Unromantic spouse

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The spouses of the seekers on the path to Allah often bemoan about their unromantic partners. Especially, when it comes to verbalization of romantic sentiments.

However, a true seeker is always over cautious to fulfill the rights of their spouse and keeps them happy.

He/she may be tongue tied fearing to be untruthful in making bold claims.

Please, have mercy on him/her and remember:

(Picture: Richard Templar’s Rules of Love)

Be merciful!

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) was approached by two scholars who requested for permission to narrate the Prophetic sayings (sanad e hadith). Both were graduates of Nadwat ul Ulama, Lucknow. They had brought the canonical books of the blessed Prophetic sayings (Hadith) with them and wanted to recite the initial hadith from all of them and then get the permission.

Hadhrat sayyid wa sandi told them that it is better to start with hadith musalsal bil awaliya. He narrated it to them through his Shuyukh, particularly Shaikh Hasan Mashat al-Maliki, al-Makki and Shaikh Yaseen Fadani (Allah have mercy on them):

The Prophet (Allah bless and give him peace) said, “The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful, تبارك و تعالى. Be merciful to those on earth and the Lord of the Heavens will be merciful to you.”

Then they read the first hadith from each of the Hadith text. Sayyidi corrected their reading for any mispronunciations. When they read from Musnad e Ahmad he clarified that he has ijaza of it by permission and not via studying it with a Shaykh (darsan).

Afterwards they requested for some advice.

Sayyidi wa sanadi pointed out to them that traditionally the first lesson a student of Islamic sciences gets from his teacher is this Prophetic saying, musalsal bil awaliya.

Why is it like this?

The authors’ of the books of hadith have initiated their works by various different Prophetic sayings, as you read earlier in this session.

Imam Bukhari (Allah have mercy on him) considering the utmost importance of sincerity started with rectifying the ‘intention’: “The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his emigration was for what he emigrated for.

Imam Muslim (Allah have mercy on him) started with the basic believes: One day we were sitting in the company of Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) when there appeared before us a man dressed in pure white clothes, his hair extraordinarily black. There were no signs of travel on him. None amongst us recognized him. At last he sat with the Apostle (peace be upon him) He knelt before him placed his palms on his thighs and said: Muhammad, inform me about al-Islam. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: Al-Islam implies that you testify that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, and you establish prayer, pay Zakat, observe the fast of Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the (House) if you are solvent enough (to bear the expense of) the journey. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: It amazed us that he would put the question and then he would himself verify the truth. He (the inquirer) said: Inform me about Iman (faith). He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, in His angels, in His Books, in His Apostles, in the Day of Judgment, and you affirm your faith in the Divine Decree about good and evil. He (the inquirer) said: You have told the truth. He (the inquirer) again said: Inform me about al-Ihsan (performance of good deeds). He (the Holy Prophet) said: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, for though you don’t see Him, He, verily, sees you. He (the enquirer) again said: Inform me about the hour (of the Doom). He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: One who is asked knows no more than the one who is inquiring (about it). He (the inquirer) said: Tell me some of its indications. He (the Holy Prophet) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress and master, that you will find barefooted, destitute goat-herds vying with one another in the construction of magnificent buildings. He (the narrator, Umar ibn al-Khattab) said: Then he (the inquirer) went on his way but I stayed with him (the Holy Prophet) for a long while. He then, said to me: Umar, do you know who this inquirer was? I replied: Allah and His Apostle knows best. He (the Holy Prophet) remarked: He was Gabriel (the angel). He came to you in order to instruct you in matters of religion.

Whereas the authors of Sunan (Allah have mercy on them started with cleanliness and purity (tahara).

Imam Malik (Allah have mercy on him) thinking that the rulings of tahara will only be applied when the time of salah arrives started Muwatta with the timimgs of the prayers: Don’t you know that the angel Jibril came down and prayed and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed.’ Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then he prayed again, and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed. Then Jibril said, ‘This is what you have been ordered to do.

The reason to select this specific hadith is, most likely, to remind us that Allah’s attribute of mercy predominates and surpasses His attribute of wrath. The Holy Quran starts with ‘With the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Very-Merciful’[1:1]. Then comes,’Praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of all the worlds [1:2] the All-Merciful, the Very Merciful[1:3].

The message that is being conveyed here to the novice student of Deen is that the characteristic of mercy should predominate in your character. This should be the moto of your life. Be merciful to all the humans on the face of the Earth, including the Muslims and the Non-Muslims. However, the modes and manifestation of this mercy may differ for each of them.

We should be merciful even to Non-Muslims. This means that we should have a burning desire in our heart that Allah guides them to truth. And they receive salvation, enter Paradise and are saved from Hell-fire. We should invite them to Islam with love and compassion.

