الجمعة، 27 يونيو 2014

the station of love


es is due to Allah, who created the Heavens and the Earth, who spreads His Mercy upon all that He has created, May Allah send blessings and peace upon our master Muhammad, his companions, those that followed them in righteousness, and may Allah give them the best in this life and the next and may Allah protect them from the hellfire.
To Proceed,
While there are many paths (tariqas) in Sufism, they share one common goal, Ihsan, to worship Allah as though you see Him, (because you see Him), if not that He see you. My personal path is that of the Shadhili tariqa, it is a path of knowledge, built on the Quran, Sunnah and sound Islamic scholarship. Because of the growing ignorance of Sufism I wanted to make a thread dedicated to knowledge and wisdom expounded by the scholars of Sufism, in this time day and time as well as the past. I wanted to first talk about a topic that isn’t addressed by most shaykhs and Imams, namely the Love of Allah, His Love for us and our Love for Him which is the emphasizes of Sufism. Whomever you love, you want to be in their presence. Thus we seek being close to Him, Allah. Sufism is about tawhid, but not intellectual tawhid (Tawhid Aqli), rather experiential tawhid (Tawhid Dhawqi). Following this post I will simply quote the scholars of Sufism and make a reflection.

The Love of Allah

Ibn Ajiba said, “Sufism: a science by which it is known how to spiritually travel to the Divine Presence of the King of Kings; purifying the inward of lowly traits and adorning it with virtues. Its beginning path is knowledge, its intermediate path is action, and its end path is a divinely bestowed gift.”

The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) who said: Allah Most High says: "He who is hostile to a friend of Mine I declare war against. My servant approaches Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My servant keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him" (al Bukhari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Bayhaqi- Fath al-Bari, 11.340–41, hadith 6502); 

Allah says, “He loves them and they Love him.” (5:54) “And those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah.” (2: 165) “Say: If you truly love Allah, follow me; Allah shall love you and forgive you your sins.” (3:31) 

The Means of Attaining Love

Shaykh Abd Qadir Isa, said, " The scholars mentioned many means to attain love. The most important of these means are ten:

1. Reciting the Qur’an with contemplation, reflection, and seeking to understand its meanings and what is intended.
2. Drawing close to Allah through supererogatory (recommended) works, after having fulfilled the obligations. This cause one to reach the rank of ‘being beloved’ after the rank of love itself.
3. Having perpetual remembrance of Him in every state: with the tongue, heart, actions and spiritual state. One’s portion of love is directly commensurate to his portion of remembrance.
4. Preferring what He loves over what you love – especially during times in which the lower passions overcome the servant, and to scale the levels of His love, even if it may be difficult.
5. Allowing the heart to witness, experience, and know His Names and Attributes, and to move about in the garden of this knowledge – whoever knows Allah by His Names, Attributes, and actions, will love Him by necessity.
6. Witnessing His Kindness, favours, and goodness; both outward and inward. This invites to His Love.
7. Seeing to it that the heart is completely broken and in a state of lowliness and humility in front of Him, the Exalted.
8. Engaging in solitary retreat with Him in the time of Divine theophanies, intimately conversing with Him, especially in the pre-dawn period; reciting His speech, standing with the heart observing etiquette in front of Him and completing all of this with seeking forgiveness and repentance.
9. Sitting with the truthful lovers, carefully taking the good fruits of their words [and states] just as one takes good fruits from trees. It is from proper etiquette in their gatherings that one does not speak in their presence unless there is a preponderant benefit to be found in speech, and one knows that it contains an increase in one’s spiritual state and a benefit to others.
10. Taking care to remove one’s self far from every means that will serve as a barriers between the heart and Allah.

Through these means and others, the lovers reached the station of love." (Realities of Sufism, Shaykh Abd Qadir Isa)
 The Beauty of Sufism: The Path to Allah and His Love
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate the most merciful. 

One of the beauties of Sufism is the unbroken chain of shaykhs back to the Prophet  Those that have opposed Sufism have argued that there is a weak link between Ali and Hasan al Basri. I follow the Shadhili tariqa, and the scholars of hadith, such as Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalani, Imam Suyuti, Imam Ibn Hajar Al Haytami have verified this chain from Ali to Hasan Basri. And Allah knows best.


Bismillāhi’r Raĥmāni’r Raĥīm

Hafiž Ibn Hajar al-Haytami was asked – may Allāh make us benefit [nafánā] from his knowledge – did Ĥasan al-Basri hear the speech of Álī karramAllāhu wajhuh directly? [Does he narrate from him?] Because the [most of] Sufi masters elevate their wearing of the cloak [khirqah] to him and also various litanies [dhikr] are reported from him [Ĥasan] who reports from Álī karramAllāhu waj’huh.

He replied:

There is a difference of opinion in this issue, many of them deny it [Ĥasan reporting from Álī] and a group of scholars affirmed it. Hafiž Suyūţi said that [the affirmation] was preferred by him just like Hafiž Điyāuddīn al-Maqdisi did in his Al-Mukhtārah and Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Ĥajar [al-Ásqalānī ] did in an appendix to Al-Mukhtārah. There are a few reasons for this:

First:

Any affirmation takes precedence upon negation. [in matters of reportage].

