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 [...]
Mufti Mohammad Shafi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote to Sufi Mohammad Iqbal Qureshi (Allah preserve him),
‘At the same time it came in my heart that I should give you the permission (ijazet) to take ba’yit and instruct. So start this with an intention of self reformation (islah). This is because experience has shown that by [...]
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 Sayyid Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘The progress in spiritual path (sulook) is not sudden. It is gradual and therefore, not appreciated by the spiritual traveller.
For example, if someone has hundred rupees in his pocket the addition of one more does not draw any attention and is, therefore, most of the time not appreciated. However, when [...]
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 [...]
غم کے داغوں سے نہ ڈریۓ ان سے پھوٹے گی بہار
ان گلوں کو طاق ہستی پر سجا کر دیکھیۓ
(سیدی و سندی مدظلہ)
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) encourages us to read the biographies of our elders (akabir).
One of the benefits of doing this is to get the motivation (hal) for our own reformation (islah).
Following incident has a great lesson for all of us.
‘Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Allah have mercy on [...]
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 [...]
عارف باللہ حضرت ڈاکٹر عبدالحئی عارفی رحمۃ اللہ علیہ نے فرمایا کہ
فنائیت کا مطلب ہے ترک اعتراض۔
یعنی کسی پر اعتراض نہ کرو۔
ناگوار امر پر صبر کرو اور ضبط سے کام لو۔
اس ترک اعتراض کا آخری مقام یہ ہوگا کہ ہر ناگوار امر کو مشیت ایزدی پر محمول کرتے ہوۓ ناگواری نہیں ہوگی۔
جو کام بھی ہوگا [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Hakeem ul Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) tells an anecdote in one of his discourses:
A sufi aspirant busy with his islah (reformation) was overwhelmed with a thought of abandoning his spiritual struggle and to enlist in the Muslim Army engaged in Jihad. Being sincere he consulted his Shaykh before embarking on this holy journey.
Sheikh admonished [...]
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
‘Once a person asked Hakim al-Umma (Allah have mercy on him), that the famous verse;
Yak zamana suhbat ba awliya
Behter az sed sala ta’et e bay-riya
(Momentary companionship of Friends of Allah is better than hundred years of sincere worship) seems to be an exaggeration. How can this be [...]
Shaykh Abu Taleb Makki (Allah have mercy on him) reported this in Quwwat al-Quloob,
A seeker approached a Gnostic of Allah (‘arif billah) and said,
‘ I am heedless of Allah’s remembrance, usually procrastinating good deeds and extremely lazy. Please, advice me on how can I overcome these things.
The Gnostic replied,
’O brother!
If it is possible for you to love [...]
Hadhrat Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah sanctify his secret) said,
“Since I now consider the knowledge derived from kashf unworthy of notice, I forbid people from discussing this with me, either orally or by way of writing. Although there was a time when I was engrossed in this knowledge, [so much so that] [...]
