Category Archives: D. Acts of Worship
Request for dua!
Respected readers are requested to make dua for my father.
He is admitted in cardiac care unit (CCU) with chest infection and other complications.
JazakAllaah!
Current affairs!
In light of the present uncertain conditions, especially in Pakistan, sayyidi was sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) encourages all Muslims to turn towards Allah by repentance, supplications, recitation of the verse (ayat) shown above abundantly and by being more careful of the presence of heart (khushu’) in daily prayers (salah).
May Allah give us the tawfeeq. Amin!
How to recite the daily tasbihat? Part 2
Mawlana Abdur-Rauf Sukkharvi (may Allah preserve him) continues,
Then proceed to the recitation of blessings and salutation (darood) on the Holy Prophet.
Refresh your intention,
O Allah! I am the most lowly individual in the followers (Ummah) of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace).
Prophet’s favors on me are innumerable.
It is essential (wajib) for me to love him.
Hence, in order to fulfill the obligations of this love and to further increase it in my heart I recite these salutations.
Then with full concentration recite the durood,
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد ن النبى الامى
و على اله و اصحابه و بارك و سلم
Rozana kay ma’moolat, page 7-8
How to recite the daily tasbihat? Part 1
Senior khalifa of Mufti Mohammad Shafi and Shaykh Dr Hafeezullah Madni (may Allah have mercy on them) and sayyidi wa sanadi’s outsatnding student Mawlana Abdur-Rauf Sukkharvi (may Allah preserve him) instructs the muridin,
Start with the repentance (isteghfar) with the intention,
O Allah! I am Your sinful and disobedient slave.
There is none except You who can forgive me and grant me salvation.
Therefore, in order to ask forgiveness for all of my shortcomings I repent.
Then with full concentration recite;
استغفرالله ربى من كل ذنب و اتوب اليه
Rozana kay ma’moolat, page 7
Abandon innovation but don’t quarrel with innovator
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
From the general lay public when I accept someone’s request for allegiance (baya’), I instruct him to abandon innovations (bida’) but at the same time I tell him not to quarrel with those who indulge in these sort of activities. Allah is not going to ask you why did those people indulged in them.”
Mufti Jamil Ahmad Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) adds in a footnote,
“However, the knowledgeable (scholars) have the permission do so if there is a need.”
Al-rafiq fi sawa et-tareeq, Malfuzat e Hakim al Ummat, volume 27, page 205
It is important for the novice seeker (salik) to understand this upfront.
Indulgence in these sorts of argumentation is a waste of quality time and destroys spiritual serenity. Moreover, without having the blame worthy moral characteristics under control it leads to sinful activities, like anger, arrogance, ostentation, looking down on others, etc.
May Allah save us all from these! Amin.
Most ignorant!
Shaykh Shihabuddin Surharwardy (may Allah Have mercy on him) narrated that,
“The most ignorant individual among the mankind is the one who abandons action on an issue despite its definite knowledge.”
Awarif al-Maw’arif, page 172
Reality of love
Baba Najam Ahsan (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“Love increases, eventually to a stage that its sensation annihilates and it is assimilated into the entity of beloved. (That is, our feelings & emotions (hal) undergo metamorphosis and the state (maqam) of keeping the beloved really happy emerges.)
I provide a few simple examples to make it understandable. Perceive it in your self (assuming that you are a perfectly content couple), neither do you verbalize your love for your wife nor does she articulates it for you, whereas in reality you both are true soul mates. (Your attitude and interaction towards each other is demonstrative of this love, more than the speech.)
Similarly, it is not essential for an individual to put into words feelings of love for his/her mother. (Your appreciation and affection are evident by your behavior and interactions.)
The blessed Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were similarly immersed in the love of Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to such an extent that its feelings (verbalization and emotional expression) were gone, leaving them only with their awareness of servitude (bandagi). (Their ‘love’ was to perform with utmost sincerity all that is agreeable and abstain from all that is disagreeable to the beloved. Their goal was to keep the beloved well pleased.)
Zikr e Ahsan ra, page 198
We should reflect on this and examine ourselves!
What kind of love, if any do we have for Allah, His Beloved Prophet and friends?
Do our emotional feelings rule this realtionship or the pleasure of one whom we claim to love does so?
‘Umrah in the month of Rajab
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) writes,
“Ibn ‘Abidin, the well-known scholar of the Islamic jurisprudence, has mentioned that the people of Makkah (in his days) used to perform ‘umrah in the month of Rajab. Perhaps they believed that performing ‘umrah in this month is more meritorious than in other months. Then Ibn Abidin himself has rejected the authenticity of this practice, because no tradition of the Holy Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) is found to this effect. Conversely Sayyidah ‘Aishah, Radi-Allahu anha, has expressly negated the presumption by saying that the Holy Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him)never performed an ‘umrah in the month of Rajab (Sahih Muslim 1:409)
However, Ibn ‘Aibidin has quoted a narration that ‘Abdullah ibn Zubair, Radi-Allahu anhu, completed the renovation of Ka’bah shortly before 27th of Rajab, and as a sign of gratefulness he performed ‘umrah and slaughtered some animals. But this report cannot form the basis of a recognized annual practice, firstly because the report is not very authentic, and secondly because it does not mention that Abdullah ibn Zubair, Radi-Allahu anhu, had adopted it as a continuing practice. At the most, he performed ‘umrah once as a sign of gratefulness on the completion of Ka’bah. It does not mean that he performed it as a characteristic of the month of Rajab. Therefore, performing ‘Umrah in this month is like performing it in any other month and no special merit can be attached to it merely because it has been performed in the month of Rajab.”
