“True Faith: Devotion and Sacrifice for Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)”

Discourse of His Eminence Pir Sahib, may Allah have mercy on him,

delivered on 26 July 1986,

Discourse No. 55

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

فَنِعۡمَ الۡمَوۡلٰی وَ نِعۡمَ النَّصِیۡرُ

رَبِِّ اشۡرَحۡ لِیۡ صَدۡرِیۡ وَیَسِّرۡ لِیۡۤ اَمۡرِیۡ وَ احۡلُلۡ عُقۡدَۃً مِّنۡ لِّسَانِیۡ یَفۡقَہُوۡاقَوۡلِیۡ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِ عَلٰی سَیّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اٰلِ سَیِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍوَّعَلٰی اَصْحَابِہٖ وَعَلٰی اَذْوَاجِہٖ اَجْمَعِیْنَ وَبَارِکْ وَسَلِمْ وَصَلِ عَلَیْہٖ

ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ

The Almighty Allah be praised that the Master of All Sovereignty once again granted us today the opportunity to gather in His remembrance and pleasure. Millions and billions of blessings and salutations upon the Leader of the Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa, peace and blessings be upon him, through whom this grace has been granted.

اِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُوْنَ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا بِاللّٰهِ وَرَسُوْلِهٖ ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْتَابُوْا وَجٰهَدُوْا بِاَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاَنْفُسِهِمْ فِيْ سَبِيْلِ اللّٰهِ ۭ اُولٰۗىِٕكَ هُمُ الصّٰدِقُوْنَ۝

آیت نمبر 15 : سورۃ الحجرات

Translation:

The true believers are only those who have believed in Allah Almighty and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family; then they did not fall into doubt, and they strove in the way of Allah Almighty with their wealth and their lives. Such people are the truthful ones. The purport of this is that merely believing in Allah is not sufficient until one also believes in the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him and his family.

Just as it is necessary to consider the Lord of the Worlds, God Almighty, Glorious and Majestic, as the One without partner, so it is also necessary to consider that Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, is God’s final Messenger and His Beloved. And the slavery of the Prophet and love for the Prophet are the means to salvation, and this way is the means to salvation.” Then, this faith should be with heart and life, both outwardly and inwardly, and there should be no doubt about it throughout life. If someone accepts faith in the morning and then doubts in the evening, such faith is useless; rather, that amounts to disbelief. It is necessary to accept faith once and never doubt it again for the rest of life. God has also made this clear: the sign of one who has believed with heart and soul and has no doubt is that he recognizes that the greatest wealth and success in both worlds lie in the remembrance of God and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. When this conviction is established, he spends his life and his wealth upon that very path which he holds dearest and in which he has firm certainty. If someone claims faith but finds it heavy to devote time, endure difficulty, or spend wealth in the remembrance of Allah, the Highest, this shows he is not truthful and has not truly believed. But if someone truly believes, then he considers it necessary to sacrifice whatever is most precious for the sake of God.

Whether it be time, life, or wealth, he should not consider anything more precious than the remembrance of God, nor hold any love dearer than it. God declares that if a person is truly human, then once he has believed in God Almighty and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, he should never doubt throughout his life, and throughout his life he should dedicate his efforts and wealth as a sacrifice in the way of God. Then he is truly a believer and a truthful one. And God has brought forth such believers in this world who will be the inheritors of paradise. Their brightest examples were the noble companions of the Prophet, may God be pleased with them all. When they believed in God, they did not care for the displeasure of the religion of their parents. Cutting off ties with their people, homeland, wealth, mother, father—in short, with everyone- they embraced devotion to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. They chose this devotion for the whole of their lives. Wherever the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, and his family went, they went as well, making their home at the blessed feet of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. Throughout their lives, from morning until evening and again from evening until morning, they remained seekers of the pleasure of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. In that very state they left this world and proved through their actions that they were indeed sincere. Whenever there was a need to sacrifice their lives, children, parents, friends, or wealth, they offered it gladly, for not even the slightest trace of doubt remained. They were convinced that the welfare of both worlds lay in this alone.

I present the example of Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, so that this state and condition may be understood. When the Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, came to Medina, all the water was under the control of the Jews. When the Muslims fell into need of water, Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, gave half of his wealth and bought half a well, offering it to the Muslims. When that did not suffice the need, he gave all of his wealth and purchased the entire well. He thus demonstrated that he was truly a man of truth, endowed with faith and certainty, and that wealth, in his view, existed only for attaining the good pleasure of the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. When the Jews began their conspiracy against Hazrat Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, and his martyrdom became certain, a delegation came from Syria and said, “It has now become difficult for you to survive. The conspiracy has succeeded. So please come to Syria, and we shall protect you. Or allow us to station our soldiers in the Holy City of Medina so that we may safeguard you.” His reply, from one who valued devotion to the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, more dearly than his own life, was, “I have already sacrificed my life in the service of the Noble Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Should I now, at the last moment, separate myself from the blessed feet of the Messenger merely to preserve my life and please you? Be assured that this shall never happen. Nor do I summon you for my protection, for this life has already been sacrificed for God and His Messenger. Now, I will not create discord in the City of Peace of the Messenger of Allah.” Thus, by sacrificing even the final days of his life, he proved that he was indeed a true believer, and that throughout his life he never doubted the faith he had embraced.

Respected listeners, this gathering of the Sacred Awrād has been convened for the recitation of the sacred names of Allah Almighty, so that, through their blessings, Allah Almighty may forgive our sins and heedlessness, make us true believers, protect us from the deceptions of Satan and the lower self, and grant us the ability to spend our lives in devotion to and love for Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him and his family. If, in the way of participating in this blessed gathering and attaining its blessings, time, wealth, or any other love become an obstacle, it should be regarded as something brought about by Satan. It is necessary, by sacrificing everything, to prove that we also wish to be included, in the presence of Allah among those truthful people.

Now, let us begin.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

In the blessed name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

The Awrād-e-Naẓīriyyah Sharīf were recited, and supplication was offered.