You Have Been Granted
Your Request, Moses

It was probably 1962. I had the opportunity to attend an important function in Anjaan Shaheed, a town in Azamgarh. Many Muslim scholars were present on this occasion. I had not been informed in advance that I had to address the gathering. Then quite without warning a group of people took me on to the stage and asked me to speak. There was no avoiding this. It was perhaps the first occasion when in the matter of making speeches that I experienced total helplessness. Earlier I had addressed gatherings repeatedly, but all these addresses had been in the form of reading out papers. Had I known in advance about this programme, I would have written an article to be read out on that occasion.

But this time I faced a situation in which I had to speak compulsorily without any prior preparation and I had to speak extempore. At that time, all of a sudden I started getting ideas about what to say.

I just remembered God and, in a frenzied manner, I started speaking. I began my speech with these words: There are many stories of prophets recorded in the Quran but these are not just historical stories. They have a lesson for our present life. One of these incidents, or stories is that God commanded Moses to go to the court of the tyrant king of Egypt and call upon him to accept monotheism.

The Prophet Moses said to God, “My breast is constricted and my tongue is not fluent.” (The Quran, 26:13) Then by the grace of God Almighty, he prayed, “My Lord, open up my heart and make my task easy for me, loosen the knot in my tongue, so that they may understand what I have to say.” (The Quran, 20:25-28)

I said that when Moses called upon the All-hearing (Al-Basir) and All- seeing (As-Sami), his call went straight to the divine throne and then God said, “You have been granted your request Moses.” (20.36)

Then, still in a frenzied state, I said that this event was not just a story from the past. This event was a living reality even today, just as God is ever present. Today also if a servant of God calls and says, “O God my breast is constricted and my tongue is not fluent, then again, his call will reach God, the All-hearing, the All-seeing, and he will be answered thus: ‘O my servant, the request you have made has been granted.’” As I said this, my eyes filled with tears. Then I went on speaking and kept on speaking at length, albeit extempore.

This event was like a breakthrough for me. Subsequently, I stopped writing everything down and started speaking extempore. Later, I participated in many national and international gatherings, conferences and delivered long speeches. It was undoubtedly the miracle of the dua on the occasion of the gathering of Anjaan Shaheed.

As I understand it, this dua was one with “ism-e-aazam”. Earlier I had been unable to speak extempore. But after this experience, I was able to address audiences. This can be explained only by believing that my prayer had been heard by God.