The Virtues of Sacrifice in the Path of Allah

Address of Hazrat Pir Sahib (Rahmatullah Alaih)

Delivered on: 12 July 1985

Speech No. 20

﷽

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 Sovereign King, 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 salutations and blessings be upon the Leader of all Prophets, the Beloved of Allah, Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (PBUH), through whose blessed means these divine favors have been bestowed upon us.

Respected listeners!

As customary, we shall begin the recitation of Awrad-e-Pak. Before that, it is necessary to mention one or two important points.

There is no doubt that Friday is unanimously recognized as a blessed day—a day filled with immense mercy and blessings. Wherever Muslims reside, Friday congregational prayers are established, and the blessings and mercies of this day remain the same because believers collectively remember their Lord on this day.

However, if you offer Friday prayer here, it carries a special virtue that deserves reflection and understanding.

In this busy world, whether a person is rich or poor, whether he is capable of doing much or little, everyone considers time to be extremely valuable and constantly thinks, “In this amount of time, I could have completed this task or that task.”

Since Satan is the enemy of mankind and never desires goodness for human beings, before coming here he instills thoughts in people’s hearts such as: “You only need to offer Friday prayer; why not pray somewhere nearby? If you go there, your meetings will be delayed. The journey will consume a great deal of time. After Friday prayer there will also be a gathering, and by the time you return, the entire day will be spent. A lot of time will be wasted.”

Even after arriving here, while traveling, and sometimes even while returning, these thoughts continue to arise.

In reality, these thoughts are not based upon wisdom or genuine necessity. Rather, Satan—the enemy of mankind—creates them in order to deprive people of every reward and blessing that is destined for them, so that they may lose this divine gift and render their efforts fruitless.

Reflect carefully: a considerable amount of your time has indeed been spent—some in waiting, some in prayer, and some in traveling. But compare this with the rest of the time spent in worldly pursuits, which is many times greater. What extraordinary achievements have been accomplished during those hours? Why do those hours never seem burdensome?

The answer is clear: because that time is spent in worldly activities, comforts, and amusements. Satan encourages heedlessness, and therefore such time appears easy and insignificant. In contrast, even a small amount of time spent in the remembrance of Allah feels difficult because Satan seeks to make it burdensome.

The value and reality of this matter become even clearer through a Hadith of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

It is narrated that on one occasion, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) arrived late for prayer to the extent that the prayer was close to being missed. The people grew tired while waiting. When the Prophet (PBUH) arrived, he said:

“Your prayer and worship have been the longest. Others remembered Allah and departed, whereas you remained seated in anticipation and remembrance of Allah; therefore, you have gained greater benefit than them.”

The reality is that your entire journey to and from this gathering, the expenses of travel, the hardships endured, the waiting, and leaving worldly occupations behind for the sake of attending are all solely for the pleasure of Allah. Therefore, the greater the hardship—regardless of its form—the more beneficial it becomes, surpassing all worldly blessings and comforts.

Firstly, it becomes a means for the forgiveness of sins.

Secondly, it becomes a means of removing future difficulties and hardships that a person may otherwise have faced.

Most importantly, it becomes a great means of attaining the pleasure of Allah Almighty.

When a servant remains engaged in arranging and participating in the remembrance of Allah, giving preference to Allah’s remembrance over everything else, Allah lovingly watches him and becomes pleased with him. Consequently, showers of divine mercy descend upon such a person.

These Awrad-e-Pak are the beloved and blessed Names of Allah through which we present ourselves as humble supplicants before Him.

Our foremost supplication should be that Allah may grant us this opportunity repeatedly, bless us with victory in the struggle against the lower self and Satan, grant us the same zeal and love for His remembrance, keep us alive in this state, and grant us death while engaged in it, lest Satan or the lower self cause us to become heedless and deprive us of this great blessing.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thereafter, Awrad-e-Naziriyah Sharif were recited, and supplication (Dua) was offered.