One day while returning from my office I saw a newly opened fast-food
restaurant in an adjacent complex. I remembered visiting the restaurant in
Mumbai and hence I went inside to have a look at the menu. I found everything to
be similar to their Mumbai outlet right from the ambience to the prices and the
quality of food.
A gentleman came forward and provided me with all the details. And he proudly announced that he was the owner of the shop and it was the franchise of the fast-food company, which he had started. Had he not told me, it would have been difficult to make out that it was not a company
owned outlet but a franchisee.
A franchise is a right granted
to an individual or a group by the
company to market its product and
services in the specified territory. Thus within this territory the franchise owner is the ultimate authority appointed
by the company.
**This franchisee-franchisor
association has helped various companies promote and trade their products
and services across the world successfully. Let us try to find out through this
article that Divine Association which
has benefitted Islam and made it a successful religion the world over.
We start with Almighty Allah’s
following instruction to the holy Prophet (SAW) in Surah-e-Jinn:
- “(Ye bhi) kehdo ki main tumhare haq main na burayee ka hi ikhtiyar rakhta hoon aur na bhalayee ka – (Surah-e-Jinn, ayah 21)
- “(Say, "It is not in my power to cause you either harm or good")
It is only Allah (SWT) – the
Most Powerful, the Most Beneficent who can help the mankind and even harm them
if needed. Does it mean that the presence of holy Prophet (SAW) in our lives
has not done any good to us?
- “Khuda ne to imaandaron per bada ehsaan kiya ke unn ke waaste unheen ki qawm ka ek Rasool (SAW) bheja jo unhain Khuda ki aayatein padh padh ke sunata hai aur unn ki tabiyat ko pakizah karta hai aur unhain Kitab (Kitab-e-Khuda) aur aqal ki baatein sikhaata hai agarche wo pehle khuli hui gumrahi main pade the.” - (Surah-e-Aale Imran, ayah 164)
- “(Allah did confer a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a messenger from among themselves, rehearsing unto them the Signs of Allah, sanctifying them, and instructing them in Scripture and Wisdom, while, before that, they had been in manifest error.)”
When we observe the above ayah
we find that there are so many benefits Allah (SWT) has made us count while
referring to the holy Prophet (SAW). In fact in the above ayah He says that the holy Prophet’s presence amongst us
is His Great Favour. So if there are multiple benefits because of the holy
Prophet (SAW) why did the first ayah say that it is not in his power to do any
good to us? This needs to be further pondered upon.
- “Qasam hai sitare ki jis waqt ke woh utra. Tumhara rafeeq na bhatak gaya hai aur na bahka hai. Aur woh khwahishe nafsaani se kuch nahin kehta. Jo kuch woh kehta hai woh nahin hai magar Wahi hai jo uski taraf bheji jaati hai. Usko badi quwwaton waale aur badi aqal waale ne taalim kiya.” - (Surah-e-Najam, ayah,1-5)
- “(I swear by the star when it goes down. Your companion does not err, nor does he go astray; Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed, The Lord of Mighty Power has taught him)”
The above ayahs give us various results
and provide us clarity on the above point which we were contemplating. The holy
Prophet (SAW) never errs; hence he is without any flaw. He never goes astray hence he is always steadfast on the straight path. He does not speak anything out of his will and
desire. He only speaks whatever
has been revealed to him. It means whatever he has said in his life is
a revelation of Allah. These revelations
are called ayahs in Quran and outside Quran they are called ahadith of the holy
Prophet (SAW). This is the Divine
Association our holy Prophet (SAW) has with the Almighty Allah. And this association provides him all the power
to benefit us.
And with the following ayah
Allah (SWT) has further informed us on the importance of the presence of holy
Prophet (SAW) in our lives:
- "Aur Ae Rasool (SAW) Hum ne tum ko tamam alamon ke liye rehmat hi karke bheja hai". – (Surah-e-Ambiya, ayah 107)
- (“And We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.”)
Allah (SWT) has created the Sun
to provide us with light & warmth in day time. If we avoid Sunlight we will
have to live in darkness and forego many other benefits of it. Hence it is
required to be under the comfort of Sunlight whenever need arises. Our holy Prophet
(SAW)’s presence is similar to this. He is mercy to the worlds; hence the
seekers of Allah’s Mercy need to approach the holy Prophet (SAW). Without his
intercession Allah’s Mercy will never reach us.
