Barakah of the Shoes of the Sheikh
Hadhrat Ibn Mas’ud has narrated that on one occasion someone asked the gracious Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam ‘Who is the best person?’ This is a very important question because what is being asked here is who is ‘Afdhal’ – who is the best of people? If we turn our minds to this ourselves, then we can come up with quite a few answers from our own reasoning, such as the one who does the most worship, or the one who keeps the most fasts, or the one who stands for worship the most at night, or the one who does abundant worship in so many other categories of Ibadah. There is greatness in all of these, in the one who gives Sadaqah, in the Zahid, in the Abid. Everyone tries to emphasise these things, alhamdulillah, and we work hard and strive in these areas. We are in Ramadhan now, and everyone tries very hard – and we should try as much as we can. Everyone is doing as much worship as possible, as much Nawafil as possible, as much recitation of Qur’an as possible, because we consider that this is the way to please Allah. We have no other objective in staying hungry and thirsty and doing plentiful worship – somehow or other, we just want to please our Rabb. If our Rabb is happy, then all of our tests will become easy for us, and that is the reason and the concept and the ideology behind all these acts of worship. Obviously, this why a person tries, as he thinks ‘If I do more of this and make more of an effort and practice more, then Allah ta’ala will like me more and my Darajaat will be higher, my Maqam will be higher, and in the Dunya and Akhirah, my status will be elevated.’ This is totally correct - that’s fine.
Allah ta’ala has said ‘I do like Ibadah, and I do accept it’, but the pleasure of Allah ta’ala is higher than this, and this is the means by which a person can become very great in the Sight of Allah, so much so that even where there is not much Ibadah, if a person has more of the factor that Allah ta’ala likes, then Allah ta’ala will like that person more. Whoever has more of this quality will be liked more by Allah ta’ala. So we need to understand what this criterion is so that we can direct our effort in the right direction, and use every opportunity that Allah ta’ala gives us to strive in the right way and practice in the best way so that we can obtain as much as possible.
We need to think in this way because the time allocated to us is very short; we don’t have that much time in life – our breaths are limited, remember this. We think ‘We must have a heart operation or we will die’ or ‘We need a stomach operation or we will die’, or ‘Coronavirus will take us’ – but this is not the criterion between life and death. Allah ta’ala keeps our life and death in His Hands, in His control, and we can’t even say that because we are living here, we can prepare our burial plot here so that we know where we will be buried. We think that we can select this, but how do we know where we will be when Allah ta’ala takes our Ruh? We don’t even know what portion of the earth Allah will choose to take our soul. You may travel to a place one day in full health, and then Malak-ul-Mawt will come and salute you, saying ‘Come, let’s go – this is the place where I have been commanded to take your Ruh away from you.’ These are matters which are in the control of Allah ta’ala, and He knows best. We don’t need to prepare for this by making plans for being buried in a particular place and thinking ‘Fine, I will stay here and pass away in this country.’
There are many examples of great events where people thought like this and ended up elsewhere. In one such event, in the era of Hadhrat Sulaiman alayhi salam, Malak-ul-Mawt was surprised to see that a person was in a particular place when he knew that very soon, he was to remove his soul somewhere far away in China. But the person was duly delivered there, and that is where his life was taken. Allah ta’ala makes the system and He sets out the route – He makes a person go on a journey and reach a certain Maqam. Some of our people prepare their graves in a particular town and ask to be buried next to a particular person and so on – we don’t know about all of these things. We don’t know where life will end – we cannot even imagine. SubhanAllah, imagine a person having his soul extracted in Madinah during Ramadhan at the time of Fajr. I remember Sheikh Abdus-Salam Sahib rahmatullah alayh, who was a Sheikh-ul-Hadith and the respected father of Moulana Fazal-ul-Haq Sahib, and I had also gone there for Umrah in Ramadhan. I had no inkling that I would be praying his Janazah in Madinah at that time, so would he have imagined it either? Would he have known? They make no announcements as to whose Janazah is being prayed, and after the Janazah, I realised that I has been included in his Janazah prayer. How could he have known? He didn’t know how he was to pass away, or where. He was a Dervaish, but he didn’t know how and where Allah ta’ala had chosen for him to pass away. Everyone wants to die in that place, but he had gone there for Umrah and at the time of Fajr, he was going towards his room with his young son, and just he called him and said ‘My time has come!’ - and SubhanAllah, he passed away as the Adhan for Fajr was being called.
