The daily routine recitations (ma’amolaat) are the basic nutrition for the spirituality of a person.
Decreasing them repeatedly or missing them (without a genuine reason) will lead to spiritual weakness and God-forbid (Allahuma hafizna) spiritual death.
Islahi emails:TA
A seeker wrote
A year after Hajj ALLAH has blessed us with a daughter Allhamdulliah!!. Since then I really got involved with her. I tried my best to be devoted but I realized that my iman is getting weaker and weaker. I was not able to do those things which i used to do before and while taking care of her and home I get frustrated and when ever I get chance like when she sleeps or so, i use to watch drama on internet instead of doing ibadat . . my mother’s side family takes care about the farz ibadat like salat , zakat , & fasting but on my father’s side family they don’t care about the farz ibadaat i dont know about zakat whether they give zakat or not. They usually care about sunnat. My dadihaal is more like not follwing the religion. I am informing you this because i do not know why but i am like my dadihaal’s side it became part of my nature i always try not to be like them but some where inside me its persent. I do fulfill the basic farz ibadaat now Allahmdullilah & try to do nafli ibadaats but i cant do it in punctually like for example i usually recite Quran daily but at some point i do not. I used to listen islamic lectures and read islamic books but again after some time period I don’t.
Ashrafiya replied,
These days most families are like this.
We should thank Allah abundantly that He is guiding us towards Himself.
We can not judge others.
Some people who are outwardly irreligious may have strong eman internally and eventually outrun others in Here-after.
Our primary concern is salvation of ourself.
Focus on the essentials (faraiz) for now. Especially salah. Pray regularly on time. It is a must.
Keep a record of any namaz that is missed and qaza not done.
Try to read at least one page from the books of sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani sahib (Islahi majalis) or listen to the waaz online for 10 -15 mins daily.
Make dua aftet each salah in detail for whatever bothers you or you desire (3-5 minutes).
Recite kalimah tayyiba (la illaha ilAllah u) with occansiional (Muhammadur Rasool Allah, sallalaho alhe wasalam) while doing the house hold chores.
Islahi emails:MTA
A seeker wrote,
I noticed that increasingly I have begun to finish the daily tasbeehat on the go (while driving, walking etc) to save time, even when I am not really crunched by time. Would it be more recommended to try to force my self to properly sit down and do tasbeehat as much as possible.
Ashrafiya replied,
Multitasking in ma’amolat is not good. Especially for starters like me and you.
Try your best to do them properly in their allocated time.
Only if you are running late or there is an emergency you can complete them while you do other stuff.
Islahi emails:TA
A seeker wrote,
I noticed that increasingly I have begun to finish the daily tasbeehat on the go (while driving, walking etc.) to save time, even when I am not really crunched by time. Would it be more recommended to try to force my self to properly sit down and do tasbeehat as much as possible.
Ashrafiya replied,
Multitasking in ma’amolat is not good. Especially for starters like me and you.
Try your best to do them properly in their allocated time.
Only if you are running late or there is an emergency you can complete them while you do other stuff.
Islahi emails:TA
Hakim al Umma Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy on him) once mentioned:
One method which I prescribe to people for leaving out sins, is that every night before sleeping, one should seclude oneself in a room and sincerely supplicate to Allah to forgive him for his sins. One should make du’aa to Allah in the following manner: “O Allah! I am an extremely sinful servant! I am not worthy of any good and I am full of weaknesses!” Through these words, one should express one’s true condition of sinfulness before Allah. Thereafter, one should say, “O Allah! I do not have the courage and resolve to leave out these sins! It is only You who can assist and help me to leave out these sins!”
If one adopts this method, then insha Allah, in a week or two, he will be blessed with the facilitation (taufeeq) and ability to leave out these sins. However, very few people are willing to sincerely repent to Allah in this manner.
(Malfoozaat Husn-ul-Azeez pg. 226)
A seeker wrote,
I wish to inquire about the Mamoolat during travel. Alhamdulilllah I did not miss any salat during the 2 days but couldn’t keep up with the Mamoolat. The days were so tightly scheduled (had to drive ~1000kms on one of the days), couldn’t find the time. Alhamdulillah I did listen to our Hazrat db’s islahi khutbaat while driving. inshaAllah In a couple of weeks I am going with my family on a road trip (2 weeks long ,1000kms) All of the days will have a lot of driving/hiking/sight seeing etc. involved.
Ashrafiya replied,
It is fine to decrease the quantity of mamoolat during travel. The degree of decrease depends on your time constraints, etc. When really very busy I decrease them to half or one third.
Leaving them completely is not advisable. It is usually detrimental to do so spiritually.
The best things is to do the tasbihats while driving.
