Abu Hafsat

As-Salaam alaikum, We have read it in ayat 55 of the 7th chapter of the Holy Qur'an, Surat A'araf, where Allah Ta'ala says :-- "Invoke your Lord's (personal) Name most submissively and secretly. Surely He does not like the transgressors" (7 :55) Sauyadi Sultan Bahoo, may Allah be Merciful to him, says that to invoke secretly means to invoke without voice - ie through breathing. Allah ordered to invoke Ism-e-Allah Zaat with breath because breath is related to soul. As soon as soul enters the body it starts breathing, and when it leaves it stops. So, Zikr through breathing is a source of strength for the soul just as eating from mouth is is a source to provide energy to the whole body. The Holy Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- "Every person has counted breaths, every breath which leaves the body without invoking Allah's Name is lifeless."...meaning that the breath which comes out with Zikr of Ism-e-Allah Zaat is full of life for soul. The Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- " The person who invokes Allah's Name is alive (spiritually) and who does not is dead ". (Bukhari and Muslim).

As-Salaam alaikum, In verse/ayat 28 of chapter 34 of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala says :-- "We have not sent you (O Muhammad) but as a Universal (Messenger) to all men, giving them glad tidings, and Warning them (against sin)" /34:28/. Note that the ayat says "kaaffatan li-naas"... not 'Li n-naasi kaaffah'... putting 'kaaffah' before an-naas.. which means this Message being delivered by the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, is meant for all human beings, no one is excluded until this world is finished!. Indeed, in this ayat it is as if Allah Ta'ala is saying that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, from the beginning has been sent not with the Message only when he was 40 years of age, but also before Adam, alaihis Salaat Wassalaam, was created.

As-Salaam alaikum, Verse/ayat number 5 in chapter 20 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Ta-ha, states :- "(Allah) Most Gracious is firmly established on the Throne (of authority)" (20:5). Allahu! Never can the throne carry Him, rather the Throne and the Throne-Bearers are carried up by the subtlety of His infinite might, and all are powerless in His grasp. On this, Abu Hanifa, may Allah be Merciful to him, observes: " We assert that Allah established Himself over the throne without His need over settlement upon it, it is He who preserves the Throne and other than it without needing any of them". And Imam Abu Hassan al-Ash'ari also on this matter said that "Allah established Himself on the Throne in the sense that He said and the meaning that He wills, with an establishment that transcends touch, settlement, location, immanence and displacement. The Throne does not carry Him, rather the throne and its carriers are carried by the subtleness of His power, subdued under His grip ". (Al-Ash'ari, al-Ibna 'an Usul al-Diyana, Mahmoud Ed. P. 21).

As-Salaam alaikum, Sayyada Umm Hani, may Allah be pleased with her, said : "The Messenger of Allah passed by me one day and I said, 'Ya Rasulullah, I am old and weak, so command me something I can do sitting.' He said, 'Say:- ' SUBHANALLAH (Glory be to Allah) 100 times : it is equal to 100 slaves of the descendants of Isma'il you set free. Say: 'ALHAMDULILLAH (Praise be to Allah) 100 times : it is equal to 100 horses saddled and bridled and ridden in the way of Allah. Say :' ALLAHU AKBAR (Allah is the Greatest) 100 times :it is equal to 100 camels gardlanded and facing qibla. Say: 'LA-ILAHA ILLALLAHU (There is no god but Allah) 100 times : (I think he said) it fills up what is between heaven and earth. On that day, no one will have a better action presented than that which will be presented for you, unless he brings the like of what you bring. " (Ahmad, at-Tabarani, al-Bayhaqi). We should adopt this mode of Zikr everyday, accordingly whenever we sit to remember our Lord, Allahu, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala. Best Wishes.

As-Salaam alaikum, There is a direct hadith supporting the statement of the Sufis that Jihad, in addition to meaning fighting against the outward enemy, also means struggling against the ego-self (nafs), for the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said:- "The Mujahid is the one who makes Jihad against his nafs and its desires for the sake of obeying Allah." (Tirmidhi No. 1594, Ibn Majah, 3924). And this is exactly one of the basic principles of Ihsan (Tasawwuf). Furthermore, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said to Umm Anas, may Allah be pleased with her:- " Perform the ritual prayer, for it is the best Jihad. Abandon sins, for that is the best migration (hijra). And invoke Allah frequently, for that is the most beloved act with which you meet Allah". (Tabarani in his Mu'jam al-Kabir 25:129). From this hadith, we learn that the act of Jihad is not exclusive to the battlefield... and that the regular performance of Sallah - - and fulfilling its conditions with perfection - - is a kind of Jihad against the lazy and erring self (nafs).

