Lectures Text

What is Real Success

لْحَمْدُ ﷲِ رَبِّ الْعٰلَمِیْنِ۔اَلصَّلوٰۃُ وَ السَّلاَم ُ عَلیٰ خَاتَمَ النَّبِیینِ ۔اَمَّا بَعْدُ فَاَعُوذُ بِاﷲِ مِنَ الشَّیْطٰنِ الرَّجِیْمِ۔ یٰآَیُّھَاالَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا ادْخُلُوْا فِی السِّلْمِ کَآفَّۃً وَ لَا تَتَّبِعُوْا خُطُوٰتِ الشَّیْطٰنِ۔ اِنَّہ‘ لَکُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِیْن
O you who believe, enter Islam completely, and do not follow the footsteps of Satan. Surely, he is an open enemy for you
( Al- Baqra, 208)
وقال اللہ تعالیٰ اَلَآ اِنَّ اَوْلِیَآء اللّٰہِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاھُمْ یَحْزَنُوْن ۔اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَکَانُوْا یَتَّقُوْن Lo! verily the friends of Allah! no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve. They who believed and have been fearing God.
(Yunus, 63-64)
﴾ وقال اﷲ تعالیٰ وَنَفْسٍ وَّمَا سَوّٰھَا۔ فَاَلْھَمَھَا فُجُوْرَھَا وَ تَقْوٰھَا۔ قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَکّٰھَا۔ وَقَدْ خَابَ مَنْ دَسّٰھَا﴿شمس﴾
By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; and its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right; truly he succeeds that purifies it, and he fails that corrupts it!
( Ash Shams, 7-10)
وقال اللہ تعالی اِنَّ فِیْ ذٰلِکَ لَذِکْرٰی لِمَنْ کَانَ لَہ، قَلْبٌ اَوْ اَلْقَی السَّمْعَ وَھُوَ شَھِیْد
Indeed, there is a lesson in all this for him who has a heart and gives ear (to the truth) attentively.
( Qaf-37)
۔ وقال علیہ الصلاۃ و السلام ، اَلدُّنْیَا مَزْرعَۃُ الْآخِرَۃ وقال علیہ الصلوٰۃ والسَّلام اِنَّمَا الْاَعْمَالُ بِالنِّیَاتِ صَدَقَ ﷲُ العَلِیِّ العَظِیْمِ وَصَدَقَ رَسُولُہُ النَّبِی ِالْکَرِیْم۔
Faith is a Great Blessing. Everyone who has come to this world has to die one day. Nobody disputes this reality whether he is a Muslim or a non believer. Allah Almighty has very kindly blessed us with faith (e’maan). May Allah Almighty continue the favour till the time of our death. Amen. It undoubtedly a great favour bestowed upon Muslims. Imagine a person under perpetual punishment for limitless number of years; which shall not be in billions or trillions rather everlasting with no end. He will be punished for being a non believer. Anyone who dies in faith shall have to account for his deeds. If virtues weigh more than the sins; he shall be sent to the paradise failing which he will land in the hell. He will remain there till his punishment is over and then he will be sent to the paradise. There will be some lucky ones who shall enter the paradise with any accountability. The hell is a horrendous place. May Allah Almighty save us from its fire and reward us with the heavens. Amen. Those in the Paradise and Hell are not alike. قُلْ ھَلْ یَسْتَوِی الَّذِیْنَ یَعْلَمُوْنَ وَالَّذِیْنَ لَا یَعْلَمُوْنَ
(Say: "Are those equal, those who know and those who do not know? Az – Zumar, 9)
The verses just recited also proclaim the same notion; that those in the hell cannot be equated to blessed ones in the Heavens. Only the successful persons shall enter the paradise. It is only by virtue of our beliefs that we clearly know as to what shall happen after the death. Who told us all this? It was told to us by our truthful Prophet (PBUH) and it is also written in the Quran. Life immediately after death is a transition (barzakh). There the pious will be treated differently than the sinners. A grave is either a garden from the Heavens or a pit of the Hell. Hazrat Usman (RH) cried a lot on seeing a grave. He used to say that the grave was the first stage of success or a failure. Anyone failing here shall continue to suffer all along. The transition shall be followed by the Day of Judgment. After the accountability process some will go to the heavens and others will land in the Hell. When all these are so well known to us, we must therefore strive to succeed. This is not difficult at all. You must be wondering as to how it can be so easy. It becomes easy only when you accord it the highest priority with a strong sense of determination. Islam is a natural way of life and you know that it is easy to follow the laws of nature. Swimming along the flow of a river is easier than going against the current, because it is natural. All the practises in Islam conform to the laws of nature thus making it easy to follow. Only problem is the Devil; who is always trying to mislead and take us away from the natural practises of Islam. Desires suddenly erupt to possess something or do wrong. Let us take the example of a diabetic patient who has been advised by doctors to stay away from sweets lest complications arise in other parts of his body. The person paying full heed to the advice is likely to benefit otherwise he can get into complications and suffer. Which is an easier option? Prevention or the complications that one is likely to suffer if due care is not taken? Obviously prevention is an easier option. Our passions and desires however lead us to the quick pleasure than the long drawn care. You may have known some diabetes patient. They despite being grown up and sensible people miss no opportunity to first eat a sweet thing and then declare their ailment. He is actually befooling himself.
