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

Seeker’s affliction

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 [...]

The permissible mawlid

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah ahve mercy on him) said regarding this,
The first type of gathering is that which does not contain any of the prevalent and customary restrictions (quyud). Neither [does it contain] mubah (permissible) restrictions nor makruh (prohibitively disliked) ones, i.e., it is free from all [sorts of] restrictions. For instance, [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Speech of heart.

It is an established principle that when the tongue is busy talking the heart is quietly listening to it. Whereas, when the tongue is silent the heart starts to talk.
Therefore, hold your tongue so that the heart does not listen to its useless speech. Instead make it the organ of remembrance (of Allah). Hence, your heart will become accustomed to [...]

Fast of ‘Ashura

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah presrve him) writes,
Abdullah ibn Musa, (Allah be pleased with him), reports that the Holy Prophet, (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him), preferred the fast of ‘Ashura’ (10th Muharram) on the fasts of other days and preferred the fasts of Ramadhaan on the fast of ‘Ashura’. (Bukhari [...]

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 [...]

Giving gifts!

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Keep up with the custom of exchanging gifts.
This practice cleanses the hearts (from misunderstandings and suspicions) and increases mutual love.
Do not consider any gift to be unworthy of being a present. Exchange whatever is available without any formalities.
Taleem ud deen, quoted via Zad us [...]

The first ten days of Zulhijjah

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
The first ten days of Zulhijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar.
The Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said,
“One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night [...]

ذکر و لطائف کی تفصیل

حضرت حکیم الامت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی قدس اللہ سرہ نے فرمایا
چونکہ تصور (ذکر) کے دراجات مختلف ہیں اس لئے تقریب و تسہیل فی الجملہ و تعین دراجات کے واسطے میں ایک تمثیل میں پانچ درجے بیان کرتا ہوں
1۔ محبوب موجود و حاضر نہ ہو بلکہ غائب و غیر موجود ہو اس کو یاد کیا [...]

Teaching of the Awliya!

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) narrates the following incident in one of his discourses:
Khawaja Bakhtiyar Kaki quddus sirahu’s janazah was ready for the salah. The khadim-e-khas came forward and announced that according to the will of  Khawaja the funeral prayer (salat-ul-janazah) is to be led by the person who fulfills these 3 [...]

Ramadhan

New post are not planned for the blessed month of Ramadan.
There are, alhumdulillah, already more than 1000 posts on this site to benefit from.
Please, use the search option and read the posts regarding Ramadan (click here).

دعا مسنونه نصف شعبان

اللهم انى اعوذبعفوك من عقابك
و اعوذبك برضاك من سخطك
و اعوذبك منك جل وجهك
لا احصى ثناء عليك
انت كما اثنيت على نفسك
اسوة رسول اكرم صلى الله عليه و سلم ص280

Worship on 15th of Sha’ban

Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) wrote the following regarding the worship in the night of 15th of Sha’ban,
“This night is meant for worshiping Allah in solitude. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one’s attention to Him and [...]