‘Inna Aatainaaka al-Kauthar…’
–Indeed we have bestowed you with al-Kauthar…-
Over the last six days, al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS expounded upon the various aayaat shareefah that al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA has related to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA. Today, benefiting from the zikr done by Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS of his naas, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA, with a guided perspective and with renewed energy we saw these meanings personified. The conviction offered by ´ilm was further reinforced with the conviction gained from observing. We saw Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA for the brilliant star he was, and sipped from the rivers of honey through his deedar mubarak and listening to his sweet words and counsels. The waaz mubarak of which we saw the recording today was delivered on the 8th of Moharrum al-Haraam, 1429 H in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
When Rasulullah’s SA respected son Maulana Ibrahim passed away,munaafiqeen began to comment that Rasulullah SA was now bereft of any descendants. Allah Ta´ala revealed Surat Al-Kauthar and made it clear that Rasulullah’s descendants, the Aimmat Tahereen AS will continue till the Day of Qiyaamt in the progeny of Imam Husain AS. The persona of Amirul Mumineen, is kauthar, one of the names for a body of water found in jannat. The word kauthar is a superlative form of meaning ‘much’, indicating how expansive this water is, and that it can quench all thirsts. The four letters of kauthar: ‘kaaf’, ‘wau’, ‘tha’ and ‘ra’, allude to the four types of river in jannat. Each letter of the Arabic alphabet has a gematric (numerical) value. Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA spoke of these values and how these lead to the numbers eight and fifteen, and revealed some of the meanings entailed in them.
He also alluded to the four types of knowledge: zaahir (exoteric), baatin (esoteric), haqeeqat and haqeeqat al-haqeeqat. It is this final one, truth of the truth, which is the pattern upon which the tenets of the sharia are based. Each aspect of the sharia, the five namaaz for example has a deep and encompassing meaning. Syedna Jafar b. Mansoor al-Yemen has written a treatise ‘Taa’weel al-Zakaat’, (the esoteric meaning of zakaat), which details the meanings entailed in the formulas used to calculate zakaat. Syedna Abdullah Badruddin RA personally taught Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA this esteemed kitaab, and while doing so mentioned that in his final years Syedna Abdulqadir Najmuddin RA, used to increasingly refer to this kitaab.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA mentioned that one type of river is of wine – wine that gives pleasure but does not intoxicate. He stressed that if one wishes to drink from this river then one should refrain from all forms of intoxicants in this world and all that sharia has proscribed.
Co-relating to the four letters are the four taa’at that are obligatory, they being that of the Nabi, Wasi, Imam and in the seclusion of the Imam, the Dai Mutlaq. Today the Dai Mutlaq is kauthar, and we are drinking from this river, by virtue of which we will reach the banks of kauthar in the hereafter.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA then stated that Al-Ali or Aliyyan feature in 8 instances in the Quran. While relating the meanings of Ayat al-Kursi to Amirul Mumineen AS, Maula RA stated that Awliyaaullah do not sleep, at most they take light naps, and even then they are fully aware of all that is occurring around them. An instance took place in the time of Rasulullah SA, when during the middle of the night a cracking noise awoke everyone. People emerged from their houses and proceeded towards the source of the sound. As they made their way, they saw Rasulullah SA returning back after investigating and having found nothing untoward. Syedna al-Muqaddas RA firmly voiced that Awliyaaullah AS are never neglectful, making it vividly clear that Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA was never unaware of all that was going on.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA then spoke of three qasaaid composed by Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA in Karachi, two in the praise of Rasulullah SA and one in the glory of Ameerul Mumineen AS for gatherings with various Muslim communities. Upon hearing these qasaaid, one listener was moved to say, that Syedna Saifuddin has recalled the glories of Rasulullah SA exactly and appropriately as they are, unlike other poets. In the qaseedah in praise of Ameerul Mumineen SA, ‘Asameeya Zil Arsh al-Azeem Aleeya’, the following verse was recited:
Out of hatred for him (Ameerul Mumineen), do not worship Shaitaan. For Shaitaan is disobedient to Allah.
