Divine Union in Islam

Union with Allah 

The experience of union with Allah, as I have already mentioned in my previous sermon, is profoundly spiritual and transcends human understanding, to the extent that it cannot even be described in words. A person who experiences a connection with Allah will find that the words they (i.e. he or she) use (uses) to describe this experience do not truly capture the depth of what they have lived through spiritually. It is something that the person – the believer – feels and experiences personally, yet cannot fully explain. Only those who have personally gone through this deep connection can truly understand it, and even they struggle to convey the essence of this extraordinary experience to others.

'Struggle against Self'

 

The Advent of the Seal of all Prophets, Muhammad (pbuh)

'O Prophet, We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of good tidings, and a warner, calling people to Allah by His grace, and as a light-giving lamp.' (Al-Ahzab 33: 46-47).

 

Alhamdulillah, Summa Alhamdulillah, today, I continue to speak on our beloved Master, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), and his status as the greatest prophet among all prophets. As I mentioned last week, while Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) is the greatest prophet and the last law-bearing prophet, it does not mean there will be no prophets after him. Prophets and Messengers of Allah will continue to come, but only from his own Ummah (community), and not from the communities that have rejected him (pbuh). This forms a chain of belief, where one Messenger confirms the other, and the new Messenger is born from the community and faith of the previous Messenger of Allah who has passed away.

Adam's Sons: Habil and Qabil

 

God's messengers and Man's free-will

 
'The Messenger believes in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. They believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers. (They proclaim) “We make no distinction between any of His messengers.” And they say, “We hear and obey. (We seek) Your forgiveness, our Lord! And to You (alone) is the final return.” (Al-Baqara 2: 286)

 

Alhamdulillah Summa Alhamdulillah, I continue my sermon on the Messengers of Allah and the struggle between good and evil.

 

From the Islamic perspective, all prophets and messengers of Allah deserve the respect and love of believers. When Allah established Adam (as) on earth, He granted him a wife from his own being, of his own quality and essence, to bring forth a new generation of humans. These humans have free will, with the choice to choose their path: either they choose the right path and gain divine love, or they become companions of the Satan and burn with him in Hell.

Poem: 'The True Heirs of David'

  

When Life gives me Blues,

I seek the Bloom of Blood,

Which runs down my veins,

Like a crushing Waterfall,

Overwhelming the Realm of Existence,

With a pure purpose;

 

Like a fragile petal,

I tremble in the Rain,

But when the Spirit of Mighty Love,

Touches my eyelids,

I feel reinvigorated like an

Unbreakable Wall,

Ready for the missiles on my way;

 

I am the Muslim,

I am the Servant of Allah,

I am the True Islam

In me, you will see Palestine Growing;

Poem: The Selfless 'Me'

 

If Dreams are made of Hope,

My heart hankers after the Fulfillment of it all,

Like the Sweetness of the Bee's Honey,

I yearn for the stickiness to the Lord's Glory,

My eye prays for the uncovering of the timeless insight,

The Outer seeking the Inner,

Of Me, I perceive not I or Myself,

But only the meaning to be selfless,

And merging with the One Who is the True Me,

The Most Powerful, Unlimited, and Evergreen Me,

Whose wishes blend with the Inferior me,

To complete the picture of true Union.

Poem: ‘My Only Need’

  

You are my intimate friend

my aspiration

my joy

 

My heart

refuses

to love

other than you

Poem: 'The Humbled Questioner'

 

Of what avail is my life, if You [Allah] in there I don’t find?

The mysteries of Your Love have driven me to Your door,

I hold many universes in my Whole,

Some say, it is mere pretence,

Some say these are but the Imprint of Your Name the High

Which sizzles my very existence with Your Glorious Presence!

