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The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him And His Family) The Proof Of Allah’s Majesty And The Bringer Of The Divine Law

A lecture delivered by Hazrath Maulana Muhammad Shafi Okarvi (may Allah be well pleased with him)

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 48^th Sura, al-Fath, in Verse 28:

After praising Allah (Hamd) and blessing His beloved Holy Prophet (Salaat). I recited a verse of the Holy Qur'aan. I present to you this verse’s literal translation and a little of its commentary. I request that you patiently sit with tranquil minds and listen to me.

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says:

                                                   It is He Who has sent His Messenger                                                  

Sent him with Guidance and the Religion of Truth

That this religion of truth may prevail over all other religions

And enough is Allah for a Witness.

This is the literal translation of the verse. Commenting on this verse the first thing is that Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says that it is ‘He’ who sent His messenger. The question arises that whom is this, which ‘He’ refers to. He did not take His name. Neither has He mentioned the name of His Essence (zaati)[1] nor of His Attributes (sifati)[2]. He did not say, ‘It is Allah, Who has sent His Messenger’ nor did he say ‘It is The All-Merciful (ar-Rahmaan), Who has sent His Messenger’. He says, ‘It is ‘He’ (Huwa) Who has sent His Messenger’. I implore the attention of the learned. The word Huwa is a pronoun (zamir). It is a representative word for ‘an unseen or named person or thing’. It means ‘he’. A pronoun (zamir) cannot be known until ‘the antecedent or original’ (marja) is not revealed. ‘Al-lazi’ is a mausuum or naming particle and ‘the named’ is not known until ‘the Object’ (sila) is revealed. In order to elucidate what I am saying, I present two Urdu sentences. If I say, ‘Zayd came and he recited the Holy Qur'aan.’  In this phrase, ‘he’ is the pronoun (zamir) and ‘the antecedent or original’ (marja) of this pronoun is Zayd. Zayd came and ‘he’ recited, ‘he’ represents Zayd. If in only say ‘he recited the Holy Qur'aan’ then you would not know ‘who’ recited, since I am only using the ‘he’, which is the pronoun (zamir) and I had not mentioned the ‘the antecedent or original’ (marja) of this pronoun (zamir). So this makes clear that a pronoun (zamir) cannot be known until ‘the antecedent or original’ (marja) is not revealed. So, ‘Al-lazi’ is a mausuum or naming particle and ‘the named’ is not known until ‘the Object’ (sila) is revealed. To explain this further let me present another example. If I say to Mr. A.G. Khan, ‘Khan Sahib he, who had sent you a present, sends salaams to you. From this Khan Sahib will know who the sender of salaam is. For he knows who had sent him a present. But if I continue saying, ‘‘Khan Sahib he sends salaams to you” then Khan Sahib would ask, ‘Who has sent salaams to me?’ So ‘the named’ is not known until ‘the Object’ (sila) is revealed. Huwa is a pronoun (zamir) and Al-lazi’ is the mausuum or naming particle. Allah says, ‘Huwal lazi’ It is ‘He Who has sent’ and further ‘arsala rasulahu’ is the ‘the Object’ (sila). So the meaning is, ‘It is He who sent His messenger’. Allah did not name Himself but he introduces Himself as ‘The Sender of this messenger’. Neither has He mentioned the name of His Essence (zaati) nor of His Attributes (sifati) but he introduces Himself as ‘The Sender of this messenger’. This means that when one sees this messenger that I sent, then ponder that if this messenger has such a great status, then how great must the status of the one that sent him be? Allah introduced Himself to the world, through the means of this matchless messenger of His. For example, if a great scholar (Aalim) comes to Durban and says, ‘O People, I am the teacher of so and so.’ If he introduces himself in this manner then what is the aim for using this method. The aim is that the audience knows the capability, knowledge and excellence of my student so when I say, ‘I am his teacher’ then they would realize on their own that if the student is so capable, how capable must the teacher be. Allah is saying, ‘O My servants! I am veiled from your senses. Your eyes cannot see Me. Your ears cannot listen to Me and your senses cannot perceive Me so I am introducing Myself in this manner that I am He who created a Messenger to You that if you see his status and greatness then ponder, if the creation is so great then how great must the Creator be?’ The capable teacher is recognized through his capable student and the expertise of a manufacturer is gauged through the product he manufactures. The greatness (kamal) of the Creator is known through the Beauty of His Chosen One (jamale Mustafa). You want to see the greatness of Allah then look at the greatness of the Holy Prophet Muhammad  (Peace be upon him and his family) and if you want to see the beauty of the Creator then look at the beauty of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). You want to know the knowledge of Allah then look at the knowledge of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). You want to know the wisdom of Allah then look at the wisdom of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). You want to see the mercy of Allah then look at the mercy of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). Look at the excellence of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) and ponder on the excellence of Allah. Allah is demonstrating to us that as a pronoun (zamir) cannot be known until ‘the antecedent or original’ (marja) is not revealed and a mausuum or naming particle and ‘the named’ is not known until ‘the Object’ (sila) is revealed in the same manner, ‘You cannot know Me until you know My Beloved’.