So all of these details are set out already, and our job is to prepare for that time, whenever it comes. We need to make use of all the opportunities that Allah ta’ala gives us in life – and is this not an opportunity that Allah ta’ala has given in this Ramadhan? Tell me. We waste so much time – so much time. The moments of Ramadhan all have great value, and after Suhoor, as the fast progresses, the value of the fast continues to increase until the time between Asr and Maghrib, when that value reaches its peak. This is the prime time, the most valuable period of the fast. This time between Asr and Maghrib is when the angels change their shifts; the angels who are given the duty of the night shift are coming down from the heavens and the day shift angels are ascending. They ask each other ‘What are you doing today? How is everything in the world? What is everybody doing in the world?’ Then the explanation is given – ‘Same as usual - some are reciting, some are thinking about eating, others are cooking – everyone is getting tired and lazy at the moment.’
We get weak and lose energy at this time, don’t we? Alhamdulillah, at least it is not so hard in this country – if we were in a hot country, people get dazed due to having sweated in their hard work as they labour in the heat. They really do lose all energy, but here, we are keeping our fasts in Jannah. Ask a labourer in Saudi Arabia who has to earn his Rizq while keeping a fast; he has to work in temperatures of 100 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. He works during the searing heat of the day and his tongue becomes parched and dry, and there is no food waiting at home, no fruit cut and laid out for him. All he hopes is that perhaps at some Masjid there may be a few dates or some yoghurt or a piece of bread – and after that, he will have to go back to his labouring work again! Allahu Akbar – look at that fast! Tell me.
So this is a fantastic time, and the various angels will be asking and telling about what people are doing during the change of shift, and one will say ‘Oh yes, there are some people who have assembled in a certain place on the earth for the Dhikr of Allah’ - at which the angels will do Takbir! They can see what is happening all over the world, and in this, the greatest time of the fast, Allah ta’ala loves it so much if His servant does Muraqabah and starts to remember Allah. Allah says ‘My greatness and glory is being mentioned and invoked!’ This is such a special time period in Ramadhan. There is a Hadith about this whose lengthy details I cannot recall just now, and there is also a verse of the Qur’an that is not coming to mind, where Allah ta’ala says, referring directly to Ramadhan, ‘Elevate My greatness; mention My greatness.’
Look how Allah ta’ala has prepared the portions of time during the day in Ramadhan. What should a person do? The particular Takbir referred to here is not mentioned in respect of any month other than Ramadhan. How many times to do we say the Takbir in twenty Rakahs of Salah? SubhanAllah. The pious predecessors have said that the twenty Rakahs of Tarawih have been apportioned for this reason, so that the Takbir will be repeated so many times by every human being in the world who prays Tarawih. Takbir is repeated six times in each Rakah, isn’t it? Yes - so multiply that by twenty! This is how Allah ta’ala has prepared for us to elevate Him in this month – the verse of the Qur’an is not coming to mind, otherwise I would tell you the Tafsir of that verse. Allah wants us to repeat the Takbir in Ramadhan and has prepared this system so that we can elevate His Name in this month.
So Dhikr is so great at this time – Allah ta’ala loves this time when the angels are coming and going before Maghrib. Allah ta’ala wants to give treasures to people at this time, so come and say ‘La Hawla wa Quwwata illa bi-llah’; say ‘SubhanAllahi wa bi-Hamdihi, SubhanAllahi-l-Adheem.’ When a human being recites this, the mercy of Allah ta’ala is at its peak at that time. Should we not be grateful right now? Where did we get this from? From the pious elders – you learn these things in the Sohbat of the pious elders. If I had not sat in the Sohbat of Hadhrat Sahib, if I had not sat in the dust of his shoes, would you be sat in Dhikr right now? Where would you be? Someone would be driving his taxi, someone would be running around in the Dunya, some would be sleeping and snoring, some would be chatting, others preparing food for Iftar. But alhamdulillah, Allah ta’ala Himself has said such a great thing when He tells us ‘When you sit with My friends, you will never incur any loss. You will never be without benefit.’ Sitting with them, listening to them, looking at them – everything that is attached to a Wali of Allah has Barakah.
