Category Archives: K. Fiqh

Tasawwuf is totally subservient to Quran and Sunna

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

‘I have made it essential to include in my speech and writings (about the path) the sayings of the scholars of the Divine law and Prophetic traditions ( that is, fuqaha and muhaditheen). This is in order to save Tasawwuf from becoming an independent discipline itself and to keep it totally subservient to Quran and Sunna.

I am observing that in this era people want to make it an independent discipline. I consider this to be the source of (religious) calamities.

Therefore, in addition to my writings  I start my speeches with quotations from Quran and Sunna. Then to support them further  I mention the stories of pious precedent saints and their sayings. And this is the way Hakim al-Umma (Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi, Allah have mercy on him)  did in his book ‘Masail e Sulook’.

………..

This approach has benefited me a lot and I hope that it will be beneficial for others to. The first benefit will be the awareness of knowledge of Quran and Sunna. Also, when it will be firmly established in minds that the real obedience is is that of the Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) the desire to traverse the path in accordance with Sunna will develop. The blessings (barakah) of this mode will be axiomatic.  Finally, knowledge of those things that are against Sunna and have crept into Tasawwuf will be acquired. This will save the masses from massive misguidance.’

Halaat e Muslih al-ummat ra, volume 3, page 319

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) has this same style.  In his weekly discourses for the seekers of islah he has given dars of Prophetic traditions from Riyadh us Saliheen of Imam Nawawi, Adabul Mufrad of Imam Bukhari, Kitab uz Zuhd of Imam Ibn al-Mubarak, Tasharuf of Hakim al-Ummat (Allah have mercy on all of them). MashaAllah!

عبدیت/Servitude-1

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The beloved Prophet Mohammed (Allah bless him and give him peace) is the absolute personification of humanly perfections. An epitome for all pious individuals (especially the sufiyah). There can be no superior action or state than that held by him (Allah bless him and give him peace). That is, his way (sunna), both in exoteric (dhahiri) and esoteric (batini) spheres of life.

This is a basic fundamental  of our tasawwuf.

The most outstanding characteristic of our beloved Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) is his servitude (عبدیت).

Mentioning one of the supreme gifts bestowed on him; the heavenly journey of al-Isra wal-Me’raj Allah mentions him with this characteristic (bi-’abdhi):

Glorious is He Who made his servant travel by night from Al-Masjid-ul-Harām to Al-Masjid-ul-AqSā whose environs We have blessed, so that We let him see some of Our signs. Surely, He is the All-Hearing, the All- Seeing. [17:1]

What are the signs and symptoms of servitude?

To be contd…

Nikah

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An individual who conducted a nikah (marriage contract) for a couple (the first time in his life) in the Prophet’s (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon  him) Mosque in the illuminated city of Madinah stated his feelings,

‘It is amazing how Islam has sanctified this social contract.

Reading of a simple sermon giving advice to be vigilant in fulfilling one’s obligation for Allah’s sake is from the Prophetic example (Sunna). It is not an essential (wajib) part of nikah. The acknowledgment of the bride and groom in front of at least two (adult, sane, Muslims) witnesses with a mutually fixed dowry (mehr) are the only essentials required. Any Muslim can conducted the ritual. No priest or certified individual is required.

The simplicity is awe striking.

Without nikah a similar relationship (i.e. zinna) will be punished by lashings or stoning to death (by a Islamic State), however, this unpretentious ritual works like alchemy. Making the same relationship an act of worship.

May Allah give us the wisdom to understand and appreciate the blessing of Islam. Amin!’

Friday, 1st July 2011, after asr, Bab-Fahad, Masjid e Nabawi, Medinah e munawwarah

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Sufi sama’

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Shaikh Fakhruddin Zarradi a senior khalifa of Mehboob e Ilahi Shaikh Nizamuddin Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on them, d. 725Hijri/1325CE) writes,

‘Few of the spiritually overwhelmed (maglub) Shuyukh may have listened to the audition (sama’) accompanied with musical instruments in their state of overpowering desire (shauq). However, our mashaikh (may Allah be pleased with them) are free of this. It is an allegation. Their audition was purely vocal rendition of verses by a reciter (qawwal) describing the perfections of Allah’s creation.’

Usool e sama’, page 21-2

Setting priorities

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The initial instruction given to the seekers by the khalifa of Hakim al-Umma Shaikh Mawlana Shah Asadullah (Allah have mercy on them) have been published in ‘Asa’ad ut-Talibeen’.  