As-Salaam alaikum, Says the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam : "There may be a disheveled, dusty person who, if he swears an oath by Allah, Allah will fulfill it." (Muslim). Someone from a forest or desert may be smelly, dusty with greasy hair, and you look at such a person and think he is homeless, but the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said 'there could be someone like that, but if he asks Allah Ta'ala for anything, He will immediately respond to his prayer'. His Du'a is accepted like lightening! So, don't look at anyone with disgust, he might be coming to check you. Islam is purity, discipline and goodness. You may dress as beautifully as you want, but is your character good? Even where we may be good, we still need to improve. Best Wishes.

As-Salaam alaikum, "... And Allah is unneedy (free of all wants), and you are the poor/needy" (47:38). Allah Ta'ala has no need for our/your obedience, and you are the poor toward His mercy. Allah is the unneedy and has no need for anyone. He is One and has no associate or partner. He, Tabaraka Wa Ta'ala, is the Invincible, and no one has the color of union with Him. He is the owner of the Kingdom, and no matter what He does, no one has the gall to protest or the means to fight back. Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!! Wa Lillahil Hamd...

As-Salaam alaikum, "There is for you in the Envoy of Allah an excellent example (uswa)".. /33:31. This ayat/verse forms the basis of the very first Muslims setting their hearts on finding out about the behavior of the Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. They made efforts to find out from him or those close to him, to acquaint themselves with even the minutest details of his tastes, his preferences, and his way of reacting in any given circumstance. Deprived of the physical presence of the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, the succeeding generations of Muslims down to our time today, did everything possible to conserve the memory of his Sunnah, his custom, by collecting together the hadiths. These are testimonies going as far back as the first generation of Muslims, which rescued the sayings and actions of the Prophet or of his companions, and they are gathered into a vast corpus of which 6 books are reputed to be canonical. These are :- (1) Sahih Bukhari of Imam Muhammad Ibn Isma'il Al-Bukhari. (2) Sahih Muslim of Muslim ibn al-Hajj. (3) Sunan Abu Dawud of Abu Dawud al-Sijjistani (4) Ibn Majah (5) Sunan al-Tirmidhi of Abu Isa al-Tirmidhi and (6) Al-Nisa'i of Ahmad Ibn Shu'ayb Al-Nisa'i. Subjects and issues covered in the above 6 authenticated books of hadith included actual rituals (the Ibaadat) social behavior (the mu'amalat) and everyday actions--eating, drinking sleeping etc. This way, the Prophetic Sunnah is preserved for Muslims to observe it today in accordance with the above quoted ayat (33:21) and in compliance with ayat 31 in Surat Al-i-Imran: "Say, if you love Allah, follow me (ittabi'uni), Allah will love you".. (3:31). as following the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, is the only means of access to the highest spiritual realization.

As-Salaam alaikum, The bird loses life due to the greed for a grain... in its maddening desire, the bird cannot see the trap. Coveteousness is like a trap and the world is like the grain. Greedy people desirous of the world are mad to gain it. One who is devoid (free) is never entrapped. Only that one fall a victim who is a heather, fool, idiot and egocentric deprived of mercy.. Coveteousness brings one to grief.. Note this well. Best Wishes.

As-Salaam alaikum, In verse/ayat 37 of chapter 34 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Nuri, Allah Ta'ala says :- "(People of perfect Imaan are those) men whom trade or business does not distract from the remembrance of Allah" (24:37). Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said that Allah Ta'ala ssys:. 'I treat My servant according to his opinion of Me, and I am with him when he remembers Me, if he remembers Me privately, I remember him privately and if he remembers Me in public, I remember him in a gathering (of angels) better than his gathering". (Bukhari, Muslim Nisa'i Ibn Majah).