Establish A ‘Close Connection’ (Ta’alluq)[3] With My Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him And His Family)

Allah is saying in effect, ‘If you want to know Me, My Essence (zaat) or My Attributes (sifat), gain My recognition (marifat) then establish a ‘close connection’ (ta’alluq) with My Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). As long as one does not attach oneself firmly to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) then one can never attain the recognition (marifat) of Allah. The means of recognizing Allah (marifat), with His Essence (zaat) and Attributes (sifat), is the Personality of the Holy Prophet. Dr Allama Iqbal rendered a beautiful poem, that I had recited previously and do so once again since it is relevant to the topic. He says:

The Chosen One, Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) is the mirror that reflects of Allah’s Essence and Attributes so if you want to see the Splendor (jalwa) Allah’s Essence and Attributes then look at the Personality of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). I am not saying this, listen to what Allah says, in a Hadith Qudsi[4]. Imam Mullah Ali Qari (may Allah be well pleased with him) writes that this saying is Sound (sahih) in its meaning. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says,

Kunto kanzan, maghfian, (I, Allah, was a concealed treasure) and

ka ababtoh (I loved) first of all Allah loves, this whole universe is based on love.

ka ababtoh (I loved or I wanted) What ?

an urafa (that I be known and recognized) Allah says that I loved and wanted to be Known. So what did I do?

fa khalaqtul khalqa (I created creation) Here creation (khalq) refers to the Light of Muhammad, the first created being or thing. This clarifies that the reason for the creation of Nur or Light of Muhammad is the Recognition of Allah (marifat). Allah says that I created Nur or Light of Muhammad so that I may thereby be known or recognized. At this juncture there is a Sufi[5] point that I wish to state and then continue. Ponder on first part of Allah’s statement, ‘I was a concealed treasure (Kunto kanzan, maghfian). The point in question is, if besides Allah there was nothing, then from whom or what was He concealed? Have you pondered on this? Concealed from whom? Allah is Eternal (al-Qadim). He is Eternal without beginning (al-Azal) and Eternal without end (al-Abad). He always existed and will always exist. As His Essence (zat) is Eternal without beginning (al-Azal) and Eternal without end (al-Abad), Eternal (al-Qadim).  so is His Attributes (sifat) is Eternal without beginning (al-Azal) and Eternal without end (al-Abad), Eternal (al-Qadim). So if His Attributes are Eternal was He not the Lord of all Existence (ar-Rabb) Eternally? Yes he was. Was he not The Provider (ar-Razzaq), The Veiler (as-Sattar), The Forgiver (al—Ghaffar)? Yes He exists and existed with all His attributes, but His attributes were concealed. E.g. ar-Rabb means Sustainer of all Existence, and there was naught to sustain, so He was the Sustainer of all Existence but this attribute, of ar-Rabb, was concealed. as-Sattar  means The Veiler, and there was no one to sin, so His attribute of The Veiler (as-Sattar), existed but was concealed. as-Ghaffar  means The Forgiver, and there was no one to sin, so His attribute of The Forgiver (al—Ghaffar) existed, but was concealed. . as-Razzaq  means The Provider, and there was no one to provide to, so His attribute of The Provider (ar-Razzaq),existed but was concealed. Allah says, “I was a concealed treasure and I loved to be known, so I created Nure Muhammadi or the Light of Muhammad. Thus it is known that if The Chosen One (al-Mustafa) was not brought into existence then the Lord of all Existence (ar-Rabb), The Veiler (as-Sattar) and all Divine Attributes , would not have been made manifest. Therefore Allah said,

If the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) had not been created nothing would have come into existence. Allah introduces Himself through this Messenger of His. Remember this. The means of knowing Allah is the Being of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). If one severs a ‘close connection’ (ta’alluq) with My Beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) then one can never attain the Recognition of Allah (marifat).

