Masih al-quloob Hadhrat Masihullah Khan (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“The hallmark of Ashrafiya (tariqa) conduct (mazaq) is to maintain perfect steadiness (e’itedal) in observance of the Sunna.”
Iskah afroze bayanat, page 169
Category Archives: D. Acts of Worship
Demand of the moment
Sayyidid wa sanadi Hahdrat Mawlana Mufti Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“If the aim of a deed is to please Allah, then an individual should always be on the look-out as to what is being demanded of him on that particular moment.
[”Discourses of Islamic Way of Life” ,Vol. 1: pages 186]
As it is said, “sufi is ibn al-waqat”.
Wird vs clear dealings vs good morals
‘Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) instructed the seekers,
“The daily routine recitations (wird) can be increased or decreased based on the time available, determination and health status. But it is essential to have clarity in dealing with others, purity of social demeanor and rectitude of morals at all the times.”
Ma’moolat e yoomiya, page 14
Guard eyes, ears and tongue
‘Arif billah Hadhrat Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) instructed the seekers,
“Do not be slack in your effort of self-reformation (islah) till you die, as some of the ailments of self (nafs) take many years to be recognized.
Strictly guard your eyes, ears and tongue (from unlawful). These three organs are the source of all worships and transgressions, including the inner praise worthy and blame worthy moral traits. It is of utmost importance to take appropriate care of them by using them in lawful and abstaining from prohibited.
However, (God forbid) when you slip (do not despair), repent immediately.”
Ma’moolat e yoomiya, page 13
A request
‘Arif billah Hadrat Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“Time is an invaluable and a precious source for our life’s investment.
Every second our life span is decreasing.
Hence, preparation for here-after (akhira) should not be delayed further.
I request you to start working from today.”
Ma’moolat e yoomia, page 6
Muraqaba for the afflicted
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) use to instruct the seeker afflicted by something unfavorable that he should contemplate (muraqaba) on the Divine names al-Hakim and al-Hakeem.
Allah, Most High being the Sovereign authority in charge (al-Hakim) has all the right to do with us as He wants. No one can question it. We being His slaves have to accept it. However, at the same time we must remember that He is Wise (al-Hakeem) and whatever He does certainly has something beneficial for us. We may not be able to acknowledge this right away but this is for sure.
Thinking on these lines decreases the apprehensions and sufferings associated with the affliction. Also it increases one’s love and trust on Allah at the same time.
Shaykh’s wird
Alhumdulillah, few weeks back I was blessed to be in the company of sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him). We were driving from Jeddah to Makkah e mukarramah. Shaykh planned to pray fajr salah in haram shareef and perform tawaf afterwards. During the entire trip except for the essential talking Shaykh was busy with his wird. The continuous motion of tasbih in his hand gave us the clue.
Similarly, once on such a journey in friday night Shaykh was heard reciting the surah Kahaf, Mulk and Alif lam mim sijadah.
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Incidents like these are an eye-opener for us. They should make us aware that practicing what we study, learn and preach is very important, however, busy we may be. Also, it should motivate us to plan and manage our time appropriately.
Signs of Allah’s wrath!
One of the pious said,
“Whenever Allah intends bad for an individual, then He shuts the door of facilitation in performing the good deeds and opens the door to laziness ajar on him.”
Awarif al-Maarif, page 77
May Allah save us from it. Amin!
Sweetness of faith
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever possesses the following three qualities will have the sweetness of faith:
1. The one to whom Allah and His Apostle becomes dearer than anything else.
2. Who loves a person and he loves him only for Allah’s sake.
3. Who hates to revert to Atheism (disbelief) as he hates to be thrown into the fire.” (Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 2, Number 16)
Explaning it Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad TAqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“What is meant by sweetness of faith (here)?
Literally sweetness means a sugary taste. However, here this taste of sugar and molasses is not implied. It means that the hardship that usually accompany the obligations of faith become pleasurable. To endure these difficulties is delightful and enjoyable. The pleasure, joy and satisfaction achieved in fulfilling these commandments of faith ordered by Allah exceeds all worldly pleasures and enjoyments. This state is given by Allah to His chosen servants. And it is this condition that is called sweetness or pleasure of faith (eman).
Inam al-bari, duroos Bukhari sharif, volume 1, page 374
May Allah, Most High give this to us all,
even though we do not deserve it at all.
Ameen!
Spiritual Progress
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“The spiritual progress is dependent on being steadfast in works of worship (‘amal) and striving (mujahidah) (to abstain from sins). [That is, both exoteric and esoteric works and sins].
Irfan e Hafiz, At-Takashuf, page 252
Tajweed
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in regards to tajweed, that is, reading the holy Quran with correct pronunciation,
“It is essential (wajib) to make effort in this. Being careless and lazy in it is a sin.”
Bahishti Zewar
Reading Quran al-Karim without proper pronunciation changes the meaning of the text.
Qari Mohammad Rafiq, a senior student of Qari Shaykh Fateh Mohammad Panipati (senior instructor at Darul Uloom Karachi who migrated to and died in radiant city of Medinah) told an individual that teaching the ‘arabic language primer (qa’ida) properly is the most important step in learning recitation of Quran.
Essence of tasawwuf
Hadhrat Mufti Mohammed Hasan (may Allah have mercy on him), Hakim al-Umma’s khalifa and founder of Jamia Ashrafia Lahore said,
“The essence of tasawwuf can be condensed in two terms, the means (tareeq) and the objective (maqsud).
The means are the acts of worship (‘amal).
And the objective is Allah’s pleasure.
That is, at all the times one should be striving to gain Allah’s pleasure.”
Ahsan as-Sawanih, page 252
Quran:marriage
And it is among His signs that He has created for you wives from among yourselves, so that you may find tranquility in them, and He has created love and kindness between you. Surely in this there are signs for a people who reflect.
Commenting on the terms mentioned Hadhrat Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says that physical and emotional love predominates in the youth whereas kindness and caring marks the old age.
Shariah always reigns
Citing misconceptions of pseudo-sufis Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“Another misconception is a belief that there comes a stage in the path of tasawwuf where the Shariah rulings are annulled and the sufi is exempted from their observation. This thinking is unbelief (kufr) without any doubt.
The Shariah rulings are never ever lifted from a conscious and oriented individual. However, loss of consciousness (and orientation) are a genuine reason for excuse.
A person informed Hadhrat Junaid Baghdadi (may Allah have mercy on him) that there are individuals who say that we have reached the goal (wasil). It is not necessary for us to observe the Shariah rulings anymore.
Hadhrat Junaid (may Allah have mecy on him) replied, “Yes! They have reached, indeed. But it is at the Hell they have reached and not (the ma’rifa of) Allah. A person who fornicates and steals is better then the individual who holds this belief. If I were to live for thousand years, I would not even miss my daily recitations (wird) without a genuine excuse.”
Ta’lim ud-deen, page 123
The thing to do now in EMERGENCY!
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“In unfavorable conditions the Ummah is facing these days most of us usually waste time discussing, reading or listening to the news and commentaries about the current affairs.
We forget the most important thing to do.
That is, to turn to Allah.
It is for sure that these adverse conditions are the effects of our own wrong doings. Hence, the best recourse is to accept our short comings, repent, make a strong determination to act correctly now onwards and ask Allah for His mercy, help and guidance in doing so. Admit our feebleness and lack of courage to deal with these hardships and request them to be safely removed from us.”