Category Archives: I. Miscellaneous

On Death of the Shaikh!

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On the death of  Mawlana Shah Abrarul Haq (Allah have mercy on him) (died May 17th, 2005), the last surviving khalifa of Hakim al Umma, an individual inquired sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib ( Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him a lot. Ameen!) regarding the attitude to be adopted by a murid on the death of his/her Shaikh.

Shaikh replied,

“Regarding this murideen fall into two categories.
First are those who are mojaz (have permission to initiate and guide others). For them it is not essential to take another Shaikh. However, it is very beneficial and advisable to take one and not leave one’s self independent.

Second category is the rest of murideen (disciples). It is absolutely essential for them to take another Shaikh as soon as possible.

In both the cases it is wise to select the next Shaikh from the same silsila (spiritual lineage) with the similar disposition and style (hum mazaq) in approach to Tasawwuf/islah as the recently deceased Shaikh, for uninterrupted spiritual progress.”

Jeddah, 18th May, 2005

Prepare for Ramadhan

1. Ask Allah for facilitation (tawfeeq) to benefit from the blessings of Ramadan daily, from now onwards.

2. Make a firm determination to abstain from all sins. Especially those committed by the eyes, ears and tongue.

3. Try to free as much time as possible from work and other commitments for pure worship (ibadah).

4. Reschedule non essential appointments till after or before Ramadan. Finish all Ramadan and Eid shopping prior to the sighting of the crescent.

5. Make special effort to follow as many as possible Sunna in daily activities.
Learn these and memorize the adiya e masnoon (dua) for particular occasions before hand. The book “Alaikum bi sunnati”by Mawlana Abdul Hakim Sukharwi ra is a good, practical and handy resource for this.

6. Review the essential fiqh (rulings) relating to fasting, taraweeh and other Ramadan related issues from “Behishti Zewar” (Heavenly Ornaments) of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him).

7. To get motivated and organized, read the discourses of Hakeem al -Umma regarding Ramadan (Mawaiz-e-Ashrafiya volume : Barakat e Ramadan) and listen to the talks of Sayyidi wa sandi db on how to prepare for the holy month.

8. Practice the actions of the Heart. Do not do any action without a proper intention.Abstain from all the blame worthy morals. No anger, arrogance, belittling caustic remarks, etc. It is strange to abstain from otherwise halal (lawful food) and commit an act which is always haram (forbidden). Try to do most of the praise worthy moral actions. Having patience, humility, gratitude, sincerity, etc. Keep a tight grip. Do not slip here.

9. Make a practical and doable time table for daily activities.

The point to remember is that in Ramadan acts of primary form of worships (i.e. salah, dhikr, tilawat, etc.) are to be increased. These lead to an increasing direct relationship with Allah  (i.e. ta’luq ma’Allah).

The tawfiq is from Allah!

Those at loss in middle Night of Sha’ban

Our master Prophet Muhammad, (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) said,

“This is the middle Night of Sha’ban. Allah frees in it a large number of the people from (Hell) Fire, more than the number of the hairs growing on the sheep of the tribe, Kalb. But He does not even look at an individual who

– associates partners with Allah, or

– who nourishes malice in his heart (against someone), or

– who cuts off the ties of kinship (qata’ rehmi), or

– who leaves his clothes extending beyond his ankles (as a sign of pride), or

– who disobeys his parents, or

– who has a habit of drinking wine.”

Allah save us from being among these individuals. Amin!

The pleasure of intimate conversation

Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) mentioned a very important thing in his talks that affects us all. A summary of it is posted here,

The pious said that the first and foremost sign of displeasure of Allah is that the afflicted individual lose interest in supplication (dua) and presence of mind in worship.

This is because of his disobedience. And it is the displeasure and turning away of Allah’s attention from him that he does not find pleasure in the intimate conversation of dua, salah, etc.

We should check ourselves and find out if we are from the afflicted one’s. If so, then we should be vigilant in correcting our mistake, repenting and pleasing our Lord.

Wa ma tawfiqi ila billah

Abu Dhabi,UAE

الم يعلم بان الله يري

معطر روح ومنور چشم

صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم

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یا اللہ جل جلالہ

کر معطر روح کو، بوۓ محمد سے مری

اورمنور چشم کر، روۓ محمد سے مری

_______________________

صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم

آمیں

منظوم شجرہ سلسلہ چشتیہ امدادیہ اشرفیہ/مناجات مقبول

Following the Sunna

Grand Mufti of Pakistan, Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

In the presence of Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) while visiting the Holy mosque at Medinah e munawwara, I felt as though the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) is saying,

“Being nearer to me is in following my sunna. It is not in coming here.

As much you follow me the nearer you come (to me).”

Ahsan us Sawanih, page 157

Tips for personal finances

Shaikh Shah Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah have mercy on him) mentioned few principles regarding effectively balancing the personal finance,

‘First Principle:

Save some amount from your income irrespective of how low your earnings may be. The individual who spends more than his earning is stupid.

Second Principle:

Buy the essential goods in cash. Do not stay in debt.

Third Principle;

Do not spend the entire cash in hand on expectation of future earnings. This is because of futility of relying on something that is not present or guaranteed. The person who spends on expectations of future earnings becomes involved in debt and poverty.

Fourth Principle:

Protect your earnings from being wasted.  It will neither benefit you nor others.

Fifth Principle:

Be responsible for your (financial) affairs yourself. (That is, do not delegate it to others).

Sixth Principle;

Do not buy anything you do not need even if you are getting it at low price. This is because, a useless thing even if it is free is a liability.

Seventh Principle:

Plan for the future. Make sure you are prepared financially if there was any crisis.’

Tazkirah e Muslih al Ummat, page, 226-7