The Name Of The Master, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him And His Family)

 The Sufi’s have asked that we should pay special attention to the name of The Master, Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). His name is Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). It is such a beautiful name that in pronunciation, whether one likes it or not, the lips kiss. Take the blessed name, Muhammad, and experience it for yourself. Twice the lips come together. Whether one kisses out of affection or not, Allah has given him such a name:

May we be sacrificed on the name of The Master! Sacrificed on the name! It is mentioned in the Hadith[6]:

                           Allah will spare whosoever has this name on the Day of Judgment.                          

Whosoever has the name Muhammad, Allah will tell him, ‘you have My Beloved’s name, go I have forgiven you.’ If his name has such a blessing, how blessed must that personality be?  As I was saying, pay special attention to this name. His name is Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family). There are four letters in this name and also four letters in the name Allah. There are two ‘laams’ in the name Allah and there are two ‘meems’ in the name Muhammad. In Allah’s name the second ‘laam’ is doubled (mushaddad) and in the name Muhammad the second ‘meem’ is doubled(mushaddad). The point is that a doubled letter (harfe mushaddad) has a connection with the letter before it and the letter following it. So the second meem of Muhammad is doubled. Before it is ‘heh’ and after it is ‘dal’. Sufis state that ‘heh’ symbolizes Haq (truth) whilst dal symbolizes dunya (universe). In between is the meem of Muhammad, which symbolizes that He, Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his family) is receiving from The Truth al-Haqq and distributing to the universe (dunya). Whatever the universe received from Allah it received through the means of this meem . If the meem is removed from in between the heh and dal   then they become separated. The connection of the dal to the heh is only through the means of the meem. Whatever connection we have with the Creator of the Universe it is only through Muhammad, the Messenger (Peace be upon him and his family). The means of the recognition of Allah is the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family).

The Human Emergence And The Creation Of The Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him And His Family)

Allah says:

Ponder! The Qur’aan commands us to ponder upon its words. Allah says in the 4^th Sura, an-Nisaa, Verse 82:

                                                  Will they not ponder on the Qur’aan?                                                 

Why do they not study the Qur’aan with care and consideration? Every word and letter from Allah possesses wisdom. E.g. 

            It is He Who has sent His Messenger

Allah says, ‘arsala’ not ‘khalaqa’. The word ‘arsala’ is derived from ‘irsaal’, which means ‘to send’. That object or being can be sent that exists initially. He did not say ‘khalaqa ’which means ‘khalqun’ or ‘to create’. Allah did not say, ‘khalaqa Rasulahu’ but said, ‘arsala Rasulahu’ so that it may be known that the time of the Holy Prophet’s physical appearance in this world was not the time of his creation. That was the time of his human emergence and not his creation for he was created before all creation. Thus the Holy Prophet’s emergence on this earth was only his arriving and not his creation for he was created before all creation. Listen to the narration of his creation. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) says:

Here the word khalaqa is utilized. This Hadith is sound (Sahih).

Shaikh al-Muhaddithin Hazrath Allama Shah Abd al-Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi (may Allah be well pleased with him):  

This great personality, Shaikh al-Muhaddithin Hazrath Allama Shah Abd al-Haq Muhaddith Dehlvi (may Allah be well pleased with him), says about this Hadith:

Listen to another Hadith. My respected elders and friends, listen attentively to this next Hadith that I am about to present to you. Imame Ajal, Imam Abd ar-Razaq (may Allah be well pleased with him) who is the teacher of a great personality like Hazrath Imam Ahmad Hamnbal (may Allah be well pleased with him) one of the four Imams of Islamic Law (fiqh). Imam Abd ar-Razaq, is also the grand teacher of Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim[8]. Hazrath Imam Ahmad Hamnbal says that I have never seen another Imam to match Imam Abd ar-Razaq’s knowledge of Hadith. This great Imam, Abd ar-Razaq has presented this Hadith with its chain of narration. This is a ‘high-ranking’ (marfu) Hadith. In case anyone objects and speak out after I leave therefore I present to you another reference for this Hadith. Molvi Ashraf Ali Thanvi has written a book on the life of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) called ‘Nashrut teeb fi zikre Habeeb’. I have this book in my possession at this very instant. He has a chapter in this book called, Section One: ‘A discourse on the light of Muhammad’  (pehli fasl, Nure Muhammadi ke bayaan.). He has quoted this Hadith and given a commentary. I will relate it to you in the Arabic.

