Volume 3 No.6

The Account of Yaum ul Qiyaamah (The Day of Judgment) . . . Continued

‘Aqeedah: Siraat is Haq ; this is a Bridge which will be established at the rear of the Hell. It is thinner than hair and sharper than a sword. Crossing it will be the only way toJannah. The beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad will be the first to cross it and then the Prophets and Messengers of Allaah , may His peace be upon them all, then this Ummah and then all the other Ummahs. According to their differences (with the Truth) people will cross it in different ways; some with the speed of lightening, some like the brisk wind, some like a fast horse, some like a fast human runner, some will drag on their buttocks and some will crawl like ants. On both the sides of the bridge will be hanging huge hooks which will entangle whoever they are ordered to do so. Some will be allowed to escape wounded and some will be thrown in the Hell Fire. All humanity will be busy crossing the Bridge but the sinless pleader for the sinful, the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammadwill be standing at the edge of the Bridge, tearful with the concern for the sinners of his Ummah, and making the Du’aa: “Rabbi Sallim Sallim” (O Lord save these sinners). This will not be the only place he will be at. He will be at the Meezaan (The Balance), pleading for mercy when the Balance shows heavier sins. He will be at the Pond of Kauthar offering drink to the thirsty. Then back again at the Bridge saving those who are slipping and falling. In brief, he will be where people will be crying out for him and pleading for help, which will be everywhere. Who else can they cry out for, as every one except him will be out of his mind with worry for himself and he will be the only one without concern for himself and the burden of the entire humanity will be upon his shoulders!

Truly, the Day of Judgment will be equal to 50,000 years of this world, whose miseries and suffering are beyond description; yet for the special slaves of the Owner of that Day, these will be lightened so that it would be made to appear to them that the time they spent on this Day was as much as they used to spend in their Fard Salaat! and even less; as for some that Terrible Day would last a twinkling of their eyes: “Wa maa amrus saa’ati illaa kalamhil basri au huwa aqrabu”. Translation: The matter of Qiyaamah is not but the batting of the eye lashes, indeed even less.

My soul mates, dearest jewels of my eyes, would we not want to give up whatever it is of this illusive world to be among those very very fortunate and special slaves of the Lord of that Day, described above? In other words, is there anything from among the tinsels of this world in the pursuit of which we would want to give up being among those select slaves? A billion dollars? A trillion dollars? The riches of the entire world? Think, my beloved members of this great Ummah; let us think together; let us today, all of us, make the decision, and with a rock like determination work towards the goal of all goals: become those special slaves of Allaah to whom the Terrible Day would appear like the twinkling of their eyes. Remember what we give up is only our attachments to things of this temporal world, which we cannot take with us in any case when we leave it! We inDaar-ul-Ehsaan are already committed to the advice of Hadrat ‘Alee, KarramAllaahu Wajh: “The world is going backwards and the Hereafter is coming forward; and each of the two has its own children; you should be the children of the Hereafter and not of this world”. A word of caution though. There is nothing out there in the world in reality, out of love and attachment for which we would want to give up such closeness to our most Merciful and Loving Lord, that He would make the 50,000 years long Terrible Day of Judgment appear to last only a twinkling of an eye! Make a good note my beloved children, that the disease which makes worthless tinsels of this world look attractive to us, lies within us, in our hearts. These very hearts were designed by the One Who loves us more than 100 mothers, to be His Dwelling and Abode, a Ka’bah in our own breasts. You must have read the Hadeeth Qudsee to the effect: “I am the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and they cannot accommodate Me; however, I can be accommodated in the hearts of My slaves”. Only a diseased and a perverted heart would prefer love and attachments of the tinsels of this world to fill it, rather than for Allaah to dwell in it. Beloved lights of my heart, please also consider the Hadeeth narrated by Hadrat Jaabir that the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad once passed by the carcass of a young goat with its ears cut off, lying by the road side. He inquired from those who were with him at that time, “will any one buy this corpse of the goat for a dirham?” They replied: “We will not buy it for any price”. The holy Prophet there upon said: ” I swear in the name of Allaah that in His sight this world is as hateful and worthless as the dead goat is in your eyes”. Muslim

Ask yourself the question: Is not everything stated by our most Exalted Lord and His most beloved Messenger, Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad always Haq (the Truth)? Could there be any doubts in our minds at all that indeed in reality, the world and what it contains is as worthless as a dead and rotting baby goat, because the One Who created it says so? Then we should ask ourselves: Why on earth do we not treat it as such? Why do we find this world so attractive and are attached to it and its worthless contents and get so distracted in the pursuit to possess them, that we merrily forget the very purpose of our being here and risk not making it to our Real Home in Paradise which is everlasting and contains a million times more peace and objects of unlimited comforts and bliss? Let us look at two more gems: Hadrat Aboo Hurairah narrated that the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad said: “Beware! The curse of Allaah is on this world and all that it contains, and it is doomed to perdition, save the Dzikr of Allaah and the things that bear an association with Him, and save the teacher and the pupil “. Tirmidzee and Ibn Maajah.