A sensible and wise person will spend his life according to the rules of nature. He would prefer care to obviate long time sufferings and loss. Islam forbids from only those practises which can be harmful for us in the future.
Self (naf’s) is Strange. Self (naf’s) has strange characteristic; the more you succumb to its dictates, more demanding it becomes. When kept under check it turns obedient, compliant and docile. Then it can be easily controlled. I will illustrate the point with an example. Here is a person who can not get up for the morning prayer in spite doing arrangements to wake himself up. Then one day a close friend wakes him up. Next day it will be easier for him to leave the bed. Wakeing up will become easier and easier with every passing day. If he prays continuously for forty days then he will become regular. Do you appreciate that something which was impossible in the begining is no longer an issue. Self has learnt to obey. Self (naf’s) has three stages. First is instinctive self (naf’s e amara). Quran says:-
وَمَآ اُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِیْ۔ اِنَّ النَّفْسَ لَاَ مَّارَۃٌ م بِالسُّوْٓئِ اِلَّا مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّیْ اِنَّ رَبِّیْ غَفُوْرٌ رَّحِیْمٌ
(And I do not absolve my inner self of blame. Surely, man’s inner self often incites to evil, unless my Lord shows mercy. Certainly, my Lord is the Most-Forgiving, Very-Merciful.”
Yousaf – 53)
At this stage desires overpower the mind and one is led to commit sins and bad deeds. With a constant effort one arrives at the second stage which is midway stage (naf’s e lawama). It has been mentioned in the holy Quran:--
وَلَآ اُقْسِمُ بِالنَّفْسِ اللَّوَّامَۃِ
(And I swear by the self-reproaching soul.
Al- Qiyama, 2)
At this stage, after committing a sin, one is sufficiently enlightened to realize his mistakes and then repent and cry. This self reproaching stage is like a pendulum swaying between good and bad. With the blessings of Allah Almighty and consistent personal effort one can make it to the final stage i.e. the satisfied self (naf’s e mutmania). This has been explained in the Quran:-
یٰآَیَّتُھَا النَّفْسُ الْمُطْمَئِنَّۃُ﴿۲۷﴾ ارْجِعِیْٓ اِلٰی رَبِّکِ رَاضِیَۃً مَّرْضِیَّۃً﴿۲۸﴾ فَادْخُلِیْ فِیْ عِبٰدِیْ﴿۲۹﴾ وَادْخُلِیْ جَنَّتِیْ
(O thou peaceful soul! Return unto thy Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing. Enter thou among My righteous bondmen and enter thou My Garden.
Al Fajr – 27 to 30)
At this stage every ritual of worship is a joy. The self (naf’s) enjoys praying, fasting, paying obligatory elms and the pilgrimage to Makkah. Sins are hated and one is totally subservient to the will of Allah Almighty. To practise the dictates of Islam and Sharia becomes instinctive and easy.
