Anthologies
A Wali’s Prayer to a Governor
The Ottoman state officials had a close relationship with the Sufi Muslims in almost every period, with individual exceptions. Certainly, this has to do with the fact that Ottoman statesmen, apart from their administrative abilities, were people who had an Islamic education and were spiritually competent. On the other hand, the people of science and tasawwuf, whose opinions and support regarding social events were sought after in every period, did not hesitate to serve the interests of Muslims.
Davud Pasha, who was the governor of Baghdad, needed the guidance, advice, and prayers of Mawlana Khalid (quddisa sirruhu) at a time when beliefs and views opposing the Ahlu’s-Sunnah wa’l-Jama'ah began gaining popularity and the state was faced with many bouts of fitnah. The great mujaddid Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi (quddisa sirruhu) offered his kind compliments to Davud Pasha in his letter:
“Your letter arrived with my dear friend, Haidarzadeh Sayyid Sibghatullah, the light of my eyes, the cherished treasure of Naqshbandi path and Sadat al-Kiram. Despite your high rank and strong dignity, I find your humility towards this powerless person very touching. How could a proclivity for humility not be seen as a good sign in viziers and rulers? It portrays your actions in an even better light that you show humility, especially to those who are helpless and needy. I swear it's a thing to be marveled at that people like you ask about the well-being of people like me.
May Allah the Almighty glorify you with this humility and protect you from vanity. For those who are Ulu l-Amr (ruler), humility is an honor and a treasure. And being arrogant is a behavior that is clearly known to be bad.
It is certainly not unknown to your highness that governors and viziers being on the right path means that their subordinates are also on the right path. The corruption of the governors leads to the corruption of their subordinates.
Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) commanded us to pray for the good of everyone. There is no doubt that the Sufis, according to their customs, take great care to pray for the gracious viziers and all Muslims.
Therefore, as you continue to protect and help people who are faithful and honest in their intentions, and to shelter the widows and orphans, you benefit from the prayers of people. But from this day forward, we will pray for you especially, if Allah, who is Al-Muhaymin, permits, in accordance with your request and in order to do justice to your benevolence towards the poor.
May the peace, mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you at the beginning and at the end.”
Advice to a President
Shaykh Ahmad Al-Haznawi, known by the title Shah-i Hazna, lived through both the French mandate administration in Syria and the independent Syria. In his letter to Shukri al-Quwatli, who was elected president post-independence, he included the following lines that still guide today's leaders:
“O brother! Know that a president for his nation is like a heart in a body. If the heart is healthy, the body will also be healthy, and if it is unhealthy, the body will also be unhealthy. The righteousness of a president causes the nation to be good, and his being corrupt and rotten causes the nation to deteriorate and rot.
Our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, ‘Beware! There is a piece of flesh in the body. If it becomes good (reformed), the whole body becomes good, but if it gets spoilt, the whole body gets spoilt, and that is the heart.’ (al-Bukhari, Iman, 52)
Therefore, you should be happy about your duty on the one hand and afraid on the other. This joy is the joy of Allah blessing you by making you rule over this nation. You need to rejoice more for receiving the love of Allah, who has given you this blessing, than the blessing itself, because only Allah the Almighty is worthy of love. It is wajib (necessary)for you to thank Allah the Almighty so that you will not lose this blessing. Allah the Almighty has said, ‘If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.’ (Ibrahim, 7)
A person who is not grateful for a blessing causes that blessing to be lost. A grateful person, on the other hand, secures the blessing with gratitude. This is because gratitude preserves the blessing that one already has, and ensures that one gains the blessing that is lacking. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from losing your blessing! To be grateful is to do what Allah commands, to avoid what He prohibits, to use your earthly body in obedience and worship to Him, and to know that the blessings you've been given are bestowed by Allah. A person should know that even doing all these is not enough to show your gratitude for the blessings you're given.
The aspect of your duty that you should be afraid of is the heavy burden placed on your shoulders by being responsible for the religious and worldly affairs of your nation. You should consider whether you can handle this onerous duty properly!
There are two conditions for fulfilling your duty: the first one is to ensure justice among your people, and the second is to follow the brilliant Islamic Sharia by obeying Allah's orders and avoiding what He prohibits. Because of his fear of this huge responsibility, Umar ibn Abdulaziz did not sleep day or night during his caliphate, and he could not even be with his wife for as long as he was in power.”
Mumin Munis