As-Salaam alaikum, According to Sayyadi Muhiyiddin Ibn Arabi, may Allah be pleased with him, Paradise has 8 doors which relate to the number of the human organs : the eye, the ear, the tongue, the hand, the stomach, the genitals, the leg and the heart. Therefore, those who use their organs according to the Law of God shall enter through the corresponding door of Paradise, and they may even enter through all the 8 doors simultaneously if they have used all the 8 of their organs accordingly. On the other hand, Hell has 7 doors, which also relate to the human organs, excluding the heart, since Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, does not condemn anybody for what they have in their hearts in so far as they do not use it against the Law. Allah says to His angels: 'Whenever My Servant intends to do an evil act, do not record it against him, unless he actually does it, then mark it down as one evil act. And when he intends to do good but does not manage to do so then record it as one act of goodness, but if he does succeed, then write it down as ten good actions.' (Muslim, Kitab al-Imaan, No. 0233) In order to follow the Law of God, however, one has to have faith in Him. Faith, according to one well-known Hadith, is divided into 79 levels, the least of which is the removal of malevolent actions out of the path of others, and the greatest of which is (believing in and/or recital of) 'La ilaha illallahu)... there is no god but Allah, and between these 2 points are all the good deeds and decent qualities and morals.

As-Salaam alaikum, Muraqabah is knowing that Allah is watching over us. Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala says:- "And know that Allah knows what is in your minds, so fear Him" (2:235) "And Allah is ever a Watcher over all things" (33:52) "And He is with you wherever you may be" (57:4) In the Hadith of Jibreel, alaihi Salaat Wassalaam, when he asked the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, about Ihsan (goodness and excellence), the Prophet replied : "Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, but since we do not see Him, we should know that He sees us at all times." (Bukhari and Muslim). The meaning of this hadith is the definition of Muraqabah, namely, the endurance of the servant's knowledge and his conviction and certainty that Allah is watching over his internal and external affairs (thoughts and actions). To have this knowledge and certainty at all times is called muraqabah. It is the fruit of the servant's knowledge that Allah is his Watcher, Over-Seeing him, Hearing his utterances and Observing all his deeds at all times. Best Regards.

As-Salaam alaikum, Al-Tabarani related on the authority of Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, saying : "The Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : 'whoever sends upon me one prayer, Allah will reciprocate it by sending 10 prayers upon him. Whoever sends me 10 prayers, Allah will send 100 prayers upon him. Whoever sends prayers upon me 100 times, Allah will bestow upon him relief from hypocrisy and hellfire, and grant him the companionship of the martyrs on the Day of Judgement. " This is indeed a great affair! Relief from hypocrisy reflects completeness in faith, and relief from Hell fire reflects an individual's refraining from disobedience. Companionship of the martyrs in Paradise reflects the attainment of Allah's immense satisfaction (ridwan-al-akbar) with them.

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported :- "When a deceased starts to experience the intensity (of death), do not force him to read the Kalima, but give him Talqeen (ie read the Kalima of La ilaha illallah and let him hear you and this will remind him/her of it), because no munafiq (hypocrite) has died on this Kalima. " Source: 'The Sharhus Sudoor', by Imam Jalaluddin Suyuti.

As-Salaam alaikum, In chapter 29 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Ankabut, Allah Ta'ala says :- "As for those who strive in Us, We shall guide them to Our Paths" (29:69) Explaining this ayat, Imam Ibn al- Qayyim said that "the most compulsory form of Jihad is Jihad against the ego (nafs), against unbridled passions (hawa), against the devil (shaytan) and against being worldly (dunya). Those who wage Jihad against these 4, in obedience to Allah, shall be guided by Allah to the path of His good pleasure which (in turn) will lead to His Paradise. Those who neglect Jihad will be veiled from guidance to the degree they forsake Jihad ". So, let us strive to overcome temptations, casual desires and/or the devil's whisperings. May we be blessed with Taufiq to internalize Islamic teachings through acts of worship and devotion such as prayer/Sallat, fasting, Zikr, alms giving etc.. See Ibn Qayyim's 'Al-Fawa' I d' and 'Zadil Ma' ad' for further reading.