Rajab: Islamic months
Excessive supplication
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) was performing Umrah.
At each and every step he supplicated at length with utmost serenity, humility and servitude.
In the prayers after the tawaf (wajib ut-tawaf) his ruku and sujood were longer than usual. During sai’i he recited the supplications from Munajat e Mabool. However, at stops on Safa and Marwa he made dua at length in Urdu.
At the end of the Umrah rituals he made another very comprehensive supplication audible to those immediately besides him on Marwa.
All praise is for Allah, he did not miss a single moment without being in contact with Allah, Most High during the whole process. Moreover, numerous individuals and few of his students on recognizing him came to greet him and asked for prayers for themselves. Again providing an opportunity to call upon Allah.
May Allah give us the ability (tawfiq) to learn from this. Amin!
The gift of mi’raj
Arif-billah Shaykh Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“No conjecture is possible regarding the degree of extreme nearness to Allah achieved by our Master, Liege-lord and the Leader of both the worlds, The Prophet (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him) at the night of ascension (al–isra wal-mi’raj). It is beyond the comprehension of all creation’s intellect and imagination.
اللہ! اللہ ! قرب معراج رسول
دو کماں سے فرق ادنی’ رہ گیا
On arriving at this special proximate station in the Divine presence Allah presented His beloved the royal gift of the five daily prayers (salah).”
Khutbat e Arifi, Idarae Talefat e Ashrafiya, Multan, page 55-6
Commemoration of the Isra-wal mi’raj requires that we take good care of this gift and make sure that our salah is as per Sunna, both in physical and spiritual form, to the best of our capabilities.
May Allah facilitate this for us. Amin!
The real karama
Arif billah Shaykh Dr. Abdul Hayy Arifi (may Allah ahve mercy on him) said,
“Once I inquired a pious person that these days we do not see saints similar to those who performed extra-ordinary feats (karama) anymore.
He replied that saints who had this blessing had always been very few in each era. Most likely you have read a book that compiled many such incidents of pious individuals. And now you are misled to believe that all Shaykhs must have this capability.
Remember in previous days the karama was in matter (maadi) and hence, it was visible to others. Nowadays it is in essence (manawi).
These days any company (suhba) that leads one to do good deeds, cleanse inner self (batin from moral corruption) and make rememberance of Allah is a karama.
A company like this is achieved by true yearning (talub). If you sincerely desire this, than be reassured that individuals like this are always present in each era.”
Khutbat e Arifi, Idarae Talefat e Ashrafiya, Multan, page 164
Ramadhan and ta’aluq ma’Allah
A murid requested sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) to consider a programme for the ‘itekaf (seclusion) in the last 10 days of Ramadhan. He elaborated that it will be of utmost benifit for the murideen. They will be in the company of their Shaykh and pious fellow seekers, able to better utilize their time in worship and listen to spiritual discourses gaining the essential understanding of religion and learning the arts of its application in personal life.
Hadhrat listened to it attentively and then commented,
“It is a very good idea. However, eventually people involved in this will lose focus and it will take a form of a religious carnival. This has happened a lot in our history. Things start simply but over time they are elevated to be akin to essential and compulsory actions (faraidh, wajibat).
The blessed moments of Ramadhan are not for communal activities. They are to establish and reinforce one’s relationship directly with Allah, Most High. This is best achieved in seclusion. That is the reason it is best to perform all the supererogatory (nafil) worship in private. Where the slave (abd) is in front of his Lord alone, acknowledging his short comings, asking for forgiveness, thanking for the bounties, seeking protection from all that is discomforting and begging for the burning desire of his heart. That is, Allah’s pleasure in the exact foot steps of His Beloved Prophet!”
Jeddah International airport, May 2005
Give charity!
Imam al-Awliya Amir al-Momineen Sayyidina ‘Ali ibn Abi Taleb (may Allah be pleased with him) said,
“Do not be shy to give small amounts in charity.
Sending away a destitute empty handed is far more degrading.”
Al-Bayyinat-Karachi, 11/1409, page 54
Sin or rebellion
Baba Najam Ahsan (may Allah have mercy on him) said;
A sin can be defined as an action leading to remorse. The perpetrator regrets doing it.
If there is no remorse then it is not a sin but a rebellion.”
Zikr e Ahsan, page 183