This past Ramadan, our local imam would hold brief Tafsir
sessions after Taraweeh prayers, as he has done so in the years before as well.
On the night we completed Surat Al Hajj, the following Tafsir was to be a
beautiful one indeed, where he discussed the issue grave worshipping. The
following is a part of that Tafsir:
(PARAPHRASED)
“…..What
is sad about us is that despite claiming to believe in Allah we let our
brothers indulge in disobeying Him, and through that we ourselves end up
disobeying Allah by not stopping those at fault, or at least trying to. And
yes, they will probably resort to violent means when someone will warn them
(grave worshippers/ mazaar parasts) of their wrongdoings." But realize that Allah
the Most Merciful informed us of this retaliation ages ago in the Surah we
completed today, Surah Al Hajj.
And when Our Clear Verses are
recited to them, you will notice a denial on the faces of the disbelievers!
They are nearly ready to attack with violence those who recite Our Verses to them.
Say: "Shall I tell you of something worse than that? The Fire (of Hell)
which Allah has promised to those who disbelieve, and worst indeed is that
destination!" [Surah Al Hajj –
22:72]
This is one of the Marvels of the Quran that
our Creator, The Supreme, The Almighty Chose to warn us that yes, your fears
are right, but your duties as Muslims are just and await a greater reward for
you, that is if you abide by Allah’s Commands.
But this is not a new lesson. Our beloved Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) saw similar
difficulties. In fact, he faced a more grievous task since he was the only one
to stand up against his own people, objecting to their idol worshipping so
blatantly.
Let me show you a “gift”, if you may call it,
that Allah has sent us in the very next Ayah.
O people, an example is presented, so listen to it. Indeed, those
you invoke besides Allah will never create [as much as] a fly, even if they
gathered together for that purpose. And if the fly should steal away from them
a [tiny] thing, they could not recover it from him. Weak are the pursuer and
pursued. [Surah Al Hajj – 22:73]
At these mazaars, often food items are left at the altar as a sort
of “peshi”, that apparently symbolizes the visitor’s devotion, as misguided as
it is. Often it is in the form of “mithais” (local sweets). Placing these
delicacies by the grave, the visitor then proceeds to ask for his
“prayers/wishes” from the resident of the grave (May Allah Protect us from such
an evil act. Ameen!) In the Ayah just quoted, Allah gives us a perfect rebuttal
to present at such occasions. So listen carefully to this example!
Allah, the
All Wise, points out that despite being so small and virtually powerless, a
mere FLY is capable of more power than that person who has left this world and
from whom these people ask from. So if this fly was to land on the mithai,
break off a minuscule piece for itself, and fly away with it, there is nothing
that the dead can do to stop it from doing so. Now if they cannot stop a
measly, little fly from taking away these precious offerings, then how does one
expect to have his wishes be granted from such a powerless entity.
The only one
who can answer our prayers is Allah, the One and Only. The ahl al-kaboor were
simply creations of the Almighty, and quite often were devout and righteous
people themselves. Invoking them in the name of their piety does not justify the
act of shirk. Nothing does! Making dua to Allah is an exclusive act that must
be pure of any association to any entity besides Allah Himself.
Just at the
end of this Ayah Allah, the All Knowing, makes an eye opening statement. He
says that in this act of shirk, it is not only the dead body inside the grave
that is weak, but also the one invoking. How unfortunate would it be to be one
of these misguided people! May Allah protect us from transgressing and guide us
all to the Straight Path. Ameen.
Translations from:
And Mufti Taqi Usmani’s translated version of the Quran.
- A. M. K.
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