Hujjatul Islam Ustad Syed Jawad Naqvi
(Principal Jamia Orwatul Wuthqa – Lahore)
Delivered at: Masjid Baitul ul Ateeq
Lahore – Pakistan
Friday Sermon – 31st March, 2023
Sermon 1: Sermon of Prophet – Manifesto of Guidance for Ramadan
I invite you all, myself and emphasize you to acquire Taqwa in your lives and make your lives in accordance with Taqwa. It is the divine plan for human life and its honor, respect and prestige. The arrangement for Taqwa made by Allah has one good opportunity as the Holy Month of Ramadan. These days which are repeated every year Allah (s) has made as the best suitable days where the journey of man is being made easy. This is an established fact of Quran that Allah created human being and after creation man has to develop and nurture his personality as per divine guidance and also protect himself from calamities.
In routine days what man does gives one outcome but the same deeds which man does in this season of Ramadan the outcome multiplies. The Holy Prophet (s) has mentioned in his Sermon that this month of Allah has turned its face towards you with Rahmat, Maghferat and Barakat. But all these need to be derived from this month and are not forcibly given to you. You have to come forward to take benefits from this opportunity. He says: This is the greatest month near Allah and its days, nights, moments are all esteemed as compared to other days. In this month you are invited as guests by Allah. This is expressed as nobility of Allah because we are always on the divine mat in other months as well because sustainer is the essence of Allah for every creation. The sustenance of other months and this month of Ramadan has a difference. At times things are sent to you but at the times you are invited as guest and offered the most useful and essential things. Allah (s) has kept this month for hosting believers as guest. The Prophet is saying that Allah is the host and you are his guests and the food mat which Allah has prepared is highly esteemed. We should get prepared in best way to receive so that we are not deprived. The Prophet (s) says that you are hosted exclusively for Karamat of Allah. As we have mentioned before Karamat is the best ethical trait of man. As per Arabs Kareem is the best person who has gathered esteemed qualities inside his character. When man develops a broad heart, vision, mercy, forgiveness then this person is Kareem who is a comprehensive person. The month of Ramadan is the month of Karamat. In this month your breathes are Tasbih and if you sleep in the month of Ramadan then this is worship. Any act you do in this month will get accepted if it falls within the framework of deeds getting accepted. Allah has kept no condition for giving as he gives to everyone. This is because his Khaliq, Malik and Rabb of everyone who has to nurture everyone whom he has created. The Quran also says whatever you ask we will give you. If you ask for temporary things of world we will give you. If you ask for long term things we will give that as well. We give you hereafter as well as the world which are all unconditional. There is no condition for Allah to give and this is our misunderstanding that when we get something from Allah we think we are very good people hence Allah has given us. But Allah has not kept any condition, he gives to infidels, corrupt persons as well. He gives to all but when Allah takes back he has kept condition that Allah only accepts from Muttaqeen. He gives to non Muttaqee as well but does not takes them through several ways. Either he corrupts their intention that they never think of giving. They do not even think what we have taken from Allah we have to give back. Even if they make intention then also some difficulty comes up which means Allah does not like that he even comes in Allah’s presence. If we think like Imam Sajjad (a) then we should think why others have Taufeeq and not me. He is only giving me and not taking back from me. He has kept on my own? He has me handed over to my wealth? To some Allah gives wealth and hands them over to wealth which drives the person. The one whom Allah likes gives wealth he makes Allah as Maalik and spends where Allah wants.
The Prophet says that in this month your acts are accepted. Your supplications are accepted in this month. The meaning of supplication is not seeking something. The Dua means to call and remember someone. Dua means someone associated like child calling parent, but when you call someone not related it is termed as “Nida”. The Nida is the sign of being far and Dua means affiliation or closeness. When you seek something from Allah and if that is in accordance to divine customs you get that also definitely. But the Dua is listened in all situations. Anyone who calls Allah he listens and this Dua when it gets accepted he feels in the heart.
The Prophet is teaching us on what we should seek from Allah with sincere, pure heart. But what? He says the Taufeeq of Siyam and Tilawat of Quran. We have expressed the meaning of Taufeeq which are not means. It implies whatever you have you should orient that in the direction in accordance with purpose. Allah has given us means and also a purpose but they are not aligned. The means are used in different direction as compared to purpose. It is like husband and wife are inclined in different directions. This means they are not in agreement. It is like the example of Maulana Rumi about Majnu riding on She camel and her baby was left behind. When Majnu would sleep while riding, the She camel would turn back towards her child. This is because the direction, purpose and beloved of both Majnu and She camel are different. Maulana gives this resemblance of body and Soul. The Fitrat takes man in one direction, but when it sleeps or becomes negligent, the body brings it back into desires and lust. The same example can be applied in various places like Taufeeq. Allah has given us a purpose and also given means to reach that purpose. But we have changed the direction of means towards something else. We should ask in Holy Month of Ramadan the Taufeeq for Siyam. We have been given the means by Allah but we are not changing the direction towards Siyam. We should seek Taufeeq of Siyam from Allah and also the Taufeeq of doing Tilawat of Quran. The apparent meaning of Tilawat we do is recitation, but the real meaning of Tilawat is to follow Quranic guidance after understanding.
