Saturday, September 22, 2012

Ustaz Azhar bin Hashim at Haul Imam Abdullah Al-Haddad 2012



Bismillah.

Alhamdulillah wa shukrulillah. We're grateful to have attended the Haul of Imam Abdullah bin Alawi Al Haddad (1634 - 1720 CE) at Masjid Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz in Shah Alam, Malaysia, tonight. 

Yes, it's been 301 years since Imam Al-Haddad left us and yet his presence and influence are still visible.

The event organized by HAK (Amanah Hawi Al-Khairat) was graced by the luminaries of the Islamic world. Among the honorable guests present were: Imam of Masjid Sultan Salahuddin, Ustaz Firdaus, Shaykh Abdul Karim Al-Fatani, Shaykh Afeefuddin Al-Jailani, Ustaz Hafiz bin Selamat from the Al-Jenderami Foundation,  Habib Isa bin Sumait, Ustaz Hasan Saiful Rijal, Habib Ali Al-Jufri and Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin Al-Hamid of Darul Murtadza Malaysia.

Ustaz Azhar bin Hashim of Majlis Ta'alim Rahmatan Lil Alamin, Malaysia was the first to give a tausiyah. He said:

We are gathered here together with prominent ulama and habaib to mark the Haul of Imam Al-Haddad, one imam whose life had been filled with plenty of mujahadah towards the ultimate goal of reaching Allah.

As human beings, we will eventually face Allah where our actions will be judged, whether we like it or not. Our raison d'etre (the reason for existence) is illa liyakbudun that is to worship Allah. We do not live for the purpose of seeking provision because it is secured by Allah. We live for the sole purpose of being a servant of Allah.

Imam Al-Haddad in his kitab often stressed the importance of mujahadah, battling the nafs with a goal to reach Allah. The Imam also said that the first step towards Allah is tawba, to repent from our misdeeds, to purify ourselves from sins, only then can we begin to worship Allah. It is of no meaning if one makes an attempt to worship Allah without first purifying oneself from sins. For how can you meet Allah when you are not in a pure state?

Imam Al-Haddad taught us about four hurdles we'll have to overcome in our journey towards Allah: dunya, people, shayatin and our own nafs. And nafs being the hardest to handle. Imam Al-Ghazali in his Minhajul Abidin too mentioned the nafs being the most difficult obstacle.

We may rise above the tests of dunya, people and even shaytan. The Prophet s.a.w was known to have defeated shaytan and made it profess the syahadah. But it's not possible to defeat nafs completely because it is not entirely bad since it has its own benefits too.

When we speak of qulub, the heart, there are two elements namely nafs (desires) and akal (intelligence). These two never agree as they are always battling each other for as long as we live. Sometimes nafs wins the day and sometimes intelligence has the upper hand. Who wins depends on the food that is being fed. If you feed your nafs more, it might thus win the battle. If you feed your intelligence more, then it might be the victorious one.

Imam Al-Haddad in one of his kitab spoke about the types of food for akal and nafs. Akal strives on zikrullah, useful knowledge, fear of Allah, redha and so on and so forth. Nafs on the other hand, feeds on the love of dunya, whispers of the shayatin, a plea from your base desires, not seeking useful knowledge, not attending majlis zikr, etc.

Imam Al-Haddad in his publication Al Adab Suluk bil Murid defined a student, not as one who studies, but is one who walks the path to Allah, one who has basirah (eye of the heart) on Allah, one whose nafs is directed towards Allah.

Ulama Sufi occupy their time checking (muraqabah) on the level of their nafs. Always keeping an eye on which of the 6 levels of nafs they belong to. Whether it's nafs amarah - one that is inclined to bad deeds; nafs  lawamah - one which inclines toward transgressing but with a little degree of conscience; nafs mulhimah - one that is inclined to repent (tawba) and thus have a chance to progress; nafs mutmainnah - one which is constant on the good side and is destined for success in reaching Allah; nafs radhiah - one who is contented with Allah's choice on his destiny; nafs mardhiah - one whom Allah is pleased with; nafs kamaliah - a nafs which is perfect and arrives at its destination - Allah.

Concluding his tausiyah, Ustaz Azhar bin Hashim prayed so that by the blessings of the event and Imam Al-Haddad, may Allah grant us victory over the battle with our nafs, that we could attain nafs mutmainnah, radhiah, mardiah and kamaliah. 

Wallahu a'lam.
May I be forgiven for any errors in capturing and relaying what I heard at the majlis. Will be posting tausiyah by Shaykh Affeefuddin and Ustaz Hassan Saif Rijal afterward. InshaAllah.

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