Category Archives: J. Rights

Advice to newly wed

Hadhrat Asma (may Allah be pleased with her) said to her daughter at the time of her marriage:

“You are going to spend such a life where you shall have to live long and you are going to the bed of such a person who you have no acquaintance. You are going to love one with whom you had no love before.

Make for him such a world, which will be heaven for you, prepare for him such a bed, which will be a pillar for you.

Be such a slave for him that he may become your slave.

Don’t go willingly to him, lest you become to him an object of hatred.

Don’t remain far from him, lest he may forget you. When he remains near you, be near him, when he stays distant from you save your nose, ears and eyes.

Let him not get from you except sweet smiles. Let him not hear from you except sweet words. Let him not see in you except beauty”

Ihya Uloom Din

Source: Excellent Blog: Mujahidah an Nafs

Tajweed

makhareej.gifHakim 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.

Loving Allah is by having mercy on His creation

Sayyidi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani said,

My Shaykh Dr. ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to tell us that anyone claiming to love Allah can not be truthful is his claim unless he loves His creation also.

It is as if Allah says that how is it possible for you to love Me? If you really do so then love my creation. Be merciful, caring and kind to them. This will declare that you love Me.

You heard Mr. President (of Darul Uloom, Mufti Rafi’i Usmani )[may Allah preserve him] last week at the commencement of Hadith study session narrating the hadith – also known as musalsal bil awaliya, that is the first hadith conveyed by a scholar to their students. The Prophet (Allah bless and give him peace) said, “The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful, تبارك و تعالى. Be merciful to those on earth and the Lord of the Heavens will be merciful to you.”

This was the very first lesson given to a student of religion. The lesson of mercy, kindness and care to all the creation.

ِAnd remember (if you can not be of benefit to them then)the most miniscule display of this mercy, kindness and care is by not harming them in any form.”

Weekly bayan, 3rd November 2007

اللہ جل شانہ

allah.gif 

حضرت حکیم الامت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی قدس اللہ سرہ فرماتے ہیں،

 وہاں تو اس قدر تنزیہ ہے کہ حواس باطنی اور عقل کی بھی رسائی نہیں۔ خیال و فکر میں جو آوے اللہ تعالی اس سے بھی منزہ ہے۔ 

تعلیم الدین، صفحہ 130

اشرفیہ (اردو بلاگ)

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.”

Way to correct others

Hadhrat Hakim la-Umma hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“Ponder prior to correcting a fellow Muslim that if my child had been in this situarion how would I deal with him.  Then adpot the same demeanor in delaing with this fellow Muslim that you would have used for your child.”

al-Rafeeq fi sawa e tariq, Malfoozat e Hakim al-Umma, volume 27-28, page 13

Mujazeen! Do not take baya or hold a majlis.

Hadhrat Mansur Ali Khan (may Allah preserve him) narrates that,

‘Arif-billah Hadhrat Dr. Abdul-Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to tell his mojazeen (those to whom he gave permission to take baya ‘and train murid) very firmly that until and unless they have an internal overwhelming yearning to take someone as a murid they should not take baya.

Similarly, without this intense inner desire to tell others about the spiritual path (tareeq) they should not open their mouth to give a speech. They should wait for their spiritual puberty and maturity.”

Deen and worldly benefits

Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“Being influenced by worldly benefits in matter of religion (deen) is a sign of spiritual weakness. Religion is of utmost importance. It should be preserved. One should ignore all worldly benefits, even to the extent of annihilation of the Universe, in upholding it.”

Malfuzat, al-Ifazat al-yomiya min al-ifadat al-qomiya, volume 3, page 389

Rights & We Muslims

Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,

“One should clearly distinguish between the Islamic teachings and the general practice of the Muslims. Unfortunately, we are living in an age where the vast majority of the Muslims are not aware of the noble teachings of Islam nor do they practice them in their day-to-day lives. Instead, they are mostly influenced by the different cultures in which they are/have been living. Therefore, everything the Muslims practice cannot be attributed to Islam. When one evaluates the virtues of Islam, he should not refer to the practice of the Muslims of today; rather he should turn to the principles laid down in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. Obviously, if the Muslims have abandoned the guidance of the Shari’ah, it cannot be seen as a defect in the Shari’ah itself. It is a defect in those who have deprived themselves of this Divine Guidance.”

From: Pearls of Elders 

Disregarding Shaykh’s advice

An aspirant wrote,

“I can not wake up for tahajjud salah at all. This causes me a lot of distress and remorse.

By the way you had previously advised me to pray (tahajjud salah ) after ‘isha prior to witr, however, my mind does not accept this method.”

Hadhrat Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) replied,

“This is regrettable.

Is this saying that my mind does not accept the instruction given the level of trust on and following of someone considered to be knowledgeable and considerate?

