On a rainy Friday evening I found myself in the basement of a Lutheran Church, in the heart of New York University. It’s the second least interesting detail about why I was there, but strangely enough it’s the first thing that comes to my mind.
More importantly, Habib Umar was scheduled to speak after delivering the Khutbah and leading Salatul Jumu’ah at the 94th St. Masjid in Manhattan.
As day turned to night, nearly a thousand people, mostly young men and women, began flooding into the cramped basement normally used by the Islamic Centre at NYU. They arrived on the B,C and D trains and on foot off the Avenue of the Americas. From West 4th and West 3rd they poured in, filling every nook and cranny of this rustic space.
It was a multicultural gathering made up of people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. Many were turned away. Inside, shoes piled up in mangled heaps of sizes and brands.
Upstairs a few men and women sat in pews engaging in meditative prayers. Downstairs, a poorly assembled microphone system was set up for Habib Umar to speak on the purification of the heart.
What would motivate young brainy Muslim students to come here on a Friday night? Those sitting close to me introduced themselves as graduate students at Columbia, Princeton and other colleges in the NY area. Some brought along their non-Muslim friends, perhaps to share something of their faith they find difficult to verbalize.
It’s been three weeks since Habib Umar began his tour in Montreal.
There’s still more than two more weeks to go before it ends.
Habib is currently in San Francisco and in a few days he will cross the Atlantic to continue his tour in the UK. Understandably, Habib is tired. The spark in his eyes however says he is overjoyed to be among people he loves even in these strange cities of ours.
As he got into his speech it didn’t take long to realize that he was on fire, just as he was in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago and Washington D.C. Some might say he was ‘in the zone’ and those picky about a accurate terminology might describe it more appropriately as ‘being in a hāl.’ His translator, Sidi Abdul Karim Yahya, kept pace as Habib got to the very core of his subject – rectifying the state of our hearts (qulub).
Habib expounded on the character of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him, underscoring his narrative with a simple yet profound lesson – whenever the Messenger experienced hardships and difficulties, he was full of kindness, generosity and compassion even towards his avowed enemies. “His conduct was never one of enmity nor vengeance,” said Habib Umar.
“Do you think the Prophet didn’t know the meaning of the ‘ashiddaa ‘alal-kuffar?” Habib asked rhetorically. “The Messenger of God was the living Quran and he demonstrated that God’s command of being “stern with the disbelievers” meant the believers should be steadfast in righteous conduct and not allow their enemies to cause them to deviate.
“It does not mean a Muslim should treat disbelievers harshly, nor should they cheat them or sell them alcohol and things that are haram,” said Habib.
“The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was insulted, harmed and denied basic courtesies, yet he never fell from grace nor was his mercy towards God’s creation ever diminished.”
Habib used the famous example of the palm tree that cried for the company of the Messenger of God, peace and blessings be upon him. He included details I had never heard nor read about. And in so doing he took his audience back to the Madina of the Messenger, painting a vivid picture of events. “If a tree cried for this Messenger how is it our hearts fail to weep for him?”
Students struggled to hold back tears, many sobbed quietly.
“Just as the Messenger of God got off his pulpit and walked over to this palm tree, hugging it to console it just as a mother would a baby, the blessed Prophet would visit you even here in New York to console your heart’s longing for his company. May Allah help us to prepare our eyes to behold him on the Day of Judgement.”
There was hardly a dry face in the room. The sobbing was now audible.
As Habib kept on giving from the Sirah, offering up insights I can only describe as spiritual delights, I found the answer to my question.
These students came expecting to hear a spiritually uplifting message and were not disappointed. They were thrilled by what they heard because for much too long they’ve been exposed to khatibs and visiting scholars whose harsh sermons have left them feeling alienated from the Prophet of Mercy.
Tonight, Habib was connecting our hearts to the Messenger of God, a task he is uniquely qualified to perform. That’s why what Habib does in these majalis should be described as circles of dhikr.
But there was also something else that made this event special. It was authentic because it was organic. It was held in a venue where students pray, study, eat, socialize and sometimes take a nap. It wasn’t held in a fancy conference hall with large expensive chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There were no neon lights with multiple HD cameras and 18ft jib arms. The stage was a simple cushion.
There was nothing separating Habib Umar from those who hung on his every word. His speech was direct and uncluttered by the noise of technology. He connected with those in attendance in a way that could never happen in a large conference hall. Even if people don’t remember the topic they will remember their tears.
Everywhere Habib went, young people, to the welcomed surprise of their parents, have been turning out in large numbers to sit in his blessed company. Even when he is speaking on the campuses of prestigious universities, Habib does not pretend to offer up political analysis. That’s the task of those who are adroit in the affairs of the ephemeral world. Habib is concerned with the eternal, the transcendental world that addresses concerns of the heart (qalb).
Al Habib Umar is primarily interested in connecting hearts to Allah and His Messenger. He is acutely aware that Muslims in the West desire closeness to the final Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Those who came to hear him were looking for confirmation that the Messenger of God is accessible to them regardless of their own dismal spiritual states. Even the brainiest of students seem to recognize the value of purging their souls of the diseases that distracts them from their real purpose on earth.
This, in my estimation, is what brought hundreds of young people to this ordinary basement on a chilly NY Friday evening. I’ve not experienced this degree of excitement in young people for a very long time and I pray that God Almighty continues to bless our communities in North America with more visits by Habib Umar and others who walk in the footsteps of God’s Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings.
Nazim Baksh.
April 6, 2011
After yesterday’s horrific earthquake and tsunami in Japan, I felt compelled to say something about the theme that was chosen for Habib Umar’s tour – “Tranquility Amidst Turbulence – A Prophetic Message for our Times.”
Why is this detail significant for Muslims? It has to do with an important Hadith that can be found in the Sahih of Imam Al-Bukhari pertaining to the Signs of the End of Times. Abu Huraira reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah say that “the hour will not come” until two big groups fight each other, the coming of 30 Dajjals claiming to be God’s Messengers, the removal of religious knowledge on account of the death of ‘Ulema. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, then said, “wa takthuru al-zalazil” and earthquakes will increase. Immediately following this sentence he said “wa yataqarabu al-zaman” and time will decrease. First, everything about the Signs of the Time are literal. They are not figurative or metaphorical. Second, there is a relationship between the two signs.