Topics
Question: Respected
Sir, I wish to ask you a significant issue which is a cause of concern for us.
I hope that you will oblige by responding from a spiritual and Islamic
perspective.
The
issue is this: my husband and I live in Karachi, while my in-laws reside in
Punjab. My in-laws are uneducated—and those among them who are educated are
also adherents of old customs and traditions. One such tradition is that when a
child is born, his hair is cut two, three, four months later, or even a year
later. And their method is this: they go to the shrine of their spiritual
leader—who is a martyr—and there, the child’s hair is cut. The entire community
goes; they celebrate happily; prepared food and distributed to all present—and
at the shrine, the hair is cut. According to my in-laws, if the hair is not cut
there, then either the child dies or some calamity befalls the child. And until
the hair is cut, the child’s mother is not permitted to eat any kind of meat. Also
my in-laws narrate that there was a dog with the martyred elder, who, after the
martyrdom, sat beside the corpse and kept watch over it. When the heir of the
martyr arrived, the dog died. The devotees even built a grave for the dog. And
not just one or two—millions of people consider that elder their spiritual
leader and visit his shrine, and have all their children’s hair cut there. Whereas
my husband and I do not believe in these absurdities. Our beloved Prophet
(P.B.U.H) also had the hair of his grandsons cut at home on the seventh day.
But the family members say that if this is not done (at the shrine), then the
child will die, and so on. Whereas death is in the hands of God. But we are
deeply disturbed by these matters. For God’s sake, guide us. I request a
satisfactory answer from you to this question.
Answer: This
notion—that the child’s ʿaqīqah is completed only after visiting the shrine,
or that cutting hair at home causes the child to die—is not correct. There is a Persian proverb:
A spiritual guide does not fly, but the devotee,
by composing eulogies in his praise, causes him to ascend.
One point, in the matter of belief, requires greater attention: when a person becomes convinced of something, then it does happen. For instance, if parents and other close relatives mentally accept that harm will occur if a particular act is not done, then harm will indeed occur. But if there is faith in Allah, then no harm will occur. Islam has called toward ending precisely such false beliefs. There were 360 idols placed in the Kaʿbah. When the teaching of Divine Oneness was proclaimed, people became afraid—because in their minds, this satanic doubt had attained the status of certainty: that if the idols were angered, destruction would result. But when this doubt or satanic belief was abolished, all 360 idols were eliminated. No destruction occurred. Rather, the grace of the One Divine Being became manifest.
Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
Nearly three decades ago, the esteemed spiritual scholar and blessed guide, Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi (R.A), inaugurated a mission of public service with the objective of liberating humanity from afflictions, psychological distress, and physical ailments. For ten years, he remained in contemplative retreat, silently advancing this sacred commitment to the service of creation (khidmat-e-khalq). As the hearts of the people began turning toward him, he employed the medium of mass communication. In 1969, this initiative was formally introduced to the public through newspapers and spiritual journals. According to conservative estimates, through written correspondence and face-to-face interaction—particularly via national publications and the Roohani Digest—Hazrat Azeemi has extended spiritual guidance and healing to over 1.4 million men and women, addressing intricate personal crises and intractable medical conditions. Today, it is not uncommon that wherever a few individuals gather, and a seemingly insoluble dilemma or incurable illness is mentioned, someone inevitably suggests: “Establish contact with Azeemi Sahib—the matter will be resolved.”
Through the grace of Allah the Almighty, the spiritual affinity with the Prophet (P.B.U.H), and the continued beneficence of the blessed guide, four volumes of Roohani Daak (Spiritual Correspondence) have now been compiled. The first volume is hereby presented to you for contemplation and benefit.
