Mujaddid Alfe Sani rah

A LETTER FROM IMAM AR-RABBANI EXPLAINING ALLAH'S
COMPASSION

64 - Hadrat al-Imam ar-Rabbani al-Mujaddid al-Alf ath-Thani
Ahmad al-Faruqi wrote: "Allahu ta'ala has sent prophets is a compassion and
favor to all the creatures. Allahu ta'ala made known His existence and
Attributes to His weak-minded, short-sighted creatures like we are through these
great prophets of His. Through the agency of them, He declared the things He
liked and what He disliked. Through their mediation, He separated the things
that would be useful to men in this and the next worlds from the harmful ones.
If these honorable prophets had not been sent, the human mind could not have
realized that Allahu ta'ala exists and could not come to comprehend His
greatness. In fact, the ancient Greek philosophers, who presumed themselves to
be very intelligent, were not able to comprehend Allahu ta'ala's existence. They
denied the Creator. Their short intellects supposed that time had been making
everything. Everybody knows about the struggle between Nimrod, who was the king
of the world, and Ibrahim ('alaihi 's-salam) which is narrated in the Qur'an.
Also the ominous Pharaoh said, 'You do not have any other god besides me.'
Again, this idiot wanted to frighten Musa ('alaihi 's-salam) by saying, 'If you
believe in any other god besides me, I will imprison you.' So, men's short
intellects cannot comprehend this greatest blessing [of realizing Allahu
ta'ala's existence]. Unless the exalted prophets existed, they cannot attain
this endless bliss.

"When the Greek philosophers heard from prophets that the
earth and the skies had one creator and thus understood that they themselves had
gone astray and were in an evil way, they had to affirm that Allahu ta'ala
existed. They said that all the things had one creator. A glitter of the lights
which prophets spread illuminated their dark hearts. The remnants of the open
dining-tables of those great people became medicine for these deadly sick
people.

Likewise, what prophets revealed, such as that Allahu ta'ala
has Superior Attributes, that He has sent prophets, that angels are innocent,
that there will be Resurrection after death and that there are infinite
blessings, favors in Paradise and torments in Hell and many more things which
Islam declares, cannot be comprehended through reasoning. Unless these are heard
from prophets, they cannot be found out with men's short minds.

"Ancient Greek Philosophers said that reason never went
wrong and it comprehended the truth of everything and was without a limit. They
tried to solve by reasoning what reason could not comprehend. Whereas, reason
goes wrong even in worldly knowledge. And it can never comprehend the knowledge
pertaining to the next world. As reason can find out the things that cannot be
comprehended through the senses, so the things which reason cannot comprehend
will be understood through prophets' revelation. As reason is above the sense
organs, so prophethood is above the power of reason. The things which the power
of reason cannot reach will be learned through prophets' revelation. To believe
that Allahu ta'ala exists and is one only through the comprehension and
admission of reason and to say that it cannot be comprehended or believed in
another way, will mean to disbelieve in prophets, which is like disbelieving the
sun.

"Allahu ta'ala is the One who has created men and sends
every blessing which is necessary for their maintenance in existence. Everybody
knows that he who does favors should be thanked. And again, prophets are
necessary for knowing how to thank for his blessings. Thanks and respect which
they have not revealed are not worthy of Him. Man cannot know how to thank Him
and he may suppose something which is disrespect towards Him to be thanks and
respect. While meaning to thank, he may be disrespectful. It can be understood
how to thank Allahu ta'ala only by prophets' revelation. The information called
'inspiration', which occurs to the hearts of the awliya', happens only by
following prophets. If inspiration happened through reasoning, the ancient Greek
philosophers, who followed only their reason, would not have deviated from the
right path. They would have comprehended Allahu ta'ala better than anybody did.
Whereas, in comprehending Allahu ta'ala's existence and Superior Attributes it
is realized the most ignorant of men have been these philosophers. A few of them
performed mortification and endeavors and caused their nafs to shine by
oppressing it because they heard it from prophets and saw it in Muslim men of
tasawwuf, and thus they found out a few things; yet, they could not realize that
it was aberration to divert, to make shine the nafs and what is obtained through
this way. It is necessary to cause the heart to shine and to purify it. After
the heart is purified, the nafs begins to get clean. The spiritual lights will
come to the pure heart first. To cause the nafs to shine before having purified
the heart is like lighting lamps so that the enemy may plunder at night. The
enemy whom the nafs helps is the devil. Yes happiness and reality can be
attained also by starvation, by denying physical desires, by oppressing the nafs
and by reasoning. But this may be possible only after having believed in
prophets and what they have brought from Allahu ta'ala. For prophets' every word
was reported by unfailing angels. The devil cannot meddle with this knowledge.
As for those who do not follow these great persons, they cannot escape the
devil's deceit. Plato, one of the great ones of philosophers, attained the honor
of being contemporary with 'Isa ('alaihi 's-salam). Yet he was vulgarly ignorant
and presumed that he did not need to learn anything from anybody. He deprived
himself of being blessed by that exalted prophet.