We restrict this mercy to Muslims alone. However, in reality it should be on Non-Muslims to.  The hatred is not for any Non-Muslim individual but for his devious beliefs (kufr & shirk). As person we should have compassion for him like we have for a person afflicted with a disease.

Hence, the reason why our pious predecessor teachers selected this hadith for the very first lesson was to sow the seed of mercy in an aspirants heart. To make him realize its importance so that he becomes a manifestation of this mercy for the whole mankind.  Following our Master the ‘Mercy to the universe’ (rehmatul-il-‘alameen) Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace) he brings the creation closer to Allah.

May Allah make us understand this fully and facilitate acting according to it. Amin!’

Qari Rafiq’s residence, Jeddah, al-Safa distt. 14th January 2012, after maghrib

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Main Entry:
mercy  [mur-see]
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: kindness, compassion
Synonyms: benevolence, benignancy, blessing, boon, charity, clemency, commiseration, favor, forbearance, forgiveness, generosity, gentleness, godsend, goodwill, grace, humanity, kindliness, lenience, leniency, lenity, lifesaver, luck, mildness, pity, quarter, relief, ruth, softheartedness, sympathy, tenderness, tolerance
Antonyms: cruelty, intolerance, meanness, uncompassion

Criteria for instructing others

Shaikh Shaddad bin Hakim (Allah have mercy on him) used to say:

“Whoever possesses the following three characteristics should instruct people; if not, then he should leave off teaching.

1. He reminds people of God’s favors in order that they give thanks for them;

2. He reminds them of their sins in order that they repent from them; and

3. He reminds them of their enemies (nafs & Shaytan) in order that they beware of them.”

Ikhlaq as-Saliheen, translation Tambih al Mughtarin of of Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him)

Show-off

Shaikh ‘Abdullah bin Mubarak (Allah have mercy on him) used to say:

“A man will be circumambulating the Holy Ka’ba while showing off before the people of Khurasan.”

It was asked: “How could that be?”

He replied: “He is pleased (by actively thinking) that the people back in Khurasan are saying, ‘So and so is in the blessed Makkah right now circumambulating the Holy Ka’ba or pacing between Safa and Marwa. Cheers to him!’ ”

Ikhlaq as-Saliheen, translation Tambih al Mughtarin of of Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him)

Seeking religious knowledge

Shaikh Sufyan bin Thawri (Allah have mercy on him) used to say:

“My mother advised me:

‘My son!

Only seek religious knowledge if you intend to implement it.

Otherwise, it will be a source of torment for you on the Day of Resurrection.’ ”

Ikhlaq as-Saliheen, translation Tambih al Mughtarin of of Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him)

Facebook

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An individual inquired that if it was still inappropriate to keep a face book account.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied,

‘Yes indeed one should not have an account on the facebook . It is against the Islamic honor to do so. The desecration they did for our master Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) was despicable.

However, I do not say that it is impermissible (na-jaiz/haram) to do so.

Some people tell me there is an account under my name also. I do not approve of it. I tell them to delete it if possible. I have no connection with it.’

Medinah e munawwarah, Al-Taiba Suites, 11th January 2011

Tackling eccentric opinions

Mention was made about the stream of publications written recently against the eccentric views of a contemporary scholar.

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

‘Indeed we live in a era where holding individualistic views are common. Anyone with an attentive audience feels free to do it. It is one of the signs of the end of time as mentioned in a Prophetic sayings.

فإذا رأيت دنيا مؤثرة وشحا مطاعا وإعجاب كل ذي رأي برأيه، فعليك نفسك

However, the tactics used to bring this to their attention and correct them should be with utmost wisdom, thorough knowledge and in a heartfelt manner. It should be in private. This is so that they are not humiliated and alienated.

Publishing these sorts of books is usually not useful. It will lead to the publication of a rebuttal and then another answer to it will be written. This process will be repeated multiple times without any benefit. Moreover, all this argumentation and infighting adds to the armamentarium of the enemies of Islam.

These issues were referred to us at Darul ifta in Darul Uloom, Karachi also many years ago. We wrote in detail about them and send it directly to the highest authorities in charge of the movement this scholar is associated with. All praise to Allah, it was received well by them and significant improvements were made according to our recommendations.’

Makkah Towers # 2, 3rd January 2012, after esha

9/11 in Quran?

Please, note that this is only a conjecture of an intelligent observer.

لاَ يَزَالُ بُنْيَانُهُمُ الَّذِي بَنَوْاْ رِيبَةً فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ إِلاَّ أَن تَقَطَّعَ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَاللّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ

The building they had built shall always remain a source of unrest in their hearts, unless their hearts are cut into pieces. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Ninth chapter (sura),

Eleventh section (juz),

Verse number 110

Allah knows best!

Makkah Tower #2, 3rd January 2012, Post esha

Get ready: Qiyamah is coming!

