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. -------- 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 ------ 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 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism