Being attentive of Allah 2

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Shaikh Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) said,

‘Try to keep your attention towards the recitation of the dhikr you are doing. That is, focusing on what is being recited and contemplating its meanings. At the same time being aware that my Allah is watching me and listening to my recital. I am in front of Him. Keep reminding yourself about these things continuously throughout the day.

This is a lesson for all of us.
We have to repeat it and be reminded about it.

Thanks to your visit we revised it today.’

Medinah al Munawwarah, 3 Muharram 1434/17 November 2012

Controlling sight and tongue

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Shaikh Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) said,

‘Be totally silent. Develop this habit (of keeping the heart attentive towards Allah), especially here in illuminated Medinah. Remain mute, deaf and blind here. Keep your sight focused to ground. Do not look at anything except for the essential, like way towards the door of blessed mosque.

The sight and speech should not be used without an active intention. If this control is achieved one is bestowed with many blessings from Allah. Our sight and speech are irresponsibly out of control. The sight wanders here and there without any restrictions.

Be vigilant about safeguarding the sight especially in the blessed city of Medinah. This is the least that should be done here. By the evening time there should not be a single image of non-mehram in our mind. This can only be achieved if one actively lowers his gaze. If accidentally something inappropriate is seen then turn to Allah immediately, asking for protection and removal of its bad effects.’

Madinah e munawarrah, 3rd Muharram 1434/17th November 2012, after asr

Develop an attentive heart 1

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Shaikh Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) said,

‘Keep the heart attentive towards Allah all the time.

Outwardly it appears that the pious people (ahl-Allah) are just sitting idle. That is not the case at all. There is no heedlessness (gaflah) for them. They are totally engrossed in the remembrance of Allah. Although their tongue is silent but their heart is drowned in the remembrance of Allah.

In contrast we have prayer-beads (tasbih) in our hand and repetition of dhikr formulas on our tongue but our hearts is totally inattentive and drowned in heedlessness.’

Madinah e munawarrah, 3rd Muharram 1434/17th November 2012, after asr

Serve parents

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Shaikh Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) said,

‘I instruct the youth that associated with me for their islah to take special care of their parents. That is, (in addition to be being polite and obedient) they must provide extra care and service to their parent. Like massaging the parents’ legs and feet ( a common practice to sooth tired limbs in subcontinent).

Everyone is eager to massage Shaikh’s feet while they neglect providing this service to their parents. This is absurd. The Shaikh has several people to provide this service whereas your parent’s only have you or few other individuals to do this.

I repeatedly tell them that in hierarchy of Shariah rulings the rights of parents come before those of the Shaikh.

This also reassures the parents about their son’s Shaikh. (That is, they do not feel threatened of being replaced by the Shaikh.)’

Hilton Makkah al mukaramah, 1st Muharram 1434/15th November 2012, after esha.

Islamic dress

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Shaikh Haji Shakeel Ahmad (Allah preserve him) had just returned from the blessed Masjid al-Haraam after performing tawaf e wida. He greeted us with a radiant smiling face. Walking independently he appeared handsome in the black kurta and showed no signs (mashaAllah) of any illness at all.

The humility, love and kindness overflowed as the audience benefited spiritually from his words.

Haji sahib said,

‘I observed that the young men who approached me for islah started wearing the simple white  kurta and khanqahi topi. They were trying to copy their Shaikh.

I questioned them about this change. Who had instructed them to do so?

Moreover, I inquired about the opinion of their wives and other household members regarding this change.

They answered that we are labeled as bhaiya (slang for resident of UP) and mawlavi.

I took them personally to a tailor and asked him to make kurta for them in styles and colors (even mix and match) in trend these days for their age group.

Personally I always preferred to wear white clothes in accordance with the Sunna. However, to reinforce the message for young men and show them practically that it is permissible, now I also wear colored kurta.

In fact, few people in Bombay joke about Haji Shakeel’s dashing kurta(s).’

Hilton Makkah al mukaramah, 1st Muharram 1434/15th November 2012, after esha.

Clarification: Bayah vs suhba

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Shaikh Mufti Muhammad Shuaibullah Khan (Allah preserve him)  said,

‘It must be very clear to all of us that bayah is not synonymous with keeping pious company (suhba) of a Shaikh.

