Hadrat Dawud Alaihis Salaam  was a great Nabie of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. He had made such an arrangement that the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho would continuously take place in his home. There wasn’t a moment that was void of the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. He would engage in Ibaadat for half the night and would then rest. Whilst resting other members of the family would worship Allah Jalla Jala Laho.  He would fast every alternate day. The cherry on the top was that he even had security to ensure that he is not disturbed whilst making the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. We employ security guards; burglar guards alarm systems, etc. so that we are not robbed of our worldly possessions.    He was a Nabie of Allah Jalla Jala Laho whose mission is Dawat but they had also dedicated a major of their time to Ibaadat as well. In Surah Muzammil, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam  is commanded to make the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho at night. The Surah that follows which is Surah Muddathir, Rasulullah Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam is commanded to warn and give Dawat to the people during the day. Due to ignorance we sometimes say that Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam would go the cave of Hira and worship Allah Jalla Jala Laho but after being blessed with Nabuwwat he never returned to the cave of Hira. He had actually brought the cave of Hira into his house. He would spend the entire night or half the night in Ibaadat. We should recite the Quraan Sharif, make Dua, make Tasbeehaat, etc. as Ibaadat is the Maqsood (objective).   THE OBJECTIVE The various efforts are carried out to reach the objective. This is similar to the example of money. We make money to acquire comfort. However, when we forget the object then we only make money. Many people make the effort of Deen but forget the reason for making the effort. Sometimes a person keeps teaching in the Madrasah but he does not worship Allah Jalla Jala Laho Allah Jalla Jala Laho mentions, وما خلقت الجن والانس الا ليعبدون I have only created Jinn and Insaan for My worship We should acquire the Muhabbat and Ma’rifat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho and worship Allah Jalla Jala Laho Allah Jalla Jala Laho instructs Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam, فاذا فرغت فانصب When you have completed (your work of Deen) then tire yourself in Ibaadat It refers to that Ibaadat in which the tiredness can be felt. It is not that Ibaadat where a person commences recitation of the Quraan but then sleeps the moment he feels tired. Dawud Alaihis Salaam had fixed and allocated time for Ibaadat which was free of interference and filled with devotion. Our worship is such that whilst reciting Quraan Sharif we will instruct someone to polish the shoes or ask someone to remind us to make a phone call. Sometimes we are engaged in Zikrullah but we are busy listening to a radio programme at the same time. The effort of Deen is required. A person needs to earn a livelihood, have a comfortable life and have some luxuries without being wasteful. However, this cannot be made the object of life. Some people go even further whereby their object is not even to acquire the things of the world but their only objective is to acquire money. A person then becomes a miser and oppresses other. APPEARANCE OF PRIDE Dawud Alaihis Salaam tells Allah Jalla Jala Laho of this beautiful arrangement that he had made to worship Him, and there wasn’t a single moment wherein Allah Jalla Jala Laho was not worshipped. In this talking to Allah Jalla Jala Laho some pride had appeared in Dawud Alaihis Salaam. This was unacceptable to Allah Jalla Jala Laho. Had this been our attitude it would have been overlooked as the principle states that the good acts of the pious are regarded as evil for those that are extremely close unto Allah Jalla Jala Laho. The higher the position of the individual the greater is the accountability. If a sweeper commits an error in a company then his major error is considered as a minor error whereas the minor error of the director is regarded as a major error. If the director writes an extra zero on a cheque, it is regarded as a major error. The minister of defence or finance hold extremely important positions. We get a street sweeper who is at the bottom. If the street sweeper is not loyal to the king it doesn’t really affect the king, yet if the minister of defence is not loyal there is chaos. Nevertheless, Allah Jalla Jala Laho disliked this action of Dawud Alaihis Salaam even though outwardly it didn’t seem to be wrong. There is no harm in making arrangements but our trust should not be on our arrangements rather our trust should be on Allah Jalla Jala Laho alone. When a person places his trust only on the arrangements that he made, then Allah Jalla Jala Laho uses the same arrangements to punish a person.  Allah Jalla Jala Laho mentions in the Quraan Sharif, فَلاَ تُعْجِبْكَ أَمْوَالُهُمْ وَلاَ أَوْلاَدُهُمْ إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللّهُ لِيُعَذِّبَهُم بِهَا فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَتَزْهَقَ أَنفُسُهُمْ وَهُمْ كَافِرُونَ   So (O Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) do not let their (large amounts of) wealth and children impress (or overawe) you. Allaah intends to punish them with these (punish them by means of their wealth and children) in this worldly life and (Allaah intends) that their souls depart (from this world) while they are Kaafiroon. Allah Jalla Jala Laho makes one’s wife the means of punishing a person. She torments the husband in such a manner that he is unable to find peace during the day or night. Sometimes the business becomes a means of torture and torment for a person. He is unable to get rid of the business and one gets involved further and further in debts. He then takes interest bearing loans which pushes him further into the hole. This is the result of placing one’s trust in things other than Allah Jalla Jala Laho.   