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
An individual asked that the pious usually instruct their disciples to develop determination (himmat) for doing good deeds and abstaining from sinful acts. What is the method to develop this determination?
Hakim al-Umma’s khalifa Shaykh Mawlana Khair Mohammad Jalandhari (Allah have mercy on them) replied,
‘The heartfelt acknowledgment of the significance and the importance of a matter [...]
Sidi Ahmad Zarruq al-Barnusi al-Fasi (Allah have mercy on him) [1442 – 1493 CE] said,
I have also seen that the seekers of this age are afflicted with five things:
1.The preference of ignorance over knowledge
2. Being deluded by every spiritual impostor
3. The inability to prioritize important matters
4. Using the spiritual path as a means to inflate [...]
Shaykh Shah Wasiullah (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘For successful spiritual graduation it is essential that an individual is aware of his/her deficiencies.
Remember, for a person who has acknowledged his short comings there remains no barrier in proceeding towards success . (That is, by effectively correcting these faults).’
Shaykhain, page 36
Shaykh-e-kamil Arifbillah Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) said;
“The companionships (suhba) that do not make one remember Allah or His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), reflect on one’s own debilitated condition and perceive one’s filthy inner-self and lead to increased involvement in dispensable (ghair-maqsood) and increasing desire of [...]
Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
’Attributing a statement or an action to any individual, especially a believer (momin) without an explicit proof as per the ruling of Shariah is the clear sin of false allegation (buhtan) . This is especially so if this is in relation to a an esoteric [...]
Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Allah have mercy on him) said the following addressing the students of Medina (al-munawwarah) University,
‘A scholar should be more pious and congnizant (of Allah).
Being excessively involved in contraversial issues makes one negligent of his/her own personal improvement.
Focus more on practice of issues that are held unanimous. For example, khushu in salah. Do [...]
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him a lot. Ameen!) gives the following invaluable advice to those interested in classic Sufi works:
“A point never to be forgotten when reading the books of venerable Sufi masters is that the things to acquire from them are;
- the [...]
Commenting on verse 29 of surah al-Hud (And, O my people, I do not demand from you any wealth for it) Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said: “Shuyukh should adopt the same demeanor.
Seeking monetary gain is one of the strongest impediments in imparting religious instructions. In my opinion, it [...]
Arif-billah Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘People often complain that there is no free time and no tranquility in life because of the increasing commitments (at offices and businesses).
I ask them,
If you get this free time and opportunity what are you going to do with it? Have you ever thought about [...]
Mawlana Abul Hasan Ali Nadawi wrote the following regarding his first Shaykh Mawlana Ahmad Ali Lahori (Allah have mercy on them),
‘Being in Mawlana’s company created, in the least, a yearning to seek Allah, the sweetness of [uttering] Allah’s name, a love for the people of Allah, recognition of my own deficiency and the need for [...]
Sayyidi wa sanadiMawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him a lot. Ameen!) said:
“If someone drank alcohol, he can repent by asking forgiveness from Allah.
If he commits zina (adultery), he can repent by asking forgiveness from Allah.
If he were to eat pork, he can repent by asking Allah’s forgiveness.
BUT,
if [...]
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said something smilar to the following in one of his discourses,
The minimum benefits of maintaining regular correspondence with a Shaykh ( in form of islahi-ta’luq) is that it makes an individual a cognizant sinner (baydar gunahgar).
That is, if God-forbid he commits a sin he will [...]
Mawlana Wasiullah Allah have mercy on him) said;
“Three things are the sum up of Tasawwuf;
1. Shunning the heedlessness (ghaflah),
2. Getting rid of blame worthy moral traits (razail/muhlekat e nafs). (For example: anger, arrogance, envy, hatred, etc)
3. Being on alert of the various in coming thoughts/ideas (that may be either useless or leading to transgression).”
Halaat e Muslehul Ummat [...]
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said commenting on the verse 4 of surah al-Mumtahana:
There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people: “We are clear of you and of whatever ye worship besides Allah. We have rejected [...]
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “That person who taunts and ridicules his Muslim brother over a sin from which he has repented, will not die until he himself commits that same sin.” For example, you come to know [...]
