Category Archives: K. Fiqh

Is tasawwuf intensified fiqh?

An individual inquired that a lay person gets an impression that the teachings of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanavi and especillay, his successors (may Allah have mercy on them) regarding tasawwuf appear to be intensified fiqh. Does this path lead to ma’rifah?

All praise is for Allah.

It should be explicitly clear that we do not divide Shariah and Tasawwuf in to two seperate entities. They are both essential simultaneously.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaykh Mawlana Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said, “Shariah without tasawwuf is a body without soul, whereas, tasawwuf devoid of Shariah is absolute heresy (zindaqa). Strive and implement both of them in your life together.”

To talk of ma’arifa and wilayet without recognizing the essential importance of fiqh practically in one’s life is wrong.

The classical works of tasawwuf, like al–Lama’, Awarif al-Ma’arif, al-Risala, Ihya al-Uloom ad deen, all start with emphasis and detailed discussion of Shariah and fiqh rulings. This is because of the fact that an individual can not attain real wilayet and ma’arifa without the essential fiqh required to live an Islamic life.

May Allah facilitate its understanding and implementation in our life. Ameen!

Religious polemics

Hadhrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) reprimanded a murid,

“Stay away from all religious polemics.

Focus on the religious matters mutually agreed upon. These issues outnumber the ones that are disagreed upon.

There is no benefit in addressing the disputed issues, especially for the common lay individual. Discussing such issues is a total waste of time for him.

Only at an individual level if someone sincerely and for practical reasons wants to know the truth regarding these issues guide him to a reliable scholar or scholarly work.”

We Muslims!

Hadhrat Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) said,

“One should clearly distinguish between the Islamic teachings and the general practice of the Muslims. Unfortunately, we are living in an age where the vast majority of the Muslims are not aware of the noble teachings of Islam nor do they practice them in their day-to-day lives. Instead, they are mostly influenced by the different cultures in which they are/have been living. Therefore, everything the Muslims practice cannot be attributed to Islam. When one evaluates the virtues of Islam, he should not refer to the practice of the Muslims of today; rather he should turn to the principles laid down in the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah. Obviously, if the Muslims have abandoned the guidance of the Shari’ah, it cannot be seen as a defect in the Shari’ah itself. It is a defect in those who have deprived themselves of this Divine Guidance.”

From: Pearls of the Elders

Obligations on taking the tareeq

Listing the obligations for those who take the (Ashrafiya) tareeq Hakeemul Ummah Hazrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi ra mentions,

Firstly, one has to read all the eleven parts of Behishti zewar (Heavenly ornaments, essential text of Hanafi fiqh) cover-to-cover, word-by-word. (In case if one cannot read, he/she has to have it read to him, listening attentively.)

Secondly, one has to keep all his/her states as per (the Shari’a rulings described in) Behishti zewar.

Tarbiyat us salik, volume 1, page 8

 

Wishing non-Muslims on their religious holidays

An individual inquired if it was permissible to wish non-Muslims on their religious holidays. For example, saying mubarak ho, etc.

Sayyidi wa sanadi Hazrat Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib db said;

“To make dua for barakah for them (on these occasions) is impermissible. However, wishing them prosperity and well being is fine. The word “congratulations” implies this second meanings and not the first. So it is permissible to congratulate them.”

Islahi khutoot

Lessons from al-Kahaf

kahaf

Hakim al Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) has mentioned the following lessons that can be learned from the story of our masters Prophet Musa  and Khidhir (Allah’s peace be upon them):

1. Desirability of travel for a student (to pursue his learning).
2. To have respect (adab) when dealing with scholars and shuyuk.
3. To abandon criticism of scholars and shuyuk
4. To find an excuse for their apparently unclear actions, dealings and speech.
5. To fulfill the pact (ahed) made with them.
6. To apologize for any thing committed against them.
7. To keep provision for the way while traveling. It is not against tawakul (reliance on
Allah)to do so.
8. To ascribe forgetfulness and other disliked things to Shaytan. It is from adab not to
attribute them to Allah.
9. For a scholar to refuse teaching a subject to a student whom he thinks is incapable of
understanding it.
10. To give preference to Allah’s command in every thing.
11. For a guide to put some essential criteria to be fulfilled, for his followers.
12. To condone forgetfulness.
13. Three attempts to be sufficient enough to be counted as repetition.
14. Boat ride to be permissible.
15. The ruling to be on the evident matters. Until one comes to know the reality.
16. Asking for food to be permissible, in case of absolute necessity.
17. Not to give up chivalry. Even if it is for those who do not deserve it.
18. To take monetary retribution for worldly tasks done.
19. The condition for being in need to persist even if tools for earning or possession of
insufficient funds exist.
20. Being angry (that is displaying it) is impermissible (haraam).
21. Hiding wealth by burying it in the ground (for protection) to be permissible

And many more lessons can be learned.

