Thursday, April 14, 2011

"Make an intention to be imam" - Shaykh Dr. Fadlallah


Bismillah.

As Shaykh Dr. Fadlallah of Saudi Arabia was one of the venerable speakers at the recent Mawlidur Rasul  & Haul of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jailani held at the grand Masjid Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin in Putrajaya, Malaysia. Habib Ali Zainal Abidin interpreted his speech as follows:

Praise be to Allah and greetings of peace be upon Prophet Muhammad, his family, and companions. We are presently basking in the honors and blessings granted by Allah and verily none can fathom the degree of His blessings. Allah has made us among the faithful, Allah has given us the best of the prophets. Allah gives us the Al-Quran. Allah gives us the best of faith - Islam. Allah makes us the best of ummah. Allah chooses goodness for His chosen servants. Allah chooses us to be present here at this majlis. This majlis is for us to make zikir to Allah. We know the virtues of such majlis. There is a well-known hadith as recorded in Sahih Muslim that the angels are always on the lookout for zikr gatherings and they would all surround the majlis. There are so many of them that they would reach up to the skies. When the majlis is over they would go back to Allah where they would be asked several questions. Allah would ask them where they went as if He didn't know. The angels would say: "We have just attended a majlis where your servants make zikr and salawat." Allah would ask: "What did they ask for?" "The heavens," replied the angels. Allah then asked: "Have they seen the heavens?" "No", said the angels. Allah said: "If they had seen the heavens, they would surely multiply their ibadah." Allah then asked: "What are they seeking protection from?". The angels said: "They seek protection from the torments of the hell." Allah asked: "Have they seen the hell." "No" replied the angels. Then Allah said: "If only they had seen the hell they would certainly flee from it." Allah said to the angels: "Be my witness that I have forgiven all their sins!" Then one of the angels said: "But O Lord, there were some of them who came with a different intention." Allah said: "I will forgive him too."

O people, we must always make an intention to musabaqoh (compete) with one another in doing good and in getting His bounties. There is a verse in the Quran asking us to make haste in doing good deeds. There is also a hadith that we must expedite in doing good before seven things come to us. Allah narrates to us plenty of stories about his pious servants and their virtuous characters.

We learn the du'a as taught in the Quran:
Rabbana hablana min azwajina wazurriyyatina qurrata a'ayun
waj'alna lilmuttaqeena imama
Our Lord! grant us in our spouses and children the joy of our eyes and make us a leader for those who guard against evil." (Quran 25:74)

In the prayer, we ask to be imam, we want to be leading other people with our actions, our words, and our akhlaq. Let us all leave this majlis with one ambition that is to be imam so that people would follow us in doing good.

Shaykh Abdul Qadir Al Jailani had left us more than 900 years ago and yet we still remember him. What about 100 years or 1000 years ahead? Would we still have this kind of majlis to remember those whom Allah loves? We must keep our motivations high so that we would be among those who help the religion. May Allah make us among those with taqwa and make us imam. May Allah bless us all. May Allah grant jannatun naim to Shaykh Afeefuddin Al Jaylani (the event organizer). May Allah gather him with the anbiya and siddiqin.

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Wallahu a'lam. May I be forgiven for any errors or unintended omissions.

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