Upon hearing this verse, members of the audience requested that this verse be repeated a number of times. They commented that this verse was composed with such eloquence that the inference of Shaitaan is apparent to all. This verse also makes it clear that those who deny the nass upon the mansoos are none other than the followers of Shaitaan. The miracle of Insheqaaq al-Qamar (The Splitting of the Qamar) was witnessed by an unprecedented gathering but there were those who still dismissed it as mere sorcery. Syedna al-Muqaddas RA narrated the entire event in great detail, and we all listened to it with the new perspective Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS had bestowed us with a few days ago. Towards the end, Syedna al-Muqaddas RA stated ‘These people are such that even if they witness a divine miracle they will dismiss it as an act of sorcery.’
It should also be mentioned that one of the qaseedah mubarakah Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA composed in Karachi in praise of Rasulullah SA was ‘Ahmed al-Mustafa al-Nabi al-Tihaami’. In Zilqada al-Haraam, 1436 H, during his address at Governor’s House, Karachi, after having accepted the Doctor of Letters degree presented to him by the University of Karachi, Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS quoted verses from this qaseedah mubarakah.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA stated that you are all very close to me, you reside in my heart. During these days ensure that in each instance you are engrossed in the remembrance of Imam Husain AS. Shed a lot of tears, do a lot ofmaatam. If you do so you will attain my happiness. He narrated the actions of the raahib who took the raas mubarak of Imam Husain AS for one night and spent the entire night engrossed in his bukaa’ and maatam. He then mentioned that Amirul Mumineen fought 3 wars in 4 years, Jamal, Siffeen and Nehrwaan. During these years a number of preeminent people were slain: Abu Haytham, Maalik al-Ushter, Ammar b. Yaasir and Uwais al-Qarni. Amirul Mumineen AS lamented their loss whilst seated on the minbar in Kufa.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA detailed the Tehkeem al-Hakamain, the event that led to a permanent rift among Muslims. The ‘judgment’ was supposed to be based on the Quran but ultimately descended into argument and farce as the two envoys of Maulana Ali and Muawiya fell out in public over their agreement to remove both from any claim to the caliphate. This was exactly what Muawiya’s man, Amr bin al-Aas, had planned for. The failure to find a conclusion led the maariqeen – the third group of dissidents to disown Maulana Ali – to come out in open rebellion. Maulana Ali AS quelled it and at its end foresaw his impending shahadat for he had now fulfilled the debt of Rasulallah to battle the ‘munafiqeen’. The waaz mubarak culminated with the shahadat of Amirul Mumineen AS and Imam Husain AS. The repeated call by Huzurala TUS for us to do good to those who cause us ill was exemplified by Maulana Ali AS and his instruction to serve his captured attacker a sweet beverage.
Over the course of this Asharah Mubarakah, Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS has expounded upon the ayat shareefah which Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA related to Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA. In yesterday’s waaz mubarak he made it clear that seeing the persona of Maula should be the ultimate objective in the study of Dawat kutub. Likewise, one can derive the understanding that relating each ayat shareefah to Maula is a sign that it has been recited with understanding. Today, on hearing the meanings of Surat al-Kauthar, we all recalled the countless blessings of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA upon Mumineen. How he personified the notion of ‘more’ through the rivers of knowledge he let flow, his incessant travels to places where Mumineen resided, his restorations of Fatemi masaajid and construction of masjids across the world, the manifold barakat he brought about in each of our lives by guiding us towards giving more waajebaat, the manner in which he gathered more and more Mumineen for Asharah Mubarakah, the efforts he expended in having more and more Mumineen memorising al-Quran, and finally, through the multiple means and manners he showed us the glories of his mansoos al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS and his nass upon him. Today, the barakat and meanings of ‘more’ are evident in him. May Allah Taala grant our beloved Maula a long and prosperous life till the Day of Qiyaamat.