Uboodiyah – Servitude (State of Being a Slave)
Al-‘Uboodiyah, literally, is that state in which a person subdues himself with humility and love to the will of someone else. One can easily enslave himself to any created being. This type of ‘Uboodiyah surely leads to sadness, humiliation, and transgression; it is then the enslavement by false idols.
But devoting oneself to the Creator (اللَّه سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى) of all the beings and submitting to His Command leads to nothing but happiness, nobility and justice; and that is the beloved ‘Uboodiyah.
Hadhrat Moulana Qari Mohammed Tayyab Saheb رحمه الله (the principal of Deoband) said that his father, Hadhrat Moulana Hafiz Muhammad Ahmad Saheb رحمه الله , had mentioned that he had seen many pious people. However, there were three among them whom he had not only seen, but, in fact, the memories of their lives were very clear and apparent before him:
The first of these three men was Haji Imdaadullah Saheb رحمه الله
Whenever he experienced any minor difficulty, he would moan and groan excessively. Someone once said to him, “Hadhrat, outwardly this seems to be against submission to the will of Allah طائلة and is a sign of expressing intolerance. We ought to be patient with the decree of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى . Your reaction is totally opposite.”
Hadhrat replied: “Do you wish me to be bold in front of my Allah ? Should I display such boldness that I can withstand any calamity that He places me in? Instead, I rather express my humility and submission that:- ‘O Allah, I am not worthy of being tested. I do not have any strength at all. Forgive me without engaging me in any trial. Therefore, I express my helplessness, inability and my dependence on you.’ To express one’s helplessness, inability and dependence is actual servitude.”
Hadhrat Moulana Qaasim Nanotwi Saheb’s رحمه الله
“The second pious person was my father Hadhrat Moulana Qaasim Nanotwi Saheb رحمه الله . His practice was that no matter how big a calamity he may be afflicted with, he would never disclose it to anyone. He tolerated it. After many months, he would say, ‘I had experienced such and such difficulty.’ Then only would we come to know that he went through such severe difficulties. He used to say:
‘Whatever comes from the friend is best.’ In other words, whatever difficulty a person experiences from Allah طائلة , he should exercise patience. If sickness comes, he should be patient. If he is afflicted with any calamity then too he should be patient. Thereafter, he used to explain that this is the true meaning of servitude.”
Hadhrat Moulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Saheb’s expression of servitude
“The third pious person was Hadhrat Moulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Saheb who was my ustaadh (teacher) as well as my murabbi (spiritual guide). If he was afflicted with the slightest sickness, he would not complain. However, he would be extremely particular about medication.
‘Call the doctor! Bring the medicine! What food should be eaten?
What food should be refrained from? Now the doctor/hakim is coming for treatment’ These were some of the statements he would constantly make. The people would comment: ‘Hadhrat, this
apparently seems to be against Tawakkul. (Reliance on Allah ). So much concern for such a small sickness!
This is against the very essence of Tawakkul.’
Hadhrat would reply: ‘This body of ours is a machine from the (divine) Government. We are not the owners of it. The real owneris Allah and to look after it is fardh. This body is an amaanah (trust). Look after it so that you will be saved from khiyaanat (misuse).’
‘When a person gets sick it is sunnah to adopt the means to cure himself so that this machine will function well. To look after oneself is fardh.’ Thereafter he would say: ‘Ittibaa-e-sunnah (following of the sunnah) is in fact true servitude.’
Thereafter, my father would say: “I saw all these three saints. One would moan and groan like Haji Saheb , one would keep silent like Moulana Qaasim Nanotwi Saheb and one would take his precautions so that he may follow the sunnah.”
In one instance servitude is to express one’s inability. In another instance it is tafweedh (submission to the will of Allah ). In yet a third instance, it is in the following of the sunnah by resorting to treatment. All these are expressions of servitude.
May Allah give us the taufeeq of following the sunnah.