Hakim al Umma adds; this incident proves that the best way for islah (reformation) is through physical demonstration (actions) not merely by (admonition via) speech.

Masail us sulook, pages 328-9

It is not fardh or wajib!

A common statement we hear every day when discussing Islamic rulings regarding an issue.

However, without any doubt and difference between the fuqha (shariah jurist) the matter may be a confirmed Sunnah.

Belittling a Sunnah is not a simple thing.
Ignoring it causes loss of great barakah & blessing. Whereas denying its importance or makeing fun of it may be equivalent to disbelief!

Mufti e azam Pakistan Mufti Mohammad Shafi’i ra khalifa of Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat ra said;
“There are numerous minor (sagerah) sins. All actions performed against the Sunnah method are minor (sagerah) sins.For example, one drinks water without reciting ‘bismillah’, this is a minor sin. Also, if one eats or drinks using the left hand, this is a minor sin.”(Majalis Mufti-e-azam Albalagh J1,1410 pg 294)

It is even more astonishing to hear such arguments from ‘traditional sunni’ spiritual aspirants. Especially from Hazrat Hakeemul Ummat ra silsila’s affiliates.

Hazrat Thanwi quddus sirrahu said that in our tareeq (path) the goal is achieved comparatively quickly. The reason being the extraordinary emphasis laid on following the Sunnah of Allah’s beloved prophet sallalaho alehey wa alehi wasalam. This makes the achievement of goal by jazb (Divine attraction/pull) rather than sulook (personal effort and toil).

As it is said in the holy Quran;
(O Prophet!) Tell (them) that if you want to love Allah (swt), then you should follow me. (By this) Allah swt will love you and forgive all your sins. Indeed! Allah swt is all forgiving and merciful. (3:31)

Our understanding of these terms: fardh, wajib, sunnah & mustaheb needs to be re-evaluated.

Most of us sort out actions according to these categories and stick to the faradh & wajib only.
We consider sunnah & mustaheb to be optional choice reserved for the committed elite.

This is totally against the Ahl-us-Sunnah methodology.
The classification of actions by the fuqaha as Faradh, Wajib, Sunnah and mustaheb is a late development in the Islamic fiqh history. These terms were not used during the period of Sahaba and the ta’baeen. They just copied the actions as done by the Prophet salalaho alehey wa alehei wasalam (that is the way of Sunnah).

Kisi ko dekhtey rehna namaz thi meri

However, with passage of time a system evolved to assess the acceptability of actions tainted by omission or negligence. That is, to ascertain if these deficient actions are valid or they have to be repeated. It is then that the fuqaha developed this nomenclature. They never meant to propagate the bare essential compulsory acts, disregarding & discarding the Sunnah.

We need to correct this concept and correct our actions accordingly.

A sunni can never belittle any Sunnah.

Faith & Sin

Hakeemul Ummat ra writes under the section of ‘Aqaid/Beliefs in Bashiti Zewar

General Beliefs #3.

By regarding a sin to be permissible, one’s Imaan (faith) goes away.

(Allah SWT protect us all from this. Ameen!)

General Belief s # 4.

No matter how serious a sin may be, as long as it is regarded as a sin, Imaan will remain. However, it (Imaan) does get weaker ([luster] diminishes).

Faraz, Wajib, Sunnah and mustaheb

Our understanding of these terms needs to be re-evaluated.
Most of us sort out actions according to these categories and stick to the faraz & wajib only. We consider sunnah & mustaheb to be optional choice reserved for the committed elite.

This is totally against the Ahl-us-Sunnah methodology.

The classification of actions by the fuqaha as Faraz, Wajib, Sunnah and mustaheb is late development in the Islamic history. These terms were not used during the period of Sahaba and the ta’baeen. They just copied the actions as done and reported by the Prophet salalaho alehey wa alehei wasalam (Sunnah).
Kisi ko dekhtey rehna namaz thi meri

However, with passage of time a system evolved to assess the acceptability of actions tainted by omission or negligence. That is, to ascertain either these deficient actions are valid or they have to be repeated again. It is then that the fuqaha developed these categories. They never meant to propagate the bare essential compulsory acts, disregarding & discarding the Sunnah.

We need to correct this concept and correct our actions accordingly.

(This is a synopsis of what I understood from a talk on this topic by Sidi wa sanadi Moulana Mohammed Taqi Usmani sahib db)

Similitude of Bid’at/Innovation

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.”