Some may ask ‘Why is this?’ The reason is the same as for the Ka’abah and the Qur’an – when the name of Allah is attached to something, then that person or thing becomes unique. What is there about the Ka’abah? There was nothing but dust there before, and it is a house made of bricks, so why is it special? Because it is the Baitul-llah - Allah says ‘Is is My home, and that is why it is so great!’ You can find mansions and houses and palaces in the Dunya, with courtyards and driveways and everything, but what decoration does the Ka’abah have? Nothing. There is no ornamentation or decoration or special architecture. If you look in our home countries, you can find palaces worth millions and millions owned by so-called rich people. Look at the big houses owned by politicians and minsters who have grabbed other people’s properties to build their mansions. Is this not the case? But does anyone remember them? No, because their houses are connected with human beings, whereas the Ka’abah is the Baitul-llah, the House of Allah!
So many books are printed, so many dictionaries and scientific works that contain worldly knowledge, but nothing can compare to the Kitab-ul-llah, nothing! When a book has this title, its every letter has Noor. Can anything that you read in the world be compared to the Qur’an? No book can compare. And the greatest miracle of the Qur’an is that the more you recite it, the more you are elevated. The more you recite it, the more elevation is conferred. Look, when you read ‘HasbunAllahu wa Ni’mal Wakeel’ or ‘La ilaha illa Anta Subhanaka Inni Kuntu min-adh-Dhalimeen’, these are selected noble verses, verses of the Qur’an that Allah ta’ala loves. Allah loves every word and every letter, because these are Allah’s words, and His tremendous attributes are mentioned. So the pious elders said ‘Let us take the verses that Allah ta’ala particularly loves, and let us make a concentrated collection and repeat them, for Allah will love this.’ That is why we repeat these in our Dhikr. The more you repeat and recite, the more your emotions are elevated. Say SubhanAllah once, and then say it ten times, and see the difference – and do so in the company of a Sheikh. And when you come to do Dhikr at this time when your stomach is empty, you will get so much enjoyment. Do you get enjoyment or not? Tell me. So this is Qur’an, and Allah ta’ala has put respect and glory in reciting the Qur’an.
So what was I saying? Allah subhana wa ta'ala has put the greatness in the fast that as the day passes, the Rahmahs increase, and at this time between Asr and Maghrib, the shifts change, and the day angels leave, and the night angels come. If we spend this time in Takbir, in elevating Allah’s Name, then we will earn the benefit of the whole day’s fast. Why have we come here? In connection with which person have we come? As I have said, we should value and appreciate that we have come to this gathering and can partake of its enjoyment. Who is this connected to? With whom is the Nisbat? With that person who had Nisbat with Allah – he was not a normal person. He was a Wali of Allah from the great Awliya. He was a Wali of Allah with a direct connection to Allah. His Nisbat was with Allah – and I sat there with him. When you sit with a normal person all day long and shake his hand, is there any benefit? None - it doesn’t matter how many millionaires or billionaires or presidents that you shake hands with. But when it is a Wali of Allah, never mind shaking his hands, just by picking up his shoes, this becomes Takbir for you! I am proud of this fact today, proud that I have seen this with my own eyes, and I have this experience even today – this is Yaqeen and Muhabbat.
I have seen both worlds – I was a very modern person. You know how people say ‘Oh, look at him – he is a fundamentalist, a poor, bedraggled man’ – well, I have realised that they are foolish and blind to say this. The people with wisdom are those who become backward – they are the people with ‘Aql! Yes – the downtrodden folk. So alhamdulillah, when I left that modernism and took the path of the Faqir, I still feel the enjoyment until today from Hadhrat’s broken shoes. I still have the image of his slippers in my eyes to this day. You know those villagers’ shoes which are like sandals? Well, their soles were broken – Hadhrat Sahib was a Faqir, and the soles of his shoes were broken. I used to hold those shoes to my chest at the Ka’abah and sit down. Hadhrat Sahib had hundreds and thousands of Mureeds in the world, but Allah ta’ala gave me this honour. Just like that Sahabi who had the honour to pick up the shoes of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam, I would do the same when I would go with Hadhrat Sahib to the Ka’abah at 2am.
