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Category Archives: N. Advice
Basis of & wisdom behind the Shariah rulings
It was early Friday morning. The streets of downtown Jeddah were deserted. The car was traveling at the maximum speed allowed. However, it had to stop at all the red traffic lights for one or two vehicles to pass by and then continue towards Makkah e mukarramah expressway.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) reminded us of this situation and said that this scenario brings to his mind the issue of basis (illat) and the wisdom (hikmet) of rules and regulations. That is, there is wisdom behind all rules but observance of it is not contingent on this benefit. The order of regulatory authorities prevails. In our situation the rule is to stop at the red traffic light allowing other vehicles to pass until it turns green and the wisdom of this is to avoid accidents. Even if there are no other vehicles around it is necessary to stop at a red traffic light and whoever violates this law will be charged and fined.
Similarly, Shariah is the Divine law. There is wisdom behind most of these rulings. However, obedience to these regulations is not dependent on their perception.
For example it is mentioned in the Holy Quran that,
“Satan wishes only to plant enmity and malice between you through wine and gambling, and to prevent you from the remembrance of Allah and from Salāh. Would you, then, abstain?” 5:91
The Shariah ruling is that drinking wine and gambling are unlawful (haram). Some of the wisdom for this rulings are mentioned in these verses. However, even if an individual claims that indulgence in these activities does not prevent him from the remembrance of Allah and prayers it would not make drinking intoxicants and gambling legitimate (halal) for him.
Nowadays there is lot of confusion is this regards.
This has to be engrained vividly in our minds. That is, the rulings of Shariah are to be observed irrespective of the wisdom and benefits behind them. They are the orders of Supreme Authority.
Friday, 23 Jamadi al-awal 1429/27 June 2008, Jeddah to Makkah
This is absolutely in concurrence with slavehood (abdiyet).
The supreme station an individual can attain.
Useless questions:kibr
Shaykhul Hadeeth Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariyya Sahab (may Allah have mercy on him) writes,
For quite some time there has been one question which has been put to me repeatedly in letters: “Why did Shaykh XYZ give permission to initiate murid (ijazat) to so-and-so?”
In reply to foolish questions like these, I always answer: “If Angels Munkar and Nakeer should ask you this question in the grave, then by all means you may answer: ‘I do not not know.’”
[Aap Beeti Part V, pg 657]
at-Tazkirah: التذكرة
Moreover, it is a fact that only a person who considers himself to be superior judges others to be not worhty of what they are. This is crystal clear arrogance (kibr). The mother of all moral maladies (umm al-amradh).
Company of ignorant sufi
Shaykh ‘Ali al-Jamal (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“Keeping the company of an ignorant (sufi) novice is like swallowing a deadly poison.
The ignorant novice, who is pleased with himself, is farther from Allah than all the common people. The common person is like a new pot: it accepts whatever is poured into it. The ignorant novice, on the other hand, is like a pot filled with tar: it is unwashable and unusable for wholesome things.”
The adab of the true seeker, page 84
Changing tariqa
A sincere brother, who is already affiliated to a genuine Shaykh, inquired regarding his desires to change his tariqa.
By the barakah of sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) following reply was sent,
“It is highly discouraged to change one’s tariqa without a genuine reason.
Changing tariqa will just reinforce your lower self (nafs). Your nafs wants to derail you by whatever means possible. For some it does so by making them do sins and for others it is by involving them in less important or lower level permissible activities.
You always have to remain suspicious about your own nafs. Today it is creating doubts about this tariqa, tomorrow it will raise suspicions regarding Ashrafiya tariq.
So beware!”
Related:
Trace the footsteps of elders!
Shaykh Mansur ‘Ali Khan (khalifa of Shah Abrarul Haqqرحمه الله تعالى ) instructed a young mujaz of our silsilah,
“We have to retrace the footsteps of our mashykh, like Arif billah Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi and Mawlana Shah Abrarul Haqq (may Allah have mercy on them). Remeber, how simple was their life-style. There were no signs of pretentiousness for being a pious person (buzurg). They openly told whoever came to them that if you want to become a buzurg go somewhere esle, stay here only if you want to become a decent Muslim.”