Religion keeps getting Easier. To reach here at this stage the effort is not too protracted and strenuous. Thereafter it becomes far easier to act according to Sharia and teachings of Islam. Actually the Devil only unveils our immediate needs and desires, keeping the long term benefits hidden from us. Another aspect that I want to clarify is that the sequence of spiritual training commences with an oath at the hands of a guide. Some people altogether ignore it and seek the pleasures of worship. This initial joy that is accrued is false like light of early morning which again turns into darkness. Avoid the Real Loss. This means that success in the life here after is not an option. Thinking otherwise can be dangerously harmful. Any amount of loss in this world even to tune of millions and billions is temporary in nature and can be compensated. Even death which merely ends the life here too is not a serious issue. When compared to these sufferings in the hell which shall be for ever are a perpetual loss. So to avoid fire of the Hell one has to ensure that he succeeds here in this world. There are no exemptions or deliverance. One has to find a person who can show the route to success. Allah Almighty in His benevolence has made these arrangements for our guidance. Two Great Sources of Guidance. The first source of guidance was the great sequel of the prophets (AS) which ended with the advent of our holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The second is the Divine Books and scriptures which terminated at Quran. Both these sources were temporary being time bound and area specific. Hazrat Eisa AS (Jesus) refused to preach a non Jew saying that he was a messenger for the Jewish tribe (Bani Israel) only. Every nation and tribe/community had its own prophet who preached the religion prevalent then. Basically all true religions were a different form of Islam. They were,however, temporary and ended with time. Our Prophet (PBUH) being the last Messenger of Allah Almighty came with the final message and deen. Now this is the religion for all times to come. Our holy Prophet ((PBUH) had declared that even if Hazrat Musa AS – Moses descended now he would have to follow him (PBUH). The final religion is Islam and Quran is the only book of guidance till the doom’s day. Truth and knowledge are today available to anyone who is seeking it. He just has to associate himself with Quran and Sunnah to find the truth. Knowledge Alone is not enough. Ample knowledge exits in the world today; but it alone is not enough. Anyone sitting here likes falsehood and lying? Anyone amongst you thinks adultery, fraud, back biting or eve gazing to be good? I don’t think so. No Muslim will subscribe to these evils or even a decent non believer will not do so. Yet there are many who practise these misdeeds. Why are they there? Existence of all these vices demonstrates that bare knowledge is not sufficient. There is something more that is needed to be done. That is the clean condition of heart or piety (taqva). Only a pious person can put his knowledge to practical applications correctly. A person without piety cannot do so. It could rather become a burden for him. The Devil too was a learned scholar. Abu Fazl and Faizi were also scholars. All those spreading mischief and sedation today are none else but scholars. Sedation always emanates from the scholars because others are incapable of doing so. This proves that knowledge alone is not enough. It is essential to become pious as well. Piety is the key to Sainthood. Allah Almighty has said in Quran:-
اَلَآ اِنَّ اَوْلِیَآءَ اللّٰہِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَیْھِمْ وَلَاھُمْ یَحْزَنُوْن
(.Lo! verily the friends of Allah! no fear shall come upon them nor shall they grieve.

Younus -62)
اَلَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا وَکَانُوْا یَتَّقُوْن
(Those who have believed and have been fearful of Allah.
Younus -63)
Who are those who shall not grieve and no fear shall come upon them? It is those with firm beliefs and are pious. Piety encompasses everything. A pious person acts on whatever he knows. He will inquire from someone what he does not know. The Prophet (PBUH) said,” Dead are all except the learned ones. Dead are all the learned ones except those who practise what they know. Dead are those who practise except who do so sincerely. And the sincere ones are also not out of danger.” One thing is evident that we must seek knowledge.
طَلَبُ الْعِلمِ فَرِیْضَۃٌ عَلیٰ کُلِّ مُسْلِمٍ وَ مُسْلِمَۃٍ
Quest for knowledge is an obligation of every Muslim man and woman. What is that knowledge? It is that knowledge that can ensure that we spend our twenty four hours of the day in accordance with Sharia. The Path to Islam. Seeking of knowledge is obligatory for every Muslim male and female. It though has superior rewards yet it is Farz e Kafia. The Prophet (PBUH) had declared that a scholar has an edge over a worshiper like he (PBUH) had over an ordinary person. The scholar certainly has an edge but which category of them? It is those for whom it has been said:-
انَّمَا یَخْشَی اللّٰہَ مِنْ عِبَادِہِ الْعُلَمٰٓؤُا
It is only those who fear Allah Almighty. As I was saying, it is not sufficient to gain knowledge only; it has to be coupled with piety. To impart knowledge Allah Almighty dedicated scholars. In the holy Quran are laid down the cardinal principals of Islam which were revealed to our Prophet (PBUH). Along with are the collective and established practises of the Companions (RH) led to the adoption of true Islam. In case of a dispute amongst the Companions (RH) or emergence of a new issue; it has to be resolved through enlightened conjecturing (quias e mujtahid). It is here that we need the religious scholars and jurists who have thread bare laid down knitty gritty of the fundamental rituals. It has only become possible through their arduous work that we all explicitly know how to offer prayers, fast, pay obligatory elm and perform pilgrimage. May Allah Almighty reward them for their effort. Amen. Now to put this knowledge into actual practise and cleansing of hearts, Allah Almighty has dedicated the group of saints (Sufis). Like scholars who are the custodians of the knowledge and words of the holy Prophet (PBUH), saints are the trustees of his (PBUH) company. A candle lit another candle and it goes on: likewise hearts gets illuminated one to another. They are carrying forward the spiritual light of Divine splendour since times of the holy Prophet (PBUH) to this day. Three Essentials of Salvation. There are three things that can ensure deliverance i.e. frequent remembrance of Allah Almighty, to remember death and company of the pious people. Hazrat Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA) has decreed that company of the pious these days is obligatory (farz e ain). Without them what to talk of doing good deeds,even the basic belief (e’eman) is endangered.
