Teachings of Hakim al-Umma Mawlana Ashraf 'Ali Thanawi & his spiritual successors, particularly 'Arifbillah Dr 'Abdul Hayy 'Arifi (may Allah bless them) and Sayyidi Mawlana Mufti Mohammad Taqi Usmani (may Allah preserve him) regarding Tasawwuf
My respected mother Kaneez e Mehdi aka Safia Begum D/O Dr. Mohammed Ahsan Farooqi (Allah have mercy on them) passed away on 30th November 2024.
She was 86 years old. Born in Lucknow, UP, British India. Passed away peacefully at her home in Karachi, surrounded by her children and grandchildren all engaged in remembrance of Allah.
She was a mureedah of Sayyidi wa sanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah preserve & protect him) and wife of his khalifa Commander (retd.) Shaukat Kamal (Allah have mercy on him).
Please, try to remember her in your dua and if conveniently possible make esal-e-thawab for her.
Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following:
Muraaqabah-e-Du’aa’iyyah refers to where one, while remaining silent, closes his eyes, and turns his attention to his heart and begins making dua with his heart i.e. one does not make a verbal dua with one’s tongue. While making dua with one’s heart, one may make dua for his deen, his dunya, and for whatever needs one has.
However, one should also remember to include the ummah of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) in one’s dua by asking Allah Ta‘ala to bring favourable and good conditions upon the ummah and grant them success.
On account of the ummah being linked to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam), when one includes the ummah in one’s dua, then this will be a means for one’s duas gaining acceptance by Allah Ta‘ala.
Note: Just as it is permissible to make dua verbally, it is also permissible to make dua in one’s heart, as mentioned above by Hazrat Sheikhul Hadith Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih). However, it should be borne in mind that on those occasions where it is established that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) made a verbal dua (e.g. after salaah, after the azaan, after eating, etc.) then one should recite these masnoon duas verbally in order to practise upon the sunnah. Nevertheless, at other times, one can make dua to Allah Ta‘ala verbally or in one’s heart.
Hakim al Umma Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Allah have mercy on him) once mentioned the following:
If a person is involved in sins, then one method for him to reform himself is that together with sincerely engaging in istighfaar and towbah, he should also impose some penalty upon himself so that this becomes a cause for him to refrain from falling into the sin in the future. This penalty can either be a physical penalty (e.g. fasting for a period of time) or a monetary penalty (i.e. giving a certain amount of money in sadaqah to the poor).
Our Prophet (Allah’s blessing & peace be upon him) mentioned in the Hadith that if a person says to someone (inviting him towards gambling), “Come, let me gamble with you,” then he should give some sadaqah.
In this Hadith, we see that Prophet (Allah’s blessing & peace be upon him) looked at the cause for one wishing to enter into the sin of gambling. The cause for this is the love for wealth. Therefore, he prescribed giving some sadaqah as a penalty, as this will cause the love for wealth to leave one’s heart (and this will also prevent him from falling into the sin in the future).
سیدی و سندی حضرت مفتی تقی عثمانی صاحب مدظلہ نے فرمایا، اصلاح اخلاق کے صرف دو راستے ہیں: ۱۔ صحبت اہل اللہ۔ وہ لوگ جنہوں نے کثرت مجاہدات سے اپنے اخلاق کو معتدل بنالیا ان کی صحبت کی کثرت۔ ۲۔ توفیق الہی۔ اس کے لئے دعا کرتے رہنا چاہیے۔ جیسا کے احادیث میں تعلیم کیا گیا ہے۔ (اسئلک خلقا” مستقیما)
An individual inquired that how can a person convalescing from a illness differentiate that not doing his daily ma’mulaat (wird) is because of illness or due to laziness.
Sayyidiwasanadi Mufti Mohammed Taqi Usmani (Allah protect & preserve him) replied,
‘One should do the daily ma’mulaat (on trial basis) and see. If there is deterioration in his illness then it is from disease otherwise it is laziness.’
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following:
Expressing gratitude over a favour and being pleased with it, considering it to be purely the grace and mercy of Allah Ta‘ala, is the right which the one enjoying the favour owes to the One who bestowed him with the favour – Allah Ta‘ala. It is in reference to this that Allah Ta‘ala says in the Qur’aan Majeed:
Say, “In the bounty of Allah and in His mercy – in that let them rejoice.” (Surah Yunus v. 58)
This form of happiness and joy is actually a form of shukr to Allah Ta‘ala and hence it is praiseworthy and desirable in deen.
However, contrary to this, there is another form of happiness that equates to pride. This is where a person becomes boastful and happy over the bounty, attributing it to his own effort and achievement, and not to Allah Ta‘ala, and this is ingratitude to the One who bestowed the favour. The root cause of this ingratitude is that a person forgets and loses sight of the fact that this bounty and favour can be taken away from him at any moment. It is in reference to this boastful attitude that Allah Ta‘ala mentions in the Qur’aan Majeed:
When his people (the people of Qaaroon) said to him, “Do not be filled with boastfulness (in your happiness), indeed Allah does not like those who are filled with boastfulness (in their happiness).” (Surah Qasas v. 76)
In the case of Qaaroon, he was happy over the wealth itself (not the bounty of Allah Ta‘ala), so look at what an evil end and outcome he met!
When one receives the bounty and blessing, and then reflects that it belongs to Allah Ta‘ala and He may take it away at any time, then the feeling of gratitude that he experiences in his heart at that time is regarded as shukr to Allah Ta‘ala.
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following:
The present era that we are experiencing is filled with fitnahs. The fitnahs are so intense that the imaan (and deen) of people is in danger. It is for this reason I regard it fardh-e-ain (obligatory) for people to remain in the company of the Buzurgaan-e-Deen (pious saints, so that they will be able to protect their deen through benefitting from their company).
What doubt can one have that remaining in the company of the Buzurgaan-e-Deen (pious saints) in this era is fardh-e-ain? The reason is that when experience has proven that safeguarding one’s deen and imaan is dependent on spending time in the company of the Buzurgaan-e-Deen, then what doubt can one have that this now is a fardh obligation (i.e. when safeguarding one’s deen and imaan is fardh, then the means through which imaan and deen will be safeguarded will also be fardh, and in these challenging times, this can only be achieved through remaining in the company of the pious).
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned the following:
Du‘aa is an extremely great ibaadah and is the essence of all other ibaadaat. (The reason is that du‘aa is an expression of humility, and this is what is desired in all ibaadaat). However, from all ibaadaat, it is witnessed that people show the least importance to making du‘aa.
Du‘aa is such a thing that even if it used as a means to beg Allah Ta‘ala to fulfil one’s worldly needs, then too, it is still an act of ibaadah (and one will receive reward for it) – on condition that the du‘aa is made for something permissible in Shari‘ah.
In regard to du‘aa, some people are under the impression that du‘aa is only an act of ibaadah when du‘aa is made for things relating to one’s deen or for works of deen, or when du‘aa is made for seeking success and salvation in the Hereafter. However, this notion is incorrect.
When some people write to me seeking assistance for certain needs or difficulties which they are experiencing, then instead of them requesting me to make du‘aa for their problem, they write, “Please give us some effective amal or some wazeefah to recite for this need or problem.” To such people, I write the following reply, “I do not have knowledge of any such amal which is so powerful that it will alleviate your problem or fulfil your need. However, you should know well that there is no wazeefah or amal that is as powerful and great as du‘aa (hence, you should engage in du‘aa, begging Allah Ta‘ala to remove your problem or fulfil your need).”