They include;

Completion of qaza salah and fasts, performance of the fardh Hajj and emphasis on payment of zakah.

Moreover, abstaining completely from back-biting (ghiba), foul language, loose talking and purposeless interminlgling with others.

Reading the books of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him).

Performing each salah meticluously in first row with the opening takbir along the Imam’s.

The following issues were especially instructed,

1. Keep the dealings (with others) very clear.

2. Do not cause any discomfort and harm to others

3. Do not interfere in the matters of others unnecessarily.

4. Take account of yourself (nafs) daily. Be thankful for the good deeds and repent on the mistakes.

5. Never ever be satisifed with yourself (nafs). Always watch over your outward and inner actions.

6. Follow the instructions given and the ma’amolaat.

7. Keep (the Shaikh) updated about your state and condition.’

Akse-Jameel ra, page 201-2

The path

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Shaykh Jalaluddin Thanesari (Allah have mercy on him d.989 Hijra) instructs,

‘Understand that the beginning of this path is Shariah. Therefore, all essential (fardh), recommended (wajib), Sunna, praiseworthy (mustehib) and etiquette (adab) actions are to be performed. Moreover, avoiding in food, residence and personal being all that is impermissible, suspicious, and of minor or major impurity. This is called purity of physical being. This is all Shariah.

Then comes the path of tariqat. This is to keep one’s heart free of the blame-worthy morals, such as love of the worldly, lust, envy, hatred, arrogance, greed, misery,etc. In addition adorning it with praise-worthy morals, like truthfulness, purity, humility, philanthropy, chivalry, trust, sincerity, best manners and trustworthiness in dealing with fellow human beings (etc.). This is called revolution (gardesh) and changing of morals. Acknowledge that this is a magnanimous feat. This is because without it the real wealth of deen is not achieved and traveling on the path of truth is impossible. Moreover, this feat requires keeping the lowest profile and maintaining seclusion, so that these actions become well established without failures.
سخن باكس مگو الا بضرورت
خلل تا در نيفتند در حضورت

After this comes the path of reality (haqiqah) and realization (marifa).’

Irshad ut Talibeen, page 9

2nd AfME Pneumococcal Summit
Dubai, UAE 12-13 April 2011

The objective

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Shaykh Abdul Qudoos Gangohi (Allah have mercy on him) advised,

‘It must be understood very clearly  that the objective of acquiring knowledge is to act accordingly.

On the Day of Judgement  the inquiry will be about  the actions performed not regarding the extent of one’s knowledge.

The aim of these actions is to acquire sincerity and love of Allah.’

Maktubat e Qudoosi, via Tareekh Mashaikh e Chisht, volume 1, page 259

Checklist: Am I progressing in my Deen?

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‘Join XYZ-Jamat or PQRS-Tariqa!’

A common advice we all often get. Directly or indirectly by our well-wishers. Most of us are offended and become defensive. We retaliate with our own suggestions. A few become confused. A smaller number becomes disillusioned by these rivalries and schisms.  May Allah save us all from these disasters. Amin!

The sincerity of these well-wishers can not be questioned at all.

However, it should be a wake up alarm to us. Following questions must pop-up in our mind. Why did this person suggest this to me in particular? Am I following  correctly and progressing in my religious effort? Or there is something that made this person feel that I need to improve?

Thinking on these lines this lowly writer came up with a random quick checklist for myself. InshaAllah, it will be beneficial for others.

The Checklist:

I need to have explicit answers to the following statements from the time I joined this specific group, jamat, tariqa or started on my own to be more religious ,

1. I thoroughly studied the fiqh of everyday worship and apply it meticulously.

2. Made record of my missed salah, fasts, zikah, hajj and financial dues. I am trying to compensate for them.

3. I have improved my tajweed.

4. My actions on Sunna has increased. That is, appearance, manners, actions and supplications for different occasions like waking up, eating, sleeping, wearing clothes, etc.

