MAR-2024-QSM- Ecstasy Of Ishq (Love).

Summary of the speech delivered by Mr. Azeemi on the

45th Urs of Abdal-e-Haq Huzoor Qalandar Baba Auliya (RA)

 In the name of God, the Most Benevolent and the Most Merciful.

Respected elders, friends, brothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, and all those who have gathered here,

May peace be upon you!

May you attain proximity to the Lord of all realms – the Almighty God –  and to the last Prophet, Muhammad (PBUH), in this world and in the hereafter, Amen. Despite the unfavourable weather, all of you have attended Abdal-e-Haq Qalandar Baba Auliya’s (RA) gathering with utmost devotion, love, and affection. May God bestow you with Irfan-e-Nafs (Cognition of the Self) and Irfan-e-Ilahi (Cognition of God). Amen.

I am a weak and fragile individual. My Murshid-e-Kareem (spiritual teacher), my life, the light of my heart and the joy of my eyes offered me advice in his last moments as he was leaving this world and transferring into another realm:

“Khwaja Sahib! From now on, you are neither a Pathan, Sheikh, Ansari, or a Qureshi. Now your status is of a chamar*, and you will be flooded with unrewarded chores. Do you understand what I am telling you?” With teary eyes, I replied, “Without a doubt! From now on, my identity is of a chamar. I will serve the creations of God Almighty without creating a distinction in religion or nationality.”

To all those who have gathered here, may God Almighty grant you health, respect, and forbearance, and acquaint you with the ecstasy of Ishq (love). If Ishq is not a fire, then it is such a state in which one seemingly appears to be a body of flesh and bones, but within, they are reduced to ashes. May God keep you happy and grant your children familiarity with the depth of Deen, along with the awareness of this world.

What is this world? It is nothing but dust, and everyone knows the status of dust. It blows in the air and establishes its kingship. Falling in love with it distances an individual from their real destination. This world is simply a path of thorns between us and our destination – the hereafter. But it is also a bed of roses if one has the certitude that their life is operating as per the teachings of the last Prophet, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

It is worth reflecting that though we have been taught to read the Holy Quran, we were not instructed to understand it. If I do not understand a language, be it English or any other, engaging in reading these languages, will not benefit me. When we observe from the point of view of this world, the aim of our education is limited to only creating means for our food and clothing. Today, Muslims are living in unfavourable conditions and offered no respect across the world. All that they want is money, sustenance, worldly comfort, and luxury.

I ask my mothers, sisters, and brothers, if a human does not receive sustenance during the nine months that they are inside the womb of their mother, will their existence manifest? God loves us more than seventy mothers; He has made a mother a source for nourishment. We are aware of a mother’s love and a father’s compassion. If an infant feels hunger pangs when a mother is absent, it has been observed that milk flows from the mother and wets her garments. What are these feelings? The emotions of a mother demand that she makes every form of sacrifice for her child.

If we notice the world of the birds, we see that they build nests for their children. There are swings inside it, and to beat the darkness, they catch fireflies and leave them inside the nest so that their children do not experience fear. Just as we nurture our children, a sparrow also nurtures her young ones. It stores food in its craw and regurgitates every grain into the mouth of its baby. Is this process of feeding easier or is feeding milk to a child easier? When the young birds grow up, the parents leave their home for their children, and build a new home for themselves. Does mankind have the capability to create separate homes for each of their children? Slightly before Fajr (time for morning prayers), do not you hear the invocation of God from every creature – especially the sparrows? They are constantly chirping, and as soon as the sun rises, they become silent. Every creature worships God. Animals sleep through half of the night and spend the other half worshipping (in a state of Meditation) God. Tell me, who is superior? The birds and the quadrupeds, or humans?

***

You are my dear elders, friends, brothers, sisters, daughters, and sons. I wish to set the context for what I’m about to convey. May God grant you the consciousness to understand it and not keep whatever I have shared limited to yourself, share it with your families and friends, in whichever language you can.

The teachings of the Holy Quran are for the entire world. Life in paradise, and the events that led to our arrival on earth are all stated in it. What are we? We are prisoners, convicts, and outcasts of paradise. God Almighty stated, “My people!’’ That is, Adam and Eve (PBUT)! “Live in paradise and eat and drink from wherever you please. There are streams of honey, milk, and water here. Everything exists here.” However, Adam and Eve (PBUT), committed an act of disobedience. The events that unfolded after the arrival of Abel and Cain on earth are stated in the heavenly scriptures. The account of Abel and Cain is before you. God Almighty did not accept the sacrifice of one of the brothers for it was unworthy and defective, and hence one of them rebelled against the law of God and killed his brother. This was the first murder of a human in the world.

