Monthly Archives: March 2009

Tips to Alleviate Hardships

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Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Actions that diminish sufferings and hardships include:
– Recalling your transgressions (sin)
– Reminding yourself of the reward/compensation on hardships
– Reflecting that in hardship there is test of  faith(’eman). That is, it analyzes if there is faith present or not.
– Remembering, it causes a state of overwhelming slave-hood (abdiyat). The dirt of self-assertion, arrogance and pride is cleansed. The reality of one’s being is revealed and the person realizes not to make any boastful claims.
– Bringing to mind that it causes one to perceive the supremacy and grandeur of Allah’s actions and one’s own feebleness.

Hence, hardships result in increasing slave hood(abdiyat).
And the abdiyat is a very distinguished state (maqam).”

Ma’asir Hakeemul Ummat, page 390-1

North Myrtle Beach, SC

Reading Dalail al Khayrat

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Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“People request permission (ijaza) for reciting ‘Dalail al Khayrat’ from the piously elders (shuyukh). There is faulty intention in doing so. They beleive that reciting it without permission will be without any blessings (baraka). Most likely, the system of acquiring permission was initially developed to make sure that the wordings of the text were correctly transmitted. While giving the permission the Shaykh used to listen to the recitation and made any corrections needed.

In fact, the text that is worthy of being recited from the pulpit what has it to do with this intimate secrecy (of considering it essential to acquire an individual permission for its recitation).

If someone ask’s me regarding the recitation of ‘Dalail al Khayrat’, I tell him to (recite, but) leave the recitation of the statements that say, The Prophet said (قال النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم). This is because few of the Prophetic sayings (hadith) in it are fabricated (موضوع). Apart from this, its subject matter is completely accurate.”

Majmua e malfuzat: al-Kalam al-Hasan, 106

Errors to Avoid in Dua!

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Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in the preface of the book Munajat-e-maqbool,

“In case of dua (supplication) few errors are taking place. That are;

1. To supplicate (dua) only when faced by an adversity.

2. And on these occasions instead of using the supplications told to us by Allah and holy Prophet (Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him), we go for new and innovative litanies (wazaaif).

3. To supplicate without true yearning, devotion and concentration.

4. To lack the conviction and aspiration that the supplication will be accepted for sure.

5. To make haste and expect immediate response.

If there is delay in its acceptance to be disheartened and abandon making dua.”

Munajat-e-maqbool, page 3-4

Kissimmee, FL

Two Steps to Success

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said:

Two things are always to be done actively in every endeavor.

Firstly take the initiative and start working and secondly beseech Allah for its successful completion.

These two things are to be done for all things during your whole life and inshaAllah, you will succeed.

My Shaykh (Arifbillah Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi ra) used to tell us, “Talk to Allah”.

Tell Him, “O Allah! I was involved in all these bad deeds, now I have taken the step to reform. Some of the sins I gave up but giving up the rest of them is becoming difficult for me due to the overpowering by my lower-self (nafs), shaytan, environment and my circumstances.

You alone can remove these overwhelming factors. It is not within my capability to do so. O Allah! Please, remove these crushing obstacles or else do not reprimand me in hereafter regarding them.”

Talk to Allah like this. Then you will find out how things work up for the best and how you are saved from the sins by Allah.

(Help comes after initiating the action: Islahi Khutbat 139-141/volume 11)

Kissimmee, FL

Goal:Maqamaat not Ahwal

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Hakim al-Umma Sahykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“Goal and objective are the maqamaat [stations: i.e. acquiring patience (saber), thankfulness (shukur), sincerity (ikhlas), etc. and getting rid of envy, arrogance, anger, etc.] and not the ahwal (temporary overwhelming emotional states).

This is because the former are voluntary (can be acquired by one’s effort) and the latter are involuntary (occur sponateously irrespective of one’s effort).”

Malfuzat

Rockville, MD/Washington DC

Intention in religious discussion

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My respected father Cdr. Shaukat Kamal (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

‘Every friday I gather my family after asr salah and discuss religious matters with them. I am using your books and (Hakim al-Umma’s) Bahishti zewar for assistance. I feel that this activity is most beneficial for myself.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) replied,

‘The real intention (in these sort of activities) should be self benefit, indeed.’

Walid sahib kay Islahi khutoot, page 10

Lustful glances

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Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

Nothing happens without determination.
The real treatment to prevent lustful glances is to think at that moment:

“Allah SWT is watching me now and on the Day of Judgment I will be questioned regarding this. And if Allah SWT condemns me for punishment what will happen of me?”

By recalling this repeatedly again and again one will attain success.

Therefore, make strong determination.
This is the only treatment.

Initially for few days there will be some hardship indeed, but eventually, inshaAllah, it will become a habit. And then the gratification and peace you find in it can only be imagined of.

(Basair-e-Hakeemul-e-Ummat, page 369)

Sins: Dreadful

Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah ahve mercy on him) said:

Committing a sin is a very wretched, ghastly and fatal thing.
It is essential to abstain from it completely.
That very moment when a slave in acting against his Lord’s command, is a very ominous and detesting. If he had the capabilities for differentiating between various feelings, he could have felt the darkening effect of sin.

Some wrong actions have the effect of causing the capability of performing good works in future to be taken away. This is a thing to be dreaded.

Another effect of sin is that the individuals under your command start disobeying your instructions.

The worst effect of committing sin is that due to the casual and careless attitude (of a sinner) a minor (saghirah) sin leads to a major (kabirah) sin and eventually to rejecting the truth (kufr).

Thus an individual should never become carefree after committing a sin. He should repent and make amendments.

Basa’ir-e-Hakeemul Ummat 532