Hadrat Anas narrated that the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad asked one day: “Is there anyone who walks on water and his feet do not get wet?” He was told: “Our Master, it cannot be so”. The holy Prophet remarked: “In the same way, the worldly minded cannot remain free from sin”. Bukhaaree.

In His Quraan ul Majeed, our most Merciful Lord has reminded us about the trap of the world and warned us many a times about the consequences of falling into the fatal trap. The Aayahs are many; so I will quote a few and then provide you with references of the others, if you wish to check some more:

Soorah29,Aayah 64: What is the life of this world but amusement and play? But verily the Home in the Hereafter, that is life indeed, if they but knew.

Soorah11, Aayah 15 Those who desire the life of the Present and its glitter, to them We shall pay (the price of) their deeds therein without diminution. 16:They are those for whom there is nothing in the Hereafter but the Fire: vain are the designs they frame therein and of no effect are the deeds that they do!

My dearest soul mates, some more references are: S18, A45-46. S3, A14. S3, A117. S2, A86. S87, A16-17. S33, A28-29. S6, A32. S7, A51. S9, A38. S10, A23-24. S13, A26. S30, A7. S40, A39. S45, A35. S53, A29.

My beloved lights of my eyes, I have only quoted a few, and not all the relevant Aayahs of the Quraan ul Kareem. Is not the list formidable? Hasn’t Allaah done enough by this powerful reinforcement, to bring the point home to us? Would you not agree with me that we must get rid of the cause of this fatal illusion, which our most Merciful Lord has called Nafs ul Ammaaraa (the ego) and the Amraad ul Qalb (diseases of the spiritual heart) at all cost, because this disease is what causes the deception; makes us feel an attraction for this world and its possessions when in actuality as our Lord and Master has informed us, it has none. I am sure my beloved soul mates, you will see it clearly that we must do this in order to be included by the Owner of the Day of Judgment among those for whom that Terrible Day 50, 000 years long, would look like a twinkling of an eye. We atDaar-ul-Ehsaan do see and realize it, by the Grace of the Merciful Lord and the help of our most revered Shaikh, Hadrat Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat ‘Ali, QaddasAllaahu Ta’alaa Sirrahul ‘Azeez, a Walee of Allaah of a stature, this world has not seen for many centuries. We are Alhamdulillaah, using the tools he gave us from the HolyQuraan and the Sunnah, in order to heal ourselves of this fatal illusion. Of course, he had mastered these tools himself as the Auliaa before him had done. My beloved jewels of my eyes, I want you all to believe when I say, sincerely, that it works. However like other things in life, you must want to do it, and you need to be sincere and persistent. Our most beloved and revered Shaikh, Rahmatullaah ‘Alaih wrote a brief booklet titled “Mediation of a Shaikh” which in a simple and an easily understandable way, describes the essentiality of the principle of taking the help of a live Shaikh, mastered in the discipline of self purification. Please contact us if you are interested in its perusal. We shall be happy to send it to you Fee Sabeelillaah. It would be nice to be absorbed and engrossed in the Infinite Majesty and the absolute Splendor of the Beauty of the Lord of Magfnicence, right here in this life, rather than be preoccupied with His creation. Please read on:

The biggest and the best Ni’mah (gift) that the muslims will receive that Day will be the sight of the Majestic and the Magnificent Lord of incomparable and infinite Beauty;Allaah There is no gift like this Gift and the one who receives this Bestowal will remain absorbed in that bliss forever; never to be able to forget it. The first to be granted this honor will be the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad .

So far the happenings of the Yaum ul Hashr have been described briefly. After completion of all the described stages, the person will enter his home the comfort and luxury of which is without any limits. This is called the Jannah. The ones who do not take heed of what humble people like us tell them and also disregard the warnings of the Quraan ul Majeed and the teachings of the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad , will enter the home of difficulties, pain, torture and punishment, where the misfortunes and miseries are also without any limits. This is called the Jahannam.

 

VIRTUES OF THE MONTH Jamaadee uth Thaanee 

In the book Fadaail ush Shuhoor Hadrat Akhtab bin Hisaan has narrated that Hadrat Aboo Bakr Siddeeq used to perform, in its first night, 12 Raka’ah Nafl salaatwithout specifically reciting any Soorah after Soorah Al Faatihah.

It is also mentioned in the same book that in the last 10 days of Jamaadee uth Thaanee, our beloved and most respected Sahaabah Kiraam, RidwaanAllaah Ta’alaa ‘Alaihim Ajma’een, used to fast, to greet the holy month of Rajab and during every night of these 10 days, they used to perform 20 Raka’ah Nafl Salaat.

