There is no one word in western languages that gives the full meaning
of “Al – Wadud”, and even explanations don’t do it justice, even
though the West claims its knowledge to be superior and looks down
disdainfully on every religious experience. And this Holy Name, the
meaning of which cannot even be adequately expressed in advanced
western languages, is the most suitable “Dhikr”, the most suitable of
all the Divine Names to repeat and meditate upon for people who see
themselves as superior beings and as being above normal standards.
“Love”, it is certainly not a concept that western culture is unfamiliar
with, and undoubtedly most people lay claim to loving and being
loved, to knowing the meaning of love, and to it being an important
aspect of their lives, indeed the most important. But the love we refer
to in connection with the Divine Name “Al-Wadud” is not the
physical transitory love that is rapidly becoming the only meaning of
love applicable to modern man : the love that one may find in the
zoo. If you can’t imagine a love other than what is on the level of
animals, then you belong in the zoo.
There is a real love, never changing, never dying love; and then there
is temporary animal love. Both are in man through the wisdom of the
Creator, but the permanent love is the love given to man through the
Divine Name “Al-Wadud”. To realize that love is the challenge and
fulfillment of human existence – to come in contact with those Love
Oceans, for He has given His Divine Love most abundantly to His
most honored representatives in creation, mankind.
You may love a young lady for her youth, and when that youth
departs you love her no more. That is false love. Sometimes we may
have both kinds of love simultaneously, but usually the physical
overpowers the spiritual, so that it is never allowed to appear. But to
reach the ultimate goal of human life we are in need of permanent
love, and it is only the Lord of the Universe who can grant it.
Therefore, when we say “Ya-Wadud” we are opening ourselves up to
that Divine Love, asking our Lord to awaken that love that knows no
limitation, that is eternal and extends to all creation. I have been
ordered to teach and advise people to call on our Lord, saying: “Ya-
Wadud”, as this will enable the sincere to attain real love of their Lord
Almighty and to love everything around themselves. We must learn
to love everything for the sake of the love the Creator has for all His
creation. And we are in utmost need to pray for such love, as,
although it is the essence of all success in the way of spiritual purification,
it has become almost extinct in our times. Therefore, suffering,
disturbances, struggle, crises and chaos are continually on the rise.
What passes for human love nowadays is indeed a very far cry from
real human love. Mostly, people cling to it for two or three months
then throw it away. You are saying: “Oh my goddess”, and she is
saying: “Oh my god”, but look in again on them two or three months
later and see what is left of that “true devotion” and “deep emotion”.
That is the greatest cause of wretchedness in our times. For this
reason I don’t refer to this century as a civilized one. Rather, the
twentieth century is witnessing the destruction of civilization, and
every minute violence and misery are increasing.
A society may be termed “civilized” when it provides the surrounding
in which people may easily reach to the point of extending their
permanent love to everyone. One shouldn’t be so proud of being a
part of “Twentieth Century Civilization”, for I really don’t consider
such a violent and sick society to be civilized, and when I come here I
feel my hair standing on end from what I see. Such wildness! No
familiarity! Everyone looking so suspiciously to each other!
When I say this, people may be offended and put on the defensive,
and may ask: “If you feel such feelings here then why do you come?
Why do you come if you don’t like the Western World?” Yes, people
may ask.
A physician may visit a hospital or a mental institution, but
he is going there in order to do his job, in order to be of benefit to the
patients interned in those institutions. I have been trained to heal
spiritual ailments from a side and with methods not known in these
countries, and so I have been sent by spiritual centers to look after the
Western countries, and if even one person should benefit, we have
profited.
Every little improvement in the spiritual health of western society is a
relief for the whole world, as throughout the world Nations have
abandoned their cultures and are following the West. Therefore, the
diseases of the West are rapidly becoming our diseases, and so, we
hope, improvement in the spiritual climate of the West will lead to
our improvement as well.
Because of this acute situation in our times we must, first and
foremost, seek to awaken permanent love. Practices, prayers and rules
are of no use in this time without love. For people whose hearts have
not regained contact with such love the ego easily attaches itself to
practices and uses them as a means to pin empty titles onto itself.
Leave every practice that serves your vanity and strive for permanent
love.
Where shall we start? Every person has a circle of friends, relations,
acquaintances. Starting from those closest to us: wives and husbands,
parents and children, brothers and sisters, we must be generous in
giving of our permanent love. How can we consider a person who
cannot make peace with those nearest to ‘him as civilized? If we could
approach the level of permanent love that befits us the world’s courts
would have to be closed down from a lack of suits : no complaining,
no divorce, no wretchedness, no struggle.
Giving of our permanent love is the most important practice for our
time. No one can say: “I am not in need of practicing it,” neither the
speaker nor the listeners. Don’t tell me that so-and-so is on such-andsuch
a level when he is tightfisted with permanent love, withholding
it even from those with whom he is most intimate.
The lower self of man, the selfish ego, never wants to give permanent
love except to himself. I don’t believe that such petty self-love is all we
have been created for, I believe that we have been created to love all
creation. Man represents his Lord on Earth and has the greatest
reservoir of Divine Love within him; he can be a great means of
expression for that Divine Love in this world, indeed a fountain of
love that every creature may drink from.
