Hujjatul Islam Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi
(Principal Jamia Orwatul Wuthqa – Lahore)
Delivered at: Masjid Baitul ul Ateeq
Lahore – Pakistan
Friday Sermon – 24th March, 2023
Sermon 1: Fasting for cleansing and Quran for cultivation
Allah has established Taqwa for protection of human life as a divine plan from Allah (s) for human beings for every segment of life where there is specific Taqwa. Religion is for guidance and Taqwa is for protection. With religion guidance is deception and similarly without Taqwa protection is delusion. Those who feel that we are secure without Taqwa are under deception. They realize this several times in their lives that they are not secure in any dimension of life. Neither our religion, personality, women, wealth, life , end and hereafter are secure. Taqwa is the plan ordained by Allah and made arrangements for this amongst which is this blessed month of Ramadan given to us as mercy, gift and bounty from Allah (s). Allah has granted this opportunity to human beings who are occupied in routine chores of life where they forget their purpose of life due to Lahw and Lahb hence Allah has kept one month in the year where man can come out of negligence and stand on the path which Allah has ordained for man. The blessed month of Ramadan is that opportunity with man where he can do the journey of years in one month and even in one night as per Quran.
The Holy Prophet (s) has given specific guidance for this month in his sermon towards the end of Shaban. In this sermon he informed people about what type of month is coming towards you. He gave this awareness that believers can become acquainted with the specifics of the month and become prepared. This month is for Ibadah and the purpose of creation of man is also Ibadah of Allah. We have translated Ibadah as ritual worship and even that we could not do properly.
As per Arabic vocabulary Ibadat is being prepared for obedience to the orders of Allah. This is Abdiyat. Taabid means to prepare something that is unprepared for its purpose and task. For this preparation this month of Ramadan is the best season. It is also termed as Rabi ul Quloob, the spring of heart and soul. It is necessary to understand it correctly so that the doubts are removed and we can avail the best benefit out of it. It is our practice that we waste opportunities. Like it is the season of spring whereby the earth wakes up for vegetation. The month of Ramadan is not like this spring whereby on its own goodness gets born inside man. The vegetation that grows on its own in spring season are dangerous, poisonous herbage which are generally cut off and removed. If they grow then turn into a jungle and is not worth for living in such places. The thing that grows on its own by rain and spring even the animals don’t eat it most of the time and they are removed. We can translate this is as the month of cultivation. In the season of cultivating wheat the farmers prepare their farms for cultivation.
Ramadan is the month of cultivation which we have to do it ourselves and not that Ramadan would grow it on its own. The thing that grows on its own won’t be beneficial. Like in Ramadan certain things grow on its own like rituals, food, Iftar parties without fasting like wild herbs which are harmful. The extravagance grows in Ramadan. In this month whatever you cultivate in the month it will grow. You have to cultivate things in a particular season which is always limited. The farmers do all the cultivation during this short period. This cultivation on time becomes the means of sustenance for millions of people. If this farming and cultivation would not take place in Pakistan then it would result into starvation of people. This is the month of cultivation, whereby the season will not grow anything, you have to cultivate seeds in this month and prepare the earth for this.
Man should also cultivate seeds of whatever things man needs. Those seeds which were planted last year man should nurture that and those which have grown you need to protect them so that they bear the fruits. The another thing to be done is that since due to negligence we have spent our lives in purposeless things. It is possible that a person has spent 30, 40 years of their lives in Lahw and Lahb.
This season is repeated every year so that someone living a purposeless life wakes up to realize his loss in life and then cultivates what is required. But the crops produced due to purposeless things we have to remove those as well first. It is not possible that you cultivate the seeds of guidance within the wild bushes, it will not grow.
This is a 30 days’ workshop which Allah has kept for man to get him out of Lahw and Lahb, which means purposeless things and those things which makes man forget his purpose. We have produced many things in such a life , we have to repair those, purify our soul so that the seed of guidance can get cultivated. For this month of Ramadan Allah has kept and inside this is Sawm (Fasting) which means purification. The purpose of fasting is for purification. The crop of Lahw that has grown we need to finish that off. The farmers when they harvest crops they burn the roots. If they cultivate the new crops and try to grow the new crop on the same it will not grow. One way is to deep plough the farm and there are various ways like spraying so that the left over after harvesting is completely finished. Since this is a condition to remove the previous crop before new grows. For man as well from the time we were born the seeds got pollinated inside us. We can see on roofs, outside place herbs , bushes grow but the question is who got the seeds on these places. This has been done by breeze and birds. The breeze carries many seeds inside and they transfer these seeds to other places. They do pollination which is the process of reproduction. The breeze does this and the birds when they eat something, they do not digest the seeds which comes out and wherever it is left something grows from there.