5. My salah is more organized, on time, in congregation (if masjid is close by) with better concentration.

6. I deal with humility when interacting with my family members (especially parents and spouse) and others.

7. I can better control my anger.

8. My school/college/work performance has increased or at least not deteriorated.

9. My involvement in useless (TV, Internet, news, magazines, novels, etc.) has decreased substantially.

10. I am worried about causing discomfort and harm to others and try my best to avoid it.

11. The sins I used to commit previously have decreased substantially in frequency and intensity.

12. My day is better organized with time allocations for recitation of Holy Quran, dhikr and religious reading.

13. I do not look down upon fellow Muslims.

If answers to most (>11) of the above questions is affirmative then we need to be thankful to Allah and continue on our path to perform even better.

However, if this is not the case then there are two possibilities.

Firstly, either we are not following the teachings of that group, jamat or tariqa correctly.

Or if we are doing all the things as per instruction then that group, jamat or tariqa is invalid. At least this is true for us, maybe secondary to our circumstances and environment. It is only in this case that we need to pay heed to the advice of that well-wisher and look into the XYZ & PQRS option.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,

‘In a Prophetic tradition (hadith) it is narrated that; the person whose two days are the same is in big loss.

This means that his today was spent in the same manner as yesterday and no progress occurred.

That is,  progress in being more religious, in spiritual evolution, increase in worship and improvement in obedience, following of Sunna and abundance in Allah’s remembrance.’

Doubts!

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A reader wrote,

Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.

I need some clarifications:-

I always have doubts about the akabir of Deoband. That is,  I want to know regarding the negative words that Barelwis spread about Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.(rahmatullah alaih) and other akabir ulema. I respect the akabir of Deoband very much for their knowledge but after hearing the negative things about Deobandis, my heart is always in suspicion about the honesty of Deobandis.

Please,Please…. help!

And sorry for asking such questions.

Jazakallah hu khairaa.

Following reply was sent. (InshaAllah it will be beneficial to all of us.)

Bismillah
 
Respected brother  
as salam o alaykum wrwb
 
JazakAllah.
 
There are two answers for your question.
First is the ilzami (accusatory) and other islahi (reformative).
 
The ilzami answer is that why don’t you have doubts and suspicions about the Baraelwi comments being corrupt, false, dishonest, thimblerig & politically motivated. If you can give me some reason then we might have a discussion.  The upshot of this answer is how do you as an individual lay person can judge between the two groups?

Our akabir have taught us this, “A murid complained that when people talk negatively about you it hurts me and my heart aches.
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied;
‘There are a multitude of people who talk badly about Allah, His messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the  scholars (mujtahideen). Have you done any thing to stop that?
If not, then why does it hurt you when poor Ashraf Ali is censured.  And you feel concerned about stopping this?
There is nothing in this attitude except kibir (arrogance).
It annoys you when your seniors are censured. You feel humiliated at this. This is a hidden deception of nafs (ego/lower self).
Suppose, even if it is not kibir (arrogance). Then I ask, why did you feel concerned about anyone  saying any thing good or bad (regarding my seniors).
What harm did it cause to you?
If you had focused on the goal (of tareeq, i.e. seeking perpetual pleasure of Allah ) you could not have time to waste on these petty issues.

Hakeemul Ummat ra kay hayret-angez waqiyat, page 81

 
The islahi answer is for the truth seeking sincere individual. May Allah make us both from them.Amin!
(Your openness to come forward and ask this is itself a sign of seeking the truth. MashaAllah.)
 
First it must be very clear that we are bound to follow Sunnah meticulously. Following Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) or Molvi Ahmad Raza Khan sahib is not an obligation. We won’t be questioned in here-after regarding this. If the following of Sunnah(both, external and inner) is facilitated through their teachings well and good. If not then you have to look somewhere else.
 
(Alhumdulliah, I have personally benefited a lot from the teachings of Hakim al-Umma in bringing deen into my life to a degree. May Allah allow me to benefit more. Amin! Similarly I have read about and seen personally lot of people who changed their life for better by following his teachings.)
 
Having doubts is natural phenomenon. However, being affected to the degree to actively suspect and consider another Muslim (irrespective of him being a pious, learned scholar/sufi)  to be intentionally dishonest is blame-worthy condition (bad-gumani, keyna, etc.) . There should be explicit proof for this.
 
It is usually a result of keeping company with people who have this already in them and are lax on issue of ghibet/bad-gumani/hifazet-e-lisan/etc., and/or lack of knowledge and being involved in useless.
Being sins their darkness clouds the perception of truth. This can only be lifted by repentance and resulting Divine enlightenment.

