22/06/2026
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When the Holy Prophet ﷺ ascended beyond the heavens on the night of the Miʿrāj, when he reached a station beyond the comprehension of creation, Almighty Allāh did not introduce him by kingship, power, or worldly titles. Allāh Almighty said:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ
Subḥāna alladhī asrā bi ʿabdihī
“Pure is He Who took His beloved servant by night…” (Qur’ān 17:1)
The greatest honour was ʿAbdiyyah — complete servanthood to Allāh.
Years later, on the burning plains of Karbalā, Imām Ḥusayn (عليه السلام) stood carrying the blessed blood of the one who had journeyed to the ʿArsh. He showed mankind that true servanthood is not weakness — it is the highest form of strength.
The one who belongs completely to Allāh cannot be purchased by power, silenced by fear, or made to bow before injustice.
Karbalā was not merely a battle of swords; it was the manifestation of ʿAbdiyyah. A servant of Allāh standing with truth, even when the price was everything beloved — family, companions, comfort, and life itself.
Imām Ḥusayn (عليه السلام) taught humanity that there comes a moment when truth demands sacrifice — when one must stand against oppression even if it means sacrificing one’s kith and kin, literally and metaphorically.
Do not try to place those who have reached the station of ʿabduhū under the microscope of ordinary understanding. The ocean cannot be measured with a cup, and the people of Allāh cannot be understood only through the limits of worldly vision.
The path that began with ʿabduhū wa rasūluhū reached Karbalā through the bloodline of that same Messenger ﷺ — reminding humanity forever:
To become the ʿabd of Allāh is not to lose yourself.
It is to become free from everything besides Allāh.
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What is an ʿabd? We say: wa ash-hadu anna Muḥammadan ʿabduhū wa rasūluhū. Now, as ʿabduhū, the Holy Prophet ﷺ is greater in rank than rasūluhū and therefore we affirm this first. This personal characteristic as ʿabduhū is greater in merit than the great function of rasūluhū. Therefore, in the Miʿrāj, Almighty Allāh uses the word ʿabdī – My servant. To become the ʿabd of Allāh is to become a king! Not to be debased as some of our people believe! Some people say that they wish to protect the Tawḥīd and therefore they insult others and even the Holy Prophet ﷺ. That Tawḥīd is only a formal and lifeless idea and nothing beyond that.
Iqbal has said: ‘If I become the slave of Allāh and I cannot develop myself in status, then I don’t need to be His slave!’ Everybody does something for some benefit – it is human nature. If I serve a wealthy human being and he becomes pleased with me, then he converts my poverty into wealth. If he is a possessor of knowledge, then he converts my ignorance into knowledge. What is this ‘god’ of these people, that you become his ʿabd and you continue to become debased! This was not taught by the Holy Prophet ﷺ. This is their own crooked way of thinking, due to ignorance!
Let me remind you of a ḥadīth, accepted by all the great imāms, but not by the ‘pygmies’ of this era. The Holy Prophet ﷺ says that Almighty Allāh says:
My servant, when he (or she) accomplishes all the farāʾiḍ and then seeks My nearness through optional virtues, I make him My beloved. And when I come to love him, I become his ears with which he hears, I become his eyes with which he sees, and the hands with which he holds and the feet with which he walks and the tongue with which he speaks. (Bukhārī)
And the muḥaddith, Bayhaqī, added: ‘… and the mind with which he thinks.’