**Allah’s
Mercy: In the light of various ayahs we saw divine association our holy
Prophet (SAW) has with Allah (SWT) and hence the right to bestow Allah’s
Mercy over the mankind has been granted to the holy Prophet (SAW).
Holy Prophet (SAW) got all his
instructions from Allah (SWT) and he obeyed every instruction given to him. His
mission was just to convey these instructions to the Ummah and he was not made accountable to ensure whether they were
being followed or not, which Quran has clarified on various occasions. Let us
see one of such instructions on Jihad
in the following ayah:
- “Pus (Ae Rasool (SAW)) tum Khuda ki raah mein jihad karo aur tum apne nafs ke siwa aur kisi ke zimmedar nahin ho aur imaandaron ko jihad ki targhib do.” – (Surah-e-Nisa, ayah 84)
- “(Then fight in Allah's cause - Thou art held responsible only for thyself - and rouse the believers.)”
Allah (SWT) orders holy Prophet
(SAW) to perform Jihad. And also
requires from him to motivate the believers to do the same, but holds him responsible only for himself (his ‘nafs’) and nobody else; as in Arabic the ayah says ‘Illa
Nafsaka’ meaning ‘except your nafs’. What does his nafs include let us try
to understand.
Conduct of Mawla Ali (A.S) in
various holy wars fought during the time of holy Prophet (SAW) and the time after
that is well documented by Islamic scholars and historians and they have
vouched for his steadfastness and bravery. He followed the instructions given
by holy Prophet (SAW) to perfection.
Also, on different occasions the
holy Prophet (SAW) referred to his relation with Mawla Ali (A.S) as similar to
the relationship of Musa (A.S) with Haroon (A.S), so let us first see an ayah
related to Musa (A.S) and Haroon (A.S)’s relationship and then we will further
contemplate on the above point.
- “Tub Musa (A.S) ne arz ki Khuda wanda Tu khuub waqif hai ke apni zaat khaas aur apne bhai ke siwa kisi per mera qaboo nahin buss ab hamare aur nafarman logon ke darmiyan judai daal de. “ – (Surah-e-Maida, ayah 25)
- “(He (Moses) said: "O my Lord! I have power only over myself and my brother: so separate us from this rebellious people!")”
The ayah says that Musa (A.S)
prayed to Allah (SWT) to protect him and his brother (Haroon (A.S)) from the
rebellious people as he acknowledged that he
only had the authority over himself and his brother and nobody else. In the
light of this ayah and the holy Prophet (SAW)’s comparison of his relationship with Mawla Ali
(A.S) to Musa (A.S)’s relationship with Haroon (A.S) when we observe the ayah
of Surah-e-Nisa mentioned above where
Allah (SWT) has instructed the holy Prophet (SAW) for ‘Jihad’ and made him responsible only for himself; it seems that the
‘nafs’ or the ‘self’ of holy Prophet (SAW) included Mawla Ali (A.S) as well.
In the battlefield of Ohad, when
the holy Prophet (SAW) was deserted by his companions and left alone it was
Mawla Ali (A.S) who remained with him and helped him. The holy Prophet (SAW)
asked him why he not fled with others to which Ali (A.S) replied that he belonged to the Prophet (SAW). He
being a believer would not like to turn a disbeliever or an infidel by
resorting to flight. (Ref: Tabari; Ibn Athir; Madarij-al-Nabowat, Habib-ql-Siyar;
Rawdzat-al-Ahbab.)
In the light of ayahs, hadith and Mawla Ali (A.S)’s conduct in ‘Jihad’ we could infer that Mawla Ali
(A.S) was ‘nafs’ of the holy Prophet
(SAW) to which Allah (SWT) has referred to in the ayah pertaining to Jihad
(ayah no. 84) of Surah-e-Nisa .
Let us now see an event mentioned in Quran which will endorse our inference.
