From the collection ‘Shaykh ul Aalam’s Advice for the Seeker’
From Shaykh ul Aalam’s address at the annual Ala Hadhrat Conference – Birmingham, Saffar 1431H (2010)
» Watch the full Urdu speech video here
The Shaykh said:
Imam e Ahlus Sunnah, Ala Hadhrat, Shah Ahmad Raza Khan Barelwi, may Allah’s mercy be upon him. We repeatedly honour and revere him because, since his youth, he had established a fort of salvation for all Muslims to come, until Qiyama. What is this fort? It is the yearning of love for the Prophet. It is the wall of respect (azmat) for the Prophet. It is dhikr and devotion for the love of the Prophet (hubb e Nabi). Whoever finds easy the state of love of the Prophet, and dhikr and devotion, he is a believer. And whoever is a believer, he is entitled to salvation.
Ala Hadhrat bestowed a favour upon the entire Islamic community (millat-e-Islamiyya); with the force of pen and tongue, he repelled the onset of a rising flood or storm [of evil]. Calamity [of the Salafi and Wahhabi movement] rose up in Najd and he safeguarded the solidarity of the community. The people had become ruined, devotees of the Prophet (aashiqeen-e-Rasul) were slaughtered in the streets, arrows struck them from behind whilst they performed salah and had not yet risen from sujood. For days and weeks, corpses of the aashiqeen lay in the masjids. Then came an era when insolence, abuse, disrespect and abusive words were used towards the blessed personality (zaat-e-aqdas) [of the Messenger of Allah], to quench the thirst of their [deviant] hearts and keep them busy in slaughtering his aashiqeen.
Then came a time when, having crossed the trench of corruption, the aashiqeen of the Prophet rose up, again unsheathed their swords; the Muslim men and women slit the jugular veins of the abusers (gustaakhon), thus the flood of insolence of such lives disappeared just as water is absorbed by the sand, and vanished unknown into the valleys of annihilation.
Then those [corrupt] people began to escape here and there, and some time passed in silence.
Then a sound arose from India, that the blessed personality of the Master of the worlds (Sayyid e Aalam), peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had become the target of criticism, insulting words were being used, books were written, gatherings became places to insult the Prophethood (jalwa-e-nubuwwat). Then, Imam e Ahlus Sunnah – for he did not just merely become Imam-e-Ahlus Sunnah! Nor does anyone simply become such. To be given such a title is distinguished, for such a title is only given [and not self-acclaimed]. And it is not simply given [to someone], it is chosen for them in acknowledgement of their khidmat (service).
So, he was chosen by the Power of Allah for the sake of handling those who disrespect the Master of both worlds, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. Thus, beginning from his youth, at twelve or thirteen years of age, he had prepared his barricade and sat ready with his bow and arrow. Wherever any sound arose [of disrespect towards the Messenger of Allah], there he fired his arrow. Wherever it was! If anyone opened their mouths [in disrespect], he fought back with his pen. If anyone lifted their feet [with the intention of disrespect], he obliterated them. If anyone lifted their feet [with the intention of proceeding with disrespect], he made their efforts fruitless. And if anyone raised their eyes in disrespect, he would blind them with the sparks of love! If anyone opened their mouths in disrespect, he would fight them.
My respected people, why? And to this day, the buzz of the dhikr of the Prophet continues to blossom.
People think, “They [the Ahlus Sunnah] insult and fight, and divide the community.” Those who use such words, I say to them: That community, which has recited the kalima of the Prophet, but their remembrance consists of disrespecting and insulting the Prophet and constantly attacking the personality of the Prophet, does your honour/integrity (ghayrat) not respond? And then, when someone stops them, you say that such a person has divided the community?
And furthermore, is there any such person in this world who smiles when hearing abuse towards his own father? Would you or any other honourable person tolerate insults, abuse and enmity hurled towards your mother and father – and the use of indecent, improper words towards them? Would such a person be called a son, who smiles when he hears such insults and is delighted at it? Such a person is not a son, is he? No one would approve of him.
So then, if one cannot remain silent when hearing abuse against his mother and father, what about the blessed personality for whom millions of mothers and fathers would sacrifice themselves!
And if one does disrespect the Beloved, if you can’t fight him, you must at least stop him. And if you cannot stop him, then you must at least leave his gathering (majlis). You can leave his friendship. Because don’t you know, that whoever you are [friends] with in this world, you will be raised with on Yawm al Qiyama?
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