These Are Days To Put In Work

These are days to put in work

Written by: The Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ

Riyāzat ke yahī din haīn burhāpē meīn kahān himmat

Jo kuch karnā ho ab kar lo abhī Nūrī jawān tum ho^[1]

These are days to put in work; where is strength for this in old age?

Do what you must now Nūrī; you are but young still!

These couplets were penned by the grand muftī of India, Mawlānā Muṣṭafā Razā Khān Nūrī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه, the son of Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. Whilst he may address himself, there is counsel in these words for the youth. The days of ریاضت, i.e. effort, are these days of one’s youth. These are great days for exertion in obedience and worship of Allah, when acts of righteousness can be performed with great devotion and vigour.

The Companion ꜤAbdullāh b. ꜤUmar رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُمَا explains how the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم declared, “Allah loves the young person who spends their youth obeying Him.”^[2]

If we consider the Islamic environment of Dawat-e-Islami, traveling in sunnah-inspired Madani qafilahs, acting according to Maktabat al-Madinah’s Pious Deeds booklet, delivering sunnah-inspired speeches, travelling the world to spread Islam; these are all acts of striving and effort. Young people can carry out even more of these endeavours.

Interestingly, Mawlānā Muṣṭafā Razā Khān did not mention acts of worship specifically in this. He instead said, “These are days to put in work”. This is because whether in youth or old age, obligatory and necessary acts of worship must be carried out regardless of condition.

Nūrī is the pen name of the great muftī, which is an ascription towards the name of his spiritual guide, Sayyid Aḥmad Nūrī رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه. Imam Aḥmad Razā Khān himself made his son take an oath of allegiance with this personality. This correlates this back to the couplet, as Mawlānā Muṣṭafā Razā Khān addresses himself as Nūrī.

Young readers should replace the name Nūrī with their own and address themselves in this same way: “You are young and strong now, so strive for the religion of Allah. You are in your youth, so do not fall into heedlessness.” Often, youth is a period of carelessness. A young person can fall into sin without even realising, only to regret it later.

(Note: This article was prepared with the help of the Madani Muzakarah conducted after ʿIshā salah on 19^th October 2023 (Ep:2268). It is presented here after review and amendment by Mawlana Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri)