Category Archives: A. Reality of Tasawwuf

The nature, definition, goals and principles of Tasawwuf

Goal:Maqamaat not Ahwal

goal

Hakim al-Umma Sahykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“Goal and objective are the maqamaat [stations: i.e. acquiring patience (saber), thankfulness (shukur), sincerity (ikhlas), etc. and getting rid of envy, arrogance, anger, etc.] and not the ahwal (temporary overwhelming emotional states).

This is because the former are voluntary (can be acquired by one’s effort) and the latter are involuntary (occur sponateously irrespective of one’s effort).”

Malfuzat

Rockville, MD/Washington DC

Intention in religious discussion

niyyah

My respected father Cdr. Shaukat Kamal (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

‘Every friday I gather my family after asr salah and discuss religious matters with them. I am using your books and (Hakim al-Umma’s) Bahishti zewar for assistance. I feel that this activity is most beneficial for myself.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) replied,

‘The real intention (in these sort of activities) should be self benefit, indeed.’

Walid sahib kay Islahi khutoot, page 10

Tawheed: an essential station

alesalallah

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi [may Allah have mercy on him] said in reference to the following verse of Holy Quran,

وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ اشْمَأَزَّتْ قُلُوبُ الَّذِينَ لا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالآخِرَةِ وَإِذَا ذُكِرَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ دُونِهِ إِذَا هُمْ يَسْتَبْشِرُونَ

When Allah, the One and Only, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Hereafter are filled with disgust and horror; but when [gods] other than He are mentioned, behold, they are filled with joy!

“Similar to it is the condition of some ignorant claimants of tasawwuf. That is, at the mention of pure tawheed they are sickened. And [are delighted to] do istighatha [calling for help] with awliya.”

Tawheed is one of the essential muqamat [stations] in Tasawwuf.

[Masail al-Sulook min Kalam Malik al-Malook, p.468]

Sheikh-mureed Relationship

Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

“The relationship between a Sheikh and a mureed is exactly like that between a physician and a patient.

If a person acknowledges being a patient of a certain physician and that physician agrees to it, would this contract by itself result in cure of all ailments of that person?

Never!

Therapeutic intervention will be needed.

Its method is to inform the physician of the illness in detail (get diagnosed and receive treatment).

It can not be achieved by just sitting in the company of physician silently for few hours daily without informing him of the illness and getting a prescription.

No one does this.

Moreover, people repeatedly tell the physician in specific details their condition. Even if the doctor acknowledges understanding them, they insist to repeat the details fearing some vital information may have been missed.

But it is distressful for the miserable Sheikh. No one tells him regarding their batini (esoteric) ailments (requesting treatment). It is assumed that he himself will tell what diseases you suffer from and treat them without your request. …….. Even if he were to have kashaf (unveiling) without you asking for treatment specifically, he will never impose it on you. Why would he care if you show such an attitude. You need his services (for cure), he does not need you.”

Waaz: Rahat-ul-quloob; Mawaiz e Ashrafiya volume 22, page 261

Company of the Pious

hamidtawaffini

It is the third thing in our list of actions leading to creation of ta’luq ma’Allah/Love of Allah swt. Most probably this is the most effective means of achieving it.

Here, pious are those who already posses this ta’luq/Love. First most in them is the Sheikh himself or whom ever he suggests and approves. The benefits of this companionship are to felt and lived. The words can not describe them in the fullest sense. Here we will mention a few.

Once a person asked Hazrat Thanvi qaddas sirrahu, that the famous verse;
Yak zamana suhbat ba awliya
Behter az sed sala ta’et e bay-riya

(Momentary companionship of Friends of Allah swt is better than hundred years of sincere worship) seems to be an exaggeration. How can this be possible?
Hazrat Thanvi ra replied that, “It was no exaggeration at all. Moreover, the message was still not completely conveyed. If the poet had said;
Yak zamana suhbat ba awliya
behter az sed lekh sala ta’et e bay-riya
(Momentary company of Friends of Allah swt is better than million years of sincere worship), it would not have been an exaggeration.”

This is because in the company of pious/awliya you get more than the sincerity. You get this ta’uluq ma’Allah/love of Allah swt. This is the master key for all further good actions.

Another benefit is that in the company of the pious one repeatedly hears useful knowledge and tips for putting this to practice in every day life. This will motivate the clumsiest of the mureed to action.

Additionally, there is the benefit of dua (prayers) of the pious. Seeing a sincere aspirant working diligently they make prayer for him. InshaAllah, there is conviction that their prayer are accepted.

Also by keeping their company, one starts to admire them and imitate them. This hastens the spiritual progress.

Essential to acknowledge is that this company needs to be for considerable duration of time (months/years), with sincerity and total obedience to bear its fruit.Being physically present in the company of the Sheikh as much as possible in different settings is needed. Corresponding with him often via mail, e-mail and telephone can be a substitute if physical presence is not possible.In the tareeq of Hazrat Hakeem ul Ummat ra regular correspondence between the Sheikh and mureed is a must cornerstone of spiritual improvement effort.

Masti kay leyay boay maay tund hay kafi
Maakhanay ka mehroom bhi mehroom nahi hay
According to Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat ra company of the pious is a compulsory obligation (fardh a’yn) in this era for each and every Muslim. It is the vital means of saving ones faith.

Our busy daily schedule and complicated lifestyle does not seem to accommodate company of the pious!It is all about our priorities. Things which we consider important are somehow adjusted in the same busy schedule.Those who are serious regarding the tareeq have to make this their number one priority.

However, the tareeq is not rigid and inadaptable. When genuine reasons for not being physically present exist, there are other means to get some similar benefit if not exactly the same.They are:

1. Reading books of the past Mashaykh of the tareeq.Most important are the sermons (mawa’iz, 30 volumes, 500 pages each) and suhba talks (malfoozat, 25 voulmes, 250 pages each) of Hakeemulummat Hazrat Thanvi ra. Also books by A’rifbillah Dr. Abdul Hayy ra (especially Basair Hakeemulummat). And finally books by Sidi wa Sanadi Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib dbt (specifically, Islahi Khutbat 14 volumes, & Islahi Majalis 5 voulmes, 300 page each).

2. Listening to the spiritual discourses of the Sheikh. Alhumdulillah, more than five hundred such discourses delivered by Sidi wa Sanadi Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib dbt are available both in audio cassettes and MP3 CDs. Some of them have been posted on worldwide web also.

Continuous effort and trying one’s best to be in the company of the Sheikh whenever possible, even for brief duration will, inshaAllah, lead to the development of this ta’aluq ma’Allah/Love.

Course to lafz hi sekhatay hain
Adami adami banatey hain
Justujo ham ko adami ki hay
Who kitabain abus mangatey hain
(Akbar Allahbadi ra)

Calling onto others beside Allah for help

mashaikh

Shaykh Mawlana Qadi Hamid-ud-deen Nagori al-Chishti [d:673H] was one of the foremost khalifas of Gharib Nawaz Khawaja Muin al-Deen al-Chishti [may Allah have mercy on them], founder of Chishti silsila. He was first Chishti shaykh to write a book and one of his book was on the usools of Chishti tariqah. It is mentioned in Gulzaar-e-Abrar p.47 that he reached the status of ijtihad in traditional sciences. He writes regarding calling onto others beside Allah for help:

ومنهم الذين يدعون الأنبياء والأولياء عند الحوائج والمصائب
باعتقاد ان أرواحهم حاضرة تسمع النداء وتعلم
الحوائج وذلك شرك قبيح وجهل صريح

“And there are those who call upon the Prophets and awliya for help in the time of distress with the belief that their souls are ever present, listening [hadhir nadhir] and aware of our needs. This is from the worst type of shirk and clear ignorance.”

