Birth of a Legacy

I begin with the Name of Allaah, the most Merciful, the One Who bestows Mercy

All praises and thanks are due to Allaah. May Allaah mention His Messenger and grant him peace.

Birth of a Legacy…

… Within the Hearts that are Dead

Sincerity shone on his face, poured from his lips and overflowed his limbs. His encouragement and eagerness to enjoin good showed nothing but sincerity – sincerity to Allaah, His Messenger, His Book, His worshippers, and to the leaders of the Muslims.

Has his parting been a significant blow to this Ummah? No. His departure was in fact a blessing for this Ummah. The very spark that honoured him with martyrdom, inshaa`Allaah, that very spark ignited his name at all corners of the globe. Muslims and non-Muslims, now everyone will research on him and his work, and in his work they will find nothing but goodness. People will be guided to Islaam through his words, and the lost sheep of Islaam will return back to their flock through his words – all by the leave of Allaah.

Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi discussing the life of Sayyidunaa 'Umar, radiAllaahu 'anhu, in London

This man of course is Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi, rahimahullaah. His name resonates throughout the English-speaking World and even crossed over to the ‘Arabic. Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi was a father, a husband and a son; he was a brother to all Muslims. His passing may have left his children as orphans, but a man of his calibre knew that their provisions and their wellbeing was the affair of Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’ala. He could not have met the decree of Allaah with fear or grief.

Looking at his face, one could see the light radiating from it. His was the face of a pious man. There are some people whom the media takes advantage of their handicap or their form in which Allaah moulded them to demonize their character by publicizing pictures of them in unintended poses that may look intimidating. For Shaikh Anwar, even if they wish to demonize him in this manner, they will be unable for Allaah granted him a face ever-implementing the great Sunnah of an-Nabee ar-Rahmah (the Prophet of Mercy), sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam – the Sunnah of smiling.

His departure was a blessed one, which happened on the best day of the week – the day that Sayyidunaa Aadam was created, and the day that Sayyidunaa Aadam died. He met what was decreed for him on the day of Friday, and he met it with pleasure, for a believer of his calibre would not meet the decree of his Lord except with a smile. It is recorded in his speeches for all to hear that Shaikh Anwar al-‘Aulaqi prayed for this virtuous death, and Allaah subhaanahu wa ta’ala answered his prayer because he was sincere in his craving for that virtuous parting from this World.

It is not true, the statement that the Messenger of Allaah died and he left behind daughters. Indeed he has left behind sons and Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi was one of them.

Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi

He was a man who had no desire to gain fame, but Allaah gave it to him. He had no desire to have followers, but Allaah increased their ranks. He was not a self-publicist, documenting his own qualities and characteristics just so people would know his status; not many even knew of his academic credentials until false allegations of hate spread against him, and he humbly defended himself and dumbstruck his critics with his vast studies.

Shaikh Anwar was a man known for his ‘strong views’, and he was not afraid to be vocal about these. His enemies demonized him over the years in a bid to threaten the long reaching arms of his da’wah, to turn the believers away from him, and finally to claim false victory in the war against Islaam by utilizing his death just for a few miserly votes. This mischievous act of theirs just won them a seat in Hellfire, not that their thorny throne was not already in place for their heinous crimes against humanity. One may know the greatness of a Muslim man by the magnitude of his enemies. What does this say about Shaikh Anwar then?

The great intellectual, esteemed for true Islaamic scholarship, Shaikh Sayyid Qutb, rahimahullaah, once said:

‘Indeed our words will remain lifeless, barren, devoid of any passion, until we die as a result of these words, whereupon our words will suddenly spring to life and live on amongst the hearts that are dead, bringing them back to life as well.’

We shall certainly witness the words of Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi spring to life with his departure just as the words of Shaikh Sayyid Qutb sprang to life upon his martyrdom.

Whoever listened to a few minutes of his speech benefitted; the one who did not benefit could be none other than a disbeliever, a hypocrite or an insincere creature. Note that I am not calling all his critics disbelievers, I am only pointing out the different categories of people who are likely to have missed out on his fruitful words. No doubt though, some of his known Muslim-named critics were wolves in sheep’s clothing, continuously plotting against the goal of this `Ummah.

It is amusing to observe some of his opponents publishing their audio lectures online hoping to become half the man he was or to gain half the fame and love from the Muslims that he attained; much to their dismay they simply failed and will continue to fail, wa-lillaahi`l-hamd.

Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi teaching via video-link from his home in Yemen

A knowledgeable brother from al-`Az-har University who was teaching Seerah told his students before delving into the topic that he had never heard a presentation on Seerah comparable to the Seerah delivered by Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi whether it be in ‘Arabic or English… in ‘Arabic or English. This in fact goes for any speech he delivered; his was a great talent that brought into life of the history of the nobles, and his was the speech that gave us an unforgettable virtual tour through Jannah – his new abode, inshaa`Allaah.

His words are to be written in gold, for in any of his speech one can taste his wisdom and understanding of the topic of his lecture. His knowledge was vast, and its scope was not limited. His speech related in person to all those who sat before him – young or old, male or female. When he spoke of the notables of the past, he did not just blurt out historical facts, he taught us how to integrate their lifestyles into ours. Through his speech one often ends up learning more than the topic at hand, from Islaamic Creed to Islaamic Law to Principles of this Deen, even though he is simply talking about the biography of a notable; this was a sign of the vastness of his knowledge.

The legacy he left behind will be a source of on-going Sadaqah for him inshaa`Allaah. As more people listen and are guided by his speech, his reward with Allaah will increase. People will not abandon the legacy he left behind any time soon, alhamdulillaah.

Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi outside his Masjid, USA

The selfless love Islaam, but the selfish hate Islaam. The selfless love to die seeking to glare at the Face of their Lord, but the selfish hate to die seeking to not abandon their temporary pleasures. Similarly, the selfless love Shaikh Anwar for the sake of Allaah, and the selfish hate him for the sake of their hawa.

I am indebted to Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi. He was a teacher I never had and a brother I never knew. Yet, he was a person in this generation of people who was, without exaggeration, very dear in my heart. This legend has changed my life for good and the lives of countless others, and he will continue to do so even with this departure of his. It would be an extreme form of ingratitude to show ungratefulness to a man who has taught us to be grateful to our Creator.

A Muslim should however not fall into fanaticism regarding Shaikh Anwar. He was just a man. Just as we do not over-glorify the greatest of men, Sayyidunaa Muhammed, sallAllaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we should no doubt abandon the same for someone of a much lesser degree than him. I only say this to get it off my chest; in reality the legacy that Shaikh Anwar left behind would never commend this trap of polytheism for he condemned it well.

Shaikh Anwar al-Aulaqi was a stranger amongst strangers, but the strangers are more than just a drop in the ocean, alhamdulillaah. There are many Muslims sincere to their Religion and enriched with knowledge by the ni’mah of Allaah. They do exist. Maybe they are not as famous, but their courage and strength against falsehood is equally the same; they are not hidden, they are public in speech and actions. They subsist in our very communities calling people to Allaah openly; seek them out.

One thing I do know, before I conclude my small tribute, my children will go to sleep not hearing about the lives of the greatest of people from the voice of their father, they will go to sleep listening about them from the voice of Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi. I finish writing this with tears in my eyes, not tears of grief but of joy for Allaah lifted the soul of His beloved closer to Him. The believers are always pleased with the decree of Allaah, the good of it and the bad. May Allaah have mercy on his soul. I love this man for the sake of Allaah… May the One for Whose sake I love him, love me back. I pray that the day he meets His Creator is the best of his days. Aameen.

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• Some Tributes to Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi, rahimahullaah

A few tributes from others that I read on Islamic Awakening Forum dedicated to Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi are worth mentioning:

AbuMubarak: … through his speeches of the Lives of the Prophets and Abu Bakr and Umar and the Prophet, I learned more about them than ever before. His speeches brought them to life and put me right there with them…

Umm: … He refused to shy away from controversial issues. He was humble and sincere. I have never cried over the loss of someone from our ummah, as I did with him.

Abdur Rahman100: … These idiotic kuffar don’t realize that by killing him, he will only be more popular now, and when the future generations look back at the this time, they will not remember Yasir Qadhi and his bootlicking stances, nor will they remember the myriad of government scholars. They will remember Shaikh Anwar al Awlaki, a man who lived and died with dignity.

Abu Shawarma: … To me, his lectures were gems and I remember listening to them constantly on my ipod no matter where I was.

Wild Wild West: … His aqeedah was good, but he did not wear it on his sleeve (or CD cover).

Anonymousey: … He spoke bluntly, treading the middle path between counseling wisdom and good manners with non-Muslims, and never fearing to speak the truth about the realities of the enemies of Islam…

Scented Blood: He was is and will be the benchmark when it comes to english speakers…

Ahmad10: … It was through him that I truly came to Islam… I remember a quote from Br. Faisal – He said, in court – ‘We (Imam Anwar, etc.) are the drops of water in the flood that is about to come.’… If you wanted to see Tawheed, in it’s full conviction – you simply had to look at him. If you wanted to see the embodiment of Ikhlaas, then you simply looked at him. If you wanted to feel love for Allah (swt) and his Rasool (s) – then simply listen to him (rh). He was not just a man, he was more. He was a Mujahid, He was an Alim, he was one of the greatest Mu’mins of our time… Imam Anwar is the Ahmad bin Hanbal (r) of our generation.

Peace, Bruv: He talked the talk and walked the walk.

Intoodeep: i know al Basheer alone sold at least a staggering 250,000 sets of his talks. and for every one of those they were tons that were spread freely.

Imaam Anwar al-Aulaqi outside his Masjid, USA

Abu Idris al-Albaani: At his Masjid in Virginia, Dar Ul-Hijrah, he used to do a Tafseer class everyday after Fajr. He completed from Al-Faatiha to An-Nas.

Ibn al-Iskandar: Surely any place he left, it was bereft of some good, and any place that received him could not help but be improved by his being there- the mark of a blessed and guided Imam.

Abubakr007: … Al-hamdulilah he made me realize what true brotherhood really meant…

Khalid Assiri: Islam does not begin with individuals and neither does it end with them, rather it is under Allah’s protection.

Inspire: Never have I felt this deep sadness within at the loss of any sheikh the way I did after hearing about him.

s-b-r: He was a true man of La ilaha il Allah. A man who understood the purpose of life, a man who had true Taqwa, a man who understood the principles of Islam, he lived and died* by them.

Sabr_Shukr: … I heard about the shaykh before but I was told not to listen to him by people very close to me..but not long time ago ..I was searching for an audio on the seerah of the prophet s.a.w and I found his seerah ..listened to the first 3 audios and subhana Allah it was beautiful… after I read this thread I was happy to know that Im not the only one who benefited alot from his lectures(eventhough I just listened to 3 of his lectures)

LionofIslam: He is the Abdullah Azzam of the 21st Century.

[Source: http://forums.islamicawakening.com/f17/the-shaykh-anwar-we-knew-your-tributes-51715/%5D

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