I am telling you these points because there is great enjoyment in speaking about the Walis of Allah. Why else would I say this? I am not trying to elevate myself or show off – you know me and you what I am like. A dog is better than me – I am a waste of a person, bone idle. It is your Karam and honour, you pious people who sit with me, for otherwise I am not capable of this. What capability do I have? None. Why am I telling you these things? Because everything that I have attained in my life was via this. Whatever I have earned in my life was through this – that is why I am sharing this with you, so that you may learn from my experience. So SubhanAllah, I would take Hadhrat Sahib’s blessed shoes first thing in the morning. There was no competition – everyone else was further back, and they would regard me as mad and say ‘He never sleeps – he is always awake!’ This was Allah’s Karam and Grace that my need for sleep went away – everything other than Hadhrat Sahib’s Sohbat went away! So I would carry Hadhrat Sahib’s blessed shoes, and when we were at the Haram, I would sit nearby with his shoes pressed to my body. When he would leave, I would carry his shoes and even pick up his blessed stick.
Even today, I am still enjoying the Sohbat of that time. ‘How can this be?’ you must be asking. Do you know how? SubhanAllah – understand what I am saying here. I see the enjoyment of those days when people sit down in the Masjid and I host the Dhikr – that is when I see the reward and result of that time. This is from the blessedness of those shoes, and if I had not picked up those shoes at that time, then I would not be able to sit here and do Dhikr every day. This is the reward of picking those slippers up at that time. This is the reward. Alhamdulillah, a person like me who is not capable is sitting with you. Where would you and I be otherwise? Where would we be? I get such enjoyment to be with such great Muftis and scholars at this time, and SubhanAllah, the Fadhl of Allah that is upon me today is solely due to that time when I had such love and belief in my Sheikh and I did his Khidmah. Nobody knew me, and I did not do it to show off to people or to compete with people or to be in front of others – it was solely and purely for the sake of Allah and to serve His Wali. And the enjoyment from this is being experienced right now, and I am hopeful in Allah that this is one thing I have with me when I am passing away. ‘Oh Allah, give me the enjoyment now from having picked up the blessed shoes of Your Wali, just as I got in the Dhikr of Allah!’ SubhanAllah. This is the enjoyment I get in Dhikr and I see this result, and I feel in my heart that this is why there are always brothers who sit around me.
Only a mad person would host Dhikr two, three or four times a day! When we finish a Majlis, I feel that we should start another Majlis again right away – I always feel like this. Throughout Ramadhan, in the room where I sleep, the microphone and equipment are there while I am in that room, and if I was not worried about pestering you, then I believe I would host Dhikr at 3am in the morning as well! But SubhanAllah, Allah has given me such a Jamat – brothers who are crazy! Whenever I call them, they are ready for Dhikr. I don’t get tired, and you also don’t get tired by the Fadhl of Allah. So this is the taste and the mercy and the enjoyment that comes from what? Hadhrat Sahib’s blessed shoes. This is the Sadaqah, and it is the result of this that you see today. This is from the Sohbat of the Wali of Allah, because when Allah’s Name is connected to anything or to any person, a great result ensues, and we should have appreciation of this fact and value it. You can see everything that is happening around us - this scene that is laid out is due to the Wali of Allah and his company.
And if you sit today with this same belief, then this will never go to waste. You need to have Aqeedah in this, and belief, Niyyah, sincerity. You need Ittiqad – pure belief and sincere intention. The Hadith makes it clear that a person will never be without benefit from this, neither in the world nor at the time of death, and not in the Akhirah either. That person will walk into Jannah laughing and smiling – but we are so tight in our hearts and in our minds. The Qur’an says this, that a person is a miser and is stingy in his heart and in his mind. We have no Adab and no respect and no appreciation for the gathering; we have no recognition of the gathering and of the level to which Allah wants to take us. Can we be grateful enough for this gathering that Allah ta’ala has given us at Asr time in the month of fasting in His Masjid? Did we have the strength today? Did we have the understanding before? Could we dare to think that we would gather together and be ready to do Dhikrullah at every moment? Have we got the capacity? It is due to the Ihsan and grace and blessings of Allah that we have been given this opportunity to earn the Akhirah.
