Bismillah.
The beautiful domes at Masjid Wilayah Kuala Lumpur looked more resplendent than ever with the presence of the much respected, much loved Habib Umar bin Muhammad bin Hafiz bin Salim.
Alhamdulillah wa shukru lillah for the opportunity to be in his presence again. May Allah make his heart inclined to visit Malaysia more frequently InshaAllah.
Alhamdulillah shukran lillah for the presence of Habib Ali bin Zainal Abidin who acted as a brilliant interpreter, as always. MashaAllah.
Praise be to Allah for gathering us all here to receive His bounties. Allah is constantly giving away the secrets of His honors to His servants beginning from the time of our father Nabi Adam a.s. up until the time of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. We shall obtain His most perfect hikmah (wisdom). We shall receive honor from Allah. We are the most honorable of people, the best of people because of our most honorable Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
All creations be they jin or man should know if they think they could receive hidayah (guidance) solely from their intelligence, then it defeats the purpose of Allah sending His prophets and the Qur'an. But the Creator is well aware of the aqal (intelligence) needing guidance to prevent it from falling into error. The eyes need light in order to differentiate between darkness and brightness. Similarly, the aqal requires guidance for it to tread on the right path. Allah grants light to illuminate the aqal guiding it away from darkness. May we belong with those who receive light from Allah.
We found that people who accept the decree of Allah, people from the past and ummah of the present time, when they leave the shari'at (Islamic law) they are compelled to go back and abide by it. There is a stark difference between one who uses his aqal in the right manner and one who denies the true function of aqal [it needing the light of guidance]. Those who receive the light of iman from Allah, those who believe in Allah and Rasul are those who use their aqal according to the iman granted by Allah.
The eyes cannot see without the presence of light for it to recognize the difference in colors, distance, size and so on. That is the analogy of aqal being guided by light and those letting iman to guide their aqal. Those who deny the importance of iman and those who depend purely on the eyes, devoid of light, will not know which direction to take. They are sure to walk into a wall, they will fall. None can walk straight without the aid of light.
There are two types of man. A man who is kaffir uses his aqal to serve himself and his desires. A man of faith uses his intelligence as a tool to garner light of guidance from the Creator so his desires are in check and his heart is cleansed. He will be successful. Allah says in the Qur'an: "He indeed shall be successful who purifies himself." We pray to Allah, we ask Him so that our feet could walk and make efforts to clean our hearts and souls. So that we will remain safe in this world and the Hereafter.
The prophets in the olden days strove hard to purify themselves. They did not go after the comforts of the world or glory which we know are not lasting. The enemies of Allah used their intelligence and energies to satisfy their desires on things which are fleeting. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w said: "I have been hurt and none of you gets hurt the way I do. I got harrassed and threatened. None of you receive such treatment the way I do." Yet the Prophet s.a.w made du'a each night so that Allah would shower His mercy onto the ummah. We are blessed to have received His bounties. All the blessings we presently enjoy are due to hardwork and sacrifices made by Rasulullah s.a.w. We could sit here peacefully and comfortably, and these are the fruits of his labor.
At one time the Prophet came home from having distributed war booty. He was fasting then and so was his family members. One of his wives remarked, "If you had brought home 2 dirham, we could at least buy food for iftar?" Rasulullah said, "If you had reminded me earlier, I would have taken something for us." By contrast people in our generations fantasize/hope for properties, crops etc. and they don't hesitate throwing away foods when starvation is widespread. O people, think and compare the difference in attitude, cultures and progress.
Without a doubt, the ummah in the present time need guidance from the Prophet. We must continue to be the torchbearer of Prophetic lights. We must understand that his teachings are orders from Allah so that we could fulfill the responsibilities which Allah has assigned to us. That you must do good to yourself and everyone around you and do it based on hidayah which Prophet Muhammad had been propagating.
We should learn the manner in which Rasulullah educated his family members especially his most loved daughter Fatimah Az-Zahra. Fatimah was brought up to be a good woman who worked at home, who was very patient in doing her role, who was a devout servant of Allah and generous in giving away her properties. We should emulate the good behaviors practised in the Prophet's household. Saidina Ali would bring home wheat for Fatimah to cook and she cooked food for the family by herself. It was customary for Fatimah to share homemade bread with her father. She once delivered a piece of bread to Rasulullah saying, "I cannot eat unless I let you have it first." Nabi took the bread from her and said, "O Fatimah, this bread is my first meal. I've been fasting for three days." Fatimah binti Muhammad learned such good examples set by her father. The prophet had on one day had to ask someone to send her daughter some bread because she had not been eating for three days.
Indeed, we could learn a lot from the Prophet's family members who benefited from excellent tarbiyah from Nabi. When A'ishah had her hands on 100 dinar, she gave it all away to the poor and widows in her neighborhood. She and her companion were fasting then. When the latter asked if A'ishah had reserved a couple of dirham for their iftar, her reply was exactly the words of her husband. She said, "If you had reminded me earlier, I would have kept some for us."