"It is surprising that philosophers, that is, those who
suppose that reason never goes wrong, disbelieve not only Allahu ta'ala but also
the Last Judgement. They say that matter never stops existing and that
everything goes on as it has come."

[Scientists' words that are not related to experimentation and
calculation incite this aberration. When French chemist Lavoisier saw that
matter did not cease to exist in chemical reactions, he said with his short mind
that matter would never cease to exist. Upon hearing this, the progressives,
being unable to think that Allahu ta'ala's Infinite Power could go beyond the
laws of physics and chemistry, immediately believed his word, which did not
conform with experiments or calculations. But when it was found out that matter
ceased to exist and turned into energy in atomic fissions, in radioactive events
and in nuclear reactions, those who believed Lavoisier were bewildered. It was
understood that the progressives, who, being unable to comprehend that this word
was true only in chemical reactions, said that nothing would cease to exist in
nature were wrong. It is a pity that thousands of imitators had become the
victims of this wrong belief until the truth revealed itself. Presuming
Lavoisier's words to be scientific, which he said out of supposing it to be the
truth according to his mind, they denied the Resurrection, thus dying without
iman and dragging into endless disasters only after inoculating many people with
harmful ideas. Those who depended on the Ahl as-Sunnat scholars and held to 'ilm
al-hal books did not fall for progressives, thus saving their belief.

The lessons of high school, university and the knowledge of
mathematics, matter and science are certainly useful. They protect intellect
from going within its own limits. They help in discovering new things that
provide people with a comfortable life and a facility in doing their work in the
world. These branches of knowledge are utilized in worldly affairs and the
things that can be discovered through intellect. By means of them, television,
computer, radio, ultrasonic airplane, nuclear submarine, spy satellite, travel
to moon and many accomplishments can be achieved. These are the things which are
not against Islam but parallel to Islam and which strengthen iman. Because Islam
conforms with science in all the branches of knowledge within reason. Reason,
because it is able to find out the truth of these branches of knowledge, is
compatible with Islam. Muslims should learn and utilize these also.]

"It is a disgrace for men to utilize scientific knowledge
in worldly affairs and not to utilize it in comprehending Allahu ta'ala and the
knowledge pertaining to the next world, and even, conceited to be guided by
their intellect and nafs, to try to solve also the knowledge pertaining to the
next world with intellect, thus going astray and departing from the religion.
This case is like that of a person who prepares for war and goes into much labor
and expense and who, when the time for war comes, revolts and rises against his
own legitimate government. And this shows that all the scientific knowledge is
available in things which reason can comprehend. It is not correct to end up the
matter causing endless happiness and disaster and to attempt to solve the
matters pertaining to the next world with this knowledge. These most important
matters are beyond the limits of reason and scientific knowledge. Not to learn
this most necessary knowledge from prophets and to try to solve it with worldly
knowledge will mean to pass the time on trivial and even absurd things. Because,
worldly knowledge is not useful in matters which the reason cannot comprehend
and which can be comprehended only through prophets' revelation. Al-Imam al-Ghazali
says in his Al-munqidh min ad-dalal, 'Ancient Greek philosophers stole medical
and astronomical knowledge from the books of ancient prophets. And they learned
moral and educational methods by seeing them in the men of tasawwuf in ancient
ummas." "Philosophers, who speak on the religion according to their
own mind, materialists and those who have gone astray by trying to solve the
knowledge pertaining to the next world with their own mind are regarded as
scholars by many people. By attributing to them gilted, false titles such as
reformer, mujtahid, advanced man of religion or martyr, they offer their
destructive words, their books to the youngsters. Even, they regard their
corrupt, mendacious words superior to the knowledge which the Ahl as-sunnat
scholars have derived from the knowledge which the Ahl as-sunnat scholars have
derived from the Qur'an and the Hadith. May Allahu ta'ala protect Muslims from
their harms! It throws man into calamity to presume the religion reformers as
religion scholars. "Knowledge and science mean 'to comprehend the truth of
everything'. Statements which spoil Islam and which cannot measure the value of
Islamic knowledge cannot be said to be of knowledge and science. Something which
causes the denial of prophets cannot be knowledge. The discoveries and the
branches of knowledge and science in the twentieth century do not cause the
denial of those Islamic teachings that are within the reason's limit. They
strengthen Islam. It is harmful to use knowledge and science against religious
knowledge, which is beyond the reason's limit. This subtlety should be
comprehended well. The ignorant people, the egoist and those crazy about lust
and pleasure use knowledge and science as a mask for themselves in attacking
Islam. They misrepresent their heretical ideas as scientific knowledge. They
attempt to blame the religious knowledge just because it does not conform with
their heretical ideas. Or, by taking those religious teachings that are beyond
the reason's limit and by saying that it cannot be solved by means of science,
they say that Islam is the beliefs of the Middle Ages that are incompatible with
reason and science and so it is retrogression. Muslims should learn the
knowledge and science well enough not be tricked by these mendacious, base
people." [Maktubat, v. III, 23rd letter.]