[Tafheem al-Masail ba-hawala Tausheeh from Jawahir al-Tauheed, p.272. Courtesy Khanbaba. JazakAllah]

Islahi T’aluq

husunalislamminhusni

‘Arifbillah Shaykh Dr Abdul-Hayy ‘Arifi (may allah have mercy on him) said;

To slip and commit mistakes is inherent human nature.

If the mistakes were not there spiritual progress would not be possible.

However, to avoid them (in first place) and become aware of them (if committed) prominent scholars and sufis established a relationship for self-reformation (islahi t’aluq) with the friends of Allah  (ahlulAllah) and abandoned ascribing any self perfection.

Malfozat-e-‘Arifi ra page 61

Daily wird & Time constraints

Sands of Time

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!) said,

‘If due to genuine reasons limited time is available the components of the wird may be decreased in quantity.

For example instead of reciting the tasbeehat 100 times each do it 33 times or 11 times or even 3 times if the restraints are such great.

Do not abandon the wird all together.

Abandoning it will cause loss of great barakah (blessings).’

Allah give us the tawfeeq. Ameen

The Real Objective & Goal

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said;

‘The real objective is to gain Allah swt’s pleasure.

This is achieved via being steadfast on the good works (ta’at) and abstaining from all sins.

For the one who is doing these, there is no reason to be worried.

If there are short comings in these, then effort is needed to correct them and to make repentance.

Islahi maktoobat

Fear self satisfaction

farooq

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohamamd Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,

‘Sayidina Umar al-Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) had himself heard the Prophet (Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him) say that, ‘Umar will be in Paradise’.

However, his state was such that he used to ask Sayidina Huzaifa (may Allah be pleased with him) to inform him if his name was amongst the list of hypocrites (munafiqeen) confided to him by the Prophet (Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him) .

Moreover, he told Sayidina Abu Musa al-Ashari (may Allah be pleased with him) that he wished he receives reward only for those actions done within the lifetime of the Prophet and those that were done afterwards are just condoned, without any reward or punishment.

This is the thinking of an individual who has heard the glad tidings of Paradise.

(We must question) Why?

The fact is his concern about himself.  That is,  certainly at that time the Prophet gave this glad tidings but it is possible that his condition has changed since then. He is afraid of this change.

Why have this fear (of change and deterioration in our state) vanished from ourselves?

Why aren’t we concerned (about the change and deterioration in our state)?

How are we free of this  fear and self satisfied on our condition?’

Bayan:  5th February 2009, after ‘asr, Qari Rafiq’s residence, Jeddah.

Progress: explained

kaba12

An individual inquired that after becoming aware of this progress issue I feel at loss. My religious activities in worship, wird, recitations, etc. have been at a static level for a considerable period of time.  I feel guilty.

Sayyidi wa sanadi SHaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) answered as he walked towards the mataf to perform tawaf,

‘It must be remembered that there are two components involved in this advancement one is quantity and the other is quality.

There is room that the quantity remains static, but for a seeker  it is essential that the quality of his actions increases every day.

He must try to develop more sincerity, precision and concentration in his actions following and imitating the Sunna. Moreover he must be in constant contact with Allah via remembrance (dhikr) and supplications.

This progress is an imperative requirement for the seeker.’

Makkah al mukarramah, Saturday, 7th February 2009/12 Safar 1430, after esha salah

Dream

dreams

A seeker reported an unusual pleasant dream.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi (may Allah preserve him) told him,

‘All praise is to Allah!

خيرًا تلقاه و شرا توقاه خيرلنا و شرَ لاعداءنا

Islahi khutoot, xii/1429

The points regarding tarbiyah for the seeker in this simple answer are,

1. Good dreams are a blessing. One should thank Allah for them.
2. It is Sunna to recite this supplication when interpreting a dream.
3. Inculcating the habit of turning to Allah in all conditions.
4. Sometimes the dream does not require an explanation.
5. In spite of being a blessing a balanced approach has to be maintained regarding the dreams.  What really matters are the actions done in the wakeful state.