On the fourth day of Itikaf, MQI’s founding leader and patron-in-chief Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri chose the subject of “Goodness with everyone” for his special address to the thousands of the believers attending Itikaf under the banner of MQI in Township, Lahore.

Shaykh-ul-Islam expressed his dismay at the fact that the revolutionary teachings of Islam have been turned into a set of rituals. He said we do go through the motion of prostrating ourselves before Allah but do not let our hearts become the repository of Allah’s blessings, mercy and affection. He said he who has even a bit of faith, belief in the Day of Judgment and fear of Allah in his heart, will never oppress the weak nor will he cause any injury to anyone; such a person would never use authority mercilessly and unjustly; he will not make life difficult for anyone due to his power; will not encroach on other people’s rights; will neither tell a lie nor usurp that which belongs to the orphans nor commit dishonesty in his dealings with others.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that obedience is when one surrenders one’s desires for Allah’s pleasure. He said that the hearts that are without the feeling of compassion for the kin are dead hearts and such people are but moving dead bodies. In other words, such people can be described as having a dead conscience, he said.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that everyone can test one’s faith and hold oneself to account, adding that if one feels a sense of remorse while committing a sin, it is a sign of the existence of a flicker of faith. He said that such a faith can be revived and made stronger through the performance of good deeds. He said when the heart becomes dead, it loses the capacity to consider a sin a sin and is not bothered by the committal of crimes. He urged the people to protect themselves from this state of affairs, for it earns Allah wrath and leads to hell.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri asked the people to mete out good treatment to the vulnerable, show affection to the orphans and use whatever authority they have been given most transparently and justly. “Lies, arrogance and double-speak are the mother of more heinous sins. They put us on the path to destruction,” he said.

Shaykh-ul-Islam further said in his speech that he who is blessed with faith is indifferent to every kind of greed and fear. He does not allow the response of the people to shape his behavior and actions; is a great champion of what is good and dissuades people from what is forbidden. The heart of such a person, he said, becomes an incarnation of piety, and cleanliness. He said that this is the man for whom Allah has promised great rewards on the Day of Judgement.

Dr Qadri said that MQI is a global movement which is working to restore and revive dying values. He said that our struggle is for the establishment of a Mustafvi society. He said that dedicating oneself to the worship of Allah for ten days is a matter of great blessing.