Poem: 'When the Ocean Calls'

 

When the Ocean calls me in its deep waters,

In it I find the Arms of my Lord inviting me 

To the unknown places of the Known Kingdom,

He is the King and I am His Subject,

Yet He raised me up high to the Pleiades of His pleasure,

And made me a Prince of peace,

Though I am not His Son,

But He is etched in me like a fiery essence of Love and Light,

Guiding my every step to fulfilment,

He is my Port of Call, my Haven and Heaven,

Poem: 'The Pen of Eternity'

 

 

The pen of my Heart has written, 

has written the thousand wonders 

and the thousand Secrets 

residing in my heart

The red pen of eternity 

has tasted the black ink of its Lord,

The master and the pen forming an indestructible pair,

In the depths of the Heart revealing their interior,

So brilliant and so dazzling

In the sun of his heart, 

the master has found his Master,

Thanks to the pen of eternity of his Heart,

The Master of the pious is at the door, 

at the door of your Heart

Visible is the light that shines in your eyes,

At the door of your Lord 

you dwell day and night,

The favourite of the humble you are,

In this world you are not alone,

Because your Master will always be there,

Your life in His hands,

Your way in His footsteps

Poem: 'The Elusive Presence'

 

Oh elusive presence, where are you

If you are not with me then where are you

 

My eyes are illuminated by you

My heart is also acquainted by you

 

Come and invite my eyes and heart

Otherwise draw a sword and take my life

 

From all the beauty

and gifts of the universe

I see naught but half a life

 

Why not lose what remains with you

As without you

I do not need a hundred lives

Revealed Poems- 03 February 2022

 

Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim

 Whenever I think of You, my Lord

I think I fall in love

It seems the earth is pushing up

 

You pull from far above

Your grace and Charm is what I like

 

Your bounties I admire

My eyes and heart are filled with You

What is more that I require!

The Virtues of the 'Sunnah'

  

All the paths that lead to God are closed except to the one who follows the way of Muhammad (pbuh). These words should be written in luminous golden letters in the night of every part of the world, to enlighten the hearts of those who believe in a Creator. 

All the prophets (as) have taught the same truths, since Adam (as), the first prophet on earth. They are taught faith in God the Unique, Who does not beget and was not begotten, the existence of angels, of paradise and hell, the Last Judgement, obedience to the prophet, etc. 

The beliefs have remained the same through the ages, only the rites of worship have changed and evolved according to the time and the prophet. But with the proclamation of Muhammad (pbuh) as the seal of all prophets, the ritual teaching of all previous prophets (as) is abrogated. The only teaching now recognized and accepted by God is that of His prophet Muhammad (pbuh), any other way being condemned forever.

On ‘Sufism’ and ‘Shirk’

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (sa) came into this world with illuminating spiritual guidance to bring everyone closer to their Lord. The very purpose and pure essence of his spiritual mission was to enable people to maintain a special friendship or relationship with Allah. It was by following in the footsteps of the Holy Prophet (sa) that the companions of the Prophet (sa) and those who were taught by them and those who came after them reached the stage of genuine submission of one’s soul to Allah and His commandments. 

By earnestly striving to establish a direct relationship with one’s Creator, the savants of faith reach spiritual heights of Divine love- the special nearness and communion with their Lord in this very world, and became recipients of Divine inspirations and revelations. A Hadith-e-Qudsi reveals the mystical quest of every sincere seeker in the Way: “My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And once I love him, I become his hearing, with which he hears, his sight, with which he sees, his hand, with which he seizes, and his foot, with which he walks. If he asks Me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him” [Fath-ul-Bari by Hazrat Ibn Hajar Al Asqalani ]. 

Models of God-consciousness in inner life and performing service to humanity in every conceivable way in their social settings, the true Sufis were recipients of Divine love and revelations, enabling them to perform miracles of faith in service of the Islamic Way- rejuvenating the exemplary model of the Holy Prophet (sa) in their own times.  History bears testimony to the fact that true Sufis - or great savants of faith imbued with divine qualities following in the Muhammadan Way- emerged among the ranks of the devout Muslims in every land. 

