Category Archives: N. Advice

Most frequent impediments in the path

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Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote,

‘From the impediments of the path two are specially so prevalent that it is rare if any of the travelers has escaped not being involved in them. Even the learned scholars are involved in them.

One of them is striving to acquire some non volitional (ghair ikhtiyari) things. That are, things like engrossment, enthusiasm, intense & deep concentration, ecstasy, serenity, blocking of disturbing thoughts, burning desire, overwhelming attraction, emotional love, etc. It is assumed that these are the results of remembrance (dhikr), concentration exercises (shugal) and spiritual struggle (mujahidah). Moreover they consider themselves to be at loss when these things are not achieved.

The other impediment is striving to remove some non volitional (ghair ikhtiyari) thing. For example, spiritual constriction (qabd), overwhelming thoughts, not developing interest, love of an individual, innate love of wealth, sexual desires, excessive natural anger, not having softness of heart, not being able to cry, overwhelming worldly sorrow or fear, etc. It is assumed that theses things are detrimental for the path and are an impediment in achievement of the goal.’

Al-Usool al-wusool, page 20

Do Not Despise The Sinners

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said: “That person who taunts and ridicules his Muslim brother over a sin from which he has repented, will not die until he himself commits that same sin.” For example, you come to know that a certain person committed or was involved in a particular sin and you also know that this person has repented from it. To think low of him or to taunt or ridicule him because of that sin, by saying something like: “You are the one who was involved in certain evil actions”, is in itself a sin.

Through repentance a person has corrected his relationship with Allah Most High. Through repentance not only has the sin been forgiven, it has also been erased from his book of deeds! Allah Most High has erased it from his book of deeds but you, because of that sin, are thinking low of him and treating him with contempt. You are taunting and ridiculing him. This action is extremely despised by Allah Most High.

Read more_ _ _ _ _ _

Source: Deoband.org

The adab

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Sahykh Abdul Ghani Nablusi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The perfect etiquette (adab) with Allah is to worship Him as though you see Him.

And with all the creation the best etiquette is to give them in abundance whatever you want  from them.’

Takhlees Tarsi al-Jawahir al-Makkiya, via Ma’arif e Sufiya, page 236

Salik’s mistake

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The genuine remorse, sadness and humiliation on realization of committing sins acts as a catalyst in spiritual progress of a salik.

It makes him aware of his deficiencies. The self-praise (ujub) and arrogance (kibr) are wiped off. A stronger feeling of dependency on Allah’s mercy and grace develops. He make more supplications and turning to Allah (ruju illAllah) with humility asking for forgiveness and protection from future such calamities.

In summary the mistakes of those on the path become a stepping stone for them in their progress.

(This is true only for the sincere salik who is trying his best and occasionally slips because of his ba-shar-iyat (humanness). This discussion can not be used to justify sinning by those who intentionally plan and commit sins.)

Combating Immodesty on Internet

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A dear friend wrote,
‘I am sad to say that I have been involved in some very immodest activities (on the internet). I wish to repent from these activities through the mercy of Allah ta’ala. However, I wanted to ask a way through which to divert the mind from thinking about certain things, for example, if the mind is thinking about women etc., how do I force it stop and think about something else?

Also, how do I reverse the effects of the immodesty on me? I am sure the immodesty has had an effect on my mind as well as nafs, so how do I return back?

Answers to these questions will inshallah be very beneficial to me.

I appreciate all your help.’

The following reply was sent by Allah’s tawfiq,

‘Respected brother,

as salam o alaykum wrwb

JazakAllah for the email. It is reflective of your desire and yearning for Allah’s pleasure. May Allah increase it more with afiyet. Amin!

Life is full of ups and downs. It is very natural that in spite of all the care we sometimes slip and fall down. However, it is unnatural to keep lying down in the dirt. A normal person will get up. Brush away the dirt and move on. Staying down, not removing the dirt and not moving on is abnormal.

Thank Allah that He made you realize your mistake. Thank Him further that He allowed you to repent. Thank Him more that He put in your heart the desire to seek help to gain back His pleasure.

