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Radhe Radhe ! Our new friend and member of Sweet Blog Premamritam ji, has sent this beautiful post. He writes –
“ trinadapi suneechena tarorapi sahishnunaa
Amanina manadena kirtaniya sada hari “
We constantly hear and speak this great verse from Shikshatakam, so much so, that it has become boring – an oft repeated cliché. My father, an ardent Gaudiya Vaishnav since birth, used to jest – “ Baishnab hoite mone chhilo bodo saadh, trinadapi shlokete pode gelaam baad.” ( I had a great desire to become a Vaishnav, but the ‘trinadapi’ verse put me off ! ) Is humbleness the prime requisite only for the GVs ? I have often wondered. My friend Tahir Minawalla, a Bohri Muslim put my doubts to rest. He gave me some very interesting information regarding how the Prophet had instructed the true Muslim to be humble. When I heard his words of profound wisdom, I was convinced that we should indeed not be ‘kupamanduks’ (frog in the well), rather we should broaden our views to learn the good teachings from other paths as well.
Tahir penned down the following quotes from the Holy Quran for my benefit, and I would like to share them with you. Of course, I have input some words from my side, that you will easily understand.
The best way to achieve humbleness in the heart is contained in the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah , who prescribed many methods to teach his companions how to be humble. We ask Allah to help us all become humble and stay firm on that path. Following are some of the methods and ways of achieving humbleness:
1. Extending As-Salam (saying As-Salamu Alaykum, peace be unto you).
Abdullah ibn ‘Amer said that a man asked the Messenger of Allah , “Which part of Islam is the best?” He said, “To feed the food (to the poor), and to extend As Salam to those whom you know and whom you do not know.”
Therefore, extending As-Salam to the old, young, rich, poor, noble, common folk, stranger and relative, will open one’s heart to achieve humbleness and will shut the door closed for arrogance and tyranny.
We fully agree that for us Gvs too, greeting all people with ‘Hare Krishna’, ‘Radhe Radhe’ etc. irrespective of whether we know/like him, will breed dainya in us.
2. Muslims should hate that people stand up for them when they pass by them or enter their homes or businesses.
Mu’awiyah bin Abi Sufyan once entered a house where Abdullah ibn Az-Zubair and Abdullah ibn ‘Amer were sitting. Abdullah ibn ‘Amer stood up while Ibn Az-Zubair did not. Mu’awiyah said, “O ibn ‘Amer! Sit down, for I heard the Messenger of Allah say, ‘Let those who like for people to stand up for them take their seats in the Fire.’”
This Hadith prohibits the Muslim to like that people stand up for him when he meets with or passes by them. Furthermore, this Hadith teaches Muslims to enjoin righteousness and forbid evil, for Mu’awiyah criticized Abdullah ibn ‘Amer for standing up for him.
I like this injunction – I think it applies to us as well. To want that devotees should stand up when we enter a room, or when we pass by, is surely a sign of arrogance.
3. Sitting wherever one finds space.
Jabir bin Samurah said, “When we used to come to the Prophet , we would sit wherever we find space.” Also, Ibn Umar narrated that the Prophet said, what translated means, “One of you must not remove a man from his place and sit in it. However, (those already sitting should) make space and spread up (leaving adequate space for newcomers).”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Also, Ibn Umar used to avoid the place which a man vacated to make space for him. Therefore, one should sit wherever he finds space, whether in the center of the audience or not. Also, those who accept it that first-comers have the right to the best seats, because all Muslims whether rich or poor are equal, will achieve humbleness in their hearts and deed, Allah willing.
We should especially remember this when we attend discourses. I am extremely fastidious about keeping niyams during the month of Niyam Seva. I want to sit in the same place everyday without fail while hearing the afternoon rasa-katha. Krishna forbid, if another devotee has ‘usurped’ my seat ! I get all paranoid that now all my efforts to scramble into Golok dham is surely doomed. I scream, shout, abuse, and even try to grab the collar of the trespassing devotee ! This injunction penned down by Tahir is surely for me.
