From the lectures of Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah)

IQRA! / READ!

The first lesson with Allah Ta’ala as the teacher and the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam as the student begins in the Cave of Hira with the instruction to “Read”. No mention is made of Hajj, Salaat, Saum or Zakat and no resources are mentioned for any worldly benefit. The very first order is to acquire knowledge and the means or resource mentioned is the “pen”.

This shows the importance of acquiring ‘ilm because ‘ilm is Deen and Deen is ‘Ilm. There is no Deen without ‘ilm. It is the door to attaining the whole Deen and success depends on practicing the whole Deen.


HUNGER, A BLESSING

I have heard Shaykh say that as a student he used to ponder over the verse of Surah Quraish

“…they ought to worship the Rabb of this House
Who fed them in their hunger and gave them safety from fear”

He used to wonder why Allah Ta’alaa mentions “feeding in hunger”. Surely one eats when one is hungry. Why didn’t Allah Ta’aalaa say “they ought to worship the Rabb Who feeds them”

The answer came to him when he became ill and couldn’t eat. Despite having food, and his family and friends trying to make him eat something, he couldn’t. Allah Ta’alaa mentions the blessing of eating and then reminds us of the other blessing of hunger!

Hunger is also a great blessing as one cannot eat despite having food if one is not hungry or is ill and doesn’t have the inclination to eat, or maybe one is hungry, but one may have a toothache or a stomach ache…… or maybe none of these, one maybe diagnosed with diabetes and cannot eat anything sweet!
What is necessary is to take a few minutes everyday and ponder on just one of His countless blessings. This will insha Allah create love for Allah Ta’alaa in our hearts.


“NO FEAR AND NO GREIF”

The Qur’aanic verse “Laa khawfun ‘alayhim walaahum yahzanoon” is repeated many times in the Qur’aan and today I heard Shaykh mention it in the following way.

He explains that “Laa khawfun ‘alayhim” are those people on whom there is no fear, and on whom, even if the greatest calamities will fall, “walaahum yahzanoon” there is no grief. These are people who have such a ta’lluk (connection) with Allah Ta’alaa that,

“na kisi ke aane se unko khushi, na kisi ke chutne se unko gami”
they do not feel untold joy on attaining someone nor is there grief on loosing them

They fear no-one and their only grief and worry is for the deen and for the condition of the ummah.