Category Archives: T. Tarbiyet

Contains principle and guidelines on training and disciplining of the morals (ikhlaq) of murid

Qabdh: Spiritual contraction

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An individual complained that from many days I feel as though the special relationship with Allah (nisbet) has been lifted from me. There remains no interest in the daily wird and worship.

Shaykh Sayyid Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘This is not the removal of nisbet. This state is called the spiritual contraction (qabdh).

The nisbet is removed by committing infidelity (kufr), associating partners with Allah (shirk), involvement in innovations (bida’) and major sins (kabair).

Whereas, the state of qabdh afflicts all including the novice and the advanced spiritual traveler. When it occurs the individual considers that this might be due to indulgence in sinful acts and therefore repents. In fact the repentance done in this state is much more sincere  than done in the state of spiritual expansion (bast).

Whenever afflicted by qabd one should increase in repentance, recite la hawla wa la quwwata illa biallah in abundance and continue with the daily wird and worship with extra effort. There should be no absence from these daily activities, even accomplishing a portion of them will suffice.’

Mahnama Tamir e ifkar, eshaet khas bayad Shaykh Syed Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him), page 606-7

How to develop determination?

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An individual asked that the pious usually instruct their disciples to develop determination (himmat) for doing good deeds and abstaining from sinful acts. What is the method to develop this determination?

Hakim al-Umma’s khalifa Shaykh Mawlana Khair Mohammad Jalandhari (Allah have mercy on them) replied,

‘The heartfelt acknowledgment of the significance and the importance of a matter instinctively creates the determination (for action).

For example, when one has to travel for an important journey and the train leaves at midnight it is reflexively that one prepares to do so.’

Khair us Sawanih, page 308

Purpose of ijazet

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Mufti Mohammad Shafi (Allah have mercy on him) wrote to Sufi Mohammad Iqbal Qureshi (Allah preserve him),

‘At the same time it came in my heart that I should give you the permission (ijazet) to take ba’yit and instruct.  So start this with an intention of self reformation (islah). This is because experience has shown that by being involved in others’ reformation one’s own islah is facilitated.

To do this work read Tarbiyet us Salik, Taleem ud Deen, Tabligh e Deen, etc.  Inform your close friends about this permission.

Khair us Sawanih, page 568

Seeker’s affliction

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Sidi Ahmad Zarruq al-Barnusi al-Fasi (Allah have mercy on him) [1442 – 1493 CE] said,

I have also seen that the seekers of this age are afflicted with five things:

1.The preference of ignorance over knowledge

2. Being deluded by every spiritual impostor

3. The inability to prioritize important matters

4. Using the spiritual path as a means to inflate the selfish soul

5. Attempting to expedite a spiritual opening without fulfilling its prerequisite conditions.

This has resulted in five other afflictions:

1. Preferring innovations as opposed to the tried and true prophetic practice (Sunna)

2. Following the people of claims and conceit as opposed to the truth

3. Acting on capricious desires in all of their affairs, even the most celestial

4. Preferring fantasies to realities

5. The manifestation of claims without sincerity.

Foundations of the Spiritual Path Translated by Shaykh Hamza Yusuf Hanson

Spiritual progress

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Shaykh Sayyid Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The progress in spiritual path (sulook) is not sudden.  It is gradual and therefore, not appreciated by the spiritual traveller.

For example, if someone has hundred rupees in his pocket the addition of one more does not draw any attention and is, therefore, most of the time  not appreciated.  However, when this addition increases to two hundred then the increase is evidently appreciated.

In most of the instances the spiritual aspirant can not gauge his own progress. The Shaykh, however, assesses this by various signs and symptoms and leads him further on the path. ‘

Mahnama Tamir e ifkar, eshaet khas bayad Shaykh Syed Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him), page 596

Shaykh Syed Zawwar Hussain Shah (Allah have mercy on him) was born in a Shiafamily. It was after correspondence with Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) he became a Sunni.

The daily wird & Sunna!

