Hakim al Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
Contemplate (make muraqaba) that I love Allah and Allah also loves me.
This muraqaba is extremely beneficial.
When an individual afflicted with extremes of worries and anxieties does this muraqaba, all of them vanish completely. This is because there is conviction that Allah loves me and therefore there must be some benefit for me in this affliction. In love, who will hurt the loved one?
Shariat wa Tariqat , page 278
Hakim al Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Khatir is the thought that descends on the heart (qalb).
It has four categories. First is from Allah, the next from angel, another from the lower self (nafs) and the fourth from the Satan.
The first is known as khatir-e-Haq, the second as ilham, the third as hawajas and the fourth as wasawes.
Following is the way to distinguish them.
If the incoming thought is of virtuous nature and one can act against it, then it is a ilham. If one can not act against it then it is a katir-e-Haq.
If the incoming thought is of immoral nature and incites the blame worthy morals of the lower self, like lust, anger, etc. then it is from hawajes. If it lead to desires of sinful activities (in general) then it is from wasawes.
Shariat wa tariqat, page 355
A seeker inquired,
‘O Abu Saeed (Allah have mercy on him)! I spend the night in a sound state of physical health, I even have a desire to wake up at night for worship (tahajjud) and I also make arrangements for ablution but why is it that I can not get up?’
The Shaikh replied, ‘Your sinful activities hold you hostage (stopping you from getting up at this precious time to pray).’
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What sinful activities?
Shaikh Taiwiri (Allah have mercy on him) said, ‘Once I was deprived of benefiting from the tahajjud prayers for seven month as a result of a sinful activity.’
On being question about this sinful act, he replied,
‘I saw a person crying and I thought (actively and with conviction) that he is being pretentious (riya kar).’
Awarif al-Ma’arif, (Urdu) 567
Qutub e ‘alam Shaikh Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
The reasons for loss of (spiritually) achieved benefit include, lack of vigilance in maintaining it, entrapment in sinful activities or being careless in (permissibility of) food consumed.
Therefore, search for cause (and rectify it).
If it is the third reason then be careful (about the permissibility of food).
If it is the second issue then repentance and abandonment of the transgression is required.
If it is the first reason then intimate supplications, expression of weakness and humility in the court of Supreme Benefactor and chastisement of one’s self (nafs) heedlessness (gaflah).
In short the treatment is excessive repentance and (acknowledgment of) remorse.
Makateeb e Rasheediyah, page 39 quoted via Ifadat e wasiyah 348-9
Shaikh Abu Saeed Gangohi (Allah have mercy on him) came to realize his spiritual loss after the death of his Shaikh. He had not completed his spiritual training as yet. He inquired about the senior spiritual inheritors of his Shaikh. It was mentioned that Shaikh Nizamuddin Balkhi (Allah have mercy on him) was the most distinguished deputies (khulafa).
For his islah Shaikh Abu Saeed travelled from Gangoh, India to Balkh, northern Afghanistan. A distance of approximately 1700 km (1050 miles). This was by horse or camel caravans and took many months to cover.
This was reflective of his yearning (talab) for islah and spiritual betterment to gain pleasure of Allah.
Compare this to our yearning!
Today we search for a Shaikh in the immediate vicinity of our residence, province or city. We want someone who will change his schedule to accommodate our convenience.
This is is NOT talab!
This only proves that we are not true seekers and do not realize the importance of islah.
If we were seriously sick and came to know of a expert physician we would seek his consultation irrespective of the location of his clinic, timings and charges. This is because we realize the potential danger of our illness if left untreated.
However, we are content with our spiritual maladies, the anger, arrogance, impatience, love of wealth & fame, ostentatiousness, insincerity, pretentiousness, the sins of speech and eyes, etc.
May Allah open our eyes and make us aware of our mistakes. May He facilitate this for us, the undeserving servants’, by His infinite mercy, kindness and philanthropy. Amin!
It is an essential for the seeker to curtail his/her social connections in order to establish and develop a real, strong and ever-growing relationship with Allah.
