14th ShehrAllah 1441 H
In Surah al-Takathur, Allah Taala states, ‘materialistic pursuits have distracted you, until you visited the graveyards’. This ayah highlights the negligence shown by man, totally aware that one day he is to pass from this world and that none of his material possessions will be of any benefit to him. However, despite this undeniable reality man remains absorbed in hording worldly possessions.
Allah Taala has mentioned four types of yaqeen (conviction) in the Quran: (1) yaqeen (conviction), (2) ilm al-yaqeen (knowledge-based conviction), (3) ayn al-yaqeen (observed conviction), and (4) haq al-yaqeen (the true conviction). This surah mentions two: ilm al-yaqeen and ayn al-yaqeen. Following the shahadat of Maulana Aliasger AS we hear that not one drop of his blessed blood fell back to earth, following which Maulana TUS states, ‘Husain Imam AS had ilm al-yaqeen regarding the lofty position of his shahzada and now he possessed ayn al-yaqeen regarding his venerated status.
The final ayah mentions ‘On that day (Day of Qiyamah), you will be questioned about the blessing’. Referencing various exegesis writers, an individual seated before Imam Jafar us Sadiq AS suggested that ‘the blessing’ referred to in the verse is ‘a sip of cold water consumed on a hot day’. Imam AS replied that if this were to be the case then the Last Judgment will be unduly prolonged, for every individual ever to come into existence will be questioned over each instance in which he took a sip of water. He then clarified that, ‘We (Awliya Allah) are the blessing about which mankind will be questioned.’ The succession of Awliya Allah AS is the greatest of the Almighty’s blessings with the personage of the imam or dai in each era being the source of multiple blessings since it is through him that the faithful seek the betterment of all their affairs, both spiritual and temporal.
Rasul Allah SA states that on the Day of Qiyamat, ‘muezzins will have the longest necks’. What does this mean? We observe that when someone commits a mistake, he hangs his head in shame and likewise, when someone carries out a good deed he is able to hold his head up due to the pride he feels and the recognition he receives. Therefore on the Day of Qiyamat muezzins will reach out towards Allah’s divine reward.
During the Imam’s satr, the Dai al-Zaman is the true muezzin. Today Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS calls us towards the best of deeds: the Dawat of Imam al-Zaman AS. He calls us towards the tenets of sharia, giving qardan hasanaa, feeding others, hifz al-Quran, working for the upliftment of our brethren, caring for our elderly, keeping our surroundings clean, fair business practices, contributing to the nation’s development and the most importantly towards the majlis of Imam Husain AS, to which Mumineen all over the world respond to with ‘Labbaik, Ya Dai Allah’.
During these difficult times, Maulana TUS has directed each of us to recite the azan aloud in their homes, protecting our homes from all evils for Rasul Allah SA has stated that, ‘an ill-fated house is one in which the azan cannot be heard’.
In his waaz mubarak on the Milad Mubarak of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA in Surat this year, Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS expounded upon a counsel given by Maulana Ali AS to Imam Hasan AS: ‘Know that ahead of you is a long and arduous road, and that you have no alternative but to go down it. Lighten your load by only taking enough provision that suffices you in reaching your destination. Do not carry upon your back a load that is beyond your strength, making the weight of your provision a burden upon you. If you come across – from amongst those in need – someone who can carry some of this load and then convene with you with it on the Day of Judgment, when you will be in need of it, then benefit from them and their carrying of it. And make the most of placing your load upon them while you are still able to do so for [later on] when you seek them you may not find them’.
The lessons from these priceless counsels are manifold. One should not carry the burden of excess wealth but rather distribute it to those in need for these acts of charity and good deeds will effectively carry that wealth – provision – forward to rejoin with him as spiritual reward in the hereafter. To do otherwise is to lumber oneself with excess that cannot be otherwise used, to carry it to the detriment of one’s own back, and ultimately be held to account for it.
The one who recites the azan has to satisfy a number of requirements: eloquence, pronunciation etc. Likewise, the one who wishes to undertake good deeds must also fufill certain requirements. Amirul Mumineen, Maulana Ali AS states, ‘the fulfillment of needs will not be proper without three conditions. [When fulfilling the needs of others, one should:]
- Consider them insignificant and their importance will increase.
- Be discreet about them and they will become known.
- Attend to them promptly and they will be beneficial.
Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal TUS has ensured that the barakat of ShehrAllah reach the home of each and every Mumin with utmost ease and convenience.
Imam Zain al-Abidin AS saw a date lying on the bathroom floor. He picked it up and gave it to a servant to keep with him until he returned. Instead, the servant ate it. Having completed his wuzu, Imam AS asked him about the date to which he replied that he had eaten it. Immediately, Imam AS replied, I am setting you free. When asked why he set him free, Imam AS answered, because of his act jannat has become obligatory for him, and I do not wish that such a person be among my slaves. After narrating this event, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA counseled us, ‘if you ever happen to come across one of your brethren in such an unpleasant and derelict state then pick him up, uplift him, jannat will become obligatory for you’.
It is also mentioned that the sins of a muezzin are forgiven according to the reach of his voice. Likewise, we should aim to benefit and do good towards as many as we can.
Finally, Rasul Allah SA also mentioned that if only people knew of the divine reward in giving the azan they would fall over each to do so and draw lots. So to would be the outcome were people to know the divine reward reaped in the khidmat of Maula TUS. Nowhere was this more apparent than on the eve of Ashura when Imam Husain AS directed his Ahle Bayt and Ashaab to leave him the dead of the night. The outpour of belief and sentiment that flowed revealed the eagerness of each to give the azan towards sacrificing all for Imam Husain AS.