Jeddah, MC-1,11/8, 6th June 2008
Gift of love
Arif billah Hadhrat Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) instructed the seekers to supplicate the following after each salah,
اللَّهُمَّ أَعِنِّيْ عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ
(Allahumma a’inni ‘ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni ‘ibadatika)
O Allah! Assist me in remembering You, in thanking You, and in worshipping You in the best of manners.
This is gift of love. Presented by the Allah’s beloved to one on his blessed Companions.
One day he (Prophet Muhammad [Allah bless him and grant him peace]) took Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) by the hand and said, “O Mu’adh, by Allah (exalted is He) I love you, and I advise you, O Mu’adh, never forget to recite, after every prayer (the above).”
[Sahih Ahmad 5:245, Sahih abu Dawud 2:86, an-Nasa’i]
Keep walking!
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) advised a seeker,
“Keep busy (in what has been instructed to you). A person who is walking on the correct path for sure reaches the destination.”
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 1116
Missed wird
A spiritual aspirant wrote that,
“I wish I do not miss my wird any day. However, sometimes due to unavoidable circumstance it is missed.”
Hakim al-Umma Hadhrat Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Than (may Allah have mercy on him) replied,
“Do not worry. There is Divine wisdom in this also. It shows one’s limitation. And is a blockade for prideful claims and cure of self praise. However, try your best not to be lazy and make up for the missed wird. If not complete, incomplete will suffice.”
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 2, page 929
Qualities of a murid
A sincere seeker requested to know what are the virtues that a Shaykh looks for in a murid before accepting baya’.
As per the teachings of sayyid wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) following reply was given,
In our path (tariq) the qualities a Shaykh looks for in a potential murid are his yearning and desire to gain Allah’s pleasure, readiness for annihilation of self-suggestions/opinions and enthusiasm for following the instructions given to him.
طاعت کا اثر
حکیم الامت حضرت مولانا اشرف علی تھانوی قدس سرہ نے فرمایا،
Talk with Allah
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Develop this habit of talking to Allah.
My shaykh Arif-billah Hadhrat Dr Abdul-Hayy ‘Arifi (may Allah have mercy on him) told this to us repeatedly.
Sit in solitude and contemplate that I am infront of Allah. Tell Him everything that is on your mind and bothering you. Your past mistakes, the present difficulties and future apprehensions . Tell Him in detail and ask for guidance and help.
InshaAllah, in addition, to relieving your anxiety it will lead to the creation of a bond between you and your Lord, Allah (ta’luq ma Allah).”
Good company
The Grand Mufti of Pakistan Hadhrat Mufti Mohammad Shafi’ (may Allah have mercy on him) used to say that,
“People complain that we can not find good company. If you can not ‘find’ good company then go and sit with the prayer-caller (muadhin) in your local mosque. This muadhin has definitely been blessed with one good quality. And that is that he prays all his daily prayers (salah).”
From:In Shaykh’s Company
The real task!
Sayyid wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“The real task is to abstain from all sins!
“Most of the people select and perform the easy stuff. They initiate a relationship with a Shaykh, develop a routine of praying predawn prayers (tahajjud), perform excessive remembrance (dhikr), and recite Quran daily. However, they do not leave the sinful activities.
Remember this clearly, abundance of supererogatory (nafil) actions is of no advantage without abstaining from sinful activities. Whereas, persistence on the obligatory (fardh) and necessary (wajib) actions are quite enough without any extra (nafil) thing if one stays away from sins completely.”
Waaz, post ‘Asr, Masjid Baitul Mukkaram, Jummah, 30 November ’90, 11 Jamadi us sani 1411
Keep yourself in constant close contact with Allah
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Just try to keep yourself in constant close contact with Allah, Most High, all the time in whatever way possible.”
Further elucidating it he continued,
“It means that one should be conscious about his effort in this regards all the time. He should try his best irrespective of the quantity of actions completed or left undone. Most important thing to avoid, may Allah save us all from it, is being negligent (ghaflah).”
Sunday, 9th December 1990, darul Uloom Karachi, Office