In his exegesis of ‘Risala-e-Makkiyah’ Shaikh Saad ud Deen (Allah have mercy on him) said,
If due to one’s unawareness one becomes a mureed or pledges spiritual convent (biayah) at the evil hands of an ignorant innovator (Shaykh) or accepts his khilafet then it is (essential) to (break these connections) and go to a true Shaykh and renew the biayah to avoid going astray.
Ta’leem ud Deen, p202
O Dog, Son of a Dog!
“Do not insult one another by (offensive) nicknames” (Qurʾān, 49: 11)
بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم
The great Shāfiʿī scholar Shaykh Tāj al-Dīn al-Subkī (d. 771/1370) writes in al-Tarshīḥ[1]:
“One day, I was with a group of people in the courtyard of our house. A dog passed us with water dripping from him which was about to touch our clothes. So I rebuked him and said, “O dog, the son of a dog.” The Shaykh Imam [referring to his father Shaykh al-Islam Taqī al-Dīn al-Subkī, d. 756/1355] was listening to us from the inside. When he came out, he said: “Why did you humiliate him?” So I said, “I did not say but the truth. Is he not a dog the son of a dog?” He replied, “He is for sure, except that you uttered the words as an insult and to humiliate, and this is not appropriate.” So I said, herein is a beneficial point: Any creation [of Allah] should not be addressed by their inherent characteristics, unless the words are uttered in a non-demeaning manner.
From: Islamic Portal
Hakim al Ummah Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy on him) instructed,
The biayah (spiritual convent or pact) with the women must not be done by holding their hands in one’s hand.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) never ever touched a woman while taking biayah.
It is impermissible (haram) to touch a non-mehram female.
The author of ‘Mehboob us Salikeen’ writes, ‘the biayah of female is as follows, if they are not (physically) present there then they should be inducted via a (mehram) relative and the instructions regarding the biayah conveyed to them by this representative. Moreover, the Shaykh may gift them a piece of his clothing (as reminder). However, if the woman is present then their biayah must be from behind a veil, and not by holding their hands.
Taleem ud Deen p192-3
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) instructed the attendees at a female burial,
‘The na–mehram should, please, step aside. This a Shariah ruling. ‘
This was in addition to veiling of the grave from all the sides with makeshift curtains.
Darul Uloom Karachi, Old Graveyard, Saturday 2 November 2019. After zohar.
A student complained of annoying recurrent thoughts (وساوس) regarding ritual purity۔ He added that he was spending to much time in restroom and wasting lots of water. Moreover it was giving him headaches and anxiety.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) replied,
‘Its treatment is to firmly do the opposite of these thoughts. Do not give importance to them. Otherwise they will continue to annoy.
The student requested for a recitation (wazifa) to help him.
Sayyidi instructed him to recite the Prophetic prayer
اللھم اجعل وساوس قلبی خشیتک و ذکرک
And recite surah an naas (Quran chapter 114) often and blow over himself. ‘
Darul Uloom Karachi, office. 26 October 2019. After zuhar.
Do not suppose that a delay in judgment is a blessing while you persist in sin.
No, indeed!
It is the harshest reckoning, as God the Exalted has said, ‘We give them a respite that they may increase in sin.’
Though my sins grow great and oppressive,
Your forgiveness of sins is greater still.
Yet as Your mercy holds me here,
I will need it more at the Resurrection!
The Principles of Tasawwuf, p33
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve & protect him) said,
“When we perform ablution, do we even think about the water that is wasted?”
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve & protect him) said,
“Duʿāʾ can make the (apparently) impossible possible.”
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve & protect him) said,
“If a person adopts the quality of repelling bad with good, many disputes would end.”
It is related that when the sinner shuts the door, lowers the curtain, closes the window, and gets down to sin, the earth will say, “O Lord, allow me to swallow him up!” and the sky will say, “Allow me to fall upon him!”
The glorious and exalted Lord will reply, “If the servant is your servant, then do with him what you will. But if he is My servant, then leave him alone. For if he comes to Me in the darkest of night, I will accept him, and if he comes to Me in the brightest of day, I will accept him. There is no gatekeeper or warden blocking My door, and whenever he comes to Me, he will find a path. when- ever he calls, ‘My Lord?’ I answer, ‘My servant!’ and whenever he says, ‘I have sinned, O, Lord!’ I reply, ‘I have forgiven you, My servant!”
The principles of Tasawwuf, p20-1
An individual congratulated on the award recently conferred.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) replied,
‘Please, make supplication (dua) that it is not istedraj.’
Office, Darul Uloom, Karachi, prior to zohar, 15/10/2019
A spiritual aspirant wrote, Sir! The conditions of wilting and constriction is ever increasing. Weeks and months pass by without experiencing any happiness. It looks like mind and heart are dead. There no solace either in being alone or in gatherings. I’m extremely disturbed by the vacuum and suspension in life. The work is merely for acquiring sustenance there is no aspect of interest in it at all. ……………
……. The wish for dying has not as yet developed, however, life is a burden……………
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
‘This condition is called spiritual constriction (qabd). It happens to all (spiritual wayfarers:salikeen ). Outwardly it appears to be an affliction, however in reality it is a blessing.
Its causes are different. Sometimes it is disturbance in normal physiological (bodily) functioning or mixing (in unsuitable company) or seasonal affect or medicinal side effects or (consumption of inappropriate) food or psychological factors, or (excessive) thinking or (overwhelming) sadness or anger. All of these are treated by there opposites.