 The Dignity (Qadr) Of The Holy Prophet

I have diverted from my original theme. To recap there is a ‘high-ranking’ (marfu) Hadith. Listen to it. Hazrath Jabir bin Abdullah al-Ansari (may Allah be well pleased with him) presented himself at the Holy Court of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) and stated, ‘ O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you.’ This was the methodology of the Companions. When they spoke to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) they first said, ‘ O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you.’ If you wish to ask about the dignity (qadr) of the Holy Prophet, ask the Companions (Sahaba). They knew the appreciation of his merit (qadr).

Ask the companions the status and love of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family). These who find fault and needle us they are devoid of love. Lovers never find fault. They have been deprived of the treasure of intense love and affection. My elders and friends I stated that it was the methodology of the Companions, that when they spoke to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) they first said, ‘ O Messenger of Allah! May my mother and father be sacrificed for you.’ So Hazrath Jabir then asked, ‘Inform me as to what was the first thing or being that Allah created before all creation?’ Ponder on the question of the Companion also. In his question there is a point to note. It is established that it was the belief and faith of the Companion that the Holy Prophet will have knowledge as to the first thing or being that Allah created. Therefore he said, ‘Inform me.’ These people (Deobandis / Tablighis /Wahabbis) have written in their books that the Holy Prophet has no knowledge of tomorrow and as to what is behind a wall. I swear by Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) that they have written in their books that the Holy Prophet has no knowledge of his own future or that of others or what will be his or their destiny in the hereafter. To support this they present a Qur’aanic verse so that people will understand that they are not making a statement without proof. They present the Holy Qur'aan, the 46^th Sura al-Ahqaaf, Verse 9, in which the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) says,

They present this verse and say, ‘The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not know what is his destiny and that of others.”

For the sake of Allah, use your intelligence. If this verse connotes what they say it does and we adopt this belief that the Holy Prophet does know what is his destiny and that of others and then we have a debate with the Shia sect. In this debate we present the following arguments:

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) said,

We will say that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) gave these ten glad tidings of paradise then they will argue that your Molvis have stated that The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not know what is his destiny and that of others, so how can he give these tidings of paradise? What answer will they give the Shia? Also many Verses of the Holy Qur'aan and Ahadith will be negated.

 The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has said:

He (Peace be upon him and his family) has also said in a Hadith in Sahih Bukhari:

He (Peace be upon him and his family) has also said:

Should I make it brief, He (Peace be upon him and his family) has also said:

And he (Peace be upon him and his family) also said:

A Qur’aanic Verse Is Being Presented But The Meaning Given Is Wrong

Yet they say that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not know his own destiny. And they present the 46^th Sura al-Ahqaaf, Verse 9. Those who don’t know the reality, say well if a Qur’aanic verse is being presented then we have to believe the Qur’aan. Let me clarify that the verse is a Qur’aanic verse but the meaning given is wrong. In the period of Hazrath Ali, the Rebels (Kharijites[13]), who had broken away from Hazrath Ali, used to present a Qur’aanic Reference, The 12^th Sura, Yusuf: Verse 67:

                                             None can command (or judge) except Allah:                                            

On the strength of this verse they refused to accept the command and judgment of Hazrath Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him).

 Hazrath Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) used to say:

Meaning the words of the Qur’aan is true but the meaning that they give to it is false. In reality Allah is independently ‘The One Who Commands And Judges Wisely’ (al-Haakim), but if Allah bestows this ability to someone then he too, dependent upon Allah, is one who ‘Commands And Judges Wisely’ (Haakim).

 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan in the 4^th Sura, an-Nisaa, Verse 58:

In the same manner, they (the Wahabbi / Deoband /Tabligh Jamaat alliance) present Qur’aanic verses to substantiate their deviant beliefs, but the meaning given is wrong. Simple-minded people don’t know that they are presenting wrong interpretations of Qur’aanic verses and are trapped by them. Let me explain, the 46^th Sura al-Ahqaaf, Verse 9, in which the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) says, so listen carefully to the words

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) said “ma adr”’ not “ma a’lamu”. There is ‘knowledge’ (ilm) and ‘speculation’ (dirayat). Let me narrate a story to you to explain dirayat:

In the time of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) physical era on this earth the soothsayer’s etc. speculated in this way. So the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) is in actual fact saying, ‘that information that I give you, events of the past and that which would unfold in the future, and the events of the reckoning and that I would knock on the door of paradise first etc.

