Hujjatul Islam Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi
(Principal Jamia Orwatul Wuthqa – Lahore)
Delivered at: Masjid Baitul ul Ateeq
Lahore – Pakistan
Friday Sermon – 23rd December, 2022
Sermon 1: Sabr is not individual but social
Sermon 2: Love of Ali crumbles the self of lover
Allah has established Taqwa for protection of human life as a divine plan and is expressed for every segment of life and amongst those dimensions of life one segment is social life which is the actual and major part of life. If there is only social life then it is impossible for individual life to come into existence and survive. Taqwa is also more related to social life more.
Hence in Surah Ale Imran, the last verse 200 Allah says
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اصْبِرُوا وَصَابِرُوا وَرَابِطُوا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ {200}
O you who believe! be patient and support others for patience and remain steadfast, and be careful of (your duty to) Allah, that you may be successful
The believers are addressed and ordered for Sabr, Sabiru, Rabetu and Ittaqu. The outcome of these four orders is to achieve Falah. Collectively in this verse there are 6 meanings which are related to each other. It is a very small verse but has 6 detailed topics connected to each other.
The first element is Emaan where believers are addressed. Then second element is faithful are asked to be patient, then third is to make others patient, fourth is to establish connection and then acquire Taqwa so that you become prosperous. These four orders are meant for believers to achieve Falah. The first meaning is the address to believers and then the other orders are related to Faith. When man adopts a life of faith then that life demands patience (Sabr). A believer’s life is expectant to patience. The assumptions that are present in our minds related to faith has kept us away from faith. Despite of being termed as faithful we are living a life of unfaithful. As Allah says in Surah Baqarah that there are some who claim that we believe but Quran says their claim is untrue that they are not believers instead are just deceiving people and want to deceive Allah as well. In these words of theirs that they are believers is a deception. Eman is from Amn and those who have adopted the means of Amn (peace, security) and are living their lives accordingly are believers. The one who has granted himself safety and giving to others is a believer.
A believer is not the one who is born in some Muslim home and has just thought in his mind that because I believe in certain things I am believer. Allah has expressed few realities to believers that when you establish your relationship with these realties then you are believer. The foremost is the essence and attributes of Allah; connection with which gives safety to man. Then there is hereafter which is after is life and man should have belief means have a relationship with this as well to remain in safety. Then the constitution of Allah that has been revealed by Allah, to adopt these and bring them in practice are all means of security and safety of life, that is Amn. Like when forces are present in country with laws, weapons then there is safety, security in the country. The life of believer is in need of peace and security. Emaan as well has been made so complicated by many scholars and others to the extent that even scholars cannot elaborate and clearly present Emaan. This is because a straight meaning of Quran has been made complicated. Emaan means the essentials, means of life which man acquires to get security and peace.
Since Emaan is acquiring the means, causes given by Allah then he has to leave many other means, laws which are not from Allah. A believer has to leave the life , culture, facts which are not from Allah. When he rejects, abandons these things he gets into difficulty. Maybe he has to leave his family, brothers, wife., children, tribe for the sake of getting security as these others are not on path of Allah but of Taghoot which man has to quit. When man acquires the means of security (Amn) from Allah then he has to leave many things due to which he faces difficulties. And then under these difficulties he has to show patience, perseverance. Patience is the name of this perseverance. When you have got faith then you have acquired many things and left many, but if you have not done this then you are those false claimants who are not believers but deceivers. A believer in the terminology of Quran are those who have done two things; one is to leave Taghoot and their constitution, ways and jobs. The first is to leave Taghoot and then bring faith on Allah. In La Ilaha Illallah first is LA that is to leave the governance of everyone other than Allah. If you have done this, then you are believers and then next step is of patience. As after faith there are difficulties, hardships where you need Sabr. But if you have not traversed the fist stage then need for patience does not come because you were just false claimant and in front of Allah you are not hypocrite. If you are really faithful then Emaan provides many facilities and hardships also come.
