Category Archives: W. Wird & wazaif

Dua for Night of 15th Shaban

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Following supplications has been reported from the Prophetic sayings,

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِعَفْوِكَ مِنْ عِقَابِكَ , وَأَعُوذُ بِرِضَاكَ مِنْ سَخَطِكَ , وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْكَ , لا أُحْصِي ثَنَاءً عَلَيْكَ أَنْتَ كَمَا أَثْنَيْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ

The following supplication has been recited by the pious elders on this occasion. Surah Yaseen (chapter 36) is recited three times. Each time it is followed by this supplication.

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve him) wrote the following regarding the worship in the night of 15th of Sha’ban,

“This night is meant for worshiping Allah in solitude.
It is the time to enjoy the direct contact with the Lord of the Universe, and to devote one’s attention to Him and Him alone.
These are the precious hours of the night in which nobody should intervene between one and his Lord, and one should turn to Allah with total concentration, not disturbed or interrupted by any one else.”

I want to change for better but…………

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magic-wand

All of the spiritual seekers aspire to do good and abstain from sinful actions.

However, most of us harbor a misconception regarding the means to achieve this goal.

We wish for a overpowering and overwhelming state that facilitates this for us by itself. Automatically. A kind of fairy tale magic spell.

Moreover, we assume that making supplications or reciting a particular litany (wadhifa) or associating with a pious individual or a group or reading classical spiritual text or visiting a holy site (like the revered Makkah and radiant Medinah) or worshiping in the blessed times (like the night of power) will create this ‘state’ for us.

This will never happen!

Hakim al Ummah Mujaddid Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) has repeatedly made this very clear in his works.

Self determination, self restraint and earnest hard work is needed to do good and abstain from sinful actions.

There is no other way around.

It is not easy.

Initially it is tough. This is the spiritual struggle (mujahida ). It brings the reward and its blessings in the here-after.

This is the norm in all the things we aspire to achieve. No school or work  project is successfully completed just by supplicating, reading or associating with the experts. One has to toil and labor sincerely and put up his best effort in an organized manner to do it.

Therefore, praying the salah on time with the congregation, especially Fajr or having khushoo in salah or controlling anger or quit listening to music or watching the obscene on internet  or ending free intermingling with opposite sex , etc. will never ever be achieved until we make a firm resolve to do so and use the self determination and restraint  powers, bestowed to us by Allah, earnestly.

May Allah make this clear to us. Amin!

Dealing with lustful thoughts

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An individual (blind, physically weak and financially challenged) complained about the (lustful) attraction towards women and young men that was driving him crazy. He elaborated that this engrossment is to the extent that I am negligent of food consumption. I pray but sometimes I’m unaware of what was recited in prayers. I am very much afraid of this condition. I request a remedy for it.

Hakim al Ummah Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) replied,
There are two levels of being attracted towards something.
One is mere attention towards it and the second is love that is attention accompanied with a desire.

The first level is a natural thing. Allah has placed (sexual) attraction in men (for women). It can neither be eliminated by any means nor it is required from us to do so.
The second level is within one’s control (ikhteyar). It means that one has control to some extent in keeping it or annihilating it. An individual can increase his involvement in a thing to such an extent that that he is engrossed in it completely all the time. On the other hand he can avoid a thing to the extent that he no more desires it. Hence being volitional it is binding (to be acquired).

First treatment is use of determination (himmat). Allah has placed the performance of volitional acts on the determination of an individual. He has promised assistance after determination.

The second treatment is diverting thoughts. The attention has to be diverted away when there are overwhelming thoughts (of this nature). It is an axiom that lower-self (nafs) can not be attentive towards two things at one time. Therefore, at times of excessive desires be busy with something else. This may be religious activity like offering prayers, making remembrance or reciting Holy Quran, or it may be worldly activity like visiting someone, etc, etc..

The third treatment is to ignore these overwhelming desires completely. This is with the understanding that these feelings are not going to harm me at all. This is the most effective treatment.
The individual said that how was it possible to ignore these thoughts. They have spoiled my prayers, dhikr and shugul. Not for a moment these thoughts leave me.

Hakim al Ummah replied,
These thoughts are from the first level. They are not sinful. You are responsible for your actions. You are responsible for implementing these thoughts into action. Until then it is neither sinful nor are you accountable for them. These thoughts are not going to harm you even if they continue for your whole life.