The Prophet (s) says that accursed person is one who remains deprives from forgiveness of Allah. When all the opportunities are given to get sins, mistakes forgiven by Allah but still he could not avail that. He has spent life in accordance with the desires of self, and in negligence. The Gufran means compensation and this is the month for that. You might be hating your own past life as well and Allah can give salvation from such an adulterated life. In this month we have to bear thirst and hunger. When you leave food, water then you will feel these. This should be felt. What benefit will hunger and thirst give you? The benefit is that one hunger, thirst is of Qayamat which we are negligent of that day. Today’s fasting should make us remember that day’s hunger, thirst and this fasting saves us from that. This feeling of hunger, thirst which is aroused in our self should make us realize the hunger, thirst of others. There are some people who are spending their entire lives in hunger, thirst.
You should do charity in this month and amongst this is Infaq which is a trait of believer as mentioned by Allah in Quran. The way salaat of Ramazan and others days are not same, similarly the Infaq of this month and other months are not same. The Infaq of the month of Ramadan what you get as compensation is multiple times. The Prophet (s) says give Sadaqat, which means express your sincerity. Then respect your elders and do not insult them. Those who are higher in age, servitude, knowledge you should respect them and those who are young have mercy on them. Establish relationship with your relatives in Ramadan. The things which are not permissible to be seen close your eyes. Similarly close your ears to those voices which are not permissible for you to listen. Those who are orphans you should become compassionate on them so that tomorrow if your children becomes orphans then Allah also becomes compassionate on them. Then do repentance. Always raise your hands for Dua specifically at the times of Salaat. This is the best time. During Salaat Allah has specific attention towards believers praying. This praying person when he calls Allah from heart or by tongue Allah listens. When they call Allah , he says Welcome to them. If they do Nida, Dua or Munajat Allah listens to them during the time of Salaat.
This one paragraph of the sermon of Prophet has complete manifesto of guidance for Ramadan. This sermon’s Tafseer has been done before in Qom. The believers should write this as a manifesto of Ramadan for servitude. May Allah grant us the Taufeeq to deliver the rights and etiquettes of Ramadan the way the Holy Prophet (s) has guided us.
SECOND SERMON
Controlling Senses – Second level of Fasting
The Sawm is one of the means of acquiring Taqwa which is the part of Ramadan. Fasting is an act delivered inside Ramadan even though fasting can be done outside of Ramadan. Sawm means to stop man from doing some act. This Sawm as worship is in this sense of stopping only. In this stopping has nurturing, development and wisdom for man. There are many things which man does is harmful for man and to stop man from doing these things is Sawm. This Sawm is normal whereby you can see parents stopping child from doing several things. And most of the times parents are stopping children from doing things. Since they are child which means immature, lack of knowledge hence ready to do anything. The parents observe and stop the child from doing things in which there is goodness.
Those who are elderly can remember their full past life where their friends would be doing certain things which if they would have been stopped would not have destroyed them. If you think that you would have done those things then where would you be standing. Like drugs are common now in society. If some youth is going towards drugs and if not stopped then this youth would get destroyed. If you were stopped from certain things due to whatever means, and you are successful today then you would have also got destroyed if not stopped. If we ponder that we have been secure because of abstaining from doing things in many places. Those who do not stop but jump into every act and become part of it definitely gets destroyed. The Sawm is the same discipline where you are taught to not do everything. It is not only for crimes. At times man should stop from permissible things so that his intention and will power becomes stop. Like a person is hungry and to reach food he needs means, strength so that he can reach good food. He uses his wealth, intention, strength and arranges good food. For this bigger power is required. We can see Gyms where body building is done. These youths build their body and then show their naked body. You can build your body but do not demonstrate.
The famous incident where Prophet was passing by and some youths were doing competition of lifting stones. The Prophet was asked to become judge. The Prophet said at the end that the most powerful person is one who can stop his carnal self. Something which he can do without any obstacle, but stops is powerful. If you have become angry then to express is not strength but to control it is strength and this is for every feeling. Believers need this strength and for this Allah has made Sawm as obligatory. There are some narrations related to Sawm from Ahlulbayt (a).
There are three types of Sawm. One is of eating food. This strengthens your will power because everything is present and only your intention is stopping you from not doing. Man gets abnormal will power with this. The second is stopping the five senses. Since stopping food man gets will power to some extent. But if you stop eating but do not stop tongue, eyes and ears, then the strength which you have gained by fasting of food gets wasted. The apparent level of fasting is to refrain from food, water and permissible lust during fasting. If man refrains from these but is not controlling eyes, tongues, ears then this strength, will power getting developed by refraining from food and lust is getting wasted. To protect this, you need to do fasting of senses as well.
Lady Fatema (s) says that this fasting person who has refrained from food, water and lust but is not controlling his eyes, tongues what use this fasting would be for him. “The Sawm of food, thirst would be of what help to him if he has not made arrangement to refrain his limbs, tongue, eyes and ears”
This Sawm of belly is of stomach and then the specific Sawm is of senses. The translation of Sawm of fasting is not correct. It means to stop even if you have got those things. Fasting means you did not get the essentials. The Sawm means to stop even when things are present to eat and drink. But if the eyes, tongues, ears, limbs are free then this is not Sawm. If you are fasting and then sitting on mobile throughout the day is corruption. Where will this Sawm take you is what Lady (s) is questioning us? Until the eyes, tongues, ears and limbs are not controlled the fasting of stomach will not reach anywhere. The Prophet (s) says there are abundant fasting persons who have not got Sawm but they only got starvation. There are many who do night prayers but their limbs are not in control, then these night prayers is not worship.
This is the second stage of fasting to control your senses. Then there is third level of Sawm which is of heart and we will express that later.
