This letter, written for Molla
Badî’uddîn, informs that it is necessary to acquiesce in Qadâ and to derive
pleasure from the arrangements of the Owner.
Hamd
be to Allâhu ta’âlâ and salâm to His chosen, beloved slaves! The good slave is
the one who approves and likes the arrangements of his Owner. The person who
likes his own wishes is servile to himself. Even if his Owner thrusts a dagger
in his slave’s throat, the slave must like it and be pleased with it. If, may
Allah forfend, he does not like and approve of it, he will no longer be His
slave; he will distance from his Owner. [Epidemic and fatal diseases] such as
plague come as a result of Allâhu ta’âlâ’s will. One must be happy as if it
(the disease) had come as a result of one’s own wish. One must not become angry
or sorry when a plague (or any other epidemic disease) comes. Thinking that it
is of the Beloved’s making, one must take delight in it. Everyone has a certain
time of death. This time never changes. For this reason, one must not feel in
straits or worried in the event of a disease. When such griefs and calamities
come about, one must trust oneself to Allâhu ta’âlâ and pray, invoke Him for
good health and salvation. Allâhu ta’âlâ likes those who ask for good health
and salvation. It is declared in the Sûrat-al Mu’mîn, “Pray! I shall accept
your prayers!” Mawlânâ Abd-ur-rashîd has arrived here and told us about you.
May Allâhu ta’âlâ protect you against events that can be foreseen and prevented
and against those that cannot be seen and prevented! Âmîn.
[Ya’qûb bin Sayyid Alî (rahmatullahi ’aleyh), in his explanation of the
book Shir’at-ul Islam, refers to the hadîth-i sherîf, “Praying
is worshipping.” Even if the prayers are not accepted, they will
yield thawâb. Acceptability of any prayer depends on various conditions: Halâl
food must be eaten. The prayer of the person who eats harâm food will not be
accepted for forty days. Prayer is the key to satisfying one’s needs and
providing happiness. The cogs of this key is the halâl food. Secondly, the
clothing should be tîb. Property which
is not forbidden it is called halâl. Property which is not of doubtful origin
is called tîb. While praying the heart
should be awake and one must believe that one’s prayers will be accepted. The
prayers of an ignorant person who is not aware of what he says will not be
accepted. Before praying, one should repent and ask Allâhu ta’âlâ for
forgiveness. One should not be impatient for the acceptance
of prayers. Praying should continue and
one should not flag. Allahu ta’âlâ likes prayers and the person who prays. His
way of giving to those whom He loves is to delay the thing requested, even
though the prayer has been accepted, in order to protract the prayer and thus
to increase its thawâb. The prayer should be repeated at least seven times.
Anyone who prays more at times of comfort and ease will have his prayers
accepted sooner at times of trouble and misfortune. Before praying, first give
thanksgiving to Allahu ta’âlâ and send “salât and salâm” to Rasulullah.
Rasulullah (sallallahu ’alaihi wasallam) used to say, “Subhâna rabbiyel aliyyil a’lel wahhab,” when he
started his prayers. First one should make tawba for one’s sins, then pray for
the health and happiness of all Muslim Believers, and then request
wholeheartedly for whatever one wishes. Things that are inconsistent with both
rational behaviour and religious rules should not be requested. For example, a
prayer such as “Donate to me a white chalet on the right-hand side of heaven”
should not be made. The blessed thing requested should be heart-felt and the
meaning of the prayer should be known. A prayer should not be wishful thinking,
and one must stick to the means which will lead to the end. That is to say,
first one must hold tight to ’ ibâdât and good deeds, then pray and expect the
consent of Allah. Good deeds and worships are the means of love. Without
sticking to the means, the prayers will not be accepted. This will not be
called a prayer. It is called a useless wish. Any request which is not expected
to be fulfilled is called a wish. To ask for something expected is called a
rejâ (request). One must invoke (Him) for the attainment of the means for what
is wished. It is stated in a hadîth-i sherîf, “Anyone who prays without working for it, is like a soldier
who goes to war without a gun.” The request should be made by
kneeling towards the Kâ’ba, after making an ablution, by opening the palms [to
the sky], by orientating oneself to the souls of Prophets
and Awliyâ, and by asking “for the sake of those beloved people,” and the last
word should be “Âmîn.” First of all, the
prayer should be made for forgiveness and compassion. A very valuable prayer
which comprises all these elements is “Allahumma
rabbenâ âti-nâ fiddunyâ haseneten ve fil-âkhireti haseneten ve qi-nâ
adhâbennâr..” One should not pronounce maledictions over oneself,
over one’s children, over one’s spouse. [One should not say, for instance, “Yâ
Rabbî! Take my soul out!”] If it is accepted, repentance will be futile. The
translation from the explanation of Shir’a ends here.]