On 22 September 2013, Ayatullāh Ramadānī delivered a speech in the Islamic Centre of England during his visit to London. He spoke in Persian and his speech was translated into English. This was followed up with a question and answer session, with questions and answers once more being translated. I was present throughout the gathering and was taking notes in English during the translation. What is presented here are the self-edited version of those notes. These are my personal notes from the event; they have not been checked or verified by anyone. Some points mentioned by Ayatullah Ramazani have been left out because my notes were inadequate in recording them accurately enough for them to be presented with clarity. Furthermore, I was unable to take notes during the very beginning or introduction of the lecture. These notes begin from where I began taking them, and I have added a little more detail to the story of Adam (a) mentioned in the beginning.
It is hoped that, despite the darkness of the veil, the luminosity of the light will still find its way into the hearts of those who seek it. Surely He is Oft-Returning to Mercy, Ever Merciful. All mistakes are exclusively mine. I seek His forgiveness and yours. And all praise is due to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds.
Haidar Al-Haidari
London, United Kingdom
1 October 2013
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In the name of Allāh,
the Ever Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
All praise is due to Allāh, the Lord of the worlds. Salutations of Allāh be upon His servant and messenger, Muhammad, and his household.
When Allāh created
Adam, He announced that He wished to make him His vicegerent on the earth. The
angels objected and said, “Will you place therein one who will cause corruption
and bloodshed…?” In response, Allāh said, “Surely I know that which you do not
know”. Then “He taught Adam the names – all of them” after which the angels
replied: “Immaculate are You! We have no knowledge except that which you have
taught us!” (Qur’ān 2:30-32)
Since the beginning,
the issue has been that of knowledge.
We, as human beings, should be seeking
knowledge.
But what kind of
knowledge are we after?
It is knowledge that
brings about light. That is what we are after. We need to create that
capability within ourselves for Divine light to enter.
’Unwān Al-Baṣrī had a
lot of ‘knowledge’… yet his heart was not at ease. He was after something else:
knowledge of a different kind. A knowledge that would bring peace to his heart
and end his restlessness. He had heard of a person called Ja’far b. Muḥammad
(a). He went to the Imām (a), hoping that the thirst of his heart would be
quenched through his blessed hands. The Imam reportedly asked him, “You have
studied a lot. What is it that you are after?”
Understanding that ’Unwān was seeking a knowledge that would bring tranquillity to his heart, the
Imam is related to have said:
“Know that knowledge
is not acquired by studying. Knowledge is a light that He places in the Heart
of whoever He wishes”
We have been invited into
this sphere, to embark on this journey toward perfection. We have been invited
to seek that knowledge which is Divine light.
But what do we need to
do?
All we have to do is
“hold on to the rope of Allāh”. You don’t need to make a rope yourself. You don’t
need to throw a rope up. You don’t need to pull yourself up. All you have to do
is hold on tightly to this rope… and He will pull you up. We only have to want
it. We only need to have that deep desire within ourselves to tread this path.
In a narration it is
stated that ‘whoever wishes and strives hard towards something will certainly
achieve it’
In a sacred tradition
(Ḥadīth Qudsī), Allāh says:
“Oh My servant! I am
the One Who says to a thing ‘Be!’ and it is. Obey Me in what I have commanded
you and you will say to a thing ‘Be!’ and it will be”
In another sacred tradition, Allāh says:
“Oh Adam! I am the
Rich Who is Needless and you are the dependent and needful. Obey Me in what I
have commanded and I will make you rich and needless”
A human being who
becomes an ’Abd of Allāh, a servant of Allāh, will not extend his hand to
anyone: he is needless of anyone besides Allāh.
To begin the journey,
one must remove ‘I-centeredness’ from within oneself. Being ‘God-centred’ and
being ‘I-centred’ are mutually exclusive. If one is present, the other is
necessarily absent. It has to be either Him or me.
When the human being
places Allāh in the centre (of his heart and life), whenever he looks, his look
is divine. Whenever he speaks, his speech is divine. Whenever he sits, his
sitting becomes divine. Everything about him becomes divine.
Imām ’Alī is related to
have said that Shaiṭān is speaking with the tongue of the human being and
looking with his eyes.
We should have an aim
in this universe, a goal. The human being should direct his striving and effort
towards that aim he is trying to achieve.
“Oh mankind! Surely you are
striving toward your Lord, a hard striving, so you will meet Him” (Qur'ān 84:6)
“Do not be a servant
to other than Allāh. Allāh has created you free”
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