The Power of Remembrance and Repentance
The Blessings of Istighfar and Divine Remembrance
Discourse by Huzoor Wala Shan Pir Sahib (RA)
Date: 3 May 1986
Discourse No. 50
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
All Praise is for Allah
Countless thanks to Allah Almighty, the Master of the Kingdom, Who has once again granted us the opportunity and ability to gather here for His pleasure, in His remembrance and in His love. Millions and billions of blessings and peace be upon the Leader of the Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH), through whose blessed intercession this grace has been bestowed upon us.
Respected listeners!
Allah Almighty has stated in the Holy Qur’an:
يٰٓاَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ اَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَآ اَوْلَادُكُمْ عَنْ ذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ ۚ وَمَنْ يَّفْعَلْ ذٰلِكَ فَاُولٰۗىِٕكَ هُمُ الْخٰسِرُوْنَ
(Verse 9: Surah Al-Munafiqun)
Translation:
“O you who believe! Let not your wealth and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah. And whoever does so will be among the losers.”
We firmly believe that whatever happens occurs by the will and command of Allah. There is only one door from which help can be sought in order to be protected from every hardship and calamity, and that is the door of the Master.
Whoever sincerely bows at His door, Allah takes him into His protection. In this way, he becomes safeguarded from all earthly and heavenly calamities.
For such repentance to be accepted, it is necessary to remember and praise Allah. Another name for this is the remembrance of Allah, Dhikr-e-Ilahi.
This gathering of sacred litanies and prayers is organized for this very purpose: so that all those who believe in the command of Allah, who have become disappointed with every other door, who have seen all other doors closed, and whom Allah has granted the ability to bow before His door, may all call upon their Master together.
Let us spread our hands before our Master alone, present our supplications before our Merciful and Generous Lord, and praise and glorify Allah—in other words, engage in the remembrance of Allah—to demonstrate that we are believers in Allah and that we place our faith and trust in Him.
The only Being worthy of praise, worthy of remembrance, and capable of accepting repentance is the Master of the Kingdom, Allah Almighty, Who is One and without partner.
All praise is for Allah that the Master has granted us this opportunity, because our faith is that whenever a person sincerely bows his head before his Master, Allah Almighty surely forgives him.
It is mentioned in Hadith that hardships and difficulties befall a person because of his deeds, and the remedy for all hardships is to seek forgiveness from Allah.
When Istighfar is performed, the sun of peace and comfort rises from beneath the clouds of calamities, just as we see the sun emerge from behind the clouds in the worldly sky.
The Story of Hazrat Sulaiman (AS)
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) came to know that there was a king on an island who was an idol-worshipper and an unbeliever. He marched against him, and a battle took place. The king refused the invitation to Islam, and when the battle occurred, the king was killed.
He had only one daughter, who was very beautiful. Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) married her, and she became greatly beloved to him. He granted her many privileges and comforts, yet she often remained sorrowful.
One day, Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) asked her:
“You have every kind of comfort here, yet you continue to weep and remain distressed. What is the reason?”
She explained that she constantly remembered her father. She requested:
“Please have an image of my father made for me so that I may look at it and comfort my heart.”
At that time, making statues was permissible and had not been prohibited. With the permission of Hazrat Sulaiman (AS), a statue was made for her and given to her.
However, the woman, together with her maidservant, gradually began worshipping the statue while repeatedly visiting it. This caused the displeasure of Allah. She continued worshipping it for forty days.
When Asif bin Barkhiya came to know of this, he sought permission from Hazrat Sulaiman (AS), saying that he wished to speak about the lives and circumstances of the Prophets.
After receiving permission, he began relating the accounts of all the Prophets. When he reached Hazrat Sulaiman (AS), he praised his youth and then became silent.
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) became extremely angry. He called him into his home and asked:
“What crime did I commit after my youth?”
He replied:
“Do you not know that, in your own home, someone is worshipping other than Allah?”
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) became deeply remorseful. He went and broke the statue, severely punished the women, and himself put on coarse garments. He fell into prostration upon the ashes and sought forgiveness from Allah, spending the entire day in this state.
When the time came for him to go to the bath, Satan conceived the idea that when Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) went to relieve himself, the ring through which he had been granted authority over all creation—jinn and human beings alike—could be taken from his maidservant.
