The Effect of My Sins
My soul has become isolated, buried in deep sorrow,
My heart has become wilted, searching for happiness to borrow.
My eyes have lost their lustre, no longer wanting to twinkle,
My hands have lost their strength, soon they will start to wrinkle.
My body has become weak, it is now something frail,
My skin has become blemished, I now look so pale.
My ears have become deaf, not bothered to hear advice,
My feet have become foolish, walking away from what is nice.
My tongue has become dry, failing to remember You,
My breath is limited, soon my lips will become blue.
My depression is a shadow, it clings to me and follows me wherever I may go,
My happiness is distant, like the measure of an arrow that emits from a bow.
I have become lonely, I find it hard just to smile,
I have become sad, my sins measure many a mile.
Hope in Your mercy is all that remains in my tattered heart,
You created me, You loved me, You knew me from the start...
Friday 30 April 2010
Wednesday 28 April 2010
SINCERE INTENTION
In the name of Allah Ta'ala, the most gracious the most merciful,
Sincerity is an important quality that one must have. A Muslim must always be sincere with regard to their deen and the actions they perform. My brothers and sisters we should not be doing actions to please our fellow human beings. Pleasing the eyes of the people will not be of any help on the day of Qiyamah. My brothers and sisters think to yourself, who do we have to make happy? The creations or the Creator? Will it help us if we please the people and make people think we are good?
Our sole purpose when we do something should be to please Allah Ta'ala only. We need to be smart, and not like those people who are blinded by this world and think this world is everything. As Muslims we should know that this life is only for a moment so make it a moment of obedience to Allah Ta'ala! Don't try to impress people with your actions for it will not be of any help to us. Yes, people may think you are good, but does it matter what they think? No. If Allah Ta'ala is displeased with us, then no matter how happy people are with us we will be doomed, so we need to have sincere intentions in whatever actions we are doing.
Being sincere means you have to be strong in your imaan. The following is a quote that comes to my mine, “Be who you are not what people want you to be. What’s the point of trying to impress people in this life? For on the Day of Qiyamah no one will come to your aid but your good deeds, learn to be sincere with yourselves and work towards perfecting your Deen not perfecting your image for people to love you. Remember that a time will come where this life will finish but the life of the hereafter is forever, if you are clever then perfect your imaan not your image”.
We must realise that this life is for a moment only so make it a moment of obedience and sincerity towards Allah Ta'ala. On the day of Qiyamah there will be three people that will come, one was a fighter, who fought numerous battle and died in the path of Allah Ta'ala, the second one was a rich man who spent most of his wealth in the path of Allah Ta'ala and the third one was a scholar who use his knowledge for the sake of Islam. Allah Ta'ala will say to the angels to throw them into the Hell fire. They will ask why and then Allah Ta'ala will tell them that you only did these actions so that in the eyes of people you would be regarded as great and you didn’t do nothing for my sake, so Jahannam is your abode. From this story we can see the importance of being sincere. Our intention should be to please Allah Ta'ala only not to please people.
The Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihi wasalaam) said: “The rewards of deeds depend upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.” - 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (radiallahu anhu), Vol. 8, Book 78, Number 680
We can see from that hadith that if our intention is to please Allah Ta'ala while doing good actions then Alhamdulillah we will be rewarded according to our intention but if our intention is to please people then we should change our intention and we should be sincere and make sure our intention is to please Allah Ta'ala only. We should be clever and not foolish to think that pleasing people will help us towards achieving a better hereafter, we should realise that this life is not permanent and of course we can work towards having a good life in this world but at the same time we should work twice as hard to achieve a better hereafter and having sincere intentions will Insh'Allah help us.
Hazrat Fuzail ibn Iyyaz rahmatullahi alayh: “If you can get by without being known, then do so. What does it bother you that people will not praise you, and what does it bother you that you may be blameworthy in the sight of people if in the Sight of Allah you are praiseworthy?”
I make dua that Allah Ta'ala makes all of us sincere in our intention and grant us Jannah through his Rahmah. Ameen
Sincerity is an important quality that one must have. A Muslim must always be sincere with regard to their deen and the actions they perform. My brothers and sisters we should not be doing actions to please our fellow human beings. Pleasing the eyes of the people will not be of any help on the day of Qiyamah. My brothers and sisters think to yourself, who do we have to make happy? The creations or the Creator? Will it help us if we please the people and make people think we are good?
Our sole purpose when we do something should be to please Allah Ta'ala only. We need to be smart, and not like those people who are blinded by this world and think this world is everything. As Muslims we should know that this life is only for a moment so make it a moment of obedience to Allah Ta'ala! Don't try to impress people with your actions for it will not be of any help to us. Yes, people may think you are good, but does it matter what they think? No. If Allah Ta'ala is displeased with us, then no matter how happy people are with us we will be doomed, so we need to have sincere intentions in whatever actions we are doing.
Being sincere means you have to be strong in your imaan. The following is a quote that comes to my mine, “Be who you are not what people want you to be. What’s the point of trying to impress people in this life? For on the Day of Qiyamah no one will come to your aid but your good deeds, learn to be sincere with yourselves and work towards perfecting your Deen not perfecting your image for people to love you. Remember that a time will come where this life will finish but the life of the hereafter is forever, if you are clever then perfect your imaan not your image”.
We must realise that this life is for a moment only so make it a moment of obedience and sincerity towards Allah Ta'ala. On the day of Qiyamah there will be three people that will come, one was a fighter, who fought numerous battle and died in the path of Allah Ta'ala, the second one was a rich man who spent most of his wealth in the path of Allah Ta'ala and the third one was a scholar who use his knowledge for the sake of Islam. Allah Ta'ala will say to the angels to throw them into the Hell fire. They will ask why and then Allah Ta'ala will tell them that you only did these actions so that in the eyes of people you would be regarded as great and you didn’t do nothing for my sake, so Jahannam is your abode. From this story we can see the importance of being sincere. Our intention should be to please Allah Ta'ala only not to please people.
The Prophet Muhammad (sallahu alaihi wasalaam) said: “The rewards of deeds depend upon the intentions, and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.” - 'Umar bin Al-Khattab (radiallahu anhu), Vol. 8, Book 78, Number 680
We can see from that hadith that if our intention is to please Allah Ta'ala while doing good actions then Alhamdulillah we will be rewarded according to our intention but if our intention is to please people then we should change our intention and we should be sincere and make sure our intention is to please Allah Ta'ala only. We should be clever and not foolish to think that pleasing people will help us towards achieving a better hereafter, we should realise that this life is not permanent and of course we can work towards having a good life in this world but at the same time we should work twice as hard to achieve a better hereafter and having sincere intentions will Insh'Allah help us.
Hazrat Fuzail ibn Iyyaz rahmatullahi alayh: “If you can get by without being known, then do so. What does it bother you that people will not praise you, and what does it bother you that you may be blameworthy in the sight of people if in the Sight of Allah you are praiseworthy?”
I make dua that Allah Ta'ala makes all of us sincere in our intention and grant us Jannah through his Rahmah. Ameen
Monday 26 April 2010
Hazrat Thanwi's Love For His Wife & The Glitzy Achkan!
A strange incident with regards to Hazrat Thanwi
(This article has been translated from Islahi Khutbaat)
Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib (DB) mentions,
“I remember a very strange story which I heard from my respected father (Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahimahullah). It is a story which gives a great lesson.
Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahmatullahi alayh had two wives. One was elderly and one was young. Both had a great relationship with Hazrat. However the elderly wife was would always be thinking about how she could bring some rest to Hazrat.
Once, Eid was approaching and she really desired from her heart to make a Achkan (a long jacket type of thing click for image). There was a special type of cloth that would be used in that time for this and its name was “ankh kaa nasha” (the intoxication of the eyes). It was a very bright type of cloth also.
She began to sew Hazrat wala a Achkan without asking him prior to making it. She entertained the thought of seeing Hazrat’s happiness and thus did not tell him about it in order to surprise him. She spent the entirety of Ramadhan making this garment for Hazrat; this was because they did not have machines in those days so clothing had to be sewn and stitched by hand.