Cain was gripped with stress as to what to do with his brother’s body. It is said that a crow arrived and began to dig the earth with its claws. It then placed a piece of cloth inside and filled the pit with soil. The disobedient brother said, “O’ The crow is wiser than me.”

I want to share a lot on this topic, but what have you understood?

Who is the teacher and who is the student here? From whose intelligence did we learn?”

[Attendees: “The crows.”]

Creatures have been created from decomposing clay (filth), and the resources bestowed upon them also carry the same stench and filth.  What does this mean? Dear respected ladies and gentlemen! We are following the brother who rebelled.

***

Now I am going to recite the opening verses of the Surah Al-Baqarah, and will share the knowledge that my Murshid-e-Kareem has transferred to me, as per my capabilities. Alif, laam, Meem. ‘Zalik al-Kitaab’ – ‘Zalik’ means ‘This’. Kitaab means the ‘Holy Quran’. ‘La’ means ‘No’. ‘Raib’ means ‘Doubt’. ‘Fi hi’ means ‘in it’. ‘Hudallil Muttaqeen’ – ‘this Book gives guidance to the believers’. Who are Muttaqi? ‘Al Lazeena Yo Minoona Bilghaib’ – ‘those who cognise God, and have certitude that God is the Creator’. ‘Wa Yuqimoon al-Salaat’ – ‘those who consider it obligatory upon them to perform Namaz (daily prayers) made mandatory by God’. ‘Wa Mimma Razaqnahum Yunfiqoon’ – ‘they eat from the sustenance provided to them by God’.

God bestows whosoever He wants with unlimited sustenance. A spread has been laid for the uncountable creatures. We do not even realise when a tree bears mangoes. Are the mangoes not the children of the mango tree? Are you understanding this?

[Attendees: “Yes!”]

There is a seed inside a mango that is enclosed in a husk. The seed has two layers hidden inside it. It will be mango season here soon; please do notice this. Don’t just listen to what I am saying, rather, experience it too. Open a mango, peel the husk, and separate both layers of the seed. Look at each of their edges, and you will notice a mark. This mark identifies a seed as a male or female. This is the same in mankind too. Did we also not birth like a tree? Mango tree has roots and branches. Dig open the earth around it and have a look. You will notice that though they are planted in one place, their roots spread afar. Trees stand on one leg, however, underneath them there are so many feet (roots) that have been taken care of by the earth. The general public refers to them (trees) as ‘One-legged creatures’.

Someone once asked Ameer al-Mominin Hazrat Ali (RA) on what destiny is.

Hazrat Ali (RA) said, “Lift one of your legs.” The person complied.

“Now lift your other leg,” he said.

The man could not do it.

Destiny is that you can stand with two units. You cannot stand with one unit. Creatures are always two units; that is, they will be male or female. A newborn is a combination of two units. Everything operates in two dimensions. We plant a tiny seed of millet inside the earth, and when the millet grows, it produces hundreds of grains. How do so many grains come out of a grain of millet? Mankind also operates in the same way. Who is the One Who multiplies them? It is God. God created an image in the womb of mothers.

God descended water from the sky and made it enter the earth. He created seven earths; each of them is like a platform. On one platform there are fields, on another there are rocks, on some others there are precious stones, gas, kerosene oil, water, and on another platform…? Have you seen a pillar on earth or in the sky? And what is a sky? There is one – two – seven skies. By seven skies it means that there is a sky over a sky, just as there are two pages in one sheet of paper. These are all creatures of God. All these stars that you see, are also creatures, and are earths. How are the stars illuminated? We do not see them wired, nor do they have a switch. These are tiny decorative lights (worlds). The moon rises in the night, and transfers light into the stars. The sun rises during the day and recharges the stars. Where do the seven skies get their light from? It is stated in the Holy Quran,

“God is the Light of the heavens and the earth.” (Quran, 24:35)

***

Is there anything in mankind that is fragrant? Do they not take support from a variety of fragrances? If milk curdles, is it suitable for drinking? If meat rots, is it fit to be eaten? If there is delay in burying a corpse, what emits out of it, stench or fragrance?

