The Curse of Condemning a Sinner

“The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam) has said, “If a man condemns his Muslim brother for a sin which he has repented from, the accuser shall not die unless he himself commits that sin.” (Tirmidhi, Book on the Description of Qiyamah)  The reason is quite obvious.  A man who repents of his sin becomes as if he did not commit that sin at all and the sin is erased from the man’s register of deeds.  The act of taunting a man for the sin which has been forgiven and which he has forgotten is abhorrent in the sight of Allah Ta’ala.

What has been mentioned above relates to a person who has repented of of his sin.  There may be a sinner about whom it is not known whether or not he has repented from his sin, although it is very likely that a believer may have repented or will repent in the near future.  There is no right for anyone to condemn even such a person.

There is a hadith declaring: “The believer is a mirror of the believer.” (Abu Dawud, Book of Etiquette). Hazrat Mawlana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (RA) has observed that this hadith advises that if one finds a vice in a person, one should disclose it to the person concerned, but should not disclose it to others.  This is implied in the simile using the word mirror, because the mirror discloses the ugly spot on a man’s face only to the person standing before the mirror and not to any other person.  Accordingly, if a believer happens to find some defect or vice in another believer, he should disclose it to the person concerned and not to any other perosn.  Disclosing the defect to others will mean that selfishness of one’s own (one’s nafs) is involved in one’s action and it is not based on any consideration of service to Deen.  Our Deen demands that the defect should be disclosed only to the person concerned with love and sympathy with the sole intention of reform.

- Discourses on Islamic Way of Life (Islahi Khutbaat) of Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani (DB) Vol. 3, pgs. 205-206, and 208-209

Just to add two cents to the above, I believe it is extremely important to examine one’s self first before anything.  We are all human and we are all prone to commit sins, both major and minor.  Our lives would be nothing if it were not for our mashaaikh.  Although they are human also and are prone to the same things we are, they are very patient with us when it comes to our vices and sins.  They develop ways for us to give up those sins and they make dua’ for us.  If our mashaaikh are so merciful with us, then what can be said of the mercy of the Most Merciful!  He loves to forgive the sins of those who repent to him.  Our mashaaikh may not be the most perfect people, but they have benefited us greatly.  We do not know what act of a human being Allah may love and make that a means of their entry into paradise.  Be mindful that Quran states that “Indeed Allah loves the oft-repenting…” (Surah al-Baqarah).  It is not difficult to imagine that Allah may very well love the repentance of his servant and forgive him.

I pray to Allah that He grants us all the ability repent to Allah for our sins, and that we do not fall victim to the curse of the Prophet (Sallallahu ‘Alayhi Wa Sallam).

Insurance Policies in Place

Alhamdulillah, this past weekend, I was driven to Houston, TX.  I slept most of the way there and most of the way back so I do not recall the travel aspect of the trip much.  My main purpose of going was to meet a very senior scholar who is like a hidden gem.  Not many people know of him or his scholarship.  He wishes to remain hidden so it is not really my place to go against his wishes.  We arrived at about 11p.m. He was kind enough to receive us despite it being late and he also being sick with a really cough and cold.

During our initial conversation, he was speaking about how he had met Hazratwala (DB) in Hyderabad, India, many times, amongst other senior shuyookh.  During our conversation, we were speaking about the great scholars that are still alive (I pray that Allah preserve them).  I being the insolent fool that I am, began mentioning isolated opinions of a few of them that are seemingly contrary to the methodology of their teachers and the other senior shuyookh.  So this particular scholar gave me an example of that and said, “Sometimes something viral goes around and which many are not immune to.  These scholars are also not immune to these things either.”

