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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) has repeatedly told us,
‘It must be remembered that these gatherings are not lectures and preaching sessions. The discussion here is to improve our spiritual condition. The first and foremost addressee is my own self.
Please, be attentive of this fact and have this intention of improving yourself. Otherwise it is a waste of time, energy and resources.’
Shaykh Mansur Ali Khan (Allah preserve him) said,
‘Every week we gather here to listen to religious discussion. It is imperative that we have a clear objective regarding these gatherings.
These are not lectures of formal religious education. These are training sessions (tarbiyeti) for the spiritual aspirants (salikeen).
Their objectives are, to
1. Create and nurture love of Allah and His beloved Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in our hearts.
2. Develop the habit of turning (ruju’) to Allah in all circumstances via supplication (dua).
3. Emulating the Sunna method of doing things in every aspect of life.
4. Becoming cognizant of here-after and accountability for one’s deeds.
It is essential to have these goals in mind. It makes the journey easier by keeping you on the track and retuning to it if you slip.’
Sunday majlis, Jeddah, 3rd July 2010
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) advised a murid;
“Do physical exercise/workout daily.
Perform it, irrespective of the kind it may be or for how long you do it.
This is an obligation on you for (maintaining the physical well being of) your body.”
Malfoozat; Kebriyet e Ahmer,by Dr Syed Abdul Qadir Ahmer sahib db, page 11, # 47
Points to bear in mind for the daily routine (wird) of a novice seeker.
Go slow and easy initially.
Do not exhaust yourself by fixing a routine that is beyond your limits. (Inform the Shaykh upfront of your limitations).
Make lot of prayers (dua) for ease, guidance and acceptance from Allah in this regards.
Also, it must be remembered that all these things are supererogatory (nafil). They provide assistance in fulfilling the essential actions (wajibat) to gain Allah’s pleasure. The most important of which is to abstain from all that is impermissible (sins).
Also, your duties as a sonْ/daughter, brother/sister, spouse, parent, employee at work, or student in college have priority over all these nafil activities. This means that when there is a clash between these two kind of activities precedence in given to the wajib. If there is no clash then it is highly recommended to do them diligently.
Min ifadat e murshidi
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘My respected teacher Mawlana Yaqub Nanotawi (Allah have mercy on him) used to advice the seekers that they should end their routine activities (wird, tilawat, tasbihat, readings, etc.) before they loose complete interest in them. Leaving a desire to still do more. If they do not do this they will have a burnout (experience of long-term exhaustion and diminished interest) eventually.
Allah save us all form this.
To make it easier to understand he gave the example of yo-yo (Urdu:chakai/chukdor). The tip for successful play is to pull the string before it unwinds completely. If it were to unwind totally the yo-yo spool will never return and just dangle there aimlessly.
Similar is the tip for a salik (and the instructing murshid) to keep the flame of interest and desire burning.
Undertaking too much, too quickly with drastic lifestyle changes over a short period of time is usually spiritually unhealthy.
The natural spiritual growth is slow, continuous and imperceptible process. Just like the physical development. Years and decades are required to reach and manifest the signs of spiritual puberty and maturity.
A perfect murshid (Shaykh-e-kamil) is needed for this reason.
(Paraphrased. Malfuz reported in Majalis e Hakim al-Ummat ra, and repeated many times by sayyidi wa sanadi wa murshidi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) in his discourses.)