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Stepping out of Masjid al-Haram, Makkah sayyidi wa sanadi  Shaykh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied to an individual’s question regarding the daily wird,

‘Keep the amount of the daily wird at the level which you can complete easily.  However, if on some day you have extra time and desire then go ahead and do more. ‘

He further instructed,

‘Read the book ‘Uswa e Rasool e Akram’ conscientiously and check which Sunna actions you are missing and then include them in your life.’

After esha, Monday 8 Feb 2010

Bab Abdul-Aziz, Masjid al-Haraam, Makkah e mukarramah

Salah with congregation

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) encourages us to read the biographies of our elders (akabir).

One of the benefits of doing this is to get the motivation (hal) for our own reformation (islah).

Following incident has a great lesson for all of us.

‘Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Allah have mercy on him) [d.1999] was very particular about performing salâh with congregation from a young age together with waking up for the night salâh (tahajjud), reciting the Qur’ân and daily remembrance of Allâh . This continued during his old age and time of weakness as well.

On one occasion (in the forties) he went on foot from Nadwatul ‘Ulamâ’ to his house in Lucknow with this in mind that he will perform the ‘ishâ salâh at the musjid near his house. When he reached there, the salâh was already over. So he went to another musjid and found that the people had completed their salâh there as well. He was most disturbed by this until someone informed him that a third musjid has the ‘ishâ congregation a bit later. He reached this musjid and joined the congregation. He experienced unexplainable joy at this.’

Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi: Al Alimul Murrabi Wa Daiyutul Hakeem

Precious advice

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Shaykh Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (Allah have mercy on him) said the following addressing the students of Medina (al-munawwarah) University,

‘A scholar should be more pious and congnizant (of Allah).

Being excessively involved in contraversial issues makes one negligent of his/her own personal improvement.

Focus more on practice of issues that are  held unanimous. For example, khushu in salah. Do not be involved in peripheral minor issues.

You are aware of the scholarly acheivements of Imam Ahmad and Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy on them). However, you are not aware of their high moral character, humility, fear of Allah and being busy in night crying.

It was the practice of Hafiz Ibn Taymiyyah (Allah have mercy on him) that whenever, he faced a difficulty he would go to an isolated mosque, cry and make the following supplication repeatedly,

Ya mu’alim al Ibrahim ‘alimni, ya mufham al Suleman fahimni

The greed and desire of the worldly has made the scholars worthless.

Be an example for others.’

Tazkirah wa sawanih Mawlana Hasan Jan shaheed ra, page 43

فنائیت

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عارف باللہ حضرت ڈاکٹر عبدالحئی عارفی رحمۃ اللہ علیہ نے فرمایا کہ

فنائیت کا مطلب ہے ترک اعتراض۔

یعنی کسی پر اعتراض نہ کرو۔

ناگوار امر پر صبر کرو اور ضبط سے کام لو۔

اس ترک اعتراض کا آخری مقام یہ ہوگا کہ ہر ناگوار امر کو مشیت ایزدی پر محمول کرتے ہوۓ ناگواری نہیں ہوگی۔

جو کام بھی ہوگا اور جس طرح ہوگا اس کو منجانب اللہ تصور کرتے ہوۓ خوش طبعی کے ساتھ قبول کرلوگے۔

اور یہی مقام فنائیت ہے۔ 

اصلاح حال و سکون قلب، ص 35

The hierarchy

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Arif billah Dr. Abdul Hayy (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘Whenever, I make prayer for forgiveness and send reward of meritorious deeds I start with my parents. Then I include my forefathers from both paternal and maternal side. After them for my teachers and Shuyukh. Then for my household members and relatives. And finally for my juniors.’

He then instructed his disciples to do similarly.

Khubaat e Arifi, ‘Amal e hasna, page 391

Rights of Fellow human beings!

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Sayyidi wa sanadiMawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him and allow us to benefit from him a lot. Ameen!) said:

“If someone drank alcohol, he can repent by asking forgiveness from Allah.
If he commits zina (adultery), he can repent by asking forgiveness from Allah.
If he were to eat pork, he can repent by asking Allah’s forgiveness.

BUT,
if he is rude,
arrogant,
hurts some-one’s feeling,
does ghibah (backbiting) or
inflicts material loss on an individual

then the scenario for repentance is different.
He can not repent by asking forgiveness from Allah alone.

