Shaykh Mohammed Kamran (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is the principal of the Husayni Madrasah in Dar es Salaam. He also lectures at the ladies hawza, Madrasatuz Zahra (MAZ). For the past 12 years, he has been a full-time student at the Islamic Seminary in Qum, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, specializing in Fiqh (Jurisprudence) and Usool (Principles of Jurisprudence). Additionally, he holds a degree in accounting and has worked as an accountant in the corporate sector.
P
eople of insight say that those who walk the path toward God fall into two categories: the seekers (Salik) and the attracted (Majdhub).
The seeker is someone who treads the path of God gradually, step by step, following the stages laid out by those who know the way.
The attracted, however, walks the path of God with an intense attraction, making leaps and bounds in their journey.
In Quranic terms, the seeker journeys to God, while the attracted is someone who is carried to the destination. And there is a significant difference between these two: the one who journeys and the one who is carried.
Consider the Quran. When it describes the journey of Prophet Musa (Moses), where he went to meet God and speak with Him—where he became Kalimullah (the one who converses with God)—the Quran says, “When Musa came to Our appointed place.” Note the word “came.” However, the tone changes when it speaks of the Prophet Muhammad: “Glory be to Him who carried His servant by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque.” For Musa, it says “came,” but for the Prophet, it says “was carried.”
And there is a vast difference between these two. The Prophet was taken to a station in moments that no one else could reach, crossing stages in a brief time that only he and his Lord knew. The first is the path of journeying (Saluk), and the second is the path of attraction (Jadhba).
As some mystics describe, attraction is like being in a dark desert where there is no light—not from the moon or stars, and you can see nothing. Now imagine, on that night, a lightning bolt suddenly flashes, illuminating the surroundings, and revealing things you could not see before. This is akin to the spiritual attraction that suddenly enlightens a heart that has been in darkness, unable to perceive truths or taste the sweetness of faith. The lightning of divine love strikes, illuminating the heart, and making it see, understand, and believe. This attraction transforms one’s life and changes their path.
Hafez speaks of this when he says:
A lightning flash from Layla’s abode struck at dawn,
And oh, what it did to the harvest of the love-stricken Majnun!
The lightning of love set my heart ablaze,
Behold what my old companion did to his friend.
This “lightning of love” that Hafez refers to is the same attraction we speak of. The lightning strikes at dawn, often in the early morning, when God’s attraction usually occurs. Although God’s grace is always flowing, we are not always ready to receive it. Some times are more conducive for reception, and dawn is one such time—many have received their treasures of happiness at dawn.
Why is the dawn so valuable? Because it is a time when God’s attraction is more likely to reach a person. It’s also because the close friends of God, the special servants of God, are awake and begging for His mercy at that time. And at the head of these servants is the holy existence of Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf), who is engaged in prayer and seeking divine mercy at dawn. Those awake at that time resemble their Imam and receive some of the mercy that Imam al-Mahdi (ajtf) brings down.
The secret of the Night of Qadr is also linked to this. The Night of Qadr is made special by Imam al-Mahdi. It is a night better than a thousand months.
Why is this night so significant? It’s the night of the Imam. It’s a special night when all the angels descend. The Quran says, “The angels and the spirit descend.” All the angels descend, and the spirit, the leader of the angels, according to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him), comes down.
Where do they descend? They descend upon the pure soul of the infallible. The heart of the infallible is the place where all the angels, including Gabriel, descend. The Quran says, “The angels descend” every year, proving the existence of a living, infallible Wali of God.
Those who are awake during the Night of Qadr and connected to the wilayah of the infallible receive the Imam’s blessings. This is why we place the Quran on our heads during the prayer and call upon the names of the Ahl al-Bayt. It signifies that we are within the circle of the Imam’s wilayah, and through his mercy, we are blessed. Similarly, dawn is a time when God’s attraction is more likely to reach us.
Shaykh Mohammed Kamran (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is the principal of the Husayni Madrasah in Dar es Salaam. He also lectures at the ladies hawza, Madrasatuz Zahra (MAZ). For the past 12 years, he has been a full-time student at the Islamic Seminary in Qum, where he earned both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, specializing in Fiqh (Jurisprudence) and Usool (Principles of Jurisprudence). Additionally, he holds a degree in accounting and has worked as an accountant in the corporate sector.
