Spiritual seekers often complain these days about missing the daily tasbihat and recitations instructed to them. They want an easy solution.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani ( Allah preserve him) has repeatedly reminded us that there is no magical potion or incantation or amulet that the Shaikh can prescribe for this. One has to use his determination and do it.

Moreover, laxity in performance of daily wird is a sign of taking it lightly. An individual does not miss something that he considers to be important.

The daily wird provides the soul nutrition required for performance of good actions and staying away from all that is corrupting. Hence, the spiritual progress is dependent on it.

Missing it is spiritually detrimental.

The daily recitation prescribed these days (especially in Ashrafiya tariqa) are minimal. They are adjusted to each and every individual’s capacity, enthusiasm and time availability.

The following narrations shows the demeanor of the pious elders in this regards.

Shaikh Fazal ur Rehman Ganjmuradabadi writes about the daily wird of his Shaikh Shah Mohammad Afaq (Allah have mercy on them),

‘Every day he used to recite salutations (durood) on the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) 10,000 times, tahleel (kalimah e taiyaba) 50,000 time and read ten juz of Holy Quran. The recitation of these ten juz was completed in an interval of time that appeared to an unaware observer to be suitable for a single juz’s recitation. Moreover, with all the five fardh salah he used to offer salah at-tasbih.’ Tazkirah, page 198

In recent past repetition of ism e dhat (Allah!) 24,000 times a day was a normal routine for  most of the spiritual seekers.

If we can not be consistent with the minimum wird prescribed, then how can we expect for spiritual progress?

]]> http://www.ashrafiya.com/2012/02/06/missing-the-daily-wird/feed/ 1 http://www.ashrafiya.com/2012/02/03/munasbet-3/ http://www.ashrafiya.com/2012/02/03/munasbet-3/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:05:26 +0000 'abd http://www.ashrafiya.com/?p=6898 Continue reading →]]>

Shaikh Sharf-uddin Ahmed Yayha al-Muneri (d:786 Hijri/1384CE) in his search for a Shaikh visited Shaikh Nizam uddin Auliya (d:1325CE) (Allah have mercy on them) in Delhi. He was the most famous Shaikh of India at that time and people from all over the Islamic world came to benefit from him. He was known as Mehboob-e-Ilahi, the beloved of Allah. However, Shaikh al-Muneri did not find munasbet with this great wali and continued his search.

Eventually he found munasbet with a less famous al Suharwardi-al Kubrawi Shaikh Najib-uddin al-Firdausi (Allah have mercy on him) and became his disciple.

Maktubaat e Sadi: Introduction

It is from the basic principles of the tariq that munasbet with Shaikh is essential for spiritual benefit.

A common mistake is to overlook this principle and be hasty, go for famous Shuyukh and give in to peer-pressure.

Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Rafi’ Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,

‘It must be explicitly clear that Islam is not merely a religion.

This is especially so as the religion is defined as a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.

Islam is a Dīn.  That is, religion PLUS a complete way of life. It provides guidance for each and every aspect of human life.

The Holy Quran and the blessed sayings of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace)  repeatedly mention that Islam is a Dīn and not merely a religion (madhab).

‘Today, I have perfected your Dīn (religion and a way of life) for you, and have completed My blessing upon you, and chosen Islam as Dīn (religion and a way of life) for you.[5:3]

‘Whoever seeks a Dīn (religion and a way of life) other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the losers. [3:85]

Struggle for (seeking the pleasure of) Allah, a struggle that is owed to Him. He has chosen you and did not impose any hardship on you in the Dīn, the  faith (religion and a way) of life of your father Ibrāhīm. He (Allah) named you as Muslims earlier and also in this (Qur’ān), so that the Messenger becomes a witness to you, and you become witnesses to (other) people. So establish Salāh, pay Zakāh and hold fast to Allah. He is your patron. So, how excellent He is as a patron, and how excellent as a supporter![22:78]

Dīn is the exact correlate of Shari’a.

Therefore we as a Muslim have to live a life following the ways prescribed by Shari’a.

Shari’a rulings have been categorized in five subsections,

1. The article of belief (‘aqaid),

2. The methods of worship (‘ibadaat),

3. The social dealings (ma’asherat),

4. The financial & business dealings (ma’amlaat) and

5. The moral values (‘ikhlaqiyat, including siyasah).

To be a true Muslim we have to follow all these rulings in our life.’

