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

Love of Messenger صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم

تعصی الرسول وانت تظھرحبھ
ھذا العمری فی الفعال بدیع
لو کان حبک صادقا لاطعتھ
ان المحب لمن یحب مطیع
(ابن مبارک رح)
You disobey the Messenger صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم and claim to love him,
I swear by my life, this thing is impossible,
If you were true in your claim, you would have obeyed him,
For indeed, a lover obeys the one [...]

Levels of following Sunna

 
Shaykh Sayyid Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Shaykh Mujaddid Alif Thani (Allah have mercy on him) has described seven levels of following the Sunna. (It is in his  maktubat, letter number 54, volume 2).
What the general public and scholars of the outward (ashab e zawahir)consider following of the Sunna is the very first [...]

Following Sunna:Fana fi Rasul

Shaykh Fazlur-Rehman Ganjmuradabadi (Allah have mercy on him) replied to a question regarding this,
‘When the following of Sunna beomes an instinct then it is the condition of annihilation in the blessed Prophet (Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him), i.e. fana fi Rasul.’
Mahnama Tamir e ifkar, eshaet khas bayad Shaykh Syed Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah [...]

Teaching by example

Sayyidi wa sanadiShaykh Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) is in the blessed Medinah these days.
With the Saudi school mid year vacations there is a huge crowd of pilgrims.
Going for the Friday prayers an individual inquired the Shaykh where could he find him in the Haram.  The Shaykh replied that  usually he tries to be in the first row [...]

The daily wird & Sunna!

Stepping out of Masjid al-Haram, Makkah sayyidi wa sanadi  Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied to an individual’s question regarding the daily wird,
‘Keep the amount of the daily wird at the level which you can complete easily.  However, if on some day you have extra time and desire then go ahead and [...]

Love of the Prophet: Following his example!

Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on him) (d.1132 Hijri) said,
And know that the loftiest of models, the most noble and the greatest and the most binding to all Muslims is the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace: verily he is by unanimous agreement the Greatest Exemplar.
And [...]

Useful Counsel

Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on him) said,
Scrupulously avoid every prohibited thing, whether it be significant or not.
Among the mortal sins which necessarily lead one to the (Hell) Fire are magic, murdering the life which Allah has rendered sacrosanct except in the course of justice, adultery, fornication, homosexuality, the drinking of wine and [...]

Dua requested

Shaykh-al-’Arab wa -al-’Ajam ‘Arif Billah Hazrat Mawlana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahib (Allah preserve him) is very ill. Hazratwala (DB) is in critical condition for the last few days.
Please, make supplication (dua) for complete recovery with ‘afiyet.
JazakAllah!

Change for better!

Advicing a couple going through a tough marital conflict sayyidi wa sanadi 
Mawlana Mohammmad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“You both need to change for better.
Do not be discouraged by past experiences.
Consider that you are starting a new life together again from scratch.
Pay close attention to each other’s rights and your own obligations.
Keep the envoirnment at home relaxed,  pleasant [...]

Companionship to be avoided

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 [...]

Results of involvement in useless activities

Shaykh Mawlana Karamat Ali Jaunpuri (Allah have mercy on him) said,
This lowly speaker has experienced it well that when an individual is engrossed in useless activities his/her previous piety wanes away. Therefore, one should repent immediately if he/she becomes involved in anything useless and not return to that activity again.
Irshad us Salikeen/Aqwal e Sufiya, page [...]

Buhtan

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 [...]

Beware of negligence

Masih al-quloob Mawlana Masihullah Khan (Allah have mercy on him) said,
Stay among people, but remain aloof.
Your body should be among creation, but your heart with the Creator. This will ensure that negligence does not overtake you. Beware of such negligence lest you conform with people in a way which entails opposition to Allah and His [...]

بدعت

حضرت مولانا مفتی محمود اشرف عثمانی مدظلہ فرماتے ہیں
 

البلاغ 12/1430

The hierarchy

Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Whenever, I make prayer for forgiveness and send reward of meritorious deeds I start with my parents. Then I include my forefathers from both paternal and maternal side. After them for my teachers and Shuyukh. Then for my household members and relatives. And finally for [...]