Thousands of the faithful had the opportunity to listen to Shaykh-ul-Islam Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadr's keynote address on the topic of "Meeting with Hazrat Bishr al-Hafi (ra)."

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri stated that faith is like a seed that is sown in the soil of the heart. It does not sprout on its own nor does it bear fruit; rather, all stages of faith require both internal and external effort. He said that faith is planted in our hearts like a seed, but continuous hard work is needed to make the plant of faith fruitful.

“If we do not protect it at every step, then we will be deprived of its fruits. [God forbid] We are mistaken in thinking that because we are born into Muslim households, our faith will automatically bear fruit. We must always strive to protect the plant of faith,” he explained.

Dr Qadri said that good deeds, righteous actions, prayers, fasting, pilgrimage, charity, recitation of the Quran, and following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) are necessary for safeguarding faith. Good deeds are the guardians and promoters of faith; faith grows through righteous actions, he said.

Shaykh-ul-Islam said that it is a misconception that just because we are Muslims by heart, our hearts are pure and clean. A person whose outward appearance is clean and pure, but inwardly indulges in sin, cannot be considered Muslim and pure. This misconception stems from godless thinking, that one can earn and consume haram (forbidden) income throughout life and then consider it a private matter.

“Both outward and inward aspects have their own benefits. Not performing righteous deeds and considering it a personal matter between oneself and God is a completely wrong notion,” he further elucidated.

He said that such a thought leads faith towards disbelief and atheism. Just as the skin of a fruit contains its pulp, if it is removed and discarded, and the seed which we usually eat is preserved, the fruit will spoil after a few hours. Similarly, if we do not protect the outward appearance of faith, then its seed, i.e., our inward self, will not remain correct.

He said, “We need to always protect both the outward and inward aspects of faith through good deeds. Faith matters are not personal; every matter is subject to the commands of Allah and His Messenger (peace be upon him), so faith remains protected.”

The MQI leader said that Allah, the Lord of Honor, has linked repentance, faith, and righteous actions in all the commandments of the Quran. Faith is both action and speech. If religion is not implemented in action, then there is no benefit in preaching, neither in this world nor in the Hereafter.

He said that today, most preachers are in a state where they extol the virtues of eloquent speech but continue to indulge in foul language in their actions. They preach good ethics in their speeches but continue to display bad manners in their dealings. The contradiction between words and deeds cannot bring about any positive change in society. Wherever you go, you represent someone. Wherever you go, you must also protect your essence. This responsibility is heavier on the representatives of Allah's religion, that every action of theirs is associated with their community, sect, and religion. As soon as they commit a wrong action, it is said: not only is this wrong, but also their community, sect, religion, and God are wrong.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal said: Who can compete with Bishr al-Hafi? Who can be like Bashr al-Hafi? ... His status and rank are very high in the presence of Allah. Leaving all the forbidden things of Allah and purifying one's life from every haram (forbidden) thing is the beginning of piety. He said that to purify life from forbidden companionship and association is real piety. Protecting the commands of Shariah is Islam, and protecting the etiquette of Shariah is piety.

Dr Qadri asked the people to protect themselves from anything that corrupts their heart and mind and keeps them away from Allah and His remembrance. “Piety is that a person is not present where God does not want to see him, and he is present where God wants to see him. To avoid impropriety and to protect oneself from it is piety,” he said while further throwing light on the concept of real piety.

Describing the incident of Hazrat Bishr al-Hafi's repentance, he said that Hazrat Muhammad bin Salat narrates: Hazrat Bishr bin Harith (al-Hafi) was asked about his repentance and the beginning of his spiritual journey. He said: Indeed, your name is respected among people as if you were a prophet. What is the reason for this? He said: This is entirely by the grace of God. Let me tell you about this grace. I was a great wanderer and used to have wrong friendships. One day I was passing by when I suddenly noticed a piece of paper on the road. I picked it up and saw that it had "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful" written on it. I cleaned it and kissed it, then put it in my pocket. I only had two dirhams with me that day, besides those, I had nothing. I went to the perfume sellers and bought precious perfume with those two dirhams and applied it to the piece of paper. That night I had a dream. It was as if someone was telling me: O Bishr bin Harith! You have taken our name from the road and applied fragrance to it, I will definitely purify your name in this world and the Hereafter. And so it happened.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri said that knowledge is not for expressing, but for practicing. Allah Almighty granted the prophets knowledge and they demonstrated humanity through this knowledge. The practice of the Hereafter is an action, and a person earns it for the world. ... No good deed is ugly. Whoever does good deeds with the intention of being recognized, there is no bad intention. The person who desires to be recognized through his knowledge and seeks respect and honor through it cannot enjoy the pleasure of good deeds. ... If you want to enjoy good deeds, become independent of everything. Conceal your virtues just as you hide your sins.

Building on his arguments, Shaykh-ul-Islam said that whenever you make friendships and associations, see which friendships and associations are hardening your heart and decreasing your love for religion. And if it seems as if the hearts are becoming dead. Immediately leave such gatherings. To know the difference between the living and the dead, do not consider moving beings as living and the dead as dead. The real living are those who, through their remembrance, bring comfort, life, and the pleasure of faith to dead hearts. Those whose friendship, companionship, and association make hearts dead. Leaving disobedience to Allah is called prayer. The reality of prayer is that when a person leaves sin, Allah grants him without asking. Make prayer a moment of meeting. Do not neglect prayer for any reason.