May Allah protect us all against rudeness and disrespectfulness! The greatest respect is for Allah. Satan makes man make great mistakes in this regard. We do not talk of the Pagans and the Hypocrites who could not recognize their Creator and Sustainer. The Muslims themselves are growing weak in this regard. The heart is injured after reading some writings and letters and listening to some points that there is disrespectfulness and rudeness even of Allah because it is observed that while cutting jokes and telling tit bits, people use the words , and . They use the words "" while telling a lie. Do you know how great the word "" is? Allah has started the Surah "Al-Faatiha" with it. The Holy Quran also starts with it. Sometimes I consult the book on astronomy and find myself inferior to an ant. How many stars and planets has Allah created? No one knows with certainly. Whatever man has seen with the help of his limited knowledge also proves that the stars are billions in number. There are so big gorges and gaps in the universe that if the sun, the moon and the earth all are packed inside anyone of them, they will be lost there as a ball is lost in a big gutter. Allah-o-Akbar! Allah has created all these things. You can yourselves estimate His greatness.

Is it fair for us to call Allah disrespectfully, complain aganist Him when the prayer is not granted or utter other futile words, or call Allah with Jokes? It is Allah's favour that He has made man the crown of creation and has applied every creature to his service. Allah says:

"And We bestowed dignity on the children of Adam and provided them with rides on the land and in the sea, and provided them with a variety of good things and made them much superior to many of those whom We have created."

The state of being waited on by men is that when a loaf of bread is placed before a man, three hundred and seventy people have a hand in it.

First of all, Hazrat Meekaail sends down water from the sky at Allah's command. Then the angels run the clouds. In the same way, many creatures of the sun, the moon, the stars, the skies, the angels and the earth work in it and then that bread reaches man. Take the example of the service that the parents render for a small baby and then estimate how Allah has honoured man. Does it not become the duty of that man to recognize his Creator and Lord and take care of his greatness and respects? But man forgets all and does not remember his Lord even in prostration rather he thinks of other things. We have observed some people who raise hands for prayers but criticise and taunt others through gestures.

... , , In prayers, man beseeches Allah like a humble beggar but the pride of the Self does not allow some people to be Muslims in this state also. Ostensibly, they call to Allah but actually they express their enmity and wrath. If they feel ill of someone's point, they begin to pray to Allah crying so that the listeners may also be satirized and their anger may also be satiated. In other words, they make Allah a tool for the realization of their evil designs.

O the supplicants! Supplicating is a great good-luck. Take care of regards for Allah at such moments of good-luck. Do not criticise, satirize and taunt anyone lest this activity should throw you down. If you feel ill of someone's point, tell him plainly or pray for him secretly or purify your heart of your personal interests and pray for the end of that vice collectively. One point is essential to understand here. The supplicants, the preachers and the writers should not make any personal hint at someone rather purify their hearts of personal criticism otherwise the thing will not be effective. On the other hand, the listeners and the readers should not consider everything pointed to them or criticism of them. This habit leads man to a great deprivation. Some people are very touchy in this regard. Whenever they hear a thing, they begin to consider it criticism and complaint against them.

During student life, once, I was delivering a sermon on "Friday" that, all a sudden, the topic started that some people are very superstitious about spell. As soon as they fall ill, they begin to say that such and such person has cast a spell over him. Sometimes, they blame their uncles or some others whereas it is not fair to blame anyone without proof etc. etc. and the sermon ended. I neither knew anyone among the crowd nor needed hinting at anyone. But an old man, going home, began to weep and cry and say, "Today, someone has complained to the Imaam against me that he delivered a lecture against me in the crowd." While weeping, he gripped his heart that it was aching. Some youngones concerned with him came to quarrel with me in the Masjid. But when they came before me, they refrained from quarrelling. Afterwards, it came to be known that that person used to blame his relatives of spell. The words uttered by me totally tallied his claims. This incident was a beginning. After that I often had to face the people who always doubted that I was criticising them in my statements or articles. Recently, when I wrote the article about the Mobile Phone, some individuals were running with the idea that I had written that article about them. There was a companion in the jail whose life was very upset and disturbed. I gave him Hazrat Thaanvi's book named to study. After reading the book, he began to say, "Hazrat Thaanvi has written that book about me."

In Karachi, I used to deliver sermons to the ladies for many years. Once, my mother came to Karachi and attended the lecture. Many ladies said to her, "Who conveys the news of our houses to your son? Whenever, we come to listen to him, he tells us something about our personal affairs." There are many such incidents. It is my utmost effort not to hint at someone or satirize him in the address or writing. Normally, I have the power to say plainly to someone what I want to say. Then it seems a futile habit to speak in a crowd or write in the paper which is read by millions of people.

