Who is the person speaking, and what should he be like? Also, what should be the condition of those who are listening? To listen to all and sundry [i.e. every Tom, Dick an Harry], and for such persons to deliver lectures, is contrary to the rules and principles in the Qur’an shareef. The principle in the Qur'an shareef is as follows: That person who has in him two qualities, can be listened to without putting forward any "whys?" and "wherefors?", any "ifs" and "buts". Proof of this is in the Qur'an shareef. In Surah Yaseen, in the second ruku’ Allah Ta'ala has related a qissah/story, which, briefly, is as follows: Zate Bari Ta'ala sent two Rasuls to Antioch for the hidayet (guidance) of the people. As on previous occasions in the past, the habit of the people was to oppose any Rasul sent to them, and to harass such a Rasul, to such an extent that a Rasul would be killed as well. The people were not prepared to listen to the haq (truth). When batil (falsehood) becomes so forcefully ingrained, then the ears and the heart cease to place any importance to the words of Haq Ta'ala..

So, this community also opposed these two Rasuls, and were on the point of killing them. At this point Zate Bari Ta'ala sent to them a third Rasul, in order to support and assist these two. However, the community behaved in the same manner to this third Rasul as well. A youth, Habeeb Najar, a carpenter, had brought eeman on the guidance of these Rasuls. He lived some distance from the town. When he came to hear that this is the manner in which his community was behaving towards these Rasuls, the poor fellow, overcome with dread, came running to their aid and protection. He said,

O my people! Follow those who have been sent! Follow those who ask of you no fee, and who are rightly guided." S.36 A. 20-21

As if to say, "O my people! What has happened to you that you are opposing these Rasuls? There is absolutely no reason for opposing them, but, on the contrary, the opposite should be the case. That is to say, looking at it from the worldly point of view, there are two qualities, hubbe mal (love of wealth) and hubbe jah (love of fame,1 prestige), where a representative may do a certain piece of work for these objectives. Both these qualities are based on selfish and personal motives. And these Rasuls do not have these selfish motives. Their shan (dignified and noble status) is this that they desire no remuneration. They are not asking for any compensation. They desire no material return for their service. They are inviting you purely for the cause of Lillahiyet, for your own welfare. They are calling you to what is a protection and safeguard against danger, and is a means of attaining benefit. And they do not ask for any material reward or compensation, which would be obstacles to listening to such individuals."

Individuals expecting material benefits may be suspected of doing so for personal gain. As we see these days that there is a flood of fund-raisers. If the villagers come to know that this person has primarily come to raise funds, and the waz (lecture), etc. are merely incidental events, then they may even sit and listen to the talk as an act of politeness, but nobody is prepared to listen with the heart. Some, who are free in their speech, will finally even voice this thought, "Maulana! When this was your purpose, then why did you make us sit so long, and vex us unnecessarily? You should have said that you have come to collect funds for such-and-such a madrasah, and we would have given you whatever." So you see! Where did they listen? Everything gone to waste! The monetary motive was detected!

The youth argued further, "That is the first point. The second point is that they are 'muhtada'. These are such that they are on the correct Path. They are sahebe-siratam-mustaqeem and sahebe-ihtida. So, they do not possess one quality (i.e. ulterior motives) and they do possess the noble quality of ihtidayet (i.e. being rightly guided), and when the obstacles do not exist then what prevents you from listening to their message?"

We can see that what this youth is saying is absolutely correct, because this is being related by Zate Bari Ta'ala, in that He is saying that one should look at the person to see if he has selfish or ulterior motives or not, whether he is desirous of mal (wealth) or jah (name and prestige). These are two qualities which are obstacles in listening to, and accepting, what a person has to say. When these two qualities have been negated, and they are on correct hidayet (guidance) themselves, then there are no reasons for not listening to them. Also, for greater reassurance, look at their characters and conduct, their dealings, their social lifestyles, etc. In other words, look at them from the aspects of ibadat, mu'amalat, mu'asharat, and akhlaq. These are the criteria on which to assess and judge people. And. after being scrutinised, if these qualities are present in the manner they should be, then there is no reason for not listening to them. The presences of these qualities within them will a proof of their taqwa, that they have an extreme level of taqwa. And a muttaqi is one who has solicitude for others in this world and also in the hereafter.

FRIENDS: WORLDLY AND MUTTAQI
Proof of this appears in the Qur'an shareef. Haq Ta'ala states: Friends on that Day will be foes one unto another, save those who are muttaqi. S.43 A.67
Haq Ta'ala states that these worldly friends will, on the day of Qiyamat, be enemies one unto the other. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) also forbade us from making friends of such people. For himself, too, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) desired friends, but... Note the tone! Note the desire! Note the quest! "O Allah! Bless me with Your muhabbat and the muhabbat of that person whose muhabbat, in Your eyes, will be of benefit to me!"

