THE TRUE ESSENCE OF GENUINE WORSHIP AND SUPPLICATION
THOUGHT PROVOKING ADDRESS OF THE STUDY CIRCLE
FOR THE MEMBERS OF MQM
PIB Colony and Lines Area Sectors (Second Session)
20, November 2006
In my last address to you I enunciated about the five pillars or principles of Islam and we talked at length about the first pillar of Islam i.e. the ‘Oneness’ and ‘Entirety’ of Allah and we also referred to the first revelation and the very first word revealed i.e. ‘IQRA’, which literally means ‘Read’ or ‘Proclaim’! The profundity of this single word is such that it is impossible to produce in a translation the complete orchestral harmony of the words for ‘read’, ‘teach’, ‘pen’ (which implies reading, writing books, study research), ‘knowledge’ (including science, self knowledge, spiritual understanding). Allah wants man to search and research and strive for the acquisition of newer & newer bounties. Various narrations are available about the first revelation, such as, when Hazrat Jabrail the Angel came to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) for the first time in the cave of Hira he was carrying a fine silken material on which the first verse revealed were inscribed i.e. “Proclaim”! or “Read”! in the name of thy Lord and cherisher, who created[1] - Hazrat Jibrial (AS) asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to read it and the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied “I cant read”, yet another narration tells us that when the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) replied “I cant read”, Hazrat Jibrial (AS) pressed the chest of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) with great force against his own chest three times and this is how he (peace be upon him) was able to read. It was not so, as there is no validity in these narrations.
Historically stated facts tell us a different story; it was at the time of the signing of the peace treaty of Hudaibia when Hazrat Ali (RA) took the documents to the infidels of Mecca for their signature, they refused to sign the treaty objecting that they were going into a peace agreement with Muhammad the son of Abdullah and not Muhammad (peace be upon him) the Prophet of Allah, as was written on the treaty documents. The reasoning given for their refusal was that if they were to acknowledge and accept Mohammad (peace be upon him) as the prophet of Allah’, then there was no need of the pact and the dispute hence it should be changed to ‘Muhammad the son of Abdullah’. When Hazrat Ali (RA) returned with the unsigned documents, the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) asked Hazrat Ali (RA) to cross out the words ‘the Prophet of Allah’. Hazrat Ali (RA) replied that he could not possibly be so irreverent as to cross out words for which he stood and in which he himself had a wholehearted belief and faith. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) then asked Hazrat Ali (RA) to put his finger on the pact document and identify where the words ‘the Prophet of Allah’ were written. Hazrat Ali (RA) put his finger on the line and the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) smudged the words with his (peace be upon him) inked thumb impression such that they were no longer legible.
We will now have to ponder to decipher the logic of the pressing of the chest of Muhammad (peace be upon him) three times against the chest of Hazrat Jibrail (AS). To be able to understand this logic we are obliged to refer once again to the command ‘IQRA’ i.e. to ‘READ’, “To proclaim”. The logic of this act was actually for the transferring of all universal and spiritual knowledge to the mind and soul of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). Every time that there was a revelation the Prophet (peace be upon him) would repeat it several times and learn it by heart. Then he would recite it before his companions who would immediately write them down. The emphasis on learning to gain knowledge was such that the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is quoted as saying, “to gain knowledge travel to China if you have to”. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) preached not only about gaining spiritual and religious knowledge he laid equal emphasis on the acquisition of scientific knowledge and modern technology. During the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) wars were fought with bows and arrows which were produced by the Arabs themselves but once he happened to receive bows and arrows which had been manufactured in Iran and he discovered that these were far superior in quality and much more efficacious, therefore, he advised his companions to use the bows and arrows manufactured in Iran. This proves that it is not only necessary but also legitimate that for personal use or for the defence of the country one must import the best and most effective weaponry along with modern technology, irrespective of which country they may have to be purchased from.
It is a fact that more than half of the population on this earth comprises of non-Muslims, yet, Allah does not deny but provides them with their fair share of bounties in the form of livelihood, rain, sunlight, air and water. In all earnest, we must admit that many non-Muslim countries are among the most powerful nations of the world. The issue that now arises in ones mind is that if these nations are non-Muslims then how come they head the list of achievers and are powerful nations? Now here again we will have to reflect to the command of Allah i.e. ‘IQRA’ and understand how it comes into play; hence read, study, gain knowledge, go forth in search and research because much lies concealed for man to discover from the bounties in the earth and the heavens. It includes science, technology, geography, geology plus the knowledge of all faculties, therefore all those who search and research and unveil from the bounties of Allah stand benefited achievers and are prosperous.
