Bawa Mohiyuddin's Mystical Teachings on Peace and Justice for All – Part 4
By
Kaniz Fatma, New Age Islam
2 November
2023
The Mystic
Teachings Of Bawa Mohiyuddin Promote Justice For All People, Guaranteeing That
All Classes And Individuals Have Equal Rights, And Are Free From Discrimination
Based On Ethnicity, Nationality, Dialect, Regionalism, Caste, Or Religion. He Tells
the Story Of Hazrat Umar, Who Is Thought To Be Among The Greatest
Representatives Of Justice, To Encourage People To Reflect On The Tale And
Apply The Laws Of Justice To Everyone.
Main
Points:
1. Sufi Shaikh Bawa Mohiyuddin
discusses justice in the story of Hazrat Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the Islamic
caliph who took control of Jerusalem and built the first mosque on the Dome of
the Rock.
2. The people and the bishop of
Jerusalem were captivated by the justice of Hazrat Umar from the moment he
entered Jerusalem.
3. Hazrat Umar prayed outside the
church to prevent future threats from his supporters who would convert the
church into a mosque.
4. According to Sufi Bawa, to achieve
peace and justice, we must lead a moral life, deepen our faith, and discover
inner peace. This requires examining our actions and deepening our faith.
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Sufi Shaikh
Bawa Mohiyuddin discusses justice for everyone while narrating the tale of
Hazrat Umar Ibn al-Khattab, the Islamic caliph who took control of Jerusalem
and built the first mosque on the location of the sacred place that is now
known as the Dome of the Rock. Hazrat Umar governed with extraordinary justice
as a herald of peace. He was given the key to the Holy City—the original
Qiblah, or the direction Muslims used to face during prayer—because of his
noble characteristics and his status as the Commander of the Faithful.
After his
armies entered Jerusalem, Hazrat Umar arrived alone to formally seize its
control. He travelled to Jerusalem from Damascus using just a camel and a
cameleer. Being a very humble Sahabi, the caliph had made a deal with the
cameleer whereby they would alternate rides on the camel. Justice said that
after he rode for a while, the cameleer would ride off and he would walk.
The city
eagerly awaited Hazrat Umar's arrival, with the bishop of the Holy Sepulcher
urging people to greet and pay respects, stating that “the great Islamic leader
is coming”. All the people had gathered at the city gate, ready for an opulent
royal procession. But there was no procession. Instead, two people steadily
made their way towards them out of the distance. When they finally reached the
city, it was the cameleer's time to ride, and everyone rushed to greet him,
thinking he was the caliph.
''Wait! I
am not the caliph!", he said and clarified that they had made a plan to
alternate between walking and riding. Overwhelmed by this justice, the people
extolled the great caliph. The bishop was equally amazed by this justice. His
heart rejoiced, and he handed the key to the city to Hazrat Umar Ibn
al-Khattab.
The bishop
invited Hazrat Umar to offer prayers within their church, but he refused due to
the church's Christian symbols. Why did Umar decide to pray outside the church,
the bishop questioned. Umar replied saying that had he prayed inside the
church, his supporters would have taken control of it and converted it into a
mosque, demolishing the house of worship for Christians. He prayed outside to avoid these challenges
and maintain the church's current state.
The bishop
was once again astounded by his justice. He said to Hazrat Umar, "Today,
you have received the key to the Holy City because of your justice, faith,
wisdom, and truth, but how long will you have this in your possession? When
will we once again take control of this sacred location?”
Hazrat Umar
said to have regained the city of worship through the four qualities of faith,
wisdom, justice, and truth. As long as these qualities exist in Islam, Muslims
will retain the sacred city, but if they depart, the place of worship will
change hands.
Hazrat Umar
warned the Muslims that losing their place in the Holy City would come from a
lack of faith. He maintained that Muslims will lose their amazing faith,
manners, and humility if they sell the truth and pursue worldly pleasures.
Together with their hypocritical attitude, they will also participate in
backbiting, jealousy, and unethical relationships with women. These actions
will cause divisions and separations inside Islam, undermining harmony and
peace within the faith. There will be as many Muslims who accept the faith as
there are wheat grains in the dough, but there will be as few individuals who
take over the city as there are salt grains in the dough.
Sufi Bawa
emphasizes the significance of justice, truth, wisdom, and faith in Islam,
drawing inspiration from the story of Hazrat Umar. He suggests that maintaining
peace among Muslims involves upholding these four qualities and others such as
unity, compassion, and extending peace to others.
But if this
justice is changed, there won't be any peace. In order for there to be justice
and peace in the world, as well as in one's personal life, we must realise that
man must lead a moral life. Until man does that, he will never find tranquilly
anywhere else. To protect the kind banner of Islam in our lives, we need to
examine what we have done, deepen our faith, and discover inner peace.
Sufi Bawa
goes on to state that the Arab countries faced great hardships prior to the
time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). There was a great deal of
hunger, poverty, and sadness. These nations thereafter benefited from the
tremendous richness of faith as a result of the Prophet's requests for God's
favour. Every home was blazing with the light of Islam. Every heart was filled
with the unending abundance of patience, contentment, faith in God, and worship
of God. Because of the Prophet's prayers and the wealth of faith, confidence,
and commitment, Almighty God transformed the desert into His benevolence.
He says,
“God Almighty created oil where there was not even water to drink, and that oil
was turned into diamonds and gold. The Islamic community received boundless
money that was thrown into a desert where nothing could grow. That richness is
still present there now. They received this from Almighty God because of their
trust, did He not? But those earthly treasures will be lost if the Islamic
community today forfeits the treasure of religion. You and I should realize
this.”
(Continued)
Source
of Study: ‘Islam and World Peace, Chapter Justice for All by Sufi Bawa
Mohiyuddin, pages 27-35
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Kaniz Fatma is a classic Islamic scholar and a
regular columnist for New Age Islam.
Other Parts of the Article:
Bawa Mohiyuddin's Mystical Teachings on Peace
and Harmony – Part 1
Mystical Teachings Of
Bawa Mohiyuddin For Peace Between Israel And Palestine – Part 2
Mystical Teachings
of Bawa Mohiyuddin For Peace Between Israel And Palestine – Part 3
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/bawa-mystical-peace-justice-part-4/d/131031
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