یا الہی! ہم ہمت ہیں ہارے
یا الہی!
اب تو اٹھا آغوش کرم میں
تھک گئے ہم ہمت ہیں ہارے
حضرت محمد احمد رح
Abandoning the Sunna in Hajj
A growing trend among the Pilgrims (hujjaj) is the abandoning of some of the Sunna of Hajj. Especially, the sunna of staying in Mina overnight from 8th till 12/13th Zil-hijjah (except for the night stay in Muzdallifa on youm al-Arafa).
The Hanafi fuqha may have given dispensations in special circumstances for the old, sick, feeble and females but to do this based only on whimsical fear of hardship is grossly inappropriate.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
“Hajj is a worship of love (ishiq).
It is a struggle (mujahidda) in itself.
Do not look for excessive ease in it’s rituals.
And if you can not bear these minor hardships (physical or financial) then reconsider your decision of undertaking this journey of passionate worship. “
Imitating
In Sahih Muslim there is a saying of the Messenger of Allah (Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him) meaning that,
From the begining of the month of Dhul-Hijjah anyone who intends to sacrifice (on Eid al-Adha) should not cut his hair or trim nails until he has offered his sacrifice.
Commenting on it sayyidi wa sanadiHadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
‘Maybe this is to immitate the Pilgrims (hujaj) (who in the state of ihram are forbidden to do these activities) and somehow participate in the blessings of the passionate worship of Hajj.’
First ten days of Zulhijjah
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,
‘The first ten days of Zulhijjah are among the most magnificent days in Islamic calendar.
The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said, “One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to the worship in the “Lailatul-Qadr”.
Every Muslim should avail of this wonderful opportunity by performing during this period as much Iba’dah (acts of worship) to Allah as he or she can.’
Islamic Months
Developing Allah’s love!
Shaykh Shahabuddin Suhrawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“A Shaykh develops and nutures the love of Allah, Most High in a disciple (murid) by instructing him to follow the example and manners of the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) (i.e Sunna).
Whosoever does this correctly becomes the beloved of Allah, as it has been said in the Holy Quran,
‘(O Prophet!) Tell (them) that if you want to love Allah , then you should follow me. (By this) Allah will love you and forgive all your sins. Indeed! Allah is all forgiving and merciful. ‘(3:31)”
Awarif al-Ma’arif, chapter 10, page 231
Spiritually beneficial topics?
Hadhrat Mawlana Wasiullah, one of the special khulafa of Hakim Al-Umma (may Allah have mercy on them) points out,
“In our times it will not be of much benefit to speak only about the the higher spiritual states (ahwal) and exalted mystical stations (maqamat).
It will be more beneficial to elucidate on the spiritual ailments (razail) the general public and elite are afflicted with and direct them towards the treatment.”
Hayat Muslih al-Ummat ra, page 5
جل جلاله
الله جل جلاله
والرب عم نواله
واللطف ليس زواله
والعفو ليس مثاله
مفتى جميل احمد تهانوى رح
Thanawi sulook
Outlining the strategy of spiritual path (sulook) employed by Hadhrat Mawlana Shah Mohammad Asadullah, a khalifa of Hakim al-Umma (may Allah have mercy on them) it is mentioned,
“His emphasis was more on taqwa(piety, awareness of accountability to Allah and abstaining from all that is sinful) then involvement in recitations of litanies (wird) and excessive remembrance (dhikir).
He used to say that taqwa is easy. This is because it is a passive thing, and it is established that abstaining from a act is easier than performing any activity.
Then he stressed on the vigilance in abiding to the Prophetic ways of doing things (Sunna)
The third thing in this hierarchy were the daily recitations of litanies and excessive remembrance (wird). “
Aks-e-Jameel, the biography of Mufti Mohammad Jameel Ahmad Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him), page 202
In general, this is the manner in which most of our Mashaykh guide the spiritual aspirants.
Outcome of tazkiyah:Excellence in speech and character
Masih al-quloob Mawlana Masihullah Khan (may Allah have mercy on him) instructed,
“The acquisition of praiseworthy moral traits with yearning and loss of blameworthy charactersitics with aversion will manifest as attainment of excellence in speech and character.
Excellence in speech (husne-kalam) is defined as using words that are polite, decent and said in a gentle tone.
And excellence in character (husne-khulq) is to have forbearance (hilm).
So whenever something happens against your desires and upsets you, with this forbearance condone it using excellent speech (husne-kalam). As Allah says in the Qur’an,
و اذا سمعو اللغو اعرضو عنه
“Whenever you hear such useless talk, then let it pass.”
Tazkira Hadhrat Masih al-Ummat, wasiyetnama, page 119
قبض
دل مایوس میں وہ شورشیں برپا نہیں ہوتیں
امیدیں اس قدر ٹوٹیں کہ اب پیدا نہیں ہوتیں
ہوا دل اس قدر افسردہ رنگ باغ ہستی سے
ہوائیں فصل گل کی بھی اب نشاط افزاء نہیں ہوتیں
Preferences!
Qutub al-Alam Shaykh Abdul Qudoos Gangohi (may Allah have mercy on him) said,
“Sanctified is Allah!
How can an intelligent individual leave the path of the masters of this path (mashaykh), which is like being the emperor of the worlds, moreover similar to having access to the Divine Throne, and prefer this wretched world (dunya)?”
Maktoobat Qudusiya, page 346
Related:
Leaving the Sunna
Imam Ghazali (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates the saying of the blessed Prophet , صلى الله عليه وسلم
من ضيع سنتى حرمت عليه شفاعتى
Meaning that whoever abandons my way of doing things (sunna) will make my endorsement (i.e. shafaet on the Day of Judgement) impossible for him/herself.
Makashafat al-Quloob, page 74 /internet edition
May Allah give us the tawfiq and firm determination to follow Sunna. Amin
Tasawwuf: The rennovations!
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said explaining the hadith,
The act of “renovation of the religion” mentioned in this hadith has been referred to by the word “Tajdeed”. It means the restoration of the original beliefs and practices after their being changed, distorted or forgotten.
The hadith indicates to the fact that some circles from within the Ummah may forget the original teachings of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, and some foreign elements may creep into the original beliefs and practices. But the distorted version of Shari‘ah, based on such foreign elements will not achieve the universal acceptance among the Muslims, and even if it succeeds in attracting a large number of people, Allah will send a person or a number of persons who will correct the error, restore the original beliefs and practices and explain the true intent of Shari‘ah.
This act of renovation is called “Tajdeed”, and those who carry out this remarkable work are named as “Mujaddid” (renovator).
From: at Talib
Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (may Allah have mercy on him) is considered to be the “mujaddid” of the last (Hijri) century. His contributions are in almost each and every section of the religion. However, tasawwuf, which is the soul of the religion, was his favorite topic .
The contemporary tasawwuf in his era (and still in many places) had become a constellation of innovative rituals, ceremonies and cultural traditions. The emphasis on a very intimate, personal and overwhelming relationship of love and obidience with Allah, Most High, by the meticulous following of His messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) had faded away.
All praise is for Allah, Hakim al-Umma clarified the reality of Tasawwuf and exemplified by his life-syle, teachings and writings that how is it practiced in the every day life of any Muslim individual, irrespective of his social, economic, educational or professional background.
Allah reward him abundantly. Amin!
Imitating to be pious!
