Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) – One of the first persons to embrace Islam

Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) – One of the first persons to embrace Islam

 

Weekly lecture of Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi at Masjid Abul Hasanaat

 

The personality of Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) is a beacon of guidance and an embodiment of all excellences.  He has not only the excellence of being one of the first persons to embrace Islam, but also the excellence of being born inside the Holy Ka’aba.  When his mother Hadhrat Fatima bint Asad (May Allah be well pleased with her) was expecting him, it was an era when polytheism was really common.  Whenever his mother would resolve to prostrate to an idol, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) would wedge himself between her stomach and her back and make it impossible for her to do so.  Thus, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) is that personality who himself never prostrated to any idol and did not even allow his mother to do so.

 

These are the words of Mufti Syed Ziauddin Naqshbandi, Professor, Islamic Law, Jamia Nizamia, Founder-Director, Abul Hasanaat Islamic Research Center, in the weekly lecture conducted under the aegis of AHIRC in Masjid Abul Hasanaat.

 

The revered Mufti said that when Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) was born, the first thing he set his eyes on was the blessed face of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  Thus, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) himself achieved such great spiritual heights that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  Looking at the face of ‘Ali is an act of worship (Mustadarak ‘Alas Sahihain).

 

Allah Most High has made Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) the fountainhead of all sainthood.  For this reason, Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) is called Qasime Wilaayate Muhammadiyya (lit. the one who distributes the sainthood in the Ummah).  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) learnt directly from the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam).  He became such a treasure of knowledge and wisdom the extents of which cannot be fathomed.  The following words of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) are a shining declaration about the knowledge of Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him):  I am the house of knowledge and wisdom and ‘Ali is its door (Jame’ Tirmidhi). 

 

There is a verse in the Holy Quran:  He blesses with wisdom whom He wills. And he who is granted wisdom (and reason) receives tremendous good. And only those who are endowed with wisdom and insight receive direction and guidance. 

 

The revered Mufti said that Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) was granted special knowledge of the Holy Quran.  He was supremely cognizant of the divine and spiritual secrets of the Holy Quran.  He knew not only the words of the Holy Quran but also the intent of the Lord Almighty with them as well.

 

The revered Mufti quoted a Hadith from Jame’ Tirmidhi that once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was having a meal and supplicated:  O Allah!  Send to Me the one whom you love most among the creation, so that he can partake of this food with Me.  Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) came to the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and the Prophet shared the meal with him.

 

The love of Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) is the demarcating line between a believer and a hypocrite.  The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) told Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him):  Only a believer will love you and only a hypocrite will harbor enmity against you.  Our love for Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him) demands that we love those whom he loves and respect and revere them.

 

Earlier, Maulana Mufti Syed Wahed Ali Qadri, Teacher, Jamia Nizamia, and Maulvi Hafidh Syed Bahauddin Zubair Naqshbandi, addressed the gathering.  Hafidh Muhammad Khan Naqshbandi presented poetry in praise of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and in praise of Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him).  The session ended with Salaam and Dua.