As-Salaam alaikum, The second verse/ayat of chapter 112 of the Holy Qur'an, Surat Ikhlas, reads : 'Allahu Samad'.. If Allah is Samad, then we are the Samadiyya of Allah. The Samadiyya of Allah refers to 2 aspects, namely : (1) His absolute Independence from all things and (2) The absolute dependence of all things on Him. Therefore when you lift up that glass/cup to drink water, it is only by and through the Mercy of Allah (as Rahman and Rahim) that your thirst can be quenched... this is the reality of things and the wisdom of our reciting the Basmala when eating, drinking, etc. The way we understand and believe affects the way we behave and act. Does water remove thirst? Does the fire have the power to burn or not? When Prophet Ibrahim, alaihis-Salaat Was-Salaam, was placed into the fire by his enemies, what happened? It became 'Bardan wa salaaman', a place of security and tranquility... because Allah, Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala, creates, controls and gives effect every single second to every single creation, at any time He wishes. When we, as slaves of the Creator, say 'Bismillahi Rahmani Raheem', we affirm the reality of things.. ie that it is only by and through the Mercy of Allah, do things happen/occur, including quenching your thirst with a cup of cold water. And by our affirming this with faith in our reciting the 'Basmala, Allah then sends His blessings (Baraka) upon the acts we do.

As-Salaam alaikum, In chapter 15 of the Holy Qur'an, Allah Ta'ala says :- "And serve your Lord till the inevitable (death) comes unto you" (15:99) Thus our commitment to submit to Allah should not be a fad, a temporary emotional reaction, we should not waver despite all the highs and lows of life. The goal is to reach the end of our life in a state of total submission to our Creator. Best Wishes.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Sunnah of the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, regarding speech is based on the following hadith- Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported that the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said :- "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him say what is good or remain silent" (Bukhari). The default of one's speech is that one remains silent and does not speak unless one is sure that his speech will be good. If one is unsure of it will be good or bad, then one remains silent. So the Sunnah is that one remains silent until one is sure. Some of the sins related to one's tongue are : ghiba (backbiting), namima (gossiping), suna (showing off), royal with speech, kaziba (lying), iftikhar (boasting to others, making claims).. We should keep this in mind and note accordingly.

As-Salaam alaikum, One day Sultan Mahmud al-Ghazali visited Abu'l - Hasan and asked his opinion of Abu Yazid al-Bistami. He said, "Whoever follows Abu Yazid is going to be guided. And whoever saw him and felt love towards him in his heart will reach a happy ending". At that, Sultan Mahmud said, "How is that possible, when Abu Jahl saw the Prophet and he was unable to reach a happy ending but rather ended up in misery?" He answered, "It is because Abu Jahl did not see the Prophet but he saw Muhammad bin Abdullah. And if he saw the Messenger of Allah, he would have been taken out of misery into happiness. As Allah Ta'ala said, " You see them looking at you but without clear vision" (7:198)...adding that "vision with the eyes of the head doesn't bring happiness, but the vision with the eyes of the heart and the secret that Allah gives to the soul will bring out that happiness."

As-Salaam alaikum, In the Hadith, the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "QALB AL-MU'MIN BAYT AR-RABB.. The heart of the believer is the House of the Lord." And in a Hadith-Qudsi, Allah Ta'ala says : "NEITHER EARTH NOR HEAVENS CONTAINED ME, BUT THE HEART OF THE BELIEVER CONTAINED ME." This is when the believer's heart is free of any impurities and all that is other than Allah Ta'ala.. the heart becomes Allah's Mansion.. Allah's House when it becomes a place of His Self manifestation, a place to Contemplate Him and keep His secret, the right place to receive the responsibility of Allah's Trust, as the means to know Allah with Allah, as He says in the Holy tradition (hadith qudsi) :- "I have built inside the heart of the son of Adam, a palace, in the chest there is a heart (QALB), in the heart, there is the inner heart (fu'ad), and in the inner heart there is an innermost heart (shaghaf), and in the shaghaf, there is the kernel (lubb), and in the kernel there is secret (sirr), in the sirr/secret, there is Me, that is the Secret refers to the place for My manifestation and the place to know Me. " We get to understand this more, when we recall another Hadith-Qudsi where Allah Ta'ala says: " Man is My secret and I am his secret "... meaning that Allah Ta'ala placed His secret or illuminative knowledge (ma'arifah) in man - with which man hears and sees Allah in all he does, nay, he exists only by Allah's Existence.