WHAT IS A TRUE MUSLIM LIKE?

The first advice is to correct the belief in accordance with
those which the Ahl as-sunnat savants communicate in their books. For, it is
this madhhab only that will be saved from Hell. May Allahu ta'ala give plenty of
rewards for the works of those great people! Those scholars of the four madhhabs,
who reached up the grade of ijtihad and the great scholars, educated by them are
called Ahl as-sunnat scholars. After correcting the belief (iman), it is
necessary to perform the worship informed in the knowledge of fiqh, i.e. to do
the commands of the Shariat and to abstain from what it prohibits. One should
perform the namaz five times each day without reluctance and slackness, and
being careful about its conditions and tadil-i arkan. He who has as mush money
as nisab should give zakat. Imam-i azam Abu Hanifa says, "Also, it is
necessary to give the zakat of gold and silver which women use as
ornaments."

One should not waste his precious life even on unnecessary
mubahs. It is certainly necessary not to waste it on haram. We should not get
involved with taghanni, singing, musical instruments, or songs. We should not be
deceived by the pleasure they give our nafses. These are poisons mixed with
honey and covered with sugar.

One should not commit giybat. Giybat is haram. [Giybat means
to talk about a Muslim's or a Zimmi's secret fault behind his back. It is
necessary to tell Muslim about the faults of the Harbis, about the sins of those
who commit these sins in public, about the evils of those who torment Muslims
and who deceive Muslims in buying and selling, thus causing Muslims to beware
their harms, and to tell about the slanders of those who talk and write about
Islam wrongfully; these are not giybat. Radd-ul-Mukhtar: 5-263)].

One should not spread gossip (carry words) among Muslims. It
has been declared that various kinds of torments would be done to those who
commit these two kinds of sins. Also, it is haram to lie and slander, and must
be abstained from. These two evils were haram in every religion. Their
punishments are very heavy. It is very thawab to conceal Muslims' defects, not
to spread their secret sins and to forgive them their faults. One should pity
one's inferiors, those under one's command [such as wives, children, students,
soldiers] and the poor. One should not reproach them for their faults. One
should not hurt or heat or swear at those poor persons for trivial reasons. One
should attack nobody's property, life, honor, or chastity. Debts to everyone and
to the government must be paid. Bribery, accepting or giving, is haram. However,
it would not be bribery to give it in order to get rid of the sufferings by a
cruel one, and also in case of being disgusted with. But accepting this would be
haram, too. Everybody should see his own defects, and should every hour think of
the faults which he has committed towards Allahu ta'ala. He should always bear
in mind that Allahu ta'ala does not hurry in punishing him, nor does He cut off
his sustenance. The words of command from one's parents, or from the government,
compatible with Sharia, must be obeyed, but the ones, incompatible with Sharia,
should not be resisted against so that we should not cause fitna. [See the 123rd
letter in the second volume of the book Maktubat-i Mathumiyya.]

After correcting the belief and doing the commands of fiqh,
one should spend all one's time remembering Allahu ta'ala. One should continue
remembering, mentioning Allahu ta'ala as the great men of religion have
communicated. One should feel hostility towards all the things that will prevent
the heart from remembering Allahu ta'ala. The more you adhere to the Shariat,
the more delicious it will be to remember Him. As indolence, laziness increase
in obeying the Shariat, that flavor will gradually decease, being thoroughly
gone at last. What should I write more than what I have written already? It will
be enough for the reasonable one. We should not fall into the traps of the
enemies of Islam as a result of being deceived by their lies and slanders.