Today, however, Sufism has come to mean different things to different people- far from its original spirit of Islamic devotional piety. Moving away from its Qur’anic foundations and Prophetic moorings, many self-proclaimed sufis and their simpleminded followers have turned graves into places of worship, and make supplications to dead objects. Dance, music and other innovations are found at Sufi shrines these days- representing the very anti-thesis of what the true spirit of Sufism entailed in its pristine phases - abandonment of the mundane enjoyments in favour of living in seclusion behind the curtain of Divine intimacy.  

Recently, Mr. Muhammad Zubair from the Maldive Islands asked a series of questions to Imam- Jamaat Ul Sahih Al Islam Hazrat Khalifatullah Munir Ahmad Azim (aba) of Mauritius on Sufism, Urs Sharief, and Dargah worship, seeking guidance on what is lawful in Islam and what is reprehensible for the believers to be wary of in this era of syncretic rituals and confused spirituality among common folks. Reproduced Below is the extracts from the Reply given by Hazrat Khalifatullah (aba) to this gentleman, along with his questions:   

Poems of Divine Love

 

The Presence of God 

 

The warmth of Love is lost to him

Who takes to Sin and Vice

The Face of God is hidden from view

It’s this the Evil's price.

 

You see that He is far away

And cannot or doesn't see

You think of doing whatever you like

You feel that you are free.

 

The fact is this and you must know

Wherever you go and hide

Whatever you think, Whatever you do

He is always by your side.

 

If you can see the presence of God

The sin and vice will go.

For sure, He knows and sees us all

It’s this that you must know.

 ******************************

 

 

My Freedom

 

With head on ground

I pray to God

And there I feel so free,

I talk to Him whatever I like.

No frown from Him I see

I talk of this,

I talk of that too 

I talk of everything.

 

My heart and soul are full of joy 

As if they dance and sing

'Ummah': Reforming Self & Society

 

The Perfect Evolution & Revolution of the Ummah 

Our beloved prophet Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) had one worry which kept him awake during the nights in prayers to Allah (twt). He used to worry a lot for the progress and the quality of his community (Ummah). “O Allah, my Ummah, my Ummah!” [Ya Rabbi, Ummati!], he used to supplicate. This is indeed the call and slogan of love of this beloved prophet of ours (pbuh); his deep love for his Ummah caused him to always call out in his prayers to Allah - “Ummati, Ummati”. 

From the abhorrence of disbelief and ignorance, this noble prophet (pbuh) led them to a perfect state of belief, and for that, they had to undergo several trials which transformed them into staunched [firm] believers. 

When in Islamic terms we talk about the evolution and revolution of the Ummah, it is not like we will lift up armaments to fight against the world and bring them back to the fold of the Unicity of Allah with force, that is, with the fear of swords, or guns or any other killer weapon for that matter. This revolution should not be understood in the worldly way but more in the spiritual way.       

As a Muslim and Khalifatullah of this age, as the Chosen Servant of Allah and the humble follower of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), it is my duty in this era to bring you out from your state of Nafs-e-Ammara [Animalistic State] to bring you step by step to the Mutmaina Stage [where you are completely pleased with Allah and Allah is completely pleased with you].

Poem: 'Beautiful Tomorrow'

 

In the name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

  

Beautiful is the mind which comprehends 

The essence of a beautiful environment

Our heart and soul is deeply attached 

To the essence of Beauty, 

For, we were created Beautiful.

Light became light,

When Beauty was made apparent

In the heart of mankind.

One and all are from the world of creation,

The world which a Creator created 

Out of His own majestic and intrinsic Beauty.

Poem: 'At the Door of My Lord'

 

What can I say about my feelings?

I yearn to become close to my Lord

Every prick and stone in my way

To be removed so that I can fly towards my Lord

 

I wish to be there where the world revolves around my Saviour

I am no longer alone and lonely as long as my Lord is by my side 

In a world much mysterious I yearn for the secret of the famous sound,

I want to have those wings of love which would surely guide me to the Omnipresent God

 

Taking into stride all my chances, I failed on the way

How can You forgive me for my sins, O Bountiful One?

The heart You know in all its deepest compartments,

How can I regain Your Love, O My Sweet Lord?