The Prophet's families were trustworthy in handling wealth. They were dependable and they managed properties in the fairest of manners. Their possessions did not make them arrogant. Their wealth had neither caused harm to them nor other people. They had always given preference to others over their own interests or needs. Wealth was spent appropriately and fairly. They learned from the Prophet who behaved the same way in managing his properties. Not once was he dictated by his possessions.
His praiseworthy akhlaq became examples for his companions too. The Prophet foretold that Surakah would one day lead the governments of Kisra and Kaisar. When the event took place, Surakah became a leader with integrity who contributed a great deal to the people. His leadership brought much benefits to the people. In contrast, the leaders prior to him were zalim. Women were treated unfairly. But Surakah changed things for the better. He elevated the dignity and status of women at Kisra and Kaisar. He restored their human rights and let them live respectfully.
We understand the universal values of the Prophet's teachings. He brings light from Allah. He brings glad tidings for all. His noble ways are completely opposite from leaders who are governed by their aqal alone. And they term it globalization. Whereas the universal approach of the Prophet's mission is evident in the Qur'an: "We have not sent you O Muhammad except as a messenger to all humanity, giving them glad tidings..."
Allah wants him to uphold universal equality. Allah says in the Qur'an: "You shall govern in accordance to the laws of Allah and befriend not the wicked." The universality of Prophet Muhammad's role towards the society may be traced to a verse in the Qur'an: "O Muhammad. We have sent you as a witness, and a bringer of good news and a warner...." And the universality of his role to save mankind is evident in another verse of the Qur'an: "Glory be to Allah who has sent down the Qur'an as a warner to all..."
The Qur'an describes an unjust system as exemplified by Firaun, a system that is utterly oppressive. Firaun threatened to imprison anyone who did not regard him as god. His rule was characterized by excessive power, revenge and brutality. He also threatened to murder man and children, leaving behind helpless women. Firaun forced his people to accept and acknowledge his ruthless system. As recorded in the Qur'an, he made rulings based on what he deeemed right.
There is a lot of talk these days about globalization. Which of the two systems we mentioned do they employ? If it is one which is impartial and compassionate, with it is Sayyidina Muhammad. If the system is incorrect, then they are like people on a boat that is waiting to sink. O people, come back to the right path. Allah warns people who are egoistic who disregard Allah's religion: "When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then We destroy them completely."
Those who have iman, they walk on this earth with the light of Allah. They walk justly, they help their families and protect themselves from commiting sins. Allah commands us to be fair and to do good towards our family. One who has got iman is not the same as one who lacks iman. The former treads on minhaj and guidance from Allah. Therefore, ask for light from Allah, ask Him for more hidayah.
[Concluding his tausiyah Habib Umar made a very meaningful and lengthy du'a.]
May Allah grant plenty of blessings to this masjid, its imam, mu'azzin and those who come here often. May Allah grant them plenty of goodness. I have husnul zan towards Allah that He does not gather us here except that He would grant us light, forgiveness and mercy. Be thankful for the One who gathers us at this place. Ask from Allah that He brings us together in a pure state and that He keeps giving us tawfik. It is best to ask from Allah, your Lord, Robbukum, call upon Him. On Him alone we place our trust. Those who ask from other than Allah, will be kept far from His door. Be grateful that Allah has brought you close to His door and inspired you to ask from Him. That He grant you honor. Praise Him for the strength that He has given you. Ask from Him with your entire body. Ask of Him with your whole heart. Feel His majestic presence in your heart. By Allah, if not for His hidayah, we will not be able to ask from Him. So we ask from the True God, to the One who is Ever Living, to the One who creates the Heavens we humble ourselves, we ask truthfully, O Allah keep us with You. May He keep us with Him and make us reach Him. O Allah take us near You, keep us near Your prophet. Don't make us stray far from those who are with Prophet Muhammad. Grant honor to our eyes so we could see him. Let us drink from his holy hand so we shall not be thirsty ever again. O Allah invite us to the Heavens with Prophet Muhammad, make us enter the Heavens without fitnah, without hisab. On the day when some faces will be made dark, make our face fair. Ya Allah...Ya Allah...Ya Allah...
Note:
I seek refuge in Allah from any errors in my translation of Habib Ali's interpretations of Habib Umar's speech. Kindly point out any mistakes you may notice. The du'a is not verbatim and is incomplete because anyone who has attended Habib Umar's majlis would know his style of rendering deeply emotional and profound du'a, making it impossible for the interpreter (even one as good as Habib Ali) to interpret, let alone one like me to jot down. The part where Habib Umar spoke on the etiquettes of an Islamic wedding will be posted separately. InshaAllah.
Wallahu a'alam.
Wallahu a'alam.
No comments:
Post a Comment