Hakim al Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
Contemplate (make muraqaba) that I love Allah and Allah also loves me.
This muraqaba is extremely beneficial.
When an individual afflicted with extremes of worries and anxieties does this muraqaba, all of them vanish completely. This is because there is conviction that Allah loves me and therefore there must be some benefit for me in this affliction. In love, who will hurt the loved one?
Shariat wa Tariqat , page 278
Shaikh al Hadith Mawalana Zakariya Kandhelawi mohajir Madani (Allah have mercy on him) used to say,
‘Punctuality and consistency in one’s daily spiritual activities (mamools) are the stepping stones to success.’
Malfuzat Moulana Ibrahim Mia (damet barkatahum)
“The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“From the excellence of a man’s Islam is leaving that which does not concern him.”
“That is, to leave that which is not important or befitting of him, whether in speech, actions, or thought.
Thus, ‘the excellence of a man’s Islam’ is its perfection, such that one remains steadfast in the submission to the commands and prohibitions of Allah, and surrenders to His rulings in accordance to His destiny and decree (qada wa qadr). This is the sign of the heart having been expanded by the light of its Lord, and the descent of quietude (sakina) into the heart. The reality of ‘that which does not concern him’ is that which is not needed for a worldly or next-worldly necessity, and does not aid in attaining his Lord’s good pleasure, such that it is possible to live without it…
This includes excess acts and unnecessary speech… This hadith may well be taken from Allah Most High’s saying,
“And who shun all vain things.” (Qur’an, 23: 3)
Mulla Ali al-Qari (Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this in his commentary on Mishkat al-Masabih.
Riyadh,KSA
In his youth the renowned journalist, and scholar Mawlana Abdul Majid Daryabad (Allah have mercy on him) had turned from a believer to a heretic under the influence of reading English books written by agnostics Philosophers. However, later after reading the translation of the Holy Quran he became a practicing Muslim again.
Moreover, study of ‘Mathnawi e manawi’ of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi (Allah have mercy on him) had profound influence on him.
He wrote,
‘For some duration I had been searching for a Shaikh. I had devoured all literature about Tasawwuf and sulook in Persian, Urdu and Arabic languages available to me. After reading so many books and sayings (malfuzat) of the pious the only desire I had was to meet a living saint.
In addition to the spiritual centers at major cities in Hyderabad, Delhi and Lucknow, I visited numerous centers at smaller towns like Ajmer, Kalyer, Dewa, Bansah, Radowli, Safipur, etc. in this search. I did not hesitate to visit any pious Shaikh I came to know about. I met individuals with overwhelming states (hal) and prolific orations (qal). Some of them excelled in worshipful activities while others were deep ascetics. Some of them were mere businessmen in disguise, with long hairs (& sufi attire).
In the end of this search my heart told me that the truth is limited to those of Deobandi affiliation. Therefore, you should limit your search and look specifically within them.
Furthermore, I limited this search to those affiliated with the individual (Shaikh al-Arab wal-’Ajam Haji Imdadullah mohajir Makki, Allah have mercy on him) who wrote the best exegesis of the most beneficial work of Tasawwuf (Mathnawi e manawi).’
Halaat e Muslih al-Ummat ra, volume 3, page 618
Sayyid wa sanadi Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) entered the Prophet’s mosque just prior to the prayer call for magrib. He took care to place his right foot inside the mosque first while removing the left shoe from his feet. He recited the Sunna prayers for entering the mosque. After the adhan he prayed the two cycles for the salutation of the mosque (tahiyet al-masjid).
After the fardh and Sunna prayers he proceeded to the blessed mawahjah shareef. Standing very humbly near the pillars in front of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) chamber he recited salat-o-salam in a barely audible voice. His body language and demeanor was that of absolute humility, propriety and necessitousness. Sometimes his hands were by his sides and at others folded in front of him. He stayed like this for five to seven minutes. Then he proceeded to greet the khulafa Sayidina Abu Bakr and Sayidena Umar Farooq (Allah be pleased with them) respectively. This was brief. He then proceed to the extreme left of the front rows and facing qibla with his hand raised (as in dua) he made supplications for a long duration. It was almost 15 minutes duration. Finding an empty spot in second row he sat down to recite Quran and completed the awabeen nawafil.
Immediately after the fardh of esha he exited the mosque from Bab al-Baqi’ and reentered from Bab an-Nisa. He made sure not to pass in front of the individuals who were praying (salah). Finding a suitable spot beside the Suffa he completed his remaining prayers and when there was space on the Suffa he proceeded to pray there.
