The Essence of Servitude to Allah and Trust in His Divine Provision

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

delivered on 18th October 1986,

Discourse # 62

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

A hundred thousand thanks are due to Allah Almighty, the Exalted in Majesty, who 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, Muhammad Mustafa, upon whom be peace, through whose noble mediation this immense grace has reached us.

Respected listeners! Surah Al-Fatihah is a comprehensive supplication and a lesson for the believers, the essence of which is that Allah Almighty is extremely Merciful, infinitely incomparable, and that He created man through His mercy. Then, both in this world and in the Hereafter, He has taken responsibility for all of his needs upon Himself. It is incumbent upon man to give thanks to the Master, to worship Him alone and exclusively, and to believe that the Being of God is One, without partner, and that there is no master, no creator, and no one possessing power except Him. While man is His helpless servant. He should express his servitude at all times. In times of hardship and in times of happiness, he should seek help from Him alone. He should turn in repentance before God and seek His help and enablement to ask forgiveness for his mistakes. And he should make this complete supplication: O Lord of the worlds! Make me Your servant—a servant who is worthy of Your blessings, who remains safe from Your wrath, like those of Your accepted servants upon whom You bestow mercy and whom You protect from Your wrath.

The strange thing is that even after studying this book of the world every day and clearly hearing the commands of God, a person, under the prompting of the self and Satan, considers himself to be his own master and the shaper of his own destiny. This is the very point where, having gone astray, he practically becomes a denier of the power of the Almighty. Indeed, action is necessary, but the first action is to give thanks to God, to worship Him, and to understand one’s own weakness. Then, having understood His command, one must act accordingly. It is not enough to say that we engage in worldly affairs because God has commanded us to make an effort. What kind of effort is this? An effort for something that is destined to perish, after whose passing nothing remains but regret. Through effort, will a person acquire more than Pharaoh, Nimrod, or Shaddad? And will he be able to achieve a better end than theirs? Never. If those people gained nothing except regret and Hell, then one who follows their path will gain nothing either.

Remember, God provides sustenance, whether you seek it by truth or by falsehood, whether you sit in worship or sweep the street. As long as He grants life, its protection is His responsibility, whether one is in the sea or elsewhere. When death comes, it may be on one’s bed or while traveling. A pious elder once wrote that one day he saw a scorpion moving swiftly, and he thought it was on some errand. So he began to follow. After traveling some distance, the scorpion crossed a stream. Then it went under a tree. As soon as it reached there, he saw a snake coming down from the tree, moving toward a man who was lying asleep below, intending to sting him. Just as it was about to sting, the scorpion came forward and stung the snake, and the snake died there. He went closer and saw that the man was sleeping soundly, snoring with a bottle of wine beside him. The scorpion had done its task and left. The elder was astonished and prayed, ‘O God, this is a sinful man. Why did You help him so greatly?’ Why did You send a scorpion from so far away to save him?’ The answer came: ‘ I am not only the Lord of the righteous; I am also the Lord of sinners. His sustenance and his protection are my responsibility. I will take account of his deeds at the appointed time.

Esteemed listeners, it is foolish to grieve over those things that the Master has taken upon Himself and promised. What matters is to be concerned that God may show His mercy, that we continue to thank Him, that we commit no action against His command, that we continue to worship Him, and seek His help in this, so we may live as His servants, protected from the mischief of Satan and the self, and remain safe from disgrace in both worlds. All praise is due to Allah that the Master has granted us the divine enablement (taufiq) to do this work. Our gathering here, worshiping Allah Almighty, and then expressing our humility, inadequacy, and weakness before Him while seeking His help, is a great blessing of the Noble Lord. And this is the very action that enables a person to attain the happiness of both worlds, and grants freedom from every grief, worry, and disgrace. By the mercy of Allah Almighty, you come here for the remembrance of God. During this righteous act, spend this precious time with an understanding of its importance, etiquette, and necessity, so that this blessing of Allah Almighty is not wasted in any way through any word, act, or thought of ours.

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.