TEST OF DAWUD ALAIHIS SALAAM Allah Jalla Jala Laho then decided to test Dawud Alaihis Salaam by removing his assistance. He requested Allah Jalla Jala Laho to inform him of that particular day when he will be tested. He was busy engaged in his Ibaadat in his private room and two people had scaled the wall of his palace in spite of the security measures that he had implemented and appeared before him. In this is another great lesson as well. We should not impose on people by entering people’s houses. Mufti Ahmad Mia Saheb of Mias farm did not even install a landline at home. He used to say that by keeping a landline, I am making it possible for a stranger to enter my bedroom. It is a necessity and can be used according to need. LEARN TO CONSIDERATE We should also be considerate of the time when phoning a person. Hadrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh said that a person became a father at 01.15am. In his state of joy he calls the Sheikh during the odd hours of the morning. The Sheikh has to awaken at three for Tahjjud but you have now disturbed his sleep. He is over the moon but there isn’t any joy for the Sheikh whose sleep has been disturbed. He then asks the Sheikh to choose a name whereas he will only be naming the child after seven days. This is totally incorrect; we should learn to be considerate. Whenever we make an appointment with professional people then we pay the fees for the service they offer. The person paying the fees is the boss. The employer pays the employees and therefore dictates the terms. When it comes to professional people then we pay the fees yet we humbly beg for an appointment. They impose upon us. If they give us an appointment or push us in then we appreciate it extremely. On the contrary, when we visit the Ulema and Muftis we do not pay any fees. They are doing a great favour to us therefore they should impose on us yet we impose upon them. In the month of Ramdaan we call the Muftis and demand the ruling in a matter immediately. The husband and wife were involved in an argument at two in the morning and the man issued three Talaaqs. They now impose upon the Mufti calling him at that time of the morning and dictating that three Talaaqs are regarded one so he should issue a verdict accordingly. This type of behaviour is unacceptable. On the other hand, those that have been blessed with the knowledge of Deen should be accommodating and tolerant but the people shouldn’t take advantage of this. It is a different case if one doesn’t know of these etiquettes. If one is acquainted then undue advantage shouldn’t be taken. TOLERANCE OF IMAAM ABU HANIFA RAHMATULLAH-E-ALAYH Imaam Abu Hanifa Rahmatullah-e-Alayh used to worship Allah Jalla Jala Laho throughout the night without any sleep. He used to take a short rest in the afternoon. Once he was about to sleep in the afternoon and there was a knock on the door. He was on the top storey of the house and came down on hearing the knock. The person said, “I need to ask a Mas’ala.” There was time allocated for Masaa’il, yet he approaches at the inappropriate time. Imaam Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh asked, “What is the Mas’ala?” He said, “I have forgotten.” Imaam Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh  said, “No problem, when you remember then you may ask.” He timed it such that he knocked exactly when Imaam Saheb was about to lie down again. When Imaam Saheb comes down, he says that he had forgotten the question. Again Imaam Saheb returns to his place of rest and the person knocks on the door. He then asks the question, “Is faeces sweet or bitter?” Imaam Saheb replied, “When it is fresh it is sweet and when old it is bitter.” He then asks Imaam Saheb, “How do you know? Did you taste it?” Imaam Saheb replied, “I did not taste it, but I notice that flies sit on stool when it is fresh. Generally flies sit on things that are sweet. Flies do not sit on old stool.” He then said, “I heard that you are an extremely tolerant person, so I decided to test your tolerance.” This is the quality of an Alim. Anyway, these two people who were brothers appeared before Dawud Alaihis Salaam. One brother said, “My brother owns 99 sheep whilst I own one sheep.” My brother is now forcing me to give the one sheep to him. This is how human beings behave in a partnership especially those that are forceful in their style, words, money, influence, position, ability to do things, etc. How don’t these partners treat the others? We therefore always hear of problems in partnerships. This was just the outward aspect. The actual lesson that was being given to Dawud Alaihis Salaam was that he claimed to have made all the arrangements to make the Ibaadat of Allah Jalla Jala Laho and thought that no person can breach the security measures which he had implemented. What happened on this occasion?  