Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) instructed a physician who returned from abroad,

‘MashaAllah!

You have returned back home leaving a good salary. Here work with the intention of helping others (khidmet e khalq). (That is, earning money should not be the primary objective). May Allah facilitate it for you. Ameen!’

Darul Uloom Karachi, 4th October 2019

An individual mentioned about a job offer abroad.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) inquired regarding his present job. On coming to know that he was satisfied in the current situation he said,

Our master Ali (Allah be pleased him) said, ‘It is a blessing for an individual to find his livelihood in his hometown. ‘

Darul Uloom Karachi, after zohar, walking towards home, January 18, 2020

A senior mureed (khalifa of another senior late Shaykh) complained about difficulty in completing the daily wird (recitations, tasbihat, etc.)

Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) instructed,

‘One has to force him/herself to do these.
There is no other way.

This is the Sulook!

(Traveling the path to attain Allah’s pleasure.)

Initially make sure that you set the amount of daily recitations (wird) according to the time available in your schedule. Then stick to it. ‘

Darul Uloom Karachi, after zohar,walking towards home, December 2019

A sincere student inquired,

What does giving bayah to a shaykh include?

Following answer was given, 

Baiyet or bayah or Ahed is a solemn pledge. It hallmarks an agreement between the Sheikh and a spiritual aspirant. That is, in order to gain Allah swt’spleasure the aspirant agrees to receive and obey the guidance and instruction from the Sheikh. And the Sheikh kindly accepts to direct him accordingly.

This is the reality of ba’iyet.

Outwardly it takes the form of holding the hand of the Sheikh, who recites some Quranic verses, hadithand ask the mureed to repent for all previous sins and make a solemn affirmation of not committing them ever again. Also he announces that the aspirant is now a member of xyzSufi order. Then he instructs him accordingly.

Indeed, this outwardly form of baiyet is filled with barakah. Being a Sunnah (ghair muakkidah) and the practice of saintly elders it has its own benefits. It is not an ordinary thing.

However, without the above mentioned reality it is a form devoid of soul.

History of religions is evident of the fact that with passage of time and spiritual decline means become goals by themselves and realities are ignored. Rituals and ceremonies eclipse the real meaning intended.

Same has happened with Tasawwuf. Ba’yit has become a ceremony. It is considered to be a goal by itself. This is not the correct teaching of Tasawwuf. Essential thing is continuously receiving instructions and acting on them as guided.

For this reason, in our tariq, ba’yit is deferred initially. The instruction and guidance starts immediately. However, the ba’yit is as a principle is delayed till the Sheikh is satisfied that the individual is sincere to follow the path and is doing so to the best of his ability. And, moreover, the potential mureed understands and agrees with the methodology of the Sheikh and himself acknowledges increasing benefit from these instructions.

This time period may be days or years.

The best deal is: Try before you buy.

Once the potential mureed sees himself grow spiritually, the real importance of ba’yit will become evident to him. However, if such is not the case, he will be free to try his luck somewhere else.

Ashrafiya Qs &As

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

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