Shah Kaleemullah Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote,
‘O brother! If you want to ascertain the status of the fuqara (sufis) these days then look up at their following of the Divine Law (Shariah). This is because the Shariah is the gold standard (to measure this).
It is on this standard of Shariah that the reality of a faqir becomes evident.’
Maktubaat e Kalimi, quoted in Tarikh Mashaikh e Chisht, volume 1, page 58
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Shah Waliullah Muhadith Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘A type of nifaaq (hypocrisy) is that an individual affirms verbally and in his heart to the commands of Allah and His prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) but by committing sinful activities via his tongue, heart (mind) and genitals he is totally surrounded by transgressions.
Hence, an individual who is thoroughly annihilated in sinful activities. That is, committing sins has become an instinct and a part of his personality. This individual is a munafiq (hypocrite).
This type of hypocrisy can exist with eman (belief).
The noble Companions (Allah be pleased with them) were afraid of this type of hypocrisy.’
Taharet e qalb, page 69
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‘O Ahmad!
Arrogance is a thing to be discarded, and humility is desired.
Arrogance reflects envy, and humility attracts friendship.
Arrogance is hideous, and humility is beautiful.
Arrogance leads to hatred, and humility brings forth love.
Arrogance is the behavior of niggards, and humility is the attribute of the noble.
Arrogance dissolves friendships, and humility strengthens them.
Arrogance is (one of the) most evil moral traits in men and women.
O Ahmad!
It is narrated by Ibn e Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) that
I am bewildered by the state of an individual
who has passed through the urinary outlet twice* and displays arrogance. ‘
Mulhemat of Shaykh Jamaluddin Ahmad Hansvi (Allah have mercy on him), page 41-43
(*First as a sperm and then as a newborn.)
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‘Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi (Allah have mercy on him) told the following incident while discussing the effacement and annihilation of self ego (nafs),
‘The status of Allamah Sayyid Suleman Nadvi (Allah have mercy on him) is well known. He was an established scholar (expert in Arabic, Urdu, Persian and Hebrew with numerous publications). However, after his relationship with Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) his humility and self effacement was remarkable.
There was an illiterate individual in Thana Bhawan named Reham Ali. He provided some services to Hakim al-Umma, such as delivering milk at his home, etc. He later migrated to Karachi.
On one occasion in Karachi I saw Allamah Sayyid Suleman Nadvi (Allah have mercy on him) carrying the shoes of Reham Ali. I was shocked and inquired him regarding this. He humbly replied that he was doing this because he had seen Reham Ali carrying the shoes of Hakim al-Umma.’
Majlis e matab 1980s on CD
Shaykh Abu Saeed (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘The reality of ubudiyet has two components.
First is acknowledgment of absolute neediness to Allah (iftiqar ilAllah). This is the real servitude (abdiyet) and the essential part.
The second is meticulous following of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). This should be with exemplary elegance. (That is, its goal must be to follow and emulate the Sunna). The pleasure and comfort of one’s lower self (nafs) should not be the objective to do so.’
Shaykhan: Ainan e tajriyan, page 48
Picture: Secret underground mosque in Bor, Hadramaut, Yemen
A reader wrote,
Assalamualaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.
I need some clarifications:-
I always have doubts about the akabir of Deoband. That is, I want to know regarding the negative words that Barelwis spread about Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi.(rahmatullah alaih) and other akabir ulema. I respect the akabir of Deoband very much for their knowledge but after hearing the negative things about Deobandis, my heart is always in suspicion about the honesty of Deobandis.
Please,Please…. help!
And sorry for asking such questions.
Jazakallah hu khairaa.
Following reply was sent. (InshaAllah it will be beneficial to all of us.)
Bismillah
Respected brother
as salam o alaykum wrwb
JazakAllah.
There are two answers for your question.
First is the ilzami (accusatory) and other islahi (reformative).
The ilzami answer is that why don’t you have doubts and suspicions about the Baraelwi comments being corrupt, false, dishonest, thimblerig & politically motivated. If you can give me some reason then we might have a discussion. The upshot of this answer is how do you as an individual lay person can judge between the two groups?
