In the Presence of God

I've just arrived from Glasgow after travelling for a monthly lecture on the Forty Hadith of Imam Nawawi by Sheikh Abdel Aziz Frederick. It turned out that he was unwell presumably due to the winter bug. May Allah give him speedy recovery, Insya ALlah. Alhamdulillah, Sheikh Ridhwan, a young but bright scholar was there not to disappoint the audience at the al-Mizan House. 

 

While we might not get the himmah of the spiritual state of Sheikh Abdel Aziz, nonetheless, the blessings of the majlis was indisputably immense as God the Al-Mighty has repeatedly promised that one should always take part in any  halaqat al-dhikr as it is in reality the 'garden of paradise'.  It was such a blessed evening indeed and we have benefited a lot from the majlis. This brief write-up hopes to recapitulate some of the most important points that we've benefitted.

 

§ When there was a bit of problem with the sound system, Sheikh Ridhwan immediately broke the silence that perhaps he was not 'given a permission to talk' by God. To spread God's words also requires His permission, he said. If HE does'nt grant it then, one is unable to deliver it as it should be. It reminded him of a majlis he attended where Sheikh Mahmud Affendi was giving a talk in one of the mosques in Istanbul. In spite of the Sheikh's extremely low and soft voice, yet thousands of people attended the majlis could understand very well what he was trying to convey. How could that be? Yes, because when a teacher who was sincere in giving the knowledge and he was amongst those who practised what he preaches, the knowledge emanates from his heart straight to the hearts of his students, rather than to the ears. The faculty of hearing, in this case, has not much significant role to play since another faculty, which is the heart, begins to work miraculously.  The spiritual heart (not the physical heart) is in fact the active faculty of understanding and contemplating, especially when it comes to seeking Divine Guidance or hidayah. This also what Imam al-Ghazālī  mentions in his Maarij al-Quds fi madarij marifat al-nafs and further elaborated by Prof. Naquib al-Attas in his Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam.

 

For that reason, God says in the Holy Qur'ān, ((lahum qulubun la yafqahūna bihā)) 'they have hearts, but understand not'.  Clearly that 'heart' which seeks to understand Divine Guidance and not the ear or the mind as people generally thought. Hence, it is not surprising that a deaf or person having impaired hearing who attended a majlis of dhikr might have a better understanding and comprehension than a healthy and perfectly fine person.

 

§ In the light of hajj season which is still felt with the pilgrims have just started to return to their homelands, Sheikh Ridhwan mentioned some of the virtues of hajj and the sacred places, and the effect on those who sincerely performed the hajj. The pilgrims have the opportunity to cleanse themselves from sins and 'being born again' and anyone who visited the new 'hajjis' or 'hajjahs' could notice the radiance of them since all the gloomy faces now had turned to illuminated  ones, due to their constant worshipping of God while performing the hajj. Sh. Ridhwan also mentioned that according to some scholars when the Prophet Moses a.s. asked the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. during his Mi'raj, to return to God and ask Him to reduce the obligatory prayers which was firstly ordained fifty rakaats to his Ummah, Moses a.s. did that simply because he wanted to continue seeing the immense radiant face of the Prophet Muhammad after having been in the Presence of the Almighty God. If the Prophet s.a.w. immediately returned after being given the fifty rakaat of prayers, then he would miss the rare opportunity to have a sight of someone who had just been in the Presence of God and cleansed oneself as manifested in the illuminated face. Even when without meeting his Lord, the Prophet s.a.w.'s face had already been shinning and illuminated - people often got awe and struck upon falling their eyes on his face -  one could not imagine how his face might have looked like after 'seeing' his God.

 

§ On the blessings of Madinah al-Munawarrah, Sheikh Ridhwan mentioned among other things that, the spot where the Prophet's body was buried is the best spot on the entire earth and the universe. The Prophet s.a.w. had requested Madinah to be blessed by God twice in his dua just as the Prophet Ibrahim prayed that Makkah was to be blessed. In fact the Prophet s.a.w. prayed twice for that.

 

>>> when Caliph Abū Mansur came to visit Madinah, Imam Malik r.a. went to the gate of Madinah city to receive him. Imam Malik r.a. warned the Caliph to speak gently and nicely to the People of Medina since they were blessed by the Prophet s.a.w.

 

>>> Imām Malik r.a. also was found walking against the wall of Madinah one day. When asked he said he feared he might step on the traces of the Prophet's steps since it was reported that the Prophet used to walk in the middle road of Madinah city, but not against the wall.

 

§ If one wants to know his position or rank with  God, then look at God's position in him. If God is so dear to him and he is in constant remembrance of God, then he is dear to God too and HE remembers him accordingly. Some people used to attain a high spiritual state in their lives at one point, but then started to diminish over time because of their heedlessness and sins. Sh. Ridhwan mentioned where when he was in Damascus, he had a friend who complained that when he (the friend) first became a Muslim, he could walk on foot to a mosque of 20 km away, but now even when the mosque just close next door, it was so difficult for him to go. It was because our spiritual state (hal) has fallen due to our ghaflah (heedlessness) or lack of dhikr (remembrance of God) and sins. 

 

When Saidina Umar decided to begin the Islamic calender with the Prophetic  Hijrah and the first month was Muharram, which is the next month after Zulhijjah, he was having in his mind that Muharram should be the first month in Islamic calender since it implies the beginning of one's new life: for 'being born again' sinlessly after returning from performing the hajj ((man hajja fa lam yarfath wa lam yafsuq, raja'a ka yaumin waladathu ummuhu)) (whoever performs hajj and without being vulgar and disobedient, he then returns as if on the day he was born). In a way, it is an opportunity for the hajjis and hajjahs to turn a new chapter of their live, and start afresh following the success of their pilgrimage. One of the many signs of the acceptance of hajj is when one leads more pious life upon one's return: non-attachment of the world and longing for the Hereafter (( zahidan fi al-dunya wa raghiban fi al-akhirah)).

 

Let us as well make a resolution in this coming month of Muharram which marks the new year of Hijrah,  that we shall strive our utmost effort to attain again the highest spiritual station (hal) where we used to have been, or if possible, to be better off  than before, Insya Allah.

 

May Allah help us, increase us in our spiritual station and grant us success in both worlds.