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) used to give the ring to his maidservant before going to the bath. Thus, Satan came in the form of Hazrat Sulaiman (AS), took the ring from the maidservant, and went away. He then sat upon the throne.
The people accepted his rule and began obeying him.
When Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) returned and asked for his ring, the maidservant said:
“Who are you? Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) has already taken the ring.”
He replied:
“I am Sulaiman (AS) myself.”
Upon hearing this, the people beat him severely and drove him away.
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) realized that this was a punishment from Allah because he had, in order to please that woman, allowed an idol to be made for her.
He therefore went to the seashore and began seeking forgiveness from Allah.
There were some fishermen there who caught fish. Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) began working for them, catching fish and giving them to the fishermen. In return, they gave him two fish, with which he sustained himself.
He spent all his time in prostration, weeping and repenting before Allah.
When Allah accepted his repentance, the situation changed. Because of Satan’s evil deeds, the people began to have doubts about him. Satan became frightened and fled. As he left, he threw the ring into the sea or river so that Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) would not find it.
A fish swallowed the ring.
When Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) received fish as his wages, the ring was found inside one of them.
Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) immediately fell into prostration and said, in effect:
“O my Lord! I thank You that You have forgiven me and that You purified me through this hardship. Otherwise, this idol worship might have continued in my home, and I would have been held accountable for it on the Day of Judgment.
It is Your great favor upon me that You forgave my sins, made me realize my mistake, and then arranged, in such a remarkable manner, for my lost ring to be returned to me.
O my Lord! From now on, always keep me in Your love and remembrance, according to Your will.”
Valuable Lessons
There are several precious lessons to be learned from this account.
The first is that it is a person’s responsibility to keep the affairs of his household in order. The consequences of negligence regarding the remembrance of Allah within the home fall upon the person responsible for that household.
The reason behind many calamities is precisely this negligence.
Sadly, in our time, rather than reforming the household, people themselves commit all kinds of wrongs merely to win the approval and pleasure of their family members.
“Behold the difference between where the path begins and where it ends.”
The second point is that the occurrence of hardship in this world can be a sign of Allah’s mercy and favor.
Those who spend their days and nights progressing in a state of misguidance are under the displeasure of Allah. In this temporary world, Allah may grant them comfort and prosperity, while preparing them for severe punishment.
But when a servant turns toward Allah and asks for forgiveness, Allah may purify and forgive him through hardship.
This is why hardship came upon Hazrat Sulaiman (AS) when he sought forgiveness from Allah.
Therefore, respected members of this gathering!
First, do not forget Allah amid the comforts, ease, and pleasures of life. Do not become attached to this temporary world in such a way that you suffer loss in the Hereafter.
Second, do not displease Allah merely to please your relatives by treating them gently or trying to make them happy.
And third, if happiness after happiness keeps coming your way, become even more cautious and ask yourself whether it might be leading toward your destruction.
And if you are experiencing sorrow and hardship, do not lose hope, because hardship may be a means through which Allah’s mercy is brought to you.
A Lesson from the Stories of the Prophets
Respected members of this gathering!
This is a lesson for all of us.
If you pick up the Holy Qur’an and read it, you will find the stories of the Prophets recorded within it. Their purpose is to provide lessons for us.
We should examine our homes, our dependents, and our surroundings every day and ask ourselves:
“Is anything taking place that is contrary to the command of Allah?”
If so, and if we have the ability to remove it, we should do so immediately.
We should also ask ourselves whether we are being negligent about anything.
If there is any such matter, it must be removed at once, so that our lives may be spent entirely in the love and servitude of Allah.
This is why we have been commanded to continuously engage in the glorification of Allah and seek His forgiveness.
All calamities come because of certain causes, and the means of removing them is the remembrance of Allah and repentance.
This gathering is a complete remedy for these hardships.
Through its blessings, Allah forgives our sins, accepts and rectifies our deeds, and grants us happiness in both worlds.
Whenever you recite these sacred litanies, recite them with this intention and understanding. Never deprive yourself of attending these gatherings.
Now let us begin.
بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
Wird-e-Nazeeriyyah Sharif was recited, and supplication was made.
