Chapter: On Sainthood (Wilayah)

باب فی الولایۃ — ولایت کے بارے میں

بَابٌ فِي الْوِلَايَةِ — Concerning Wilāya (Sainthood, Divine Friendship)

قَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: اَللّٰهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِّنَ الظُّلُمٰتِ اِلَى النُّوْرِ

(al-Baqara 2:257)

Vocabulary: walī — patron, helper, protector, guardian; walāʾ, al-walī — nearness, whether by way of place, or of religion, or of friendship, or of the Hereafter, or of belief; wilāya — being in charge of an affair, being a ruler; mawlā — the one who exercises wilāya and the one over whom wilāya is exercised: it comes in both senses, active and passive; allāhu waliyyu'lladhīna āmanū — Allah is the guardian of the people of faith: He is the one in charge of their affairs, their friend and helper, the one who loves them; yukhrijuhum — He brings them out; mina'l-ẓulumāt — from darknesses, from glooms, from intense darkness, from every kind of ignorance; ilā'l-nūr — towards light, towards guidance.

Knowledge is light; ignorance is darkness. Whoever has no faith (īmān), where would he have knowledge? And where is deliverance from the fire of divine wrath? If in this world he had no true knowledge, and held no right belief in "al-dunyā mazraʿatu'l-ākhira" [the world is the sowing-field of the Hereafter], then how will there be deliverance in the Hereafter? Hell is one form of kufr (unbelief), which brings on divine wrath. If you want amān (safety), bring about īmān (faith). The punishment for sins is to remain in Hell for some days; the punishment for kufr and rebellion is permanence and "khulūd fi'l-nār" — that is, remaining in Hell forever.

Translation: Allah Most High says: Allah is the guardian of the people of faith. He brings them out of darknesses (of kufr) and brings them to light (guidance).

Gentlemen! The enemies of Islam have spread a misconception that Islam was spread by force of the sword. They are habituated to false propaganda; they are not afraid to tell barefaced lies. Dense, dark clouds of prejudice have spread over their consciences; they cannot distinguish between truth and falsehood, and they want to make others undiscerning like themselves. Let anyone reflect a little on the verses of the Qurʾān. It says: lā ikrāha fi'l-dīn — there is no compulsion or force in religion. It says: a-fa-anta tukrihu'l-nāsa ḥattā yakūnū muʾminīn — will you then compel people to believe? No, never. Those people who, despite their kufr and shirk (associating partners with God), adopt peace and security and take refuge in the embrace of the Muslims' clemency — the Muslims take upon themselves the responsibility for their protection, and the Muslims safeguard their rights. Such people are called dhimmīs (protected non-Muslim subjects). Those ḥarbīs

(those at war with the Muslims), too, if they come into the land of the Muslims after taking a grant of safety for a few days, the command is to give them safety. wa-in aḥadun mina'l-mushrikīna'stajāraka fa-ajirhu — and if any polytheist wishes to take your protection, then give him protection.

Did that Mercy to the Worlds ﷺ spread his religion by force of the sword, who declares: "Whoever takes refuge in the house of Abū Sufyān is safe; whoever takes refuge in the Masjid al-Ḥarām is safe; whoever shuts the doors of his house is safe"? Did that Mercy to the Worlds spread religion by force, in all of whose battles roughly two hundred and fifty men in all were killed on the side of the Muslims, and three or four hundred men of the unbelievers? [reading uncertain] The Mercy to the Worlds commanded: "Do not kill women, do not kill children, do not kill the old, do not kill those who live in churches and temples. Those who are not fighters and quarrellers, not shedders of blood — have mercy on them, leave them alone." Let anyone reflect on the Qurʾān: in it, in place after place, it is qātilū; the form mufāʿala indicates participation [mutual action] — that is, fight those who want to kill you. In some places it is also uqtulū, but whom? Those who kill you. No nation is more tolerant and more peace-loving than the Muslims.

