The effects
of Takbeer on the Heart of a Muslim:
By Shaykh
Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi (RA)
Taken from “The
Four Pillars of Islam”
This
brief but revolutionary proclamation, enjoined by the Quran through the
exhortation of ‘And glorify thy Lord’, strikes at the root of all such claims, pretensions, myths and
deceptions and destroys them forever. It rejects and repudiates the power and authority
of everyone except God and puts an end to each and every source of tyranny and
corruption.
IMPORTANCE
When a
person believes with a sincere heart in this affirmation and proclaims Allaho‐Akbar as a mark of testimony to the Greatness and
Majesty of the Lord and this conviction sinks into the innermost depths of his
heart and begins to pervade his entire existence the mighty and splendour of
the worldly kings, political leaders and overlords loses its significance in
his eyes and they evoke no fear or wonder in him. He becomes supremely
indifferent to them and the display of their wealth or power fails to make any
impression on him.
* * * *
Innumerable
instances of the glorious unconcern and contemptuous disregard shown in the
holy Companions at the display of wealth, power and position are available in history.
We have it,
for example, on the authority of the well‐known historian, Ibn Kathir that
Rabee bin Aamir (RA) was once sent by Hazrat Saad (RA) as his envoy to the
court of Rustam, the commander‐in‐chief of Iran. Rustam received him in a grand
durbar hall which was decorated with magnificent carpets. The Commander in‐Chief,
wearing a crown and robes which sparkled with gems, sat on a throne. Rabee, in
contrast, was very poorly attired. He was almost in rags and carried a shield
that was too small for him. His horse, too, was of a common breed, on which he
rode straight towards Rustam, the pony trampling the costly carpets under its
hoofs. On getting closer to the throne, he dismounted, tied the reins of the horse
to a bolster and started walk up to Rustam, still wearing his helmet and arms.
The officers of the court remonstrated against it, saying that he should, at
least, take off the helmet before going in the presence of the Commander‐in‐Chief.
But Rabee retorted, “I have come not of my own accord but at your request. If
you do not want me, I will go back”.
Rustam,
thereupon, intervened and told his officers to let him come as he liked. Rabee
proceeded, leaning upon his lance and piercing the carpets with it at each
step.
People enquired about the
object of his visit and he said, “we have been sent by Allah to deliver whom He
pleases from the over lordship of His slaves (i.e. men) to His own over
lordship, and from the narrow confines of this world to the boundlessness of
the next and from the oppression of other religions to the fairness and justice
of Islam” [Al-Bidaya Wan-Nihaya, Vol III, p.9]
The strength
of faith and courage of conviction flowing out of the confessional formula had
endued these blessed Muslims with almost superhuman qualities. Extraordinary deeds
of bravery and resoluteness have, indeed, been performed because of it
throughout the annals of Islam. The Muslims had begun to conduct themselves at
such a high level of dignity and self‐respect in the presence of kings and
potentates that it is not easy for many a people to maintain it even in their
dealings with the weak and the poor. The bubble of their imperial pomp and
splendour was pricked.
* * * *
A friend of Sheikhul Islam Izzuddin bin Abdus Salam (RA) has related an incident of the same kind in these words:
“Our mentor,
Sheikh Izzuddin, once went to the Sultan AI-Malik-us-Saleh
Najmuddin Ayub of Egypt in the fort. It was the day of Eid. He saw that the royal durbar was being held and
the troops were arrayed before the sovereign. The Sultan was present in his
full magnificence and the grandees
and noblemen
were kneeling on the ground out of awe and deference. The Sheikh turned towards
the Sultan, and addressing him by name, said, ‘O Ayub! What answer would you
give to God if He were to ask you: We gave thee the kingdom of Egypt and thou
permitted wine?’ The Sultan enquired, ‘Is it so?’ ‘Yes’, replied the Sheikh, ‘On
such‐and‐such a shop wine is being sold and other forbidden things are also
taking place while you are lost in luxury and self‐indulgence’. He spoke in a
loud voice and the soldiers looked on respectfully. The Sultan, thereupon,
remarked. ‘It is not of my doing. Things have been like that since the time of
my father’. ‘Are you’, interjected the Sheikh ‘among those who say: “We found our forefathers on the same path?”’
The Sultan
ordered the shop to be closed at once.
When the Sheikh returned and the news of
the incident spread I enquired from him about it. He said, ‘My friend! When I
saw his splendour I felt that it was for his own good that he should be
humiliated a little otherwise his ego would swell and become uncontrollable. I
asked ‘Were you not afraid’? The Sheikh replied, ‘As surely as I believe in
God! When I reflected upon the Power and Glory of the Lord in his presence it
appeared to me that a cat was sitting on the throne’.”
[Tabaqat-ul-Shafiyatul-Kubra, Vol. V
p. 82]
* * * *
The history
of the power of faith and earnestness of religious endeavour has continuously been
repeating itself. We will reproduce another event belonging to the same
category.
It is
narrated by Sheikh Mahmud bin Mubarak Kirmani that:
“Once Sultan
Mohammad bin Tughlaq summoned Sheikh Qutubuddin Munawwar to Delhi. The saint
had not paid homage to the king on a certain occasion and he wanted to take him
to task for it.
When the
Sheikh came to the royal palace, the court nobles, ministers, heralds and
attendants were standing in a double row in front of the throne. On seeing the
glittering spectacle, the Sheikh’s son, Nuruddin, who was with him and had
never been in a king’s court before, was struck with fear. The Sheikh
admonished him sternly. ‘Glory is for God, Baba Nuruddin,’ he said to him in a
loud voice. The son related later that as soon as he had heard these words, he
felt a new strength within him and all the fear disappeared and it began to
look to him that the court grandees were not men but sheep and goats.”
[Siyar-ul-Aulia,
pp. 353-55]
* * * *