Sometimes it is due to sinful involvement. It’s treatment is abandoning the sinful and excessive repentance.
Sometimes it to elevate the spiritual status of the aspirant. That is, the deficiency in volitional good actions is compensated by forced spiritual struggle. This increases the spiritual status.
At other times it is to rectify one’s morals (ikhlaq). That is, by observing one’s imperfections there is development of humbleness and humility. This cures many blameworthy morals, like narcissism (ujub), arrogance (kibr) and hard-heartedness (qasawet), etc. .
Sometimes it is a test of love and reverence. That is to see if the individual works only when happy and experiencing enjoyment or continues with good actions when there is no experiencing at all. Because the later condition can only be due to overwhelming love and reverence.
At other times it is leads to attraction (jazb) to the sanctified realm (‘alam al quds) by removing the veils and obstacles.
And sometimes the causes are beyond descriptions.
After this prelude, there are some points of caution,
1. Sometimes various different causes are combined
2. When this (qabd) occurs it is futile to investigate and identify the reasons behind it. Moreover it is detrimental to do so. This is because there is no way to ascertain it definitely. And it will be a wasted effort.
3. The rights of all the possibilities should be fulfilled. That is (practice ) repentance, patience, thankfulness, assigning affairs to Allah (tafweez) , relying on Allah, humility, supplications, turning to Allah, excessive remembrance, being steadfast in good actions, decrease in useless affairs, involvement in activities that relax and strengthen the mind like meeting friends, interaction with spouse and children, consuming one’s favorite foods in moderation. All these must be combined in a efficient way.
4. All of these (above mentioned) activities should be done without the intention of treatment or expecting (a hastened) spiritual opening (bast) or blissful state. These are in themselves (necessary) to be done. One should be ready to be steadfast in fulfilling these rights even if this spiritual constriction prevails till the end of life.
5. Staying away as much as possible from all the astringent and worrisome affairs.
Use of these interventions meticulously, InshaAllah, will result most of the times in spontaneous (physical/tabaii) spiritual opening and for sure in intellectual (‘aqli) spiritual opening.
If there is suspicion of relapse then as per ان عدتم عدنا be ready. Like an individual who get a seasonal fever (every year). He doesn’t despair. He just renews the prescription again (for use).
Tarbiyet-us-salik , volume 3, p 186-8
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘After bayiah (spiritual allegiance) the things that need to be rectified upfront include, arrogance, negligence in fulfilling the rights of others (huqooq al ‘ebad), envy, hatred, creating adversity (fitna) between people, etc. However, nowadays no restrictions are instructed for these things. Whereas, previous pious elders (Mashāyikh) used to give priority to these things from first day.
The litanies & recitations (wazaif) were instructed after many years.
Moreover, these restrictions were not merely verbal instructions, they recommended various practices to uproot these spiritual ailments from the heart.
Like, if they saw an individual afflicted with self adoration (زینت پرستی) he was instructed to sweep and tidy up the spiritual lodge (khanqah) or streets. Similarly, if they saw arrogance in an individual, he was instructed to tidy up the shoes of people coming to pray. These acts of humility have the ability to create humbleness in heart. ‘
Infas e Essa, volume 1, pg43
Narrated Ibn `Abbas (Allah be pleased with him):
When the Prophet (ﷺ) got up at night to offer the Tahajjud prayer, he used to say: Allahumma lakal-hamd.
Anta qaiyyimus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna.
Walakal-hamd, Laka mulkus-samawati wal-ard wa man fihinna.
Walakal-hamd, anta nurus-samawati wal-ard.
Wa lakal-hamd, anta-l-haq wa wa’duka-lhaq, wa liqa’uka Haq, wa qauluka Haq, wal-jannatu Han wan-naru Haq wannabiyuna Haq.
Wa Muhammadun, sallal-lahu’alaihi wasallam, Haq, was-sa’atu Haq.
Allahumma aslamtu Laka wabika amantu, wa ‘Alaika tawakkaltu, wa ilaika anabtu wa bika khasamtu, wa ilaika hakamtu faghfir li ma qaddamtu wama akh-khartu wama as-rartu wama’a lantu, anta-l-muqaddim wa anta-l-mu akh-khir, la ilaha illa anta (or la ilaha ghairuka).
(O Allah! All the praises are for you, You are the Holder of the Heavens and the Earth, And whatever is in them. All the praises are for You; You have the possession of the Heavens and the Earth And whatever is in them. All the praises are for You; You are the Light of the Heavens and the Earth And all the praises are for You; You are the King of the Heavens and the Earth; And all the praises are for You; You are the Truth and Your Promise is the truth, And to meet You is true, Your Word is the truth And Paradise is true And Hell is true And all the Prophets (Peace be upon them) are true; And Muhammad is true, And the Day of Resurrection is true. O Allah ! I surrender (my will) to You; I believe in You and depend on You. And repent to You, And with Your help I argue (with my opponents, the non-believers) And I take You as a judge (to judge between us). Please forgive me my previous And future sins; And whatever I concealed or revealed And You are the One who make (some people) forward And (some) backward. There is none to be worshipped but you . Sufyan said that `Abdul Karim Abu Umaiya added to the above, ‘Wala haula Wala quwata illa billah’ (There is neither might nor power except with Allah).
Sahih al-Bukhārī,1120, book19/1
