The best of intentions

Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. I was at a majlis ilm organized by KL Ba'alawi in Kemensah last Sunday. The guest speaker was a very vocal preacher from Darul Hadis, Malang, Indonesia. Ustaz Abu Bakar Abdul Kadir Mauladawillah spoke not only with eloquence but he spoke from the heart. When someone speaks from the heart, everything they have to say will fall right into your heart and move you to tears. I thought he was special because his speech had evoked much love for Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Sollu 'alan Nabi!

He said his guru Habib Ahmad Abdul Rahman as-Saggaf had said, "Deeds from the heart are far better than those of the zahir." He thus reminded the audience to make niyyat (intention): 'I shall seek knowledge until I die.' Should you be stricken with stroke (illness), you could say to Allah, 'O Allah, it's not that my heart refuses to go out and seek knowledge but my body is not capable.' Hence, you will still be rewarded for having made the intention to seek knowledge until you die.

"And for those of you who seek knowledge", he said, "make niyyat: I seek knowledge so that my head will bow towards Allah s.w.t"

Allah will not grant knowledge to those who are proud of those who seek fame. He will only give it to the one whose heart is clean and pure.

Ustaz Abu Bakar urged the audience to look for ulama whose countenance remind us of Allah and Rasulullah s.a.w. "It is difficult to find one these days, but look out for them", he said. "Malaysia is blessed to have waliyun min ahlillah like Habib Ali bin Jaafar al-Idrus. Whenever you can pray so that Allah will grant him a long life."

"Go learn from a sayyid and join tariqatul ali Muhammad, (the tariqah/path of Muhammad) for those who do that, they are 'tanju minal bala wan nar' - saved from calamities and hellfire. This is an assurance given by the Prophet himself."

It was narrated that someone had dreamed of the Prophet whose face looked so pale. When he asked the Prophet 'Why Ya Rasulullah do you look so pale?'

The Prophet said: 'My ummat have abandoned my hadith.'

'What should they do?' asked the man.

'Tell them to read Kitab Sahih Bukhari!' the Prophet replied.

According to Ustaz Abu Bakar, "Those who follow tariqah ahlul bayt, they cling on to 'Sahih Bukhari'. They love Saidina Abu Bakar. They love Saidina Umar. They love Saidina Uthman. They love Saidina Ali."

"It is important that we honor the ahlul bayt, descendants of Prophet Muhammad (the sayyid and sharifah)."

It was narrated that Abdullah Ibn Mubarak once saw a sharifah who did not have food to eat. She was seen trying to eat some rotten chicken. Ibn Mubarak immediately offered his food to that sharifah. It was hajj season then, so Ibn Mubarak would greet people on the streets, wishing them hajj mabrur. Surprisingly they all wished him the same although he did not intend to go for hajj. One night Ibn Mubarak saw the Prophet in his dream, the Prophet said to Ibn Mubarak "I am pleased with you because you cared for my grandchildren. So much so that Allah had ordered an angel to grant you hajj because you had done a favor to one sharifah."

Bilal bin Rabah, upon the demise of Rasulullah s.a.w, moved to Damascus. He dreamed of the Prophet asking him 'Why did you run away from me O Bilal?'

Bilal quickly returned to Madinah. He went to visit the Prophet's maqam, crying. On his way back he met Saidina Abu Bakar who said to him, 'Bilal, I wish you would perform azan as before.' Bilal replied, 'No, I cannot bring myself to do it since the passing of the Prophet.'

Bilal continued walking and met Saidina Umar. He too asked Bilal to perform the azan. Bilal replied, 'I cannot. I'm afraid I will not be able to say the Prophet's name.'

Bilal walked away until he met Hassan ibn Ali, the Prophet's grandson who also made the same request. To whom Bilal said, "I cannot say no to you. I fear I will not get shaffaat from Nabi should I turn you down.'

Without much delay, Bilal finally said the azan. The moment Bilal began, the women of Madinah got startled, 'This is the voice from the time of the Prophet!' they cried. When it was time for Bilal to profess 'Ash hadu an na Muhammad Rasulullah...', the city of Madinah wept and trembled.

'Oh...Muhammad is still alive...', they said!