 

VIRTUES OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF FIQH AND SHAREE’AH

IS EVERY BIDA’ (INNOVATION) HARAAM?

My beloved jewels of my eyes, unfortunately there is so much of misinformation about what Bida’ is, that literally millions of our beloved members of the Muslim Ummah are in a state of confusion at the least and in a state of misguidance at the worst. This has been a result of years of ignorance and emotional taking of sides. As usual, InshaAllaah Ta’alaa, we shall do our best to bring the freshness of clarity to this important matter, for your benefit in particular and the Ummah in general; in brief to whoever is looking for such clarity. Of course The Holy Quraan and the Saheeh Ahaadeeth are the only sources which provide such lucidity and therefore we shall InshaAllaah Ta’alaa look to them for help. When you read on with a mind free from any emotional hang ups, InshaAllaah Ta’alaa, you will receive Sharah Sadr (expansion of the heart) and Taufeeq from Allaah 

Let me first mention the Hadeeth Shareef often quoted and commonly understood to make every Bida’ Haraam:

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat Jaabir relates:. ‘When the Holy Prophet addressed us, his eyes used to become red, the tone of his voice would rise and he would be somewhat excited as if he was cautioning us against some hostile army poised against us. He would say: ‘The enemy would attack you in the morning or the enemy would advance against you in the evening.’ He would further say: ‘My advent and the advent of the Day of Judgment are placed together as my two fingers (He would show his fore finger and the middle finger crossed): He would say that the best word is the Book of Allaah, and the best guidance is the guidance shown by Muhammad . The worst practice is the introduction of new elements in the Islaamic faith and every innovation amounts to heresy. He would say: I have more claim on every Muslim than his own self (i.e. I am greater well-wisher of the Muslims). (In spite of this) if a Muslim leaves behind some property, the same belongs to his family members. If he dies leaving debts, survived by dependents, I hold myself responsible for the payment of his debts and maintenance of his dependents.’ (Muslim)

Let me now quote another Hadeeth Shareef almost always ignored, although they are mentioned next to each other in the compilation “Riyaad-us-Saaliheen” by Hadrat AbooZakariyah Yahyaa bin Shareef, the above having No.170 and the one quoted below having No.171:

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat Jarir bin Abdullaah relates: “We were present in an audience with the Holy Prophet one day in the forenoon. In the meantime some people came there who had nothing but pieces of sackcloth on their bodies, some of them had robelike garments with their swords dangling on one side. Almost all of them belonged to the Muzar tribe. The Holy Prophet was greatly moved on seeing them with their emaciated and starved bodies. He got up and went into his chamber then came out and asked Hadrat Bilaal to call the Adzaan as it was the time for salaat. He led the prayer and at the end addressed that assembly:

“O mankind be careful of your duty to your Lord :Who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate and from them twain, has spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allaah in whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and towards the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allaah has been a Watcher over you.- (Quraan, Soorah 4 Aayah1) And then he read another verse from Soorah Hashr, “O you who believe! Observe your duty to Allaah. And let every soul look to that which it sends on before for the morrow. And observe your duty to Allaah: Lo! Allaah is informed of what you do.” (59:18)

After this the Holy Prophet asked those present to make contribution towards charity out of his dinaars and dirhams, clothes, wheat and dates; although it may be only half a date. Hearing this one of the Ansaars brought a heavy bag, the weight of which became difficult for him to hold; then others followed one after the other till the collections made two heaps of eatables and clothes. Then I saw that the face of the Holy Prophet was shining like gold.

The Holy Prophet then said: Whoever introduces in Islaam a good measure, will have his reward for it and also a reward for those who act upon it without reducing anything from this reward – likewise one who introduces an evil practice in Islaam, will be punished for this and all those who act upon that evil practice will be punished without diminishing in any way the burden of their evil deeds. (Muslim)

My beloved readers, is there a contradiction (Na’oozu billaah) between the 2 above quoted Ahaadeeth Saheehah? Could there ever be a contradiction between 2 Saheeh Ahaadeeth? Never! So let us examine this important issue so that we can arrive at the correct conclusion and guidance, never again InshaAllaah Ta’alaa, to be confused:

The meaning of the word Bida’ , kinds of Bida’ and commands.

The literal meaning of Bida’ is a “new thing”, “to invent, create”, “to do something without any previous example”, “to originate”. In Soorah 2 , Aayah 117 it is said “Badee’usSamaawaati wal Ard” meaning “The Originator of the heavens and the earth”. In this Aayah it is used in its literal meaning.

The word Bida’ has also been used in 3 meanings.1) Any new practice started after the advent of the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad. 2) Any new practice which is opposed to the Sunnah. 3 New ‘Aqaaid (beliefs, canons), which are added on, after the advent of the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad .

Hence Bida’ could be either in ‘Amaal (practice) or in our ‘Aqaaid (beliefs and canons). The Bida’ of practices (new practices) could be evil, and these are practices which oppose the Sunnah and the Quraan; or they could be good as described in the Hadeeth Shareef as “good measure”. The one who invents practices which are evil, becomes a sinner and will be punished. Those who invent good practices will be rewarded, as the above Hadeeth Shareef mentions( we shall give clear examples soon). Those who invent ‘Aqaaid become Kufffar and or are the ones who have gone astray.

You see my beloved jewels of my eyes, the above Hadeeth Shareef not only clarifies that not every new practice (Bida’) is evil and therefore Haraam, it actually emphasizes thatpractices which are an innovation(Bida’) could be good and also worthy of receiving rewards from Allaah Is this not refreshingly different from what is dinned into us day in and day out? There should be now no shadow of any doubt whatsoever left in our minds that the serious warnings that the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad referred to in his Hadeeth Shareef can only refer to innovations of the Aqaaid and evil practices, not inventions of good practices. Otherwise, one has to admit (Na’oozu Billaah) that there is a contradiction among the Ahaadeeth, which is never, never possible at all. The following list of innovative practices will further consolidate this matter to your fullest satisfaction, InshaAllaah Ta’alaa.

Quraan ul Majeed: The collection of the Holy Quraan, at the time of Hadrat Aboo Bakr Siddeeq into the form of a Book is a Bida’. To divide it into 30 Juz is a Bida’. The punctuation marks of Damma, Kasra and Fathha, marks of various pauses etc. etc. is a Bida’. To print the Quraan ul Majeed, have it in audio cassettes and listen to it, make video cassettes of its recitation and watch it is a Bida’. Putting it into the computer both written as well as in an audio form is a Bida’.

Salaat: For the Salaat of the Imaam and his Khutbah of Friday to be performed through the microphone and for the followers to listen through the speakers and follow in this manner is a Bida’.

Taraweeh Salaat of the month of Ramadaan were offered by the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad in Jama’ah(congregation) for a few days and then his Ummah was commanded by him to abandon its performance in Jama’ah and to do it at home. Ameer ul Mumineen, Hadrat ‘Umar reinstated it in his time which became a Bida’ and Hadrat ‘Alee KarramAllaahu Wajh made Du’aa ul Khair for him saying what a beautiful Bid’atul Hasanah it is!

Women were not prohibited from visiting the Masjid to perform their Salaat at the time of the RasoolAllaah . Yet Ameer ul Mumineen Hadrat ‘Umar prohibited their visiting the Masjid as in his considered opinion, the times had changed and it was no longer safe for the women to visit the mosques.

Hadeeth Shareef: Collection of Ahaadeeth Shareef in the form of books, to relate their authorities (Asnaad), to class them into categories such as Saheeh, Hasan, Da’eef etc. etc. in brief, the entire skills of Ahaadeeth are a Bida’.

Invention of Usool (principles) of Hadeeth from beginning to end are a Bida’.

Fiqh: On this ‘Ilm (Knowledge), depends the entire structure of the Deen; yet all of it is Bida’ (Innovation) which did not exist either at the time of the RasoolAllaah or at the time of his beloved Sahaabah Kiraam, RidwaanAllaah ‘Alaihim Ajma’een.

Would any one describe the above innovations and practices as evil? Have they not been accepted universally as good practices(measures), to be profusely rewarded as per the above Hadeeth Shareef? Yet they are all Bida.’

My beloved soul mates, by now you may have already realized how dangerous it is to associate and believe every Bida’ to be Haraam. When the word Bida’ (innovation) is used it is also a mistake to connect it with only matters of the Deen. The well known Hadeeth Shareef has said: “Kullu Muhdathin Bid’atun” which means “Every Innovation is a Bida’ “, without distinguishing between “Of the Dunyaa” or “Of the Deen”. Moreover every day to day action of the Dunyaa such as going to the toilet, eating food, putting a morsel with one’s hand into the mouth of one’s wife, becomes a matter of Deen( way of life), worthy of receiving Thawaab (rewards) if done as per the Sunnah and with the intention of pleasing Allaah The list of Bida’s now becomes unending. To mention just a few: Traveling by ‘plane to perform the Hajj and ‘umrah then using buses to perform various rites and rituals of the Hajj; telephones, radio, microphones, speakers, computers etc. etc. It is therefore very easy to understand that every Bida’ is not Haraam. It is also easy to understand that other innovations mentioned above such as collection of the Holy Quraan into the form of a bound book by Hadrat Aboo Bakr Siddeeq ul Akbar with the assistance of Hadrat ‘Umar , Hadrat ‘Uthmaan Hadrat ‘Alee KarramAllaahu Wajh and all the other Sahaabah Kiraam RidwaanAllaahu Ta’alaa Ajma’een of that time; reinstituting performance of Salaatul Taraweeh in congregation by Hadrat ‘Umar etc. etc. were not only not Haraam but clearly fall into the category of good innovative practices (Bida’ tul Hasanah) and the ones who introduced them, to receive abundant rewards from the Lord of Mercy. Similarly, when 800 to 900 million muslims around the globe gather together in response to the following commands of Allaah :