As-Salaam alaikum, In chapter 53 of 'Futuhat-Makkiyah', Sayyadi Ibn Arabi transcribes the external states one should impose to oneself prior the path of Divine, and they are, hunger (ju), vigilance (Sahar), silence (samt) and seclusion (uzla). These are all cautionary advice regarding body asceticism, to lighten and purify the journeying spirit. The phenomenon of hunger, vigilance, silence and seclusion decorates the body of the performer to the status of utter servant hood. The body seeks poverty in the beautiful presence of God. Does not God desire absolute surrender from His servant? The seeking body is transformed by a reality of trust and patience, waiting in a most respected manner befitted to the servant when confronted by the Majesty of Allah. Sufi Sheikh Abu Yazid al-Bistami when asked, "How did you find Wisdom"? his reply was a quiet insight : "By hunger and poverty". The nightly vigilance to keep oneself in hunger enhances the spirit to yearn of becoming the perfect servant of Allah. The one who is performing hunger, vigilance, silence and seclusion discards earthly values and seeks valuables that are not of this earth, which is the deepest presence that is the Face of Allah. "WHEREVER YOU TURN, THERE IS THE FACE (Reality) OF ALLAH." (2:115) This is the true objective of arkan al-ma'arifa (spiritual knowledge) of Ibn Arabi's Sufi metaphysics.

As-Salaam alaikum, The Prophet Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "Time has now come full circle as it was the moment Allah created the heavens and earth." (Bukhari and others). From this, we can understand that Prophethood is a circle, or a ring of connected points, each point representing a Prophet, and that point which gathers and seals both arcs of the Circle represents Muhammad, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam. From the viewpoint of his unique status of being that gathering point, the Noble Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "I am the Leader of the childeren of Adam, and this is without boasting" (Tirmidhi, Muslim and Abu Dawud). And if we view each point of the circle in itself, we see that each of them can be a connecting point, giving some sense of equality. Here, you may quote the Prophet, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, where he said : "It is not fit to elevate me above my brother Yunus ibn Matta" (Bukhari, Tabarani, Ibn Majah). And in the Qur'an (2:285) we read it: "We do not discriminate between any of His Messengers.." because discrimination is a hole in the completeness of the circle of Prophethood.

A respected Teacher once observed that the "tongue is the key to the heart. The more the tongue moves in uttering the remembrance (Zikr) of Allah, the more the heart opens up and the more that precious things appear within it. It is as if the remembrance of Allah is the east wind bringing news of the Beloved. It delights the earth of the dead body by filling it with gardens and orchards. Water flows before the door of every house of the body, and blossoms pour down in the meadow of each organ and part. " After Baha Walad (d. 1230), from his 'Gnostic Sciences' (Ma'arif).

As-Salaam alaikum, It has been related by al-Tabaraani on the authority of Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said that the Messenger of Allah, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "Five are among the the supplications which are answered." He then mentioned them : "The supplication of a Muslim for his fellow brother who is absent, that of the just Imam, the supplication of the oppressed, the supplication of the traveller and a man who supplicates for his two parents".

As-Salaam alaikum, Abu Huraira, may Allah be pleased with him, reported : Allah's Messenger, Sallallahu alaihi Wasallam, said : "THERE ARE 2 STATEMENTS THAT ARE LIGHT ON THE TONGUE TO REMEMBER (recite), HEAVY IN THE SCALE AND ARE DEAR TO THE MERCIFUL : 'SUBHANALLAHI WA BIHAMDIHI, SUBHANALLAH IL-AZEEM (Glory be to Allah and His is the Praise, and Allah, the Greatest is free from imperfection) " /Bukhari and Muslim. This hadith affirms that man's actions carry weight, and on the Day of Judgement his actions will be cast into the Balance. At that time Allah endow these actions with weight, or records which register man's actions will be weighed. This is quite possible for the reason that Almighty Allah is capable of weighing things, without even their physical form. When actions will be cast into the Balance, the formula mentioned in the above hadith, the utterance of which is very easy, will prove weighty. Every Muslim should make it a practice to repeat them frequently. Best Wishes.