Creating a Niche in the Heart for the Awliya Allah
by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (rahmatullah ‘alayh)
It is said that we should make a niche in the hearts of the Awliya Allah (Friends of Allah Ta’ala) –that is, create a special place in their hearts.
One is to say: “Make Dua…” – and the person will make Dua when he thinks of you. When we would request our Shaykh, Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (rahmatullah ‘alayh) to make Dua, Alhamdulillah, Hazrat would immediately make Dua.
However, that person who makes Khidmah, then Dua comes out from the heart without the person asking. This is the Dua that is extremely special.
Khidmah does not mean only serving the Shaykh by assisting him in various tasks and work. That is undoubtedly a kind of Khidmah, and the Ahlullah appreciate that as well because this is a world of means. However, the real Khidmah is for us to become a Sadaqah-e-Jariyah for them.
How do we become ‘Sadaqah e Jariyah’? —By practising upon their teachings.
A person sits in the company of his Shaykh all his life, but there is no improvement in his Salah, no improvement in his fasting, no improvement in his character and in his speech – he still swears and curses, cheats and deceives. Despite having one body, he has two faces, and his heart is a container of greed and pride, malice, miserliness, etc. Will this person become Sadaqah-e-Jariyah for the Shaykh? What kind of Sadaqah-e-Jariyah will he be?
On the other hand, another person came through a “rough life” –as they describe it. He was caught up in various sins. Many come through a rough life, but then they keep the Suhbat of the Shaykh, and they progress at a fast speed.
Although this person came from a rough life, his speed is fast —concerning his reformation and change. Now this person will be a Sadaqah-e-Jariyah. The Masha’ikh appreciate most: Seeing their teachings being brought into practice and seeing positive changes and improvements being made.
If a person is blessed with both: There is Ittiba’ of the Shaykh, and the person’s A’maal are improving and increasing, and there is also Khidmah, then the Muhabbat increases even more. A place is created in the heart and due to that Muhabbat, the Shaykh makes Dua for the person.
Sometimes the Shaykh has thousands of Mureeds. He will not be able to remember the names of all his Mureeds and may not even know who the persons are. In one big gathering – there may be one hundred, two hundred, or five hundred people who became Bay’at.
How will you remember every single person?
The one who makes positive changes and his Muhabbat is expressed with Ittiba of the Shaykh; he is the one who wins the heart of the Shaykh.
We are living in times of corruption, and there are so many bogus peers and even bogus mureeds. Peers have become bogus, and the mureeds have become bogus too.
Those Masha’ikh who are on Haq have Istighna and Qana’at. Their gaze is not on Makhlooq and what the creation will do for them. A Shaykh must not have his gaze on the pockets of anyone. His gaze must be fully focused on Allah Ta’ala – that Allah Ta’ala is the Provider, and there is no shortage in the treasures of Allah Ta’ala.
When a Mureed is rendering some Khidmah, the Mureed must not think: I’m doing a great favour. He must do Khidmah with Ikhlaas; then there will be a lot of Barakah and benefit in that Bay’at.
As said, the greatest Khidmah is to go through the process of Islaah sincerely – rectifying one’s character, correcting one’s relationship with Allah Ta’ala and the creation, and improving in good deeds. That is the Khidmah that is most appreciated. What is the purpose if there are large crowds, and nobody is changing his life? What happiness is there in this?
Those who are fraudulent and bogus are happy with large numbers following them and are happy so long as you pay their subscription fees and shower them with material gifts.
Those who are concerned about connecting us with Allah Ta’ala and his Nabi (sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) will be happy when their Mureeds bring changes into their lives and their Akhlaaq (character). This is the most neglected area, and even if we talk the whole year round on Akhlaaq, it is worthy of being talked about.
You will notice in our discussions that we always come back to Akhlaaq. This is what will build Muhabbat. If there is no Akhlaaq, then as I have already mentioned many times, the person who is your friend will become your enemy. If there is Akhlaaq, the enemy also will become your friend. Now it is left to us as to what we want.
If there is Akhlaaq, then the wife will become loving and caring. If there is no Akhlaaq, the wife will distance herself from the husband; she will want out of the marriage. Some wives write about their husbands –that they do not wish to have their husbands in Jannah because living with them here in this world is so burdensome.
What kind of life is that?
The reason for such a wish is that some do not understand that Jannah will not be like the Dunya, and every Jannati will have a beautiful character.
Or the children say: “We don’t like to have our parents.”, or the parents say, “We don’t like to have our children.” This happens when there is a deficiency in Akhlaaq from either side or both sides –then there must be problems.
If we create magnanimity in our hearts and have big hearts, then we can win over our families.
We cannot share our wealth with everybody! Can we share our wealth with everybody? How much wealth can a person share, and that too, with everyone?
Even if a king has to say: “I will distribute my wealth to every person in the world”, his treasuries will become empty.
Wealth can only be shared with a certain number of people: with one’s wife, children, and some of the poor, needy and destitute, but not with every single person in the world. On the other hand, the wealth of Akhlaaq can continuously be shared, and there will be no decrease in that wealth.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us the understanding, concern, and reality of all that is being conveyed.