Monthly Archives: December 2007

Allah’s proximity explained

In the exegesis of the verse,

نحن اقرب اليه من حبل الوريد 50-29

Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“According to the Honorable Sufis, here the term qurb (closeness) goes beyond the concept of nearness  in terms of knowledge. It is a special type of ittisal (contact or bond or relationship between Allah and His creation, including man who is placed at the center of this wonderful universe), the reality and nature of which is not known to anyone but it does necessarily exists  bila kaif, ‘without how’ or ‘indescribably’.

Various Quranic verses and authentic Prophetic Traditions bear ample testimony to this fact.  For example,  Quran commands, وسجدو اقترب  (bow down in sijdah and come closer…Al-‘Alaq:18).  This is just like what Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is reported to have said: “The closest that a servat can be to his Lord is when he in prostration. Therefore, make abundant supplication (i.e. while in prostration).” Another Tradition reports the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “When My servant performs  supererogatory prayers, he attains proximity to Me.” On the occassion of migration to Madinah, the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told Sayyidina Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him),ان الله معنا, “Allah is with us.” (9:40) Holy Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) told the children of Israel, ان معى ربى, “My Lord is with me”. (26:62)

This qurb (nearness or proximity to Allah), which a man attains though the observance of obligatory and supererogatory works and through his effort is reserved exclusively for a believer. Such believer are called awliya’ullah (the friends of Allah: they are those whom Allah has chosen to be His friends). This special bond with Allah is different from general relationship with Allah and man,whether believer or non-believer.

In brief ,the above verses and narrations bear testimony to the fact that man has a special type of proximity to his Creator and Master though its reality and nature cannot be perceived. Maulana Rumi (may Allah have mercy on him) has versified this concept thus,

اتصالے بے مثال و بے قیاس

 ہست رب الناس را با جان ناس

The Lord of the people has a special contact with the people,

which is beyond one’s perception and has no other example.

This nearness and proximity can not be perceived by the ordinay sensation of physical sight but is recognized through farasah of iman (perspicacity through faith).”

Ma’arif ul Quran (English), volume 8, page 157

فنا

میل من سوے وصال و قصد او سوے فراق

ترک کام خود گرفتم تا برآید کام دوست

 حافظ شیرازی رح

Allah’s proximity

1555213989_6bcf6902eb_m.jpg Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) writes,

و قال في ايات اخر, و كان الله بكل شئ محيطا و ان ربى بما يعملون محيط و ان ربك احاط باالناس و احاط بما لديهم

All of these verses verify the truth of the statement of those scholars and sufis who said that Allah is everywhere; however, we are not aware of the exact nature (kayfiyet) of this encompassment.  These people acknowledge this encompassment in person (dhatiyah), not the encompassment by attributes (sifatiyah) only, as the people of outward knowledge (ahle dhahir) admit.

Taied al-haqiqah bil Ayat al-‘atiqah. Book on margins (hashiya) of Haqiqat at-Tariqa, At-takashuf, page 256

Observing the law

Last week Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) visited Jeddah for one day to attend an Islamic finance seminar.

He was on a business visa which expilictly forbade performance of Umrah and Haj. Giving due respect to this absurd restriction he did not perform Umrah and only visited the Haram Shareef to pray fajr salah and make tawaf.

Shaykh is quite particular about these kinds of laws and restrictions. He considers them to be a part of religious injunction to fulfill the rules and regulations made by the authorities in-charge. He takes them very seriously and expects that the murids also do the same.

Shaykh is also particular about the five year rule for Hajj and tasrih. That is, a person should not perform another Haj before a five years interval. This applies to all Mulisms, both living in Saudi Arabia and abroad. In addition, those living in Saudi Arabia have to get an authentic Haj permission certificate (tasrih) from the concerned authorities prior to Haj.