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Category Archives: T. Tarbiyet
Tip for waking up for Tahajjud
Tahajjud salah is an essential part of a salik’s daily routine.
It is a spiritual struggle with utmost sincerity. A time for intimate conversation with Allah.
Daily physical exercise like brisk walking etc for 15- 20 minutes is very helpful in facilitating waking up for tahajjud.
An important reminder
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) usually instructs a novice traveller (salik) on this path to read the published lecture series ‘Islahi Khutbaat’ and ‘Islahi majalis’. After reading a substantial amount from them he should focus on the discourses and malfuzat of Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) for the rest of his life.
It is essential to pay attention to this advice.
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) is the mujaddid of the path we follow. The Ashrafiya path. Reading his works in original is imperative to gain the insight for the experiential knowledge of Allah ( al marifah) sought by those on this path.
We are from the third or fourth generation after Hakim al Umma. Our Shuyukh have kindly paraphrased and simplified those teachings according to our understanding. However, these are the initial stepping stones to the original text.
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) has himself mentioned the benefit of the original text in his malfuzat. Acknowledging them as a gift from Allah, he said that these are Divinely inspired words and therefore most beneficial is one’s islah.
The most common excuse we have is that our comprehension skills for Urdu reading are poor. This is an area we need to improve. Moreover, present day Mashaikh are requested to read to their audience from the original texts of Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) and explain or translate if necessary.
This is important to inherit from the spiritual legacy of Ashrafiya path.
May Allah facilitate this for all of us. Amin!
Facilitation of nisbet e batini
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘It is due to the Shaikh (1) that acquisition of nisbet e batini is facilitated. Alone hundreds of years of spiritual struggle maybe needed to acquire it.
This nisbet e batini is a gift from Allah. The spiritual struggle is required for it but it is not the reason d’être for it.
Even if it (is considered to be a) a cause then it is a commonly occurring (result) and not the real one.’
Husn al Aziz, Malfuz # 459, volume 1, page 83
(1) His guidance and barakah.
Means of acquiring Tasawwuf
Shaikh Junaid Baghdadi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘We did not acquire Tasawwuf by discussions or argumentations.
In reality we acquired it by going hungry (1), keeping awake (2) and being persistent in our actions (3).’
Eqaz al Himam, Urdu, page 332
(1) From all that is impermissible or suspicious or causes laziness.
(2) In acquiring knowledge, performing tahajjud, remembrance of Allah and intimate conversation with Allah
(3) Performance of good and abstinence from sinful deeds, both physical and that of qalb
Excessive desire & preserving the serenity
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi (Allah mercy on him) said,
‘Permissible sexual desire in excess is detrimental. This is because with this excess the normal composed state vanishes (as one is over aroused sexually). The pious have advised against going to extremes in this regards.
Respected Haji (Imdaullah mohajir Makki) (Allah have mercy on him use to say,
‘As far as possible try not to let go of one’s serenity.
-Even if some one has a small amount of money he should keep it safe and not waste it. This is for the peace of mind.
– Do not succumb to diseases because of negligence (in food or medicine).
– Do not be such audacious and straightforward in speech that others become your enemy and entangle your thoughts (qalb).
In short, in the teachings of respected Haji (Imdadullah mohajir Makki, Allah have mercy on him) there was much emphasis on (preserving) the serenity (jamia’t). He repeatedly instructed that serenity is an immense thing (so preserve it).
‘Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) has written that the similitude of an individual who is not sick (with an ailment making him sexually impotent) and has stable strength (to maintain such relationship) and then uses aphrodisiac food and medicine to further enhance his sexual powers is like poking asleep snakes and scorpions inviting them to come and bite him.
If someone has a illness than it is a different issue.
Rich individuals are most interested in this.
I have warned about this issue because even permissible excessive sexual desire has a detrimental effect on one’s spirituality (batin).’
Husn al Aziz, Malfuz 442, volume 1, page 55
Daily schedule of a Salik
Alternative Shaikh
Hakim al Umma Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy on him) said,
‘It is not a problem that an individual has pledged (bayiah) to a Shaikh and receives instructions and advice for betterment (islah) from another Shaikh. This is especially so when there is decreased level of compatibility (munasbet) with the initial Shaikh.’
Tuhfah-tush-Shuyukh, page 43
Preparing for Ramadan
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
‘There is going to be a downpour of Allah’s mercy (in Ramadan).
Preparation is needed in advance to derive real benefit from each and every moment of Ramadan.
Because an individual may start this month in a state of heedlessness (ghaflah) and (virtuous) activities are then postponed from one day to another.
Therefore, it is essential to prepare for Ramadan in advance.’
Khutbaat e Ramadan, page 54
Riya in Prayers at Mosque
A spiritual aspirant wrote:
When I perform prayer at mosque, I feel more inclined and khushu‘ (reverence, serenity and presence of mind) in prayers than I have in my prayers I perform at home. Some time a thought comes to mind that it happens due to the people in mosque as I do it for show off. This makes me worried. Please tell me how to tackle this issue? Jazaak Allah
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen) replied:
“Not every time it is due to riya (ostentation). The environment of mosque is also a reason for this and it changes the way one performs salah.”
Meraj us Salikeen: Islahi Khutoot #21
Missing Daily Tasbihat
Comment: “I have been regular with tilawat, monjat e maqbool and other tasbeehat but was not doing the dwazdah tasbihat. When missed during the day, I try to recite a few of that tasbihat but not complete. In this regard please advise if I miss dwazdah tasbihat, should I impose a penalty on myself as now it is almost making a habit?”
Response: “If this happens regularly then look for the reason. Reschedule it at a different time. If that does not work then fix a penalty, like no internet use for personal use that day.”
Meraj us Salikeen: Islahi makateeb #8
How to use spare time?
Comment: “How do I manage this time? Please advise as this is one of the biggest challenge I am facing now a days. With every passing day, it feels bad when a time is wasted in useless or in a sinful activity.”
Response: “It is indeed a challenge to use spare time effectively.
Try to take up somethings that will be useful in Deen or dunya. Like Reading a tafseer thoroughly, or translating some article or passages that you feel beneficial into English or Pashto or making hifz of sura Yaseen or Yusuf, or completing a nisab (70,000) kalima for a deceased, helping in household chores or art n craft activities with children etc.”
Meraj us Salikeen: Islahi Makateeb #22
Thankfulness
Avoid wasting water during wudhu
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,
‘We must be careful while performinf wudhu.
Wasting large amounts of water is sinful.
Our master Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said in regards to wudhu,
‘Don’t waste water even if you are performing it at a riverbank.’
The Sunna amount of water to use in wudhu is approximately 775 ml. (That is less than a liter.)’
Waaz, May 2014
(Mudd:The picture above shows a container of this capacity)
Learning by association
An individual who has been associated with sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) for more than two decades said, ‘Praying salah with respected Mufti sahib is a lesson itself. The khushu and khudhu is exemplary. I have tried numerous times to emulate his ruku and sujood, however, even if I recite the tasbihat very meticulously with tajweed more than 7 times I can not catch his serene pace.
It is a lesson for us to learn from his example.
Most likely this is also from the benefits of companionship (suhba) of the pious.’