Hakim al Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Solitude (khalwa) protects from involvement in sinful activities. Provided this solitude is accompanied with the safeguard of eyes, ears and heart (from seeing, hearing or thinking about anything impermissible).
(In solitude) Purposefully one should not think about anything other than Allah. If random thoughts come then busy yourself in remembrance of Allah and cast them away. This type of solitude will indeed save one from involvement in sinful activities.’
“Individuals who do not have (daily) scheduled time for solitude gradually lose the spiritual luminosity of their hearts.’
On how to achieve this in one’s daily life practically, he added,
‘Do everything on its scheduled time.
The (permissible) worldly affairs on their time and the daily spiritual recitations and activities (wird) on the time allotted for them.
Even occasionally involve yourself in appropriate and succinct humor to entertain and please a fellow Muslim’s heart.
In this way all things will move together, otherwise, in complete solitude sometimes the enthusiasm and aspiration becomes weak. And without them it is difficult to proceed.’
Shariat wa tariqat, page 257
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said in regards to the popular practice of complaining about the deteriorating religious conditions in the society,
‘The most dangerous aspect of criticism of the prevalent corrupt cultural trends and how people act (these days) is that we make them an excuse for our wrong doings.
Therefore, it is frequently quoted, ‘in itself this action is inappropriate, however, in light of the prevalent circumstances we have to do it’.’
Jawahirat Shaikhul Islam, page 34
Hakim al Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Until and unless the public connections are significantly curtailed the serenity (yak-sui) of heart (qalb) is not achieved. The acquisition of nisbet is dependent on having this serenity.’
Shariat wa Tariqat, page 252
A spiritual seeker (mureed) wrote,
I become very anxious when I remember death. I don’t feel that I’m ready to die yet. How can I develop more hope in Allah’s mercy? What do you feel about your old age and closeness to death?
Sheikh Sayyid Muhammad Abdul-Wahid (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
Death is a natural process like the rising and setting of the sun is. Fear of death is normal and almost everyone has it. You can pray for your longevity and end with faith. In order to invoke Allah’s mercy, you should say countless times during the day “ya reHman, ya reHiym”.
February 12, 2012
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Shaikh Abdul Ghani Tarablusi al Khalwati (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘It is from the etiquette (adab) of a murid to be cautious in observing and speaking about the useless issues.
The significance of this may be understood clearly with this incident report. A Shaikh dismissed one of his murid when he came to know that he had destroyed a wine keg he saw in the marketplace. Explaining this dismissal the Shaikh said that the reason was not his action to prevent a vile thing (nahi anil munkar) but his careless use of sight in observing the useless. This would have never occurred if his sight was at his feet (as is recommended, to abstain from seeing useless).’
Tarsih al Jawahir al Makkiyah fi Tazkiya tul Aklaq al mardhiyah, (Urdu), page 125
Similarly, a seeker while in the sacred masjid al Haram Makkah commented on the extravagant use of electric lights, especially to illuminate the minarets, etc.
Shaikh Dr Hafeezullah (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
‘Observing these sorts of things is superfluous and inappropriate use of sight.’
All of us, who aspire to be spiritual seekers, must take a moment and reflect on this.
Furthermore we should ponder, this is in regards to observing the useless. How severe the consequences would be on seeing the sinful things?
Shaikh Abdul Ghani Tarablusi al Khalwati (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘It is imperative to ward off Shaytan from one’s heart (qalb) with simultaneous use of weapons of determined awareness of Allah (taqwa) and His remembrance (dhikr).
It must be clear that remembrance alone without taqwa is not effective at all in this effort.’
Tarsih al Jawahir al Makkiyah fi Tazkiya tul Aklaq al mardhiyah, (Urdu), page 00
A spiritual seeker wrote,
‘My heart now desires that no moment should pass without the remembrance of Allah. After the governmental office work and while traveling on the road I continue to recite something like istegfar or the blessed durood without keeping a count. However, once at home with children this preoccupation is lost.
Hakim al Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
‘If at that time you maintain this thought that these are a blessings bestowed by Allah then this activity will be included in the remembrance and contemplation (of Allah).’
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 3, page 139-40