As the visiting time for the women was near the area was being evacuated and cordoned off. He proceed to the Riyadh al-Jannah. However, there was no space available so he prayed besides the blessed pulpit of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Once a spot became available he moved to the Riyadh al-Jannah to complete his prayers.
On the way back from the mosque he told his son Mufti Dr. Imran Ashraf Usmani (Allah preserve him) that my master Shaykh Mawlana Masihullah (Allah sanctify his secret) instructed (wasiyah) me that whenever you visit the Prophet’s mosque try to spend some time on the blessed Suffa. Whereas, my other Shaykh Dr. Abdul Hayy (Allah have mercy on him) instructed to keep the salutations in front of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) concise and this is what I have found to be the recommendation of most of the scholars. He also instructed to pray salah with congregation in the front rows and to do additional worship while in the blessed mosque even if it was not from one’s usual routine.
Medinah e munawwarah, Thursday 20th January 2011
Shaykh Abu Taleb Makki (Allah have mercy on him) said that I complied the Prophetic sayings related to major sins and found out that there are 17 mentioned explicitly. They include,
Four related to heart,
1. Associating partners with Allah (shirk)
2. Intention of persisting on a sin
3. Being hopeless of Allah’s mercy
4. Being heedless of Allah’s wrath
Four related to tongue,
1. Bearing false witness
2. Allegation of adultery on innocent
3. Swearing falsely
4. Doing magic
Three related to stomach,
1. Drinking alcoholic beverages
2. Consuming the wealth of orphans
3. Taking unlawful tax/rent for agricultural land
Two related to genitalia,
1. Illicit sexual relations
2. Homosexuality
Two related to hands,
1. Killing someone unjustly
2. Stealing
One related to feet,
1. Fleeing from the battlefield in jihad
One related to the whole body,
1. Being disobedient to the parents
May Allah save us from all of these by His mercy. Amin!
Adab e Shaykh wal murid, page 16
Khawaja Mohammad Ma’soom Sirhindi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
The objective of travelling on the path (sulook) is not to become a Shaykh and accept murid. In fact its aim is to fulfil the duties of slave-hood (abdiyet) without the involvement and resistance of the lower self (nafs).
Tohfa tush Shuyukh, page 49
Shaykh al-Hadith Mawlana Zakiriyya Kandehlawi mohajir Madani (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
اللهم انا نعوذبك من عذابك و غضب رسولك و غضب اوليائك
‘O Allah we seek refuge in You from your anger and from the anger of your Rasul and your saintly servants.’
This is something concerning which I have written many times.
Be very careful of the saintly ones.
May Allah protect us from their anger and displeasure.
Aap beeti
By Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi
“He (Allah Most High) then firmly established (istawa) Himself over the Throne” (Qur’an 7:54) means He firmly established Himself over the Kingly Throne and began decreeing orders (ahkams) in the heavens and the earth. In the tafsir (exegesis) of [the verse] “He then firmly established Himself over the Throne”, it is safer to adopt silence in agreement with the methodology of the salaf (pious predecessors) and that is also my view although the muta’akhirin (scholars of the later generations) have opened the doors for ta’wil (interpretation).
This is a call for,
1. Tawba: Repentace.
2. Islah: Correcting our individual life-styles.
3. Ruju’ ilAllah: Asking Allah for help.
شامت اعمال ما صورت’ اسرائیل’ گرفت!
A growing trend among the Pilgrims (hujjaj) is the abandoning of some of the Sunna of Hajj. Especially, the sunna of staying in Mina overnight from 8th till 12/13th Zil-hijjah (except for the night stay in Muzdallifa on youm al-Arafa).
The Hanafi fuqha may have given dispensations in special circumstances for the old, sick, feeble and females but to do this based only on whimsical fear of hardship is grossly inappropriate.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Hajj is a worship of love (ishiq).
It is a struggle (mujahidda) in itself.
Do not look for excessive ease in it’s rituals.
And if you can not bear these minor hardships (physical or financial) then reconsider your decision of undertaking this journey of passionate worship. ”
Masih al-quloob Mawlana Masihullah Khan (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“The one who asks for and supplicates (to Allah) does not remains deprived.
And whoever is afraid (of being accountable to Allah) is protected.”
Islah afroze bayanat, page 219
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) advised the family of his departed murid/khalifa,
“To lessen the sorrow of this loss and achieve patience (sabr) recite the Quranic verse abundantly,
انا للہ و انا الیہ راجعون”
DHA, residence, 26th Sha’ban 1429/29th August 2008, around maghrib