The Concern of the Seeker of Divine Closeness

At this juncture, a person enthusiastic of closeness (qurb) to Allah Ta’ala may be bothered by the thought that when the month of Ramadhaan has 29 days, then 1 day less thawaab [reward] will be received. One who desires closeness to Allah Ta’ala has this worry. A slight decrease in his thawaab strangles his Rooh (soul). Like Moulana Roomi (Rahmatullahi alaih) said:

Translation: “A thousand worries settle over the heart of a Saalik [the one following the road to Allah Ta’ala], if one blade of grass is removed from the garden of his heart.”

True Abdiyyat or Submission to the Will of Allah Ta’ala

But these worries and grief affect such a person who regards A’maal-e-Zaahirah [external acts of Ibaadat, such as Namaaz, Roza, etc.] only, as a means of divine closeness. On the other hand, one who understands that this grief and worry are also a means of closeness, he will bear the grief and worry. Abdiyyat is to be happy with whatever condition Allah Ta’ala has placed you in, even in deficient A’maal.

Actually, it is like this. There are two types of A’maal (practices/acts/deeds); external (zaahiri) and internal or esoteric (baatini). Where there is a deficiency in any external practice due to some non-volitional obstacle, then the internal act of grief and worry rises. However, the object, which is closeness to Allah Ta’ala, is not impaired. For this reason, the special servants [the Awliya] of Allah Ta’ala entrust all their A’maal (deeds) unto Allah Ta’ala. [In other words, they accept wholeheartedly that “man proposes and God disposes”.]

This is the rationale behind the statement of some Akaabir (seniors) that since it is only narrated that Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) sat and read the two Rakaats after Witr, they also prefer to sit and read [the two Rakaats after Witr], whether they receive half the thawaab or the whole.

According to the principles of the Shariah, one deserves only half the thawaab for sitting and reading Nafl Namaaz. But, in view of Rasulullah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) only sitting and reading [these 2 Rakaats], they prefer to imitate him. In reality, however, one will receive in this instance also complete thawaab; half for the Namaaz and half for imitating the Rasool.

In short, there is thawaab for the taking in both ways. The purpose is to take thawaab.

From this, we will understand the purport (matlab) of Hazrat Haji Imdaadullah’s (Quddisa Sirruhu) statement to a certain person. What happened was that a person came to Hazrat Haji Saheb sick and grieving over not being able to read his Namaaz in the Haram [the Holy Precincts of the Ka’bah Shareef]. Hazrat (Rahmatullahi alaih) stated that there were two ways of Divine Proximity here; one in reading Namaaz in the Haram, and the other in not being able to go to the Haram due to illness but exercising sabr [patience]. So, the latter is also a way of divine closeness. The true goal is simply closeness [to Allah Ta’ala], which is acquired in the latter case as well.

(Awdul Eid)