Just reflect on the present condition of this age. Bombs are raining down on hundreds of thousands and millions; every kind of incendiary weapon is being used. There is not a trace of mercy — not on children, not on women, not on the old, not on the priests sitting in churches; in short, mercy comes to no one. In this age neither mosques have any sanctity, nor churches, nor temples. Churches a thousand and two thousand years old are being razed; city after city is being devastated. ẓahara'l-fasādu fi'l-barri wa'l-baḥr — corruption has spread over both land and sea. This is nothing new. Turn the pages of history: what atrocities were not inflicted on the Muslims in the wars of the "Crusades" (Crusades)? In the Crusades the unbelievers, who called themselves mujāhids, — their horses swam in the blood of Muslims. But how kindly the renowned Sultan of that age, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn the Great, treated these oppressors — the age knows it, history bears witness. If there were even a little light of truthfulness in the hearts of these propagandists, they would not dare to level such false accusations. But alas: wa'lladhīna kafarū awliyāʾuhumu'l-ṭāghūtu yukhrijūnahum mina'l-nūri ilā'l-ẓulumāt [and those who are unbelievers, their patrons (and friends) are of satanic nature, who bring them out of light and take them towards darkness — Academy]. [reading uncertain] When there is no truthfulness in their hearts at all, how will a true word come out from their tongues? Now the time has come. wa-sa-yaʿlamu'lladhīna ẓalamū ayya munqalabin yanqalibūn — soon these wrongdoers will come to know what their end will be.

Well then, what is this jihād? Is it not forcible war? Listen! The enemies of religion have turned the word jihād into a bogey. jahada – yajhadu – jahdan: to strive; jāhada – yujāhidu – mujāhadatan wa-jihādan: to strive together with one another. Striving in the education of the nation is also jihād; reforming morals and habits is also jihād; refining the nafs (the lower self) and restraining the nafs from evil things is also jihād — indeed it is the greater jihād. rajaʿnā mina'l-jihādi'l-aṣghari ilā'l-jihādi'l-akbar — we have returned from the lesser jihād and turned towards the greater jihād. Islamic war takes place to establish civilisation and peace; therefore it too is jihād, because it is a very great striving. wa-law lā dafʿu'llāhi'l-nāsa baʿḍahum bi-baʿḍin la-fasadati'l-arḍ — if it were not so, that the mischievous and the corrupt were repelled at the hands of peace-loving or truth-loving people, the face of the earth would be ruined. In another place there is: wa-law lā dafʿu'llāhi

'l-nāsa baʿḍahum bi-baʿḍin la-huddimat ṣawāmiʿu wa-biyaʿun wa-ṣalawātun wa-masājidu yudhkaru fīhā'smu'llāhi kathīrā — and if Allah did not repel some men by means of others, then the hermitages of monks, the churches of the Christians, the synagogues of the Jews and the mosques of the Muslims, in which the name of God is taken abundantly, would surely have been demolished. From these verses two things are established:

(1) War, or jihād, is undertaken to maintain peace.

(2) That in places of worship and in the remembrance of God no kind of harm or disturbance should arise. Does this not show plainly that Islam wants to keep other religions and places of worship intact?

Well! Why is jizya taken from non-Muslims, and why is it not taken from Muslims? The plain answer to this is that zakāt is taken from Muslims and jizya from non-Muslims. What is this jizya? A protection tax, or war fund (war fund). Those people who do not render military service and make no effort to maintain peace and security — this tax is taken from them. Moreover, Ḥaḍrat Abū ʿUbayda ibn al-Jarrāḥ (may Allah be pleased with him) returned the jizya of those dhimmīs whom he could not protect. Those non-Muslims who fight alongside the Muslims as allies — jizya will never be taken from them. In some Islamic countries such a tax is taken from those who do not take part in military training. What is objectionable in the word jizya, and what is so good in the word "war fund", that they are irritated by the word jizya and very pleased with the word war fund, although the aim of both is one and the purpose is identical? The truth is that the enmity of the enemies of religion towards the Muslims has provoked them into these slanders.

Well! What is the reason for making non-Muslims slaves, when Islam is the standard-bearer of freedom and equality? People are deceived by the word "slavery". Their thoughts go to the slaves of Rome and the slaves of Africa. Islam is free of these atrocities. In Islam, uneducated and untrained people are placed under the supervision of educated and trained people. In this matter the command is that these slaves — or untrained, or uncultured (uncultured) and uncivilised (uncivilised) people — should also be fed what they themselves eat and clothed in what they themselves wear; if they take work from them, they should also lend a hand themselves. The Messenger of God ﷺ, even at the very last moment, gave the parting instruction that slave-girls, slaves or uneducated persons be treated well. It is the command of Islam: fa-kātibūhum in ʿalimtum fīhim khayran wa-ātūhum min māli'llāhi'lladhī ātākum — take something and write them a deed of freedom, if you see signs of good in them, that is, if these become educated and trained and of good character; then give them something too from the wealth God has given you.

