If Allah Ta’ala Had To Be Technical With You – Hadhrat Maulana Thanvi رحمه الله
If Allah Ta’ala Had To Be Technical With You
This shortening of Taraaweeh has been initiated by people who are regular performers of Namaaz. Worse than this, we regrettably find people saying that Jamaat [Congregational Salaat] is Sunnat-e-Mu-akkadah alal Kifaayah [which means that it is Sunnat upon the community as a whole, not on each and every individual]. “The Bhangi Saheb [the Mu-azzin] and his friends can make Jamaat,” they say. What injustice and transgression! You wish to be technical with Allah Ta’ala? If Allah Ta’ala also employs technicalities when it comes to compensation [i.e. in this world and on the Day of Qiyaamah]; if He also suffices with necessities just as you suffice with the necessary Ibaadaat [i.e. the Farz], then what a precarious position you will be in! For instance, if He only provides a half a loaf of bread and a glass of water for a day, nothing more, then what will be your fate? And if He gives even less than that, then what are you going to do? Bear in mind that it is not at all obligatory upon Him to give anyone. He gives purely out of His Grace, Mercy and Kindness.
A narrative comes to mind of this Grace and Kindness. One Aabid [worshipper] used to say: “I am entitled to Jannat by virtue of my good deeds because whatever Allah declares I carry it out, and for five hundred years I am dutiful to His command. Yes, out of His Grace He may grant more, but what I have rendered I am entitled to its reward.”
After some time, he [the Aabid] died. He was brought to the World of the Unseen. The Farishtas [Angels] there said: “Walk!” He walked. The plain was burning hot. Severe thirst overcame him. He asked the Farishtas: “Is there any water here?”
Farishtas: Yes, but at a price.
Aabid: What is the price?
Farishtas: Here a glass of water costs five hundred years of Ibaadat [worship].
The Aabid Saheb had just five hundred years of Ibaadat to his credit. Due to thirst, he became extremely restless. A dying man will do anything to save his life. He took the glass of water in exchange for his five hundred years of worship.
They proceeded further until his thirst grew even more intense. He asked for water. The Farishtas gave the same reply. The Aabid exclaimed: “I have no Ibaadat left!”
Now, he was brought before Allah Ta’ala. Allah Ta’ala spoke: “What have you brought? Speak! In which way are you entitled to forgiveness?” The Aabid replied: “O Allah! Forgiveness is purely through Your Grace, and I was in error.”
That was the price of one glass of water there. And what about the price of the other things which no eye has ever seen and no ear has ever heard of? The price of that will be more than a million years of Ibaadat, particularly if you look at it according to your own price list. Let me explain this.
It is a self-evident premise that wealth is dearer to you than deeds. Now listen to the price of bounties, firstly with wealth. You will understand this through a narrative.
A Dervish went to a King to counsel him.
Dervish: Say if you go out hunting in the wilds and coincidentally you stray from your troops and lose your way. In searching for your way you become so thirsty that you cannot proceed anymore. In fact, your life is on an edge. Just then a person comes to you and says: ‘You can have this glass of water in return for half your kingdom.’ What will you do in such a situation? Will you give your life and die out of thirst, or will you rather relinquish half your kingdom for the glass of water?
King: I will take the water.
Dervish: Okay. You drank the water and moved on. After a short while you had the urge to pass water, but you are unable to relieve yourself and in consequence you undergo severe pain. You meet a physician on the way who says:
‘Give me half your kingdom and I will relieve yourself of your pain and you will be able to pass water without any discomfort.’ What will you do?
King: Life is more important. I will give him the other half of my kingdom.
Dervish: This same kingdom which you are so proud of, its price is merely a bowl of urine and a glass of water! You derive pleasure in it and feel contented that, ‘I am so and I am so’!
Reflect over the worth of the world’s water! We drink jugs upon jugs just like that. In fact, if you reflect you will see that a person has drank up a few lakes of water [in his life], although it doesn’t remain in one. It becomes waste matter and is expelled from the body.
A very humorous anecdote comes to mind about this ‘expulsion’. One fool bought an ox. He took it to the lake for drinking. It is common among cattle to urinate while drinking. That ox also started to urinate. Upon seeing the ox urinating, the fool said [to the seller]: “Take your ox. I don’t want an ox with an outlet.”
Similarly, we have an outlet. If the water cannot remain in the stomach, then nothing can be done about it. The Giver [i.e. Allah Ta’ala] did not hold back.
In short, when in this world the price of a glass of water is half a kingdom and in the Aakhirat one thousand years of Ibaadat, then whatever we get here or whatever we are given [there in the Aakhirat] is all the Fazl [Grace] of Allah Ta’ala. No one is entitled to anything.
Source: The Essence Of Taraaweeh
Hakeemul Ummat Mujaddidul Millat Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi
(Quddisa Sirruhul Azeez)
