Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db instructed a mureed;
“On this path(tareeq) travelling itself is the goal.
Whatever your physical or emotional condition may be but if you are steadfast in your actions as per Shariah do not despair. InshaAllah, you will be sucessful.”
Qadam hain rah-e-ulfat mein to manzil hi hawis keysi
wahan to ‘ain manzil hay thakan sey chur ho jana (Hazrat db)
Intoducing something new in religion considering it to be an essential part of Deen is bid’at/innovation (ahdis fi deen). However, if the new action introduced is considered non-essential and only to be a means of achieving a Shariah objective then it is not a bid’at (ahdis lideen). A bid’at is worse than a sin. Sinner considers himself to be wrongful, so there are chances that he might repent. However, bid’ati never considers himself to be doing anything wrong and never repents. Alhuma hafizna!
Once Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db told us;
“Once Moulana Abdul Aziz Duaju, a senior scholar/sufi sheikh associated with Tablighi-jamat visited my father Hazrat Mufti Mohammad Shafi’i ra. He said, ‘Mufti sahib, I dreamt that you were standing infront of a blackboard teaching a class of students. You wrote the arabic numerical one (1) on the board and inquired the student what it was. They replied correctly. Then on its right side you added a zero (sifir) making it 1.(10) . Again you questioned the students and they answered correctly. Then mutiple time you added zero on the right side and the number increased tenfolds every time(100. 1000, 10,000). Then you erased all these and added a zero (sifir) on the left side of the arabic numerical 1, making it .1(0.1). Again you questioned the audience and they replied that it has decreased tenfolds. Like before you added zero many times on the left and the number decreased tenfolds every time (0.01, 0.001, 0.0001).
Having demonstrated this example you explained to the students that the similitude of adding zero on the right side is of doing an action in accordance with Sunnah. It increases the reward many folds. Whereas, the likeness of adding zero on left is of innovative (bid’at) actions. It decreases the reward of the deed many folds. Both look the same outwardly but actully they are very different.”
A novice mureed infromed Hazrat db, I do not know if this is true desire (taleb) or wishful thinking (tamenna), I constantly feel this yearning and burning in my heart for attaining a strong and permenant relationship with Allah swt (ta’uqma’Allah swt) as soon as possible.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulan Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db replied; this yearning (baycheyni) and burning(bayqarari) are, inshaAllah, true desire (taleb). This in itself in required (for a salik).
Islahi Maktoobat
A novice mureed inquired, what is meant by “wusool” (union) in this tareeq(path)?
Hazart Moulana Mohammad Taqi Umani sahib db replied;the same as Ta’luq ma’Allah (strong mutally favorable relationship with Allah swt), nisbet (bond), (which manifest as) excessive rememberance Of Allah swt and perpetual obidience.
(However)Be concerned about eating the fruit not counting the trees.(That is, avoid unnecessary questions and start the action).
Islahi maktoobat
Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said,
“My grandfather Hazrat Moulana Yaseen sahib ra (a senior teacher at Darul Uloom, Deoband) used to tell that I have seen the phase of Darul Uloom when all the staff, from the doorkeeper-attendant to the principal were, sahib-e-nisbet (awliya-having the strong permenant relationship with Allah swt).”
Also
” The tareekh-e-tasees (the date of foundation) of Darul Uloom, Deoband (calculated by ‘abjad’ numerical values) has been ryhmed as:
‘dar madrassa khanqah deedayem’.
That means in this school we saw a khanqah.
The most essential thing on the part of the mureed is to efface his owndesires, suggestions and plans. He should completely surrender to his Sheikh’s advice.
This is the very first step of Tasawwuf.
It is done voluntarily and is within one’s control.
Only when one completes this successfully it is possible to set up and surrender to the commands of Allah swt and His messenger sallalaho alehey wa alehi wassalem in the true sense.
Answering a question regarding what books to read, Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db wrote,
In general all the books authored by scholars from Deoband are beneficial, however, special emphasis should be on reading the mawaiz (lectures) and malfoozat (suhba talks) of Hakeemul-ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanvi ra. In this initial phase limit yourself to them only.