Thus she finished making the garment and she gifted it to Hazrat on the night before Eid. She said to him, “I have made this Achkan for you... my heart wishes that you wear this to the Eidgah and lead the prayer in it (the prayer would consist of thousands of people).”
Now, Hazrat’s persona was something else and this dazzling Achkan was something else (i.e. Hazrat was a very simple person and did not wear anything flamboyant). Hazrat’s persona was completely the opposite of this dazzling Achkan! However Hazrat mentions, “Had I refused to wear this garment, her heart would have been broken. She had spent the entire month of Ramadhan making this garment with so much effort and love.” Thereafter, just to make the heart of his wife happy, he said, “Masha Allah!!! You have made a beautiful Achkan!”
He then wore this Achkan to Eidgah and lead the prayer. When he finished the prayer, a person came to Hazrat and said, “Hazrat! You know this Achkan you are wearing, it does not give you any beauty because it is of a very dazzling nature.”
Hazrat replied, “Yes bhai! You are correct!” He then took this Achkan off and gave it to this man as a Eid gift and told him to wear it.
After this, Hazrat Thanwi related this whole incident to my father (Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahimahullah) and he said, “Don’t ask me as to how much my heart was being torn apart inside as I was walking towards the Eidgah. This is because I have never in my entire life worn a dress as glitzy as this but in my heart I made the intention that ‘this Allah ki bandi (slave of Allah) has spent her entire month making this garment for me... let me make her heart happy. After wearing this, I even got joked about. People joked about me when they saw me and would say, ‘What has he come to this place wearing?!’ But I did all this just to make the heart of my wife happy.” [Islahi Khutbaat]
Allah hu Akbar! What is amazing here is the beautiful relationship Hazrat had with his wife. On one side there is a wife who loves her husband so much that she spent the entirety of Ramadhan making him a garment and on the other side, we have a man who loves his wife so much that despite him not liking the garment himself, he still put a front on to make his wife happy. How many of us can today say that 1) We would spend such time in thought of our beloved and 2) We would happily work towards keeping the hearts of our beloved happy despite being joked and jeered about?
May Allah Ta’ala give us strength and taufiq by which everything is then possible. May He out of His infinite love and mercy give us the ability to love in the correct manner. Ameen
(This article has been translated from Islahi Khutbaat)
Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib (DB) mentions,
“I remember a very strange story which I heard from my respected father (Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahimahullah). It is a story which gives a great lesson.
Hazrat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi rahmatullahi alayh had two wives. One was elderly and one was young. Both had a great relationship with Hazrat. However the elderly wife was would always be thinking about how she could bring some rest to Hazrat.
Once, Eid was approaching and she really desired from her heart to make a Achkan (a long jacket type of thing click for image). There was a special type of cloth that would be used in that time for this and its name was “ankh kaa nasha” (the intoxication of the eyes). It was a very bright type of cloth also.
She began to sew Hazrat wala a Achkan without asking him prior to making it. She entertained the thought of seeing Hazrat’s happiness and thus did not tell him about it in order to surprise him. She spent the entirety of Ramadhan making this garment for Hazrat; this was because they did not have machines in those days so clothing had to be sewn and stitched by hand.
Thus she finished making the garment and she gifted it to Hazrat on the night before Eid. She said to him, “I have made this Achkan for you... my heart wishes that you wear this to the Eidgah and lead the prayer in it (the prayer would consist of thousands of people).”
Now, Hazrat’s persona was something else and this dazzling Achkan was something else (i.e. Hazrat was a very simple person and did not wear anything flamboyant). Hazrat’s persona was completely the opposite of this dazzling Achkan! However Hazrat mentions, “Had I refused to wear this garment, her heart would have been broken. She had spent the entire month of Ramadhan making this garment with so much effort and love.” Thereafter, just to make the heart of his wife happy, he said, “Masha Allah!!! You have made a beautiful Achkan!”
He then wore this Achkan to Eidgah and lead the prayer. When he finished the prayer, a person came to Hazrat and said, “Hazrat! You know this Achkan you are wearing, it does not give you any beauty because it is of a very dazzling nature.”