As stated before, the Holy Quran gives a universal direction for those who understand and all the knowledge, wisdom and the right direction is but surely available for everyone. All that has been revealed is not only restricted to Muslims alone but is available to all mankind and as such whosoever wants to be guided and have recourse does stand prosperous and powerful. Woebegone are those who have been misguided by the so-called religious mullahs for they only lay stress on the recitation of the Quran, solely, for reward and requital in the hereafter. It is high time that we give serious thought to capture the real objective and true essence of our obligatory religious worships, duties and practices.
PRAYERS: Prayers or praying is the second pillar of Islam, it is often said that we pray for the sake of Allah; but I would like to pose the question that if all human beings cease to pray and glorify Allah will this (may Allah forgive me) in anyway wane the glory of the Almighty? Can anyone of us who bend on our knees and bow our heads on the ground to glorify Allah enhance the status of the Almighty? Does Allah in any way have any need to be venerated or worshiped by human beings? Or does our prayer benefit Allah by any means? No, it would be incorrect to even suggest that it is so. Allah is the Greatest the Sovereign who has no dearth no need and is in no way dependent on the worship from human beings. Innumerable angels have worshiped and glorified Allah the Creator, day in and day out even much before the creation of human beings.
We fail to understand the wisdom and phenomenon of obligatory worship; we must bear in mind that Allah is the Most Bountiful and Most Gracious and has great affection for human beings. The offering of prayers has been made mandatory by Allah for human beings such that they be rewarded; when they awaken at dawn to offer prayers they breathe in fresh unpolluted air which is rich in Oxygen. The performing of ablution for the dawn prayers and breathing in a fresh environment are but beneficial for a healthy life. In performing the ablution man cleanses his hands and arms, washes his feet, face and mouth and draws water in the nasal passage, all this cleanse the filth which has accumulated overnight. The nightlong saliva in the mouth is full of germs and so is the case with the nasal passage. The dawn ablution makes man hygienically purified. We must reflect to understand that in doing so how is Allah being benefited? Actually it is the human being who reaps the fruit of hygienic existence, thus improving the quality in living a healthier life. Once an individual has performed ablution he has mentally prepared himself to offer his prayers, he first physically stabilises his body by standing straight, then he bends on his knees and after that he bows his head on the floor; all these are the formalities and mannerism which are practiced to offer prayers. The performing of prayers itself is a form of physical exercise, which has been made mandatory for man for his benefit. The scientific fact, which has come to light in the recent past and is being advocated by doctors is to exercise in the morning to keep fit and to lead a healthy life, however, long before the Allah Almighty had already assigned to man the task to remain clean and healthy but unfortunately we did not capture the essence of the duty assigned to us in the form of prayers. We have to perform prayers five times a day, which means we perform ablution five times hence cleanse and purify our bodies. In this manner the Allah Almighty has taught us how to maintain our hygiene, which is essential for our health. If at all we have been able to understand the purpose and essence of cleansing ourselves it would naturally and eventually become part of our natural self. Have we bothered ourselves to take notice of the cleanliness of our homes, streets, localities, townships and our cities at large? If we are not putting in our efforts to maintain and improve on the cleanliness of our surroundings and environment then surely, we have failed to capture the true essence of ablution and prayers.
The nations which grasped the intent of this command have surely taken full advantage. They keep their homes, streets, communities, townships and cities clean and enjoy the hygienic environment, there by improving the quality of their lives and stay healthy. The other very important aspect of Prayers is that when we congregate the distinction between rich and poor, the big and small, masters and slaves becomes inconsequential. One and all congregate shoulder to shoulder as individuals or beings of Allah thus wiping out all worldly distinctions because Allah regards all beings as His creation. The lesson thus acquired is that Allah is unbiased and all His beings enjoy the same status therefore considering any individual as poor, lowly or destitute and considering oneself as above the status of other individuals is a gross misunderstanding and is tantamount to going against the dictates of Allah because Allah alone enjoys the greatest and highest status.
FASTING: The third pillar of Islam is Fasting. In complying with the command to fast human beings once again stands benefited and enjoys the advantage. The true essence of which surely needs to be captured. We are quite familiar with the fact that in developed countries all processed eatable items carry the list of ingredients, labelled to notify the contents and the amount of calories, cholesterol, fat, sugar, carbohydrates and minerals etc present in them to create awareness as to what is being offered. The customers go through this list before purchasing the product because they know that foods rich in fats, cholesterol, sugar etc can be very harmful for health.