“Therefore the bounty (Ni’mah) of your Lord, rehearse and proclaim”. Soorah 93, Aayah 11

“And remember! Your Lord caused to be declared (publicly): “If you are grateful, I will add more (favors) unto you; but if you show ingratitude truly My punishment is terrible indeed”. Soorah 14, Aayah 7

and celebrate the biggest and the greatest gift and favor to mankind, the universe, the angels, the jinns and all the other creation of the Lord of the Universe, the birth of His own beloved Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammadanil Mustafaa Ahmadunil Mujtabaa, with expression of profuse thankfulness and gratitude to Him Who gave us His beloved, reciting the Holy Quraan, describing the details of the event, singing the praises of this “Rahmatal lil ‘Aalameen” the mercy to His Universe and eating wonderful food, which is another gift from the Lord, the Provider, cooked for this very special occasion, could this by any stretch of imagination be construed as an innovation in the ‘Aqeedah(beliefs and cannons), inviting His wrath upon us, or as a good practice for which the Merciful Lord will InshaAllaah Ta’alaa, reward us all? The answer can only be a resounding “good practice”. Who could ever see evil in this celebration except those who did not know, did not understand and therefore were misguided. As time progresses, many more practices of good measure will be added and those who add them will continue to receive rewards from Allaah , as promised in the above Hadeeth Shareef.There may still be those who, inspite of the clarity achieved from the above information, continue to disagree. Our loving response will be: “Wa Maa ‘Alainaa illal Balaagh” (Up to us was only to convey). We will still be united with them with the unbreakable bonds of Islaam and continue to work together with love and mutual respect towards the more important need of the hour, which is the Da’wah and Tableegh of the Deen ul Islaam. It must be clearly understood by us all that the difference of opinion is not about Aqaaid, but about some practices; such differences existed even at the time of the Rasoolallaah without putting even a dent in their unity; Alhamdu lillaahi Rabbil ‘Aalameen.

VIRTUES OF DU’AAS 

Sayyid ul Istaghfaar (Leader in Seeking Forgiveness) continued

Transliteration: ‘Laa ilaaha illAllaahu Wahdahoo Laa Shareeka Lahoo ilaahaunw Waahidan Samadal Lam Yalid wa lam yakul lahoo Kufuwan Ahad ’. To be recited ……….11 times

Translation: ‘ There is no god (worthy of worship) but Allaah. He is the One and Only. He has no partners, He is the Only God, He has no needs, neither does He beget nor is He begotten and there is none like Him’.

Hadeeth Shareef (About the above recitation): Hadrat Ibn Abee Aufaa and Hadrat Jaabir narrated that the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad said: ‘The person who recited: laa ilaaha illallaahu Wahdahoo . . . 11 times, Allaah will write for him 200,000 good deeds and the person who recited more, Allaah will increase his Thawaab also. At Tabaraanee, Kunzul A’maal.

Transliteration: ‘ Subhaanal Qaaimid Daaim. Subhaanal Hayyil Ladzee laa Yamoot. SubhaanAllaahil ‘Azeemi wa Bihamdihee. Subboohun Quddoosun Rabbul Malaaikati war Rooh. Subhaanal ‘Aliyyil A’laa.

Translation: ‘ Glorified (is the One), Self Existent, Eternal. Glorified (is the One), Truly, Perfectly Alive, the Self Sustained. Glorified (is the One), Truly, Perfectly Alive, without death. Glorified is Allaah in His Grandeur and His is all Praise. The most Holy and the most Sanctified (are You), Lord of the angels and Jibraeel ‘Alaihis salaam. Glorified (is the One), more Exalted than the highest. Glory and Exaltedness is His’.

Hadeeth Shareef (About the above recitation): Hadrat Abaan  has narrated from Hadrat Anas  that the beloved of Allaah  ,Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad  said: ‘ The person who recites Subhaanal Qaaimid Daaim . . . . every day, he would see his abode in Jannah or someone else will see it, before his death’. Kunzul A’maal

Transliteration: ‘ Alhamdu Lillaahil ladzee Tawaada’a Kullu Shai il Li ‘Azmatihi. Walhamdu Lillaahil ladzee Dzalla Kullu Shai il Li ‘Izzatihi. Walhamdu Lillaahil Ladzee Khada ‘a Kullu Shai il Limilkihi. Walhamdu Lillaahil Ladzees Taslama Kullu Shai il Liqudratihi.