He has to ask forgiveness from the  person he has wronged first.
Apologise for the mistake committed.
Compensate for the material loss, if any.
Only then he can fulfill the criteria for tawabah (true repentance).
(And remember Tawbah is the first step of tareeq!)

So be very, very careful with the rights of others!”

Allah SWT give me the taufeeq.
Ameen bi haq e Sayyidul mursaleen.

The Reality of Jihad

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Hakeem ul Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) tells an anecdote in one of his discourses:

A sufi aspirant busy with his islah (reformation) was overwhelmed with a thought of abandoning his spiritual struggle and to enlist in the Muslim Army engaged in Jihad. Being sincere he consulted his Shaykh before embarking on this holy journey.

Sheikh admonished him saying that this was the conspiracy of his nafs (lower self) to escape.

The nafs was tired of the daily jihad (struggle). That is, struggle of withholding it self from all the haram (forbidden) activities and engaging in extra (nafil) worship. For example, avoiding lustful glances, backbiting, anger, self-pride etc. and being humble, patient, pious, etc.. Tired of this daily struggle it wanted to escape by dying fighting in Jihad.

This might be the reason of calling the daily struggle of self-reformation (islah) Jihad e Akbar (The greater struggle) as compared to the holy war, Jihad e Asghar (The lesser struggle) in one of the Prophetic narrations (dha’eef).

At this point it is most appropriate to clear any misconception about Jihad in our days.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib (Allah preserve him) explains:

“Jihad is, no doubt one of the intuitions enshrined by Islam. But it does not mean a war to compel people to accept Islam, as the Holy Quran has declared that there is no compulsion in religion. Nor does it mean to occupy lands and extend territory of a Muslim state without a just cause.

Jihad is in fact means a well disciplined struggle against aggression and oppression. The struggle of jihad may be with or without arms. Armed struggle is allowed only when peaceful means have totally failed.

Apart from a just and rightful cause it is necessary that it is carried out under a competent Amir or leader in strict compliance with dictates of Shariah.

This armed struggle can never target innocent persons.
It is always a legitimate struggle against an oppressor or a tyrant and his warriors.

It has, therefore, nothing to do with terrorist activities which target innocent people and have been termed by the Quran as ‘Fasad fil-ard’ (spreading disorder in the land).”

Source:Usmani M T, Albalagh International: Vol 16 No. 8/September 2005 “Islamic vision on interfaith cooperation for peace”

Company of awliya

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

‘Once a person asked Hakim al-Umma (Allah have mercy on him), that the famous verse;
Yak zamana suhbat ba awliya
Behter az sed sala ta’et e bay-riya
(Momentary companionship of Friends of Allah is better than hundred years of sincere worship) seems to be an exaggeration. How can this be possible?

Hakim al-Umma replied,

‘It was no exaggeration at all. Moreover, the message was still not completely conveyed. If the poet had said;
Yak zamana suhbat ba awliya
behter az sed lekh sala ta’et e bay-riya
(Momentary company of Friends of Allah is better than million years of sincere worship), it would not have been an exaggeration.”

This is because in the company of pious/awliya you get more than the sincerity. You get the ta’uluq ma’Allah/love of Allah swt. This is the master key for all the further good actions.’

The love & company of awliya

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Shaykh Abu Taleb Makki (Allah have mercy on him) reported this in Quwwat al-Quloob,

A seeker approached a Gnostic of Allah (‘arif billah) and said,

‘ I am heedless of Allah’s remembrance, usually procrastinating good deeds and extremely lazy. Please, advice me on how can I overcome these things.

The Gnostic replied,

 ‘O brother!

If it is possible for you to love the friends of Allah (awliya) and keep their close company then immediately do so.

Perhaps they will keep you in their heart. And remember every day seventy times Allah’s special mercy is focused on these hearts. Maybe someday because of the love you have for them this mercy of Allah will be focused on you to. This will indeed take care of all your problems of this world and here-after.’

Ahl-e-sulook par achi buri Sohbet kay asaraat, page10