[“Stench,” the participants replied in unison]

The stench will be such that we cannot stand next to it. Mankind was made out of mud, and were made to expand and grow. Is this world not expanding and contracting? How does a child who is of the height of 1.5 feet go on to become six feet tall? The heights of creatures are tall or short. The plant is so tiny, and has two soft and fluffy leaves on either side. When it grows into a large tree, can its leaves be counted? This means that, there is a complete system of creation.  While one creation is of Noor (a stage of Divine Light), the other is made of clay, mud, stench, sperm, and adhesive clay. Fragrances sell greatly in number; why do we apply so much fragrance? Do we not apply fragrance to keep the stench away? Does the stench go away, or does it get suppressed?

[“It gets suppressed,” said the participants loudly.]

There is no stench in paradise; the garment of paradise is different. When disobedience was committed by Adam and Eve, the garment of paradise slipped off their bodies, and they used banana leaves to cover themselves up. A mother stitches clothes to cover her infant before it is born. What is a cloth? If we do not use dung and fertiliser, can                        cotton grow?

[Attendees: “No.”]

So, what is the base of a cloth? It is rottenness. The first thing you did to a pure and clean infant born in this world was introduce it to impurity. It is the same pattern of thinking that displayed disobedience in paradise. Our conscience says, “O’ servants of God, do not repeat in this world, the disobedience you committed in paradise.”

“And whoso doeth good an atom’s weight will see it then, and whoso doeth ill an atom’s weight will see it then.” (Quran, 99:7-8)

There are Ghilman and Hoor (male and female attendants in paradise), men and women, children; they eat and drink, there are houses. Paradise is a world illuminated with Noor. Light rays emit there, but it is not the light of the fire.

[Mr. Azeemi pointed at the light bulbs in the pavilion.] This light is fire. Try to touch it and you will get burnt. Paradise is layers upon layers of Noor. God Almighty bestows Noor upon whoever He wills. There is a picture on display in the Markazi Muraqba Hall, in which asketch of paradise has been depicted.

***

There is no doubt in the Holy Quran. Amongst all those who are gathered here, it is only a righteous servant of God who will not have doubt in them. Now, tell me, do you still have doubt enter your heart or not? Raise your hands and tell me.

[The majority of the gathered attendees raised their hands.]

Has God forbidden us from having doubt or has He permitted us?

[Attendees: “Forbidden us.”]

Respected ladies and gentlemen! What should our conduct in life be?

[One attendee said, “We have two patterns of thinking, one is liked by God, and the other is disapproved by Him. The approved thinking pattern is that we do not disobey God and we remain compliant to Him.”]

This gentleman has shared very good points. Dear audience, the elders have shared that there is no stench in paradise. It is a free life. There are mansions, different types of fruits are available, and most importantly, one witnesses God’s Tajalli (a form of Divine Light), speaks their desires, and submits to God. When the breeze blows in paradise, one experiences fragrances and hears various melodies. There are outstanding arrangements for food and lodging. There is no worry, doubt, or illusion.

***

We are all offspring of father Adam and mother Eve (PBUT). We have to be grateful that God has included us amongst those who love the Last Prophet, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) with all our hearts and hope for his intercession on the Day of Judgment. Pay attention, have we been able to understand Sirat al-Mustaqeem (The Straight Path) in its true essence? We do not read the Quran with its translation. I request to you, and instruct all of you, that you memorise the translations of the small verses that are recited during Namaz, so that you become acquainted with it, your interest grows in it, and you achieve   concentration.

Respected friends, elders and scholars! The essence of this article suggests that we evaluate ourselves and perform the tasks that God and His Prophet (PBUH) want from us. God has stated, that even the minutest of things have been elaborated in the Holy Quran. Contemplation invites us to use our inner sense. We use most of the words in the Holy Quran repeatedly through the day and night. Pay attention to the words of the Holy Quran. Hamd. Allah. Rab. Aalameen. Rehman. Raheem. Maalik. Yom. Deen. Hidayat. Siraat Mustaqeem. Ghayr. Maghzoob. Awwal. Aakhir. Zahir. Batin. Arada. Mutashabiha. Quwwah. Nazireen. Zuriyyat. Maqaam. Wast. Naqs. Safar. Qareeb. Malumaat. Umoor. Izn etc. These are many Arabic words that we use in the Urdu language. Another way of understanding the Holy Quran is that we search for those words that are part of our daily conversations.

I pray that the passion to read and understand the Holy Quran may grow in you. Amen