نعمتیں مل گئیں ہیں آہوں کی
ایسی تیسی میرے گناہوں کی
بابا نجم احسن رح
آہوں کی نعمت
Category Archives: B. Praise worthy morals
Actions without Enthusiasm!
A murid wrote:
I do not find any of the daily activities (i.e. salat, dhikr, reading, etc.) interesting. I feel as if all my emotions and feelings are numb. Please, advice!
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Amin!) replied;
This is also one of the (inner) states (hal).
It seems to convey an important message regarding the inner states.
It is emphasizing that the necessary things are to be done even without passion. Having enthusiasm, fervor, dedication is not essential (for action). And in most situations this is more beneficial.
(That is, without emotional involvement actions are done purely for Allah SWT. There is no mixing/partnership of satisfaction of one’s enthusiasm.)
Islahi Khutoot
Tafwidh
Tafwidh is to assign one’s all affairs to Allah.
Allah may do with one as He desires.
One’s aspiration and hope should be on none besides Allah. In addition to employing the means and the methods, the result of all things should be left to Allah.
Tafwid is accquired by immediately reflecting when being confronted with an event which is in conflict with one’s liking that this is from Allah and most assuredly there is wisdom and goodness in it.
In the beginning it will be difficult to acquire this attitude. However, constant reflection facilitates it and then this attitude assumes a natural condition in the Pious (Auliyaa).
Shariat wa Tasawwuf, Mawlana Masihullah Khan ra
Humility of the Prophet
Following is an extract from the supplications of our master, the mercy to the Universe Prophet Mohammad (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). It is very much reflective of his slavehood (abdiyet).
اللهم إنك تسمع كلامي
وترى مكاني وتعلم سري وعلانيتي
لا يخفى عليك شيء من أمري و
أنا البائس الفقير
المستغيث المستجير , الوجل المشفق
المقر المعترف بذنبه
أسألك مسألة المسكين
وأبتهل إليك ابتهال المذنب الذليل
وأدعوك دعاء الخائف الضرير
دعاء منخضعت لك رقبته
وذل لك جسمه , ورغم لك أنفه
O Allah! You hear my speech and behold my situation.
You know my secret and open matters.
None of my affairs is concealed from You!
And I am the miserable, needy, suppliant, succor seeking,
fearful and anxious person who confesses and recognizes his sins.
I beg you – the begging of a destitute.
I implore you – the imploring of an abased sinner.
And I make dua to You – the dua of the fearful afflicted person,
whose neck is bowed down before You,
whose eyes pour out tears before You,
whose body is humbled before You and
whose nose touches the ground for You repeatedly.
(Munajat-e-Maqbul, manzil #3 (Monday) , Supplication #108)
May Allah bless us with some degree of this humility. Amin!
علوم تصوف و تزکیہ کی تفصیل
از حضرت حکیم الامت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی رحمۃ اللہ علیہ ،
1۔ مقامات
مقصود اصلی اس طریق میں اصلاح اعمال باطنی ہیں اور ان اعمال کو اصطلاح میں اخلاق و مقامات کہتے ہیں۔
2۔ احوال
وہ امور جو بمنزلہ ثمرات غیر اختیاریہ اصلاح مذکور کے ہیں۔
3۔ اشغال
وہ امور جو ان ثمرات کے معین و بمزلہ اسباب حصول ہیں۔
4۔ تعلیمات
وہ امور جو کسی اشتباہ کا دفع یا کسی مرض کا علاج یا کسی عمل کا طرز و طریق بتلائیں۔
5۔ علامات
وہ امور اختیاری یا غیر اختیاری جو ان ثمرات کے آثار ظاہری ہیں۔
6۔فضائل
وہ امور از قبیل نصوص جو ان اخلاق و صفات محمودہ پر بشارت دینے والے ہیں۔
7۔ عادات و آراب
وہ امور جو از قسم افعال اختیاریہ بمزلہ امور طبعیہ اس قوم صوفیہ کے ہیں۔
8۔ رسوم
وہ افعال از قسم افعال مباحہ مبنی بر بعض مصالح غیر ضروریہ۔
9۔ مسائل
وہ امور جو محض تحقیقات علمیہ ہیں۔
10۔ اقوال
وہ امور جو از قسم عبارات ہیں۔
11۔ توجیہات
وہ امور جو ظاہرنظر میں حدودجواز سے متجاوز معلوم ہوتے ہیں، اگر واقع میں وہ داخل حدود ہیں تو ان کی نسبت جو تاویل اور تطبیق کی جاۓ وہ۔
12۔ اصلاح
اور اگر واقع میں بھی خارج حدود ہیں تو اس میں جو تنبیہ کی جاۓ۔
13۔ متفرقات
بہت کم ایسے امور جو ان کلیات میں سے کسی کی فرد نہ ہوں۔
التکشف 258
Schematic diagram of Tasawwuf
Tasawwuf algorithm
Instructing Good/Amr bil ma’ruf
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanawi ra said:
“There are two prerequesites for amr-bil ma’ruf (instructing good);
Firstly, there should be hope that the individual being spoken to will accept or at least will not harm you (in retaliation).
The other is that the individual must be unaware of that good deed.
Mostly in the cases of lack of knowledge the chance of instruction being accepted are better. Whereas, people already aware of the good deed are often annoyed if instructed to perform it.
Dawat o tablig ki sharaii hasiyat, page 26
Repentance
Shaykh Abd al-Ghani al-Rifai’ (Allah have mercy on him) instructed the novice disciples,
‘The rights of other that are due must be fulfilled or forgiveness sought for them.