I have not spoken to you from a prepared text, but have opened up
just a little from these Oceans in accordance with your spiritual
thirst.
Delving further into the theories and precepts of modern ‘American Islam’ and its fundamental list of principles and beliefs, we begin to see a list of beliefs concentrating and culminating on ‘ilm’.
3 ) Since Islam is a filter of good and bad, one needs to obtain ‘ilm’ (religious knowledge) in order to learn how to behave. Studying ‘ilm’ is paramount in Islam, and most ‘ilm’ is in Arabic.
4 ) What is taught by people in classes at seminars and ‘events’ is a translation and summarization of what is considered ‘ilm’.
5 ) Your status is defined by how much of this seminar-event-based ‘ilm’ you know.
6 ) Your source of English-’ilm’ is infinitely better than other peoples source of English-’ilm’.
7 ) If you learn Arabic yourself you will one day know exactly without a doubt that #6 is true.
8 ) ‘Ilm’ can be expensive.
As earlier stated, Suburban Capitalist Islam is inherently an American cultural product. What most Muslims in the West experience as the Islamic message is actually American culture filtered through certain Islamic injunctions. Under this paradigm, Muslims are able to argue day in and day out over details as to which particular filters/knowledge/’ilm’ they should apply in their lives, while ignoring the overarching logical breakdown and inconsistency between their belief system and their actual lifestyle, filled with TV, video games and shopping.
Since it is a fundamental aspect of the ‘modern Muslim ideal’ that life remains ‘Islamic’ as long as one abstains from certain aspects of Western society (drinking, gambling, clubbing), there is a psychological gap that needs to be filled. What are these cultural concepts replaced with? What are the youth to do with themselves while they are struggling in being ardent abstainers from these aspects of Western society? Surely, Islam must provide some alternative?
Largely this gap has been filled with the pursuit of ‘knowledge’. The message has been that through knowledge you are empowered to controlling your own Islamic future. While knowledge has been important to Muslims since the time of the Holy Prophet (S), it is only now that we see studying being associated so directly with piety and spiritual progress. ‘Knowledge’ has been set up as this idealized form of certainty and conviction. The more knowledge you get/purchase/sit in, the more everything about Islam makes sense, the more easier it becomes to justify the abstaining from the few ‘bad’ things surrounding us and also rationalizing our largely Western lifestyle as being halaal. And doesn’t everyone want self-justification and doesn’t everyone desire for it all to make sense?
If one notices, every one of the points that are held by Suburban Capitalist Muslims regarding knowledge are relating to the self. Self-esteem, self-certainty, self-motivation. On the other hand, historically, knowledge such as this was thrust onto people by their parents, curriculum, or just osmosis from the culture which surrounded them. There used to be very little ‘self’ to think about when it came to learning *facts* about the religion. This allowed the ego to be removed from the equation when it came to applying such facts.
The consequence? People were as proud of their ‘tajweed’ as today’s college graduates are of their basic pronunciation of English. In other words, it was hardly given a second thought, it was just done.
In fact, the entire realm of knowledge that institutes sell today was largely that which was taught to children. From Tajweed, to the Arabic language, the sunnahs of wudu, only a few really sincere people were studying these subjects well into adulthood in times of Islamic Empire, and if they did so, they were studying intricate details and they did it under guidance and permission of high teachers. But now the masses are doing so, through their own decisions, with a variety of levels of sincerity and ego.
American Muslims, proud in their knowledge, seem to actually be stamping ‘infantile’ on our foreheads.
Most of these ilm-sessions are set up as the Islamic equivalent to very secular self-help seminars. This cultural stand-in has allowed for competing institutes and community programs to emerge, each giving their own message of specific information-based knowledge. And it should be carefully noted that what is being peddled is information-based knowledge versus knowledge of the self or other forms of tacit knowledge which was how much of Islam was implemented in Muslim lifestyles.
It is also interesting to note that although they technically compete on the ‘message’ they deliver (with some specific differences on where they place their feet in ritual prayer or on what type of functions they allow in their Masjids), the lifestyle the people reach under varying programs is quite similar.
A primary consequence of this Western approach towards Islam is the productization of ‘Ilm’, religious knowledge. What does Western society bring if not the concept of marketing? Catchy slogans, professional videos ads, hype-machines and superstar personalities have been built up to bring ‘Islamic knowledge’ into our lives. No one could deny, if given the opportunity , ‘American Muslim Institutes’ would be clamoring for some sort of witty ad selling their wares during Superbowl commercials.
Frankly, if given the opportunity, they would want their own team and hijab-laden cheerleaders.
In this way ‘modern ilm’ has begun to have more in common with Doritos than the sacred, sober and ecstatic people that claimed it a hundred years ago. Since we are customers of ‘ilm’, it needs to be made appealing and worthwhile to us. We are the consumer so we dictate what we want to hear. And therefore we are largely changing the messages to suit what meets our needs. Controlling student egos is hard to do when they are paying the bills and the goal is trying to fill up the hall as much as possible.
