The 3rd of Moharram marks the zikr of the Prophet Nuh AS. Allah Ta’ala instructed Nuh Nabi AS to prepare for the coming storm and flood, and make a ship (safina) to ensure the salvation (najat) of his followers. Water is the main source of life, but an excess of water in the aftermath of storms and flooding can wreak infrastructural havoc and lead to loss of life. Information Technology (IT), which includes computers and related devices and systems, easily gathers and provides an abundance of information, only when utilized and filtered appropriately; not doing so has potential consequences similar to that of a flood. Using the five letters of the Arabic word for ship, سفينة (safina), Maula TUS described five qualities of IT professionals and how these qualities are manifested in Awliyaa Kiraam’s AS guidance and actions.
سبح
س (Sīn), the first letter in safina, stands for the word sabbaha (سبّح), which Maula TUS explained as one who can “make someone swim” in order to survive. Nuh Nabi, facing an impending storm, built his safina for that exact purpose. Similarly, IT professionals possess the unique ability, crucial for success, to find a theoretical solution to a problem while demonstrating how to practically apply it. For example, GPS was developed to aid in modern day navigation, while cellphone developers built in warning systems to provide essential safety information in times of emergency.
Maula TUS emphasized that while IT professionals develop programs and apps to provide practical solutions for our day-to-day, worldly problems, only Awliyaa Kiraam AS — through both their knowledge (theory) and actions (practical application) — can provide the solutions that allow us to transcend from the physical to the spiritual. When Syedi Hasanfeer Shaheed QS was asked by the regional ruler to explain the meaning of the aayat, “حَتَّىٰ يَلِجَ ٱلْجَمَلُ فِي سَمِّ ٱلْخِيَاط” (until a camel passes through the eye of a needle), he did not merely provide the intellectual response, but manifested it through his actions. He asked the ruler to exchange places with him: to give Syedi Hasanfeer his regal attire and wear his simple garments, to seat Syedi Hasanfeer upon his throne and stand before him as a supplicant, and to follow his directives. In doing so, Syedi Hasanfeer both explained that the true meaning of the aayat is supplicating yourself before Awliyaa Kiraam AS, while demonstrating how to do so. The solution Syedi Hasanfeer provided was such that the king himself converted to Islam, thus securing his eternal salvation.
فرّق
Today’s digital age has brought forth a flood of information easily and readily accessible at the touch of a button, but an overload of information is not without its consequences. When we are flooded with too much data, it leads to information anxiety and mental blocks, lockjawing one’s decision-making ability. It becomes difficult to filter fact from fiction. The solution to this impairment is honing the ability to differentiate — farraqa (فرّق), which starts with the second letter in safina, ف (fāĀ) — between that which is accurate and that which is false.
Aimmat Tahereen AS and Doat Mulaqeen RA are the final arbiters of truth and falsehood. Amirul Mumineen AS mediated conflicts throughout all ages, on earth and in jannat. His Dai TUS, in order to safeguard our children from the perils of the digital age, banned youngsters under the age of 15 from using a mobile phone. Maula TUS also strongly encouraged adults to utilize these technologies with an abundance of caution and restraint. Further, the internet abounds with documents, texts, and knowledge — that we would not otherwise have access to — that are readily available. Maula TUS warned that if we attempt to pray such kitaabo without raza, we will not be able to ascertain the true meaning of their contents.
يسر
The third letter in the word safina is ي (yāĀ), which Maula TUS related to the word yusr (يسر) or ease. An IT professional’s aim is to make programs, websites, and mobile apps user-friendly and accessible to the general public. Awliyaa Kiraam AS possess the divine ability to distill even the most complex concepts and queries such that they become easy to grasp. Once, a bedouin (aarabi) approached Rasulallah SAW and asked for an explanation of the aayat, “واعتصموا بحبل الله” (and cling firmly to the rope of Allah). The aarabi could not understand what was meant by ‘the rope of Allah’ since he could not physically see a rope hanging from the sky. Rasulallah SAW placed the bedouin’s hand on Amirul Mumineen’s AS shoulder, stating that Maula Ali AS is Allah Ta’ala’s ‘rope.’ Immediately, the bedouin understood, and embraced Maulana Ali AS. Rasulallah’s SAW response provided clarity with such ease that no further explanation was required. Doat Mutlaqeen RA similarly seamlessly deliver information in easily digestible ways. Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA was once asked, when destroying the idols placed on Baitullah, whether it was appropriate or disrespectful for Maulana Ali AS to stand upon Rasulallah’s SAW blessed shoulders. Maula RA simply stated that putting one Quran upon another Quran is not considered disrespectful.
نور
The fourth letter in safina – ن (nūn) – represents noor (light). Light moves at a speed of 300 million meters per second. Before the advent of the internet, research and other information-gathering involved manually searching through book by book — a slow process. Today, the internet enables us to access mountains of information within a handful of seconds. However , verification is essential to filtering out incorrect or inappropriate information.
Maula TUS related ‘speed’ to the importance of listening and acting upon the commands of Awliyaa Kiraam AS expeditiously. Before the relocation of the seat of Dawat from Yemen to India, Syedna Idrees Imaduddin RA assessed the ikhlaas (sincerity) of the mumineen of Hindustan. Syedna Idrees RA sent two letters; the first appointed the water-bearer as Vaali al-Hind, instructing all hudud, including Maulaya Adam QS, that the water-bearer now holds the foremost authority and they must pray namaz behind him. At once, Maulaya Adam QS and hudud approached the water-bearer and kissed the ground beneath his feet. The water-bearer was taken aback, alarmed, and sought an explanation for their actions. Maulaya Adam QS explained the directives issued by Syedna Idrees RA. As the time to pray namaz approached, hudud suggested to Maulaya Adam QS to postpone Imamat Namaz until the water-bearer could properly learn wudu and surahs from the Quran. Maulaya Adam QS rejected this, firmly stating that they pray namaaz behind him without delay, to uphold Syedna’s RA decree. Maulaya Adam QS and hudud helped the water-bearer perform wudu, taught him a few, short surahs sufficient for praying namaz, and prayed namaz behind him. Maulaya Adam’s QS ikhlaas and firmness are the epitome of obedience and service in the name of Dawat. His actions were such that today, thousands of mumineen across the world have memorized the Quran in its entirety.
ة
The Arabic letter ة (hāĀ) in the Abjad Numeral System has the value of five. Five is an automorphic number, which appears at the end of its own square (5, 25, 625, 390,625, etc.). In other words, an automorphic number ‘protects’ itself when multiplied or updated. Likewise, Maula TUS stressed the need to engage in continuous learning ‘from the cradle to the grave’ to protect the knowledge and expertise we have already acquired. The dynamic nature of the ever-developing IT field requires that its professionals continuously innovate and update their programs and knowledge base. Continuous learning is essential; otherwise, professionals run the risk of becoming obsolete. Maula TUS vehemently expressed that in the gham of Imam Husain AS, no matter how much you mourn, or how many tears you shed, the gham will never decrease.
Maula TUS concluded the waaz mubarak by illustrating how Imam Husain AS himself is our ship of salvation. Imam Husain AS provided the solution to secure our salvation by urging us to hold tightly to him, and practically applied it by taking us with him to jannat. He joined us together with ease; our bodies may break, but our souls will remain joined to Imam Husain AS for eternity.