Translation: ‘ All Praises are for Allaah, in the presence of His Grandeur, everything is helpless. All Praises are for Allaah, in the presence of Whose Honor, everything is debased. All Praises are for Allaah, in Whose Kingdom everything is subservient (to Him). All Praises are for Allaah, Who has everything obedient (to Him) under His Power.

Hadeeth Shareef (About the above recitation): Hadrat Ibn ‘Umar  has narrated that the beloved of Allaah  ,Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad said: ‘The person who recites Alhamdu Lillaahil ladzee . . . . . And through it seek what is with Allaah  (Blessings and forgiveness), Allaah  writes for him 1000 good deeds and increases his station 1000 times and appoints 70,000 angels to seek forgiveness for him till the Day of Judgment. At Tabaraanee, Kunzul A’maal.

My beautiful stars in the firmament of my heart, please look and note the incredible Divine gifts which frankly, has my mind in a state of constant daze of wonderment, day and night. Who but our Lord of Infinite Love, Compassion and Divine Generosity would offer such bestowal knowing very well that we are sinful, weak and forgetful? Who would not want to become His and no one else’s? Who would not want to worship Him, adore Him, love Him, go crazy about Him and give up everything of this world for Him? Whatever in this world or the next could have the power to come between us and Him? For this humble pinch of dust from under the feet of my Shaikh QaddasAllaahu Ta’alaa Sirrahul ‘Azeez, because of His Infinite Mercy and the blessings of my Shaikh Rahmatullaah ‘Alaih, nothing, not even the Paradise! May you all find it in your hearts to turn to Him with all the passion at your disposal and embrace His Way, His Dzikr, Istaghfaar and ever increasing worship to become Ahlullaah and not Ahlud Dunyaa. Aameen. Aameen again.

VIRTUES OF THE SUNNAH

Sunnah and Aadaab of Eating …. Continued

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat Sayyidunaa ‘Abdullaah ibn ‘Abbaas narrates that Thureed (a kind of food / curry in which bread pieces are immersed) was presented in an eating vessel to the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad . He said: Eat from the sides. Blessing descends in the center. Ibn Maajah.

Hadeeth Shareef: The beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad has said: When a fly falls into your food, dip it in fully (and throw it away), because there is healing on one side of it and disease on its other. It falls on its diseased side; therefore dip it fully. Aboo Dawood.

Beloved jewels of my eyes, when a Sahaabee heard our master, Hadrat Muhammad Mustafaa say this, he would not hesitate even a second in putting it into practice. With the advent of science, it would be the tendency today to Na’oozubillaah, question such a statement. I would only like to remind us all, that Allaah In Soorah 49 Aayah 1 has said: ”O you who believe! put not yourselves forward before Allaah and His Messenger: But fear Allah: for Allah is He who hears and knows all things.”Moreover every acceptable Hadeeth Shareef is based on the Wahee (Revelation), as mentioned in the Quraan ul Kareem, Soorah 53 Aayahs 2 & 3 “Your Companion is neither astray nor being misled . . . Nor does he say (anything) of (his own) Desire.“As muslims, we shall InshaAllaah Ta’alaa, believe blindly, that Allaah and His beloved Messenger are always right and we shall forthrightly reject whatever is to the contrary, irrespective of the source. May Allaah give us all Taufeeq, Aameen.

Brief Highlights

• Before eating, wash both hands up to the wrists, gargle the mouth, wash the face and do not dry the hands.
• Sit on the floor; left leg flat and the right one upright, or, sit on the back with both knees upright, or, sit on the back with legs crossed and flat.
• Recite Bismillaah with the first morsel, Bismillaahir Rahmaan with the second and Bismillaahir Rahmaanir Raheem with the third. Keemiyaa i Sa’aadat.
• If the following Du’aa is recited before eating and drinking, even if there were poison in the food, it will not have any effect:

Transliteration:” Bismillaahi wa Bismillaahil ladee laa yudurru ma’asmihee shaiun fil ardi wa laa fis samaai yaa Hayyu yaa Qayyoom”

Translation: I begin in the Name of Allaah by the blessing of Whose Name nothing from the earth and the heavens can harm; O the Truly and Perfectly Alive, O the Self Sustained. Dailamee.

To be continued, InshaAllaah Ta’alaa.