Lot of people are under the false assumption that they are both the same. They make bayah and become content. They do not  make effort to improve their spiritual condition.

The knowledge and motivation for this effort to improve is derived from the pious company of the Shaikh. One has to ask for guidance and supplications from the Shaikh whenever faced with hardships or laziness in these spiritual efforts.

Moreover, it must be understood that the pious company of the Shaikh must be with the active intention of improving one’s spiritual condition. Without such intention mere pious company is not optimally beneficial in itself. ‘

Majlis: Islah e nafs ki zarurat, part 3, 2012-11-08

Allah’s Prophets are infallible & Friends are protected

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Shaikh Shah Wasiullah Allahabadi (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘It is prohibited to believe that friends (awliya) of Allah are infallible. Then why should one lose conviction in them if they err. They are not flawless (ma’soom).

They can commit sins. There are many wisdoms from Allah (even) in these actions.

However, they are protected for sure. So they do not persist in their wrong doing. They immediately repent asking forgiveness from the sinful actions.

This is what I understand from ‘being protected’. That is, there should be no persistence in doing the sinful activity and (immediate) repentance is facilitated for him so that he is saved from its consequences and adverse effects.’

Ifadaat al Wasiya ala Tarse’ al Jawaher al Makkiya, page 142

 

The calamity of our era!

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Shaykh Mawlana Dr Hafiz Tanvir Ahmad Khan (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The biggest calamity of our era is not to consider an evil to be evil, a sinful thing to be sinful, and impermissible (haram) activity to be impermissible.

This lowly individual remembers till today these words of Shaykh Mawlana Dr Abdul Hayy Arifi (Allah have mercy on him);

‘Alas. You will watch television, movies, and operate VCR. You are not going to abandon these activities. Moreover, you will continue all the other abominable practices.

The conditions these days have deteriorated to the extent that  it has become impossible to stop people from indulging in these activities.

Now our lamentation is that, for the sake of Allah, at least consider these things to be impermissible and sinful.

Do not boast about being involved in them. These days people take pride in them and boastfully tell others that we have television, VCR, video camera, etc.

Take heed! Consider these acts sinful.

Indulge in them with the understanding that they are sinful. Otherwise, it is feared that one may be be deprived of faith (eman).

Shamet e Aamal, page 8

Invaluable Prescription

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Shaikh Dr Hafez Tanveer Ahmed Khan, a murid of Hakim al Umma Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanawi and khalifa of Masih al Umma Mawlana Masihullah Khan (Allah have mercy on them) said,

‘I inform you of the recipe of alchemy (the mystical process that changes other metals to pure gold).

It is brief and only takes a few minutes.  Perform it at night before going to sleeping. Do it everyday.  By the Grace of Allah it will bring much benefit in one’s life.

Take account of all the days happenings quickly. Then,

  • Make repentance (taubah) for all sinful activities, major or minor. Ask Allah for transformation of heart (‘s priorities) as He (alone) has control over heart. Ask Allah to change these sinful habits into a life of piety as per the teachings of the Qur’an and Sunna of our Beloved Messenger Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).
  • Do acknowledge (Muhasabah) that all all good deeds performed throughout the day were due to Allah’s benevolence (taufeeq). Ask Allah for their acceptance and the ability to perform more sincere and virtuous deeds in future.
  • Be thankful to Allah (Shukr) for blessings such as faith (eman), being a member of the Ummah of Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace), family, physical health, etc..  Acknowledge not being worthy of any of these blessings and that they are solely the Allah’s benevolence. Ask Allah to continue showering blessings upon you and to make you amongst the thankful (shakireen) servants.

Tahajjud prayers

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The reviver of Sunna Shaikh Mawlana Abrarul Haqq (Allah have mercy on him) said,

‘The tahajjud salah in itself has the property to make an individual righteous, pious and a friend (wali) of Allah.’

‘There are some medicines that have the property of working both at preventing the disease (prophylaxis) and eradicating it (treatment). Similar is the case of tahajjud. It  eradicates the sinful deeds and nurtures the resistance for indulgence in sinful.’

Ma’arif al Abrar ra, page 238