Huzur (rh): The holy quran says, no it’s not a good deed by itself
Questioner: [unintelligible]
Huzur (rh): Recite the verse
Questioner: I don’t remember the reference to the verse no [unintelligible].
Huzur (rh): *recites Arabic verse from the Holy Qur’an*
Questioner: [unintelligible]
Huzur (rh): birr is just a good deed. So when the Holy Quran says it, it’s correct. What are you asking?
Questioner: I’m asking if it is not a big good deed then is it anyway a small good deed?
Huzur (rh): no, no, it’s not a good deed. ‘Big’ and ‘small’ are not used in the Holy Quran (In relation to deeds). Birr means goodness.
Huzur (rh): So by itself it is not goodness for you to face either to the east or to the west. In itself, this is no act of goodness at all, but if you do it for a higher purpose, under the order of a higher being, then obeying is the goodness, in fact, behind this act. Suppose a soldier is ordered to stand at a corner and to keep standing until he drops dead. If he does that, by itself it’s not an act of goodness, it’s an evil act in fact because he kept standing there for apparently no purpose until he dropped dead. Apparently a very bad act. But still in the history books of nations you find it highly praised, this act on the part of some soldiers, that they prefer to die under orders rather than to decide for themselves what was good and what was not. Why? Because it was not no goodness to stand, it was in fact an act of goodness to obey your orders and not to raise questions of wise(??).
Huzur (rh): So this is exactly what is meant, that when you face kaaba, to face kaaba in itself is nothing.
Huzur (rh): And this is also an answer to those who say that you are also idolatrous those are the hindus who sometimes allege that ‘muslims are also idolaters because as we are praying to idols we face them so they are facing a building that is kaaba’ the Holy Quran negates this notion and tells us that to face in any direction in itself is nothing, it’s totally meaningless.
Huzur (rh): Only because Allah tells you to do that and you do it, so that it becomes a birr. And this is applicable to every act. Not only facing, it is just an illustration, but in every act of goodness or contrary to goodness, you find the same principle in action.