TRANSLATION of 110th LETTER

The hundred and tenth letter of the second volume, which
Muhammad Mathum 'rahmatullahi alaih' wrote to one of his disciples, translates
(into English) as follows: You should avoid talking with a person holding a
heretical belief and keeping an aberrant conduct in his religious practices and
should beware the company of holders of bidat. Yahya bin Muaz Radi passed away
in 258 [A.D. 872]. He warns: "Do not go into sohbat with three categories
of people: Those scholars who are unaware; those hafizes who think of worldly
advantages; those shaikhs who are unlearned in Islam." If the words,
actions and behaviors of a person passing as a shaikh do not conform with the
Shariat, keep as far away from him as you can! In fact, flee from the town or
village wherein he lives! He is a covert, sly thief. He will steal your faith
and belief. He will lure you into the enemy's trap. Even if he displays wonders
and miracles and seems to be indifferent towards worldly concerns, beware from
him with the same fright as you would run away from a lion. Junaid-i-Baghdadi,
one of the masters of the spiritual paths called Tasawwuf, passed away in 298
[A.D. 910]. He states, "There are many people who claim to be men of
Tasawwuf. The true ones among them are only those who adapt themselves to (the
way guided by) the Messenger of Allah." He said on another occasion,
"If a person does not obey the Qur'an al-karim and hadith ash-Sharifs, do
not look upon him as a man of Allah!" He stated at another time, "The
way that will guide a person to love and approval of Allah is the way followed
by those who adhered to the Book (Qur'an al-karim) and the Sunnat (the way
taught by Rasulullah)." If a person's words, deeds and moral conduct do not
conform with those of the Messenger of Allah, [if he has not adapted his family,
e.g. his daughters, to a life-style agreeable with these teachings], do not
consider him as a man of Allah. Jews, Christians and Indian priests called
Brahmins also use a very elegant language and apparently keep away from vices.
You should not yield to the charms of their diction and appearance. Every
statement, every behavior which is counter to the Shariat is harmful. Tasawwuf
means to endeavor to adapt yourself to the Shariat. The sole criterion whereby
to distinguish the true and the false ones is whether the people concerned are
following the Messenger of Allah. The zuhd, the tawakkul, the sweet language, if
they are not in conformity with his teachings, are all for naught. Dhikrs, fikrs
(meditations, thoughts), zawks and karamats that do not fit the Shariat are
quite useless. [Abdullah-i-Dahlawi 'quddisa sirruh' passed away in Delhi in 1240
[A.D. 1824]. He states in his twelfth letter, "If a person who has joined
(one of the orders of) Tariqat does not carry out the duties assigned to him, he
will have left the Tariqat."] Karamats (wonders) occur also on people who
subject themselves to hunger and other mortifications. This does not show that
they are Awliya. Abdullah ibni Mubarak passed away in 181 [A.D. 797]. He states,
"A person who fails to observe the adab of the Shariat will be deprived of
following Rasulullah's sunnats. A person who is slack in following the sunnats
will in turn be deprived of observing the fards. And he who is remiss in
observing the fards and harams cannot be a Wali." It was stated in a hadith
ash-Sharif:

"Insistence on (committing) harams will produce
disbelief." Abu Said-i-Abu-l-khayr passed away in 440 H. When they said to
him, "So and so is walking on the surface of water," he answered,
"It is not something significant. Chips and straws float on water,
too." When they said, "So and so is flying," he replied, "So
do crows and flies." And when they said, "So and so is traveling
through various cities in an instant," this time his answer was: "The
devil also does so. These things do no signify virtue. A man of dignity will go
shopping like an average person, get married and have children. Yet he will not
forget his Allah even for an instant." Abu Ali Ahmad Rodbari, a great Wali,
passed away in Egypt in 321. They said to him, "So and so listens to
musical instruments and asserts that listening to musical instruments and voices
of songstresses will not harm him because he has reached a high grade in
Tasawwuf." He said, "Yes. He has reached Hell." Abu Sulaiman
Abd-ur-rahman Darani passed away in Damascus in 205 H. He stated, "Many
things, which I consider to be good, come to my heart. I do not attach any
importance to them unless I assess them with the criteria of the Shariat."
[Imam-i-Rabbani 'quddisa sirruh' states as follows in the eighty-second letter
of the second volume: "Do not hold fast to the world's sequinned pleasures,
and do not fall for its easily exhaustible beauties! Do your best so that all
your words and deeds be agreeable with the Shariat! First, align your belief
with the tenets taught in the books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat!
Then be sure that all your behaviors and acts of worship be in congruity with
the teachings in the books of Fiqh written by those scholars! It is very
important to observe the halals and harams. Supererogatory worships are of no
value when compared with those worships that are fard. The thawab for giving one
lira in the name of zakat, (which is fard), is very much more than the thawab
for giving hundreds of thousands of liras as alms, which is supererogatory. To
be secure against worldly harms and to attain the infinite blessings of the
Hereafter, there is no other way than [becoming a Muslim. That is,] first having
iman and then obeying the Shariat." Islam is to have iman with the heart
and to obey the Shariat with the body. Commandments of Allahu ta'ala are called
Fard. His prohibitions are called Haram. Collectively, they are termed Shariat.
Male or female, it is fard for every Muslim to learn immediately the six tenets
of belief and those teachings of the Shariat which are so widespread and
commonly known that they have become parts of one's daily chores, such as
performing namaz and reciting the sura Fatiha in namaz, and to lead a life in
harmony with these teachings. And it is fard for parents to teach them to their
children. If a young Muslim who has reached the age of marriage or a new Muslim
slights the fact that one should learn and adapt oneself to these things, he
becomes a disbeliever. He is called a Murtad (renegade, apostate). A murtad is
worse than a disbeliever who has not become a Muslim yet. The source of the
teachings of the Shariat is the Qur'an al-karim and hadith ash-Sharifs. Every
utterance of Muhammad 'alaihis-salam' is termed a Hadith-i-Sharif. The Qur'an
al-karim and hadith ash-Sharifs are in Arabic. Only Muhammad 'alaihis-salam'
understood the meanings purported in the Qur'an al-karim, and he explained all
these meanings to his Sahaba. Islamic scholars learned these meanings from the
Sahaba and wrote them in books. These books are called books of Tafsir. And
these honorable scholars are called the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat(t).

