Milad al-Nabi SAW – 1443 H
Reflections
On the day of Rasul Allah’s SAW milād mubārak, al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA addressed us as Rasul Allah’s SAW special umma and the shia of Amirul Mumineen AS who are guaranteed jannat by virtue of their love for him, the Aimmat Tahireen AS and their Duat Mutlaqeen RA. He then congratulated us for being the recipients of walāya, Allah’s supreme bounty. He established that the comprehension of Aimmat Tahireen AS can only hold true through that of Imam al-Zaman, for it is only he who comprehends both the veiled and the veil, the Imam and the Dai, that can truly be deemed a Mumin.
He then related the following verse from the Quran:
For those who believe and perform righteous deeds, is blessedness and a beautiful place of return (13:29).
‘Those who believe’ are the followers of Amirul Mumineen AS. It is widely accepted among all the factions of Islam that during his farewell hajj, Rasul Allah SAW taught Muslims the tenets of Islam and is thus a topic of debate why he would chose to do so but neglect to mention who would safeguard those tenets and be the custodian of Islam following his demise. If it was Rasul Allah’s SAW wish that there be a republic following his demise then he would have instructed the masses on the manner in which elections should be held.
Syedna al-Muqaddas RA then observed that even the smallest governing bodies have their rules and regulations and therefore it is unimaginable that Rasul Allah SAW , whose sharia is to continue until the day of Judgement, would not establish any rules and regulations especially with regards to his succession. Upon his return from hajj, Rasul Allah SAW stopped at Ghadir-e-Khum and delivered a sermon wherein he emphatically appointed Amirul Mumineen AS as his successor. Those who bear enmity towards Amirul Mumineen AS made various attempts at distorting the true meaning of Rasul Allah’s SAW words stating that the term Maula used by Rasul Allah SAW to refer to Amirul Mumineen AS meant the son of his uncle. Syedna RA then forcefully asserted that irrespective of how such people choose to interpret the words of Rasul Allah SAW what is undeniable is the fact that Ali is like unto Mohammed and is of the same stature as him.
Maulana al-Muqaddas RA then remarked that in the aforementioned sermon, wherein Rasul Allah SAW proclaimed naṣṣ upon Amirul Mumineen AS he prefaced the statement, ‘He who considers me his Maula, Ali is henceforth his Maula,’ by asking the more than 70,000 who were in attendance three times whether he was awlā (more worthy) than their souls. This he stated, alludes to Rasul Allah SAW establishing mawlawiyya (the right to be Maula) not just for Amirul Mumineen AS but for the Aimmat Tahireen AS that would succeed him and for their Duat Mutlaqeen AS during the period of satr. Last in the string of Rasul Allah’s SAW supplications in favour of Amirul Mumineen AS, he prays, ‘May haqq remain with Ali wherever he may go. Maulana al-Muqaddas RA explained that this statement establishes Amirul Mumineen AS as the locus of haqq: he is where haqq isand haqq is where he is. He is the embodiment of mercy in the same manner as Rasul Allah SAW is.
Expounding further on the āya sharīfa, Syedna Burhanuddin RA asserted that those who truly ‘believe’ (āmanū) are the ones who profess their love for Amirul Mumineen AS and surrender themselves to his imamat. He noted that despite the numerous factions of Islam, there remains a consensus that there can be only one imam in any given namaz. Therefore, it follows that there can be only one Imam al-Zaman and likewise only one Dai at a time; not four imams as many are given to believe.
He then related that during the Battle of Khandaq, when Amr bin Abdewad breached the defensive trench and crossed into Rasul Allah’s SAW encampment, Amirul Mumineen AS set out to face him in battle. Seeing this, Rasul Allah SAW raised his hands in prayer and stated, ‘īmān kul (‘īmān in its totality) has set out towards kufr in its totality.’ The term īmān kul, Syedna RA explained, is a masdar (infinitive) just like imam ʿadl which is more emphatic, meaning that the imam himself is ʿadl (justice) as opposed to al-imam al-ʿādil where al-ʿādil (just) is merely an adjective. Therefore, Amirul Mumineen AS is īmān incarnate and only those who believe in him are truly Mumineen.
Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal RA then explained that of all the righteous deeds (ʿamal ṣāliḥ) one can perform, the most exalted is to strive for the betterment of the entire umma. He quoted the saying: ‘Reconciling between people is better than general prayer,’ noting that the term general prayer is a peculiar construct which alludes to the fact that amal salih or righteous deeds are those that foster reconciliation and peace among people. He then related it to the āya:
“…and if you happen to disagree on anything then refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day”
highlighting the divine imperative to refer matters of dispute to Rasul Allah SAW, the true arbiter of justice. In this way, Rasul Allah SAW and each Imam in his time are themselves ʿamal ṣāliḥ striving for the betterment of the entire umma. He then expounded on a deeper meaning which establishes that striving for the betterment of Mumineen is of greater import.
Narrating the exemplary qualities and character traits of Rasul Allah SAW, Syedna Burhanuddin RA mentioned that the radiance of prophecy was readily seen in Nabi Mohammed SAW and that it was this very same radiance that shone in the countenance of Nabi Adam AS. Syedna RA then vehemently refuted the claims of those who claim that Rasul Allah’s SAW forefathers were idolaters, asking how such lofty radiance could ever reside in such people. He then narrated how Maulana Abdullah AS, Rasul Allah’s SAW father, was propositioned by a soothsaying woman known as Fatema who saw a radiance upon his forehead that she knew was that of prophecy and which she wished to be the bearer of. This, however, would be an illicit relation and so he refused. Having been intimate with his wife, Maulatona Amena AS he crossed paths with Fatema once again and suggested a lawful marriage. She explained that the radiance which she had seen and desired to bear, was now gone and thus rejected the proposal.
Syedna al-Dai al-Ajal RA then related the events of Rasul Allah’s SAW blessed birth and how his mother, Maulatona Amena AS prayed to Allah Taʿālā, ‘The One,’ for his protection and care. When he was born, a fissure appeared in the great palace of Kisra in present day Baghdad, which was only one of the many miraculous events that accompanied his birth.
Maulana Abdul Muttalib AS (Rasul Allah’s SAW grandfather) and then Maulana Abu Talib AS (Rasul Allah’s SAW paternal uncle) assumed the responsibility of caring for Rasul Allah SAW in his childhood and were partial to him over their own children. He married Maulatona Khadija AS who was aware of his stature and awaited his prophecy. Rasul Allah’s SAW progeny continues through her offspring. All of his children are from Maulatona Khadija AS, save Ibrahim who is from Mariya al-Qibtiyya and for whom Rasul Allah SAW stated, ‘Had he lived, he would have become a prophet.’
Maulana al-Muqaddas RA emphatically stressed the need for children to have a strong religious education in tandem with worldly education. He stated that Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA would often stress the importance of religious education but was never against children pursuing worldly education. Children need to be well acquainted with their faith and most importantly, be able to recite Quran Majīd. There should not be a single day in which one has not recited the Quran. He explained that the love for the Imam is the reason why when a Mumin recites the Quran, it’s meaning and beauty is readily appreciated.
He then drew an important distinction between merely teaching and properly preparing students. He counselled all teachers to expend great effort to nurture and prepare students rather than merely conveying information to them. He asserted that a teacher’s task is to be able to explain the most difficult concepts in the easiest manner.
Al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA expounded on the fact that the word Islam is mentioned 6 times in the Quran. In two additional instances, it is attributed to someone else, for instance ‘your Islam’ or ‘their Islam,’ used as a means of reproach. He then explained that of the 6 verses which contain the word Islam, the first 5 allude towards the Khamsat Athaar AS whereas the 6th alludes towards the Duat Mutlaqeen AS who are the custodians of Islam during the seclusion of the imams.
Al-Dai al-Ajal Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA then narrated the heart wrenching shahāda of Panjatan pāk AS, before concluding the wʿaz mubārak with the shahādat of Imam Husain AS.
May Allah Taʿālā bless Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA with His bounteous grace and grant our beloved Maula, Syedna Aali Qadr Mufaddal Saifuddin TUS, good health until Qiyamat.