Watching Television

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db advised a mureed;

One should not keep a television set at home by choice. If some one else has kept it without you having any control over it then you will not be sinful.

Few of the scholars have squeezed out permissibility of watching programs that are being broadcasted live and do not contain anything objectionable as per Shariah. However, it is best to avoid watching them also.

Moreover, people seeing you watching live broadcast will not be able to appreciate this difference and deduce that you consider watching television to be permissible.
(Whereas, it is impermissible to watch the television.)

Islahi khatoot

Tasbeeh/Misbaha

Hakeemul Ummat Hazrat Moulana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanvi ra writes
“It is permissible and moreover advisable to keep a Tasbeeh either to keep a count of zikir or remind oneself of zikir.Tasbeeh in hand reminds one to do zikir.

Disregard the thought that keeping a Tasbeeh will result in riya (showoff: blame worthy moral).

Riya is by intention. That is, only when the purpose to keep the tasbih is that the people observing will consider me to be pious. If this is not the intention then it will not be riya.

To consider this as riya and abandon zikir due to such random thought (wasawes) is a deception by Shaytan. By these deceiving thoughts he wants to deprive us from the rewards of zikir.

Also, another of his deception is the thought that what is the advantage of such oral zikir when the heart is preoccupied with the worldly affairs?

So, understand the answer to this misconception very clearly.

In Zikir initiated with the intention to gain Allah SWT’s pleasure, even if the attention is inadvertently diverted the reward is not lost. Provided the intention remains the same.

However, in free times it is essential to try and keep one’s attention focused on the zikir to reap more reward.

Hayatul Muslimeen, page 208-9

Preserving the Serenity of Qalb

Hakeemul Ummat Hazrat Moulana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanvi ra writes in Qasdus Sabil ila Mawla al-Jalil;

It is essential that individuals traversing the sulook avoid all those things that disturb the tranquility of qalb (mind/heart). This is because the serenity of qalb is a big treasure.

There are many such things. For example:

  1. To destroy one’s health by self negligence.
  2. To strife for scrumptious food unnecessarily.
  3. To indulge all the time in beautification of one’s body and clothes
  4. To be either greedy and stingy, or spendthrift
  5. To develop (unusually close) friendship or enmity with someone.

Tas-heel Qasdus Sabil, page 30 & 31, by Hazrat Mawlana Shah Lutufe Rasool sahib ra

Extremely Destructive Sins for a Salik

Hakeemul Ummat Hazrat Moulana Shah Ashraf Ali Thanvi ra writes in Qasdus Sabil ila Mawla al-Jalil, a primer for those involved in tasawwuf and islah;

“Few of the sins are in particular extremely destructive for those traversing the sulook (spiritual path). They include:

1. Riya (ostentation/show off)

2. Takabbur (Arrogance)

3. Useless and sinful talking

4. Looking lustfully at ghair-mahram females and (young/adolescent) boys

5. Being angry inappropriately and/or excessively”

Tasheel Qasdus Sabil, page 25 & 26, by Hazrat Mawlana Shah Lutufe Rasool sahib ra (senior khalifa of Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat ra).

ذکر

ہماری توفقط اے ذوق اتنی بادہ نوشی ہے

کسی کا ذکر کرنا اور پھر مخمور ہو جانا

آلہی، آلہی ، آلہی، آلہ

آلہی، آلہی ، آلہی، آلہ

میں ہوں اپنے اعمال بد سے تباہ

آلہی میں عاجز ہوں بندہ ترا

گناہوں سے ہے حال بدتر مرا

آلہی ہر اک آن حاضر ہے تو

میں کرتا ہوں جو فعل ناظر ہے تو

مرا عذر ہو اب آلہی قبول

مجھے خوار و رسوا نہ کر اور ملول

آلہی بحق محمد رسول صلی اللہ علیہ والہ وسلم

دعا ہووۓ امداد رح کی اب قبول

جہاد اکبر: تصنیف شیخ العرب و العجم

حضرت حاجی امداد اللہ صاحب مہاجر مکی قرس سرہ

Book “Mamoolat e Yomiya” Most Essential!

Lessons of Ashrafiya tareeq

A mureed inquired that a Naqshbandi Sheikh asked me regarding the asbaqs (lessons) prescribed in our silsila. I have no idea regarding them. Are there any specific asbaqs to be completed by the salik?

