Selections From Waaz 3 | "The Book of the Righteous is in the Highest Heavens"

“I am fitting the sea into a small container,” Aqa Maula Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS expressed in waaz today - and in the three hours we sat before Syedna TUS we truly experienced the breadth and depths of the sea of the knowledge of Ahlul Bayt.

Aqa Maula TUS quoted the Qur’an and explained that today was the majlis of Ibrahim SA, and Ibrahim SA alone was an Ummat. Rasulullah SA said to Maulana Ali SA, “You and me, O brother Ali, are the Dawat of our father Ibrahim.” Hidden in these words are great secrets.

The Dawat is the call to Jannat. Jannat which can be attained because of Ibrahim SA, because of Mohammed SA, because of Ali SA. Therefore, Syedna TUS said, their person is the Dawat. They personify Dawat. Similarly every Imam is Dawat, and being in the place of the Imam in our age, the Dai himself is the Dawat.

The Qur’an says, “Prayer (salaat/namaaz) is a book (is written), it is timebound.” Syedna Husain RA says that the deeper inner meaning of this ayat is that when a Mumin prays namaaz it is written on their souls, and the light of their souls becomes manifold and they gain higher darajaat (strata) in heaven.

When the Qur’an says that the kitab (book) of the transgressors is in Hellfire, it is referring to the souls of those who wrongfully claim to be Imams. When it says that the book of the virtuous is in the highest heavens, it is the souls of the Dais, with the Imams, and the Qaim AS of Qiyamat which reach the hallowed sphere of the highest place in heaven.

When the Qur’an says that there are those who are given their book behind their backs, it is referring to those atheists, philosophers and others who have turned their back on the prophets and Imams, claiming that they don’t need them. As for those given their book on their left, it is referring to those who have opposed the prophets and the Imams. Those given their book on the right, they are on the right path, and have adhered to the Prophets and Imams, and the Dais.

Rasulullah SA said that the face of your religion is namaaz. The Qur’an says, “all who are on it will perish, only the face of your Lord, the almighty and exalted, will remain.” Syedna TUS did bayan of seven aspects of this verse.

1. The Prophet Ibrahim SA | The Qur’an says that Ibrahim SA saw the star and said “This is my Lord.” Then he saw the moon and said, rather this is my Lord, and then the sun, and said rather this is my Lord. Syedna al-Mu’ayyad RA says that the literal explanations given by others are incorrect and the true inner meaning of the ayat is explained to Mumineen. The star is the first of Ibrahim’s SA teachers, who Ibrahim deems to be his mentor, but Ibrahim is destined for the highest greatness, he is then elevated to learn from a higher dignitary, who is the moon, and then even higher who is the sun, until finally Ibrahim says, “I turn my face to the one who is the creator of the heavens and the earth,” which means that Ibrahim SA now has been elevated to the highest position of being the Imam, and therefore now receives the inspiration of knowledge directly from the heavenly source.
2. Mohammed SA | Rasullulah SA is told in the Qur’an to turn his face in prayer from Aqsa to the Ka’aba. The inner meaning of this ayat is that Ali SA is the face of Mohammed SA, and in the Arabic the word for “turn” also means “designate.” Allah Ta’ala says to Mohammed SA that you must designate Ali one half of the Dawat, which is the tawil, or inner meaning. Mohammed himself is tasked by Allah Ta’ala to deliver the tanzil, which is the literal word of the Quran.
3. Ali SA | Amirul Mumineen is the face of Allah Ta’ala. Once Rasulullah SA passed his hand over his own face, and then passed it over Ali’s face; then he passed his hand over Ali’s face first and then passed it over his own face, showing that he and Ali are both of the same shaan and stature.
4. The Imams | They are the face of Allah which remains for eternity. When you see and recognise the Imam as the Imam, you see the face of Allah Ta’ala - you know Allah Ta’ala, who is otherwise transcendent and beyond our perception and imaginations.
5. The Dais | They are the face of the Imam. The Imam is in seclusion, but we see the Imam when we see the Dai. We therefore do not say that the Imam is absent from among us, since in the person of the Dai, he is present. Syedna TUS recounted history that once a Shia person had a dream in which he saw Rasulullah SA. Then he saw that same face of Rasulullah which he had seen his dream when he, for the first time, saw Syedna Dawood bin Qutubshah RA in person.
6. Mumineen | The faces of Mumineen will be shining on the day of judgement.
7. Qaim Imam AS | Qaim Ala Zikrihisaalam, the seventh natiq who will come, and when he does Qiyamat will come. He will ascend to the heavens along with all the Panjatan, Imams, Dais, and Mumineen, to a life of eternity. He is the face that the Qur’an speaks of that will remain forever and ever.

Aqa Maula TUS emphasised the importance of namaaz, and counselled Mumineen to be regular in praying namaz. Namaaz benefits one in life in many ways (e.g. discipline), but most importantly, the spiritual reward for namaaz is great. When Allah Ta’ala assesses a Mumin’s actions, He will first look at namaaz – only if that is in order He will then look at everything else. Rasulullah SA said that Shaitan will stay away from the Mumin who prays his five faraz regularly. This signifies on a deeper level, that as long as the Mumin stays true to his misaaq and his belief, he will be protected from those shaitan-like people who want to misguide Mumineen.

Syedna TUS bestowed untold pearls of doa to Mumineen.

When Syedna TUS narrated the shahadat of Ali Akbar AS it shook and melted the heart of each and every one present. He took the vasila of Ali Akbar and prayed for youngsters, for their success in life and in deen, in ilm and khidmat.