Peace of Heart Through the Remembrance of Allah

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

delivered on 11th October 1986,

Discourse # 61

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

الحمد للہ

All Praise be to Allah Almighty

All praise is for Allah, the Exalted in Majesty, who in His sovereignty has granted us once again this day the blessing and opportunity to gather here for His pleasure, in His remembrance and in His love. Countless blessings and peace be upon the Leader of the Prophets, the Beloved of God, our master Muhammad Mustafa, upon whom be peace, through whose noble mediation this immense grace has reached us. Respected listeners, Allah the Almighty has declared:

اَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ تَـطْمَىِٕنُّ الْقُلُوْبُ ۝

Surah Ar-Ra’d, verse 28

Translation

Remember: true peace of heart can be attained only through the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted.

Peace of heart is that great treasure for which people all over the world are wandering in search, whether one is poor or rich, a king or a beggar. Everyone desires peace of heart. And it has been observed that people chase after wealth, children, property, and honor, firmly believing that if they attain all these things, then peace of heart will also come. But unfortunately, they learn no lesson from the past or present and take no admonition. For the one who possesses the most wealth is the most restless, and the one who possesses the greatest power is the most restless.

Look at the state of restlessness in Pharaoh, Nimrod, Shaddad, and Nebuchadnezzar. Their entire lives ended in the struggle to attain peace of heart, yet they could not attain it. But those who, in every illness and every need, turn to Allah Almighty and seek guidance from Him alone- Allah Almighty, through the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), declared to them fourteen hundred years ago that this peace of heart cannot be found in worldly things, but only through the remembrance of God. Peace of heart was not given to Nimrod, but to Ibrahim (peace be upon him); not to Pharaoh, but to Musa (peace be upon him). The great leaders of the polytheists of Mecca remained empty-handed, while the servants of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), those who lived on matting, after giving away all they possessed, became rich with the treasure of peace of heart.

Allah Almighty has said that those who maintain a relationship with Him, fear Him, hope to meet Him, and, out of the fear that they may be ashamed before Him, remember Him day and night. Such people are granted honor and dignity by Him even in this world, and they attain the greatest wealth of all, peace of heart. And when they depart from this world, there is comfort and honor for them there as well. Allah Almighty says:

وَلِمَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهٖ جَنَّتٰنِ۝

( آیت نمبر 46 : سورۃ الرحمٰن)

‘And for whoever fears standing before his Lord are two Gardens.

Surah Ar-Rahman, verse 46

Translating now. This world becomes paradise for him, and the hereafter is paradise as well, because the greatest wealth is peace of heart and freedom from worry. The wealth of having a relationship with the Master and the honor of the Prophetic connection (peace be upon him) is attained, both in this world and in the next. It is a blessing from God that He has granted us the divine enablement (taufiq), the longing, and the opportunity to remember Him. Therefore, we should understand the value of this gathering, by virtue of which, for those who participate in it, this world also becomes paradise, and the hereafter will itself be paradise, God willing. Those who are part of this gathering are the very people who firmly believe that they will stand before Allah Almighty, and they feel awe and apprehension about how they will stand before this great King. They are well aware of God’s favors and are ashamed of their negligence. Considering the remembrance of Allah Almighty more valuable than the wealth of this world and all it contains, they have left everything and come together here. By gathering here and remembering Allah, the heart becomes pure again, just as cloth becomes clean after being washed. It increases the longing to attend this gathering again, for the remembrance of Allah and for doing good deeds. But those who soil their hearts through negligence become reluctant to participate. And afterward, their longing diminishes; its value seems less, their love decreases, and the world gains importance in their hearts.

It is mentioned in the noble hadith that when a person sins, a black spot appears on his heart. He continually feels its harm, just like a stain on white cloth is always visible and a cause of distress to the eye. If he does not care about it, the spot keeps increasing until, eventually, the heart becomes black with these spots. At that point, the state of his heart becomes such that he starts to consider good as bad and bad as good; he even begins to see sin as reward. He continues to increase in transgression and rebellion. This is the immediate punishment for his sin, which he receives in this very world. The pious have said that the immediate reward for a good deed is being granted the ability to do more good deeds, and the immediate punishment for a sin is that, after one sin, the heart becomes inclined toward another.

Esteemed members of the gathering, if one looks into one’s heart, one will realize how clear and evident the saying of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is, and how each person can feel it in their own life. Regard today’s gathering as a blessing from Allah Almighty, and with sincerity of heart, recite these sacred invocations and present yourselves before Allah Almighty, saying: O Allah, for the sake of Your Beloved (peace be upon him), remove the darkness from our hearts, make us true servants of You and of Your Beloved (peace be upon him), and grant us the ability to perform only those deeds which You are pleased with and that bring us closer to You. After today’s gathering, let us be mindful in the future.

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.