We should have appreciation for this, and when Waswasah come, when shaytani thoughts and negative thoughts come, when negative attractions come, then reject them straightaway – discard them immediately. This is a great line of Tasawwuf that you are practising here, I tell you now. You are not sat here for me, and nor am I sat here for you. This is Allah’s Fadhl and Karam and mercy that He has gathered us together – this is the Faidh-e-Murtaziah, the Faidh of my Sheikkh, that is here now and that we are feeling and seeing. This is all from the connection with my Sheikh. Me – I have nothing. It is Allah’s Fadhl that continues to flow, so take the benefit of Allah’s Fadhl and keep running back to these Majalis – keep running back. Especially in Ramadhan, as I was saying to you, Allah likes this Takbir, this elevation of His Name, this repetition of His Name, this recitation of His Name. The verse is not coming into my mind, but it is a beautiful verse of the Qur’an. Allah has attached this Takbir of His Name particularly to Ramadhan and says ‘Keep on repeating My Name and reciting My Name.’ Are we not repeating His Name and glorifying His Name? Will you be lazy after this? What a great misfortune for that person who misses a Majlis of Dhikr. I repeat this invitation to you again to make the most of these great opportunities.
So, as I was saying, I was sharing a Hadith with you – have you forgotten? Yes, I started with a Hadith narrated by Hadhrat Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radhiAllahu anh, which relates that someone asked the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam ‘Who is the greatest person?’ This is where we started, isn’t it? Yes – SubhanAllah. So who do we think is the greatest person? I mentioned all those examples of greatness, but who Allah defines as Afdhal, then he is the greatest, and that is what we need to work hard towards, to become the best sort of person. And Allah ta’ala has given us all these opportunities to do this in Ramadhan – we can direct our effort in the right way. So if we are passing through Ramadhan and are keeping fasts and reciting the Qur’an and doing various types of Dhikr and Tasbeehaat, what we now need to understand and think about is how to make the effort to become the Afdhal sort of person. We need to ask whether this aspect is present within our actions. Do I have that ingredient in my actions that will take me to the Maqam of being the best person?
Ramadhan is given so that every improvement is easy, and that is why I am sharing this Hadith with you. In reality, I am reading this for myself in order to give Taqwa to my Iman. MashaAllah, you are pious people and are already educated and high-grade people. I am doing this for my benefit so that we can get this during this Ramadhan. Today, five fasts have passed, have they not? The time is passing like the wind, my friends, so don’t waste this time – obtain the objective of Ramadhan. We need to obtain this best action so that we can become the best people.
So Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud radhiAllahu anh says that someone asked ‘Ya Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam – who is the best person?’ We will definitely be lacking this thing, and when this thing is lacking in the world – remember this point – at that time, storms will brew up in the world, and the Deen will be destroyed, and people will be dishonest and have no Akhlaq and no sincerity. That is when people will be most at loss and big diseases will come into the world. Did you ever hear of a disease like Corona before in history? What a disease! Cancer and Corona – and now they announce that another variant of the disease is coming. What is the reason for this? When Allah is unhappy with human beings, then destruction ensues. We may say ‘Oh, I am praying Salah and going to the Masjid, but this is not the objective that Allah ta’ala wants from us that we are being told about here. We say ‘I am going to the Masjid and I have recited so many Juz of the Qur’an’ – but this is not the objective. The objective is that we become that type of person that Allah wants us to become and practice accordingly. Ask yourself ‘Have I become that?’ If not, then everything will fail – our Tilawat will fail, our Dhikr will fail, our practice will fail; our Ibadah will all fail. Everything will fail – going to the Masjid will fail, Madrasa will fail. It will all fail – it is all for the sake of the Dunya, not for the objective that Allah ta’ala has given us.
Remember this point – I repeat this time and time again: keep the objective in front of you at all times. If we set up a Masjid, do so with the right objective. Whatever we do, it must be with the right objective in mind. The Masjid is not set up so that people will come, and we will do this and that and increase the number of Masjids. These are not the objectives that Allah wants. Every Ibadah must be undertaken with the correct objective, and Allah has made only one objective. Without this, Allah says ‘I will destroy people and create hunger and nakedness and stress and illness.’ Such diseases! Could anyone imagine that today, the same people who used to joke and mock those who wore the Niqab, those heads of state and kings are themselves wearing face-coverings and walking around in the Dunya. Could you have imagined that? This is from the great power of Allah – that is why Allah says to do Takbir! Allah says ‘Elevate My Name in Ramadhan. Come – I will show you My greatness! Now, you cannot even leave your homes without the face-covering. They wore it with Noor, and now you wear it with fear of death!’