Islahi maktoobat
An aspirant asked Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db, was it inappropriate not to visit other shuyukh after finally selecting Hazrat db as Sheikh.
Hazrat db replied, visiting other shuyukh occasionally to receive their prayers (dua) and advice is appropriate. One should not avoid this. However, in your personal spiritual matters consultation and guidance should be only taken from the Sheikh you have selected for self-reformation (islah).
Islahi maktoobat
‘Arifbillah Hazrat Dr Abdul Hayy ‘Arifi ra said;
The method for developing Allah swt’s Love is:
1. Reflecting on the bounties of Allah swt and being thankful for them
2. Associating with the people who already have this Love (ahl-e-muhabbet). Reading their books, biographies and poetry.
3. Meticulously following the Sunnah method in all aspects of your life
Malfozat-e-‘Arifi ra page 83
Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani db told us;
An apparently religious person informed me about his son. He bragged how intelligent and high achiever his son was. He enumerated the scholarship, awards and recommendations he had received. Telling in detail how he was offered a job in one of the top most US companies. How well pleased they were with his performance and what big benefits he was reaping there. He finally ended all this by saying, “the only setback is that with all these achievements he has become a little-bit un-Islamic in his daily life.” As if this was a minor thing.
This reminded me of an incident when all of a sudden a healthy person had died. People not sure of what was going on called the local physician to examine him and diagnose the problem. The ‘learned doctor’ thoroughly examined the person and commented, “my dear friends this person’s muscle, bones, eyes, ears, skin, tongue and every other body organ is in superb condition. But the only problem is that his soul has departed.”
Similar is the condition when worldly gains make one a non-practicing Muslim.He is dead!
He needs the service of a “Messiah”, who can bring back the dead. The Sheikh!
Sidi wa Sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani db tells us,
That when his oldest brother Moulana Zaki Kaifi ra (father of Moulana Mehmood Ashraf Usmnai db) learned to write Urdu, the first thing he was instructed by his father to write was a letter to Hakeeul Ummat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi quds sirrahu.
Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat ra replied encouraging him abundantly. He also instructed him that, ” now you should try to improve your hand writing with the intention that this will make it easier for people to read. See, that I am making you a Sufi you from this age.”
Correcting the intention and saving others from slightest discomfort are the essence of Tasawwuf.
Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said;
These days majority of people think that reciting lots of dhikr, litanies and tasbehat is tasawwuf.
This is totally incorrect.
Tasawwuf primarily deals with cleansing the soul (nafs) from impurities of bad moral traits, such as arrogance, envy, anger, etc. and adnorning it with good characteristics, such as love of Allah swt & His Messenger, patience, thankfulness, etc.
The dhikr, litanies and tasbehat usually prescribed by shuyuk are for facilitating the achievement of this goal. They are supplementary to the primary effort of reforming one’s character. They are like vitamins. But we know that vitamins alone without proper nutritious diet can never result in good health.
Therefore, keep it very clear upfront what tasawwuf is.
Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said;
A man approached my father Mufti Mohammad Shafi’i ra and asked a question;
‘Whats your opinion regarding Yazeed? Wasn’t he a fasiq (covert transgressor)?’
‘Brother! how can I answer your question’, replied the khalifa of Hakeemul ummat ra & Mufti-e-a’azam of Pakistan,’ I do not know about myself. If I am a fasiq or not? Then how can I judge Yazeed.’
ghair ki tujh ko keya par(t)i
apni nabayr(t) tu
Sidi wa sanadi Hazrat Moulana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said;
“Whenever one of us becomes increasingly religious his first priority becomes correcting other people. This similitude is that of a person with lethal cancer who is worried about some one else’s common cold. One who himself is severly afflicted (with muhlekat-e-nafs) never cares about other’s minor aliment. The problem is that we do not know our diseases as yet. Once we find out the deadly diagnosis all of these sermons for-others, hurting comments, slander and back-biting will disappear.”
For this diagnosis one has to approach the spiritual physicians/The Sheikh.