The

Chishti Nizami Habibi Soofie 

International Sufi Order

Pietermaritzburg

South Africa

786/92  

Eid al-Adha 2004

Lecture at Jumua’h Masjid, Grey Street, Durban

10^TH Zil Hijjah 1424/February 1^ST, 2004

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the 108^th Sura of the Holy Qur’aan[1], al-Kauthar: Verses 1 to 3

Hazrath Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him) says “Abundance” (al- Kauthar) means “much goodness” (al-khair al-kathiir). It has reference to the Holy Prophet’s

 (Nabuwwa) well as to a river by that name existing in the Garden of Paradise. It points to the status (Maqame Mahbubia) of our Beloved Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) as the ‘Beloved of Allah’ (Habibullah), par excellence.

The status of the Beloved of Allah is unique. Whilst the entire creation is commanded to seek Allah’s pleasure, Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the 93^rd Sura of the Holy Qur’aan, ad-Dhuha: Verse 5, that He looks at the pleasure of His Beloved Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family)

        And your Lord will surely give to you and you will be satisfied (till you are pleased)      

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the 33^rd Sura of the Holy Qur’aan, al-Ahzab: Verse 56

                       Indeed Allah and His Angels, shower blessings on the Prophet                     

Remember this word 'yusalluna' in 'yusalluna alan nabi' is 'sighah al-istimraar' or 'mudarriya' it stands for a continuous action. An action, which never ceases!  (Past, perfect, continuous verb)  Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) has been sending Salaam on His beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) since time immemorial and will continue to do so until their remains no creation to recite salaat-o- salaam, i.e. this creation ceases to exist.  Is this something ordinary that we can ignore or pass by, heedlessly?  Allah has blessed and will continue to bless His Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) abundantly.   The flow of blessings on the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) is continuous and in abundance. That is what is meant by al-Kauthar. From this abundance of blessings, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) will liberate sinners from hell. He will give them charity from his abundance. He is a mercy for us here as our guide and he will be a mercy for us in the world to come.

Concerning the Divine words:

                                       So Pray to your Lord and sacrifice to Him.                                     

Different shades of meaning have been given.

v     Pray your five daily prayers and sacrifice the animal on the Day of Sacrifice  (Yawm an-Nahr).

v     Perform your Eid salaah and perform the sacrifice at Mina.

v     Raise your hand to the throat of your sacrificial offering, while uttering the affirmation of Allah’s Supreme Greatness (takbir).

 Allah also says:

Allah revealed this when one of the unbelievers of Makkah, Aas ibn Waa’il referred to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as ‘al-abtar’ or ‘the one cut off’ meaning ‘he has no sons whereby he will be remembered’. This was due to the recent loss of his son Abdullah (may Allah bless him with peace). This verse referred to an abuser of Allah’s Beloved, being cut off from all that is good. This is a warning for us. That although you may, pray regularly and sacrifice in the way of Allah, we should be careful as to what belief we hold (aqaid) about Allah’s Beloved. The slightest disrespect to him and all your deeds will be annulled. Allah says:

Allah then exalted the Holy Prophets renown among the people at large. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says to His Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) in the 94^th Sura of the Holy Qur’aan, al-Ahzab: Verses 1 to 4

Shaykh Abd al-Qadir Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him) says:[2] ‘Yes indeed, for he is remembered and mentioned by name on every Day of Festival (‘Id) and Congregation (Jum’a), in the pulpits (manaabir) and the mosques (masaajid), in the call to prayer (adhaan), the announcement that prayer is about to begin (iqaama), and the ritual prayer (salaat) itself, and on all important occasions, including the marriage sermon (khutbaat an-nikaah) and other public speeches, as well as in special times of need.’

Immolation (nahr), meaning animal sacrifice, is referred to in the words:

                                       So Pray to your Lord and sacrifice to Him                                      

The seed of faith is contained within every baby at birth. Our Master the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)  says that every child is born as a Muslim, but depending on where he is born and the parents to whom he is given, he may be called a Christian, a Jew, or he may belong to some other religion.