In tradition there are three fields where hardships are faced by man where man has to demonstrated patience. Once is in obedience to remain firm within the limits of Allah. On streets we have ways which we do not walk properly but go left and right. The Seraate Mustaqeem which is the path made by Allah is from birth to hereafter which is a very narrow lane and to walk on such a path man needs perseverance. As there are forces that would push man outside the limits of Allah. One is the carnal self and second is Shaitan; one inside and other outside. They are both very powerful. The meaning of obedience is that throughout life in both primary and secondary affairs you have to live within the laws of Allah. Both powers are very powerful and busy day and night to take man away from the limits. The Shaitan never sleeps. Both are very powerful and they both want to take man away from Allah. Even if they get someone from Allah for even a minute they find it achievement. There is no importance of time. They try to deviate man. When man has got Emaan then show patience, which means show perseverance against these two powers. It means continue the path and not leave the path.
The second field of patience are calamities (Masaeb), which means hardships, severity. When man comes on the path of Emaan then Masaeb also attack at the same time. Amirul Momineen (a) says even if mountains love me it will crumble. The path of Emaan is such that calamities starts on the path. Man easily submits to calamities. When some trouble comes, he changes the path, intention because this path is giving hardship.
The third path is of disobedience. When man acquires the path of faith, tries to walk careful then sins, disobedience circles man. They are standing everywhere. The Satan, Self, friends, desires arouse man towards disobedience. When man moves in the way of Allah the sins call to man that the means are ready and man has to demonstrate patience here.
Isbaru means to acquire patience and then similarly Saberu, which means you have to give patience to each other. This is to acquire social patience else individual patience can neither protect individual nor your society. How this gets developed? By admonishing and preparing each other for perseverance. We act oppositely against the work of Allah and then we say we have faith. Allah says then you are not believer.
These four are orders of Fiqh. But in entire Fiqh there is no Fatwa found for Sabr, Rabeta, Taqwa in entire Fiqh. This is because the Fiqh which we have is for individual life and Quran is presenting these laws for social life. The entire Ummah should together acquire perseverance. The thing which we do against Quran is to weaken others. They break the courage of each other. Those who have done this crime might be listening. Some child decides to go to madrassah the parents weaken his determination. When parents decides, others should motivate them and not weaken them or scare them. When a child, family , group decides to walk on the path of Allah then they several weaken their determination. If in Pakistan today you talk about the politics of Taghoot everyone will appreciate you. But if you talk about system of wilayat people will say this cannot happen here. The order is that you have to give patience. We have to give courage to each other. If we don’t do then we are not believers. We in our lives are doing everything practically against Quran. Like you make school for Tarbiyat for children, they get Islamic atmosphere to develop personalities. Then these claimants of belief see their behavior. We have experimented this hence I am saying. People will say what school are you sending your children? They will weaken those who have decided to send their children to a positive , Islamic school. But if you are sending children to a school where ther are drugs, no one will object and criticize about ethical corruption present in these schools. This is our attitude and system.
The personal perseverance, patience does not reach anywhere. Unless all don’t bring perseverance things will not change. We are deceivers who neither show patience nor help others to be patient. Wife, family members siting inside home who are claiming to be believers will object as to what you have done by sending children to such school. Then all those who listen that you have send your children to some Islamic Tarbiyat school, everyone will criticize. This is a society that is against Quran. This is because in the Fiqh there is no fatwa of weaken the determination of others. Musabera means to help someone in patience and perseverance and against this is to weaken the determination. Quran says what kind of believer you are. This social perseverance is the order of Quran. The path is such that everyone should do this together. Everyone has to invite each other towards patience. They go to home of others and for hours they will weaken the courage of each other. Such a person who weakens others for the right step by others is Satan.
Then other elements also need elaboration which we will talk later.
SECOND SERMON
Amirul Momineen in saying no 111
Sahl ibn Hunayf al-Ansari died at Kufa after his return from the battle of Siffeen and he was very much loved by Amir al-mu’minin, peace be upon him. On this occasion Amir al-mu’minin said: Even if a mountain had loved me, it would have crumbled down.
. وقال عليه السلام وقد توفي سهل بن حُنَيْفٍ الاَنصاري بالكوفة بعد مرجعه معه من صفين، وكان من أحبّ الناس إليه: لَوْ أَحَبَّنِي جَبَلٌ لَتَهَافَتَ
After Battle of Siffeen, Ali did various important steps. His tone, temperament and style changed after this battle. Many important sermons, sayings were delivered by Ali after Battle of Siffeen which was a turning point. This saying is one of those.
