Tuesday, 4th Rabīʿ al-Ākhar 1435H
Milad Imam al-Zaman AS
He (Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA) was the pre-eminent proof of Amirul Mumineen, Imam Tayyib Abu al-Qasim, and his son, the Tayyib of our times, and He (Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA) was a clear explanation and statement of [the veracity of] his (Imam Tayyib’s AS) auspicious birth. Through both actions and knowledge, he erected a monumental edifice as a testament to the Sijil al-Bishārat (The Letter of Glad Tidings in which Imam Aamir AS announced the birth of Imam Tayyib AS). He longed to reach the presence of his maula Imam al-Zaman, the way the barniyyah (rock crystal vessel) had similarly desired, and he expressed this longing in his barr (good) deeds and pure niyyat (intent). He was of mighty resolve and benevolent disposition.
His sagacity encompassed every [virtue of] sagacity and his chivalry was the epitome of all chivalry. His benevolence brought delight to the hearts of both his followers and his adversaries alike. He had a penchant for charity and for the sake of Allah, he spent thousands upon thousands. He presented Imam al-Zaman with an offering the likes of which none have exceeded in the past nor will be able to today.
Indeed, skies of grief have fallen upon us due to his absence and a cataclysm of sorrow has struck our hearts. He was without doubt our cavern and refuge; our provision and sanctuary. His fragrance exceeded that of agarwood and sandalwood, and the incessant flow of his knowledge was the spring and fountain of divine blessings. Knowledge mourns him crying, ‘O, what bereavement!’; pre-eminence laments his loss, wailing ‘O, my refuge!’. Can his pre-eminence ever remain hidden from anyone when it shone like the sun? Munificence weeps with sorrowful eyes upon the one who was a pouring cloud.
O, how I agonize [the demise of] the Proof of Allah’s faith, its radiant lamp and shining star. O, how I pain [in the absence] Imam’s Daʿi, his door and his veil. O, how I pine [at the loss of] the pureset of existence, its kernel and its essence. He was the key to the secrets of his Lord and the abode of perfection and its gateway. He was the bestower and provider of bounties and a surging sea of magnanimity. When in private, his solace was from none other than his books. There was never an instance he did not offer us a solution when we came to him in our times of difficulty, and there was never a moment in his sermons in which he did not speak that which was true and right. Not one of his contemporaries paralleled him in the purity of his discourse or the salubriousness of his speech. O my anguish over [the loss of] his morals, manners and good character! He was indeed a trove of priceless gems of virtue, and a shining star of honour. He was the springhead of the magnificent pre-eminence, and the sultan of prominent glories. Amongst the Duʿat Mutlaqeen, he rose like a resplendent sun on the horizon of perfection, and blossomed like a verdant and lush garden of blessings. He was the supreme culmination of all majesty and splendour and the final extent of all radiant blessings and benedictions.
He was the inundating ocean of Fatimi knowledge and the guide of Mumineen and their counsellor. He was the immaculate Imam Tayyib’s Daʿi, adorned by the necklet of the Imam’s nass and appointment. In our midst, he assumed the station of our Imam and his (Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA) commands were heeded; he was knowledgeable, trustworthy and unrivaled. He became heir to the treasure of Mohammed’s progeny, inheriting it from his father who was pristine and pure in his roots and ancestry. He was a Daʿi whose pre-eminence was abundant, and in his stature amongst all people, he was unique. He was the Daʿi whose spring was sweet and fresh, whose benevolence was great and whose promises were honoured. He unified Mumineen bringing them together and dispelled and divided the horde of evildoers. Indeed, he was the face of the descendent of Mohammed (the Imam), and was the hand of the son of Amir ul-Mumineen who was Allah’s outstretched hand. Countless times he healed the disfigured, gave sight to the blind, bestowed life, and quenched the parched. Countless times he granted his followers the elixir of the knowledge of the Fatimiyeen transforming their souls into pure gold. His numerous evident miracles shine like the resplendent sun and can never be denied nor ignored. He was a sovereign (malik) who reigned undisputed in the kingdom of guidance and an angel (malak), habituated to angelic virtues. A divine being whose worship executed in gratitude gave him closeness to the Almighty. He was the Messiah of the age who baptised Mumineen in the lake of ʿAhd al-Awliyāʾ (The Covenant of Allah’s Beloved) and illuminated their souls with the radiance of the continuous Pillar of Light securing their ascension. Countless times he has yielded profitable transactions for the souls of Mumineen, bequeathed them meadows of paradise and delivered them to the abode of peace, tranquillity and happiness.
Aah after Aah in his loss! The lofty composition of ʿAhd al-Awliyāʾ mourns and laments his absence as it recalls his recital of it, yearning for him incessantly. How can we forget his lofty words, spoken with the sound of his noble voice, during the ṣafaqat (initiation) when he stated:
Who is this oath for? It is for the 21st Imam, our Maula, Imam Tayyib Abu al-Qasim, the commander of the faithful, and for his Daʿi and vicegerent, Mohammed Burhanuddin. Accept this condition and say ‘Yes’.
He was the distinguished, learned Daʿi, of evident pre-eminence: our beloved Maula, Syedna Abu al-Qaidjohar Mohammed Burhanuddin. May Allah prolong the life of the flow of his radiance and the continuity of his beneficence until the day of Qiyamat. He always sacrificed himself for his Maula Imam Husain, the Lord of Martyrs, the Tyrannized in the Land of Karbala. Endlessly he let his tears flow, transforming the field of Mumineen’s souls lush and verdant. Many a time he recited profoundly articulate words in a masterful manner:
O my soul melt away, melt away
O my eyes cry away, cry away
For your Maula has been slain with a blade
of oppression, wielded by the adversary, full of animosity
he most depraved of all the damned foes
How I grieve upon you, O Imam Husain
O, Lord of Martyrs
May Allah increase his sanctity, and bless us with his affectionate and benevolent intercession.