are the true characteristics and signs of love.
It is also a sign of love that you obey your beloved. Ensure that the obedience of your beloved is an absolute necessity and that you obey when He orders and what He doesn't order you carry out also. Thus what He desires, you must act on, whether He says it or not. It is love when you are obedient when the beloved is present and also when He is not. It should be the same even when He is unseen. What this means is that you should not become an obedient seeker when you are before your beloved. Instead, you should be obedient while He is present and when He is not. Even when you walk away from the presence of your beloved then remain obedient to your beloved.
A beautiful saying has been uttered in this regard; that sacrifice your lives, wealth, your entire world, your resolve, your intentions and your conditions in such a way that you think of Him as your owner, and after sacrificing everything for Him, think that you have done nothing and that you have not even started [to sacrifice]. Commenting on love, a very wonderful and beautiful saying has been said, which is a very noble and deep saying for those people who understand. It is said look, love the beloved, so your condition is such that you feel ashamed – understand the beloved to be of such high status and greatness that you feel ashamed of loving Him as you are of such lowly status. Think that you have in fact insulted the beloved by loving him because of your low worth. You should feel bashful (ghairat) in calling him your beloved. Therefore, believe your beloved to be the greatest of the greatest, and include yourselves amongst the most contemptible of the contemptible. Friends, this is the true status of love.
Wonderful love
But this is an astonishing and strange thing that people love the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and consider Him like themselves! They love the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) yet don't even have Him in their thoughts. The temperament of love is that the beloved is thought of as great and you as contemptible in comparison - we should think that by making Him our beloved we have not elevated his status. We should feel ashamed that we, who are of low standing and status, have made someone so great our beloved and should feel we are being disrespectful to Him.
Friends, these are all intuitive conditions of love and whoever felt love and at whatever level has accordingly commented on the attributes of love. My Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) is making you punctual in loving the Ahl al Bayt by stating the virtues of this family and their qualities because when you begin to love them, you will be forced to become obedient towards them, and when you obey them you will be achieving the purpose of Islam.
Look, what a great a favour it is that we are able to obey them. That the Lord's command can be performed which the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) then fixes as his own reward. Pay attention and spare a thought, this command is beneficial to us and entirely profits us but our Master then says that you have given me an exchange, you have given me recompense!
Love being tested
But friends, simply forwarding the message of love doesn't mean the matter ends there; the love you have is also tested. Look at the sunnah of Allah - when the people who loved said, we have love, were they not tested? 'O'' Khalil, if you have love then see the fire being prepared. If you posses love then sacrifice your son with your own hand. If you have love 'O'' Zakariyyah, then even when you are being sawn at the head, don't murmur [a complaint]. If you have love 'O'' Yahya when the sword passes your throat, don't utter a single word [in protest]. If you have love 'O'' Nuh, then do not make a noise when your head bleeds from hurled stones.
Spare a thought, whoever asserts the greatness of His love, has been equally tested. Therefore, love is tested by means of sacrifice. Nowadays we observe this so called love which has become common, but the love where [life] is put at stake is rare. The nation that was gathered around my beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) did not have the love of today. Instead His nation would sacrifice the goods which they held in this world for the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) even though they did not have enough to eat themselves and had wrapped stones around their stomachs to quell their hunger.
It must be remembered that the test is recognized from following and obedience. When you love someone, but do not follow them, love someone but are not obedient, love someone but do not respect them, we will understand that what you call love is another name for hypocrisy. We find that the temperament of love is very different. The Sahaba (Allah be pleased with them), were the ones who followed the noble Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) the most and best. What was the secret behind this? It was that they had immense love for the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him).
May our Lord and Master make our hearts the Madina of love for the most beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), may He give the love for the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) in our hearts such a place, that even we can achieve some intimate knowledge, and through the sake of this love, we can reach the levels of obedience.
Imam Rida
Love being tested in the presence of Imam Rida
Therefore we have established that love is not a game. I have just remembered Imam Rida (may Allah be pleased with him).