Qari Rafeeq’s residence, Safa distt, Jeddah, bayan after maghrib, 20th January 2012

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) was approached by two scholars who requested for permission to narrate the Prophetic sayings (sanad e hadith). Both were graduates of Nadwat ul Ulama, Lucknow. They had brought the canonical books of the blessed Prophetic sayings (Hadith) with them and wanted to recite the initial hadith from all of them and then get the permission.

Hadhrat sayyid wa sandi told them that it is better to start with hadith musalsal bil awaliya. He narrated it to them through his Shuyukh, particularly Shaikh Hasan Mashat al-Maliki, al-Makki and Shaikh Yaseen Fadani (Allah have mercy on them):

The Prophet (Allah bless and give him peace) said, “The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful, تبارك و تعالى. Be merciful to those on earth and the Lord of the Heavens will be merciful to you.”

Then they read the first hadith from each of the Hadith text. Sayyidi corrected their reading for any mispronunciations. When they read from Musnad e Ahmad he clarified that he has ijaza of it by permission and not via studying it with a Shaykh (darsan).

Afterwards they requested for some advice.

Sayyidi wa sanadi pointed out to them that traditionally the first lesson a student of Islamic sciences gets from his teacher is this Prophetic saying, musalsal bil awaliya.

Why is it like this?

The authors’ of the books of hadith have initiated their works by various different Prophetic sayings, as you read earlier in this session.

Imam Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) considering the utmost importance of sincerity started with rectifying the ‘intention’: “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.

Imam Muslim (Allah have mercy on him) started with the basic believes: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don’t see Him, He, verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion.

Whereas the authors of Sunan (Allah have mercy on them started with cleanliness and purity (tahara).

Imam Malik (Allah have mercy on him) thinking that the rulings of tahara will only be applied when the time of salah arrives started Muwatta with the timimgs of the prayers: Don’t you know that the angel Jibril came down and prayed and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed.’ Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then Jibril said, ‘This is what you have been ordered to do.

The reason to select this specific hadith is, most likely, to remind us that Allah’s attribute of mercy predominates and surpasses His attribute of wrath. The Holy Quran starts with ‘With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful’[1:1]. Then comes,’Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds [1:2] the All-Merciful, the Very Merciful[1:3].

The message that is being conveyed here to the novice student of Deen is that the characteristic of mercy should predominate in your character. This should be the moto of your life. Be merciful to all the humans on the face of the Earth, including the Muslims and the Non-Muslims. However, the modes and manifestation of this mercy may differ for each of them.

We should be merciful even to Non-Muslims. This means that we should have a burning desire in our heart that Allah guides them to truth. And they receive salvation, enter Paradise and are saved from Hell-fire. We should invite them to Islam with love and compassion.

We restrict this mercy to Muslims alone. However, in reality it should be on Non-Muslims to.  The hatred is not for any Non-Muslim individual but for his devious beliefs (kufr & shirk). As person we should have compassion for him like we have for a person afflicted with a disease.

Hence, the reason why our pious predecessor teachers selected this hadith for the very first lesson was to sow the seed of mercy in an aspirants heart. To make him realize its importance so that he becomes a manifestation of this mercy for the whole mankind.  Following our Master the ‘Mercy to the universe’ (rehmatul-il-’alameen) Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) he brings the creation closer to Allah.

May Allah make us understand this fully and facilitate acting according to it. Amin!’

Qari Rafiq’s residence, Jeddah, al-Safa distt. 14th January 2012, after maghrib

___________________________________________________________________________________

Mention was made of a pious Shaikh who had become independent paying absolute regards to his personal opinions (zauq/dhauq)* and looking down on others who dared to differ.

An individual inquired,

‘I feel extremely anxious about this incident. It seems very dangerous. How can a person who had several years of islahi relationship fall like this? What can I do to safeguard myself from such disaster?’

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied,

‘It is good to be afraid. Anticipation of such calamity makes you more careful.

Never ever consider yourself to be anything.

Giving absolute preference to these personal (zauqi/dhauqi) opinions is sign of arrogance. Stay away from it.

Always consider yourself to be insignificant and remain under the close supervision of a pious Elder (Shaikh).

I heard multiple times from my respected father (Mufti Mohammad Shafi’, Allah have mercy on him) an individual who becomes independent (bi-dhzat) actually becomes absolutely corrupt (bad-dhzat).

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) used to say that one should always keep himself under the supervision of senior pious Shaikh. However, when they are no more such individuals available than he should seek mentor-ship from the contemporary pious and eventually when they also cease to exist then one should not be ashamed to seek council from those who appear to be junior to himself. For only Allah knows in reality who is a senior or a junior (in level of proximity, piety, etc) .’