 

ESSENTIAL ADVICE FROM Hadrat Shaikh Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat ‘Ali, QaddasAllaahu Ta’alaa Sirrahul ‘Azeez

Abstinence (Tark) …. Continued

• Abstinence from desire to live, abstinence from desire for beauty, abstinence from desire for perfection, abstinence from the desire to meet, abstinence from fear and sadness, leaving one’s land of birth, abstinence from riches and possessions, abstinence from desires, abstinence from fury and anger, abstinence from obscenities, abstinence from making efforts, abstinence from disbelief and polytheism, abstinence from lying, abstinence from gheebah (back biting), abstinence from bida’ (evil innovations and innovations in ‘Aqaaid), abstinence from lusts, abstinence from slander, abstinence from sins, abstinence from stinginess, abstinence from vengefulness, abstinence from meetings with the rich and the powerful, abstinence from interference with the absolute commands (of Allaah ), abstinence from worthless pursuits; abstinence is in one’s true nature and the great characteristic of Faqr. Faqr receives abstinence as its legacy. Abstention from sins and wasteful activities is an open sign ofFaqr
• In the scale of Faqr, there is nothing weightier than abstinence; not even asceticism and piety.
• Practically, abstention is the soul of asceticism and piety.
• The fruit of Faqr is Tark Taam ( total abstinence) and Dzikr Dawaam (perpetual dzikr).
• The one who does not do it, actually cannot do it, he only procrastinates.
• The technical and conventional name given to the Ittibaa’ of (conforming to) the Quraan ul Kareem and the pristine Sunnah of my master is Tasawwuf.
• In Tasawwuf, there is nothing else except Dzikr Dawaam and Tark Taam
• Tark Taam means to give up all the sayings and doings which are disliked by Allaah and His Rasool ul Kareem  . . . . To be continuedInshaAllaah Ta’alaa

 

VIRTUES OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF “ASMAA UN NABIYYIL KAREEM” (The Bounteous Names of the Holy Prophet Muhammad  byHadrat Shaikh Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat ‘Ali, QaddasAllaahu Ta’alaa Sirrahul ‘Azeez

Translated by Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, Ameer, Daar -ul -Ehsan Publications, Huddersfield, United Kingdom and his many worthy colleagues.

 

VIRTUES OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF “ASMAA UL HUSNAH” (THE MOST BEAUTIFUL NAMES) Extracts from the Book “The Most Beautiful Names” compiled by Hadrat Shaikh Tosun Bayrak al- Jerrahi al-Halveti

He is the most pure one, devoid of all blemish, shortcoming, weakness, heedlessness and error.

Al-Quddoos is the equivalent of the attribute mukhaalafatun lil-hawaadith—He is the Creator “bearing no resemblance to the created. ” This is one of the five qualities that indicate the non-resemblance of Allaah to anything.

Al-Quddoos is the unique purity that is Allaah’s, whereby His essence, His attributes, His names, His words, His actions, His justice, are devoid of all blemish. He bears no resemblance, in any of His attributes or actions, to even the most perfect of His creatures. Even the most perfect creatures have something lacking in their essence, attributes, actions, judgments, or words. For one thing, they are temporal, while Allaah—the most perfect, the most pure, is eternal, free of time and place. Before existence there was no time and no place, but Allaah existed.

The believers who understand and feel this divine purity will wish to praise Allaah for His perfection (taqdees) and will remember to avoid attributing any qualities that are defective or any temporal imperfect state to Allaah (tasbeeh).

To find the feeling of al-Quddoos in oneself, one should work on cleansing one’s faith by eliminating doubts. Faith is a whole. The existence of a single doubt blemishes it. One should try to cleanse one’s devotions and prayers by sincerity. Sincerity in prayer is to pray to Allaah for Allaah’s sake, for no other purpose, seeking no other benefit. Otherwise the prayer itself becomes shirk, the unforgivable sin of associating equals with Allaah. One should try to cleanse one’s heart by abandoning bad habits;

bad habits are like garbage and thorns, and our hearts are Allaah’s houses. He says, “I do not fit in heavens and earth, but I fit into the hearts of My believing servants.”

 

VIRTUES OF PURIFICATION (Tazkiatun Nafs) Continued

At Taubatu wal Astaghfaar

My beloved of the Ummah of the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad , this monthly publication of the “Virtues of Islaamic Life” is a medium for me of the expression of an immense love I feel for all of you. As you probably know, it is not possible for any one to force oneself to love anything or anyone. Positive love is a gift from Allaah Ta’alaa and flows like a river of mercy, spreading His Message, benefiting all who wish to be benefited, harming no one. By Allaah my beloved and revered Shaikh QaddasAllaahu Ta’alaa Sirrahul ‘Azeez is like an ocean of love and this humble pinch of dust from under his blessed feet, only a trickle from that ocean and by Allaah , bestowed by Him, as a result of being given the unprecedented opportunity by the most Merciful Lord, to be his pupil. This “Virtues of Islaamic Life” is therefore, also a gift from the Lord Almighty and a blessing received through the du’aas and attention of Hadrat Abu Anees Muhammad Barkat ‘Ali, Rahmatullaah ‘Alaih. As we trace the source, this entire Universe is a gift of Love and Mercy, from the Lord of Majesty. To be from the Ummah of His Own beloved, Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad is in itself, a bestowal of a great love for us from Him. And the creation of His Own beloved is a gift of unbounded proportions for the entire Universe. We should try to understand my beloved friends and children, that there is a law through which this Divine gift of love flows down to us. For the heart of a slave to receive this priceless gift, he has to be struggling with his nafs ul ammaaraa, a jihaad the Rasoolallaah called the “Jihaad ul Akbar”, under the guidance of a Shaikh.The road to Allaah is paved with His obedience and willing surrender. How can we ever be deceived by the Shaitaan and our nafs that His disobedience and disregard to the practicing of the Sunnah of His beloved will take us to Him? We should know beyond the shadow of a doubt, that failure to embark upon our purification (Tazkiatun nafs) will take us straight into the arms of the eagerly waiting Shaitaan.