Those highest of the scholars of Ahl as-sunnat compiled the
teachings of the Shariat existing in the books of tafsir and wrote them in other
books, which have been termed books of Fiqh. Afterwards, some religiously
ignorant people and enemies of Islam appeared, and these people wrote books of
tafsir and fiqh, which were no more than a product of their mentalities and
reflected only the scientific teachings of their time and which, subsequently,
misguided the younger generation. Those who were misguided are called holders of
Bidat, if they did not lose their iman. Those who lost their iman are called
Murtad. A person who reads these heretical books will learn not the Islamic
religion, but the ideas and opinions of their authors. These books are
destroying Islam from within and annihilating the true Muslims called Ahl as-sunnat.
Jews and the British are the leaders of this enmity against the religion. Those
who were misled by books of Jewish origin are called Shii (Shiite). Those who
were misled by British spies are called Wahhabi. How the British established the
Wahhabi sect is related in our book Confessions of A British Spy, and how the
British founded the Wahhabi Saudi government is detailed in the encyclopedic
dictionary Munjid, within the entry 'Lawrence'. Shiites and Wahhabis, in order
to fix the heretical writings in their books in the name of truth into young
minds, intersperse ayats, hadiths, and statements made by the Sahaba and the
Salaf as-salihin among them. Misinterpreting these additions as it suits their
purpose, they attempt to prove that their books are correct. They confuse young
people. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish their books from books of the
Ahl as-sunnat. However, a person who has learned their wrong creed will
recognize it in any one of their books and realize that the book means mischief,
thus saving himself from falling into their trap.

Allahu ta'ala created everything in a certain order and
harmony. He declared in the Qur'an al-karim that everything is in an order and
well calculated. Today we give this order names such as laws of physics,
chemistry, biology and astronomy. He maintains this order by creating everything
through a law of causation. As He has made substances causes for one another's
creation, likewise He has made man's will and power a cause. Sometimes He
creates without any causes extraordinarily, that is, in a manner contrary to His
law of causation. His creating without a cause as a result of a Prophet's
invocation is called Mujiza. His creating without a cause as an acceptance of
the invocations offered by (those people who are called) Awliya (and) who have
purified their hearts and nafses by obeying the Shariat, is called Karamat. The
devil cannot delude these people. His creating without a cause the wishes of
those sinners and disbelievers who have subjected themselves to hunger and
various other mortifications and thus subdued their nafs into a state wherein it
cannot deceive their heart any more, is called Istidraj or Sihr (magic). If a
person performing extraordinary events without causes, e.g. informing about the
places of lost property or about future events or communing with genies, is at
the same time a person who leads a life of obedience to the Shariat, it will be
concluded that he is a Wali. If otherwise, it will be understood that he is a
disbeliever and that he has purified and polished his nafs. His heart has not
been purged from love of creatures and his nafs has not desisted from its enmity
against Allahu ta'ala. The devil never leaves such people alone.

A Muslim who has a wish to attain, applies Allahu ta'ala's law
of causation. He follows the procedure that will cause the creation of his wish.
For instance, a person who wants to earn money goes into a business such as arts
and trade. He who is hungry eats something. He who becomes ill runs to a doctor
and takes medicine. He who wants to learn his religion reads books written by
scholars of Ahl as-sunnat. Using a medicine prescribed by an uneducated person
may bring about death instead of restoring health. By the same token, if a
person reads a heretical and fallacious book written by a non-Sunnite, miscreant
and la-madhhabi person, his iman will become blurred. Allahu ta'ala has
preordained that saying prayers should be a means for attaining one's worldly
needs as well as one's wishes pertaining to the Hereafter. Yet the acceptability
of a prayer requires one's being a Sunnite and devoted Muslim, that is,
endeavoring to attain Allahu ta'ala's love. And this, in its turn, depends on
not earning one's living by working on a way that is haram or by infringing
others' rights, and on invoking Allahu ta'ala alone. A person who cannot fulfill
these conditions asks a person who fulfills them, i.e. a Wali, to invoke a
blessing on him. The Awliya will hear after death, too. They will ask a blessing
on those people who visit their graves and beg them.