Our people in general consume three full meals a day without any hesitation or restriction. This ritual is carried out eleven months of the year and our meals are undoubtedly very rich in fats, cholesterol, sugar, carbohydrates etc. The result being that our bodies are also very rich stores of fat deposits and if these fat deposits continuously and permanently pile up in our systems they give rise to all sorts of health problems and ailments. Fat deposits in our blood create problems of high blood pressure and these fat deposits narrow the blood passages in our heart causing heart ailments. The eleven months of unhealthy generous consumption, which has aided in the collection of fat can only be cleansed and our bodies be detoxified if we comply with the command to observe fasting for one full month. When an individual fasts the stomach is empty such that the body draws it required energy from the fats already deposited in our bodies. If the process of consumption of extra fat deposits during the month of fasting continues for one full month then the unhealthy dangerous fat deposits are done away and reduced to a level where an individual feels fresh and healthy. Understand and reflect; fasting again helps human beings in their wellbeing and not Allah – but to capture the essence of this obligation lies in the fact that the purpose of fasting be understood in its depth. The so called mullahs preach about the obligation of fasting but are unable to convey the actual purpose and proper message of this obligation. It is observed that Sehri, i.e. the predawn meal, and Iftar, i.e. the sunset time to break the fast, are extremely rich in fat contents. If we were to use our commonsense, the gift of intelligence, we would understand that instead of getting rid of the extra fat deposits we are actually accumulating more fat deposits in our body such that the purpose of fasting is totally negated.
When fasting it is obligatory and of utmost importance to abstain from lying, arguing, fighting, abusing and there is prohibition on all other vices. The requirement is to conduct yourself in a righteous and virtuous manner and to be helpful to other human beings. It teaches man propriety which is to be practiced for the full month of Ramadan and if a person has trained himself and has learnt to abstain from bad behaviour and vices during the month of Ramadan, then it can become part of his nature and he can learn to behave accordingly for the rest of the eleventh months. Ramadan comes again in the twelfth month and the cycle is repeated year after year. Imagine the wisdom behind it and when this process carries on how it helps mankind to reform. He learns to avoid and abstain from all negative thoughts, activities and negative behaviour thus bringing about curtailment in negative social activities. When negative social activities reduce the end result will be a healthy calm, serene society.
Yet another lesson that fasting teaches is to feel the distress of hunger and thirst of others and the essence of fasting when well understood makes realize what pangs and anguish an empty stomach can create. If at the time of Sehri stomachs are filled with large quantities of fatty and rich foods how can one understand what pangs of hunger and thirst are? The purpose here is to learn to practically feel the pain, anguish and miseries which deprived other human beings go through. This eventually goes to the credit of man and it will make him responsive and reactive to the needs of the famished. An empty stomach is also a requirement for spiritualism; according to the gist, fasting enhances the spiritual characteristics and the spirituality within.
According to the teachings of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) and as quoted in the ‘Hadith’ the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had dates and water as the pre-dawn meal to begin his fast and would break his fast with dates only. What are we the followers of the Prophet (peace be upon him) doing? And what are the so called preachers and mullahs doing?
It is by way of fasting alone that the realization of what the distress of thirst and hunger is that one is able to understand the pangs of the have-nots which make us realize and motivates us to help them. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) had to do without food for many days at end and there were times that when he (peace be upon him) eventually did sit for his meals there would be a hungry man asking for food. On such occasions, he would part with his meals and give it to the panhandler and stay hungry himself. How are we behaving? Is any one of our so-called religious leaders leading such a life and setting any such example?
Our mentality is such that we start counting our blessings just because we are fasting; we don’t even care about the people in our vicinity to know if they have had two square meals because we are busy gloating over hearty rich meals while observing and breaking the fast. Who do you think we are trying to cheat by fasting in this fashion? In what capacity do we claim to be the followers of Muhammad (peace be upon him) when we don’t even bother to capture the true essence of his teachings and we don’t demonstrate practically what he (peace be upon him) practiced. Just by singing hymns and sending our salutations we are of the opinion of having pleased the Prophet (peace be upon him). The only path that we can follow to please Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him) is to practically demonstrate what has been taught to us such that we feel the urge to feed the hungry and realize the distress, pain and hunger of the have-nots and the deprived. If we are observant many around us are indeed needy but dignified and their respectability does not permit them to beg for help or behave as panhandlers; helping and supporting such individuals to survive with dignity such that they become productive members of our society is indeed an act to please Allah and His Prophet (peace be upon him).