In this situation Shaykh will always have doubts regarding the instructions given that probably the respectable mind of Mr. Mureed will not accepts them. In this case how will he feel motivated to instruct this mureed.

(Hence) It is best to abandon this heedless Shaykh and select another Shaykh. This new Shaykh can be your lower-self (nafs) or some other individual.”

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 1, page 651

Tajweed

Two young medical students who were receiving religious instructions from Hadhrat Mawlana  Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah  preserve him) came to live at Darul Uloom, Karachi in December 1991 to be in the blessed company of their Shaykh.

In their first meeting with the Shaykh, in addition to other important issues, Hadhrat instructed them to set up an appointment with Qari Abdul Malik sahib, the qirat expert at Darul Uloom, to have their recitation of Quran e kareem be evaluated.

Hierarchy of rights

Hadhrat Mawlana Riffat Ahmad (may Allah grant him long and healthy life) said,

“In contrast to prevalent understanding Hadhrat Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) used to emphasize that the the rights of the parents supersede that of the Shaykh. That is, rights of parents come first, then come the rights of one’s teacher and finally the rights of Shaykh.”

Friday 27, 2007. DHA, Karachi

Clearfying baseless assumptions

A spiritual aspirant wrote,

“A very close relative of mine is upset with me based on his assumptions that in private I have a grudge against him. In fact this is not the case. Is it essential for me to clear this up and ensure friendly relations with him?”

Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) replied,

“If your conscience is clear then it will be inappropriate to actively pursue and clarify these baseless assumptions.”

Islahi khutoot

Embarrassment infront of Shaykh

Many seekers feel embarrassed discussing their sinful conditions with their Shaykh. This should not be the case. Shaykh-disciple relationship is similar to the physician-patient liaison. In both of them it is essential that the disciple or the patient is open, truthful and precise. This an absolute requisite for obtaining any benefit from these relationships.

Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) says,
“This Shaykh-disciple relationship is not an ordinary ritualistic practice. One should have firm conviction and trust in the Shaykh that he is the best person to make the correct diagnosis of my spiritual ailments and considerately prescribe the best treatment for my circumstances.” (Dastoor al-‘amal, 1)

It is arrogant and deceitful to hide one’s real condition from Shaykh.

Upbringing Muslim Children

Hadhrat Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,

“Most of the people do not pay necessary attention required for the proper upbringing of children. They postpone accurate training in childhood saying they are just kids.

However, this is the age for establishing permanent habits. The characteristics developed at this age last for ever. This is the time to correct the morals (ikhlaq) and strengthen their thoughts (Islamicaly). (As an example of concrete learning at this age) consider this, a child stays with his parents from birth and regards them as his mother and father. Later in life even if many people were to raise suspicion about this, he would never doubt about them being his parents. The learning in childhood is so solid that it does not wear away except when Allah wants it to be erased.”

Malfoozat-e-kamalat-e-Ashrafiya #637, pg 146

Raising Muslim children is very challenging and one of the most difficult responsibilities for the parents.

Following are some essential tips to help.
They have been gathered from saying of our pious elders (akabir):

1. Set an example. Be a role model for them by doing your own self-reformation (islah) sincerely.

2. Make the environment of the home Islamic as much as possible. Television is a big obstacle in raising morally responsible, modest (ba-haya) and well disciplined children.

3. Maintain exemplary relations with your spouse. No bickering, ridicule, temper tantrums and caustic remarks. Children learn what they see and experience.

4. Give them the best of your attention, love, material resources, time and training. But set expected standards and implement them firmly.

5. Make a routine of reading regularly from the books of our mashaykh with them. Select simple books, like Bashiti zewar, Hayyutul Muslimeen, Asan nakiyan. Read  one or two pages daily. At the most 10-15 minutes. This is the most stressed and most beneficial. Do not worry if they seem too young to understand. Develop a habit. InshaAllah, it will illuminate their heart and make it receptive of good later in life.

6. Remember making them truly religious is more important than making them hafiz and alim. A non-practicing scholar (hafiz/alim) is worse than a practicing lay person (jahil).

7. Take them regularly to visit mashaykh and to get their dua.

8. Select a pious Shaykh/scholar who is steadfast in following Shariah & Sunna in your locality and visit his lectures and discourses regularly.

9. Seek families who share the same Islamic values as yours as friends. Special effort has to be made for this.

10. Make lot of supplications (dua) for them. Make it for their efficient religious upbringing and also sufficient worldly progress. Mufti-e-Azam Pakistan Hadhrat Mufti Mohammed Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned in Mariful Quran that the most effective thing in proper upbringing (tarbiyat) of children is parents’ supplication (dua) for them in this regards.

And the success is from Allah.