Our akabir have taught us this, “A murid complained that when people talk negatively about you it hurts me and my heart aches.
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied;
‘There are a multitude of people who talk badly about Allah, His messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the scholars (mujtahideen). Have you done any thing to stop that?
If not, then why does it hurt you when poor Ashraf Ali is censured. And you feel concerned about stopping this?
There is nothing in this attitude except kibir (arrogance).
It annoys you when your seniors are censured. You feel humiliated at this. This is a hidden deception of nafs (ego/lower self).
Suppose, even if it is not kibir (arrogance). Then I ask, why did you feel concerned about anyone saying any thing good or bad (regarding my seniors).
What harm did it cause to you?
If you had focused on the goal (of tareeq, i.e. seeking perpetual pleasure of Allah ) you could not have time to waste on these petty issues.
Hakeemul Ummat ra kay hayret-angez waqiyat, page 81
The islahi answer is for the truth seeking sincere individual. May Allah make us both from them.Amin!
(Your openness to come forward and ask this is itself a sign of seeking the truth. MashaAllah.)
First it must be very clear that we are bound to follow Sunnah meticulously. Following Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) or Molvi Ahmad Raza Khan sahib is not an obligation. We won’t be questioned in here-after regarding this. If the following of Sunnah(both, external and inner) is facilitated through their teachings well and good. If not then you have to look somewhere else.
(Alhumdulliah, I have personally benefited a lot from the teachings of Hakim al-Umma in bringing deen into my life to a degree. May Allah allow me to benefit more. Amin! Similarly I have read about and seen personally lot of people who changed their life for better by following his teachings.)
Having doubts is natural phenomenon. However, being affected to the degree to actively suspect and consider another Muslim (irrespective of him being a pious, learned scholar/sufi) to be intentionally dishonest is blame-worthy condition (bad-gumani, keyna, etc.) . There should be explicit proof for this.
It is usually a result of keeping company with people who have this already in them and are lax on issue of ghibet/bad-gumani/hifazet-e-lisan/etc., and/or lack of knowledge and being involved in useless.
Being sins their darkness clouds the perception of truth. This can only be lifted by repentance and resulting Divine enlightenment.
The teaching of our pious master is,
کفر است در طریقت ما کینہ داشتن
آئین ما است سینہ چوں آئینہ داشتن
Please, make excessive supplication, keep your focus on the following of Sunna and consult your Shaykh for the cure of these potentially fatal spiritual ailments.
For the time being the best things to do will be,
1. Avoid all useless discussions.
2. Try your best to follow Sunnah meticulously in each and every aspect of your life.
3. Make dua excessively. Ask Allah SWT for guidance. Especially set 10 minutes daily after ‘esha salat and make dua for your own islah, isteqamat and correct understanding of deen.
4.If you lack information then please, read the book ‘Aqaid e Ulemae Deoband aur Hassam ul Haramain’. It is in Urdu and available online.
5. Even after all these measure if the doubt and suspicion persist then the best thing will be to ignore both the groups and follow the Sunnah and scholars who affiliate with none of these groups. It is best to remind ourselves that it is a fitnah by definition when truth can not be distinguished and things become suspicious. The best strategy as per Prophet (Allah bless and grant him peace) is to keep ourselves completely aloof from it.
I pray and hope that my rambling makes sense to you. If there are any question, please, do not hesitate to ask. The benefit is mutual. JazakAllah.
Take care.
Please, do try to make dua for me.
muhtaj
Writing about his trip to Masjid-e-Aala, Srirangapatnam, the mosque built by Sultan Tipu (1750-1799) (Allah have mercy on him) sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
‘At the completion of this mosque it was decided that the first prayer (salah) in it will be led by a person who has never missed a single salah. That is, he must be sahib-e-tarteeb.
There were numerous scholars and pious people present at the inauguration ceremony. However, none of them was in position to say it with certainty that he was sahib-e-tarteeb.
Eventually Sultan Tipu (Allah have mercy on him) admitted that he was sahib-e-tarteeb and he led the prayers.