Recite surah ikhlas 50 or 100 times instead of tilawet. (Keeping a regular or electronic tasbih handy is very useful.)
Read a page or two of munajat e maqbool if easily possible.
Listening to the lectures will substitute for the reading.
Islahi emails:TA
Reviewed and approved by sanadi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him)
A seeker inquired,
Should I do the daily mamoolat spread over the day? I try to do them first thing in the morning so that I don’t miss them.
Ashrafiya replied,
The best is to do them first thing is the morning. Spreading them over a day can be done in special circumstances, like travelling etc.
Islahi emails:TA
A seeker wrote,
Alhamdulillah the I am trying to act on the Faraidh and Mamoolat. Waise sacchi baat tau ye he ke band eke a’amaal intihai naqis hain, Allah SWT ma’af farmaaen.
Ashrafiya replied,
MashaAllah. apnay a’mal kay nuqus ka ahsas kamal aur kamyabi ki tarf safar ki a’lamet hay. Jaisa bun pa raha hay us pay shukr aur kotahi par istegfar kartey rahna hay.
Islahi emails:TA
Reviewed and approved by sanadi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him)
A novice seeker wrote,
I would like to seek for permission for Tablighi Jama’at activity.
Ashrafiya replied,
For time being postpone this for a while.
It is essential to firmly root yourself in the daily ma’moolat, reading, islah,etc. before you proceed to activities that are going to change your routine drastically.
Do assist them (nusrat) for few hours and sit in their book–reading sessions (ta’leem only. Not lectures) for the time being.
Islahi emails:TA
The following is in response to a novice seeker’s many religious daily activities.
‘MashaAllah.
It is great to know about your activities. They are all fine.
However, I want to stress the importance of giving daily quality time to your spouse, daughter, parents and other very close relatives. This is essential and more beneficial then all other nafil activities.
Also, it must be clear that the knowledge of religion that you require for daily practice is essential and a must. Beyond this religious education is not for all. It is for scholars. For lay people like me it is more necessary to be involved in my own islah.
Also, a general advice akabir give to novice in religion is that,
“Walk slow and steady. Do not rush and run.”
Otherwise soon the enthusiasm will be over and a ‘burnt out state’ will come.
It is for this reason having a Shaykh is essential. He directs and tells how much to do
Ishai emails:TA
Abū Bakr al-Kattānī (Allah have mercy on him) said, “were it not that recollection of Him was required of me as a religious duty, I could not mention Him out of awe for Him. How can one like me recollect Him without washing out his mouth a thousand times as a required penance, so great is His recollection and so awesome His name!
The Principles of Tasawwuf, p 83
I read about the zikr of the chishti tareeqa i.e. the dowazdah tasbeeh. I have doubts in my mind regarding this. The thought comes to my mind that this is not established by sunnah. I have tried to read many books to clarify this but am not satisfied yet. Although I am ashamed to even think about the likes of Hakeem ul ummah RA or Mufti Taqi Usmani DB involved in any bidah. But I guess the very non-sufi environment that I have been in, gives me these doubts. Any clarification regarding this would be sincerely appreciated. Please forgive me if I offended with this question.
Ashrafiya replied,
There is no offence at all in asking this question.
However, there is a misunderstanding that needs to be clarified.
That is, every one acknowledges that dowazadeh tashib is not a masnun zikr, but it is a prelude or an excercise to develop interest, concentration and sincerity in the real zikr. This is by experience of the past mashaykh. Just like the physicians treating with different medicine. Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) tells us that, ‘is is medicine’, ‘you do not need a proof from Quran and hadith to use Tylenol for headche’,.
Similarly the sufic zikr is a medicine.This is clarified to each and every murid at the time of instruction of this tasbih. Not all murid or talibs are instructed to do it.
Also, the daily masnun tasbihat are in addition to this zikr.
I hope it is a bit clearer now.
Islahi emails:TA
One of the Gnostics said,
‘(True) Remembrance drives away heedlessness.
So if your heedlessness disappears, you are remembering, even if you are silent.’
The Principles of Tasawwuf, p81
Muʿādh ibn Jabal (God be pleased with him) said,
“An act requires four things to be safe from hypocrisy:
-knowledge before beginning it,
-proper intention at its start,
-patience during it, and
-sincerity at its conclusion.”
The Principles of Tasawwuf (A Ba’yuniah ra), p53
Our master Muʿādh ibn Jabal (God be pleased with him) said,
“An act requires four things to be safe from hypocrisy:
-knowledge before beginning it,
-proper intention at its start,
-patience during it, and
-sincerity at its conclusion.”
The Principles of Tasawwuf (A Ba’yuniah ra), p53