The Awakening of the Heart through Divine Guidance

The Awakening of the Heart through Divine Guidance

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

delivered on 29th November 1986

Discourse # 67

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

اَ لْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ

Praise be to Allah, the Master of All Sovereignty, Who has 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.

Respected audience! Allah Almighty has said in the Holy Qur’an:

فَمَنْ يُّرِدِ اللّٰهُ اَنْ يَّهدِيَهٗ يَشْرَحْ صَدْرَهٗ لِلْاِسْلَامِ ۚ

آیت 125: سورۃ الانعام

Translation:

“Whomever Allah Almighty wills to guide, He opens his chest to Islam.”

From Hazrat Abdullah bin Mas’ud, that when this verse was revealed, the noble companions asked the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, “What is the explanation of ‘yashrah sadrahu’ (یشرح صدرہ) that is, opening one’s chest to Islam?” The Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, replied, “Allah Almighty places a light in the heart of a believer, through which his heart opens to seeing, understanding, and accepting the truth. He readily accepts the truth and begins to feel aversion and dislike towards falsehood.” The noble companions—may Allah be pleased with them all—then asked, “O Messenger of Allah, is there any sign by which a person who has attained this ‘yashrah sadrahu’ (یشرح صدرہ) can be recognized?” He replied, “Yes. Such a person becomes wary of excessive desires and fleeting pleasures, and begins to prepare for death before it comes.”

Then he, peace be upon him, said: “And whomever He wills to let go astray, He makes his chest narrow and constricted, as though he were climbing up into the sky.”

وَمَنْ يُّرِدْ اَنْ يُّضِلَّهٗ يَجْعَلْ صَدْرَهٗ ضَيِّقًا حَرَجًا كَاَنَّمَا يَصَّعَّدُ فِي السَّمَاۗءِ

آیت 125 : سورۃ الانعام

(Surah Al-An’am, verse 125)

The meaning of his heart becoming constricted is that no way remains in it for truth and goodness. When he hears the remembrance of Allah Almighty, he begins to feel aversion, and when he hears talk of disbelief and polytheism, his heart is drawn towards it. This was the reason why the noble Companions—may Allah be pleased with them all—whom Allah Almighty had blessed with the companionship of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, had no room in their hearts for doubts and misgivings. Their hearts found joy in the gatherings of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, in listening to his teachings, and in acting upon them.

Throughout their lives, the questions the noble Companions asked were few. The reason was that the spiritual blessings of the companionship of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, and the deep impression of the greatness and love of Allah Almighty had become firmly engraved upon their hearts—an impression that could never be erased. Because of this, they had attained the state of “yashrah sadrahu” (یشرح صدرہ). Their hearts then became the criterion for truth and falsehood. They readily accepted the truth, while falsehood did not appeal to their hearts and could not even come near them. Then, as people grew further and further removed from the blessed era of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, doubts and misgivings began to take root in their hearts, and their hearts and attention began to turn away from religion towards the world.

One moment. Here’s the translation: O people who have gathered for the remembrance of Allah! Through the blessed remembrance of Allah Almighty, make this very supplication today: “O Lord of all the worlds! Open our hearts and our chests to Your love and to the love of Your beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, so that the remembrance of You and Your beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, may always remain dear to us. May nothing of this world and all that it contains ever make a home in our hearts. May this heart be Your dwelling place, and may our heads remain bowed at the threshold of Your beloved Prophet, peace be upon him. May our lives be spent in this way, and may we pass from this world into the Hereafter in the same way. May there be no fear at the time of death, no worry in the grave and no anxiety over the questioning, because at every stage, Your angels, seeing Your name and the name of Your beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, upon every strand of our hair, may know that a devotee of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him, has arrived. And may we be filled with joy and anticipation at the vision of You and Your beloved Prophet, peace be upon him.

Now, let us begin.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ

The blessed Aurad-e-Naziriyah were recited, and supplication was made