The fourth treatment is to make supplication.
The individual requested for some special prayer formula recitation (wazdhifa) to ward away this calamity.

Hakim al Ummah replied,
Wazdhifa can not do this. The treatment is as mentioned above. Instead to wazdhifa make supplications (dua).

(In summary) use your determination, become busy in something else, cry and make heartfelt supplications showing extreme neediness that O Allah! Save me from these calamities.

Indeed supplication is effective and leads to facilitation in difficulties.

Malfuzat e Hakimul Ummat, volume 29, page 131

Things that soften the hard-heart

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Imam al Qurtubi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

Understand it very clearly that following things soften the worst hardened hearts,
1. Visiting the graves
2. Listening to the discourses of pious scholars
3. Reading about the past obedient ascetics and scholars
4. Remembrance of that which will uproot all pleasures, ward off all desires, separate one from others, make existence detestable, and orphan the children who were adored by their parents. That is, death.’

Ebrat ka saman, page 27-8, Urdu translation of Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him)’s Mukhtaser Tazkirah al Qurtubi,

Remembrance of death

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Shaikh Mohammed al Daqqaq (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘A person who reminds himself of death often is honored with three gifts,
1. Early facilitation of repentance
2. Being content with one’s provision
3. Having the desire to and delight in worship’

Ebrat ka saman, page 25, Urdu translation of Imam Sha’rani (Allah have mercy on him)’s Mukhtaser Tazkirah al Qurtubi,

Steadfastness

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Sayyidi wa sanadi Shaikh Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘In summary the steadfastness (isteqamet) on Deen consists of,

1. Performing all the essential (faraidh) and recommended (wajibaat) actions
2. Following the Sunna
3. Abstaining from all that is sinful
4. Repenting immediately if a sinful act is committed.

Waaz 15th Feb 1991

Persistence in daily wird

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Shaikh al Hadith Mawlana Mohammed Zakariya Kandehlawi mohajir Madani (Allah have mercy on him) instructed a seeker,
‘Persistence in daily routine of good works (wird) is the way to spiritual progress.

Be vigilant in completing the daily wird!

Do not pay attention (to the thoughts) that my condition is not changing with remembrance (dhikr).

It is an established principle according to the pious preceding masters of this path that blessed remembrance of Allah even if done with extreme heedfulness does not remain without a (spiritual) affect.’

Monthly Ihsan o sulook, Safar 1410, page 63

The stages of nafs: Nafs e mulhimah / part 3

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The Inspired Nafs

Allah Almighty says,

(9)ونفس وما سواها ( 7 ) فألهمها فجورها وتقواها ( 8 ) قد أفلح من زكاها

[91:7]
and by the soul, and the One who made it well,

[91:8]
then inspired it with its (instincts of) evil and piety,

[91:9]
success is really attained by him who purifies it,

In this stage of development the nafs is gifted with the ability to distinguish between good and evil. Moreover,the performance of good actions and abstinence from evil is facilitated for him by the Grace of Allah.

This Grace is manifested as immense desire to please Allah. And at this stage nafs remains drowned in intense love of Allah (‘ishq illahi).

This is possible by following the recommendations of the Shaikh and excessive remembrance of Allah as instructed by him. In fact it is mandatory (wajib) to follow the recommendations of the Shaikh at this stage to be successful.

This is both a phenomenal and a challenging stage.

Any heedlessness here will pull the nafs to its initial stage. (May Allah protect us all from this disaster. Amin!)

Its characteristics include; self restraint (hilm), philanthropy, contentment, humility, repentance, patience, forbearance, forgiveness, maintaining a good opinion about others, acceptance of others’ excuses, etc.

In addition to the excessive remembrance of Allah and following the instructions of Shaikh meticulously one has to repeatedly remind himself of meeting Allah and His perfections. He has to be vigilant in following the Shariah and be compliant to his daily wird. He must efface his ego by purposefully doing permissible humble actions.

Here the individual observes that everything is from Allah (tawhid e afa’li). He abandons all criticism. He cries often and is deeply effected by the crying of others. He withdraws from all the creation and finds solace with Allah. He is attracted to beautiful audition.

In short this stage is marked by intense love, lofty desires and high aspirations to please Allah.