The teaching of our pious master is,
 
کفر است در طریقت ما کینہ داشتن

آ‏‏ئین ما است سینہ چوں آئینہ داشتن
 
Please, make excessive supplication, keep your focus on the following of Sunna and consult your Shaykh for the cure of these potentially fatal spiritual ailments.
 
For the time being the best things to do  will be,
1. Avoid all useless discussions.
 
2. Try your best to follow Sunnah meticulously in each and every aspect of your life.
 
3. Make dua excessively. Ask Allah SWT for guidance. Especially set 10 minutes daily after ‘esha salat and make dua for your own islah, isteqamat and correct understanding of deen.
 
4.If you lack information then please, read the book ‘Aqaid e Ulemae Deoband aur Hassam ul Haramain’. It is  in Urdu and available online.

 
5. Even after all these measure if the doubt and suspicion persist then the best thing will be to ignore both the groups and follow the Sunnah and scholars who affiliate with none of these groups. It is best to remind ourselves that it is a fitnah by definition when truth can not be distinguished  and things become suspicious. The best strategy as per Prophet (Allah bless and grant him peace) is to keep ourselves completely aloof from it.
 
I pray and hope that my rambling makes sense to you. If there are any question, please, do not hesitate to ask. The benefit is mutual. JazakAllah.

Take care.
Please, do try to make dua for me.
muhtaj

Sunnah of Friday

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Sunnah of the Day

The Path of Sunnah is the Path to Jannah

Sunnahs of Jumuah

1.        To take a bath.

2.        To wear nice and clean clothes.

3.        To proceed early to the Masjid.

4.        To go to the Masjid on foot.

5.        To try to sit as close as possible to the Imaam.

6.        If the Saffs (rows) are already filled, one should not jump over the shoulders of the musallies in order to get to the front.

7.        One should not do any futile action eg. one should not fiddle with one’s clothes or fingers.

8.        To listen to the Khutba attentively.

9.        The person who recites Surah Kahaf on Friday will be bestowed with a Noor( Spiritual light) from under the Arsh (The Throne of Allah Ta’ala) which will extend from the earth till the sky and will benefit him in the darkness of the Day of Qiyaamah. All his (minor) sins which he had committed from the previous Jumu’ah up to this Jumu’ah will be forgiven.

10.     Rasulullah (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is reported to have said, “Recite Durood upon me in abundance on the day of Jumua’h since they are presented to me.”

11.     On the day of Jumua’h it is Sunnat to apply oil to the hair and to use it or any other sweet smelling fragrance.

A dream for guidance!

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A person wrote the following,

“I saw a dream that I am writing to you. It was the night of 27th Ramadan 1237H. With the possibility that it may be the Night of Power (shab e qadr) I had planned to offer optional salah (nawafil) all night. However, after ‘esha salah when I returned home I laid down on the bed besides the main door (to rest for a while). I fell asleep. Around two o’clock I saw a dream that I have traveled to a place where there is a very large open area, many miles wide. There is organized seating arrangement on the floor. In between there is a table covered with a table-cloth. Millions of people wearing their best clothes and perfume are sitting with reverence (adab). There are few high ranking individuals sitting on the chairs around the table. On the table there is writing board around 2-3 yards in length and 1 or 1.5 yards in breadth. A respected individual dressed in white gown (‘abaya) and green turban (‘amamah) on head is standing besides the table greeting and shaking hands with the crowd. The blessed face in radiant like the sun and with his enlightened and enlightening tongue he is telling them,

“I tell you with much emphasis that you should abstain from all that is impermissible (haram) and be steadfast on that is permissible (halal).”

Observing all this I went forward and greeted the blessed person with ‘as salam o alaikum’. He replied, ‘wa alaikum as salam wa rehmatullah’. I reached forward and shook hands and embraced him also. He told me that it was very good and that I should become a mureed, and he promised to tell me eleven things that he has reserved especially and exclusively for me. This humble guy (myself) stood there with utmost reverence. He gave me the permission to sit. I was going to sit on the floor but he instructed me to sit on one of the chairs. Thanking him I sat on one of the vacant chairs. I was extremely happy in my heart.

On the blackboard I saw numerous names written in elegant and bold white letter. I saw them very clearly. The names that I could read included, Hahdrat Mawlana Fazalur Rehman Ganjmuradabadi, …….., Haji Imdadullah, Haji Ashraf ‘Ali and Molvi Mohammad Ishaq, etc.