Abu Sahl Khurasani (may Allah be pleased with him) was once sat in the prescence of Imam Rida (may Allah be pleased with him). He commented on the number of his friends saying 'O Imam, your devotees are great in number and the number of people who would sacrifice themselves for you are also great. Hadrat Imam Rida (may Allah be pleased with him) heard what he said and commanded 'light the fire and raise the flames', and when the flames were lit he said that 'I command you to enter the flames'. He became apologetic and said 'Oh Imam, forgive me. I can't do this'. The Imam remained silent. At this stage a devotee of Hadrat Imam, Hadrat Harun Makki was seen arriving from afar. When he came nearby he was told by Hadrat Imam that 'Harun, enter this fire'. He did not even ask what the situation was or ask what was happening but simply entered the fire. When he entered the fire it did not harm him. It is a different matter that the person, who commanded him to enter the fire, also knew how to put the fire out and knew how to calm the fire but first he was put to the test.
Therefore friends, as far as obtaining blessings is concerned and the extent to which reward and veneration may be given for those who love, a long list of people can be prepared of those who love for a reward and the list would be so long that two to four libraries would be filled. But if you are convinced that you have to spend your life and wealth in Allah's way then perhaps no one may be seen. Then you would not need a long piece of paper, merely a postcard would suffice.
Karbala
Love being tested in the plains of Karbala!
Friends! People of love have always been tested. The test of those who love the high-ranking Imam (Imam Hussain; may Allah be pleased with him) has not been seen in history. The eye of the universe could not have seen such a state. Can you ever forget this? Can you forget the terrain of Karbala, or the Night of 'Ashura'? What a great test it was for the people who loved.
Here, the High Ranking Imam is inflicted by trouble. He is hungry and thirsty and has not eaten or drank water consecutively for three days. His companions and helpers are sat beside him. Hadrat Imam is advising that 'Listen, I am freeing you from your oath of allegiance (Bayt) to me.' [Earlier you heard that] Hadrat Imam Rida (may Allah be pleased with him) had commanded and ordered, here there is no question of any command or order. Here, they have been freed from their oath of allegiance, and after freeing them the Imam said 'Listen, I have no quarrel with you if you go, you will find your path clear, the way is now closed to those who want to help, but the way is open for those who want to leave. You may go, and I will not hold you accountable.'
But friends! After hearing this everyone is silent. Hadrat Imam thought that it must have entered their minds that if they leave the grandson of the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), then they will not have the audacity to face the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) on the Day of Judgement. Therefore, Hadrat Imam made the decision himself and said 'Listen, do not worry about the Day of Judgement, go, I take the responsibility of your salvation; I will have you forgiven if you choose to go. You do not have to put your lives at risk'. We see again that they are all sat in their places in absolute silence. Hadrat Imam then thought that he would provide an excuse to those who wanted to leave and said 'Look, do this, go and take a child each from my family, so that if an outsider asks why have you left the Imam and returned, then you can say that the Imam sent us - we did not leave. The Imam sent us to do something in that we have brought his children with us'; but no, even then everyone remains silent. The Imam then thought that due to the light of the lantern that burns I can see them and they can see me. Let me put out the lantern so it becomes dark, and when no one is able to see, someone will leave, as they may be feeling ashamed of leaving now in the light. Hadrat Imam put the lantern out and after a while lit it again but again he saw that all his companions remained where they were.
Their manner of sitting tells us what their thoughts must have been, that, 'O Imam, if we were the lovers of this light, we would have left when it was put out but we are the lovers of the light of Imamat i.e. the leadership of Imam Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him), which is still burning and it is not possible that a lover would leave, which is wholly contrary to the temperament of a lover'. They would put themselves and their lives out before allowing the light of Imamat to be put out.
With a crooked back, Hadrat Musallam ibn Awsjah stood up and said 'O Imam, You are talking of us leaving but I swear by the Lord we shall compete with them, with our arrows, and if our arrows break, then we shall compete with our swords, and if the handles of our swords are not left in our hands, then we shall compete with stones, and if I am unable to throw stones, then I shall sacrifice my life at the noble feet of yours, but I shall not go'.
Another companion arose and said 'O Imam, what are you saying? If we are set alight over and over again, given life, set alight, given life, even then we will not leave your following, obedience and friendship'.