ZAKAT: The command for Zakat is obligatory and whosoever falls within this sphere must distribute 2.5 percent of what is owed under the Islamic framework to the poor and the needy. If financial help for the needy is carried out and proper distribution of Zakat is practiced, it will ease the burden of most and the journey for the well being of society will commence. As per the fulfilment of this obligation we are required to help the needy in such a way that they are eventually equipped to be financially independent. The command of Zakat has been made mandatory and this too goes in favour of human beings. The western societies captured the essence of this obligation and practiced it in letter and spirit, resulting in financial aid on a national level by their governments for the unemployed, needy and homeless. It is a pitiable state of affairs as our so called mullahs are unable to relate and explain the true meaning and essence of the command because for them all revolves around being judged as virtuous or sinful and being rewarded by heaven or hell on the Day of Judgment.
HAJJ : The fifth basic principle of Islam is Hajj. When any Muslim travels for the purpose of Hajj the basic essence is the will and or desire that you are going to pay a visit to the house of Allah. This should indeed be a strong desire and determination that I shall not cheat or be dishonest I shall not lie, I shall not deceive, I shall not be revengeful or jealous, I shall not be envious and I shall refrain from all vices with a promise to maintain a clean virtuous sheet in the future. During the Hajj season, Muslims from all over the world congregate at the Khanaa-e-Kaaba. These Muslims speak different languages, they have varied cultural backgrounds, they come from all walks of like and they are followers of different schools of thought. It is here that they interact with one another they mingle and intermingle. They offer prayers according to their beliefs and schools of thought and they supplicate proving the fact that they all pray to Allah alone and believe in the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). There is no distinction of any one being a Shiite, Sunni, Deobandi, Barelvi or a follower of Ahle-Hadees, one and all stand steadfast as Muslims the followers of Mohammad (peace be upon him) and the beings of Allah. In the performing of Hajj the clear message is the strength of the conviction that Muslims stand above small religious differences & disputes and there by congregate in the house of Allah as nothing but Muslims alone. Hajj gives us the message that we are a ‘united Muslim nation’ where as our so called mullahs teach us that we are a ‘dissected / divided Muslim nation’.
The real purpose in the performing of Hajj is underlined in the very practice and the requirement is ones conviction to refrain from misdeeds and sins so that we can reform and correct ourselves. It teaches us to interact to practice harmony and unity, to socialize, to behave in a civilized manner and to correct our misdeeds and tarnished habits. Brotherhood is another important lesson we learn and that there is no differentiation of colour, cast, creed, rich, poor, black, white, master, servant, all are but one and equal before Allah the Creator. Anyone, be he a minister, president or king should not consider himself higher in status when compared to other beings of Allah as the highest of the high is the status of Allah alone.
My fervent effort in these two formal sittings has been to highlight the true authentic essence of the basic five pillars of Islam. It is in the interest of each human being to stand corrected or else Allah is in no dire need of our praise and prayer for Him. He is the Greatest, was the Greatest and will always be the Greatest. It is a lamentable fact that all the problems have been created by our so called mullahs who have depicted our religion in a fashion that the picture of Islam is so painted that the purpose and philosophy of the entire religion is restricted and narrowed down to being judged as virtuous or sinful or that of being rewarded with heaven or hell on the day of judgment. These teachings and preaching have totally erased the true essence and purpose of the Islamic practices and we have been incapacitated to understand the wisdom behind the teachings. Unfortunately, we in no way practice Islam for the purpose of correction and improvement in ourselves, we practice it only to count our blessings and rewards for the hereafter.
This has been an effort and contribution from my end that the maximum be delivered in the least possible time for my companions to mediate and think so that there is an awakening and the desire of thirst for knowledge is felt. It is to provoke the process of meditation to comprehend the actual and true essence of the obligatory practices as required in Islam. Once the correct and authentic message of Islam is comprehended and your minds are activated in the right direction you will not only prove to be assets for the movement and the nation but you will be in a position to guide others to live cleaner and healthier lives in an Islamic manner, in accordance with the commands to Allah and the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). My companions need to compare all that I have communicated about capturing the true essence of the teachings and practices of Islam with the teachings and practices of the movement and its mission; you will clearly recognize that the teachings and practices required by our mission are convergent. We talk about care and concern for other human beings, we teach don’t be dishonest, don’t lie, don’t be envious, don’t harbour grievances and serve humanity honestly and whole heartedly. It is irrespective of the designations of holding offices as ministers, as nazims, as elected parliamentarians or important members of the movement, all these positions are but to serve humanity and these designations, in no way are proof of ones personal greatness because all greatness is but for Allah the Greatest of all. The basic and true essence of the teachings of our movement is no different to the teachings of Islam. For all practical purposes to reform and correct ourselves our companions must tow the line of the discussion and put it to practice such that they will not only be able to contribute positively to the movement but will of great value to the society on the whole.