When the Christians of Najran contested the Prophethood of holy
Prophet (SAW), Allah (SWT) instructed the holy Prophet (SAW) to call both the
parties to the event for a ‘Mubahela’. The
ayah is also called ayah-e-Mubahela
for this reason:
- “Phir jab tumhare paas ilm (Quran) aa chuuka us ke baad bhi agar tum se koi (Nasrani) Isa (a.s) ke baare main hujjat kare to kaho ki achha maindaan main aao Hum apne beton ko bulaae tum apne beton ko, Hum apni aurton ko bulaae tum apni aurton ko, Hum apni jaanon ko bulaae tum apni jaanon ko, uske baad Hum sab milkar Khuda ki baargaah main gid gidaae aur jhooton per Khuda ki la’anat kare...” – (Surah-e-Aale-Imran, ayah 61)
- “(…If any one disputes in this matter with thee, now after (full) knowledge hath come to thee say:“Come! Let us gather together, - our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves. Then let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of God on those who lie.)”
As instructed in the verse, each party was to bring their women, their
sons and Anfosana. While the Christians brought a great
delegation of learned scholars, the holy Prophet (SAW) summoned Hazrat Fatima (S.A) in place of women of his house. Hassan (A.S) and Hussain (A.S) in place
of his sons and Hazrat Ali (A.S) as ‘Anfosana’ meaning part of his ‘nafs’
or self. Both the parties then were needed to pray and invoke curse of
Allah on the liars.
The
Christian delegation looking at these five purified souls and their holy
spirits quickly conferred amongst them and called off the Mubahela. They agreed not to question the nobility of the holy
Prophet (SAW) and his mission. (Ref: Imam
Fakhruddin Razi in Tafseer-e-Kabeer, Vol II, P 73, Allama Zamakhshari in
Tafseer-e-Kashshaf)
**The holy Prophet (SAW)
neither errs nor he goes astray and he does not speak anything but whatever is
revealed to him by the Almighty Allah. While Mawla Ali (A.S) is the part of his
‘nafs’ or ‘soul’, thus even he does
not err, neither he goes astray and his conduct during his entire life is the
example of how the instructions of the holy Prophet (SAW) needs to be followed.
And hence his conduct is Allah’s ‘Wahi’ (revelation) in human
form.
Our above inference shows a strong
association Mawla Ali (A.S) has with Almighty Allah. In the light of an ayah
that showcases status of Mawla Ali (A.S) with respect to Allah (SWT) and degree
of his nearness to the Almighty let us further substantiate this fact:
- “Aur logon mein se Khuda ke bande kuch aise hein jo Khuda ki (khushnudi) haasil karne ki gharaz se apne nafs tak bech daalte hain aur Khuda aise bandon per bada hi shafkat wala hai.” – (Surah-e- Baqra, ayah 207)
- “(And among men is he who sells himself to seek the pleasure of Allah; and Allah is Affectionate to the servants.)”
Imam Ghizali in his Tareekh-e-Khamees
writes that the above ayah of Surah-e-Baqra
was revealed mentioning the sacrifice of
Mawla Ali (A.S) when he slept on the bed of the holy Prophet (SAW) during the
night of Hijrat risking his own life to
save the holy Prophet (SAW) and thus
helped the cause of Islam. Various prominent Islamic historians, on the
authority of Ibn-e-Abbas, have also documented a similar tradition in their
work referring to the above ayah with Mawla Ali’s sleep on the bed of the holy
Prophet (SAW) at the night of ‘Hijrat’. (Ref:
In Mustadrak by Imam Hakim, Volume 3 Page 4)
The ayah highlights the sacrifice of Mawla Ali (A.S) by saying that he sold himself to seek the pleasure of
Allah. The ‘nafs’ of Mawla Ali
(A.S) was purchased by Allah (SWT) on this night of Hijrat. Imagine if someone helps your cause risking his own life
what would you do? Would not you want to help him or reward him to the best of
your capacity? I would definitely try to do my best to reward such a helper who
is ready to risk his life to help me.
Allah (SWT) is Most Beneficent and Merciful, and the Most Powerful. He
is ‘Ala
Kulle Shayeen Kadeer’. So
what would be the level of His reward? As the ayah says that in return of ‘nafs’ of Mawla Ali (A.S), Allah (SWT)
granted him with His Pleasure. So whatever pleases Ali (A.S) pleases Allah
(SWT) and whatever displeases Ali
(A.S) displeases Allah – The Almighty.