Our Prophet 'sall-allahu alaihi wa sallam' stated, "When
you get confused in your problems, ask people in graves to help you!"
Shaikh-ul-islam Ahmad ibni Kamal explains this hadith ash-Sharif in his book
Hadis-i erbain tercemesi. It is also explained in detail in the books Al-tawassul-u-bi-n-Nabi
wa bi-s-Salihin (in Arabic), Radd-i-Wahhabi (in Persian), and Kiyamet ve Ahiret
(in Turkish). Abdullah-i-Dahlawi's eighth and twenty-eighth and thirty-fifth
letters are powerful documents in this respect. He writes the following distich
in his thirty-third letter:

Allah has given the Awliya so much puissance:

Be it a fired bullet, they'll send back a nuisance.

Wahhabis, who have been misled by British spies, deny this
fact. Books published by Hakikat Kitabevi refute Wahhabis.]

It was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "Holders of bidat
will become dogs for the people of Hell." [In other words, they will be
made into dogs and flung into Hell]. It was stated in another hadith ash-Sharif,
"The devil will tempt holders of bidat to do acts of worship. As they
worship they will weep (from fear of Allah)." In another hadith ash-Sharif:
"Allahu ta'ala will not accept the namaz, the fast, the alms, the hajj or 'umra,
the jihad or any other sort of fard or supererogatory worship performed by
holders of bidat. They go out of Islam like a hair picked out of butter
fat."

If you commit a sin, you should immediately make tawba [with
your heart] and say istighfar [with your tongue]. The tawba must be performed
secretly for a sin committed secretly, and publicly for a sin committed
publicly. You should not delay the tawba. When a person commits a sin, the
angels do not record it for three hours. If he makes tawba within this period,
the sin will not be recorded at all. If he does not make tawba, one sin will be
recorded. It is a graver sin to postpone the tawba. The tawba is acceptable
until one dies. You should make a habit of taqwa [avoiding the harams] and wara'
[avoiding the doubtful acts]. Avoiding a prohibition is more important than
doing a commandment. For it is more progressive and more beneficial in this way,
[that is, in purifying the heart and subduing the nafs], to avoid the
prohibitions than to do the commandments. good deeds can be performed by sinful
people as well as by good ones. Yet it takes being a Siddiq and having a strong
iman to avoid the prohibitions. Maruf-i-Karhi was Sirri-i-Saqati's master. He
passed away in Baghdad in 200 H. He used to say, "Do not look at women or
girls, or even at a female sheep." It was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif,
"On the Rising Day, people of wara' and zuhd will be ahead of all those
people blessed with Allahu ta'ala's grace." [Zuhd means to abstain from
property that is more than necessary even if it is halal]. It was stated in a
hadith ash-Sharif, "A namaz performed behind an imam who holds wara' will
be accepted. A present given to a person of wara' will be accepted. It is an act
of worship to sit with a person of wara'. It is alms to talk with him." [It
means that it will be accepted and will produce much thawab]. It was stated in a
hadith ash-Sharif, "Two rakats of namaz performed with an imam who holds
wara' is more blessed than a namaz performed with a fasiq." [The word 'efdal',
(which is used in the hadith ash-Sharif and which we translated into English as
'blessed'), means 'that which brings more thawab.'] If your heart does not feel
easy as you do something, [if your heart feels uneasy and palpitates], stop
doing it! Make your heart a Mufti (religious guide) in doing actions about which
you feel doubt! It was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "Actions about which
your heart feels calm, [is easy about and likes], and with which the nafs feels
annoyed [and dislikes], are beneficial. An action about which only the nafs
feels calm is a vice." It was stated in another hadith ash-Sharif,
"Things that are halal and those which are haram have been declared openly.
Beware from doubtful things! Follow those which have been declared openly!"
It was declared in another hadith ash-Sharif, "Allahu ta'ala declared the
halals and the harams openly. He will forgive concerning those which He did not
declare (openly)." When you meet with something doubtful, put your hand on
your chest [heart]! Do it if your heart does not palpitate. It was stated in a
hadith ash-Sharif, "Put your hand on your heart! The heart will be calm
[feel easy] as you do something halal."