I had thought about what he said for a moment and then I presented the following in his service:

Alhamdulillah, by the fadhl of Allah, and the barakah of my Shaykh (DB), I have learned to not see the actions of the majority as a source of evidence or credence.  My insurance policy that I have in place, that will protect me from straying and swaying away from the method of our shuyookh is to see if my Shaykh (DB) or his shuyookh (RA) have condoned a particular thing or action.  I will see if my teachers or shuyookh practice it or not.  If many scholars are okay and fine with a particular thing, that is their thing, and they are entitled to their opinion.  I however, will strictly follow what my Shaykh (DB) wants me to do because I know that he would only desire that which is most beneficial for me, and nothing less than the best.  I will not find excuses to make things my shaykh (DB) has not condoned as actions that can be done.  The excuse presented forth for a sin is often times worse than the sin itself.

This scholar heard me out and agreed with what I had to say, and commented, “The shadow of our elders (meaning the company and presence of our elders) is indeed a great bounty.  Regardless of how grateful we are, we can never do justice to thanking Allah for giving us the chance to be in their company for even a moment.

I pray that Allah allows us all to benefit from the company of our elders.

 

Leave Yourself and Your Self at the Door and then Enter

Alhamdulillah, we have been taught by our Shaykh (DB) that the salik should not have an opinion regarding matters of islah.  It is for this very reason that one must examine a shaykh inside out prior to forming a relationship with that shaykh.  Once a relationship has been formed with a shaykh, then the salik must leave them self and their self i.e. their nafs at the door and then enter into the silsilah of the shaykh.  This is the only way to benefit completely from the shaykh.

A major illness that is common amongst us mureeds is that we opine that we have a right to opine over any matter.  May Allah forgive us, but when a few mureeds discuss some matter, and one of them says that our shaykh has said this regarding this issue.  The other mureeds will comment by saying, “Hazrat is not well-versed with the situation in which we are in.” Mureeds are supposes to be helpful for other mureeds.  This will only happen when both mureeds are headed in the same direction and they have the same purpose.

The effect of suhbat is as bright as day.  Mureeds need to be extremely mindful of who they associate with.  Mureeds feel that they can associate with anyone they wish.  The most beneficial suhbat a person can have is with their shaykh and other pious individuals. Obedience to the shaykh is mandatory. Now-a-days, a new disease has cropped up amongst the mureeds, and that is the disease of hiding things from the shaykh.  Albeit, giving people the benefit of the doubt, their intentions may be good. However, as a general rule, if you have to hide something from your shaykh, there can be no khayr or goodness in that.  Some people fear that their shaykh will get angry.  This too, is a positive thing because the shaykh getting upset will lead to one’s islah.  We sometimes speak with people who have negative things to say about our shaykh and other mashaaikh.  This is a major sin of the ears.

A mureed has to understand that a basic right of the shaykh is i’timad, i.e. reliance. This means that I rely completely on Allah in that my shaykh is the most beneficial person for me.  Please let the shaykh do his job and the mureed should try to fulfill the other basic rights of the shaykh and not try to second guess the shaykh.  The shaykh and the mureed are not playing a game of chess where each player thinks twenty some odd moves ahead.

For this reason we must leave ourselves and our self at the door and then enter properly and completely into the silsilah.  Let us not use our own mind to try to understand things which are beyond our understanding. Often times, mureeds find that their friends are those poor souls who are no longer part of the same silsilah. These people have it in for the shaykh and often make up stories about the shaykh.  They will encourage the simple obedient mureed to secretly disobey their shaykh.  The only rational outcome of such company is confusion and doubts. How is someone like that not going to cause doubts? If they can encourage one to undercut one’s own shaykh, then I think it’s obvious that they are going to cause problems.

The biggest problem with all of us is “Me, Myself, and I”.  The best way to rid ourselves of these doubts and confusions is to stop making assumptions about the shaykh.  We feel that since our shaykh is human, and humans are prone to err, therefore, my shaykh can possibly err in making my islah.  This faulty thinking and is in reality an objection against Allah.  The reason for this is due to the fact that the shaykh only figuratively makes our islah.  In reality, it is Allah that makes our islah.  The best way for one to
relieve one’s self of their doubts is to stop making assumptions about their shaykh period. Whether they are right or wrong, one is not going to benefit from trying to break down the shaykh’s every move, especially when one’s analyses are pretty much always wrong. That may seem harsh to many, but it is to teach us a lesson. Whether we learn it or not is up us.