Walking towards Makkah Tower #2 from Bab Abdul Aziz, 3rd January 2012 after esha.

*Those issue which are controversial between the pious scholars. Some scholars consider them permissible whereas others advice to stay away from them.

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A wife complained regarding her husband’s strictness in implementing Shariah at home. This individual has a very close islahi relationship with another contemporary Shaikh.

Sayyid wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied that it will be grossly incorrect for him to interfere in this matter. He also elaborated that it has to be acknowledged that there is the issue of congeniality (munasbet).

(Some individuals have  it with a Shaikh who appears to be extremely strict, blunt and cantankerous to others. Yet some people have no problem with him and benefit from him spiritually.)

It is inappropriate to chastise him for something (permissible) his Shaikh recommends.’

Makkah e muramah, 6th Safar 1433/1st Jan 2012

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) instructed a seeker,

‘A little determination is required to stay away from all that is sinful. In addition, sit and recite daily with contemplation hundred times ‘Allah’ ‘Allah’. Do this in spite of not having the desire to do so.

…….

I have a strict criteria (in instructing those aspiring spiritual progress)  to stay away from all that is sinful.

Holding one’s self from indulgence in sinful is the most undesired (yet most beneficial) of all the spiritual struggles and exercises for the lower self (nafs).’

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 3, page 1026

Shaikh Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘An incident from the life of Shaikh Ibrahim bin Adham (Allah have mercy on him) is mentioned in books. The Shaikh said,’ One night I overslept and missed my wird. This disturbed me a lot and I became agitated. This was because in those days I was from the individuals who have faith in their effort and see them (as their own achievement). In its retribution,due to oversleeping, I missed few essential (fardh) religious duties.

I became extremely anxious and cried asking Allah, ‘What is this happening? Having surpassed omission of supererogatory (nafil)  actions now I am missing the essential ones.’

Instantaneously I heard a voice from within,

O Ibrahim! Become Our slave (abd).

By doing so you will find spiritual serenity.

(This means to abandon your own determination and choices and act as per Our decree and guidance). When We make you to oversleep then sleep. And when We command you to get up then rise. Between these two extremes you have no choice of your own.’

Talifaat e Muslih al-Ummat ra, volume 2, page 20

Shaikh Dr Hafeezullah Sukkharwi/Madni (Allah have mercy on him) wrote to a senior seeker (most likely a colleague),

‘Pas anfas is a spiritual exercise (shugal). It is recommended for the novice (mubtadi) or intermediate (mutawaset) seeker until the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) is deeply established within him. Once the dhikr has permeated and established then there is no need for these spiritual exercises.

All praise is for Allah. The dhikr has permeated within you. In my lowly opinion there is no need for you to indulge in these exercises.

The permeation and establishment of remembrance (dhikr) means that with slightest effort and concentration the heart turns towards Allah and becomes involved  (in His remembrance or following of His commandments).

Hakim al-Umma Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) has given an example to illustrate this. That is, a teacher who has been teaching for a period of time develops such an expertise in that subject that whenever he is teaching it all the matters related to it are within his mind and grasp. However, this is not the case when he is teaching another subject.

Moreover, Hakim al-Umma (Allah have mercy on him) said that even this permeation and establishment (of dikr) is also a state (haal). The real goal (maqam) of this permeation and establishment of dhikr is to act appropriately when the time of action comes.

Allah praise is for Allah. You are blessed with all these treasures. Continue at your pace on the path Hakim al-Umma and Shaikh Mufti (Mohammad Hassan) (Allah have mercy on them) have placed you. It is thoroughly adequate and beneficial.

In how many things can we emulate others (Sufi orders & their techniques)?

Every flower has a different color and unique smell.

Moreover, the paths to the relationship with Allah are as numerous as the number of breaths of all the creatures.’

Gulistan e dil, page 16

Shaikh Shah Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah Have mercy on him) said,

‘An individual who has established a relationship with Allah also develops a bond with the (contemporary) pious Masters and their disciples, Therefore, they are now called brethren in the Path (of Tasawwuf)  (ikhwan at tareeq).

However, if (in practical life) they do not have unity and mutual compassion then how could they be brothers? They are acting like enemies.Then how could they be called ikhwan at tareeq?

(If this is happening) Then it can be deduced that these individuals are not on the Path. It is only a ritual and a symbol they are following (without any reality). This is because, if they were to be on the Path then its essential effects must have manifested in their life (i.e. bond with Allah and His creation). The absence of the desired result proves the futility of the principles involved itself.’

Halaat e Mulih al-Ummat ra, volume 3, page 419