Sayyadi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) said,

‘A Yemeni Shaikh has written a book about the coming of Imam Mahdi, our master Esa (peace from Allah be upon them) and The Day of Judgment. Using the verses of the Holy Quran and the science of abjad (numerical values of the alphabets) he has come up with 2024 to be the year of these happenings. He requested me to write an introduction to this book.

I read the book with much interest and wrote a detailed introduction. In it I appreciated the marvel and excellence of Quranic sciences, the uniqueness of the scholar’s idea and his excellent application of the abstruse science of abjad.

However, at the same time I cautioned the readers about these sort of prophecies. Their reliability can not be guaranteed. They are at their best, guesstimates of an intelligent observer.  If people develop firm faith in them then two catastrophic things are possible. Firstly, they may postpone repentance from sins and commission of good actions till that date. Secondly, if this incident did not happen then they might loose faith or life like the Adventists’ ‘Great Disappointment’ of 1844.

In summary, we can enjoy a good read but in regards to coming of qiyamah the best thing  is to improve our condition. Repent from sins. Mend our ways and do good actions, both physical and spiritual.’

Makkah Towers#2, 3rd January 2012, after esha

Value time

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

‘These days most of us are preoccupied by the past events or future apprehensions. In doing so we neglect the present.’

An individual inquired,

‘In our era due to technological advances every day chores are done relatively quickly. Hence we have extra time available to us. This usually results in preoccupation with useless involvements including those you mention. How can we utilize time more effectively?’

Sayyidi wa sanadi replied,

‘I repeatedly tell the people the same and ask them what are they doing with the time they save by using these new technologies.

An individual has to develop the importance of value of time.

Once this importance is developed then it will be impossible for him to waste a single second. Moreover, Allah will give barakah in his time and he will be able to do more work effectively in the same amount of time.’

Makkah Towers, 3rd January 2012, After esha

Safeguard from disaster

Mention was made of a pious Shaikh who had become independent paying absolute regards to his personal opinions (zauq/dhauq)* and looking down on others who dared to differ.

An individual inquired,

‘I feel extremely anxious about this incident. It seems very dangerous. How can a person who had several years of islahi relationship fall like this? What can I do to safeguard myself from such disaster?’

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied,

‘It is good to be afraid. Anticipation of such calamity makes you more careful.

Never ever consider yourself to be anything.

Giving absolute preference to these personal (zauqi/dhauqi) opinions is sign of arrogance. Stay away from it.

Always consider yourself to be insignificant and remain under the close supervision of a pious Elder (Shaikh).

I heard multiple times from my respected father (Mufti Mohammad Shafi’, Allah have mercy on him) an individual who becomes independent (bi-dhzat) actually becomes absolutely corrupt (bad-dhzat).

Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) used to say that one should always keep himself under the supervision of senior pious Shaikh. However, when they are no more such individuals available than he should seek mentor-ship from the contemporary pious and eventually when they also cease to exist then one should not be ashamed to seek council from those who appear to be junior to himself. For only Allah knows in reality who is a senior or a junior (in level of proximity, piety, etc) .’

Walking towards Makkah Tower #2 from Bab Abdul Aziz, 3rd January 2012 after esha.

*Those issue which are controversial between the pious scholars. Some scholars consider them permissible whereas others advice to stay away from them.

Munasbet

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A wife complained regarding her husband’s strictness in implementing Shariah at home. This individual has a very close islahi relationship with another contemporary Shaikh.

Sayyid wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) replied that it will be grossly incorrect for him to interfere in this matter. He also elaborated that it has to be acknowledged that there is the issue of congeniality (munasbet).

(Some individuals have  it with a Shaikh who appears to be extremely strict, blunt and cantankerous to others. Yet some people have no problem with him and benefit from him spiritually.)

It is inappropriate to chastise him for something (permissible) his Shaikh recommends.’

Makkah e muramah, 6th Safar 1433/1st Jan 2012

Nawab Eshrat Ali Khan Qaiserرحمۃ اللہ علیہ

مری زیست کا حال کیا پوچھتے ہو

نہ پیری نہ طفلی نہ اس میں جوانی

جو کچھ ساعبیں یاد دلبر میں گذریں

وہی ہیں وہی کل مری ذندگانی

Born Rajab 1338 Aligarh, India

Died Safar 1433 Karachi, Pakistan

Son of Nawab Mohammad Masood Ali Khan.

Grand father Nawab Liaqat Hussain Khan was murid of Shaikh ‏Mawlana Rasheed Ahmad Gangohi and grand mother was muridah of Shaikh al-Masahaikh Haji Imdadullah sahib mohajir Makki (Allah have mercy on all of them).

He made bayah to Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him).

He had permission to take bayah from seekers by Shaikh Mawlana Faqir Mohammad and Shaikh Mawlana Masihullah Khan (Allah have mercy on them).

Source: Halaat e Eshrat wa Maktubaat e Masihul Ummat ra