A person who wears the face-covering due to fear of death is mad – we do not wear it due to fear of death. Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam told us that when tragedies and disasters come, then utilise the means. Whatever methods present themselves to take precaution, then use them – it is the Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam to act with precaution. People say ‘Why do you wear the face mask?’ Because it is a Sunnah of Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam, that is why we wear it. If we reject the Sunnah, then that is Kibr. It is as if they are saying ‘Oh, I won’t die, so I won’t wear a face-covering.’ Maybe you will take my words badly, but when you put salt onto a wound, it gives pain. That is why some people get angry when I speak, saying ‘Why is he talking in this way? Why does he say this?’ But the Haq has to come out of the mouth – what can I do? This is such a mirror that when I look at myself and see my deficiencies, I share those deficiencies which affect people so that we can correct them.
So why don’t people wear face-coverings? They think that if they wear a face-covering, people will say ‘Look, he is a Moulana and a pious elder, and he is afraid of death.’ I am telling you what people think inside. If a person is an Alim, he thinks that if he wears a face mask, people will think that he is scared and that is why he is wearing the mask, and that this will be a cause of dishonour for him. I have heard people say this in interviews – big scholars who are addressed with big titles. The higher in status he is, the less likely he is to use a face-covering, whereas a person who is simple and has fear of Allah, he is actually at a higher status, because he says ‘Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam has told us to use precautionary tactics and the means available.’ Say SubhanAllah.
Kibr – pride – is a very severe disease. These sicknesses of the Batin are very hard for a person to get rid of; this is very hard for us to understand. Kibr is such a severe disease – this pride and haughtiness is present in almost every human being. Only if a Wali of Allah comes before you will you realise the Kibr that you have within. Only through the Wali of Allah can a person accept that he is sick. Hadhrat Sahib purified me and washed me and cleaned me – alhamdulillah. That is how a person realises, through the company of the pious people. So this is all Kibr and pride when we reject these things. The best person is who? The one who Allah defines as Afdhal. So we have been given this opportunity in Ramadhan to become the best person. So what was the answer that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam gave?
Do you understand what I am saying? If you start to understand, then definitely listen to these Bayans again afterwards. This is why the brothers prepare these recordings. This is also pride when people say ‘Oh, I don’t need to listen to the Bayan in the Majlis.’ The Hadith that you have read is not the same as the one that I explain. This Hadith is unique – remember this. I am telling you this. The Hadith that you read in Kitabs remains sealed in there, but today, the Nooraniat in this Hadith is coming from the words of the Walis of Allah that I am repeating to you. Their Noor is different. Never consider the explanations of Hadith in these Majalis to be inferior. Listen afterwards, not just once but ten times over. Listen, and the Noor will come into your life. I have no desire that the Bayans are played and repeated for my sake. The brothers who have created this system are Jannati people – when you go home to sleep, they go and prepare the Bayan until 1am. Is it easy to sit in front of a laptop and make the recording and then edit it and save it? Three or four brothers are working until midnight to put these online for your benefit. Allah ta’ala has created a Jamat – in the morning and evening, they are working.
They work hard and strive for what purpose? Because this is Allah’s line of work! This is the sincere subject of {ٱهۡدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٲطَ ٱلۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ}. This is Da’wah to Allah ta’ala’s Deen. You see this Masjid here? Well, there is an invisible Masjid in which the work of the Deen is happening, through which the whole Dunya is praying Salah in this Masjid and benefitting. They are doing the work of the Deen for this Masjid - but they don’t ask for money or charity or recompense or a salary. They spend their own money for the work of Allah’s Deen – this is such a great thing. You pray Tarawih and go to sleep, but they work until 1.30am or 2am, because if someone’s life changes through this, there is such a great Thawab for that human being who helped in this. But we don’t listen to it and we don’t read it, and we think ‘I don’t need to hear it again – I won’t select it.’ Don’t consider what you think is great, for Allah says ‘The world is changing.’
