Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘The effect of the spirituality of a wali (close friend of Allah) is such that the place he enters or treads upon, its luminosity is evident to the people of the heart (arbab al-quloob) for six months. Based on this what can be said about the residence where he dwells day and night.’
Shamsul ma’arif (The biography of Shaikh Suleman Phulwari, (may Allah have mercy on him)
IDSA 2011, Boston, MA
An individual reported that he read that a pious precedent Shaikh use to recite the name of the grand Shaikh of his tariqa eleven times each day in the morning. Most likely this was in a form of supplication which the narrator accidentally omitted to mention. Since then that individual made a routine to supplicate every day mentioning the name of sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) eleven times. It was like this,
1. O Allah! Protect Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db.
2. O Allah! Give Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Usmani db a long, healthy and productive life.
3. O Allah! Give barakah in Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db’s time, work and effort.
4. O Allah! Safe guard Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db and his family, especially from terrorism.
5. O Allah! Forgive the parents of Mufti Mohammad Usmani db and raise their status in hereafter.
6. O Allah! Forgive the Shuyukh and teachers of Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db and raise their status in hereafter.
7. O Allah! Under the guidance of Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani safeguard Darul Uloom Karachi from all internal and external strifes and let it flourish abundantly.
8. O Allah! Protect and help the relatives, disciples and admirers of Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db.
9. O Allah! Give me absolute congeniality (munasbet), reverence and love of Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db both intelectually (aqli) and emotionally (taba’i).
10. O Allah! You have made Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db to be the manifestation of Your attribute ‘The Guide’ (al-Hadi) for me. Please, facilitate for me benefiting from him spiritually to the maximum.
11. O Allah! Please, lift me up to the standards of an ideal & perfect murid of Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani db.
Amin!
Sayyidi wa sandi Shaikh Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied,
‘May Allah reward you for making these precious supplications routinely for this lowly person. Please, add to it that Allah facilitates with ‘afiyet the completion of my esoteric and exoteric reformation (islah).’
Islahi khutoot (qalmi)
Dover, New Hampshire
Shaikh Sari Saqati (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘He who is incapable of educating himself is even more incapable of educating others.’
Jawami’ Adab al-Sufiya, page 32
Educating here means to act on the knowledge acquired not mere awareness of the text and information alone.
North Crawford Notch, New Hampshire
An individual inquired what was the reason that fajr adhan was delayed till approximately fifteen minutes after the appearance of astronomical twilight (end of sehri) in Darul Uloom Karachi’s mosque.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied,
‘Our respected teacher and past chief mufti at Darul Uloom Karachi Mufti Rasheed Ahmad (Allah have mercy on him) considered fajr timing to start when sun was 15 degrees below the horizon. However, the authentic ruling is that it starts when it is 18 degrees below and praying after that is permissible. It is only in respect of him that the adhan is said at the this later timings.’
Ramadan 1432/August 2011
Mount Washington, NH
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) visited the blessed Haram in Makkah for couple of hours after ‘esha prayers. The Hajj season had started. The mataf (the area around Ka’aba) was full of enthusiastic hajjis. Performing tawaf was a challenging task. The local individuals accompanying Sayyidi were reluctant to do so. However, Sayyidi performed three tawafs with agility and enthusiasm in this short duration. He was completely absorbed in making supplications during them. It was difficult to keep pace with him.
It was indeed an example for lazy individuals like us to be keen in performing virtuous acts of worship, especially in sanctified places and times.
October 4th, 2011 Makkah al-mukarramah
North Conway, NH
–
Hakim al-Ummah Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Encouraging others for bayah (by a Shaikh himself) is against the way of our pious elders.
The acceptance and repudiation is from Allah. Means and effort (to acquire or remove them) do not play an active role in this regards.’
Tarbiyet us Salik, volume 3, page 27
A seeker from Iran visited sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) in Ramadan. After office hours at ‘asr salah he informed the Shaikh that he intended to stay in Darul Uloom for few days to be in his company.
The Shaikh was obviously displeased by this casual attitude. He was severely reprimanded for not providing this vital information during the working hours so that the arrangements for his stay and food could be made accordingly with ease. Now after-hours this was a difficult task to perform. He was sternly counseled for this inappropriate behavior.
Shaikh’s personal assistant went out of the way and made these arrangements. JazakAllah.
Next day in office Shaikh sat beside this seeker on the chairs reserved for visitors and explained to him gently and affectionately the importance of proper timely communications to avoid discomfort to other individuals. Shaikh made sure he understood his mistake. The love, affection and sincerity in Shaikh’s demeanor was striking to all those present.