I am not speculating but say as Allah has me say in the continuation of the Holy Qur'aan, the 46^th Sura al-Ahqaaf, Verse 9: [14]

I inform on the basis of revelation to me from Allah. They read part of the verse and leave the rest of the verse under discussion, of the Holy Qur'aan, the 46^th Sura al-Ahqaaf, Verse 9:

 The correct translation is:

Don’t think my knowledge is speculative like fortune-tellers and soothsayers; it is not ‘devilish or speculative’ it is ‘certainty’ for it is revelation from Allah. So this is the meaning and they have translated falsely. They have corrupted the commentary and thereby corrupted the belief (Aqaaid) of the people i.e. that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not know his own destiny or that of others.

Allah says in the Holy Qur'aan, the `17 ^Th Sura al-Israa, Verse79:

When the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) was asked as to what is The Praiseworthy Station (al-Maqam al-Mahmud)? He replied,

Let us also analyze this from the point on intellect. We say to idol-worshippers and disbelievers to embrace Islam to attain salvation and save themselves from the punishment in the after-life. They will tell us that, ‘That Prophet upon whom you ask us to testify faith does not know his own condition in the afterlife so how do you guarantee salvation, what benefit is there in this? Tell me honestly, will any disbeliever, become Muslim holding this false belief? You, holders of wrong belief (Aqaaid) say the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not know his own condition in the hereafter, yet, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has stated that:

What a unique, Messenger of Allah, that if we keep his name we are saved.

As I was saying Hazrath Jabir (may Allah be well pleased with him) asked the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family), ‘Inform me as to what was the first thing or being that Allah created before all creation?’ This informs us it was the belief and faith of the Companion that the Holy Prophet has knowledge as to the first thing or being that Allah created. Fro here we had branched out since these holders of wrong belief (Aqaaid) say the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has no knowledge of his destiny, the destiny of others or what is behind a wall. So, the companion asked the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family), ‘Inform me as to what was the first thing or being that Allah created before all creation?’ Here the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) did not say, ‘I don’t know, Allah knows.’ On the contrary, he answered:

What does it min Nurihi mean? Allah Created The Light of Muhammad as an, ‘emanation’ (fayz) of His light (translators note: Allah is Nur so his Will (Kun) is Nur.) ‘Allah’s Light is Uncreated’, whilst ‘the Holy Prophet’s Light is created by Allah’ and The Uncreated and Created cannot be equal: If there is no equality, so no polytheism (shirk) has occurred. So the Holy Prophet said:

Jaabir asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah! Did nothing at all exist at this stage?’ The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) answered in a very long tradition (Hadith):

 Allah created the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) before every creation and prophet and sent him on this earthly plane after all Prophets. I don’t say this on my own accord but the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has stated:

Dr. Allama Iqbal (may Allah be well pleased with him) has composed a beautiful poem:

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) is before (awal) all the prophets (in creation) and is last (akhir) in arrival. All the Prophets, in between, are in his embrace for he is in the beginning and the end. All the perfection and excellence (kamaliat) of the Prophets are centered in his essence.

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says, in the verse being discussed, in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 48^th Sura, al-Fath, in Verse 28:

            It is He Who has sent His Messenger

 The word is ‘sent’. What did Allah send him with?

Sent him with Guidance and the Religion of Truth

 Allah sent him with ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and the ‘way of life of truth’.  He brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and came as the ‘embodiment of guidance’ (haadi).

 Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 13^th Sura, ar-Ra ‘d, in Verse 7:

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 42^nd Sura, ash-Shura, in Verse 52:

                                           And verily you guide (men) to the Straight Way                                          

He brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and came as the ‘embodiment of guidance’ (haadi). What do these ‘misguided guides’ of the 14^th Hijra Century say? They say that if the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) then why did he not guide Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab? Why did he not guide his uncle Abu Taalib? If the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) then he would have guided these unbelievers to Islam. I have presented to you their objections and faultfinding. Regarding this Ala Hazrath, Imame Ahle Sunnat has stated:

Allama Iqbal

Can there be such a Community (Ummat), which looks for fault in their Master? Loyal Community members (Ummat), praise their Master. They look for fault. They even read the Holy Qur'aan and look for such verse that say the Holy Prophet did not have knowledge; is human like us; made a mistake etc. They look for fault. Khan Sahib has told me that here (in South Africa) somebody has stated that Allama Iqbal is in hell. Some Colonel Sahib who came from abroad. I said Khan Sahib he spoke the truth because he (Colonel Sahib) must have gone to hell and seen. Only he who has been there can inform of hell. They cannot know of heaven, for they have not been or are going to go there. Seek refuge and forgiveness in Allah! Who is going to heaven and who to hell is dependant on Allah. Allama Iqbal was an, ‘intense lover’ (aashiq) of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family). There is no doubt in this that previously Allama Iqbal had some faults, but he loved the Holy Prophet intensely. ‘Intense love’ (ishq) eventually bears fruit (rang laata heh). Thus in his last days he repented for his sinful ways, grew a beard and sincerely cried in repentance. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) said:

His love was reflected in his poetry. Let me recite some for you so that you will come to know. He supplicates in this poem to Allah. I cannot read these poetic lines. What does he say? He says:

 ‘O Allah! You are without care in both worlds, Self Sufficing’ (Tu Gani, az har do aalam) has great significance in Iqbal’s plea. He saying to Allah if You engulf me in punishment, and shame me in front of people, how will it benefit You. If You grant me salvation and accept my repentance, then it can harm You in no way. You are free of benefit or harm, so O Enriched, Self Sufficing, Allah! forgive me. Iqbal then continues his plea.

He is saying ‘O Allah! Don’t make me ashamed in front of my Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). In solitude do what You would with me. It means that if You, O Allah! Open my book of deeds in the presence of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) then my Holy Prophet will be hurt. Don’t let him be in discomfort, keep me in solitude do what You would with me.

Such word are spoken ‘through the generosity’ (karam) of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family).  I will relate a story to you about a Haji that visited Dr. Iqbal.

Read the poetry of Allama Iqbal (may Allah be well pleased with him). Such poetry, that it infused a life and soul into the Muslims. That is why he has been granted the titles of  ‘Poet of the East’ (Shair- e-Mashrik)  and ‘The Pride of Islam’ (mufakkir-e-Islam). Such people are lovers. ‘Intense love’ (ishq) eventually bears fruit (rang laata heh).

He loved the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family). He says:

So I branched out from my main topic when I quoted Allama Iqbal saying:

He is the ‘first’ and the ‘last’. He brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and came as the ‘embodiment of guidance’ (haadi). They  (Deobandis / Tablighis /Wahabbis) ask that if he could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) then why did he not give it to certain individuals. I am giving you a pointer: today I am delivering a strange discourse for as I stated earlier I am in a different state of mind today. I am also physically exhausted. So today you will listen to a strange discourse on a different state of consciousness. Listen attentively! They say that that if the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his

family) could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) then why did he not guide Abu Jahl to Islam?

‘Accusatory Answer’ (Ilzami Jawaab)

Initially, apparently, I answered this question but now I present an analytical answer (isharatan). Remember the ‘accusatory answer’ (ilzami jawaab). Answer it shortly and precisely. ? They say that if the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) then why did he not guide Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab? Tell them this much; whether the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) could give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) or not, lets leave this issue for a while. Tell us could Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) have given ‘guidance’ (hidaayat)? Certainly they would answer, that Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) could certainly have given ‘guidance’ (hidaayat). Then you ask them why Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) did not give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) to Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab? Allah you could certainly have given ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) to Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab then why did you not. If the questioners are willing to listen, then give them this answer. Allah did not guide them because He did not will it. Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 2^nd Sura, AL-Baqarah, in Verse 213:

They will answer that Allah did not like Abu Jahl, so He did not guide him. This is exactly our answer. He whom Allah does not want, The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) does not want also.  The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) certainly gives ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) but he gives to whom Allah wills. The Holy Prophet is subject to Allah and is not dominant over Him. If Allah wills not to give ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) to Abu Jahl, then the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) would never go against the will of Allah. Allah says, ‘O Beloved! Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab are not to be guided.” The Holy Prophet replies, ‘As You will O Allah!’ The ‘Creator of Guidance’ (Khaliqe hidaayat) is Allah whilst the ‘distributor of guidance’ (motie hidaayat) the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family). Only he gets guidance from the Holy Court of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) for whom Allah has created it. If Allah did not create it the Holy Prophet did not bestow it. It is amusing that they say the Holy Prophet cannot guide. Ask them for what reason do they (the Tablighi Jamaat) travel thousands of miles? They travel from Pakistan to South Africa and vice South Africa to Pakistan saying they are out to give people ‘guidance’ (hidaayat). They consider themselves ‘guides’ (haadi) and say they travel out to give people  ‘guidance’ (hidaayat). They can give  ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) but the Holy Prophet cannot guide? Think clearly for the sake of Allah. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat)