The world is changing, my brothers! Our standards are one thing, but Allah ta’ala’s basis and standards are different. We listen to somebody else and enjoy their Bayans, but Allah ta’ala says ‘Listen to this and enjoy!’ This is a direct message from Allah for you to change your direction and your emotions and practice. Come out of your fake life – Allah says that we will have to listen to what He wants us to hear! This is how you will get Hidayah, by finishing off your own desires. Without doubt, the time has changed, and the generation has changed – every moment and every minute it will change. You will see this. Do you know what the next Ramadhan will be like, or where it will be or how it will be? We have to follow the guidance of Allah ta’ala - wherever He takes us, we have to follow that path. Who will believe in Imam Mahdi alahyi salam when he comes? Nobody will believe in him, but then the whole world will have to accept him and listen to him. They will have to accept him, so leave your desires and preferences and follow Allah’s preference and desires. See where you are getting Hidayah from and attach yourself to that – run to that. Keep on listening to that. SubhanAllah – this is not a minor thing. If you want the Akhirah, then know that the generation has changed; time has changed. Okay? Understand what I am trying to say. Those brothers who make effort for this, recording and uploading, do so in order that they can assist those who want to come onto the path, onto the Deen, and so that they can listen to Allah’s message.
So today, the discussion has sprung from the Hadith that we were discussing. It is a small part of the Hadith, but it has taken an hour to discuss it. There are different factors and phases and angles that can be taken from this Hadith. You may have forgotten what I said, but when you listen to the Bayan again, then Noor ‘ala Noor, you will pick up on this point and that point. Yes – this the message that Allah ta’ala wants to share. You will have grasped some things in your mind from what you have heard, but after you finish, come back to it because alhamdulillah, the more you listen to the words of a Faqir, the more you gain. The more you grind and make effort to repeat it and listen once, twice, three times, then I swear by Allah, new meanings will come to you. You will cover the whole chapter, the whole subject, from this small Hadith that I am sharing with you. Why? Because Allah ta’ala wants His Takbir to be elevated and shared – Allah wants this. We are nothing, nothing at all.
So what was the question in the Hadith? Ibn Mas’ud radhiAllahu anh said that a someone came to the gracious Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and asked a question, saying ‘Who is the greatest in the Sight of Allah?’ All other Ibadah was separated away at once through that one response of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. The answers that the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam would give were concise and brief and would change the lives of the people who heard them. So don’t work hard on these other things, rather, work hard on this factor - he changed the direction with this answer. So Ramadhan has come and we need to work hard on these points. Who is Afdhal? Who is the greatest? What did the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam say? He said ‘The greatest person in the Sight of Allah is he whose Akhlaq is the best.’ SubhanAllah! Say SubhanAllah – say SubhanAllah again!
Today, five days of fasting have passed – okay, you have done Ibadaat and have read ten Juz of Qur’an and done other acts of worship, but has anyone done this Ibadah for one second? Has this Ibadah taken place in any Masjid? Yes, it has! How will you attain this Ibadah? Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said ‘You will learn and attain this Ibadah by means of Dhikrullah.’ Through Dhikrullah – say SubhanAllah! This is because this Ibadah of Akhlaq does not come from the mouth or the limbs of the body – it come from the heart. Unless the heart is corrected and washed and purified by Dhikrullah, you can never do Ibadah correctly. Can you do Ibadah correctly? If your heart is not clean, then you haven’t even approached the reality of that all that other worship that you are toiling away at. Five fasts have passed, and if your heart had been clean, you would first have done this action of Akhlaq.
I don’t have time at the moment, otherwise I would explain in detail that the main Ibadah in Ramadhan that needs to be corrected is Akhlaq. Akhlaq should come into our hearts in such a way that whenever anyone commits excess with you, we do not just respond with Sabr. Good Akhlaq is not just having Sabr. If someone oppresses you and you have Sabr, this is not Akhlaq. If someone says ‘He slapped me, and I had Sabr’ – this is not Akhlaq. Do we think this is Akhlaq? No. Akhlaq means to respond to the person who slaps you in a particular way – how? You should respond to him with something better than what he gave you – this is Akhlaq. It is normal for a person to stay quiet when someone slaps him and turn the other cheek. The real way would be to give him a reward – take a note out of your pocket and give it to him, saying ‘I am sorry if I said something that you didn’t like – I can see that I broke your heart, so here, brother, take ten pounds as a reward.’ Have you ever done this until today? In that case you haven’t spent Ramadhan in the right way. Have you spent any previous Ramadhan in this way? Has a man of seventy years old ever learnt or demonstrated Akhlaq in Ramadhan? How has your Akhlaq been made in Ramadhan? Ramadhan has not come for the Qur’an, rather, the Qur’an has come to teach you how to cure your heart. Recite the Qur’an with the heart – bring it into your heart. “اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًاوَ عَمَلاً مُتَقَبَّل” Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam made this Dua – ‘Oh Allah, grant me useful knowledge so that my practice becomes accepted!’ Recite Qur’an in such a way that the words come into your life in practice - this is called reciting the Qur’an.