Second:

Ĥasan was born two years before the Caliphate of Úmar rađiyAllāhu ánhu ended. He was a discerning lad by seven and began the obligatory prayer by seven. He would attend the şalat in congregation [jamāáh] and pray behind Úthmān rađiyAllāhu ánhu until he was assassinated. Obviously, until then, Álī rađiyAllāhu ánhu would also attend the congregation for every obligatory prayer [farđ] since he was in Madīnah at that time. He did not leave Madīnah until after Sayyidunā Úthmān rađiyAllāhu ánhu was martyred; and Ĥasan’s age at that time was fourteen years.

How can anyone deny that he heard [and hence reports from] Álī? Even though he saw him [and were present together] during every prayer – five times a day for seven years?

Yet, Álī ibn al-Madīnī said: ‘Ĥasan saw Álī and he was only a boy’

Additionally, Álī would visit the Mothers of Believers [ummuhāt al-mu’minīn/blessed wives of the Prophet şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam]. Among them was Umm Salmah and Ĥasan was in her home because at that time, his mother Khayrah was her maid at that time. Umm Salmah used to present the little child [Ĥasan] to the companions [şaĥābah who came to visit her] who prayed for barakah for the child.

She presented [the child] to Úmar rađiyAllāhu ánhu who prayed in these words: ‘O Allāh, give him the understanding of the religion, give him knowledge and make him beloved amongst the people.’ This was mentioned by Al-Mizzī and Al-Áskariyy reported its chain [asnadahu].

Al Mizzi also reports in his Tahdhīb from Abū Nuáym: Ĥasan was asked, ‘How do you say ‘RasūlAllāh şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said..’ even though you never saw him?’ He said: Everything that I say is reported from Álī, except that in our times I am unable to mention the name of Álī.’ That is, the time of Ĥajjāj.

And Al Ĥafiž mentioned a number of ĥadīth thereafter that he had found narrated by Ĥasan from Álī karramAllāhu wajhuh. In one such report – and all the narrators in that chain are trustworthy ones [thiqāt] – I have heard Álī say: RasūlAllāh şallAllāhu álayhi wa sallam said: ‘My followers [ummatī] are like rain…[not known is, whether the first drops are better or the last ones]’ Reported by Tirmidhi in Kitab al-Amthāl [The book of Similes] and said it was a fair report [Ĥasan] but uncommon [gharīb].

Ibn Ĥajar al-Haytami, Fatāwā al-Ĥadīthiyyah, pg.129.
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I will expound upon some of the Wisdoms of the Sufi Shaykhs of Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah

Imam al Darqawi said, "Faqir, nothing is more beneficial to you than true sincerity with your Lord in what he has commanded you to do and in what He has forbidden you. By Allah, if you were like that with Him, you would see wonders since Allah Almighty says, "If they had been true to Allah, it would have been better for them." By Allah, if we were true with Him, our enemy would be true with us. By Allah, if we were to restrain our abuse of the servants of Allah, our Lord would defend us against every harm and abuse. Then we would only only experience good from everything, and we would not see any evil in anything. The one who used to harm us would not harm us, and the one who used to cut us off would not cut us off. We will only have this after the death, obliteration, disappearance, departure and extinction of our nafs, and after our annihilation to our annihilation. "

My Thoughts

This is seeking Allah's pleasure by doing what He commanded, but it is also about understanding Allah's decree. There are two sides to everything. Our perspective and Allah's perspective. The sufis term it, Shariah and Haqiqa. When we see a wrong in the world, we have to identify it as wrong, per Shariah. But from another perspective, it would not have happened if Allah did not decree it. Something to reflect on.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "When Allah desires good for someone, He afflicts him." [Al-Bukhari] 

This is why the Shaykh said, "Then we would only experience good from everything, and we would not see any evil in anything." Because in reality, behind everything, Allah is the one controlling things.


And Allah knows best.


الأحد، 22 يونيو 2014

If a fasting person eats or drinks forgetfully


________________________________________
Question:
If a fasting person eats or drinks forgetfully, would it invalidate fasting?

The answer:
Fasting the month of Ramadan has a specialty. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said to a person who eats or drinks forgetfully in Ramadan:

"Whoever forgets while he is fasting and he eats or drinks, he can complete his fast, God just fed and drank him."

But if he eats or drinks forgetfully in supererogatory fasting, he should break his fast and eat this day. He can fast another day instead of this day later.

 

الجمعة، 20 يونيو 2014

Thread: Fasting for a dead person


Question: 
Is it permissible to fast for a husband who died in Ramadan? A man was sick at the end of his life and the month of Ramadan came, he only fast the first day and wasn't able to fast the rest of the month then he died, what can we do?
The answer:
If one died and didn't fast some days from the month of Ramadan, the Prophet (Blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) permits one of his relatives such as his wife, his son, his daughter or anyone from his relatives to fast those missed days for him, how? You can either pay ransom or fast those missed days for him. The Messenger of Allah (Blessing and peace of Allah be upon him) said:
"Whoever died and didn't fast some days, his relatives should fast for him."
Interposition:
Is it permissible to do the same in pilgrimage and prayers?
The answer:
One who died and didn't perform Hajj (pilgrimage), a relative can perform Hajj for him provided that he performed Hajj for himself first.
As we said before again and again about prayer, no one can perform prayer for another or for a dead person because everyone is responsible for himself in prayer.
We can perform fasting, Zakat and Hajj for a dead person but it is not allowed to perform prayer for him.