Sahl ibn Hunaif was from trustworthy companions of Ali and was one of those few highly beloved companions. He was the companion of Prophet (s) and he also carries this virtue that he remained loyal to the progeny of Prophet and was always obedient to Amirul Momineen (a). When Ali suspended Muawiyah and sent letter to him , Ali made Sahl ibn Hunaif as his replacement. When they got the news they did not allow Sahl to even enter Syria and turned him back. When Ali (a) heard the news that he has passed away after battle of Siffeen. Then Ali said even if mountains love me it will crumble to pieces. Tahafut means something breaks by pieces. This breaking and falling by pieces in Arabic is known as Tahafut. These are those statements of Ali where the commentators of Nahjul Balagha are astonished on what Ali meant by it. Everyone did the commentary on their own and Syed Razi also did the Tafsir of Nahjul Balagha. He was the one who compiled Nahjul Balagha also expressed the meaning and said “The meaning of this is that since the trial of the man who loves Amir al-mu’minin will be so, severe troubles would leap towards him, and this is not the case except with the God-fearing, the virtuous and select good.”
This Tafsir is not that appealing because many lovers of ali are living good and happy life as well with good positions. We can see lovers of Ali in both situations like in calamities as well as happiness. If we see in Pakistan those who love Ali they are in both situations. Like when flood came it drowned everyone including lovers of Ali. The calamities do not question whom you love or not? Like inflation, unemployment is for all in Pakistan today. This is not the intention of this saying which Syed Razi has quoted. Some other scholars have also interpreted.
The right interpretation which can be is that love with anyone is based on certain foundations. The love of Ali has this demand that anyone who loves will crumble to pieces which Ali has expressed for everyone who loves him and not for specific group. This is a very deep thing and highly fundamental which Ali said on the passing away of companion to everyone. Everyone understood but the commentators have confused us. The commentators have made even faith so complex, we cannot differentiate between Faith and Knowledge, between Yaqeen and Emaan. Whether Emaan was so complex that we cannot solve it. This means there has been such things in Tafsir of Emaan which has created this confusion. If you ask Quran then Emaan is straight forward. When Gibrael would come with verse Prophet would not ask Gabriel what is the intention of Allah. The Messenger of Allah would recite the verse to People and people won’t ask others what the messenger is saying or intending ,the hypocrite and jews would create confusion as to do you understood what he said. For believers it is said that when verse of Quran descend it enhances the faith. But the hypocrites and jews try to entangle things. If we learn Quran from Quran it is easy. The Nahjul Balagha is also like this only.
In this saying Ali says that anyone who loves me will get shredded to pieces and fall. To understand this we have to understand Ali and love, then third thing is the outcome of the love. Love is an attraction inside man. It develops from beloved and rays come towards lover. The way from magnet radiations come out which attracts iron. Same way the beloved who is loved , a wave comes out that reaches lover and attracts the lover towards him. An orientation gets developed in lover towards beloved. What is that thing which releases these waves for lovers. There is a difference between lust and love. One is the physical attraction which is lust. The way in animals there is male and female and always male goes towards female. In animals, they are not lustful always, they have season for lust. They develop lust in a particular season then ends. For man the lust is perpetual and not seasonal. The attraction of lust is present in female and it pulls male. You will see in humans; it is man always after woman. You can see mobile of man they have pics of woman and not in mobile of woman. You can see for experimenting. Check 100 mobiles of man and 100 of woman, you will find who has attraction in what. The woman gets attracted by clothes, gold, etc. If some man is seen going towards woman then this is lust and not love. We mistakenly consider lust as love. Mohabbat and Ishq are two separate things. Mohabbat (love) does not gets developed through lust. The beloved and lover attracting with lust is not love.
Love happens when there is some perfection ,ethics, values, skills present. These things radiate waves of attraction. A female decorates and comes out, and man is ready and gets attracted. This is lustful attraction. One attraction is towards good attributes, values and wherever these are present, they generate waves and pulls everything. When some waves of virtues like high values, ethics, manners come and all these have attraction. The way female has lustful trait that pulls man. You won’t see other things getting attracted to woman, like trees, pillars, clothes, animals but only man that goes after her. The attraction in magnet only pulls iron. Every attraction has a special relationship with something specific.