He then got involved with the two parties and had to reach a final verdict. It is mentioned in the Hadith Sharif that when a person says, “O Allah, I had built this Masjid or performed Umrah by your Fadhl therefore accept it.” Allah Jalla Jala Laho responds, certainly, however it was done through my Fadhl.” This is sincerity and a certain level of sincerity, but it is not the final level. However, when a person says, “O Allah, I have done this action only by your Fadhl, then Allah Jalla Jala Laho praises such a person.” The problem arises when a person thinks that he does everything. A person feels that I have purchased the best meat on the market yet my wife undercooked the food. This should not be the case. When you acknowledge her then she acknowledges you. This is not the relationship that we should have with Allah Jalla Jala Laho We should attribute all our accomplishments to Allah Jalla Jala Laho. We should regard ourselves as people that are useless, that spoil everything and are filled with faults. Allah Jalla Jala Laho praises such a person. This is a lesson that should be learnt here. DO NOT JUSTIFY YOUR ACTIONS After informing Dawud Alaihis Salaam of his error he immediately made Istighfaar and did not justify his actions. We generally try to justify our actions. We sometimes come to our Mashaaikh to solve our problems but we try to justify even before the problem is sorted out. If this the manner of thinking, then why have we come for Mashwera? We have objections in our mind and answers to the objections. SOLUTION TO OUR PROBLEMS During the time of Hadrat Maulana Yusuf Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh the water bill was quite high. This is not a new complaint in our times but an old issue. Things are expensive since the time of Adam Alaihis Salaam. Nevertheless, he told Bhai Abdul Wahhab Saheb about it who said Maulana Ilyaas Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh would not have sorted out these problems by worrying about how to acquire more finance. He would actually increase the effort of Deen. We comment by saying, “We wonder what is going to happen to the poor.” In reality, we are not concerned of the poor rather we are concerned of ourselves. We get involved in these futile talks whereas we could have recited Subhanallah, Istighfaar and Durood Sharif, a number of times. The manner in which we comment is as though we are professionals of the reserve bank or economists and we can advise them what to do. If we engage ourselves with Allah Jalla Jala Laho, He will take over our problems. We experience tests in our lives. We get involved in these tests but we do not realise the reason behind these tests. The tests are actually there to see whether we get involved more in Deen or not. Allah Jalla Jala Laho brings conditions upon us so that we turn our attention more towards Allah Jalla Jala Laho. Unfortunately, instead of turning towards Allah Jalla Jala Laho, we focus our attention to the problem. If a stone is thrown at a dog, the dog doesn’t run behind the stone but it runs towards the thrower. Similarly, the conditions that come upon a person are from Allah Jalla Jala Laho but we try to solve our issues by taking someone to court for doing us down. We comment by saying, “I will fight him till my last cent is exhausted and show him who I am.” These types of words are sometimes uttered to the wife as well. Rasulullah Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam is reported to have said, من اصلح ما بينه وبين ربه اصلح الله ما بينه وبين خلقه Whoever corrects the relationship between himself and his Rabb, Allah Jalla Jala Laho  will correct (the relationship) between him and His creation. If the wife is treating the husband in a terrible manner by shouting at him, not preparing his meals, swearing and belittling him in public, this is actually Allah Jalla Jala Laho that is using her to deal with the husband in this manner. If the husband turns to Allah Jalla Jala Laho  then the wife will be a slave to the husband. The solution to the problem is not resorting to divorce rather the solution to all our problems is turning to Allah Jalla Jala Laho. In this incident this is the lesson that we get from Dawud Alaihis Salaam He sought forgiveness, made Ruku, and submitted to Allah Jalla Jala Laho. How did Allah Jalla Jala Laho deal with him in return? Allah Jalla Jala Laho made him the vicegerent on earth. The source of all good is at the Arsh of Allah Jalla Jala Laho so Allah Jalla Jala Laho in turn had made him a Khalifa. Who is a Khalifa? He is one that possesses all the qualities of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. Allah Jalla Jala Laho feeds, you feed others. Allah Jalla Jala Laho forgives, you forgive others as well. This is the meaning of adopting the character of Allah  Jalla Jala Laho. Obviously, we cannot forgive and feed as Allah does, but at least have these qualities within you. Allah is forbearing so you make an effort to do so, etc.   