Hazrat replied, “Yes bhai! You are correct!” He then took this Achkan off and gave it to this man as a Eid gift and told him to wear it.
After this, Hazrat Thanwi related this whole incident to my father (Hazrat Mufti Muhammad Shafi rahimahullah) and he said, “Don’t ask me as to how much my heart was being torn apart inside as I was walking towards the Eidgah. This is because I have never in my entire life worn a dress as glitzy as this but in my heart I made the intention that ‘this Allah ki bandi (slave of Allah) has spent her entire month making this garment for me... let me make her heart happy. After wearing this, I even got joked about. People joked about me when they saw me and would say, ‘What has he come to this place wearing?!’ But I did all this just to make the heart of my wife happy.” [Islahi Khutbaat]
Allah hu Akbar! What is amazing here is the beautiful relationship Hazrat had with his wife. On one side there is a wife who loves her husband so much that she spent the entirety of Ramadhan making him a garment and on the other side, we have a man who loves his wife so much that despite him not liking the garment himself, he still put a front on to make his wife happy. How many of us can today say that 1) We would spend such time in thought of our beloved and 2) We would happily work towards keeping the hearts of our beloved happy despite being joked and jeered about?
May Allah Ta’ala give us strength and taufiq by which everything is then possible. May He out of His infinite love and mercy give us the ability to love in the correct manner. Ameen
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Humility When Praised
Observing humility in all walks of life is a necessity. Our respected asatiza always mention, “The more humility there is in a person, the more his progress will be.” This progress is not just in examinations but in life as a whole. A person who understands his reality will always be loved by Allah Ta’ala and those whom he associates with.
There are many things that we can show humility in today but to achieve this humbleness, a person needs to be down to earth about who he really is. As a person grows more religious, people will tend to call him Hazrat, Maulana, Hafiz Saab, Molvisaab and the list is endless. These titles may hold no such reality but people will still use it in order to perhaps exaggerate a person’s status. The reality is that it should not be said in the first place.
Once a man was exaggerating his praise for another person and when Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam heard this, he said, “You have broken the man’s back.” This is not to be taken in its literal but rather, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam is emphasising upon the fact of how destructive such praise can be. The post beneath this one shows how self delusional man can be and how he excites himself with ideas of self righteousness. Thus, if a person says to another, “Hazrat!” he may become deluded and consider himself to be pious.
This is not to say we should not use titles such as “Hazrat”. This is totally fine if the person who this title is being attributed to does not feel any pride and is deserved of it.
Moving on. Humility is a trait which is important to create within ourselves. Despite the fact that others may call a person by elevated names, a person should always have the ability within himself to look down towards his heart and understand the contents which are within there. Every person knows how filthy his heart is and how in need of purification he is. Allah Ta’ala says, “Allah does not love those who are proud.” In another verse, Allah Ta’ala reveals to mankind what their reality is, He says, “Does man not consider that We created him from a mere drop of sperm then at once he became an open challenger?”
Allah Ta’ala here is highlighting the reality of man that he was created from a filthy drop of semen yet he feels proud over himself. When the happiness of being praised enters our hearts, we should immediately turn our attention towards this verse.
Once the governor of Basra passed by Hazrat Malik ibn Dinar rahmatullahi alayh. The governor’s appearance was that of a proud person; his garments were below his ankles and he was walking arrogantly. Hazrat Malik said, “Do not walk in this manner!” The governor’s attendants were enraged but he replied, “Leave him! Perhaps he does not recognise who I am.” Hazrat Malik replied, “Who can be more recognising of you than me?! As for your beginning, you were a dirty drop! As for your end, it is a dirty corpse! And in between these two stages, you carry filth within you.” The governor lowered his head and walked away. This is the reality of man.
Once, Hazrat Huzayfa radiallahu anhu led the people in prayer. After the prayer, he said, “Pray behind another Imam because a thought occurred in my mind that there is nobody in my people better than me!”
