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on 24-10-2004 16:04
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by Tavis Adibudeen
We begin with the Name of Allah, Whose glory is magnified through His being known and without His being known, Whose majesty is exalted in His kingdom as it was before His kingdom came into realization. All praise is due to Him, for He is the one who prescribed 12 months for the believers and selected one of those months in which the gates of the fire are locked and the enemies of humanity are powerless to deafen the hum of Quran recitation echoed throughout the worlds masajid and households.
So glorious is this month, chosen by your Lord that even the sleep of the fasting person is rewarded and the wakefulness of the wayfarer (salik) is multiplied tenfold. It is the month in which divine words descended upon the heart of the noblest of messengers, the seal of divine emissaries, the champion of trustworthiness, the love of our hearts, Muhammad.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) is reported to have said, "What connection do I have with this world? I am like a traveler who takes shade under a tree and then continues on his way."
(Tirmidhi)
The Muslim traveler embarks upon stages of development throughout his journey, each leading to a higher plane of spiritual awareness (marifa) that plateaus with perfection (ihsan). Part of this process is exemplified in the month of Ramadan, when a believer withdraws from worldly activity and reflects on the state of his soul (nafs). It is then that we are like the Queen, Bilqis. We are able to determine how far we have strayed from our path (maslak) with clear insight into our misdoings and our righteous activity.
"She was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." She said: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds." (Quran 27:44)
When the worshiper enters into prostration (sujud), he glorifies his Lord with eagerness in hopes of reward. He then rises from sujud into a temporary state of sitting only to realize that his sujud was deficient. He then pleas for forgiveness from Allah and returns to sujud, this time with sincerity (ikhlas), not seeking reward, but seeking the pleasure of his most exalted Lord.
Similarly, the fasting person has risen from the first prostration to find that his past year of ibadah (devotion, servitude) has been inadequate, that his praising and extolling of his Lord has been mediocre, and that his intentions have been less than sincere. Allah, however, being infinitely Merciful, allows His servant to step away from the tree and view the entire forest as it should truly be seen.
The wayfarer now turns his attention to the task of entering into the second prostration. This prostration is longer and more intense. He magnifies His Lord with glory and praise. At this moment, he is closer to His Lord than any other moment in his life. At no other time do we have such a direct connection with Allah. We then move beyond the fear of punishment and beyond the greed of heavenly pleasures. We now seek our Lord only out of love for Him. We will venture to connect to our Lord in anyway that we can, and we will find this connection in the very essence of ourselves (anfusina).
Allah says: "When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him." (Quran 15:29)
This spirit or ruh is the engine that motivates all our inclinations towards Allah. Any yearning (himma) that a person possesses is only because of the spirit that Allah has placed inside of him. Without it, the human being ceases to be a human being and is no different from the beast that roams the earth seeking only to satisfy its base desires.
The human being (al-insan), however, has the potential of elevating higher than the angels, as did Adam (peace be upon him) and all prophets from his progeny. Our fast is more than abstention from eating, drinking, and marital relations. It is even more than abstention from lying, cursing, and getting angry. There is a metaphysical layer to fasting that illuminates the heart (qalb) in such a way that reconnects the human being with his essence. All thoughts, words, and actions are focused on Allah, Most High. All other concerns fade into the background of forgotten dreams.
As the wayfarer reconnects to his essence, all his vices: avarice, disingenuous, lewdness, haughtiness, and petulance fade and give heed to generosity, honesty, chastity, humility, and patience. Unlike the beast that only seeks after its own desires, the believer transcends self-fulfillment for the benefit of others and ultimately the pleasure of his Lord.
Imam as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) said, "One day when the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) saw Harith ibn Malik al-Naimani al-Ansari, he asked him, O Harith, how did you spend the night until the morning?
Harith replied, O Messenger of Allah, I spend the night until the morning as a true believer.
The Prophet said, There is a certain reality (haqiqah) to all faith. What is the reality of your faith?
He replied, I abstained from worldly affairs, stayed up all night long, and fasted all day. Then when I looked up to the Lords heavens, it was as if the Judgment Day had approached, and I joined the residents of Heaven while they were going to visit each other, and the residents of Hell were being tortured.