Sent him with Guidance and the Religion of Truth

He brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and came as the ‘embodiment of guidance’ (haadi). He brought the religion of truth. Whatever the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) taught is ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and the ‘religion or way of life’ he instituted is the ‘religion or way of life’ of truth. At this juncture I wish to make a point. Let the intellectuals take note. The word ‘deen’ has many applications. Let me present an application from the Holy Qur'aan. The Qur’aan also translates and comments itself on certain narration (tafsir). That is the most excellent ‘commentary and explanation’ (tafsir) that comes from the Holy Qur'aan. In the Qur’aan Allah has stated the meaning of ‘deen’ as:  translators note: at this stage the tape recording reached the end and the exposition was not taped in the interim of the tape being changed.[17] I herby, expound the word deen as done by Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him)

The word ‘deen’ although usually translated by the English word ‘religion’ has several applications that Allah has enumerated in the Holy Qur'aan.

1. In 12^th Sura, Yusuf: Verse 76 the expression is used:

2. In the 9^th Sura, at-Tauba: Verse 36 it is used as ‘Reckoning’ or ‘calling to account’: (hisaab)

                  Which means ‘[That is] the correct, honorable and straight forward reckoning  (al hisaab al mustaqeem)

3. In the 24^th Sura, an-Nur: Verse 25 it is used as ‘Reward’ (jazaa)

                - Here the true deen means ‘the Reward that is most just (al-jazaa al-a ‘dal)

4. In the 24^th Sura, an-Nur: Verse 2 it is used as ‘Legally binding judgment’ (hukm):

5. In the 6^th Sura, al-Anaam: Verse 70 it is used as ‘The Festival’ (‘id)

6. In the 98^th Sura, al-Baiyina: Verse 5 it is used for ‘performance of the ritual prayer’ (salaat) and ‘payment of the alms due’ (zakaat):

8. In the 5^th Sura, al-Maaida: Verse 3 it is used for ‘the Sacred Law’ [Shariah]

Meaning the legal prescription of your religion (sharaa I dini-kum)    

I, the insignificant translator, Irshad Soofi in my limited capacity, think that this great ‘Lover of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family), Hazrath Maulana Muhammad Shafi Okarvi (may Allah be well pleased with him) was expounding that:

Sent him with Guidance and the deen

Means that the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) gave us the concept of:

v     Accountability to Allah

v     Being rewarded for righteousness

v     Following the Law (hukm) of Allah

v     Rejoicing in Allah’s Blessing and serious in application

v     Service to God and Man in ‘Performance of the ritual prayer’ (salaat) and ‘payment of the alms due’ (zakaat)

v     All in all, everything we have is a gift from him.

End of translators note

Lecture Continues

Remember Islam is a ‘natural way of life’ (ad-deen al-fitrat). The Laws of Islam are the truth.

I was once traveling by train from Karachi to Punjab. I had a reserved seat in the second-class section. A very, intelligent, western educated person occupied the seat in front of me.  When the train departed he was feeling uncomfortable and so was I. His discomfort stemmed from the fact that before him was a Maulana and I was uncomfortable because he is a western oriented person and I am a Maulana type completely opposite to his style. It was a long journey and we had to speak to each other. He began the conversation by asking me to introduce myself. I said I am called Muhammad Shafi Okarvi. He said that he had read about me in the newspapers. Whilst conversing he asked, ‘Maulana, you people preach so much, why is evil not being combated. People are drinking alcohol and indulging in all sorts of evil.’ I replied, ‘Evil will not be stopped until it becomes law to forbid such acts.’ I continued, ‘if the government gives someone a license to sell liquor and he opens a liquor business, although in Islam liquor is forbidden, to rent a premises to sell liquor, to work in that business in any capacity is forbidden, and the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has stated that they are all cursed by Allah. Yet, despite this, if the government gives someone a license to sell liquor and a Maulana takes a few people and goes to his premises and gives a lecture there that in Islam liquor consumption and sales is forbidden and the owner telephones the police saying a Maulana is causing a disruption at my business. On the arrival of the police, he will show his license saying that he is legally permitted to sell liquor on the premises whilst the Maulana is not legally authorized to lecture on that premises. The Maulana will be arrested and the liquor store will remain open.’ So I asked him, ‘How will evil be combated and halted?’ The job of the Maulana is to preach against evil and to stop evil, punish offenders etc. is the job of the authorities or government. Maulana Sahib can read the verse of the Holy Qur'aan in the 6^th Sura, al-Maaida: Verse 38:

To expound the verse is the job of the Maulana, but to implement the law is the job of the government.’ I cut of my conversation at this point. He said to me, ‘Maulana, the issue is this that you people don’t ponder. When this law was revealed, in the Holy Qur'aan, people were ignorant, with animal like qualities living in jungles. So just as you need a whip to control animals, Allah also revealed harsh laws to control those people. Presently the world is advanced, and people have reached great heights, these laws were for the period of ignorance and thus such harsh sentences should not be implemented in this modern age.’ I was shocked. I said, ‘Sir, you are an intelligent person, but I am surprised as to what you are saying for you display ignorance.’ He asked, ‘Why!’ I said if an ignorant man, with animal qualities transgresses the law and if an intelligent person transgresses the law, who understands the consequences of transgression, then who, from the both of them, is more entitled to punishment? One is ignorant, he doesn’t know, he has animalistic qualities whilst the intelligent one, knows the consequences of the crime then who, from the both of them, is more entitled to punishment?’  He began smiling and said, ‘Maulana, you stumped me.’ I replied that, ‘to catch you was not my purpose, but you people don’t ponder.”  So if this is the law for ignorant people, then the intelligentsia should have had a more severe punishment. Remember the Formulator of these laws is Allah. Who is the creator of nature and has knowledge of past and future. He conceded defeat and accepted what I said. I said, ‘let me explain why Allah instituted the law of cutting a hand for theft. For you may think it is a severe law.’ Ponder! If a person’s finger on his hand becomes infected that it decays the finger, then the doctor recommends cutting the finger as a treatment, to save the rest of the hand or else the possibility exists of the infection spreading to the whole hand. So on the Doctors recommendation you accept and allow your finger to be cut off. Is the Doctor performing an act of mercy or is he committing a crime? It seems like a crime but actually it is a favor since he is saving the rest of the hand from infection. In the same way the whole community is a body. People are part of this body. If any part of the community performs a transgression, like adultery, murder and the like, then the possibility exists that this evil could spread to the rest of the community or become victim of this evil. So as the Doctor recommends that the infected finger be cut off for there exists the danger of the infection spreading to the rest of the hand in the same way Allah says cut off that person through whose presence the community will be affected. Allah says severe the hand that steals before theft becomes common practice of the community. The sentence seems severe but it is a mercy to the community. How is this act merciful? A thief whose hand is severed here is saved from punishment in the hereafter. He is saved from punishment in the hereafter and has become a means of saving people from committing theft. Wherever he goes he will be asked as to how he lost his hand and he would answer that it is the punishment of theft. People will be deterred from committing this crime. There is wisdom in all that Allah does.

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and the deen of truth. He brought the ‘Law of Truth.’  In the age when this ‘Law of Truth’ prevailed, during the reign of Hazrath Umar Faruq (may Allah be well pleased with him) children used to carry, money, gold and silver openly in the market place and no one even looked with a wrong intention. If something fell it remained there, for no one dared take it, for fear of punishment. If the world desires peace; an end to evil; safety of persons, dignity and property, then it can only materialize through the adoption of Islamic Law. The laws of Islam have given a lesson of peace and security to the world. Everyone has destroyed and exploited but the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) has given a lesson in peace, and preservation. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and the deen of truth. Why did he come?

                               That this religion of truth may prevail over all other religions                               

His mission is to spread Law of Islam and make it the dominant law on earth, because the Law of Islam is the natural way and the way of truth. In this lies security for life, dignity and property. So, the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) brought ‘guidance’ (hidaayat) and came as the ‘embodiment of guidance’ (haadi). He brought the law of truth to make it the dominant law on earth. So my. Elders and friends, we must practice the Islamic Values and display the true, Law of Islam to the world. Proclaiming that if you desire peace and safety then no other law can give it to you. The lesson of peace and security has been given by the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family). I have briefly expounded the verses, I have taken much time and I conclude with these words. Tonight after Esha, at the Jaame Masjid my farewell lecture will be delivered. You are all welcome there for I depart, Allah willing, on Tuesday. I take beautiful memories with me. Not only in Durban, but wherever I went people showered me with great love and affection. I pray for all of you. Allah keep you well and I request that you pray for me also. Let us stand with great respect and recite salutation s upon the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) and supplicate to Allah.