A person should always think about his origin and from what he was created. Humility should be present in our speech, walking and social conduct. It should not be the case that we want to wear the brightest glowing hijab so that people can notice us and deem us pious; and it should not be the case that we want to wear the flashiest juba in order to turn heads for the same reason. Rather we should be humble with our eyes lowered and our body submissive towards Allah Ta’ala. When a person beautifies our characteristics by excessive praise, then we should remind ourselves of our sins which are not known by the people. The titles of Hazrat, Maulana etc are for those who are obedient and obedience is only shown by the deeds of a true believer. Therefore if a person is not obedient, he should look towards his disobedience in a way which reminds him of his true significance. In realising this, humility will insha Allah enter his heart.
May Allah Ta’ala adorn me with humility, a trait which is much needed and may He give it to all those who suffer from this ailment as I do. Ameen.
There are many things that we can show humility in today but to achieve this humbleness, a person needs to be down to earth about who he really is. As a person grows more religious, people will tend to call him Hazrat, Maulana, Hafiz Saab, Molvisaab and the list is endless. These titles may hold no such reality but people will still use it in order to perhaps exaggerate a person’s status. The reality is that it should not be said in the first place.
Once a man was exaggerating his praise for another person and when Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam heard this, he said, “You have broken the man’s back.” This is not to be taken in its literal but rather, Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam is emphasising upon the fact of how destructive such praise can be. The post beneath this one shows how self delusional man can be and how he excites himself with ideas of self righteousness. Thus, if a person says to another, “Hazrat!” he may become deluded and consider himself to be pious.
This is not to say we should not use titles such as “Hazrat”. This is totally fine if the person who this title is being attributed to does not feel any pride and is deserved of it.
Moving on. Humility is a trait which is important to create within ourselves. Despite the fact that others may call a person by elevated names, a person should always have the ability within himself to look down towards his heart and understand the contents which are within there. Every person knows how filthy his heart is and how in need of purification he is. Allah Ta’ala says, “Allah does not love those who are proud.” In another verse, Allah Ta’ala reveals to mankind what their reality is, He says, “Does man not consider that We created him from a mere drop of sperm then at once he became an open challenger?”
Allah Ta’ala here is highlighting the reality of man that he was created from a filthy drop of semen yet he feels proud over himself. When the happiness of being praised enters our hearts, we should immediately turn our attention towards this verse.
Once the governor of Basra passed by Hazrat Malik ibn Dinar rahmatullahi alayh. The governor’s appearance was that of a proud person; his garments were below his ankles and he was walking arrogantly. Hazrat Malik said, “Do not walk in this manner!” The governor’s attendants were enraged but he replied, “Leave him! Perhaps he does not recognise who I am.” Hazrat Malik replied, “Who can be more recognising of you than me?! As for your beginning, you were a dirty drop! As for your end, it is a dirty corpse! And in between these two stages, you carry filth within you.” The governor lowered his head and walked away. This is the reality of man.
Once, Hazrat Huzayfa radiallahu anhu led the people in prayer. After the prayer, he said, “Pray behind another Imam because a thought occurred in my mind that there is nobody in my people better than me!”
A person should always think about his origin and from what he was created. Humility should be present in our speech, walking and social conduct. It should not be the case that we want to wear the brightest glowing hijab so that people can notice us and deem us pious; and it should not be the case that we want to wear the flashiest juba in order to turn heads for the same reason. Rather we should be humble with our eyes lowered and our body submissive towards Allah Ta’ala. When a person beautifies our characteristics by excessive praise, then we should remind ourselves of our sins which are not known by the people. The titles of Hazrat, Maulana etc are for those who are obedient and obedience is only shown by the deeds of a true believer. Therefore if a person is not obedient, he should look towards his disobedience in a way which reminds him of his true significance. In realising this, humility will insha Allah enter his heart.
May Allah Ta’ala adorn me with humility, a trait which is much needed and may He give it to all those who suffer from this ailment as I do. Ameen.
Tuesday 6 April 2010
Self Delusion
Recently it was mentioned that in Tasawwuf error and misguidance is most of the time because of a delusional state resulting from lay public admiration and following.
Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) elaborated this very nicely in an anecdote.