A very important thing that we all overlook is that in ikhteyari umoor there is no other way of achieving success except from using one’s determination (himmat) and will power. This must be coupled with supplication for Allah’s help.
To develop this determination we associate with the pious (ahlulAllah), listen and read their discourses, books and do the remembrance (zikr), etc.

I will again remind myself that there is no zikr, shugal, tawajjah, taweez or potion that will force me to abstain from sins. I will have to use my determination.

Please, do the following,
1. Inform your Shaykh explicitly of this thing in detail. This is essential, without it all measures will be futile. Shaykh will direct you to the most appropriate effective means for you in particular.

2. For the time being fix a penalty of 10 nafil rakats whenever you slip PLUS skipping the breakfast the following day. You can only take coffee or tea.

3. Use internet wisely. Keep a schedule. Use it in a public space. etc. If you can not do this then abandon using it completely for the time being.

4. Be very particular about your daily recitations (wird). No multitasking is allowed in performing them.

5. Manage your time well. Do not leave wide gaps for futile surfing, etc. Develop a hobby. People complain about Bahishti Zewar having all the recipes and methods of cooking and making various stuff. May be one of the purpose was to give individuals ideas to occupy themselves with some permissible activity.

6. If thoughts about the past return, make istegfar and immediately divert your attention towards something else. It is a trap of nafs and Shaytan to keep one ruminating about the past, becoming depressed and loosing hope. May Allah save us from them. Amin!

7. Feel free to communicate with this lowly writer as needed in this regards.

For undoing the effect of this, activity I remind my self of the similitude of burning my own finger in a flame intentionally. Even after removing it from the proximity of fire and applying medicine it takes days for the pain to go away and weeks and months for the scar to heal. This is true, especially, if I do not make the stupid mistake of burning the same finger again and again. If I continue doing this the nerve endings will be damaged permanently and the sensation of feeling pain will be lost for ever. Allah save us all from this!

Take care.
InshaAllah, everything will be fine, eventually.

muhtaj e dua’

Treatment of skepticism

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An aspirant wrote,

Respected Sir,
I have certain degree of skepticism in my personality. Listening to the criticism of the opponents greatly perturbs me. For this reason I only read your books. All praise is to Allah, whenever this kind of skepticism arises there is no effect on my acts of worship. However, the interest in worship that already existed is lost and I feel sad and depressed.  At the same time I dislike and hate these doubts and suspicions. But they persist. I feel as if I have become a hypocrite. Please, inform me how to get rid of this ailment.

Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
Do not read anything that will create doubts and suspicions.
If inadvertently you hear something of this category and this state (mentioned above) arises then there is no need to take any special measures to rectify it. This is because this effort will result in increasing distress and a permanent involvement (that is, seeking explanation & clarification) will afflict you. Therefore, instead of this effort ignore it actively. Do be bothered at all in spite of recurring random thoughts. However, continue making supplications and showing humility (to Allah).

Consider this to be enough.

InshaAllah, very soon the state (described) will be cleansed.

Once this habit is formed such power will develop in the heart that it will not be perturbed by such things.

This is a hikami (Divinely inspired wisdom) prescription. Bestowed  by Allah’s grace recently and is very significant information.

And all praise is for Allah!

Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 3, page 135

Salik’s Unlimited progress

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Hakim ul Umma Shaykh Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said commenting on the verse 83 of surah Shu’raa:

“O my Lord! bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous”,

“A salik must not stop at any stage (during his spiritual quest).

He should always strive and aspire for more progress.”

Masail us Sulook min Kalam Malik ul Mulook, page 397

Burying the past and moving ahead

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Recently Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) advised a murid to bury the past and make a fresh start.

Burying the past may sound a simple thing but in reality it is a big spiritual struggle (mujahidah) with many benefits.

For all of us it is a common event to slip and commit mistakes. These mistakes may be in exoteric (dhahiri) or esoteric (batini) works. Sometimes we are cognizant of our mistakes and at others oblivious. However, a true seeker is very much disturbed by these mistakes. He is ashamed infront of Allah, disheartened on his ability to control his desires, disillusioned by the effectiveness of the path in preventing this disaster and anxious about the future similar mishaps.

