The Benefit of Relating Stories of Holy Qur’an
Sultan al-Awliya
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al Haqqani
31 July 2011 Lefke, Cyprus
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Keep good manners with the prophets as they are not normal men. When Prophet (s) sat in a gathering it was unimaginable, as if people were seeing him in their homes. They gathered around him just to see his beauty, but nowadays people have no mind for this.
There are scholarly books about the life of the Prophet (s) and there are other books for common people. The scholarly books are not for common people; it is best to read it to them and and explain it. Don’t teach fiqh or other Shari`ah-related matters, leave that. These are instructions that people like as their hearts lean towards love for the Prophet (s) and we are concerned about things that connect the hearts of servants to the heart of the Beloved (s) through love, glorification, honor and salutation!
This is important. I had twelve volumes about the life of the Prophet (s) from Istanbul, written by Ottoman scholars whose names I will remember, inshaa-Allah. To learn about the life of the Prophet (s), nobody is listening and whatever you say, the person who reads about it doesn’t understand what he is reading.
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Faqsusi ‘l-qasasa la`allahum yatafakkaroon.
So relate the story that perchance they may reflect. (Surat al-`Araaf, 7:176)
It is a holy verse, “So that they may reflect.” A university professor said, “I wrote a book about the stories in the Holy Qur’an.” All of a sudden, my heart was inspired with the above verse. He said, “I saw many verses, but I never came across this verse!” He was astonished by it. That is an important order. The Holy Qur’an does not say, “Teach them fiqh (Islamic law) or aqa’id (creed),” but there is an order about relating stories from either the Holy Qur’an or the hadeeth of Prophet or the “alif lam letters,” meaning a general type of story of any time or origin.
It is not your responsibility to verify the sources, but to simply “relate the stories,” as that order is general and means “relate all stories.” You might relate a story that people will think about and benefit from it. Don’t relate stories and question if they happened or not! This is important. Whenever you speak about the Holy Prophet (s), there are a variety of books to refer to, both historical and accounts from saints, to show people. Remind them so perhaps they may reflect. This is very important.
In the khutbah, if you narrate these stories it will guide the hearts of people toward Akhirah, the Hereafter. Perhaps they will take some wisdom from what happened in the past, which they could learn and think about them, this is important. Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq. (Du`a) Tawbah, yaa Rabbee!
There was once a story about the governor of the people of Homs, Syria, and Sayyidina `Umar (r), one of the most famous and most pious Companions of the Prophet (s). He left from Madinat al-Munawarra and crossed the desert to Syria, where he asked the people, “Where is your governor?”
The governor came and said, “O people! I am fed up with being governor and am leaving! As-salaamu `alaykum!”
The people replied, “Ma` ‘s-salaam, go in peace.”
He started walking and he had only a stick in his hand and what was necessary for ablution. One day he met Sayyidina `Umar (r), who asked him, “Did you leave the people of Homs?”
He replied, “Yes I did. I got fed up, so I left and came to go to the City of the Beloved.”
The khalifah then asked him, “How did you come? Didn’t they give you something to ride on?”
He answered, “No, I didn’t ask them and they didn’t ask me. They just told me, ‘Ma` ‘s-salaam!’”
Sayyidina `Umar (r) often laughed about this. Relate such stories and use these examples as people think it is funny and it affects them. Also, they tell us how people were, their manners, their characters, and how the world was from the blessed Companions’ (r) point of view, may Allah Almighty be pleased with them!
For this blessed night and for the sake of the blessed Companions (r), may Allah (swt) connect our hearts to theirs! And for the Homs and Sham, may darkness be removed from their people, and may the tyrants be removed from them and leave Syria and the surrounding areas.
It was said there were seven-hundred companions buried in Homs alone, and the head of them was Sayyidina Khalid ibn al-Walid (r). In 1944, I was there for one year and stayed in the mosque of Khalid ibn al-Walid (r), where there was a handicapped muezzin who limped all the way up the minaret to call the adhaan. Sometimes he did not come so I went up the minaret, which was at the side of the head of Khalid in al-Walid (r), and from his blessing, my voice reached so far, up to the castle of Homs! All thanks to Allah Almighty that I was able to do that.
O Allah Almighty! For the sake of that companion, may the tyrants be removed from Syria, enough! O Sahib az-Zamaan, Companion of Time! O Qutb al-Mutassarif, the Pole Who is Responsible! I submit my supplication to you as you know better what is enough, but please, I beg of you, I submit this complaint to the Prophet (s), that all the evil ones and tyrants may be thrown out of Syria!
Fatihah.
One year or more I stayed there and I never carried even a half piaster until I returned to Cyprus. Then my shaykh, Shaykh `AbdAllah ad-Daghestani (q) ordered me, “Nazim Effendi! When the people offer you money, take it.” This was after more than one year of never dealing with money. Alhamdulillah, we reached this. May Allah forgive us.
Fatihah.