Let us look at the limits to which our most Forgiving and Merciful Lord will go to lovingly entice and lure us back to the glorious path which leads to His ever available Divine Pleasure:

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat Anas narrates that the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad said: When a human being does Taubah, then Allaah induces upon the Kiraaman Katibeen (the honorable Recording Angels) forgetfulness of his sins and also erases from his hands, feet and the earth, the signs (memory) of his sins, so that they will not be able to give evidence of his sins, when he meets Allaah on the Day of Judgment’. Masnad Imaam Ahmad Rahmatullaah ‘Alaih, Kunzul A’maal.

How much sensitive and caring is our Lord of Mercy that He saves His slaves the feeling of embarrassment with his Recording Angels by not only erasing the sins from the book of records but also from their memories! Allaahu Akbar.

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat ‘Abdullaah bin ‘Abbaas narrates that the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad said: The person who does Taubah from his sin is as if he has not sinned at all; and the one who seeks forgiveness for a sin while he is steady upon his sins is as if he is making fun of His Lord; and the one who dishonors a muslim will have as many sins upon him as there are date palm trees. Baihaqee in Sh’ub ul Eemaan.

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat ‘Aaishah Siddeeqah narrates that Hadrat Habeeb son of Hadrat Haarith presented himself in the blessed presence of the beloved of Allaah Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad and humbly submitted: ‘O Messenger of Allaah I am a sinful person’. The beloved of Allaahsaid ‘O Habeeb, offer Taubah to Allaah ‘ He submitted: ‘O Messenger of Allaah I commit a sin after doing Taubah’. The beloved of Allaahsaid: ‘Whenever you commit a sin, offer Taubah again’. He replied: ‘Then my sins will increase’. The beloved of Allaah replied: ‘O Habeeb, Allaah’s forgiveness is far greater than your sins. At Tabaraanee.

My beloved readers, what a magnificent source of purification, hope, solace and peace for sinners like me, is the Divine Mercy and Forgiveness. May I be sacrificed for Him and His beloved a million times. Another gem is quoted below:

Hadeeth Shareef: Hadrat Aboo Taweel Shatabul Mamdood narrates that he presented himself in the blessed company of the beloved of Allaah , Hadrat Sayyidinaa wa Maulaanaa Muhammad and humbly submitted: ‘I have surveyed all my sinful actions and have found out that I have not left any base desire of my nafs, its need and anything else undone; is it possible that Taubah can be done for all these sins?’ The beloved of Allaah replied: ‘Have you accepted Islaam?’ He replied: ‘Yes indeed; there is no deity but Allaah and without doubt, you are Allaah’s Messenger.’ (Upon hearing this) the beloved of Allaah said: ‘Perform good deeds and give up your bad deeds then Allaah will turn all into good deeds. ‘He submitted: ‘And my broken promises and bad deeds also?’ The beloved of Allaah said: ‘Yes (they will also be counted as good deeds).’ He said: ‘Allaahu Akbar’ and continued to recite the Takbeer till he disappeared from sight.

My beloved readers, sinful we all are; I, more so than others. Whenever a sin is committed, a black dot appears on our spiritual hearts (Quloob). We must all develop a super sensitivity and awareness that a sin has been committed and realize that by immediately turning to our Lord of Mercy, with a sense of deep regret, a strong feeling of repentance, a determined resolve not to repeat the act of sin again and beg, cry and seek His forgiveness, that black dot will be erased by the forgiveness of Allaah, the Ghafoor ur Raheem, the Tawwaab ur Raheem and the ‘Afuwwul Kareem. When this process continues with sincerity, the heart, which is the seat of goodness, is purified and then my beloved readers and the stars of my eyes, this purified heart is ready to become the Throne of Allaah, Dhul Jalaali wal Ikraam. What a prize for those who struggle with their Nafs ul Ammaaraa (the ego) and realize the significance of Tazkiatun Nafs. May Allaah with all His Grandeur and August Beauty, truly become the Only Prize of your and my yearning and may we all pine for nothing else in this life and in the Hereafter. Aameen. Aameen again

To be continued, InshaAllaah Ta’alaa.

Salaatunnabi (Durood) recited by Hadrat Sayyidinaa UWAIS QARNEE 

TransliterationAllaahumma 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 QayyoomTranslation Dear Allaah, 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 Allaah, 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!