If one finds himself unable to do this now, then he should make a firm determination to do so whenever it is possible for him.
In the mean time he should continuously make supplications for the aggrieved individual and ask forgiveness for himself.
For example, he should says hundred times daily, ‘O Allah! I seek forgiveness in matters related to rights of other individuals (huqooq al-ibad).’ This recitation should continue till he fulfills these obligations as outlined above.
This is because repentance (tawbah) is the reality and foundation of this path (tareeq). In fact it is the very first station of the path.
Takhlees Tarsi’ al-Jawahir al-Makkiyah fi tazkiya tal-ikhlaq al-mardhiyah, page 78
Related: Clearing financial matters first!
What is ‘husun e khulq’?
Shaykh Shah Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Beautiful manners (husun e khulq) is your disposition and interaction with others in way that makes them happy, provided that in doing so nothing is done against the Shariah.’
Ifadaat ala Takhlis tarsi’ al-jawahir al-Makkiya, page 52-3
Helsinki, ESCMID 2009
Leisure of heart
A senior spiritual aspirant wrote,
I was pondering how the leisure of heart (faraghet e qalbi) can be obtained. This thought came to me that whatever discussion or action is not essential to avoid looking into it, listening and thinking about it. This is irrespective of it being from the past or related to the future.
Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) replied,
‘May Allah give barakah in your comprehension abilities (faham). This is it.’
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 1, page 739
When in trouble?
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly, Ameen) said:
“When in trouble or in a perplexing situation immediately repent (make tauba) before asking Allah for help & assistance.
There are definitely many sins we are not even aware of committing. Moreover, our worship itself is full of faults. Repenting from all these is a must.
An aftermath of sin (ma’seyat) is that it causes your decision making abilities to become cloudy/muddy. You forget things and make wrong judgements. Repentance will remove these and making your thinking and decision making clearer.”
Waaz 26th June 2005, Darul Uloom Karachi
Levels of khushoo
A novice murid wrote his condition:
‘In namaz for khushoo I concentrate on the wordings of the recitation (as instructed). For zikr and tilawat, should I do similarly or concentrate on the meanings?’
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him & allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Amin) replied:
“It is best on both, if possible. Otherwise which ever is achievable.”
Trying his best to do as instructed after some considerable time the same individual wrote:
‘In zikr and namaz instead of concentrating on words and meaning I get focused on a thought as though Allah is present and He is watching me. Sometimes this thought is strong and at others it is weak. Is this thinking appropriate for me? Also if I voluntary try and keep this thought I can not concentrate on words and meanings.’
Shaykh said:
“Concentrating on words and meanings are a stepping stone and are for the purpose of creating this focusing that Allah is present and He is watching. All praise is for Allah, progress up the stairs occurred. Whatever excessive thankfulness (to Allah) is done for this blessing can not be enough.
Allah increase it manifolds.”
Marital Relationship & Taqwa
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said:
“My respected father Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Shafii’ (amy Allah have mercy on him) used to say that the healthy and happy relations between husband and wife are not at all possible unless they have taqwa: the fear of Allah, in their heart.
The degree of intimacy between them can never be found in any other relationship. Both are sharing one another’s secrets and are so close to each other that a closer relationship can never be imagined of. These relations are such that they can not be known to others in detail. Under such conditions, when they are in private and intimate, if one partner decides to hurt the other or disregard his/her rights who is going to stop him/her?
There are many rights if they are not executed, one can report to the police or claim them through the court. But most of the rights of husband and wife are such that they can not be reported to the police or be demanded via court. The judicial system at the most will make it possible to claim for wife’s monetary allowance and meher but what about the husband’s arrogant attitude and bitter speech? Which court or police is going to reimburse for these hurtful things?
There is only one thing that can prevent these hurtful things from happening. It is the fear of Allah (taqwa).
That is, when the husband realizes that Allah by uniting his wife to him (via nikah) has imposed some rights for her. These are obligations for me to fulfill. I am bound to undertake them. If I do not comply with them I will be accountable before Allah.
Until this realization arises one can not discharge other’s (marital) rights thoroughly.
(Marry but Fear Allah SWT: Islahi Khutbat 73-73 Volume 11)
Be intelligent!
Shaykh Shah Wasiullah (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
Imam Abdur-Rehman Ali al-Jauzi (may Allah have mercy on him) has stated in his book ‘Kital al-azkiya’ that,
From all the bounties of Allah bestowed on human beings the most phenomenal is the intellect. This is because it is the instrument of acquiring the knowledge of Allah (ma’arifa). It helps in the organizing the demands of religion and this world. It enables one to focus on the eventual outcome. It leads to understanding of complicated things. It drives one to go for the the beneficial things and accumulate them.’
Mawlana Shah Ahlullah, brother of Shah Waliullah (may Allah have mercy on them) stated this in his booklet “Chahar bab’,
‘Intelligence, prudence and far-sightedness are innate qualities but they grow and improve with increase in experience, company of the wise individuals, reading of books of knowledge and listening to tales of wisdom and general advice. Therefore, one must try constantly to improve his mental capabilities.
Furthermore, physical and mental struggle must be done to establish one’s self as intelligent and not being in the category of stupids.
Intellect is a unique entity. It must be utilized appropriately and not wasted.’
I remind you, that we do not utilize it appropriately and hence we destroy the benefits of both this world and the here-after. As though, we have kept our mental abilities on hold. This in particular I find in the religious individuals. They are totally handicapped in this regards.
Tazkira e musleh al-Umma, page 134