At the age when we realize that we are human, we hear an inner voice saying:

This is the voice of ‘wisdom’ (al-hikmah) within us,that we must respond to, and it is the sprout of the seed of faith inside everyone.

It is through sincere prayer to Allah and sacrifice due to the Allah given realization that all things are temporal, and through the Gift of Allah (fazl) from His Infinite Mercy, we "Submit!" Those who are able to submit reach the level of Unsiyyah, or closeness, intimacy, friendship, with the Allah. This is the lesson of Ibrahim, the ‘Friend of Allah’ (Khalilullah). Learn ‘submission’ from him. This is when one becomes an Insaan, a true human being, and a Muslim in deed. This is the true Muslim that trough genuine submission can create an impacton all those that come to him. This true Islamic behaviour acts as the water to nurture the ‘seed of faith’ of all those that contact him.

Have we truly submitted?

A poet has said:

 There is a hidden meaning in the arrangement of the obligations of Islam. Hajj embodies the state of "dying before dying," of leaving everything behind, of wrapping ourselves in our shrouds (kaffan) and presenting ourselves to our Lord, crying,

 One of Hazrath Ibrahim’s (may Allah bless him with peace) main trials was to face the command of Allah to sacrifice his only son.   Upon hearing this command, he prepared to submit to Allah's will.  When he was all prepared to do it, Allah revealed to him that his "sacrifice" had already been fulfilled.  Hazrath Ibrahim (may Allah bless him with peace) had shown that his love for his Lord superceded all others and that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dear to him in order to submit to Allah.

 After Ibrahim (may Allah bless him with peace) was tested by Allah. Allah said as stated in the 37^th Sura as-Saffat: Verse 110 of the Holy Qur’aan

                                          Thus do We reward the doers of good                                         

                              That is how we recompense every true lover (muhibb).                            

According to the People of Insight  (urafaa) the intended purpose of sacrifice is to detach the heart from everything other than Allah. Allah allows no partner in love (sharik fil- hubb). Ibrahim (may Allah bless him with peace) loved his son, so he was put to the test. Hazrath Yaquub (may Allah bless him with peace) loved Hazrath Yusuf (may Allah bless him with peace) so Allah separated them for forty years. Our Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) loved his grandsons Hazrath Hassan and Hussain (may Allah be well pleased with them), and they were attached to his heart, so Allah informed him that one will be poisoned and the other would be slain. We therefore have to detach our hearts from everything that we get attached to. The negative attachments take us away from Allah and his Holy Prophet and all those who showed the way to love Allah. Positive attachment is attachment to those who show the methodology (tariq) of how to attain Divine love and pleasure. Remember love for Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him with peace) is love for Allah.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him with peace) told his daughter Fatimah (may Allah be well pleased with her):

These are the words of Allah in the 6^th Sura, al-Anaam: Verse 162.

The Holy Prophet (may Allah bless him with peace) sacrificed two enormous rams with horns. For one he said, accept this from Muhammad and his family, and the other he said, accept this from Muhammad and his Ummah.

Whilst sacrifice of an animal, for us is a strict necessity (wujub) or a customary practice (sunna), if we satisfy the conditions, it was obligatory (fard) on the Prophet (may Allah bless him with peace)  He (may Allah bless him with peace)  once said :

0n this Day of Sacrifice we are making a promise to Allah to sacrifice all our low desires and transgression.

 The Holy Qur’aan says in the 2^nd Sura, al Baqarah,

2:177

If you make a promise, fulfill it at all costs                                      

Here the Qur’aan is speaking of social ethics. This is practical piety. Allow me to give you one example and compare our most ‘pious’ in this regard?

The companion Sayeddina Hudaifa (may Allah be well pleased with him) was among the last to leave Makkah for Madinah. He was stopped by the guards of the Quraysh and prevented from leaving Makkah. However, he was told that he could leave only if he promised not to join the Muslim army in the forthcoming war, the battle of Badr. He promised and upon his arrival in Madinah he related the whole incident to our beloved Prophet (may Allah bless him with peace)  After some time , when the battle was imminent, he came to join the army. The Prophet forbade him and reminded him of his promise. He protested saying that it was a promise made under duress. The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)  replied: “For other human beings, yes, but not to a Muslim. A Muslim never breaks a promise no matter what the circumstances. No Muslim should break the law of Allah.”