The holy Quran has proclaimed:-
یٰآَیُّھَا الَّذِیْنَ اٰمَنُوْا اتَّقُوا اللّٰہَ وَکُوْنُوْا مَعَ الصّٰدِقِیْنَ
Allah Almighty has ordained the Muslims to join the truthful people (sadiq’een); be in the company the pious (sal’heen), remember Allah Almighty and your death frequently. Remembering death sets the course for the final destination. Zik’r prepares the heart to receive the truth easily. It is just like preparing the land for cultivation. Company of the pious will sow the seed. Company makes all the difference. Good company will make you good and with the bad people you shall also turn bad. Maulana Rumi (RA) had said
صحبت صالح ترا صالح کند
صحبت طالح ترا طالح کند
(Company of the pious makes you pious and the wicked shall turn you evil)
یک ساعت در صحبتے با اولیا ،
بہتر از صد سالہ طاعت بے ریا
(A moment in the company of a saint of Allah Almighty is better than hundred year’s obedience of a hypocrite)
Allah Almighty created the system and bestowed it benefit us. We should make a good use of it. Company of the pious saints of Allah Almighty starts a series of changes which may not be apparently visible. A child’s growth is not seen by the parents but outsiders can notice it easily. Sometime the changes also become discernable immediately. An incident that happened with me testifies this fact. Once we had gone to a zik’r session somewhere. Before the commencement of the congregation, a discussion started and before one could realize, it took an ugly turn and tempers rose. Gauging the gravity of the situation I changed the subject and went in for zik’r at the appointed time. After the session, over a cup of tea the person who was vehemently opposing us readily agreed to our point of view. How a person contesting the issue so furiously gave in without any argument? It was because of remembrance of Allah Almighty that his heart softened up to the truth. Zik’r not only softens up a person but also lead him to the reality.
Such sessions should be organized in the company of the pious saints of Allah Almighty where both death and Allah Almighty are remembered. Organized is better. Doing it in dispersed places can be beneficial but it can yield better result if arranged collectively. Organized systematically with discipline it can be very beneficial. Allah Almighty has created the Sufi orders (salasil) for this very purpose. All the famous saints and scholars who made significant contributions in the fields of wisdom and knowledge, Jihad, spread of the religion and other areas; belonged to one or another established order of the Sufis. Hazrat Abu Hinfa (RA) was associated with three of them. Imam Shafi was a devotee of two orders and Imam Ahmed bin Hunbal was associated with one. You name them and their linkage will be discovered. Like Imam Razi,Imam Shamil , and Shah wali Ullah and many others. They all belonged to spiritual lineage of one or another order. To elucidate the point further, I will refer you to famous religious scholars from UP (Utter Pradesh or old United Province) in India. This area produced many religious scholars. However only a few of them like Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (RA), Hazrat Nanotvi (RA), Hazrat Madni (RA), Hazrat Maulana Ilyas (RA) and Hazrat Maulana Zakria (RA) became famous. The only reason is that they all belonged to a Sufi brotherhood in the lineage of Hazrat Haji Imdad Ullah Muhajir Makkhi (RA). Even those learned men who became his disciples gained fame. Maulana Qasim Nanotvi was once asked that how come a renowned scholar like him chose Haji Imdad Makkhi (RA) as his mentor, who was not even a scholar. His reply is very strange. “Yes I am a scholar, I know the names of fruits like melons, bananas, grapes and oranges, but that is it. I had not tasted anyone them, till I came to my mentor, who despite not knowing their names; had tasted every one of them. And then he started giving these to me one by one. It is only then that I learnt, what a banana was and how it tasted and so on...Hajji Sahib may not have known the names, but he had them all in his possession. Whereas I merely knew their name, but possessed none of them”. Mufti Muhammad Shafi took his sons, Hazrat Muhammad Rafi Usmani and Mulana Taqi Usmani (Both eminent scholars of today) to Hazrat Dr.Abdul Hai Arifi (RA) for learning. While leaving them there, his parting advice was Dr.Abdul Hai may not be a religious scholar himself, but he makes scholars. So serve him well, to gain what he possesses.