Deem all your prayers and acts of worship as deficiently
performed! Be anxious to perform them in due manner! Abu Muhammad bin Manazil
stated, "Allahu ta'ala praises in the seventeenth ayat of Al-i-'Imran sura
those who are patient, those who are faithful (sadiq), those who perform namaz,
those who pay zakat and those who say istighfar at the time of seher (early
morning). His mentioning the saying of istighfar last implies that a person
should consider all his acts of worship as faulty and should always say the
istighfar." Jafar bin Sinan 'quddisa sirruh' stated, "Worshipers'
complacency is worse and more harmful than sinners' offense." Imam-i-Murtaish
used to perform i'tikaf in a mosque after the twentieth of the blessed month of
Ramadan. People saw him outside and asked him why he had left the mosque. He
said, "I saw the hafizs' self-satisfied demeanours and ran away from
them."

It is permissible to work for your and your family's living. A
hadith ash-Sharif praises people who work so. The Salaf as-salihin found a way
of living for themselves. It is good as well to have tawakkul and not to work.
Yet this entails the condition that you should not expect anything from anybody.
Muhammad bin Salim Hamada was a Qadi in the Shafi'i Madhhab. He passed away in
697 H. When some people asked him whether they should work and earn or sit and
have tawakkul, he stated, "Tawakkul is a state of the Messenger of Allah.
Kasb, on the other hand, is his sunnat. It is sunnat for a person who cannot
have tawakkul to work and earn. If a person manages to have tawakkul it is mubah
for him to work only for the cause of Islam and serve Muslims. A better way in
any case is to combine kasb [working] and tawakkul (putting one's trust in
Allahu ta'ala)." You should not eat too much or too little. You should be
moderate in eating. Eating too much will cause indolence and inertia. And eating
too little will hinder you from work and worship. Khwaja Muhammad Bahaaddin
Naqshiband 'quddisa sirruh' passed away in 791 [A.D. 1389], in Bukhara. He used
to say, "Eat until you are fully satisfied, and then do your worship
well!" [You should not eat before you become hungry or after you become
fully satisfied.]. The important thing is to perform the worships well and
enthusiastically. Everything conducive to this purpose is blessed. And anything
obstructive is forbidden.

