Hilm (Burdabari) And Zulm – Majlis of Hazrat Moulana Maseehullah رحمه الله
Extract of Majlis by Hazrat Moulana Maseehullah رحمه الله
One quality found in a good character is, for example, hilm, also called burdabari (forbearance).
To illustrate this quality:
Somebody has made a very nasty remark, so much so that it has struck one deeply in the heart. The heart is grieved. It finds the remark most burdensome. But one shows no reaction. It is as if having heard and not having heard are the same. Consequently, one does not say anything.
This is called hilm in Arabic, and burdabari in Farsi, meaning to lift/ bear a burden. The burden placed on the heart is being lifted or borne. Somebody has hurled abuse at one. Ones heart has found it burdensome, but ones reaction is that of indifference.
This is just one quality found in the heart of a person with husne khulq.
Amongst the qualities that Allah Taala has, one is that of Him being Haleem – One Who has Hilm.
So, this earthly Muslim has taken on this quality of hilm, and is also haleem. Why has he taken on this quality of Allah Taalas? Because he is of the ahlullah!
Let us take zulm. Zulm is: to wrongfully usurp somebody elses rights; to wrongfully seize somebody elses rights and to place a burden on his heart; to taunt and chastise others; to take away somebodys goods and wealth and thereby chastise him.
This zulm is contrary to the concept of the nazafat (purity) of Zate Bari Taala. Zulm is a defective quality, and Zate Bari Taala is free of defects. Zate Bari Taala is Nazeef (Pure):
Allah Taala is Pure and He loves purity.
Part and parcel of nazafat is the quality of hilm. Zate Bari Taala is Haleem. He is Sahebe-hilm (Perfect in the quality of hilm).
So, the Mumin should also take on this quality of hilm, and become sahebe-hilm.
On the other side we have zulm. Zate Bari Taala is clean and pure of zulm. The Mumin, likewise, should become clean and pure of zulm.
And if the Mumin is not clean and pure of zulm, what then?
Well… Then, fine… He may be a Mumin, but still very green (kach-cha)! He may be an ahlullah, but still very green!
Do you understand my way of speaking?
Fruit that is still green, unripe, is very bitter, very sour. Ripe fruit is sweet and delicious.
The ahlullah who are ripe are sweet and delicious. They have neither sourness nor bitterness, nor are they half-and-half, half sweet and half bitter. They do not do things that are sweet and then do things which are bitter. Yes, very occasionally, incidentally, they may be involved in doing something which is wrong. This does not negate them being of the ahlullah.
But to be involved in activities that are contrary to the concept of an ahlullah every now and then, time and again, and to be speaking such things which are contrary to the concept of an ahlullah, how can he be said to be of the ahlullah? Yes… Well… He is a Muslim.
Those of you who are studying obviously wish to pass with a first-class pass, and not a third class pass. Similarly, in ones iman and ones Deen also, the desire should be to be in the group of first-class passes.
A true desire (tamanna) is associated with resolve (iradah), and resolve goes together with correct effort. If the correct effort is not there, it shows that the resolve is incorrect. This person is thus deceiving himself and others!
There are individuals here from England and from South Africa. So, these discourses are lessons being given. Slowly, steadily, with examples and illustrations, with careful explanations, an effort is being made for the lessons to settle firmly in your hearts, so that an understanding may dawn within you.
This methodology is essential for an ustad or a lecturer to adopt. Whatever is written in the kitabs has to be explained and expanded on, by using simple examples and illustrations, so that it becomes easy for the students to understand. This is a manifestation of the affection the ustad has for his students. This is his favour on them.
He is taking on a burden on himself in order to bring benefit to others, to bring ease and comfort to their hearts.
To bring ease and comfort can be in several forms: One is to bring ease and comfort physically. Another is to bring ease and comfort and cheer to the heart.
To continue:
Just as it is necessary to leave off zahiri prohibitions, so, too, it is necessary to leave off batini prohibitions.
This person performs his namaz, but he has not eliminated the sickness of the eyes! What is this? The following: The moment something pretty and beautiful, something gorgeous passes by in front of him, his eyes latch onto it. Imagine! He is actually busy looking at it! Whereas it is impermissible that one should gaze at what is prohibited.
Why is he looking at these distractions?
The answer is simple: There is still some deficiency in him. There are still some shortcomings in his being a kamil ahlullah, a kamil allahwala. He is still green – kachchapin!