And in one of the sermons which he addressed to Hazrat Salman Farsi
(R.A) and Hazrat Abu Zarr Ghaffari (R.A), Hazrat Ali (A.S) has narrated the
rewards he got from Allah – The Most High:
- O Salmán! O Jandáb! Verily, Allah has made me His Trustee over His creations and His Vicegerent on His earth, in His territories, and over His servants. Allah has given me what no artist can depict and no man of understanding can truly comprehend. One, who knows me in this manner, becomes a momin.”
- “When my name was written on the throne of sky, it attained its calmness. When it was inscribed on the mountains, they were upraised. When written on the earth, it became stable. When it was inscribed on the wind, it started flowing….” (Ref: Excerpts from Sermon of Marefat-e-Nooraniyat of Imam Ali (A.S), Nah jul Israr, hubeali.com)
**Allah’s Pleasure: Allah
(SWT) has granted Mawla Ali (A.S) with His Pleasure, hence the seeker of Allah’s pleasure now should approach Mawla Ali (A.S)
without his intercession it would not be possible to please Almighty Allah.
Mosques are built so that we worship our
Lord. Hence Allah (SWT) gives strict instructions on our conduct in Mosques:
- “Aur ye ki masjidein khaas Khuda ki hain to logo Khuda ke saath kisi ki ibadat na karna.” - (Surah-e-Jinn, ayah 18)
- "(And the places of worship” are for Allah (alone): So invoke not any one along with Allah)”
Only Allah (SWT) is to be worshipped and nobody
else is worth worshipping along with Him otherwise it would lead to ‘Shirk’. ‘Namaz’ is the highest form of worship and hence Muslims everywhere
in the world throng to Mosques to perform ‘Namaz’.
Let us try to understand ‘Namaz’ then.
‘Namaz’ starts with Surah-e-Hamd.
It is mandatory to recite this Surah
in the beginning of every ‘Namaz’ otherwise
Namaz does not start. The ayahs (6 & 7) of this Surah are the prayer to tread the straight path of those who have been
bestowed by Allah’s Grace. Sa’labi in his tafseer has mentioned a tradition
from Abu Hureira that the ‘straight
path’ means the path taken by Mohammed (SAW) and the children of Mohammed
(SAW). (Ref: Sa’labi in his
Tafseer, Waki ibn-e-Jarrah in his commentary).
Again, at the end of every ‘Namaz’ it is mandatory to send ‘durood’
and salutations on the holy Prophet
(SAW) and his holy Progeny, without which ‘Namaz’ remains incomplete. Thus ‘Namaz’ starts with a prayer to follow the path taken by the holy
Prophet (SAW) and his progeny and it ends with ‘durood’ on them.
**It
means that sending ‘durood’ and salutations on the holy Prophet (SAW) and his holy
Progeny and discussing their virtues
amongst ourselves and praying to Allah (SWT) to make us capable enough to
follow their path is an integral part of
our prayers. Thus Zikr-e-Ahl-ul-bait should not be mistaken as ‘Shirk’ but it is an integral part
of Zikr-e-Khuda.
Almighty Allah reveals His Glory through His
creations. These creations are His Signs to understand His Greatness. As He
says in the following ayah:
- “Kya tumne nahin dekha ke kashtiyan samandar mein Khuda ki ne’mat se chalti hein ke wo apni nishaniyon main se ba’az tum ko dikhlade be-shak har sabr karne wale aur shukr karne wale ke liye uss main bahot si nishaniyan maujood hain.” – (Surah-e-Luqman, ayah 31)
- ” (Do you not see that the ships sail in the ocean by the grace of God, that He may show you some of His glories. Verily there are signs in this for those who constantly persevere and give thanks.)”
Whatever happens in this world is because of the Grace of Allah (SWT),
as the above ayah indicates that ships sail in the ocean by His Grace. So invoking Allah’s Grace is to get all our
desires fulfilled.
