Sermon 221: Certainly, Allah has made His remembrance….

Delivered after reciting the verse:
. . . therein declare glory unto Him in the mornings and the evenings; Men whom neither merchandise nor any sale diverteth from the remembrance of Allah and constancy in prayer and paying the poor-rate; they fear the day when the hearts and eyes shall writhe of the anguish. (Quran, 24:36-37)

إِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ

Certainly, Allah, the Glorified, the Sublime,

جَعَلَ الذِّكْرَ جِلاَءً لِلْقُلُوبِ،

has made His remembrance the light for hearts

تَسْمَعُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْوَقْرَةِ،

which hear with its help despite deafness,

وَتُبْصِرُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْعَشْوَةِ،

see with its help despite blindness

وَتَنْقَادُ بِهِ بَعْدَ الْمُعَانَدَةِ،

and become submissive with its help despite unruliness.

وَمَا بَرِحَ لله ـ عَزَّتْ آلاَؤهُ فِي الْبُرْهَةِ بَعْدَ الْبُرْهَةِ، وَفِي أَزْمَانِ الْفَتَرَاتِ،

In all the periods and times when there were no prophets, there have been persons with whom Allah, precious are His bounties,

عِبَادٌ نَاجَاهُمْ فِى فِكْرِهِمْ،

whispered through their wits

وَكَلَّمَهُمْ فِي ذَاتِ عُقُولِهِمْ،

and spoke through their minds.

فَاسْتَصْبَحُوا بِنُورِ يَقَظَة فِي الاْسْمَاعِ وَالاْبْصَارِ وَالاْفْئِدَةِ،

With the help of the bright awakening of their ears, eyes and hearts

يُذَكِّرُونَ بِأَيَّامِ اللهِ،

they keep reminding others of the remembrance of the days of Allah

وَيُخَوِّفُونَ مَقَامَهُ، بِمَنْزِلَةِ الاْدِلَّةِ فِي الْفَلَوَاتِ،

and making others feel fear for Him like guide-points in wildernesses.

مَنْ أَخَذَ الْقَصْدَ حَمِدُوا إِلَيْهِ طَرِيقَهُ،

Whoever adopts the middle way, they praise his ways

وَبَشَّرُوهُ بِالنَّجَاةِ،

and give him the tidings of deliverance,

وَمَنْ أَخَذَ يَمِيناً وَشِمَالاً

but whoever goes right and left

ذَمُّوا إِلَيْهِ الطَّرِيقَ،

they vilify his ways

وَحَذَّرُوهُ مِنَ الْهَلَكَةِ،

and frighten him with ruin. In this way,

فَكَانَوا كَذلِكَ مَصَابِيحَ تِلْكَ الظُّلُمَاتِ،

they served as lamps in these darknesses

وَأَدِلَّةَ تِلْكَ الشُّبُهَاتِ.

and guides through these doubts.

وَإِنَّ لِلذِّكْرِ لاَهْلاً

There are some people devoted to the remembrance (of Allah)

أَخَذُوهُ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا بَدَلاً،

who have adopted it in place of worldly matters

فَلَمْ تَشْغَلْهُمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلاَ بَيْعٌ عَنْهُ،

so that commerce or trade does not turn them away from it.

يَقْطَعُونَ بِهِ أَيَّامَ الْحَيَاةِ،

They pass their life in it.

وَيَهْتِفُونَ بِالزَّوَاجِرِ عَنْ مَحَارِمِ اللهِ،

warning against matters held unlawful by Allah,

في أَسْمَاعِ الْغَافِلِينَ،

They speak into the ears of neglectful persons

وَيَأْمُرُونَ بِالقِسْطِ

they order them to practise justice

وَيَأْتَمِرُونَ بِهِ،

and themselves keep practising it,

وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ المُنكَرِ

and they refrain them from the unlawful

وَيَتَنَاهَوْنَ عَنْهُ،

and themselves refrain from it.

فَكَأَنَّمَا قَطَعُوا الدُّنْيَا إِلَى الاْخِرَةِ وَهُمْ فِيهَا،

It is as though they have finished the journey of this world towards the next world

فَشَاهَدُوا مَاوَرَاءَ ذَلِكَ،

and have beheld what lies beyond it.

فَكَأَنَّمَا اطَّلَعُوا غُيُوبَ أَهْلِ الْبَرْزَخِ

Consequently, they have become acquainted with all that befell them in the interstice

فِي طولِ الاْقَامَةِ فِيهِ،

during their long stay therein,

وَحَقَّقَتِ الْقِيَامَةُ عَلَيْهِمْ عِدَاتِهَا،

and the Day of Judgement fulfils its promises for them.