So think about the Ibadah of Ramadhan today. What is the Ibadah of Ramadhan? There are some more beautiful details that I need to explain to you, but I will stop because time is short. What we need to do is to pay attention - and how can we correct ourselves? By improving our Akhlaq. And how can we improve our Akhlaq? What essential and committed effort do we need to make? We need to correct the heart. And how do we correct the heart? By means of Dhikr of Allah. SubhanAllah. So how will we do this? Let’s say that you are doing Dhikr on a Tasbeeh, and thoughts come into your mind that you want to be pious and good, and that you want to become a friend of Allah and to have visions and dreams and miracles, and that you want to make a Khanqah and get more lessons from your Sheikh – many thoughts can come. So regarding these thoughts that come into the mind, it is a Sunnah of Allah that whatever you think something is, that is what Allah makes it. When you stand for Salah, whatever you stand for is what you will get. So what do we need to think? Listen – think ‘I am doing Dhikr so that I attain Akhlaq-e-Husnah. Oh Allah, eliminate bad Akhlaq and give me good Akhlaq!’ Then your Dhikr will have an immediate impact on your heart and it will clean and wash your heart. Say ‘La ilaha’ – leave all wrongful things – ‘illa-llah!’ - and then say ‘Oh Allah, I want the best Akhlaq to come into my heart.’ When you are calling Allah’s Name and doing ‘Allah, Allah, Allah!’ and calling Allah’s Name, say ‘Oh Allah, wash my heart and purify my heart so that it becomes tender and soft such that even my enemies start to love me.’ SubhanAllah.
This is the method, and this is the Akhlaq of Allah’s Nabi sallallahu alayhi wasallam, who spread this across the world and made people around the world into his lovers through his Akhlaq, through his manners and conduct and his character. Why do we do Dhikr? So that our hearts become washed and clean, and the sign of Dhikr is that it immediately has an impact on your Akhlaq. And when your Akhlaq is impacted, then the first thing that you will understand is the orders that are upon us in respect of different people, the duties that we have to people. You will start to fulfil the rights of the mother, of the children, of the sons, of the wife, of the sister – you will automatically start to implement the rights of those around you because your Akhlaq will improve. Do you understand what I am saying? So this is Akhlaq, and today, Ramadhan is making us practice this. We need to elevate our Akhlaq and to improve our Akhlaq. And what we strive to practice today, we will attain tomorrow inshaAllah; if you practice it, you will attain it.
So what is the effort of Ramadhan? How should we work hard in Ramadhan? We need to do Dhikr of Allah in order to illuminate our hearts with the Dhikr of Allah, and this is something that the whole world is running away from these days. Where are they running to? When Dhikr is mentioned, they become cold and say ‘InshaAllah I will do it one day – it is not necessary to do Dhikr.’ If Dhikr is not necessary, then nothing is necessary, oh mad people! Every success comes via Dhikr because Dhikr corrects the heart. If it is not necessary to correct the heart, then nothing is necessary – you might as well leave everything. Will we do Dhikr? InshaAllah. So learn Dhikr then. Come. I am sat here present with you - I am not sitting here to play games. If you say ‘Teach me Dhikr’, then I will make your heart alive. After that, Akhlaq will come and you can start working on Dhikr according to the way you are prescribed.
Alhamdulillah, make the Niyyah for Akhlaq, and before death you will receive the good news that you have attained the highest level of Akhlaq. You will give everyone the rights that are due to them, and you will speak to people with Akhlaq and give rights to all of them. If your wife oppresses you, you will think ‘What are the rights of my wife?’ You won’t respond to her slap with a slap in return – not at all. This is not Akhlaq. This is the conduct of the world, how things work in the world, but this is not the Akhlaq of Allah.
May Allah ta’ala give us such a Ramadhan and allow us to make this effort in Ramadhan. May Allah ta’ala give us the Tawfeeq. Ameen
Recite Durood Shareef.