Spare a thought. This is a test of those who love. This is a trial of those who love. And most definitely these people have shown what the devotees of the Imam were like. The recompense asked by the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) for his efforts was satisfied by all those who were at Karbala. And what better example of their sincerity can be given than the fact that as along as even one of them was alive the family of Bani Hashim was not touched or harmed, neither was their status and spirits allowed to dampen and not a single scratch was allowed to be inflicted upon the family of the Imam (may Allah be pleased with him) and on the family of the Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him).
When the brave made the promise at night it was kept and made true during the day. To what extent can I take you into the details of it? All I want to show is that love without any kind of test cannot be understood. Those of you who are devoted to the Lord and Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him), those who love the pious of our religion, and who love the friends (awliya) of Allah, I do not know the kinds of fears that you may encounter but you should be ready for every trial and every kind of test.
We already know that none amongst us is a Hussain, son of Ali (may Allah be pleased with Him). We know that none amongst us is a Khalid Ibn Walid (may Allah be pleased with Him). We know that none amongst us is an Abu Ubaydah or a Siddiq or a Faruq or an Uthman, (may Allah be pleased with them all), but we also know that our Lord is the most merciful and the most generous. The circumstances they (Imam Hussain's companions) were in at the time of trial are not with us. There is nothing similar for us. Our trial is that we perform our five daily prayers. Allah, Allah, in this era, to perform the five daily prayers has become a trial.
Masjide marisa khawa hey ke namazi na rahe,
Yani wo sahibe awsafe hijazi na rahe,
Masjid to banali shub bhar me Iman ki hararat walo ne,
Mun apna parana papi hey barso me namazi ban na saka.
Pleasure of Prostration
May Almighty Allah give us the pleasure of prostration!
Today, we are not being asked to jump from mountains. What we are being told is simply not to forget the early morning prayer (Fajr). What we are being told is that the afternoon prayer (Zuhr) is obligatory (fard) upon us. We are told that, look, the mid afternoon prayer (Asr) is very important, do not forget it. We are only told of the five time daily prayers. O' believers become punctual and see [the benefits] of performing the five daily prayers. Calculate this, think of it in the worldly sense and tell me what you have lost by performing these prayers and what you have lost by keeping the fasts?
By acting upon the commands of Almighty Allah what damage have you been caused? You will see that you will not encounter any loss because the amount of time you spend in performing prayer is usually lost in triviality and even more time is spent in meaningless talk. May Almighty Allah give you and I the divine help (taufeeq) of performing prayer (salat). May He provide us with divine help to perform good deeds. That as long as He keeps us alive He gives us the lives of Muslims and when He gives us death He gives us the death of Muslims and that He keeps us steadfast on the faith of Islam. O' Lord of the worlds, give us life such as those who bow before you and give us death such as those who bow before you, give us life such as those who prostrate before you and give us death so that our resurrection (hashr) is with those who prostrate (Sajidin) before you, our resurrection is with those who bow (Rakiin) before you, our resurrection is with those who are your devotees (Salikin), our resurrection is with those who are mystics (Arifin), and with your generosity (karam) and excellence (fadl) our resurrection is with the beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him) and all other Prophets (peace be upon them), our resurrection is with your close friends ('Awliya-e-Muqarrabin) and our resurrection is with the pious of our religion for whom we have love in our hearts, their good actions in our minds and in our hearts the desire to obey and follow them.
Today we are faced with many troubles and the greatest trouble is faithlessness, irreligiousness, and we are faced with attacks being made against us from all directions. We should make supplication from the depths of our heart and say that O' Lord Almighty, O' Pure Provider, save all us Muslims from the disasters of our time. Save all Muslims from the age of disturbance, save us from the pretentious and conceited people of religion, save us from those with a corrupt religion and save us from falling into their traps of deceit.
There are many [Islamic] brothers of ours who have pious desires in their hearts. O' Master, fulfil these desires and their pious wishes, O' Master those who are ill, give them good and hasty health, and those who are without children, Master give them children. Now everybody please stand and pay the homage of Salat-o-Salam to the Beloved Prophet (Peace & Blessings upon Him).