To end, I’d like to end with a a few lines of poetry by my beloved and respected teacher, Hazrat Mawlana Mansoor-ul-Haq Sahib (DB), which goes as follows:

Khud apni rai pe chalne ko payrawi nahi kehte

Ghulami nafs ki karne ko bandagi nahi kehte

Nazar ke chor ke sar par nahi hai taj-e-wilayat

Jo muttaqi nahi hota ussey wali nahi kehte

Agar mili na ghulami kisi Khuda ke wali ki

To ‘ilm-e-Dars-e-Nizami ko ‘ilm hi nahi kehte.

A Sense of Belonging and Deserving

Do you know who I am?” “How could he talk to me like that?” All of us have heard or used these phrases or made similar statements. Due to our own inflated self image, we feel that we deserveto be treated with certain level of honor, respect, and reverence. Often times, this malady effects those people who appear to be very pious. Because Allah gave us the taufique to pray salat regularly, grow a beard, or wear hijab, we act as if we are Allah’s gift to mankind. We begin to expect certain treatment from others and sometimes regard them as lower than ourselves due to them not performing as many aamal as us.

 

What we fail to realize is that the taufique to do any good deed is solely through the Mercy of Allah Ta’ala and the barakah of our Mashaaikh. None of our kamal is from ourselves. If Allah wanted to he could snatch the ability to do any good deed away from us instantly.

 

Regarding oneself to be great is extremely dangerous. One of the duas that Nabi (SA) taught us was “Allahumaj ‘alnee fee ‘aynee sagheera wa fee ‘ayunin naasi kabeera.” Oh Allah make us small in our own eyes and large in the eyes of the people. If one considers themselves to be small, they would never expect anything from anyone.

 

The root cause of this feeling of superiority is the atom bomb of pride. Pride is so dangerous that the one having even an atom’s weight of it in their heart will not enter Jannah. The way of curing this disease is for us to humble ourselves in front of the people that we feel are not treating us according our status. We should go out of our way to go say Salaam first to these people, make dua for them and request duas from them, and to get gifts for them if possible. By lowering ourselves in front of the one’s we feel disrespected by, InshAllahu Ta’ala this disease will leave our hearts.

We are not deserving of a single ni’mat yet Allah Ta’ala created us as humans, then made us from the Ummat of Nabi (SA), then gave us concern for deen, and then gave us the ability do to good deeds. Rather than worry about what we deserve from the makhlooq, we should ponder over what level of love and obedience the Khaliq deserves from us, and focus on trying to fulfill His Rights. Once Maulana Thanvi (RH) took an oath in the state of fasting that “I consider myslef at present to be worst of all Muslims, and in terms of the future, worse than all humans.” If such a great man thought of himself in those terms, what right do we have to think of ourselves as so great?

 

Mitaana kya hai? Paana hai. 

Paana kya hai? Mitaana hai.

Reviving the Sunnah from a 6th Grade Girl

• Back biting is very bad. Who ever you back bite about you have to eat them on the day of Judgment.  When you back bite about someone you get lots of bad deeds.
• Angels don’t enter a house that has pictures or a dog in it because drawing pictures of people or animals is harm and the salva of a dog is also harm.
• Say Bismillah befor eating because it is Allah’s name and also the sunnah. Eat with your right hand because if you eat with your left hand shaitan will eat with you and you will not benifet from your food and feel hungry again.  You also have to eat from what is near you because it is very rude to eat from plates that are far away from you and it is also the sunnah.
• Who ever recites Surah Kahf on Friday, a light will shine between that friday and the next friday.  You will also be protected from the Dajjal and I think it is the sunnah of the Prohphet (SWAS).
• Salah is the key to paradise because you get lots of good deeds when you pray and the difference between a Muslim and a non-Muslim doesn’t pray.
• The best deeds to Allah are the deeds that are done consistanly even if they are little so that is why you have to do small deeds alot and everyday so Allah will be pleased with you.
• Whoever sends dorood 80 times on Friday all his sins will be forgiven because Allah will be happy with that person.