This is the yardstick he should judge himself on. Whenever such an event occurs he should immediately reproach himself, Oh! Oh! I have fallen into error. I should not have done that! I had thought that I had reached perfection, but it appears that there is still some deficiency in my iman. There is still no perfection in my Deen. I have still not reached top grade. I am still kachchapin!
What would first grade be?
First grade would be where he would have immediately dropped his gaze the moment his eyes fell on the distraction.
Second grade is where he notices the distraction, and his temperament is tempted to gaze at it, and he lifts his eyes to look, but he then quickly drops his gaze again.
Third grade is where he follows his inclination unchecked, and his eyes latch onto the distraction, and he keeps on looking all the time, still unchecked.
REMORSE AND TAUBAH
Here is another situation:
His eyes fall on the distraction. His temperament urges him to keep on looking, which he does. Suddenly he realises his error. What am I doing? He is ashamed. His heart feels contrite. He is remorseful. He is grieved at his lapse. Ive done wrong! Ya Allah! What have I done! He cries inside himself. Astigfirullah! Astigfirullah! I have done wrong! I have done wrong!
This taubah – this grief, this remorse at having done wrong – is a compensation for his lapse. He had dropped to grade three, but this taubah has raised him to the first grade!
He has been given an opportunity. This opportunity is not granted to everybody: it is granted only where the person shows the necessary aptitude, and has had a temporary lapse. Does this situation not arise when students have to write examinations?
This leeway is given because of his showing remorse. Instead of being in the third grade, he has been re-established in the first grade.
He has regained the position of entering Jannat at the first instance. This is because of his taubah, which has removed the obstacles in his way. Entrance has been made easy.
Had he not made taubah, had he not been remorseful, he would have remained in the third grade, with no possibility of being given an opportunity to gain the first grade.
Do you understand these examples?
It is accepted that disobedience to Allah Taala, going against His commands, is a great evil.
However, a greater evil than this is to refuse to make taubah!
Why so? Because there is a very real danger that this persons iman will slip away!
There is security of ones iman in being ashamed of ones wrongdoings, in being remorseful. The result will be that, stage by stage, each time trying to save oneself, trying to avoid the wrong, one will reach that point where one stops oneself completely from that wrongdoing. Now one is no longer involved in that wrongdoing.
Going back:
We had started off by saying that, in order to bring zahiri and batini comfort and ease to others, to bring happiness to others, to bring cheer to others, a person takes on himself such tasks and burdens, such difficulties, which are not beyond his tolerance. He says, It does not matter that I am inconvenienced, as long as he has some ease. I will tolerate the inconvenience.
For example:
There is only one roti in the house. There is absolutely nothing else to eat. I am also hungry, and a hungry beggar also appears at that same moment. (One is aware that this person is genuine, and that he is not a beggar by profession.) I am hungry. For the sake of Allah Taala, may I please have a piece of roti? he asks:
How many rotis are there? Only one. If I eat the roti, my hunger will be relieved. If he eats it, his hunger will be relieved. However, my hunger is not such that, if I do not eat that roti, I will die. I know from past experience that I can manage to stay hungry till the next meal. I have kept fasts. I have kept fasts on long, hot days even. Even on those occasions when I did not manage to eat sehri, I still fasted the whole day. No harm came to me. I did not collapse from weakness. I can manage to miss out on one roti.
So, the roti goes to the beggar! Here, you take it.
A MAS’ALAH CONCERNING ITHAR
Yes, if the hunger is beyond ones capacity to bear, and one may die from hunger, then the situation is different.
If I do not eat that roti, and I will die, then saving my own life takes priority.
You have rights on your life first. To save your own life is fardh. So, you will not give away that roti. Why should you give him the roti and you die of hunger? Yes, come another time, and if I have I will give.
Take another situation:
You and somebody else are in such a predicament that both of you are in the extremes of thirst. Without water both of you will not survive. You have in
your possession just a little water, sufficient for only one person to take a gulp and survive.
If you give him this water, he will survive and you will die.
If you drink the water, you will survive and he will die.
In this situation drink the water yourself: It is fardh for you to save your own life.
Do you now understand the masalah concerning selflessness?
Selflessness means: to give priority to the comfort of others over ones own comfort. Another word one may use is “qurbani (sacrifice). In other words, to place oneself in takleef (inconvenience/ trouble) in order to bring comfort to others, is to make qurbani (sacrifice).
Source: For Friends Part 8