Hazrat Ahmad Bin Hanbal (RA), one the great Imams and an eminent scholar of Islamic jurisprudence was also confronted witha similar situation, when asked the same question, that as to why despite being so learned, he had chosen to associate with Hazrat Bashr Hafi (RA), who was a total illiterate. His reply was, “I am only a scholar of Quran, but my teacher knows Allah Almighty (Arif Billah) intimately”. Similar things are attributed to Hazrat Imam Shafi (RA).
Heart (qal’b) needs to be groomed. So it proves that this is an essential arrangement for enlightening and grooming the heart. Until and unless heart is prepared one can not be spiritually elated. Allah Almighty has commanded in the holy Quran:-
اِنَّ فِیْ ذٰلِکَ لَذِکْرٰی لِمَنْ کَانَ لَہ، قَلْبٌ اَوْ اَلْقَی السَّمْعَ وَھُوَ شَھِیْدٌ
(Verily in this is a Message for any that has a heart and understanding, or who gives ear and earnestly witnesses (the truth).
Qaf- 37)
What is a heart (qal’b) and what does it mean? It has been said that there is advice in the heart of a person. What is meant by this? Does it imply that pound of flesh in the body? If so, then everyone with a heart must have the advice, including the non believers. It cannot be so. Surely something else is implied here. In the same verse, ‘giving ears’ is also mentioned. One can thus deduce that there are two methods to reform your own heart either do it yourself or else follow the one with a developed qal’b. Doing it in an organized manner pays dividends and accrues the desired results. Indications of Saints of Allah Almighty The centuries old and established method is to find a mentor, establish relationship and then start working on his advice. It is however important to select the right guide through some research. I will give you eight indicators for selection of a preceptor:-
• He should belong to the Sunni School of Jurisprudence (Ahal – Sunnat wl Jamaat).
• Should possess knowledge of the obligatory rituals/worship (Farz e Ain).
• He must himself be practicing them.
• He should belong to a recognized convent of the Sufi order (Silsila) traced in unbroken lineage to the Prophet (PBUH).
• He must have bonfide permission.
• Those under his tutelage should visibly be benefitting from him. Like doctors someone may be very pious himself but may not be able to benefit (faiz) others.
• Putting curtsey and kindness aside, he should only focus on rectification and reformation of his disciples.
• One must be reminded of Allah Almighty in his presence.
If you are seeking a sheikh and find the above signs in a person, accept him without much ado. Do not wait for an exhibition of super natural power or revelations from him. Many followers of the Prophet (PBUH) did not exhibit any of these spiritual miracles. Were they any less than the others? Just ensure that he suits you. To determine his suitability spend some time with him. If you start benefiting, then stick with him. When you enter the loop in the established fashion you will start believing in what you refuted in the past. A retired principal of some institution came to me at an age of seventy eight. He did not believe in mysticism. I gave him a short zik’r for recitation. Later on, meeting me after three months, he told me that three changes had occurred in him because of the zik’r. Firstly, he had discovered the power of zik’r, although he could not express it to others. Secondly, being an avid reader, he could not do without the reading material previously, but now he sought solitude for worship and zik’r. Thirdly, putting his hand on the head and then moving it to his heart, he declared that, earlier he was there but the zik’r had brought him here.
Things that one may not believe in have to be accepted when you experience them yourself.
پرائی لگی دل لگی سوجھتی ہے
The conclusion is that associate yourself with the pious and you shall certainly beget what Allah Almighty has destined for you. Be at it, be at it and you shall surely hit it.
May Allah Almighty grant us salvation. Amen