Keeping this in mind, let us see following
excerpts from Hadeeth-e-Kisa, this
hadeeth is a tafseer of ayah-e-tatheer (Surah-e-Ahzab, ayah 33). Jabir Ibn-e-Abdullah Ansari (R.A)
narrates from the authority of Lady Fatema (S.A), the beloved daughter of the
holy Prophet (SAW) that:
- “Then the Lord, Almighty Allah said: ‘O
My Angels! O inmates of the Heavens! I created this solid
firmament, well-stretched earth, well-lighted moon, shinning sun, rotating
planets, rippling oceans, floating boats, and all other things
for the sake and love of these five persons who are inside the
cloak.’
At this, the Archangel Jibraeel (A.S) said: ‘O Lord! Who are they inside the cloak?’
The Lord said: ‘They are Ahl-ul-Bait of the Prophet and the assets of the Prophethood. They are Fatima (S.A), her father, her husband and her two sons.’
The ayah from Surah-e-Luqman says that whatever happens is due to the Grace of
Almighty Allah, while in the hadeeth-e-Kisa, Almighty Allah says that He
created everything for the sake and love of Fatima (S.A), her father (The
holy Prophet (SAW)), her husband (Mawla Ali (A.S)) and her two sons (Hassan and
Hussein (A.S)) i.e. family of Fatima (S.A) – The Panjetan Paak (A.S).
Again if we go back to ayah of Surah-e-Hamd (ayah 6 & 7) which is a
prayer for us to tread the straight path taken by Mohammed (SAW) and his
children; who were bestowed by Allah’s Grace it seems logical
that Allah’s Grace is nothing but in loving them and following them.
**Allah’s
Grace: Thus
in the light of ayahs of Surah-e-Hamd
and Surah-e-Luqman and
Hadeeth-e-Kisa, Allah’s Grace is the love for family of Fatima (S.A). If
she and her family is happy with us Allah’s Grace will always be with us. Without
the intercession of family of Fatima (S.A), it is not possible to invoke
Allah’s Grace.
Allah (SWT) has created this world with a
purpose. In one of the ahadeeth-e-Qudsi
Allah (SWT) informs the purpose of this world to his first creation Adam (A.S):
- “O Adam! Suppose if they (Mohammed (SAW) wa Aale Mohammed (SAW)) had not been there, I would neither have created you, nor would I have given the attire of creation to the Heavens, Hell, Skies and Earth.” (Ref: Ma’ani Al Akhbar, P 124)
The Purpose of Allah creating this world is His love
for Mohammed (SAW) and his children. And in this love He has concealed His
Grace. He wanted the ‘Ummah’ to
understand His Purpose and in return He wished to shower us with His Grace and
hence Allah (SWT) instructed the holy Prophet (SAW) to ask his ‘Ummah’ to reward him for his
messengership by loving his Ahl-ul-bait in the following manner:
- "Ae Rasool (SAW) tum kehdo ke main apni tableegh-e-risalat ka apne karabatdaron ki mohabbat ke siwa tumse koi sila nahin maangta” – (Surah-e-Shura, aayat – 23)
- “(‘Say: I do not ask of you any reward for it but love for my near relatives’)”
Here the love of relatives of
the holy Prophet (SAW) is love for
Fatima (S.A), Ali (A.S) and their children Hassan (A.S) and Hussain (A.S). (Ref: Sa’labi, Suyuti, Baidhavi, Bukhari,
Muslim, Ahmed ibn Hambal, Allama Zamkhashri Vol 3, P 68).
**Allah’s Purpose: Thus family of Fatima (S.A)
is not only Allah’s Grace but they are the Purpose of Allah. And if we
remain dedicated to them we ensure that Allah would be pleased with us. This
would keep us steadfast on the straight path. Allah’s Mercy would
be bestowed upon us and we would always be under His limitless Grace.
So let us along with Almighty
Allah send ‘durood’ and salutations to the holy Prophet (SAW) and his holy
Progeny, the way Quran says:
- “Ae Ahl-ul-bait (Nabuwwat) tum per Khuda ki rehmat wa Usski barkatein (naazil ho).” – (Surah-e-Hud, ayah 73)
- “(The Mercy of Allah and His Blessings are on you, O Ahl-ul-bait)”
Salwaat…