What are our promises today! Dictionaries full of excuses have been coined and kept ready.

 We have transgressed. We have not fulfilled and upheld the true Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), except for a cosmetic, outside, spiritless adoption. Recently the world population census revealed that there are approximately 5 billion plus, people in the world. Europe and America constitute 20% of the world population but they are holding on to, by any means, fair or foul, 80% of the world's natural resources. The west wishes to hold mankind in the grip of its power, by imposing upon the rest of mankind its values, culture and economy. The sensate culture of the West is in conflict with the God rooted culture of the Divinely revealed religions of the World, especially Islam.

The Global political presence of Muslims that have strong Islamic values that transcend artificial borders and the retention of a global culture and political identity are seen as a threat by the ruthless, capitalist governments of the West, which today also includes Russia. In Muslim majority countries, that are naturally rich in natural resources, any attempts to establish an Islamic value system, are termed as "fundamentalist" and "terrorist" and crushed by any means. The reigning governments in the 50+ Muslim majority countries of the world have to be western "puppet governments" or the prevalent authorities will be directly opposed or elements within that country will be funded to keep the country in the grip of instability and poverty. Recent history, the genocide's and massacres in Bosnia, Kosova, Chechnya and the continuing occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq has made the fact, universally accepted to all sober thinkers, that the west is determined to eradicate all remaining traces of Genuine Islam, that threatens its ‘unholy grip’ of Muslim Wealth and lands.

Islam is viewed as being the only source of challenge to the western capitalist domination of the world. This challenge indeed exists as in the form of a widespread realization amongst Muslims everywhere that they have to free themselves from the stronghold that the west has acquired over them and Islam. A dynamic, vibrant, living Islam left in peace will offer the world peace, security, moral upliftment and economic and social justice. Bombs and technology will not decide who wins, but the emergence of a superior civilization will determine this.

It has become even more necessary, in these turbulent times to relate to our children and youth born and being raised in the west, or in western influenced environments that we tell them the story of one of the greatest sacrifices in the history of mankind. It has to be related so lessons may be learned from it.

Imam Hussain (may Allah be well pleased with him) took a stand against tyranny at the age of 56 years, on the day of Ashura 61 AH. He gave the ultimate sacrifice of position, family and life for the restoration of justice. The Festival of Sacrifice is a Day of the reaffirmation of a true Muslims determination to make Jihad or strive against corrupt and un-Islamic forces within or without its ranks as a first duty. The problem of the Muslim Ummah on a global level is a real and living problem. . Since March 3, 1924, Monday the 27 Rajab 1342 (eighty years) we are Muslims without a Caliphate, in which Allah is Sovereign. To accept the monarchs and presidents as sovereign is an act of shirk. The huge oil wealth of Arabia belongs to the world of Islam. The handing over of the effective control of this oil wealth to the Americans is an act of treason. Volumes can be written on the economic subordination of the Muslim world. We need to find and enforce a solution to our present degradation and decline whether we are from Africa, The Indo-Pak Subcontinent, or the Arab World. We have a population of over 1.2 Billion in the world and yet we have no say in the International Affairs. The propaganda machinery of the west has misrepresented Islam on a global level. We need to enforce ways and means to counter this propaganda. One method that can be enforced is to adapt and modify existing functions and observances to serve the original spirit of mobilizing the spirit and educating society as to how we can gain the pleasure of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and serve the cause of Islam.

Irshad Soofi
Chishti Nizami Habibi Soofi
Khanqae Habibia Soofia
189 East Street
Pietermaritzburg
Kwa - Zulu Natal
Republic of South Africa
Tel. 0027 33 3422016
Fax 0027 33 3940847
website: http://www.sufi.co.za/

Friday, January 30, 2004