Moreover for heartening the seeker’s spirit the Shaikh presented him a gift and made arrangements for his journey back home to be with his family at Eid in a timely manner.
28th Ramadan 1432/29th August 2011, Office, Darul Uloom Karachi.
]
Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Hasan (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘Shaikh Mazhar Janejanan (Allah have mercy on him) said that if I come to know of the night of power (laylatul qadr) I would supplicate and ask Allah for the company of the pious.’
Al-qawl al-Aziz, page 28
Karachi
A senior qari and ‘alim visited sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) while he was staying in Jeddah at second floor apartment. There was no elevator in that building.
At the time of the guest’s departure just prior to iftar the Shaikh instructed the host (his murid) to accompany him down the stairs to car and see him off. This was to show him respect and hospitality. Moreover, to teach adab of guest to the murid.
4th Ramadan 1432/ 4thAugust 2011, MC1, KAMC, Jeddah
–
Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
‘My late father (Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Shafi, Allah have mercy on him) use to deliver the morning lecture during the month of Ramadan and had a islahi majlis on Sunday mornings throughout the year. After his death people requested that these lectures should continue. My Shaikh Dr Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) instructed us not to do so.
Further more, a few days after the demise of our father Hadhrat ‘Arifi instructed us (Mufti Rafi & sayyidi Mufti Taqi Usmani) to submit our resignations from our post as deputy administrator (naib muhtamim) of Darul Uloom, Karachi. He added that there is no familial succession in holding religious posts and offices. These positions requires a specific acumen, whenever you develop that then only it will be permissible for you to hold them. For now wait and make effort to develop this.
We submitted our resignations.
The rector of Darul Uloom Mawlana Sehban Mehmood (Allah have mercy on him) was baffled by this information. Contemplating the difficulties in running the day to day activities of the Darul Uloom without us he made a special visit to Hadhrat ‘Arfi at his home. Hadhrat refused to discuss this issue at all and instructed him to bring this up in the official administrative meeting of Darul Uloom.
After resigning we could not even attend the administrative meeting.
However, in the administrative meeting the new designations of president and deputy president were created and Hadhrat ‘Arifi nominated us for these posts.’
Shaikh Mufti Mehmood Usmani (Allah preserve him) listened to this with amazement and commented on the tarbiyyah aspect of Hadhrat Arifi’s approach (to eliminate the love of fame and position from an aspirant’s heart).
Eidul fitr, Hadhrat’s drawing room, Darul Uloom, Karachi, pre-duhur, 31 August 2011
–
Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Hasan (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘By committing sinful activities an individual harms himself alone. This is the reason for Allah being displeased with these transgression.
There is mercy in Allah’s displeasure for what is harmful for an individual.
Acknowledgment and contemplation of Allah’s mercy creates His love. This love facilitates activities that please Him. This leads to the blessings of His pleasure and proximity.’
Al-qawl al-Aziz, page 25
Jeddah
Shaikh Haji Mohammad Farouk Sukkharwai (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘The supplications (dua) of one’s Shaikh is a sign of the special grace and blessings (fadhel) of Allah being upon one.’
Malfuzat Haji Farouk sahib, rehmatullah aleh
After esha salah accompanied with Professors N A Zaigam and Omar Siraj Abu-Rizaiza from Department of Earth Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University Jeddah, Shaikhs Mufti Rafi’ Usmani and sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve them) visited the basement area of the masa’a to ascertain the boundaries of Mount Safa. This was essential to validate the sa’ee in the newly extended construction.
The base of the original Mount Safa is still preserved. It is quite wide. It starts approximately in line to the hajar e aswad corner of the Holy Ka’aba and extends beyond the present constructed area of the masa’a’s eastern wall.
Sayyidi wa sanadi discussed with the experts and made sure that the base of Mount Safa was being distinguished from thatof Jabal Abu Qubais, since they are from the same mountain range. This was firmly established. The professors explained in detail about the various extensions that have been done in the past. They also told about a new very expensive device (ground penetrating radar) that will be used to map the deep geology of this area without excavation. They reassured that the results from this study will provide further validation.
Mount Marwa was not seen as sayyidi wa sanadi said that there was no issue regarding its boundaries. They were well established.
On the way back sayyidi wa sanadi commented that apparently it looks to be fine and the sa’ee in the newly extended area will be valid without any reservations. Previously we had not issued an explicit ruling (fatwa) of permissibility about it.
Makkah e mukaramah, Tuesday, 26th July 2011, after esha