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!), replied: “No. However, you can inform him about those action prescribed in the book “Mamoolat e yomiya”.  (That is, because they form the basic lessons of our tareeq.)

My Designation

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!), said:

“Always consider yourself to be a khadim (servant).”

Islahi khatoot

Allah SWT’s slave indeed. And His muklooq’s servant, especially providing service to one’s spouse, children, and other close family members’.

Tahajjud Salah

Tahajjud (predawn/late night) salah is most virtuous and extremely important for those traveling the tareeq (path).

A mureed wrote: These days tahajjud salah prior to fajar is often missed.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db replied:

“Between the sunnah salah of Esha’ and witir offer four rak‘ah nafil with intention of tahajjud (every day).

Then if you wake up at predawn offer tahajjud salah again.”

“Be always steadfast with this practice (of offering nawafil at esha’). If by chance you are not able to wake up at the appointed tahajjud time this will, inshaAllah, compensate for it.”

Islahi khatoot

(Please, note: Individuals with qaza salah should focus on completing the pending salah as soon as possible. For them it is best to offer qaza at these times (e.g. tahajjud, ishraq, awabeen, etc.) also).

Repentance: The Third Condition

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!), said:

“The third condition for true repentance is to have firm resolve and determination never ever to commit this sin in future again.

These are the three conditions necessary for true repentance. Without any one of them the repentance can not be complete.”

Islahi Majalis, volume 5, page 237

Repentance: The Second Condition

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!) while elucidating the conditions essential for true repentance, said:

“The second condition necessary for sincere repentance is that one immediately leaves that sin. Without this repentance can never be complete.

It is not possible to commit a transgression and repent form it at the same time. There is no form of such repentance.”

Islahi Majalis, volume 5, page 237

Repentance: The First Condition

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!) while elucidating the conditions essential for true repentance, said:

“The first condition necessary for sincere tauba (repentance) is that one has remorse for all the sins committed. That is, one feels ashamed of and acknowledges the transgressions done. 

If this acknowledgement of transgression, acceptance of wrongdoing, and  feeling ashamed and sorry for it is not there and moreover if one justifies his defiant action, how can this be real repentance.  Therefore, not to consider a transgression a sin is an extremely dangerous thing. Allah SWT save every Muslim from it. Ameen!

In short, the first condition for repentance is feeling remorseful.

That is, O Allah SWT! I committed a big mistake.

I accept full responsibility and plead guilty.

Please, forgive me!”

Islahi Majalis, volume 5, page 236

Consultation & Re-consultation for Treatment

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah SWT preserve him and allow us to benefit from him abundantly. Ameen!) said:

“Even after consulting the Sheikh and successful treatment of one of the blame worthy moral traits, do not relax and think it will never return.

It may return back.

If this happens, get in touch with the Sheikh for treatment again.”

Islahi majalis, volume 1, page 68

The Accepted Whispers/Munajat-e-Maqbul

Du’a (supplication) is the essence of worship. It is the weapon of the believer. With it we can never fail; without it we can never succeed. It is a whispering conversation with Allah, the most uplifting, liberating, empowering, and transforming conversation one can ever have.

This book contains more than 200 du’as from the Qur’an and Hadith in Arabic for daily reading, along with their transliteration, translation, and commentary in English. The commentary explains historic background, meanings, merits, and special significance of the du’a in question.

This selection was originally compiled by Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi under the title Munajaat-e-Maqbul. Like his Bihishti Zewar (Heavenly Ornaments), it has been very popular in the countries of the Indian subcontinent, where it has become a household name. This edition aims at making it accessible to the English-speaking world.

The Compiler

Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (1280-1362 AH/1863-1943 CE), commonly referred to as Hakim al-Ummat (“Sage of the Ummah”), was a giant among the Islamic scholars of the twentieth century. He was a master in all branches of Islamic scholarship including Qur’an, Hadith, Fiqh and Tasawwuf. A prolific writer, he had more than a thousand publications to his credit. He wrote for the minimally literate as effectively as he did for scholars. Nearly a century later some of his books remain as popular as they were when originally published. Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani writes, “The likeness of his accomplishments is not found in many preceding centuries.”

The Translator

Khalid Baig is a writer on Islam and contemporary issues.

Albalagh

Excellent, indeed!