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
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
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
Following is a list of common prevalent sinful activities.
Most of us are knowingly or unknowingly involved in them.
Sadly we are neither acknowledging our mistake in this involvement, nor repenting sincerely and making concrete efforts for improvement.
The present Pandemic should be an eye-opener for us.
It is extremely dangerous to belittle a sinful activity. It is spiritually lethal. Emaan is lost by considering it to be okay and continue doing it.
May Allah protect us all. Ameen!
(The list includes the most common and serious ones. There are many others.)
1. Associating partners with Allah. This is not by worshiping idols, but by believing Divinely attributes in created beings.
2. Performing black magic.
3. Free intermingling of opposite sexes.
4. Illicit sexual relationships.
5. Homosexuality.
6. Watching pornography.
7. Masturbation.
8. Listening music.
9. Insolent behavior with parents
10. Breaking blood-relationship ties.
11. Habitual lying.
12. Back-biting.
13. Deceiving another fellow human being.
14. Demanding bribes.
15. Use of intoxicants.
16. Watching movies, dramas and other types of videos.
17. Disregarding the rules of hijab and not covering what needs to be covered.
True Repentance means that we,
1. Acknowledge our mistake and are remorseful
2. We stop doing it immediately
3. We make a firm determination never to do it again
4. In case of negligence in fulfilling the rights of other fellow human beings, we either reimburse them or ask their forgiveness
May Allah facilitate it for us to abstain from all that is sinful. Ameen!
The Prophet of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,
“On the day of eid (when people gather to offer eid prayers)
Allah says to the Angels,
‘Have these people fulfilled the obligation (of fasting)
and are now gathered for prayers?
I swear by My pride, magnificence, majesty, mercy and elevated status that I will fulfill their prayers.
Tell them to return,
I have forgiven them all
and furthermore
I have replaced their sins with virtuous deeds.
Hence they return completely forgiven.
(Mishkat/Bahaiqi)
On our eid visit to Sayyidi wa sanadi Mawlana Mohammad Taqi Usmani(Allah preserve him) we always found him to be extremely happy and cheerful, repeatedly telling us that Arifbillah Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi’s (Allah have mercy on him) statement regarding Eidul fitr
“We are excessively blessed individuals today.
All our sins have been forgiven.
They have been bartered with good deeds.
We are completely clean and tidy.”
An unimaginable joy!
The COVID-19 Pandemic is taking a major emotional toll on us.
The lockdown and the continuous barrage of negative news is creating uncertainty about one’s own and loved ones’ well being, future, job and financial securities.
This is draining us emotionally and is creating anticipatory grief and depression.
This is spiritually dangerous.
If not dealt appropriately it will lead to loneliness, lassitude, trouble focusing, feelings of sadness & hopelessness, loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed, irritability, restlessness, sleeping difficulties and eventually exhaustion. The daily prayers, recitations, readings and supererogatory (nafil) actions and khushu (concentration & reflection) in them will gradually fade away.
This will be a disaster indeed.
The lifelong mujahidda (struggle) wasted.
We all have to be proactive in this regards.
Following points have helped me and InshaAllah will be helpful for you as well.
1. Keep focused. Our goal is achieving Allah’s pleasure and acceptance. All sinful activities are a barrier to it. Leave them now.
2. Remind ourselves that Allah, Most High being the Sovereign authority in charge (al-Hakim) has all the right to do with us as He wants. No one can question it. We being His slaves have to accept it. However, at the same time we must remember that He is Wise (al-Hakeem) and whatever He does certainly has something beneficial for us. We may not be able to acknowledge this right away but this is for sure.
3. Disconnect with news and social media to a greater extent. Set limits. Check these twice per day just to keep updated and motivated.
4. Connect with Allah. Make dua. Ask Allah for safeguard from all our apprehensions. This can even be non-verbal in mind & heart.
5. Keep up with our daily ma’moolaat (routine). The dhikr, recitations of Holy Quran, Munajat e Maqbool, tasbihat, recommended books. Even under normal circumstances one has to force him/herself to do these. Please remember that this is not easy. This is the daily mujahidda (spiritual struggle) required.
6. Make excessive shukr (gratitude) of Allah. Remind ourselves of all the blessings we have right now, like physical & mental health, food, water, shelter, family & loved ones, accessibility to healthcare etc. and make shukr for each and every of them individually. Allah has promised that gratitude insures and increases the blessing.
7. Use our time wisely. Each moment of our life is priceless. Do not let it waste in useless activities. Do your job. Learn. Read. Write. Cook. Workout. Be busy.
May Allah protect us all and keep us steadfast in these challenging time.
بجاہ سید المرسلین حبیبک صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم
آمین!
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:
The Deen of Islam places great emphasis on assisting those in need and those undergoing difficulties. However, it is unfortunate that in today’s times, many people are totally unconcerned about assisting those in difficulty.
Some people are so miserly and self-centred that they make every arrangement for their own comfort – shoes, food, clothing, etc. – yet they have no worry or concern for whether others are dying or undergoing distress.
Some people argue and say, “How many people must we help? There are thousands of people in need and difficulty!” The answer to such people is, “Very well, you are right in saying that there are thousands of people in need and difficulty. However, if you are unable to assist all, it does not mean that you should not assist the few people you are able to assist! At least assist ten people among them!”
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) then mentioned, “Generally, these types of excuses are made by people who do not wish to do anything.”
(Malfoozaat Hakeemul Ummat 23/163-164)
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