The visiting of graves is from respect of men, that they
are not animals. As to their degrees in life, we are respecting
them still, so they will not be lost. For saints
and Prophets, we are keeping their tombs. In their life,
mercy was coming on them, and after their leaving this
life also mercy is coming. And we are asking for Mercy.
It is an occasion to be with them as they were in life,
and at least as they are in their tombs. They are living
in their tombs in a life suited to that world. They may
see and hear.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, used to visit the
tomb of his uncle, Sayyidinâ Hamza, and sit and recite
there. It is not a forbidden thing. Every week he was
going to the Jannat-il-Baqi‘ or to Mount Ohud to visit
the martyrs there. It is a permission given to us, not
against shari‘ah. We are keeping the tombs of saints
that they might not be lost. Not worshipping tombs,
no, only asking for that mercy coming on them, and
praying for them. For every believer you may pray,
send to them a prayer as a gift from us.
The traditional report (hadith) of Abu Hazim al-Araj (R)…
One day, while I was at the seashore, one of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace) came up to me and said: “O Abu Hazim, do you know how to perform the ritual prayer?”
“How could I not know how to perform the ritual prayer”, said I, “since I am thoroughly familiar with its strictly obligatory elements, as well as with the customary observances [ma 'stanna] established by Allah’s Messenger (Allah bless him and give him peace)?”
….
“He said: ‘With what do you mark the opening of the ritual prayer’
“I said: ‘With the affirmation of Allah’s Supreme Greatness [bi't'takblr].’
“He said: ‘And what [element of the prayer] is its manifest proof [burhan]?”
“I said: ‘Its Qur’anic recitation [qira'a].’
“He said: ‘And what is its jewel, its very essence [jawhar]?’
“1 said: ‘Its glorification [of the Lord] [tasbih].’
“He said: ‘And what is its animation [ihya]
“I said: ‘Its humble submission [khushu ].’
“He said: ‘And what is its humble submission [khushu']?’
“I said: ‘Fixing one’s gaze on the spot where the act of prostration [sujud] is to be performed.’
‘He said: ‘And what is its solemn dignity [waqar]
“I said: ‘Its state of calm tranquility [sukun].’
“He said: ‘And what is its consecration [tahrim]?’
“I said: ‘The [initial] declaration of Allah’s Supreme Greatness takbir].’
“He said: ‘And what is its deconsecration [tahlil].’
“I said: ‘The [concluding] salutation [taslim].’
“He said: ‘And what is its emblem [shi ar]?
“I said: ‘The glorification [of the Lord] [tasbih] when its performance has been duly completed.’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to all of that, O Abu Hazim?’
“I said: ‘The ritual ablution [wudu].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to the ritual ablution [miftah al-wudu]?”
“I said: The invocation of Allah’s Name [tasmiya (Bismillah)].
“He said: ‘And what is the key to the invocation of Allah’s Name [miftah at-tasmiya]‘!’
“I said: The intention [niyya].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to the intention [miftah an-niyyaj]?
“I said: ‘Certitude [yaqin].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to certitude [miftah al-yaqin]?.’
“I said: ‘Absolute trust [in the Lord] [tawakkul].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to absolute trust [miftah at-tawakkul]”
“I said: ‘Fear [khawf]”
“He said: ‘And what is the key to fear [miftah al-khawf]?
“I said: ‘Hope [raja'].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to hope [miftah ar-raja]?
“I said: ‘Patience [sabr].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to patience [miftah as-sabr]?’
“I said: ‘Contentment [rida].’
“He said: ‘And what is the key to contentment [miftah ar-rida]‘!’
“I said: ‘Worshipful obedience [ta'a]
“He said: ‘And what is the key to worshipful obedience [miftah at-ta'a]?”
“I said: ‘Acknowledgment [of truth and reality] [i'tiraf]‘
“He said: ‘And what is the key to acknowledgment [of truth and reality] [miftah al-i'tiraf]?
“I said: ‘Acknowledgment of the Divine Oneness and Lordship [at-i'tiraf bi'l-wahdaniyya wa r-rububiyya]‘
“He said: ‘And by what means did you become acquainted with all of that?’
“I said: Through knowledge [ilm].’
“He said: ‘And by what means did you acquire knowledge [ilm]?
“I said: Through the process of learning [ta allum].’
“He said: ‘And by what means did you pursue the process of le [ta allum].’
“I said: Through intelligence [aql]
“He said: “And by what means did you acquire intelligence [aql]?”
“I said: There are two kinds of intelligence. For the making of one kind of intelligence, Allah is solely responsible, to the exclusion of His creatures. The other kind of intelligence is one that human beings can develop, through the discipline of training and education. When the two kinds are combined together as a team, each of them assists and supports the other.”
“He said: ‘And by what means did you accomplish all of that?”
I said: “Through the enabling grace of Allah. May Allah enable us, and you, to succeed in achieving that which is worthy of love and approval’
Excerpted from Al Ghunya li Talibi Tariq al-Haqq Vol 4
the truth on 
m.a.kidwai,CME/IND.RLY.(retd.) on 