Abu Usman Hairi wrote to Mohammed bin Fazal (Allah have mercy on them) inquiring about the signs of spiritual infliction and depravity (شقاوہ).
He replied,
‘They are three,
1. The knowledge is present but there is deprivation from action (according to it).
2. The actions are present but they are void of sincerity.
3. The opportunity to be in the company (suhba) of pious is present but there is no reverence for them (in one’s heart). ‘
Al Risala Al Qushayri via Tilawat e Quran, page, 42-3
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) said,
‘My respected father Mufti Mohammed Shafi (Allah sanctify his secret) use to instruct that if you delay something awaiting favorable circumstances then you are cancelling its accomplishment altogether. It will never happen.
The tip of doing something new is to forcefully squeeze it between two already established routines.
It will never happen if you plan that after completion of those two tasks I will do this third (new) thing. All this planning is just a waste of time. Satan usually tricks by this way.’
Islahi khutbaat 1/63
Hakim al Umma Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy on him) writes:
Nowadays, many youngsters read and study un-Islamic literature. Many things found in these un-Islamic books and magazines are contrary to the Islamic beliefs and teachings. Many youngsters do not possess sound religious knowledge and understanding and therefore when they come across these un-Islamic literature, they believe whatever they read, even though it opposes the Islamic beliefs and teachings. Based on the lack of religious knowledge, they do not understand that believing in such things causes them to lose their faith. At times (being influenced by the wrongs found in these un-Islamic literature, their mindset is affected and) they utter such statements which causes them to come out of the fold of Islam. If a Muslim girl is married to such a person, the nikaah is not considered valid in Shariah as the person she is married to is not a believer (as he subscribes to beliefs that are totally against Islam), although outwardly he may seem to be a believer. If the marriage is not valid, it would mean that their entire lives are spent in sin. The parents will be sinful in this world and will have to face punishment in the hereafter for getting their daughter married to such a person.
It is therefore extremely important and necessary that just as you enquire about the family background and financial position of the boy who proposes for your daughter, it is much more important for you to enquire about the religious level and commitment of the boy. If you do not know anything about his beliefs and religious commitment, don’t ever give your daughter to him. A poor believer who is committed to his religion is a thousand times better than a rich person who does not possess Deen. It is also noticed that the person who does not possess Deen does not fulfil the rights of his wife. At times, he will not even give her a cent to spend. When there is no happiness and peace of mind and heart in such a marriage, then of what benefit and good will it be to her that she is married in an affluent family.
. (Behishti Zewar (Urdu) pg.840)
Source: ihyauddinzaco
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve and protect him) wrote,
‘It is well known that our master Mohammed bin Sireen (Allah have mercy on him) is an authority (Imam) in dream interpretation. He said,
الرؤیا تسر ولا تغر
It is fine to be pleased with (good) dreams, however, they should not fool you. This is because one’s being accepted by Allah is not dependent on dreams but is based on actions done in the wakeful state. Though it is acceptable to considered it (the good dream) as a positive omen and feel happy. Provided it becomes an encouragement to do good deeds and follow the Sunna. ‘
Yaadein, al-Balagh Muharram 1439
All praise is for Allah.
The memoirs of Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve and protect him) are finally here. The first section appears in the Moharram issue of alBalagh, the magazine of Darul Uloom Karachi.
They are in Urdu language and will be published InshaAllah every month.
May Allah make them most beneficial for us. Ameen.
Darul Uloom Karachi
Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (Allah have mercy on him) once mentioned:
Imaam Abu Hanifah (Allah have mercy on him) selected five Ahaadith from five hundred thousand Ahaadith. These five Ahaadith are such that through practising on them, one will be practising on the entire Deen.
After Imaam Abu Hanifah, Imaam Abu Dawood (Allah have mercy on them) selected four thousand eight hundred Ahaadith from five hundred thousand Ahaadith and compiled them into his book, Sunan Abi Dawood. From these Ahaadith four thousand eight hundred Ahaadith, he selected four Ahaadith and stated that the one who practises on them will be practising upon the entire Deen. All these four Ahaadith are among the five Ahaadith that Imaam Abu Hanifah had selected. Imaam Abu Dawood did not select the fifth Hadith as he understood that the meaning of the fifth Hadith can be included in the other four Ahaadith.
Imaam Abu Hanifah passed away in the year 150 A.H.
Imaam Abu Dawood was born fifty two years later, in the year 202 A.H. From this, it seems possible that Imaam Abu Dawood had taken this view from Imaam Abu Hanifah.
These four Ahaadith are,
1. The acceptance of) all actions are based on the intentions (with which the actions were carried out).
2. One will not be a true believer until he wishes for his brother that which he wishes for himself.
3. From the beauty of a person’s Islam is that he leaves out that which does not concern him.
4. Permissible (halal) is clear and impermissible (haraam) is clear, and between them are such things which are doubtful and many people do not know it. The one who abstains from these doubtful things will protect his Deen and his honor.
