Teachings of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi & his spiritual successors, particularly 'Arifbillah Dr 'Abdul Hayy 'Arifi (may Allah bless them) and Sayyidi Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) regarding Tasawwuf
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“A seeker should never consider himself to have attained the goal (wasil). This is because in reality there is no end to this journey (sulook).”
‘Irfan e Hafiz, At-Takashuf, page 118
Responding to a disciple’s inquiry regarding which Shaykh’s weekly gathering (majlis) to attend in Jeddah, Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Shaykh Mansur Ali Khan is the most appropriate person for this.
He used to visit my father Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) very regularly in his youth. Afterwards he had a formal [...]
Hadhrat Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her daughter at the time of her marriage:
“You are going to spend such a life where you shall have to live long and you are going to the bed of such a person who you have no acquaintance. You are going to love one with whom you [...]
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in regards to tajweed, that is, reading the holy Quran with correct pronunciation,
“It is essential (wajib) to make effort in this. Being careless and lazy in it is a sin.”
Bahishti Zewar
Reading Quran al-Karim without proper pronunciation changes the meaning of the text.
Qari Mohammad Rafiq, [...]
A senior spiritual aspirant wrote,
‘Most of the time I am attentive (of Allah). However, a doubt pesters me all the time. That is, with this attention (towards Allah) spontaneouly my thoughts are directed (upwards) towards the sky. I understand that I am exempted for such an unintentional thought, but its presence bothers me. May be it is from [...]
A sincere brother emailed:
“I would like to know if I could begin practicing this dowazdah tasbih without becoming a murid immediately? Does one need permission [ijaza] to start this dhikr?
As per the teachings of Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) the following response was send to him,
You do not have to be a murid [...]
محال است سعدی کہ راہ صفا
تواں رفت جز درپئے مصطفی
علیہ و علی الہ الصلوات و التسلیمات و براکات
A sincere seeker asked,
“I would also like to know if I can do the five tasbeehats mentioned in the “Excessive Remembrance/Dhikr 1” without a Shaykh’s permission (ijaza)?”
As per the teaching of Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) following answer was given,
‘Certainly you can do them.
As a general principle, specific permission is not needed [...]
Sayyidi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani said,
My Shaykh Dr. ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to tell us that anyone claiming to love Allah can not be truthful is his claim unless he loves His creation also.
It is as if Allah says that how is it possible for you to love Me? If you [...]
Our master Hasan [ibn 'Ali] (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
“Never listen to music no matter what rank you have attained.”
Guidance and Admonition: The Path to Perfection, page 129
چومیگویم مسلمانم بلرزم
کہ دانم مشکلات لا الہ
Hadhrat Hakim a-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes that according to the legal verdict (fatwa)of the people of this path (tareeq)
كل حقيقة ردتهاالشريعة فهى زندقة
That is, any ‘reality’:esoteric information (haqiqa) that contravenes the Shariah is a misguidance.
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 1127
To facilitate the search for the sheikh, few names are being listed below.
All of them are from Ashrafiya-silsila.
It is vital to remember all that has been said before in this regards and visit/revisit/correspond with these individuals, do istikhara & istishara (consultation with the Allah SWT & wise men) before making the final desicion.
Mutual munasbet is a must!
1. Sheikhul [...]
Hadhrat Mawlana Abdul Ghani Phulpuri a very senior khalifa of Hakim al-Umma (may Allah have mercy on them) mentions the following first and foremost in the list of essentials for a salik,
“Following the Sunna, both in exoteric (dhahiri) and esoteric (batini) matters. ”
Usool e tasawwuf, page 15
یہ شہادت گہہ الفت میں قدم رکھنا ہے
لوگ آسان سمجھتے ہیں مسلماں ہونا
اقبال رح