The Messenger of Allah said, You are a believer. Allah has enlightened your heart with faith. Then remain steadfast, and may Allah make you steadfast.
Then Harith said, O Messenger of Allah! I fear nothing of myself except (sin) from my eyes.
So the Messenger of Allah prayed for him, and he lost his sight."
(Mishkat ul-Anwar fi Ghurar il-Akhbar)
The true believer is even willing to sacrifice his own ability to see if it will assist him in pleasing his Lord. What then is it to fast only during the daylight ours? It is such a small sacrifice that is rewarded with such enormous bounties.
Imam Ali (peace be upon him) said, "Certainly, taqwa (fear) of Allah assists His awliya (friends) in abstaining from unlawful deeds and instills His fear into their hearts. As a result, their nights are passed in wakefulness and their days in thirst (on account of fasting).
(Nahjul-balagha)
Now the wayfarer rises again from prostration (sajdah) into the final sitting position (jalsa). With clarity and resolve, he has nothing left to do with this life except to testify. When Bilqis realized that the palace was indeed glass and not water, she said, "aslamtu ma Sulayman lillahi rabbil-alamin (I submit with Sulayman to Allah, Lord of all the worlds)."
We can now truly submit to Allah in al-Islam fully committed to doing service in His cause for His pleasure alone. As Bilqis did not forget Sulayman, however, we also must not forget our companion along our journey, the noble Messenger (Allah bless him and grant him peace), for he did not forget us in his life.
Abdullah b. Amr b. al-As reported: "Verily the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) recited the words of Allah, the Great and Glorious, that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) uttered. My Lord! lo! they have led many of mankind astray: But whoso follows me, he verily is of me (Quran 14:36) and Isa (peace be upon him) said:" If You punish them, lo! they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them-verily You are the Mighty, the Wise" (Quran, 5:118).
Then he raised his hands and said: O Lord, my Ummah, my Ummah, and wept; so Allah the High and the Exalted said:
O Jibril, go to Muhammad and ask him: What makes you weep?
So Jibril (peace be upon him) came to him and asked him, and the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) informed him what he had said. Upon this Allah said: O Jibril, go to Muhammad and say: Verily We will please you with regard to your Ummah and would not displease you."
(Sahih Muslim)
In our salah, we therefore say, "O Allah, bless Muhammad and the family of Muhammad." For our blessings are his blessings, and the grace (nimah) bestowed upon us by Allah is through the Prophets intercession (shafaa). Despite his assurance of Paradise and personal salvation, the Prophets thoughts went beyond his own desires, and his concern was with a community of his followers, most of whom he would never meet in this life. Nevertheless, he prayed for us, wept for us, and interceded with Allah on our behalf. He is our guide (hadi) on the journey of life, and he is the pharmacist who delivers Allahs prescription for essential healing.
Finally, the prayer closes with greetings (taslim), or more appropriately, the spreading of peace. After the wayfarer has found his ruh and has engaged himself in a spiritual bond with his Lord, Most High, he is inclined, rather obligated, to spread this munificence to all who come in contact with him.
"When those come to you who believe in Our signs, Say: Peace be on you: Your Lord has prescribed for Himself mercy; so that if any of you does evil in ignorance, and thereafter repents and reforms; then, He is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful." (Quran 6:54)
With the close of Ramadan, we greet one another with peace and spread what we have learned and gained from the multitude of bounties bestowed upon us in this blessed month. The world must now meet our guidance as we met the guidance of the Prophet and stated "aslamtu." It is our obligation to enjoin good upon people as the Prophet did with his compassion and selflessness. He sought no reward from the people, only the pleasure of Allah. We must follow this example and spread not only the knowledge that we gain but also the insight and love of Allah that we acquire during this holiest of months.
Finally, we will celebrate (Eid), but even our celebration is not like that of the animals who seek only to satisfy their base desires. Our celebration is remembrance (thikr), and our happiness is serenity (sakinah).
"Those who believe and whose hearts are set at ease by the remembrance of Allah; now be assured that remembrance of Allah will bring peace to your hearts." (Quran 13:28)
Last update : 24-10-2004 16:04
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