(Suhbat Baa Awliyaa pg. 94-97)
Source: Ihyaauddeen.co.za
Arifbillah Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) use to tell that at the time of tahajjud I recite this,
(O Allah I am here at Your service)
recalling the Prophetic saying that during the later half of the night Allah sends down an angel who announces till dawn,
Is there a destitute who wants his desires to be fulfilled?
Is there worshipper who wants his supplications to be accepted?
Is there penitent who wants forgiveness?
(Let them come forward and ask so they get it).
Audio majlis mateb
Source: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī 2988, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2961
Please note that weekly Sunday majlis will be, InshaAllah, at 7:15 pm (Saudi Arabian time)
Qazi Burhan ud Deen (Allah have mercy on him) said in regards to removal of blameworthy moral characteristics,
‘Understand it by an example. A rodent drops dead in a water well and starts rotting. It pollutes the water. The smell, taste and color of water changes. The water becomes impure (na-pak). The only way to clean this water well is to first locate the rotting rodent carcass and remove it. Then filthy water has to be drained (the amount is as per fiqhi recommendation).
Attempts to clean well, for example by adding more clean water, perfumes, sanitizing chemicals, etc. , but without removing the rodent carcass will remain futile.
The rotten rodent has to be removed. ‘
Madarij as Sulook, Dr Mir Waliuddeen rehmatullah
Similar is our case. The blameworthy morals remain imbedded in our soul. They spoil all the good actions we perform. In spite of all the supererogatory (nawafil) acts of worship, like excessive remembrance (dhikr) of Allah, salah, Hajj, Umrah, financial charities and physical effort etc. our condition does not change for better. The serene and absolute submission to Allah never materializes. The indulgence in sinful continues whenever there is an opportunity and there is hope of any physical pleasure or financial or social gain or loss. God-forbid, this continues forever.
Remember Tasawwuf is tazkiyah. Purification.
The Soul has to be purified from all the blameworthy moral traits.
All the other things in Tasawwuf are ancillary to this main objective.
May Allah make it easy for us all. Ameen!
ھدیہ جناب مولانا علی منیر صاحب
Following is a list of most of the blameworthy morals that need to removed in islah/tazkiyah.
1. Ignorance/جھل
2. Heedlessness/ غفلت
3. Anger/غضب
4. Rancor/حقد
5. Resentful envy/حسد
6. Miserliness/بخل
7. Pride & boastfulness /فخرو افتخار
8. Arrogance/ کبر
9. Conceit/ عجب
10. Illusion/غرور
11. Ostentation/ریا
12. Love of prestige/ حب جاہ
13. Love of power/ حب ریاست
14. Love of material things/ حب مال
15. Disruption of social bonds/ قطع رحمی
16. Prying into privacy of others
17. Long hopes/طول امل
18. Greed/ حرص
19. Bad demeanor/ سُوخُلق
20. Disasters of speech/ آفات لسان: دروغ، کثرت کلام، غیبت، مزاح، نمیمہ
21. Lust/ شہوت
22. Spend-thriftiness/ اسراف
The Degrees of the Soul, p5 + Shariat wa Tariqat
In Tasawwuf and sulook what is meant by islah or tazkiya?
It is the cleansing of blame worthy moral characteristics (razail akhlaq) of nafs. That is ridding one’s self from arrogance, anger, show-off, envy, self-admiration, love of money and status, lustful desires, etc.
We focus on betterment of our outwards appearance and worship without paying attention to the removal of above mentioned blame worthy morals.
This is a big mistake!
The biggest obstacle in our path to achieving the pleasure of Allah is our nafs with all its blame worthy characteristics.
It is because of this lapse we see that outwardly pious-appearing people indulge in impermissible activities whenever they are tempted by a worldly gain or are fearful of worldly loss.
May Allah give us the correct understanding of islah and facilitate it for us effectively. Ameen!
Once we acknowledge this and recognize our blame worthy moral characteristics the next step is to remove them. This is by firm determination, self-control and constant vigilance.
Remembrance of Allah (dhikr) facilitates it. Advice from Shaykh facilitates it further. But both of these are like catalysts. Without the key ingredient of determination and use of self-control they do not work alone.
Sayyidi wa sandai Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve & protect him) repeatedly instructs us that there is no formula of remembrance or litany or amulet to bring about islah. One has to use his determination and self control.
May Allah facilitate this for us all. Ameen!
It is mandatory (wajib) for all male and female Muslims to recite the takbiraat e tashreeq after every fardhsalah once. Males have to do it in a fairly audible voice.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve and protect him) said,
‘In addition it is desirable (mustaheb) that during the first ten days these takbiraat be recited excessively. It is permissible to recite them quietly or aloud.
In our era this has been abandoned. Whereas this recitation has been reported from many Companions of Prophet (Allah be pleased with them). We should act on it.’
‘Our master Mohammed ibn Ali (Imam Baqir, Allah be pleased with him) used to recite it after all supererogatory salah. ‘
Inam al Bari, volume 4, 169