The perfection, good traits, esteemed personality, nobility and dignity in someone attracts sensible people. They hit the non-sensible persons but returns back. Sense in Arabic is Shaoor, which is hair, that is ability to understand something very thin and precise. Shaoor (Sense) is the mental ability by which man can understand very deep, fine and thin things. If someone has perfect traits which are precise, deep then these waves will attract people will sense. When a person with perfect traits pulls and the other comes in attraction with this person then he loses his own existence. In lust as well then male comes in contact with female he forgets himself and just moves around the female. Love happens with high noble traits, when these things are seen in some personality then man gets attracted towards this virtues, and when he moves towards the beloved, then he forgets his own personality. When some esteemed traits are liked by a lover, then it is not that the lover starts to praise the beloved but instead the trait attracts the lover and has become lover of that perfection and not person. Then when this perfection pulls lover then this trait is not present in lover, then the personality of lover breaks. The love has two attributes. One is that all the deficiencies, weakness of lover is burnt by love and breaks the lover. This is the attribute of every love. But we should know the objects of love; that is not with gender, money, clothes, which are all lust. Love is always with perfect traits, talents, skills, art and when this love happens to lover, the love breaks everything inside the personality of the lover. Now he starts to develop his personality according to beloved.
Ali says why this person has left this world. He had crumbled before death and this can happen even if a mountain comes near me. This is because love breaks the lover into pieces. Those who have come near to Ali in his love their personality has become like Ali. The same verses where some say that we love Ali but are not broken are false claimants. They were fools, before and no as well. They were ill mannered before and now as well.
Like one more point is that we love Allah. There is a difference between love of Allah and Nemat of Allah. Allah says very few love me, mostly they love the means, health, safety given by Allah. You are lover of yourself and not of Allah. Ali says if I don’t get heaven and hell then also I will love the same way. I love Allah because I found you worthy of worship hence I love and worship you. If we have love of Houries in heart and tongue says Allah Allah. Like in politics we start to love some minister they start to love him. If you have love with Allah then the love of Allah will break you. The love of saints of Allah is also like that. Ali has testified the high state of Sahl ibn Hunaif, that he is the person who in my love crumbled to pieces. The way the mountain crumbled with the light of Allah for Moosa, the same way. Those who love Ali but still lack dignity, zeal, honor and are miser, timid, weak, ignorant, fool, senseless who are they? They are not lovers but deceivers. They don’t love Allah but paradise and those bounties of Allah which they love. The love should break our ego, has it broken yet? Why Ali was loving Sahl? This is because Sahl had no ego in him. These traits should be broken inside us and love is the easiest means by which this can be done. As per Ghalib one stroke is enough to bring down the mountain in love. To break our personality is the demand of love. The personality develops in accordance with beloved. May Allah grant us the Taufeeq that the love of Ali develops us.
One more subject is related to our Mosque as in this chilling cold you are all shivering. This mosque is a Ne’mat with you and Allah says to express the bounties which he has given to us. This mosque is a unique mosque not because we have built it or it is massive. There are other bigger and beautiful mosques as well. The first uniqueness of this mosque is that it is made by the hands of believers and not by government money. The second specialty is that this mosque is for worship and education both. In the basement there is convention hall where throughout the year there are conferences, gatherings and workshops conducted. Similarly this floor is getting ready and believers are trying their best to get this all done. And this mosque deserves to get completed for various activities throughout the year. Allah will give you Taufeeq to support this great work. The dome will get ready and then the work for tiles should complete. Such multipurpose mosques are less in Pakistan. Those who made the mosques will get the credit through their lives and hereafter. The hosts of this mosque are getting divine spiritual benefits. This mosque will remain active for 24 hrs. Inshallah when it gets completed where Taleem , Tarbiyat and Ibadat will take place in an organized manner. There will be continuous programs for men, woman, youths and various sections of community. The mosque gives hardships to believers during extreme summer and winter. Inshallah soon we will come out of this. Many people think that since work is going on they don’t consider supporting us and only become alert when things stop. There is no point to visit someone at death instead you should support before death at the right time.
