Recent Blog Entries

May

2011

Do You Wish to Reach the Rank of Ihsaan?

posted by ummi taalib on 19th May 2011 - 0 comments

Mawlana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi رحمة الله عليه, a great a scholar of the Indian subcontinent who died in 1905, wrote an article in which he listed the attributes and characteristics that are manifested in those who reach the rank of ihsaan. We should work towards these attributes which are: 1. To adopt humbleness and regard oneself as inferior. 2. To show kindness to creation and to tolerate inconvenience and hurt from the rest of creation. 3. To conduct oneself with mercy and compassion and to abandon anger and rage. 4. To be sympathetic and to give priority to the rights of Allahs creation above ones own. 5. To be generous. 6. To overlook the wrongs of others and to forgive and forget. 7. To always have a pleasant face. 8. Softness in ones character.

May

2011

Claiming Divinity and Prophethood

posted by ummi taalib on 13th May 2011 - 0 comments

One mureed, after having spent many years in the company of Shaykh Abdul Qader Jailani (Rahmatullaahi alayhi), requested some parting advice, before taking leave from his Shaykh. Shaykh Abdul Qader Jailani (Rahmatullaahi alayhi) told him : Do not claim Divinity and do not claim Nabuwwat (Prophethood). The mureed asked : Does Hazrat think that after all these years in Hazrats company, I will make such a claim ? Shaykh Abdul Qader Jailani explained to his mureed, Do not claim to be Allah. means that do not wish that everything happens according to your will and desire. If you do so, then you are claiming to be Allah; whereas whatever Allah Taala wills, will happen, for it is HE who makes the final decisions in all matters. As far as we, human beings, are concerned, if we feel that our whims and fancies have to be fulfilled as is, then we are claiming to be Allah. Do not claim Nabuwwat. means that no matter how much of piety and Taqwa you acquire with Islaah and Tazkia, dont make the claim that you are sinless and never in the wrong. This is the sifat (attribute) of the Ambiyaa (Alayhimus Salaam), for they are masoom (sinless) and mahfooz (protected from sin). Therefore, no matter how much of time you have spent in the suhbat (company) and khidmat (service) of your Shaykh and no matter what high rank you attain to, do not think that you are like the Rasul of Allah and that no slip can occur in your life. Do not claim that you will never err because of the years spent with your Sheikh and because of the Wilayat conferred upon you. Being human beings we are prone to slip.

Apr

2011

Allah Resides In Broken Hearts

posted by ummi taalib on 24th April 2011 - 0 comments

Dr. Hadhrat Muhammad Abdul Hayy Sahib (Rahmatullah Alayh), used to recite a couplet of poetry. He used to say that when Almighty Allah breaks the heart of any of His servants He desires to lift him to greater heights.

These shocks, anxieties and sorrows which come to men are forced exertions in the path of Deen (faith) by which men progress by leaps and bounds to higher degrees and this is not possible in normal circumstances. He frequently recited this couplet:

The potter threw down the pot to break it saying that after breaking it he would re-shape it (in a better form).

Thus, when this heart is broken, it becomes the receptacle of Allahs mercies and divine reflections

AT-TAZKIRAH

Mar

2011

DECORATE YOUR ACTIONS

posted by ummi taalib on 26th March 2011 - 0 comments

We tend to act upon only those actions i.e. the Faraaid, which if left out, has the fear of punishment attached. This type of connection is that of fear and not of love.

Allah Taala has rights upon us which are related to His Majesty (Haqq-e-Azmat) and which create fear within us, and those which are related to His Love (Haqq-e-Muhabbat). We should decorate the Faraaid (compulsory actions) with Mustahabbaat (desirable actions) and even Aadaad (etiquettes). The value of the actions will increase in the eyes of Allah Taala just as the value of a house with bare walls and floorboards will increase if decorated with wallpaper, carpets, lighting etc.

From the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah)

Mar

2011

Different Paths to Allah

posted by ummi taalib on 5th March 2011 - 0 comments

Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah) uses the example of a car to explain how we should respect each one of the various fields of Deeni work.

The car is made up of various parts like the steering wheel, tyres, brakes, etc. Now when a driver starts driving the car and the steering wheel thinks, what need is there for the four dirty wheels when it is I who am in the hands of the driver? In reality the car will not even move without the wheels and actually each part compliments the other and necessary for the car to run smoothly.

Similar is the case where the various forms of deeni work compliment each other. Some are busy with Tableegh and Dawah work while others are busy with teaching. Some are responsible for masaajid while others are working in other fields, each one complementing the other.

No one knows who is accepted in the court of Allah subhaanhu wataala. One should not look down on anyone who is not working in the same line of Deeni work. One should continue his own work with sincerity and have the utmost respect for all the different groups of people working for the Deen.

I once heard Shaykh say that these are all different paths leading to Allah subhaanahu wata'lala. One will insha Allah reach one's destination whichever path one chooses.

Jan

2011

ADVICE OF ABDUL QADER JAILANI

posted by ummi taalib on 29th January 2011 - 0 comments

One mureed, after having spent many years in the company of Sheikh Abdul Qader Jailani (Rahmatullah alaih), requested some parting advice, before taking leave from his Sheikh. Sheikh Abdul Qader Jailani (Rahmatullah alaih) told him : Do not claim Divinity and do not claim Nabuwwat (Prophethood).

The mureed asked : Does Hazrat think that after all these years in Hazrats company, I will make such a claim ?

Sheikh Abdul Qader Jailani (Rahmatullah alaih) explained to his mureed that, Do
not claim to be Allah. means that do not wish that everything happens according to your will and desire. If you do so, then you are claiming to be Allah; whereas whatever Allah Taala wills, will happen, for it is HE who makes the final decisions in all matters. As far as we, human beings, are concerned, if we feel that our whims and fancies have to be fulfilled as is, then we are claiming to be Allah.

Do not claim Nabuwwat. means that no matter how much of piety and Taqwa you acquire with Islaah and Tazkia, dont make the claim that you are sinless and never in the wrong. This is the sifat (attribute) of the Ambiyaa (Alaihimus Salaam), for they are masoom (sinless) and mahfooz (protected from sin). Therefore, no matter how much of time you have spent in the suhbat (company) and khidmat (service) of your Sheikh and no matter what high rank you attain to, do not think that you are like the Rasul of Allah and that no slip can occur in your life. Do not claim that you will never err because of the years spent with your Sheikh and because of the Wilayat conferred upon you. Being human beings we are prone to slip.

From "Tafweez" by Shaykh Yunus Patel

Jan

2011

Why Should I Worship You O Nafs!

posted by ummi taalib on 29th January 2011 - 0 comments

A FAMOUS ANECDOTE Once, in Delhi, a Wali of Allah was heard saying : You are not my ALLAH and I am not your servant. So why should I listen to you; why should I obey you ? Those who heard these statements regarded them as statements of Kufr. However, one sensible person asked the saint : What do you mean ?.

Jan

2011

Eight Lessons

posted by ummi taalib on 15th January 2011 - 0 comments

Reflect upon the story of Hatim the deaf who was the companion of Shaqiq al-Balkhi (may the mercy of Allah be upon them both). One day Shaqiq enquired of Hatim: For 30 years you have been my companion. What, pray, have you gained from it? Hatim replied: I have gained eight benefits with which I am contented and from which I expect my salvation and my deliverance. And what are they? Shaqiq asked. Said Hatim: THE FIRST is that I looked at creation and noticed that to everyone there belongs a beloved. And a part of that which is beloved to him accompanies him to his death sickness, while another part accompanies him only to the edge of his grave. But none (of the above) enters with him. So I reflected and said to myself: The most beloved is the companion accompanying one into the grave! I found this companion to be none other than Righteous Deeds. So I embraced her as my beloved to be a shining light and an intimate friend never to abandon me when I would be most alone. THE SECOND is that I looked at man and found him guided by his whims and fancies, forever hastening to the fulfilment of his lower desires. So I meditated upon the verse: But as for him who feared to stand before his Lord and restrain his soul from lower desires; his abode will be the Garden.. and came to know, with the knowledge of certainty, that the Quran was indeed the Truth. Then swiftly I moved to free myself from its vain desires until they rested, contented, in obedience to Allah, the High, the Exalted and finally consented to His Will. THE THIRD is that I noticed every single person greedily striving to gain for himself the vanities of the world. Then I reflected upon the verse: What is with you must vanish and what is with Allah must endure. So I spent my lifes earnings in the way of Allah and divided them amongst the poor to be as a treasure for me in the care of Allah. THE FOURTH is that I saw a number of people who thought that their honour and strength resided in the sheer abundance of their clan and kinsfolk. Others claimed and boasted that it was contained in the amount of their wealth and children. Others reckoned that it was to be found in the extortion of wealth, oppression of others, and the shedding of their blood. Yet another group believed that strength and honour was to be found in extravagance in the wasting and squandering of money. Then I thought about the words of Allah: Verily, the most honoured of you (is he who) is the most righteous of you. I then chose righteousness for myself for I had come to know with firmness of belief that the Quran was indeed the truth and that their opinions and assumptions were false and ephemeral.

Dec

2010

His Generosity

posted by ummi taalib on 31st December 2010 - 0 comments

I found the following words quite beautiful...(from THE GULISTAN OF SA'DI) There is a tradition of the prince of created beings, the paragon of existing things, the mercy to the inhabitants of the world, the purest of mankind and the completion of the revolving ages, Muhammad the elect, upon whom be blessing and peace: [i]Intercessor, obeyed, prophet, gracious, Bountiful, majestic, affable, marked with the seal of God. What danger is there to the wall of the faithful with thee for a buttress?

Dec

2010

The Haqq

posted by ummi taalib on 28th December 2010 - 0 comments

from the teachings of Shaykh Muhammad Saleem Dhorat (hafizahullah) SEARCHING FOR THE TRUTH Haqq ko jo talaash kartaa hein, Allah ta'ala use haqq tak pohchaa detaa hein One who searches for the truth, Allah ta'ala will lead him to it. Today Shaytaan has made us believe that no-one remains who is on the Haqq. Do we not have the example of Salmaan Faarsi who travelled in search of the truth from one person to the other, till finally he arrived in Madinah Munawwarah? We need to be more open-minded and make more effort to learn and understand the truth and to accept and speak out the truth with a sincere intention and the correct method.

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