This is present in humans as well. the corrupt seeds has come inside our existence from various ways, some with sense and some without. They have filled the land of our existence and heart. Then these seeds have grown and become adults. If we assess the personality we will see it like a forest where every unnecessary thing is present. When the season of cultivation has come, we have to clean things which are unreasonable. To do this one is Sawm to do cleansing and then for new crop is Quran. The actual identification of Ramadan is Quran. This is the month of cultivation of Quran. The Nuzool of Quran is on the heart now. Those personalities who are not qur’anic it does not descend on their heart. Those who are living lives of cultural, community, flocking thy need to clean these. The Sawm (Fasting ) is not hardship but is a mercy and a blessed thing which prepares man to develop his Quranic personality. We enter these days unprepared. We enter such seasons or sacred places with the imagination of getting inside Car Wash where the dirty car enters the car wash and gets cleaned , polished to come out. We think that sacred places like Kaaba, shrines of Imams are like car wash where there is water, pressure pipes and shampoo presents which washes us from all sides and we become polished by Angels inside. This is wrong perception. You have been called there to do something yourselves. It is not car wash but workshop where you have to prepare yourself. Similarly we think that Ramadan has come, you just watch and see what it makes out of you. The way spring produces greenery, but the one that grows on its own is poisonous. Major time is spent to clean this dangerous herbage. The filth, dangerous animals, pests come in these. The herbage which farmer cultivates in the farms with selected seeds is useful for us. The month of Ramadan is such season where we have to do cultivation ourselves. The quality of the month is whatever you cultivate will grow and how much you cannot even count and measure.
There are many laws and orders which the Prophet has expressed in this sermon. This narration comes from Imam Raza (a.s) in Uyoon Al Akhbar.
Imam Ali (a.s) says that one day the Holy Prophet (s) delivered a sermon. As per some historic facts this sermon was on the last Friday of Shaban. The Holy Prophet (s) said:
O people ! The month of Allah has turned its face towards you and you should be prepared to receive and welcome it. This is month of Allah coming with Barakah, Rahmat and Maghferah. This spring is coming to you with blessings, mercy and forgiveness. The meaning of Barakah in Arabic and Quran means to increase something. This is not a complete meaning but one part of it. The complete meaning is man gets something which does not finish. There are certain things which are consumables and finish after sometime, which you have to buy again. The Arabs use the term Birkah for the water well or pond which is always filled with water. The water never ends inside. The source of the water is either under the earth or coming from sky but it will never be dry and has abundance. The word Barakah came from this source to be used for other things. Anything that comes for use by everyone and does not end. The wealth and Taufeeqat which are in abundance that does not end is Barakah. We pray and say Mubarak, which means Barakah should come in that. The use of this thing should be general for all and no shortfalls should come in that. We earn money which is not used by anyone and is not used in the way of Allah as well. The money gets wasted by children or usurped by others. There is wealth but there is no Barakah. Similarly there is house, children but no Barakah. There is no Khair in it. There are unethical problems, lust and even neighbors are as well tired of that house. Not every big thing is Barakah, instead something which has goodness and everyone is getting benefit out of it.
The month of Ramadan has come with this specific quality of Barakah for everything. It has come with a never ending treasure and you have to receive this Barakah. You can take Barakah in health, thinking, education, sustenance, ethics, personality , country, community , Ummah and it is upto you on what you want to get out of this Barakah.
It is like a big truck of courier goods comes to you and tells you to take things out of that container which had many things. You had no time and you sent child there, who asked for toys which was not present. The container returns back. To the extent you can assume you will find container standing outside of Allah. The size is made by Allah and it is standing on your door for 30 days which you have to receive with preparation.
We say Ramadan Mubarak which means this month should become the means of Barakah. The one for whom Ramadan becomes Mubarak, then that person will not have any shortfall in life and hereafter. The greed as well ends and this is how Ramadan treats you. We will discuss our traits in further sermons.
May Allah grant us Taufeeq to understand the secrets of this Barakah.
SECOND SERMON
Sermon 2: Why do Maulanas enforce crescent sighting?
I invite you all and emphasize, preach you towards divine Taqwa to live your lives in accordance with Taqwa.