May Allah protect us all against this futile activity. All the readers and listeners are requested to try to search out the points of "Personal Reformation" rather than criticism. It has been the practice of our elderly saints that the speaker or the writer prays to Allah to grant him with the power and capacity to speak or write to please Him and bless him first of all with that thing, endow him with the device to remove any defect in him and bless him with His good pleasure through that address or writing. Still there exist many people who derive the points of their good from every address and writing. Allah has very often mentioned such people in the Holy Quran and has called them wise. Allah says.

"So, give the good news to My servants who listen to what is said, then, follow the best of it. Those are the ones whom Allah has guided and those are the ones who possess understanding."

I was saying that there should not be personal hints to anyone during supplication: it is rudeness to Allah. The supplicant, the speaker and the writer should study it once which Hazrat Shaikh Syed Hajvery has written in his book "Kashf-ul-Mahjoob." I shall present the summery of those respectabilities in future if Allah wills. We need Allah at every step. We should pray before praying to Him to grant us with the power and capacity to pray to Him respectfully. In the same way, Istikhara "" should be our routine. It is a five minute activity which blesses man with very great auspiciousness. The sorrow is that Istikhara () has also become a profession in our age. Common people think that only special people can have Istikhara and a special answer comes from the sky in it. The mundane people go to the conjurers and request them to have Istikhara for them with regard to marriage, business and other worldly affairs whereas Istikhara is the personal activity and a special blessing of Allah for every Muslim. Do observe ablution, offer two Raka't prayers with the intention for Istikhara, then recite Durood Sharif for seven times in the beginning and in the end and recite the supplication for Istikhara. This supplication is very delicious. The heart begins to feel satisfaction when man reads it. The Holy Prophet has given the glad tidings that the man who observes Istikhara will not repent afterwards. You should observe Istikhara if you are to set out on a journey, develop relation with someone, write something, meet someone or purchase something. Istikhara means demanding good of Allah "O Allah, the better should be for me but vice should be suspended." The Muslim ladies and gentlemen who often observe Istikhara; the veils are soon removed from upon them and their status is raised. Actually, it is the duty of the slave to do everything after due request and consultation. But these days, people write the names of the boy and the girl and give them to the professionals to tell them about that. At one time, many people would also come to me. It was very difficult for me to tell them that they themselves should observe Istikhara. Most of the people do not agree and go to some professional. Hence, there are ten or more Istikharas with some people at one time and they keep answering "Yes or No" to save their esteem. People regard their answer not as a "religious but heavenly consultation." Once, a white bearded, elderly person was with me. I had frankness with him. He was fond of conjuring. During that period, a man provided him the chit to tell him about the marriage of his daughter. I pointed to that saint to talk to him. They asked that elderly person for Istikhara and he agreed and promised for it till the next day.

The next day, when he was sitting with me, those people came and demanded the answer. He said, "The union seems good, but better if settled at some other place because dispute between the husband and wife is feared."

They were puzzled at the detailed, ambiguous and comprehensive answer."

May Allah pardon! We have started making everything the art of astrology. The astrologists and magicians do not tell lies in so details as our conjurers do forgetting their grave and the Hereafter. It is correct that the holy Saints have "Kashf." It is also correct that there is good in the Istikhara of the holy saints but no one knows the hidden matters. The method of having Istikhara from the holy saints is to request them to pray for such and such job in which there is some difficulty or they should be consulted in that job. Now they will have Istikhara with Allah to seek good for him to suggest for those people or they will suggest with the help of their deep Insight. However, do not create the situation of the astrologists, magicians and palmists with the holy saints nor demand of them hidden things. The point was started from respects for Allah and went too far. We should respect Allah's name, His Book, His Home Ka'aba, His Prophet and His angels as regards and respects are, no doubt, great things. Let us see, what the Holy Quran says;

"Certainly, the Believers are those whose hearts are filled with awe when (the name of) Allah is mentioned."

Hence, the requirement of Respect for Allah is not to have so great fear of anyone as that of Allah neither of Barak Obama nor of John Makeen, neither of the white nor the black, neither of America nor Europe, nor death. Today is November 3. Tomorrow, their will be American Elections. Many hearts are awed. There are some doubts and fears. In this situation, remembrance of Allah devoutly and attentively with full respect and Tawakkul can take us out of the awe and worry.