On many occasions I think of the massive potential that each one of us has to help in the spread of Islam in this country, especially the spread of congregational adhkar. Alhamdu lillah, wherever we have gone, Allah (ﷻ) has granted us success. It is seldom that we receive negative reports with regard to our work. There should be in each one of us the deepest gratitude that Allah (ﷻ) is using very ordinary citizens to spread the celebration of His Praises. So many times I express gratitude, and I want us to push aside our ailments and our ages to spread this work.
I also have a dream or perhaps it is a very deep desire that Allah (ﷻ) should provide for us the means of drawing every single Muslim in this country into the celebration of His Praises. We should get away from all those things that we attach ourselves permanently to, and get ourselves involved in major “Paradise-achieving” activities. I pray and I plead that Allah (ﷻ) should make us remember Him at all times, and that part of our work to spread His celebration, is also part of our work to attain piety, amin.
So many times I have told you that when we celebrate Allah’s (ﷻ) Praises, Allah (ﷻ) is busy with us. It is what Allah (ﷻ) wants, that we have to do. It is Allah (ﷻ) who places His Praises in our hearts and it is Allah (ﷻ) who makes our tongues and hearts respond to His Praises. When Allah (ﷻ) wishes that His Praises be celebrated, He places that celebration of His Praises in the hearts of His servants. The Tradition says that if one celebrates such praises on one’s own, then Allah (ﷻ) celebrates His Praises on “His own”. If such praises are celebrated by a group, Allah (ﷻ) celebrates such praises in a group better than that. What all this means is that the celebration of His Praises on earth is accompanied by the Divine Remembrance of “Himself”, either by Allah (ﷻ) or in a group by “Him”. This is so difficult for us to understand, because we don’t understand the nature of Divine Actions, neither do we know the words of His Remembrance by Him or the spiritual impact of such a remembrance. When a servant celebrates Allah’s (ﷻ) Praises, there is a massive unending and unlimited Divine celebration of praises, and so the servants, in a sense, do what their Lord does. I do not know whether we can imagine the nature and the impact of this. We, as servants, only know that our Lord responds to our words, but can you imagine how those litanies must be that He “gives expression to”. I sometimes try to imagine these things. I know that Allah (ﷻ) says, for example, that when we utter His Name, He is with us. The mention of Allah’s (ﷻ) Name opens up floodgates of major benefits for those doing it. We know this, but we do not understand it. We also know that when we mention Allah’s (ﷻ) Messenger (ﷺ) in a praise, there are major Divine, Angelic and Prophetic responses. Another floodgate! We also know that when we say: “La ilaha illallah”, those words go to the Throne. Another floodgate of spiritual benefit! But what is the nature or the spiritual benefit, or the spiritual powers of those words that Allah (ﷻ) says He recites, either on His own or with the cream of the Heavenly Hosts? The more one thinks of this the more one realizes the massive spiritual benefits that are let loose when Allah’s (ﷻ) Praises are celebrated. What about those who are involved in spreading these Praises? They go from place to place, encouraging people to recite what opens major floodgates of spirituality. What about them and those who lead little groups or big groups to do so? What about them? All of them, those who recite, those who organise, those who lead, are all involved with their Lord in the celebration of His Praises.
Are there also floodgates of rewards that fill the scales like “La ilaha illallah” does, or the other statements do? I try to describe all of that but words put limitations on what happens. But we have no other way but to use such words. This is not part of my dream. This is part of what happens on a day to day basis as the Naqshbandis carry the flag of the celebration of Allah’s (ﷻ) Praises all over the country. They are busy with God’s work but they are also busy for Him and with Him, if this is at all possible. And when we dream or desire that such celebrations should be done all over where Allah’s (ﷻ) servants are, it is because we desire that the floodgates of spirituality should engulf all of us, and in the process launch major processes of purification that help to prepare us for Paradise. These celebrations involve the work of the Hereafter. When we spread them, they are no more dreams, only desires. When our Lord is busy with us in some ways, then that is the reality for us. As servants, we so much want to be of those people who are always busy with the work of the Hereafter. We want to be of the intensely pious. Allah (ﷻ) has granted us the opportunity and the means of being part of them, by enjoying the almost unbelievable benefits that flow from the celebration of His Praises. We ask: “O our Lord, make us of those people who are always in remembrance of Thee, amin.
[Unpublished 2012]