For Taqwa Allah has made arrangement and one source of this is month of Ramadan and inside this is Fasting (Sawm). This opportunity is available for everyone. The address is to all people that this month of Allah is coming towards you. But Allah says that benefits would be availed by Muttaqeen only. The source of Taqwa specifically has been made as Sawm (fasting).
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ {183}
O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil).
The fasting has been ordained for you so that you can acquire Taqwa. This is unique form of Ibadat but not ritualistic worship. Ibadah is from Abdiyat which means to be prepared for obedience of orders from Allah. The purpose from Salaat and Saum are both to get prepared. With ritualistic worship man only gets some peace but not gets prepared. The preparation is done through Establishment of Salaat and through Fasting. These are termed as Ibadah because we are expressing this preparation. To become prepared is Abdiyat and to express in front of everyone that I am prepared for Abdiyat of Allah is Ibadah.
All the Ibadah’s have these two specifics, one is they prepare for Abdiyat and second is expression of this preparation. As mentioned in our lectures of Tafseer, Abdiyat means to tame something like a camel to bear the burden. Preparing anything for its purpose is Moabbada. Similarly someone who is not read for obedience, preparing him for obedience is Moabbad. Now this Abd after being prepared is told to deliver this act. This quality is present most in Salaat. The best act for preparation is Salaat and then Zakat, and after this is Sawm which develops good preparation inside man.
The Sawm (fasting) has several levels for which Amirul Momineen (a) has expressed the most. Lady Fatema (s) also has done a beautiful expression. The scholars have compiled these as three levels of Fasting.
One is to control the hunger and thirst. Since hunger is also a Shahwat which means craving. The thirst is also Shahwat and similarly there is physical lust. Sawm means to stop your self from doing something. One stage is that your stop your lusts. The three big lusts are hunger, thirst and sexual desires. Since you are not stopping these throughout the year and the thing which man does more it starts to dominate. The Shahwat are craving that is aroused which needs tranquilization. One stage of Fasting is to stop your lusts and control them.
The second stage of Sawm comes is where you have to control your senses like ears, eyes, tongue. These three senses are the most involved in destruction of man and they need to be controlled.
The third stage of Sawm is heart and mind. The fasting of belly, then of sense and of heart. The first one is easy and ordered for everyone. This means you should not eat when Shahwat tells you, but eat when you want to. When you have intention then you should do it.
These three in order are levels and the outcome is as per their levels. If someone can control Shahwat and not other two levels, then also purpose is not achieved. If someone controls lust but not senses, then also purpose is not achieved. But if the third one is achieved then the rights of fasting is delivered.
One issue apart from this is crescent sighting that comes up globally. This observation of crescent is not related to Taqlid whereby the Faqih has to observe and Muqallid has to follow. The Muqallid also can see but not order others. This is not the issue of Maulvi but of everyone. They are all same. The importance of observation of crescent is for everyone. This is a term of Ahle Sunnat scholar who has written in his book against sectarian Maulvis. He writes that you refrain from Haram is not Taqwa but you are professionally Maulana. If you don’t do this then people will not give you donation. You don’t drink Alcohol but do sectarianism which is a major crime. This issue of crescent sighting has become professionalism of Maulana. This is not related to you, so why you do you interfere. If someone sees it is proven, if two just persons give witness it is proven, or if it becomes famous from some source then it is proven. Why do these Shai maulanas enforce crescent sighting? The primary reason is if Rahbar says crescent is sighted, they will say not, if he says not then they will say yes it is sighted. Even in the era of Imam Sadiq (A) the followers would do the same. Someone asked a Faqeeh whether we should close our eyes or not in prostration. He said that if Imam Sadiq (a) opens you close it, if he closes his eyes you keep open. This month crescent was clearly proven. On the horizon of Pakistan, the age of moon was 25 hours and still they were struggling to say if crescent is sighted or not. It was due to sectarianism which these Maulanas play with religion. The Maulanas will not change but the people should realize this. You should not fast or break on the statements of Maulana. If it gets proven to you personally then you act accordingly. You can see in this era on internet the scientific data about crescent sighting. This year I had the fear that there will be issue. The government has cancelled the budget of dinner for crescent sighting. But still we are thankful that they did not play around. To do with Saudi or not to do with Saudi are all political stances. You should follow as per your Shariah and the people should not be worried from these Maulanas. When something is not kept for Maulana. With technology we can prove whether it is visible by eyes or telescope. This grievous thing is that this always gets repeated. May Allah give salvation from these maulanas who have complicated religion for us.