4. Prohibiting the Muslim from claiming purity for himself.
Allah said, what translated means –
So ascribe not purity to yourselves. He knows best him who fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him. [Surah 53:32]
Mohammad ibn ‘Amr ibn Ataa’ said that he named his daughter Barrah (the righteous one). However, Zaynab bint Abi Salamah said that the Messenger of Allah prohibited using this name when she was called “Barrah.” He said, “Do not ascribe purity to yourselves. Allah knows the righteous ones among you.” The companions asked, “What should we call her?” He said, “Zaynab.” [Muslim]
Oh my Krishna ! And to think that I am always catching others to “sermon” them since I think it is so uplifting for these downtrodden souls to hear the voice of a pure devotee as myself ! Once I was badly hurt when the author turned down my request to edit his book – a divine text. I said to myself – “ Woe betide this devotee ! from where will he get another pure devotee as myself ?”
5. Prohibiting praising people in their presence.
Abu Musa said, “The Prophet heard a man praising another man and saying good words about him while he was present with them. He said, ‘You have destroyed or broke the back of the man!’
[Al- Bukhari & Muslim]
Also, Abdur- Ra’hman bin Abi Bakrah said that a man was once mentioned in the presence of the Messenger of Allah . Another man said good words of praise about him. The Messenger of Allah then said, what translated means, “Woe unto you! You have beheaded your friend. If one of you has to praise, let him say, ‘I think this and that’ (about the praised man), if he thinks that he deserves it, ‘And his reckoning is with Allah,’ and let him not ascribe purity (to anyone).
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
Also, Ibrahim At-Taymi said that his father said, “We were sitting in the presence of Umar when a man praised another man to his face. Umar said, ‘You ‘Aqartahu (crippled him), may Allah do the same to you.’” Furthermore, Abu Ma’mar said that a man stood up and praised one of the leaders, then Al-Miqdad started throwing sand in his face, and saying, “The Messenger of Allah ordered us to throw sand in the faces of the praisers.”
[Muslim, At-Tirmithi, Abu Dawood & ibn Majah]
From these Hadiths and stories, we conclude that the Messenger of Allah prohibited praising others, especially while they can hear their praise. This is because such praise may encourage the praised persons to overestimate themselves, especially if they were people of position or wealth. Also, such praise may lead the praised person to be arrogant, which may lead to laziness and a lower number of good deeds, for one will depend on what he heard of praise and ignore acquiring more good deeds.
This to applies to me, since I am always trying to please my Gurudev, senior devotees and shikshaguru by trying to flatter them using flowery language. I do this to make them feel what a pure devotee I am, and what high level bhajan I am performing. But I use this with maximum effect with the cook-prabhuji of our local Mandir, who passes the most delightful prasaadams to me. I need this to make myself a still-purer devotee, you see !
6. Shortening the length of the clothes.
Ibn Juray bin Sulaiym said that the Messenger of Allah said, what translated means, “Lower your dress to half the leg.” (The rich people in those days wore long dresses trailing behind them. They made slave boys / girls hold up these trains as they walked). The Prophet said further – “If you do not prefer that, then to the ankles. However, do not increase the length of the dress (lower than the ankles), for it is arrogance, and Allah does not like arrogance.”
[Abu Dawood, At-Tirmithi & Al- Hakim]
In this Hadith, the Messenger of Allah considered extending the length of the dress to cover the ankles an act of arrogance and pride, even if those who do this claim otherwise.
Also, Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet said, what translated means, “Whatever is below the ankles will be in the Fire.”
[Al-Bukhari]
Furthermore,
Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said, “On the Day of Resurrection, Allah will not look at he who used to drag his dress behind him (because it is too long below the ankles) out of arrogance.”
[Al-Bukhari & Muslim]
These Hadiths above state that wearing long dresses which cover the ankles is a type of arrogance, or at least leads to such behavior. Therefore, shortening the length of the dress is a type of humbleness and leads to such behavior, Allah willing.
Tahir concludes by writing – “These are some of the ways with which one can attain the characteristic of humbleness, Allah willing. We ask Allah that He help us attain this attribute, He is the All-Hearer, the One Who can answer the supplication.”
As GVs we too can pray to the All-merciful Gauranga Mahaprabhu in a similar fashion begging Him to make us humble in all respects. Jay Nitai ! Jay Gour !
[Post-script – Premamritam-ji had written – “ Dear Madhumati Mataji, I cannot agree more with your last post ‘Difference of Opinions’. It has emboldened me to submit this article. Hope you publish it.”]
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