Hindustan ka taza safar, Al-Balagh, 45:12 Zil-Hajah 1431, page 32
Karachi
Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Manzur Nomani* (Allah have mercy on him) wrote to a disciple,
‘Considering his action to be of inappropriate standard to be presented to Allah, crying on it and making repentance for the shortcomings in it makes a deficient act of worship worthy of acceptance.’
Meyray Shaykh meyray Hazrat Mawlana Mohammad Manzur Nomani ra by Shaykh Qutubud-deen Mullah db, page 42
*Author of Ma’arif ul Hadith, an authority on deviant sects (especially Baraelwis) and editor of monthly Al-Furqan was a khalifa of Mawlana Abdul Qadir Raipuri. He also benefitted from suhba of Shaykh Mawlana Wasiullah Allahabadi. He was born in 1323H/1905 and passed away in 1417 H/1997. Allah have mercy on them all. Amin!
He gave ijazet e bayah to two individuals only. Al-Haaj Qutubud-deen Mulla in Balguam, Karnataka, & Hafiz Mohammad Iqbal in Gonda, UP. May Allah preserve them.Amin!
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Shaykh Abdul Haq muhadith Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on him) [d. 1052H/1642CE] said,
‘The most superior form of worship is being in the company of pious (ahl-Allah) and sitting with those who are closer to Allah.
This is because by observing their steadfastness, firm resolve and complete devotion a special motivation and determination develops in the spiritual seeker. This eases the hardship of worship and makes bearable the spiritual struggle which are a necessary component of traveling on this path (tareeq).
Moreover, the observation of their magnificently graceful demeanor (jamal) creates a light in his heart that dispels the darkness of doubts and suspicious (whispering) which are the cause of being far and veiled (from the Truth).’
Halaat Muslih al-Ummat ra, page 328
In the final chapter of his primer on Hanafi fiqh Shaykh Qadi Thana’ullah Panipati (Allah have mercy on him) [d. 1225 H/1810 CE] said,
‘The spiritual light of Islam or the Messenger of Allah, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, should be sought in the breasts of the true ascetics so that that light may be kindled in your own heart.
When this light enters you, you will be able to recognise, through your faculties of discernment, all good and evil.
One becomes a stranger in this temporal world and is transported to the next world through one’s constant remembrance of Allah.
One begins to seek the company of others who cause one’s love for this world to decrease, and one’s love for Allah and the next world to increase.’
Essential Islamic Knowledge: A Handbook of Hanafi Fiqh, page 256
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Shaykh Nizamuddin Aurangabadi (Allah have mercy on him)[d 1142 Hijri/1730 CE] in his instruction to the disciples’ (murideen) used to stress particularly on thorough following of the Shaykh and maintaining proper etiquette (adab) with him.
He used to tell them that Shaykh Naseeruddin Chirag Dehlawi (Allah have mercy on him) sometimes even did beat his murid (as part of their spiritual training). But none of them abandoned him. However, now the state has come that ‘if a Shaykh utters a single word (reprimanding), the murid develops a strong aversion to the Shaykh.”
Tarikh Mashaikh Chisht, voume 5, page 166-7
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Mawlana Kalim Siddiqqui (Allah preserve him), khalifa of Sheikh al-Hadith Mawlana Zakariya mohajir Madani and Mawlana Sayyid Abul Hasan Ali Nadawi (Allah have mercy on them) said,
‘In reality the ‘ijazet’ (permission to take murid & instruct others) from the pious are of three types.
Firstly, the permission is granted trusting an individual who has the capabilities to guide and do reformation of others. This is the real ijazet. It is given to the very special and selected individuals.
Second type is when seeing the poor religious state of an area Shaykh gives permission to a relatively more religious person to work for inviting and guiding others in that specific area.
The third type of ijazet is what individuals like us hold. That is, because of it he will abstain from sins. The Shaykh thinks that considering himself to be a mojaz and khalifa he will stay away from sinful activities.’
Arghaman, monthly, June 2010, page 28