As I turned to my side I saw Hadhrat Mawlana Fazalur Rehman Ganjmuradabadi, whom I was blessed to visit as a child. Immediately it flashed to me that this is the scenario of Judgment day. The blessed individual is our Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and those sitting on the chairs are his Companions, including Sayyidina Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman and ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with them all).

It also occurred to me that I am already a mureed (of a Shaykh) and should not hide it from the blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and should seek Allah.

Around an hour or later the blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) called for me. I shook hands and embraced him. Furthermore I reminded him of those eleven things he had promised to tell me so that I can follow them wholeheartedly. I also informed him that I am already a mureed but I want Allah. On hearing this, he immediately pulled away his hand from me and said, ‘Indeed you are ………. and you are the mureed of …………., an innovator (bida’ti). Futhermore he took a pencil and crossed out my and my Shaykh’s names from the list on the blackboard. Then the blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) told me to go away. With lots of courage and adab I humbly said that my Shaykh is not an innovator.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied that he is an innovator and in addition he associates partners with Allah (mushrik).

Humbly and with utmost veneration I said that I have never seen him doing any shirk.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said, he is involved in taking out effigies of the tombs of the martyrs of Kerbala (taziyadar), a lover of the worldly things, an idolater prostrating in front of the graves. Didn’t you see him at …….. village, in Lucknow that he bowed his head infront of his Shaykh’s grave and forbade you from visiting the holy sanctuary in Medinah e munawwara.

(I became a mureed in 1893 CE. In 1898 I received khilafa and in 1900 this incident happened. In this 26 or 27 years relationship I attended the death anniversary of a sufi saint (urs/hawl) and listened to the sufi poetry sung with musical instruments (qawwali) only once.)

I cried and begged but the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not reply. As the last resort I ran and held the blessed feet of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم). The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) rebuffed my hands and stroked me (with his blessed foot) strongly in my ribs. I fell down and started to tremble. This woke me up. At that time I was crying, feeling the pain in my ribs and I was trembling. I went inside the house and told my son ………. Chatari the whole dream just mentioned. In the morning I wrote this all and send it to my Shaykh. He came in person to my house and listened to the whole incident again. His response was to prepare for Hajj journey this year in order to visit the blessed Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and ask forgiveness. I did not commit due to insufficient funds and debts.

Since I have seen this dream my conviction towards my respected Shaykh has waned off. Now I am approaching you for my religious betterment (islah). I will be very fortunate if I am considered to be your humble servant.

Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,

“This dream is absolute guidance. It is essential (wajib) to leave the Shaykh who acts against Sunna and to establish contact with truthful people (ahl e haqq). I have no hesitation in giving instructions regarding the spiritual path. Start acting on the fiqh as outlined in the books, Behashti Zewar (Heavenly Ornaments) and Islah e rasoom. Take the awrad from Qasdus sabil and general advices from my spiritual discourses (mawaiz). The full instructions in detail will be discussed when we meet in person.

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 1069-70

The first step

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The most important thing is to avoid all sins, especially those committed by eyes, ears and tongue.

This requires knowledge (fiqh) and self determination (himmat).

For fiqh the books Bashti Zewar/Heavenly Ornament or Essential Islamic Knowledge (A handbook of Hanafi fiqh by Qadi Thanaullah Panipati, Allah have mercy on him) are fine.

For determination motivation is required. This is gained by being in good, pious company or reading from the books of or about pious. The Path to Perfection by Shaykh Masihullah (Allah have mercy on him) is a good book to start. Also posts on this site are a selection from these kinds of books. Try to read a couple of them daily.

Min fayuzaat e sayyidi wa sanadi damet barkatahum

The Sultan!

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Writing about his trip to Masjid-e-Aala, Srirangapatnam, the mosque built by  Sultan Tipu (1750-1799) (Allah have mercy on him) sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,

‘At the completion of this mosque it was decided that the first prayer (salah) in it will be led by a person who has never missed a single salah. That is, he must be sahib-e-tarteeb.

There were numerous scholars and pious people  present at the inauguration ceremony. However, none of them was in position to say it with certainty that he was sahib-e-tarteeb.

Eventually Sultan Tipu (Allah have mercy on him) admitted that he was  sahib-e-tarteeb and he led the prayers.

Hindustan ka taza safar, Al-Balagh, 45:12 Zil-Hajah 1431, page 32

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