These are the moments when the need of a perfect spiritual mentor – the Shaykh-e-kamil, is essential to save the seeker from falling further in to the trap of Satan and lower self (nafs).  It is he who guides the murid out of this depressive and self-destructive attitude and puts him back on the path towards Allah.

He does so by,

a.  Giving the seeker hope. That is, it is human to err and Allah is Most Merciful to those who acknowledge their short comings.

b. Instruction to forget the past. Bury it. If this is not done, its dead body will rot and the stench emanating from it will spoil the best aroma of sincere good acts done in future. Also, remembering the sins after sincere repentance is wrong and leads to decreasing relationship with Allah.

c. To be concerned with improving the present condition right now. For this today will tomorrow become yesterday. A thing of past.

If handled in this way each and every mistake and fall of the sincere seeker results in increasing relationship with Allah, enhanced humility and complete dependence on His kindness and mercy. 

A seeker should remember that these falling episodes are not uncommon and continue until a permanent spiritual serenity (tamkeen) is achieved (which usually happens after years of sincere effort by method described above). Until then he/she has to bury the past with sincere repentance and move forwards on the path with renewed vigor.

And its facilitation is surely from Allah, Most High.

Worship on 15th of Sha’ban

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) wrote the following regarding the worship in the night of 15th of Sha’ban,

“This night is meant for worshiping Allah in solitude. It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one’s attention to Him and Him alone. These are the precious hours of the night in which nobody should intervene between one and his Lord, and one should turn to Allah with total concentration, not disturbed or interrupted by any one else.”

From: Sha’ban: Merits, Do’s and Don’ts

Obedience to parents

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Arif billah Dr. Abdul HayyArifi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote in his will,

“Obedience to parents is a magnanimous investment for a blessed fortune.

Following faith in and practice of Islam, having love and fulfilling the rights of Allah and His beloved Prophet (may Allah’s blessing and peace be on him) the most important obligation is the fulfillment of the rights of parents.

It is essential (wajib) to keep them content and acquire their approval by providing assistance (kidhmat) to them in their lifetime.

And (it is also essential that) after their death, one makes supplications of forgiveness (magfirah) and passes on the reward of good deeds to them (esale thawab).”

Albalagh, monthly magazine of Darul Uloom Karachi, special Arifi issue

Please, save your mind!

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Shaykh Sayyid Wahajuddin Ahmed (Allah preserve him)* said,

“These days following three things make individuals increasingly susceptible to mental ailments, such as depression, mania, etc.,

1. Severing relationships (qata rehmi). That is, to abandon ties with close relatives. The point we have to remember in this regard is that these relationships should not be based on reciprocal friendliness. We should maintain good relations even if the other is pushing us away.

2. Consumption of unlawful (haram). Especially, interest (sood) money.

3. Immodesty. Particularly, related to wearing indecent clothing and watching television. etc.”

16th February 2008

*The youngest son and khalifa e khas of  Shaykh Sayyid Raziuddin Ahmed Fakhiri (may Allah have mercy on him) .

Action required:Turning to Allah SWT

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Addressing the audience sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said :

“These things (that are being told) are to be acted upon.

Mere listening (or reading) is of no use.

Develop the habit of turning to Allah and asking His refuge immediately, whenever a worrisome or disturbing thought occurs.

Once this habit is developed not a single moment passes without one being in contact with Allah.”

Ina’mul bari volume 2 page 248

Time Management!

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الوقت سیف فان قطعتہ و الا قطعک

و نفسک ان لم تشغلہا بالحق شغلتک بالباطل

Time is like a sword.

If you do not use it appropriately it will sever you.

And

if you do not keep yourself engaged in seeking the truth

your self will seek refuge in evil.

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said:

Keeping record of time and its organization is a very important thing. It is inappropriate to spend time allocated for one activity in some thing else and then use the other slot to do another thing.

An activity should be done at its scheduled time.

This results in increased barakah (blessing) in time and contentment (of heart).”

HusunulAziz,  #434 pg 412 volume 2