فَكَشَفُوا غِطَاءَ ذلِكَ لاِهْلِ الدُّنْيَا،

Therefore, they removed the curtain from these things for the people of the world,

حَتَّى كَأَنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَ مَا لاَ يَرَى النَّاسُ،

till it was as though they were seeing what people did not see

وَيَسمَعُونَ مَا لاَ يَسْمَعُونَ.

and were hearing what people did not hear.

فَلَوْ مَثَّلْتَهُمْ لِعَقْلِكَ فِي مَقَاوِمِهِمُ الْـمَحْمُودَةِ،

If you picture them in your mind in their admirable positions

وَمَجَالِسِهِمُ الْمَشْهُودَةِ،

and well-known sittings,

وَقَدْ نَشَرُوا دَوَاوِينَ أَعْمَالِهِمْ،

when they have opened the records of their actions

وَفَرَغُوا لِـمُحَاسَبَةِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ،

and are prepared to render an account of themselves

وَعَلَى كُلِّ صَغِيرَة وَكَبِيرَة

in respect of the small as well as the big things

أُمِرُوا بِهَا فَقَصَّرُوا عَنْهَا،

they were ordered to do but they failed to do,

أَوْ نُهوُا عَنْهَا فَفَرَّطُوا فِيهَا،

or were ordered to refrain from but they indulged therein,

وَحَمَّلُوا ثِقَلَ أَوْزَارِهِمْ ظُهُورَهُمْ،

and they realised the weight of their burden (of bad acts) on their backs,

فَضَعُفُوا عَنِ الاْسْتِقلاَلِ بِهَا،

and they felt too weak to bear them,

فَنَشَجُوا نَشِيجاً، وَتَجَاوَبُوا نَحِيباً،

then they wept bitterly and spoke to each other while still crying

يَعِجُّونَ إِلَى رَبِّهِمْ مِنْ مَقَامِ نَدَم وَاعْتِرَاف،

and bewailing to Allah in repentance and acknowledgement (of their shortcomings),

لَرَأَيْتَ أَعْلاَمَ هُدىً،

you would find them to be emblems of guidance

وَمَصَابِيحَ دُجىً،

and lamps in darkness,

قَدْ حَفَّتْ بِهِمُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ،

angels would be surrounding them,

وَتَنَزَّلَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّكِينَةُ،

peace would be descending upon them,

وَفُتِحَتْ لَهُمْ أَبْوَابُ السَّماءِ،

the doors of the sky would be opened for them

وَأَعِدَّتْ لَهُمْ مَقَاعِدُ الْكَرَامَاتِ،

and positions of honour would be assigned to them

فِي مَقْعَد اطَّلَعَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِمْ فِيهِ،

in the place of which Allah had informed them.

فَرَضِيَ سَعْيَهُمْ، وَحَمِدَ مَقَامَهُمْ،

Therefore, He has appreciated their actions and praised their position.

يَتَنَسَّمُونَ بِدُعَائِهِ رَوْحَ ا لتَّجَاوُزِ،

They call Him and breathe in the air of forgiveness,

رَهَائِنُ فَاقَة إِلَى فَضْلِهِ،

they are ever needy of His bounty

وَأُسَارَى ذِلَّة لِعَظَمَتِهِ،

and remain humble before His greatness,

جَرَحَ طُولُ الاْسَى قُلُوبَهُمْ،

The length of their grief has pained their hearts,

وَطُولُ الْبُكَاءِ عُيُونَهُمْ.

and the length of weeping their eyes.

لِكُلِّ بَابِ رَغْبَة إِلَى اللهِ سُبحانَهُ مِنْهُمْ يَدٌ قَارِعةٌ،

They knock at every door of inclination towards Allah.

يَسْأَلُونَ مَنْ لاَ تَضِيقُ لَدَيْهِ الْمَنَادِحُ،

They ask Him Whom generosity does not make destitute

وَلاَ يَخِيبُ عَلَيْهِ الرَّاغِبُونَ .

and from Whom those who approach Him do not get disappointed.

فَحَاسِبْ نَفْسَكَ لِنَفْسِكَ،

Therefore, take account of yourself for your own sake

فَإِنَّ غَيْرَهَا مِنَ الاْنْفُسِ لَهَا حَسِيبٌ غَيْرُكَ.

because the account of others will be taken by one other than you.

 

Alternative Sources for Sermon 221:  Al-'Amidi, Ghurar, 81.