IMAN - A TRIBUTE ARTICLE TO SHZ: PROFESSOR HATIMBHAI SAHEB HAMIDUDDIN SAHEB
Today 8th Jumadil Akhar 1432 H Sunday 29th April 2012 a radiant personality of the Burhani Daur passed away at Mumbai. Khuda taala Huzurala Tus ne aap na Mansoos Tus, Sadaat Kiram, Qasre ali Sahebo ane tamam dawat na logo ne, mumineen ne Sabre jamile ataa karjo. (Ack: Zeninfosys)
On this sad day I recollect the I'lmi lecturers I was blessed to attend in the late 1980 during the kiyam sharif of late Shz: Saheb at Kolkata. The lectures were held at a Business Conference Hall at Clive Row, in the business district.
The lectures had a profound impact on me, and still to this day I recollect, walking back all the way home, reflecting on them, completely lost in thought, and feeling elated as I walked back all alone through the nearly empty business district, as the lectures were held late in the evening.
As a tribute to the glowing memory of late Shz: Saheb Professor Hatimbhai Saheb, I share with my readers, an article I had written during that period entitled IMAN based on his lectures.
IMAN is timeless and the word itself, is so full of meaning, that a single English word, can never do full justice. It is difficult to translate, well neigh impossible.
IMAN is part and parcel of a true devout mumin. In its very essence the heart and mind of Islam.
As stated earlier, as a single English word cannot do justice to the word IMAN , it is better and more appropriate to arrive at the meaning of IMAN by looking at the various aspects of the word.
IMAN when considered as a noun means 'divine faith'. It should be clarified that, it is not merely faith , or in a simpler term belief, but it is more than that, something more pure, something more spiritual, a thing a faith - that leads you, a true mumin to Eternity. IMAN makes you timeless in one sense.
From another angle, when IMAN when considered as an active noun implies that a devout mumin bears witness to the Truth ( the word Truth is more appropriate than fact) that there is no god but ALLAH and that Muhammad (SA) is his Messenger, his Rasul, that Maulana Ali (SA) is the Guardian, the undisputed custodian of Authority. A true mumin bears witness to the Truth in the Hour ( the Day of Judgement) Jannat and Jahannam are reality. The affirmations made each day in repeated recitation of 'tahiyyat'.
IMAN is also a system. It has different ranks, different groups, primarily not determined by wordl affluence, but only by quantum of divine and spiritual intelligence and piety. In the system of IMAN, there are two different ranks of mumineen.
1. Those having shortcomings - for them there is much to learn. They have to aspire for knowledge, only by which, they can make true progress in the realm of IMAN. Only clear thinking and the pursuit for the Truth will help them in reaching the higher status.
2. The higher status comprises of mumineen, who have acquired the correct knowledge by their untiring efforts and have strived to know the truth, or more precisely those that know Ta'wil - which means the origin of Truth.
Article from my Diary.
2 comments:
A shining star of Dawat's Horizon of knowledge has subsided. Born on identical date of A.H. and A.D.i.e. 1 shawwal 1348 H. and 1, March,1930 A.D.he has done lot of research on 800 Majalis-Moaiyadiyaah and restored it to its original stature. Very fluent in Arabic, English and Urdu Language. He has written a Book Yaqeen ni vato (Originally in Urdu - Yaqeen ki Baatein) and a highly philosophical one in English by the title of " Golden Vision". In fact a translated portion of it in Gujarati was published in part in Expression Magazine in 70s taken out by Toloba ul Kulliyat , Kolkata in those days. I still remember his enlightend waaz discourses during Ashara of 70s when he had come to Kolkata. He was on record saying that "recently some manuscripts of 'Ikhwanussafa' has been found in the possession of Israel University following which those researchers of the premises has announced that whatever research thus far we have done in respect to fatimids contributions to science which was based on resources from the hostile sources should not be considered as final. We have as yet miles to go to conclude". This shows how well versed was he in fatimid research which was undertaken by him in Oxford where he was first to be invited to do the task from among the dawat Circuit. To lose somebody of his stature is bound to be very personal to me and mumineen in general and to his own family and Qasre Aali in particular. May Allah be pleased with him and may Aqa Maula be his "Noor" in Akherat Whom he has served through his life so dearly. From : Mohammed Saifuddin Rangoonwala
Yes I also recall the Expression Magazine published in those days from Kolkata. It would be wonderful to get a copy of that Magazine, which carried the Gujrati translation.
Bhai Mohammed thank you for your comment.
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