2) To hate for the sake of Allah: One day as Umar (RA) entered Masjid an-Nabawi, he noticed a conduit in the property of Abbas (RA). The house of Abbas (RA) overlapped the boundary of Masjid an-Nabawi and the conduit was directly over the Masjid. Dirty rainwater dropped from the conduit into the masjid property. As the khalifah, Umar (RA) was responsible for implementing the Shariah in society and attending to the affairs of the believers. He concluded that a conduit on a private poverty should not be placed over any house of Allah, let alone make it unclean.
He became angry over this and requested its removal. Nowadays, some claim that it would be nice to have the khilafah return but if this happens, we would be required to comply with the commands of the khalifah. If he instructed us to change our clothing or to make our businesses Shariah compliant, would we willingly comply? We say it must return but many of us are not even ready to implement Shariah in our homes, let alone on a societal level.
The Sahaaba (RA) complied and the conduit was removed. Later on, Abbas (RA) noticed and asked about the conduit. He was informed that Ameerul Mumineen Umar (RA) requested its removal. He visited Umar (RA) and respectfully informed him that the conduit was present from the time of Nabi ﷺ. Umar (RA) said, “Did you have the permission of Nabi ﷺ for that?” Abbas (RA) replied in the affirmative. Umar (RA) immediately held his hand, sought forgiveness and requested to be taken to his house. He then bent down in the posture of ruku and instructed Abbas (RA) to climb on his back and refix the conduit.
Abbas (RA) felt uncomfortable with this idea and refused but Umar (RA) was adamant. Umar (RA) said, “How can Umar (RA) dare remove the conduit allowed by Nabi ﷺ? I have committed a great crime. The minimum punishment I should get for it is that I bend down and you stand over my back to fix the conduit.” Abbas (RA) understood and eventually accepted (Discourses on Islamic Way of Life (Part 8, page 85). A similar report is mentioned in Sifat as-Safwah (Volume 1, page 285)).
Mufti Taqi Usmani has commented that the conduit is still there and the locals are aware of its location. Initially, the anger of Umar (RA) was out of concern for the Masjid. As soon as he heard that Nabi ﷺ permitted the conduit, his anger immediately dissolved and turned into humility, demonstrating that his anger was indeed for the sake of Allah and not for personal reasons.
Khwaja Nizaamuddin Awliya (RA) was a renowned Shaykh in the field of Tasawwuf. In his era lived a jurist named Mufti Maulana Hakim Ziauddin (RA), a respected scholar in the field of Fiqh. Khwaja would encourage and engage in loud dhikr but Mufti Ziauddin condemned this practise as he considered it a bidah (innovation). As the years elapsed, Mufti Ziauddin became very sick. It became clear that he was reaching the end of his life. Khwaja was well aware of what he would often say about his practise. Nonetheless, he was eager to visit him as visiting the sick is Sunnah.
Thus, one day Khwaja visited him and an attendant opened the door. He told the attendant his name and expressed his desire to meet Mufti Ziauddin. The attendant passed his request forward but Mufti Ziauddin instructed him to not allow Khwaja inside. He maintained his disagreement and said, “I do not wish to see a perpetrator of bidah while I am dying”. When Khwaja heard this, he replied that tell Mufti Ziauddin I have come to repent.
Mufti Ziauddin immediately removed his amaamah (turban) and told his attendant to spread it from his bed until the door, for Khwaja to walk upon with his shoes. This gesture was no light matter for in those days, the mark of a Mufti was his amaamah. They would pass fataawa while wearing it and were known for this. To remove it and place it on the floor for someone else to walk upon, was the ultimate level of humility and respect a Mufti could display in that era. This action showed that Mufti Ziauddin’s previous disagreement was never for personal reasons. It was merely an academic disagreement that was maintained for the sake of Allah and then dissolved for the sake of Allah.
When Khwaja saw the attendants laying the turban down, he became confused. They informed him about what Mufti Ziauddin said. Khwaja immediately stopped them, grabbed the amaamah and placed it on his head. He humbly said that today is my graduation and entered the house. When students graduate from a Darul Uloom, an amaamah is placed on their heads by their teachers, signifying the dissemination of knowledge from teacher to student.
In light of this, Khwaja’s response was also a deep mark of respect, in which he humbled himself to the level of a student though he was a great saint in his own right. In a matter of seconds, a discord that was maintained for years turned into mutual respect and humility (Discourses on Islamic Way of Life (Part 8, page 183). This can only be possible when love and anger are for the sake of Allah alone. May Allah grant us the ability to develop this, aameen.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه الله
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s Jumah talk in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg on 17/01/2020. To listen to the full audio, please click here.