Also:"O Allah! I am desirous of Your muhabbat and the muhabbat of that person who has muhabbat for You!"
These are the criteria and the yardsticks for making friends! There is no question of making just anyone a friend! See, Haq Ta'ala has stated that, on the day of Qiyamat, that friend who lays claim to be a friend in this world, may turn out to be your enemy! You may find somebody saying, "Janab! Do not give it a thought! Where you shed your perspiration, 1 am ready to shed my blood!" This is mere lip service. There is no reality in it. It does not come from the heart. It is a mere cliché.

A qissah/story:
If one were to search for this quality, one would find it only in a real muttaqi. Our Hadhratwala, Hadhrat Thanvi (R.A.) related a qissah:

A particular sheikh one day had a sudden desire for eating kheer - kheer is a dish prepared by rice being boiled in milk and sweetened with sugar. However, he did not have all the ingredients available. Some days passed and it so happened that some milk arrived. The two khadims (attendants) who stayed with the sheikh, informed the sheikh, "Hadhrat! Some milk has arrived! We have with us some sugar, and we also have some rice. You had also expressed the wish to eat some kheer. Therefore, grant us permission to prepare some kheer for you." The sheikh replied, "Go ahead!" The khadims placed some rice in the milk and set the pot on the fire to cook. As it cooked the milk boiled up to the top of the pot, and the two khadims, not wanting the milk to spill over, skimmed off the top with a spoon and sipped it up. When the kheer was made, it was dished out in a plate, allowed to cool slightly, and then served to the sheikh. The sheikh scooped up a spoonful and brought it to his mouth, but stopped himself from eating it. The khadims were watching, and coaxed the sheikh, "Huzoor! After much longing this kheer is now available, and you are not eating it?" The sheikh replied, "How can I eat it? I perceive the odour of theft emanating from it!" The khadims exclaimed, "'Theft! But nobody came here! And we ourselves boiled the milk, and added the sugar and the rice. We prepared the kheer with our own hands!" However, there exists certain exquisiteness, a discernment and sagacity, qualities resulting from correct taqwa and an abundance of zikr. Mind you, mere abundance of zikr is not sufficient. An abundance of zikr and correct taqwa have certain effects, through which these qualities can be recognised. Which reminds me of the qissah of Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (R.A.):

Another qissah/story:
It was a hot summer's day. He felt thirsty... By the way. this was related to us by Hadhratwala (R.A.). As a poet put it, "The tongue is mine, but the talk is his." To continue: When the hot summer winds blow it is pleasurable to drink water from earthen goblets. The earthen water pot was kept nearby, and on it was placed the drinking goblet. The khadim (attendant) poured some water into the goblet and served it to Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (R.A.). When he touched his lips to the goblet he commented, "The smell of corpses is coming from this goblet! It appears this clay is from the qabrastan (cemetery)!" Among any student group there are some students who are very keen and enthusiastic, and have a very strong urge to investigate, and so it should be. So, immediately a student ran to the potter from whom the earthenware was bought. He asked the potter, "Where did you obtain the clay for the last batch of earthen pots and dishes you made?" The potter replied, somewhat embarrassed, "You see, the weather was not too good. The rains had started. I secretly went to the qabrastan at night and brought the clay from there, and made the dishes from that clay. The clay was from there." Look at the changes that were made to the original clay - water was added, then the clay was shaped into utensils, then these were dried in the sun and air, and finally placed in an oven where the heat of the fire baked them. Despite all these changes taking place, when the goblet was lifted to his mouth Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmed Gangohi (R.A.) observed, "The smell of corpses is coming from this goblet! It appears as if this clay is from the qabrastan!"

This is the exquisite and finely attuned temperaments of such individuals! You can now gauge the degree of their perceptiveness. Now, when people of different temperaments present themselves and say things contrary to their temperaments, what degree of pain and grief do they not cause? However, these Allahwala personalities also have a tremendous degree of hilm (forbearance), and they will not utter a single word of annoyance - except where it is an occasion for tarbiyet (rectifying a salek) - so that the feelings of the person addressing them is taken into consideration. This person should not be embarrassed. If the internal faults of the person were to be disclosed, he would sense it and feel humiliated.

Coming back to the buzurg and the kheer: When he had lifted the spoonful of kheer to his lips he had remarked, "I perceive the odour of theft emanating from it!" The astonished khadims tried very hard to reassure him that nobody had come there who could possibly have stolen from the kheer, that they had prepared the kheer with their own hands, while they themselves were present. The sheikh was adamant and would not eat the kheer. The two khadims finally gave up, and fell into thought. Suddenly it struck them, "Is it not possible that the overflowing milk which we had skimmed off", and drunk, without Hadhrat's permission, that this is included in the category of theft?" Immediately they got up and informed the sheikh, "Huzoor! The milk that was boiling over, we skimmed the top and drunk it." The sheikh replied, "But this is exactly what I was referring to all the time!" This is the way these personages speak! Their statements are innocent and guileless, sweet and charming! So far, so good. However, for their error the khadims had to be penalised. This was not such a crime that it could not be forgiven. The milk was drunk, and that was it. But no! The purpose and object is islah for the future. At times an incident is very trivial, but its underlying basis may be very grave. And these personages do not look at the act only, but more at the underlying basis. The penalty will be according to that.