There was an individual who owned a horse. This horse was of no use to him. It was a huge, lazy, stubborn and stolid creature. He ate a lot , defecated and farted much. And was totally unproductive. Involving him in any chore led to more trouble than ease in effort of the work. The owner tried everything possible to make him useful. However, neither reward nor punishment worked. He even resorted to amulets and wazifas. All in vain. Exasperated by this irritating creature the owner decided to get rid of him.
He went to the local market to sell this horse. He was approached by a shrewd professional agent who offered his services for selling in return for a decent commission. They agreed on it after some haggling.
The agent brought the animal on the exhibition stall and proceeded with his introduction to draw in customers. In his smart and domineering style he spoke about the noble ancestry of this Arabian stallion. He elaborated on the physical beauty of the animal. Stressing that this steed was worth a fortune. An appropriate gift for a prince. Exalting his enormous strength and stamina. Exaggerating enormously that how economically he ate and how well trained and sharp he was. A life time bargain for sale at a nominal price. He started the bidding.
The horse owner stood mesmerized at the agent’s artful speech. Before anyone else could utter a bidding price he rushed towards the agent and told him that he had changed his mind. He did not want to sell such a magnificent horse with so many qualities. He felt honored to own it.
Similar is my condition. I am well aware of my shortcomings, sins and gross transgression of Shariah,however, the kind comments, praise and admiration of others lead me to believe that there must be something special about me.
This is the self delusion.
It is very common in the religious elite.
A complete antithesis to the teachings of Tasawwuf!
Taken from Ashrafiya
Hakim al-Umma Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi (Allah have mercy on him) elaborated this very nicely in an anecdote.
There was an individual who owned a horse. This horse was of no use to him. It was a huge, lazy, stubborn and stolid creature. He ate a lot , defecated and farted much. And was totally unproductive. Involving him in any chore led to more trouble than ease in effort of the work. The owner tried everything possible to make him useful. However, neither reward nor punishment worked. He even resorted to amulets and wazifas. All in vain. Exasperated by this irritating creature the owner decided to get rid of him.
He went to the local market to sell this horse. He was approached by a shrewd professional agent who offered his services for selling in return for a decent commission. They agreed on it after some haggling.
The agent brought the animal on the exhibition stall and proceeded with his introduction to draw in customers. In his smart and domineering style he spoke about the noble ancestry of this Arabian stallion. He elaborated on the physical beauty of the animal. Stressing that this steed was worth a fortune. An appropriate gift for a prince. Exalting his enormous strength and stamina. Exaggerating enormously that how economically he ate and how well trained and sharp he was. A life time bargain for sale at a nominal price. He started the bidding.
The horse owner stood mesmerized at the agent’s artful speech. Before anyone else could utter a bidding price he rushed towards the agent and told him that he had changed his mind. He did not want to sell such a magnificent horse with so many qualities. He felt honored to own it.
Similar is my condition. I am well aware of my shortcomings, sins and gross transgression of Shariah,however, the kind comments, praise and admiration of others lead me to believe that there must be something special about me.
This is the self delusion.
It is very common in the religious elite.
A complete antithesis to the teachings of Tasawwuf!
Taken from Ashrafiya
Thursday 1 April 2010
EVENT: CHOSEN SOULS - ONE DAY INTENSIVE AT LONDON MET
LONDON METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY ISLAMIC SOCIETY PRESENTS:
Chosen Souls
Valuable Chapters From Splendid Lives
Ilm ar Rijaal - One Day Intensive
A Study of Great Islamic Personalities
A deep study of the lives of past scholars who endeavoured to dedicate their lives to piety, righteousness and great worship.
With Sheikh Irfan Sidyot
(Principal & Senior Lecturer of Hadith, Jamia Siraj ul Uloom)
Saturday 17th April 2010
10am - 4pm
London Metropolitan University
Calcutta House,
Old Castle Street,
London, E1 7NT
Lecture Room CM1-12 (1st Floor)
(Further details will be given to participants upon registration)
Closest Tube: Aldgate East
The book, course material and light refreshments will be provided. Tickets can be purchased through the Islamic Society. Tickets can also be registered by e-mailing: calcuttabros@googlemail.com. This event is open to all
TICKETS COST £5, REGISTER TODAY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
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