VALUABLE ACTIONS BY ALLAH JALLA JALA LAHO Allah Jalla Jala Laho is free of sins thus there isn’t any Tauba and Istighfaar for Allah Jalla Jala Laho, similarly there isn’t any Tawadhu (humility) for Allah Jalla Jala Laho, therefore these things hold tremendous value in the court of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. The example of this is similar to an item that is not available in your country but has to be imported from elsewhere. Such an item is extremely valuable due to its scarcity. Therefore Allah Jalla Jala Laho appreciates Tauba, Istighfaar, Tawadhu, etc. If the ambassador of a country is sent to a foreign country and his behaviour is not in order he is recalled. Sometimes the president is also recalled. We are the vicegerents of Allah Jalla Jala Laho on the surface of the earth but if we do not act accordingly then we may be recalled as well. Allah Jalla Jala Laho mentions that He made Adam Alaihis Salaam his Khalifa and sent him into the world. So, Tawadhu is valuable in the sight of Allah Jalla Jala Laho. One person used to write letters to Hadrat Maulana Ilyaas Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh. At the end of his letter, he would terminate by referring to himself as a donkey or one that spoils the name of his seniors, etc. This was indicating towards humbleness and showing himself as nothing. He visited Hadrat Maulana Ilyaas Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh once in Masjid-un-Nabawi. Hadrat would normally sit on the right hand side of the first Saff. On seeing him, Hadrat commented by saying, “O donkey! You have come.” This person became very annoyed. Hadrat said, “You indicated that you are nothing but I have afforded you position by giving you the status of a donkey.” The reality of these words should be in our hearts. We just write these words as a formality, but our Buzurgs would write it with the reality in their hearts. How we take off with a person when something is against our temperament! Hadrat Maulana Maseehullah Saheb Rahmatullah-e-Alayh has mentioned that if someone slaps you then you have the right of retaliating. A higher stage than this is that a person swallows his anger. The reality is that a person doesn’t become angry at all. Junaid Baghdadi Rahmatullah-e-Alayh was dressed on the day of Eid with the best of clothing and proceeding for Eid Salaah when someone threw ash on him from the top. He recited Subhanallah. His Mureeds said, “Hadrat, is this the time to recite Subhanallah?” He said, “I am such a person that fire was supposed to engulf me.” All praise is due to Allah that only ashes were thrown. We are such that we become upset with people publicly and we are worse within our homes. Maulana Maseehullah Rahmatullah-e-Alayh says, “When we think that we are humble with others then this is only social character.” If an Alim delivers a lecture and after the lecture somebody says, “Maulana, what you had spoken is rubbish.”  What is our behaviour at such a time? When a person says that he is nothing then he has purchased the seed for humbleness. He should now plant the seed, water it, allow it to rot, then only will the shoot sprout out, and crops, wheat, mealies, mango trees, etc. grow. When we adopt genuine humbleness then people will not complain about character of others. Some people claim to be humble yet they are always fighting with everyone. If death approaches but we haven’t annihilated ourselves what will our condition be? We are happy with our claim of humbleness. Dawud Alaihis Salaam humbled himself before Allah Jalla Jala Laho which serves as an important lesson for us and he was the Khalifa of Allah Jalla Jala Laho ACCEPTNG OUR ERRORS Hadrat Umar Radiallahu Anhu was a great personality but extremely concerned of his Islaah. Whilst delivering a Khutba, he mentioned a Mas’ala and a lady had objected. This was at the time when ladies used to attend the congregational prayers. She said, “O Umar, you are speaking against Kitabullah.” He said, “May Allah Jalla Jala Laho  have mercy on the one that has indicated towards my error.” This is the correct approach when informed of an error. It is narrated that there isn’t any good in that nation where the weak cannot claim their rights. They do not have access to claim their rights. The offices of Hadrat Umar Radiallahu Anhu were always open and he would tolerate the complain of all. The public were able to complain of Hadrat Umar Radiallahu Anhu as well. He didn’t feel that he is above rebuke and nobody can inform him of his mistakes. We are all prone to error. We feel that we have Khilaafat so who can correct us. A person with such attitude can never progress. If someone corrects us, think about it for a while. If it is correct, then bring about the necessary changes else let it go from the other ear. DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A KHALIFA AND A KING Once Hadrat Umar Radiallahu Anhu asked the members of his Shura as to what was the difference between a Khalifah and a worldly leader (king). One Sahaabi responded by saying, “A Khalifah rules with justice whereas a king looks at his personal interest and gains.” In today’s context it will mean giving position to one’s political party and personal friends. Secondly, the Khalifah treats the entire nation as his family members. Thirdly, he gives preference to the hereafter over the temporary world but at the same time he will attend to the worldly needs. Allah Jalla Jala Laho advices Dawud Alaihis Salaam in the Quraan Sharif, يَا دَاوُودُ إِنَّا جَعَلْنَاكَ خَلِيفَةً فِي الْأَرْضِ فَاحْكُم بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا تَتَّبِعِ الْهَوَى فَيُضِلَّكَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَضِلُّونَ عَن سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ شَدِيدٌ بِمَا نَسُوا يَوْمَ الْحِسَابِ   Allah addressed Dawood  Alaihis Salaam. saying, “O Dawood! Indeed, We have made you a deputy on earth (to ensure that Our commands are carried out), so judge between people with the truth, and do not follow carnal passions which will mislead you from Allah’s path. Verily there shall be a severe punishment for those who deviate from Allah’s path because they forgot the Day of Reckoning.   These were great lessons in the incident of Dawud Alaihis Salaam May Allah Jalla Jala Laho grant us the Taufeeq to take lesson and implement them into our lives! Ameen.