Tasawwuf

Majlis Topic: Sabr

Summary of Online Islahi Majlis Kilifi by Maulana Arif Umar db

Saturday 22nd August 2015

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

((يا أيها الذين آمنوا اتقو الله و كونوا مع الصادقين))

SABR

When one makes sabr over difficulties, الله تعالى grants him lofty levels of Deen and wilayat. Normal ibaadat can never reach these levels. However, many people, when involved in difficulties, get further away from الله تعالى instead of becoming closer to Him.

Hadhrat Shah Hakeem Akhtar Saheb (Rahmatullaahi Aleyhi) gives a beautiful example of sabr:

A child is naturally inclined towards playing and activity. If anything involves sitting down in one place, he runs away from it. His heart is therefore distant from taleem, kitaabs and Madrasah, because he does not find these things interesting. The mother tells her son that he has to go to Madrasah, and when he comes back, she will give him a laddoo as a reward. Just thinking of the sweetness of the laddoo now makes the child go to Madrasah happily, although it was difficult for him at first. If we look at the reality, there is no comparison between a single laddoo and the taleem of Deen. However, according to the mental level of the child, the laddoo has more importance than the taleem. It was the importance he gave to the laddoo that made it tolerable for him to go to Madrasah.

In the same way, when difficulty comes onto a person, from the outside this museebat is hard to bear. However, hidden behind the purdah of this difficulty is the reward of honour and Ikraam from الله تعالى. A person is unaware of this reward because he looks at the difficulty only from the outside. If he got to know of the hidden reward, he would get the courage and strength to bear the difficulty, just as the child bears the difficulty of Madrasah on the promise of a laddoo.

It is a very great ehsaan of Nabi (sallallahu aleyhi wasallam) that in some ahadith, he informed us about what is hidden behind difficulties. If one reads and understands these ahadith, then museebat will not be difficult for him. Rather, he will feel the Rahmat of الله تعالى in this museebat.

This is the state of the ahlullaah; their eyes are always on the reward that الله تعالى will give them. This is why they experience such pleasure and ecstasy in difficulty which they do not get in a state of ease.

A poet says:

ہر ایک مصیبت کی تہ میں چھپی ہے راحت بھی،
شب تاریک کے دامن سے ہوتی ہےسہر بھی

"In the depth of every difficulty is hidden ease and comfort,
Just as from the dark night comes the light of dawn."

Even if the ahlullaah are in the middle of the sea, being tossed by waves from one place to another they get the peace and tranquility of being on the shore. On the other hand, the state of the hearts of those who have no ta'alluq with الله تعالى is such that, despite being on the shore, it is as if they are being tossed and turned from one side to another.

In every difficulty, there is only benefit for us. People in difficulty who have no ta'alluq with الله تعالى sometimes say things like, "Allah should not have done this", or, "Allah has done dhulm on me." (Na'udhubillah). Hadhrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Rahmatullaahi Aleyhi) explains that there are only four possibilities with regards to difficulties:

1. In the difficulty, there is only benefit for الله تعالى. This is not possible, because الله تعالى is paak from this. He cannot get benefit from anything that happens to us.

2. There is half benefit for us and half for الله تعالى. This is not possible either.

3. There is no benefit for anyone in this difficulty. This is also not possible, because الله تعالى does not do anything in which there is no benefit, or something which is useless.

4. When a person gets takleef, there is only his faaida in it, and nobody else's. This is the only correct possibility.

The Story of One Buzurgh

A buzurgh was attacked and wounded by a cheetah. His body and clothes were soaked in blood. In this state, he sat on the bank of a river, washing his body and clothes, with the words of praise and shukr of الله on his lips. A passer by came and said to him, "I see you in a very difficult condition; your entire body is covered in blood and your clothes are torn, and you are still thanking الله?" The buzurgh replied, "I am thanking الله that I am involved in a difficulty, and not in any sin/ haraam."

From this we get to know that the dangerous thing for a Muslim is not museebat, it is ma'siyyat (sin). Museebat can become the means for a person to get reward and honour from الله تعالى, whereas being involved in sin is actually inviting the anger of الله تعالى.

Unfortunately, today it is the opposite. When we are involved in difficulty, we get anxiety, and run to Maulanas, asking for taweez, du'a and wazeefa. No one who is involved in sin runs to the Maulana seeking for ilaaj, for protection from the anger of الله تعالى.

May الله تعالى grant us the tawfeeq and ability to understand and realize what we are doing, and to rectify our condition before it is too late. Aameen.