Regard and Respect

Allah Most High has made some of the things for respect (ikram). For the Holy Qur'an for different adjectives have been used, Qur'an-e-Kareem, Qur'an-e-Hakeem, Qur'an-e-Majeed and Qur'an-e-Azeem. Kareem-Hakeem-Majeed-Azeem all of them demand respect. For calling it a single name was sufficient but to make the respect clear four names were given. Take the example of a guest coming to a house. Nobody makes him sit on the ground while sitting himself on the carpet. The guest is given a proper place to sit because of the respect for him. Sometimes some ignorant people put the Holy Qur'an on the carpet. This is against respect. Similarly the Recitation of the Holy Qur'an is done, if sitting on a cot, by putting it on the head side not the leg side. Hazrat Thanwi (RA) told similar three stories of due respect. He said that he never hanged his loincloth on the peg because other more respectable things might be hanged there. Similarly he said that I do not remember ever receiving money by the left hand or carrying the foot wear in right hand. We are indulging in some things that betray lack of proper respect. For example a teacher teaching literature is called Shaikh-ul-Adab while a teacher teaching the Holy Qur'an is called Miyanji.

(Sitting (majlis) on Sunday, January 23, 2011)