Just look at the imperatives kātibūhum and ātūhum. Do they not indicate obligation? Is slavery not the result of being uninformed, and freedom the fruit of civilisation and culture? The common people are being deceived merely by the word "slave" being shared. Islamic slavery is one thing, and the slavery of non-Muslims is something else. Islamic slaves have even become kings. The slaves of this age, even after becoming free, remain the very same slaves of slaves.

Just regarding God as present and watching, let those people who claim that Islam spread by force of the sword say: were there not both kinds of slaves among the slaves, Muslim and non-Muslim? If there were such compulsion in Islam, then no unbelieving slave would have remained alive, or any have remained

firm on his own religion. Realities are one thing, and lying propaganda is another. By throwing dust at the face of the moon, it cannot hide. Islamic slavery is far better than becoming the subjects of unbelievers. What comfort do the slaves or subjects of foreign nations have, what prosperity? Have they obtained any rights? None. In America and in other places slaves were set free, and set free by force. But look carefully: it is the same old story [lit. the same three leaves of the dhāk tree] — the same humiliation and disgrace; freedom has accomplished nothing.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: وَاللّٰهُ وَلِيُّ الْمُتَّقِيْنَ

(al-Jāthiya 45:19)

Vocabulary: wa'llāhu waliyyu'l-muttaqīn — and Allah is the friend of the muttaqīn (the God-fearing) and the abstinent.

Translation: Allah Most High says: And Allah is the friend of the God-fearing (He is their patron).

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوْلِيَآءَ اللّٰهِ لَا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يَحْزَنُوْنَ

(Yūnus 10:62)

Vocabulary: alā — yes, behold; inna awliyāʾa'llāh — indeed the friends (awliyāʾ) of Allah; lā khawfun ʿalayhim — there is no fear of any kind upon them; wa-lā hum yaḥzanūn — nor will they have any grief or sorrow; they will have no sorrow of any kind.

Translation: Yes! The friends of Allah shall have no fear, nor any grief or sorrow.

Gentlemen! Who is a walī, and what are its meanings? waliya – yalī means to be near, to become close [muqarrab]; [walī means] friend, the one who manages one's affairs. In the terminology of the fuqarāʾ (the Sufis), when does the word walī come to apply truly to a person? When fanāʾ (self-annihilation) overcomes him; when he forgets everything besides God Most High — indeed, nothing will remain for him besides God. Who has fear? The one who opposes Allah Most High, who acts against His commands, fears his own acts of disobedience. Why would the friends of God go about disobeying God? Their whole being is servanthood from head to foot. And who has grief and sorrow? The person who desires something, who wants it — when it is lost, that person is displeased and becomes grieved. Those who love God, the friends of Allah, neither oppose Him nor want anyone other than Him. Therefore they have neither any kind of fear, nor grief and sorrow.

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: فَاعْلَمُوْٓا أَنَّ اللّٰهَ مَوْلٰىكُمْ نِعْمَ الْمَوْلٰى وَنِعْمَ النَّصِيْرُ

(al-Anfāl 8:40)

Vocabulary: fa-ʿlamū — then know well; let this be known to you; you must certainly bear this in mind; anna'llāha mawlākum — that Allah is your Mawlā: He is the one who manages your affairs, your patron, your master, your chief, your guardian; niʿma'l-mawlā wa-niʿma'l-naṣīr — what an excellent Mawlā and what an excellent helper! The manager of affairs is excellent and the helper is excellent; the patron is excellent and the giver of victory and help is excellent too.

Translation: Then let it be known to you that Allah is your Mawlā. What an excellent Mawlā, and what an excellent giver of victory and help!

وَقَالَ اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى: بَلِ اللّٰهُ مَوْلٰىكُمْ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ النّٰصِرِيْنَ

(Āl ʿImrān 3:150)

Vocabulary: bali'llāh — rather Allah; mawlākum — your Mawlā, the one who manages your affairs, your friend and helper; you have no master besides Allah; wa-huwa

khayru'l-nāṣirīn — and He is the best giver of victory and help; He is the one who makes you prevail over your enemies.

Translation: Rather, Allah alone is your friend and helper, and He alone is the best giver of victory and help.

Gentlemen! What is the outcome of heeding the unbelievers? Turning away from religion, falling into ruin and destruction. You are seeing it — what were you before, and what are you becoming? Keep no hope of any kind from these unbelievers. Do not take them as your master; do not regard them as the managers of your affairs. Allah is your Mawlā; to rely on Him alone is most fitting. Victory and help are in the hand of Allah alone. You obey, and He will give help.