Vol. 1 1st Shawwalul-ul-Mukarram 
1416 February,1996 No. 1
VIRTUES OF THE MONTH 
Shawwaal Mukarram
Hadrat Anas 
has narrated that the Rasoolallah 
said: Any one who in the month of Shawwal either during the day or during the night offers 8 Raka’ah of Salah and in each Raka’ah recites Surah Alfatihah once and Surah Ikhlas 15 times, and after finishing the Salah says Subhanallah 70 times and offers Salatunnabi {Durood Shareef} 70 times; I take a oath by the One who sent me with the true Deen, that there is no person who offers this Salah , for whom Allahswt does not open fountains of wisdom in his heart and makes his tongue speak through this {wisdom} and shows him the diseases of the world and it’s cure. I take a oath by Him who sent me with the True Deen that the one who offers the Salah as I have shown does not raise his head from the last Sajdah {prostration} that Allahswt does not forgive him and if he does a Sajdah. He does forgive him and if he dies a Shaheed, he dies forgiven and there is no slave who offers this Salah during his journey that who’s coming and going is not made easy till he ends his journey, and any who is needy that his needs are not fulfilled. I take a oath by the One who sent me with the true Deen that any one who offers this Salah, for every letter of his, Allahswtgives him a Makhrafah in Paradise when asked what is Makhrafah the Rasoolallah said: It is a garden in Paradise and if any rider on horseback were to be out for sight seeing will not cover a tree even if he rode for 100 years.{Ghuniyatuttalibeen – Tarteeb Shareef Pg. 846 & 847}
It is narrated in a Hadith that anyone who offers 4 Raka’h Salah either on the night of the 1st of Shawwal or on the day of Eid, in his home and in every Raka’h after Surah Al Fatihah recited Surah Ikhlas 21 times , Allahswt will open all the 8 doors of Paradise and will close all the 7 doors of Hellfire, and this person will not die till he sees his home in Paradise. {Resalah Fadail Asshuhoor}
The Rasoolallah said: The one who offers the fast of Ramadan and then 6 voluntary fasts of Shawwal, will be regard as though he had fasted perpetually. {Muslim, Abu Da’ud}
He also said: The one who observes the fast of Ramadan and then 6 voluntary fasts of Shawwal, will be regarded as though he has fasted perpetually. {Muslim – Abu Da’ud}
He also said: The one who fasts the month of Ramadan and then 6 days of Shawwal, is so purified of sins, as if he was born just today. {Muslim, Abu Da’ud}
These fasts may be observed continuously soon after Eid, or on other days of Shawwal, according to ones choice & Convenience; but, preferably, one may start fasting from the second of Shawwal.
Surah 3, Aayah 102 to 109
Translation
102 – ” Oh you who believe, be in the Awe of Allahswt as He should be held in awe and die not except in the state of Islam.”
103 – “And hold fast, altogether, by the Rope which Allahswt stretches out for you and be not divided among your selves; and remember with favor Allahswt’s favor on you; for you were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace you became brothers and you were on the brink of the Pit of Fire and He saved you from it. Thus Allahswt makes His Signs clear to you that you may be guided.”
104 – ” Let there arise from among you a group of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong; they are the ones to attain felicity.”
105 – ” Be not like those who are divided amongst themselves and fall into dissension after having received clear guidance; for them is a dreadful penalty.”
106 – ” On the Day when some faces will be {lit up with noor} white and some faces will be black {It will be said}. Did you reject Faith after accepting it? Taste then the penalty for rejecting Faith.”
107 ” But those whose faces will be {lit with noor} white, they will be in the {the light of} Allahswt’s mercy: therein to dwell {for ever}.”
109 ” To Allahswt belongs all that is in the heavens and on earth: to Him do all questions go back {for decisions}.”
VIRTUES and Blessings of Unity are many and obvious. As a mater of fact Unity is a blessing through and through. This subject is of so much importance to Muslims all over the world that Inshaallah, we shall be writing about it in many subsequent issues, continuously. Inshaallah we shall explore the virtues and blessings of unity, the curse of disunity, causes of disunity which assails the Muslim Ummah today and what we need to do to recapture the blessings that await us when we do unite.
The verses quoted above are so moving and beautiful, full of wisdom and of course meaningfully interconnected; they will form the bases of our writings Inshaallah.
To the serious reader, we would like to suggest to file each issue carefully for ease of back reference. In this issue we would like to produce a few quotes on this subject, from Hadrat Shaikh Hadrat Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat Ali Qaddas Allahu Sirruhul ‘Azeez, the founder of Daar-Ul-Ehsaan and undoubtedly one of the wisest of all Sages of the world today (should it read differently since Baba-Ji Sarkaar is behind the curtain). Devoted as he was to Islamic Righteousness and the Shunning of evil throughout his life, according to many scholars who have followed his life and books {over 400 published so far}, he is truly the embodiment of the heart and soul of the Deen of Islam and all Muslims should strive to emulate him as he is one who comes so close to fulfilling the Sunnah of our Beloved Prophet . He writes in his book Manifestations of The Stages of Excellence The Words of Wisdom Volume 4:
No. 3583: Unity is an existing reality. It won in every arena it entered. Never lost in any battlefield. Whichever nation unites at one focal point always prevails. Power follows Unity. Unity is the helper and this helper is always victorious. Unity is neither concerned with numbers nor has any fear. Unite and see for yourself the Graces of Unity.
No.3584: It is from the unity of cotton yarn that a bed cover is made.
No.3585: It’s from the Unity of cotton and woollen yarn that all garments of the world are made.
No.3586: The Meaning of Unity of Muslims
The whole Ummah of the sacred, the perfect, the blessed, the beautiful, the sanctified, the Taa-Haa, the Yaseen, the Muzzammil, the Muddaththir Muhammad The Messenger of Allah , unite. After uniting, prevail over the whole world.
And this call for Muslim Unity will always reverberate, can never be suppressed and can never be annihilated nor will it change it’s course till the Day of Judgment. {To be continued}
VIRTUES of SALATUL AWWABEEN: 6 or 20 NAFL RAKA’AH
Hadrat Ayeshah 
narrated that the Rasoolallah said: For the person who offers 20 Raka’ah nafl after the Maghrib Salat Allah Ta’ala will make a house for him in Paradise. {Tirmidhi, Mishkat, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 169}
Hadrat Abu Hurairah narrated that the Rasoolallah said: The person who offers 6 Raka’ah Nafl after the Maghrib Salah, and does not speak evil in between receives rewards equal to 12 years of worship. {Tirmidhi, Mishkat, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 169}
VIRTUES of RECITING THE HOLY QURAN
Hadrat Abu Saeed narrated that the Rasoolallah said: That Allah Subbanahu Wa Ta’ala Says: When {recitation of} the Holy Quran makes a person forget his duas and Dhikr of Allah, I give him better and more rewards than the one who does ask from Me and that the greatness of speech of Allah {the Holy Quran} over other speeches is as My greatness is over My creation. {Tirmidhi, Daoimi, Baihaqi, Mishkat, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 179}
Hadrat Ayeshah Siddeeqah narrated that the Rasoolallah said: Recitation of the Holy Quran done during Salat is better than the Recitation of the Holy Quran not done {done outside of} during the Salat, and recitation of the Holy Quran without the Salat is better than Tasbeeh & Takbeer, and Tasbeeh & Takbeer is better than Sadaqah / alms giving, and Sadaqah is better than fasting, and fasting is a shield against Hellfire. { Baihaqi, Mishkat Shareef,Tarteeb Shareef pg.179}
Ibne Mas’ood narrated that the Rasoolallah said: for (previously it was ‘from’)every letter that a person recites from The Book of Allah, he will receive one good deed and each good deed is equal to 10 good deeds. I do not say that is one letter on the other hand Alif is one letter Lam is one letter and Meem is one letter. {Tirmidhi, Daoimi, Mishkat, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 179}
Hadrat Mughairah Bin Juddi narrates that Hadrat Ibn Umar has said that the person who (previously it was ‘that’)recites 10 Ayahs in the night will not be included among the neglectful and the person who recites 100 Ayahs will be included among the Aabidoon {devout worshippers}, and the person who recites 200 Ayahs will be included among those whose desires of the Aakhirah will be fulfilled. {Darimi Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 179} Recommended Surahs as recited by Rasoolallah , before sleeping in the night will Inshaallah be included in our next issue.
“Tell them O’ Muhammad that if you love Allah then follow my
footsteps {follow my Sunnah}, Allah Subhanna Wa Ta’la will love you and He will forgive all your sins. Indeed He is Most Forgiving and Merciful.”
Indeed following the Sunnah of the Rasoolallah is following the Siratal Mustaqeem. Indeed the very purpose of The Coming of The Rasoolallah was to show his followers how to put the Guidance of the Holy Quran into practice in their lives. This is also why Allah Subhanna Wa Ta’la described His beloved messenger Muhammad in The Quran as Uswatul Husnah {the perfect model} for his followers, and indeed the word “Ummah” which means followers, is in itself self explanatory. How can we be his Ummah without following him?
When Allah Subhanna Wa Ta’la has mentioned in the Holy Quran that He did not create humans and Jinns but for His Worship, it is obvious that worship does not just include rituals of Salat, Fasting, Zakah and Hajj. Since the entire purpose of our creation is to worship our Creator, our entire life is therefore to be spent in His Worship. Indeed this larger worship would include all the hours of the day, every day of the month and every day of the year. If the word worship only meant the compulsory rituals, (removed ‘The’) Rasoolallah would have finished his mission in just one year. Therefore every aspect of the life of our beloved Prophet Muhammad which is his Sunnah can truly reflect the larger and wider meaning of the word worship.
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad therefore commanded his holy companions; males, females, and his holy wives, very early in his mission to write down and note every action performed by him and everything said by him very carefully and then convey it to those not present. Therefore it is from the collection of the Ahadith {Hadith singular} that we get a clear picture of his practices, which form the sum total of the worship of Allah Subhanna Wa Ta’la, as revealed in the Holy Quran. To complete the picture, we need to follow and obey our Beloved Prophet Muhammad to learn how to worship our Lord and Creator; We need to look and follow the Sahabah {companions, May Allahswt be pleased with them all} to learn how closely they obeyed and followed the Rasoolallah in every action of his, from the simplest and common place to the performance of all the compulsory rituals of worship.
This section therefore will be devoted to the blessings and virtues of Sunnah.
VIRTUES OF ISLAMIC GREETINGS
Holy Quran chapter 24 verse 27: “O you who believe apart from your homes do not enter places of abode till you have obtained permission and not said Salam to those who live in them.”
Allah Subhana Wa Ta’la Himself has commanded us to greet believers with Salam {peace}.
Hadrat Abu Hurairah narrates that the Rasoolallah said: When Allah Subhanna Wa Ta’la created Adam 
, He ordered him to go and greet the group of angels with Salam and pay attention to how they respond, because this will be your Salam and the Salam of your children. Adam greeted the angels saying “Assalaamu ‘Alaikum” to which they responded by saying “Assalaamu “Alaika Wa Rahmatullah” and they added “Wa Rahmatullah.” {Bukhari and Muslim}
It’s evident from the above what our greeting should be and the one who responds should add something better in reply.
{To be continued Inshaallah}
VIRTUES of EVERY DAY DUAS {Supplication}
When the Muazzin {the one who calls out the Adhan, call to prayer} calls the Adhan:
Hadrat Jaabir Bin Abdullah narrated whoever makes the following Dua after hearing The Adhan:
Translation: ”O Allah the Lord of this perfect call {Adhan} and our Lord of this perpetually established Salah, please make Muhammad our means {to Your closeness} and bestow upon him greatness and appoint him upon the Station of Mahmood {Intercession} that You have promised, the Rasoolallah said: My Intercession for him becomes waajib. {Tirmidhi Shareef, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 112.}
Dua During Wudu {abulition}
Hadrat Abu Musa Ash’ari said that I brought water for the Rasoolallah . He started doing wudu and he was saying the following during the wudu:
Translation: ”O Allah please forgive my sins, expand my abode and bless my provisions”.
I then asked him were you reciting this Dua? The Rasoolallah said: Did I leave anything {of the world and Aakhirah} out? {Meaning I asked for everything}.
Dua After Wudu:
The Rasoolallah said: And when you finish your wudu, raise your eyes towards the sky and recite this Dua: 
Translation: I bear witness That There is no god but Allah, The One and Only who has no partners in His Divinity, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger. O Allah please include me among the repentant ones and the ones who live a clean and pure life”.
The above Dua is based on the narration of Hadrat ‘Umar that the Rasoolallah said: When you finish your wudu, raise your eyes towards the heavens {Abu Daud, Nisai, Hasan, Husain, Tarteeb Shareef pg. 469.}
Hadrat ‘Umar also narrated that the one who completes his wudu and recites the above Kalimah Shahadah all 8 doors of paradise are opened for him, he may enter through any door he pleases {Muslim, Abu Daud, Nisai, Ibne Maja, Hasan Hussein}.
In some narrations, the dua has been mentioned after The Kalimah Shahadah {Tirmidhi, Hasan Hussein}
Entering The Masjid:
Hadrat Abu Hameed and Hadrat Abu Saeed narrated that the Rasoolallah said: When anyone of you enters the masjid he should do Salatul Nabi {Durood} and then say: 
Translation: ”O Allah please open the doors of your Mercy and Grace for me.”
Leaving The Masjid: 
Translation: O Allah I seek from You Your Goodness.”
Translation: ”O Allah please forgive my sins and open the doors of Your Goodness for me.
Other Duas will be continued in the next issue Inshaallah.
VIRTUES of BASIC KNOWLEDGE of FIQH & SHARI’AH
One of the important causes of the deterioration of Muslims is the lack of knowledge of even the simple and basic laws of Islam. Even those who have read books of collections of Ahaadith and have studied the Quran extensively are ignorant of many fundamental Aqaid {canons} of Islam. In this section our intention is to aquatint our readers with the basic Islamic Laws because the correctness of our deeds does depend upon knowledge and understanding of these laws.
The term FIQH means knowledge of all the Islamic Laws {Shari’ah}. It also means the Knowledge of the sources from where the Islamic Laws {Shari’ah} have been extracted.
The term SHARI’AH means all of the Islamic Laws. For a practicing Muslim
it is also necessary to understand that there are 4 basic sources that the Shari’ah is derived from. {1} The Holy Quran {2} Sunnah {3} Ij’ma {consensus} of the Companions {Sahabah} may Allahswt be pleased with them all. {4} Qiyas {Analogical deduction}. These laws are not just laws limited to areas covering marriage or divorce; rather, the Islamic laws cover every action performed by an individual or a society. The term is also a synonym for Fiqh. For readers who wish to enhance their understanding more deeply. we recommend perusal of the book “Studies in Usul Ul FIQH” by Brother Iyad Hilal, published by Islamic Cultural Workshop. PO Box 1932 Walnut, CA 91789 telephone {909} 399-4708. We have quoted & shall quote from this excellent book in future issues Inshaallah. In this particular issue we shall deal with a disturbing trend among Muslims in considering the 4 Madhahib { Maaliki, Hanifi, Shafai, Hambali} as a source of disunity among Muslims. They are claiming that Taqleed {following a Mujtahid’s Ijtehad without comprehending the Daleel} is not necessary; {by not following the 4 Madhahib} claims are made, we shall recapture Muslim Unity. Our duty is to present to our readers matters & Dalail {evidence} according to the Shari’ah and leave you to decide merits & demerits of this new movement. In order to first understand and follow this very important issue we need to understand the meaning of the word “Ijtehad” & “Mujtahed”.
{Please look for continuation of this subject in our next issue, Inshaallah}
Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE
 |
| Transliteration: Allaahumma Salli ‘alaa Sayyidinaa Muhammadiun Wa Aalihee Wa’itratihee be ‘Adadi Kulli Ma’ loomillaka Astaghfirullaa Halladhi La ilaahaa illaa huwal Hayyul Qayyoomu Wa Atoobu ilaih. Yaa Hayyu Yaa Qayyoom. Translation: Dear Allah, bestow Your Choicest Blessings upon our Master Muhammad and upon his extended family and his progeny according to the number of all things known to You. I seek the forgiveness of the One but for whom there is no God, The Truly and Perfectly Alive and The Self Sustained and I turn to Him with repentance. O The Truly and Perfectly Alive O The Self Sustained |
| This is the Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE , and the inherited Durood Shareef of the Honorable chain of Quadariyyah; Mujaddidiyyah; Ghafooriyyah; Raheemiyyah; Kareemiyyah and Ameeriyyah. |
| It is highly recommended that those who seek the love and closeness to the Beloved of Allaahswt, Hadrat Muhammad make it mandatory upon themselves to recite this Durood Shareef according to their capacity and the time they have available. For instance at least 11 times after each Salaat. It should be recited more frequently after Ishaa, Tahajjud and Fajr. 100,300,500 times or even more. Remember though, once the frequency is fixed, be steadfast upon it! |