You should make a niyya (intention) in everything you do. You
should never begin an act of worship unless you intend with a true heart
[because it is a command of Allahu ta'ala]. You should not spend time doing
useless things, [especially if they are harmful]. [A person who cannot find
pious Muslims whose belief is agreeable with the teachings of the scholars of
Ahl as-sunnat and who have learned the Shariat and adapted their life-styles to
these teachings], should seclude themselves, [that is, they should utilize their
time working, earning halal property, and reading books written by scholars of
Ahl as-sunnat. You should not make friends with those who lead a religious life
of their own instead of learning Islam from these books or those uneducated
people who have fallen prey to the books written by such la-madhhabis. You
should not allow into your home those radio and television broadcasts that
spread viruses of irreligiousness, disbelief, Christianity, Judaism and
immorality]. It was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "Hikmat [beneficial
things] consists of ten components. Nine of them are in seclusion and (the
remaining) one is in taciturnity." You should see your friends as long as
to teach and learn necessary things and spend the rest of your time doing acts
of worship and things that will purify your heart. You should treat everybody
with a smiling face and a soft language, friend and foe alike, and should avoid
situations that will lead to a quarrel. You should accept everybody's excuse,
forgive them their faults, and never revenge yourself for the harms they have
done to you. Abdullah Belyani states, "Being a Darwish does not only
consist in namaz, fast and spending your nights worshiping. These things are
everybody's duties as a born slave. Being a Darwish means not to hurt hearts. A
person who can do this will attain Allahu ta'ala's love. [He becomes a Wali]."
They asked Hadrat Muhammad Salim, "How should it be known that a certain
person is a Wali?" He said, "It will be known from his sweet tongue,
beautiful moral behavior, smiling face, generosity, not quarreling with anybody,
accepting others' excuses, and having mercy on everybody." [A Wali means a
person who has attained Allahu ta'ala's love.]. Abdullah Ahmad MaqQari Maliki
passed away in 1041 H. He states, "Futuwwat [bravery] means doing favors to
someone who behaves inimically towards you, being generous to someone who does
not like you, and talking softly to someone you do not like." You should
talk little, sleep little, and laugh little. Loud laughter is ruinous to the
heart. [It makes you forget about Allahu ta'ala]. You should trust to Allahu
ta'ala in every matter. [That is, you should hold fast to causes. Yet you should
rely on Allahu ta'ala for the effectiveness of causes]. You should not miss or
postpone any fard. Junaid-i-Baghdadi states, "The medicine for getting rid
of your needs is to give up the thing you need. Whatever you need, you should
expect [the cause that will bring about] your need from Allahu ta'ala." It
was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "If a person trusts to Allahu ta'ala for
his needs, He will bless him with [the causes that will bring about] his
needs." For instance, He will make other people have mercy on him and serve
him. Yahya bin Muaz Radi passed away in Nishapur in 258 H. He states,
"Others will love you as much as you love your Allah. They will fear you as
much as you fear Allah. They will obey you as much as you obey Allah." He
stated at another time, "Others will serve you as much as you serve Allahu
ta'ala. In short, whatever you do, do it for His sake! Otherwise, nothing you do
will be useful at all. Do not think of yourself all the time! Do not put your
trust in anyone except Allahu ta'ala!" Abu Muhammad Rashi [Rashi means
'from the Syrian town Rasia.' It does not mean 'briber'.] states, "The
greatest curtain [hindrance] between yourself and Allahu ta'ala is to think of
yourself only and to put your trust in someone who is as incapable as you are.
To be a sufi does not mean to go wherever you like, to rest in the shade of
clouds, or to be revered by others. It means to keep a continuous confidence in
Allahu ta'ala." You should always be affable and cordial towards your
children and family. With them also you should stay as long as necessary, only
until you have paid them their dues. Being among them should not last long
enough to make you forget about Allahu ta'ala. Do not tell everybody about the
states you have attained! Do not see high ranking or wealthy people very often!
In everything you do, try to act in conformity with the Sunnat and to avoid
bidats! At times of trouble, do not give up hope from Allahu ta'ala, and to not
even feel worried at all! The fifth ayat of Inshirah sura purports, "After
every distress there is relief and ease." Do not let times of distress or
comfort change your attitude! Or, rather, increase your joy at times of paucity
and feel more anxiety at times of well-being! When Abu Said-i-Arabi was asked
how a person could be a faqir [Darwish], he described, "They are serene at
times of poverty and anxious, distressed at times of prosperity, and they expect
trouble from comfort. Changing of events does not distract their moral conduct.
They overlook others' faults. They always see their own faults and mistakes.
They never deem themselves superior to any other Muslim. They always hold them
in a higher esteem than themselves." Sirri Saqati was Junaid-i-Baghdadi's
spiritual guide. He passed away in Baghdad in 251 H. He used to say, "I am
not superior to anybody." When they asked, "Not even to a sinner who
commits sins overtly," his answer was: "That's right." Whenever
you see a Muslim you should think: "My attaining happiness may depend on
pleasing his heart and wooing him into invoking a blessing on me." You
should look on yourself as a slave of those people who have rights on you. It
was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "A person who does (the following) three
things is a perfect believer: A person who serves his wife, keeps company with
poor people and eats with his servant is a perfect believer. These are the
distinguishing features of a believer which Allahu ta'ala declares in the Qur'an
al-karim." You should always read about the behaviors of the Salaf as-salihin
and visit the gharib (lonely, destitute) and poor people. You should never
backbite or gossip about anybody, and should prevent anyone who attempts to do
so. You should not miss any occasion that offers an opportunity to perform
amr-i-maruf and nahy-i-munkar, that is, to give religious advice to people. You
should help the poor and mujahids (people who try to serve Islam) with your
property. You should perform pious and charitable deeds. You should avoid
committing sins. When Muhammad bin Alyan was asked about the signs indicating
that Allahu ta'ala loves a born slave of his, he answered, "His feeling
pleasure in worships and abstaining from sins." It was stated in a hadith
ash-Sharif, "He who hates sins and enjoys worships is a true
believer." You should not be stingy for fear of poverty. The two hundred
and sixty-eighth ayat of Baqara sura purports, "The devil will threaten you
with poverty and entice you into committing debauchery." A poor person
should not feel sad about his poverty, so that Allahu ta'ala might as well have
blessed him with a fortune. The real fortune is to enjoy the luxury of the
Hereafter. Worldly distresses will cause one to be comfortable in the Hereafter.
It was stated in a hadith ash-Sharif, "A person who has a crowded family
but a low income and yet who performs his prayers of namaz properly according to
its accepted standards and does not backbite other Muslims, will be kept with me
at the place of gathering on the Rising Day." It was stated in another
hadith ash-Sharif, "How lucky for those who die on their way to (perform)
hajj and those who perform ghaza (holy war)! Also, a person who has a crowded
family but a low income and yet who does not complain about this situation but
enters his home with joy and leaves happily, is among the hajjis and
ghazis."

A distich:

If Haqq ta'ala wishes, He makes everything easy;

Creating its causes, He gives it in a jiffy.

You should serve poor people and all your brothers in Islam.
Jafar Huldi, one of the companions of Junaid-i-Baghdadi, passed away in 348 H.
He states, "Our superiors worked and earned in order to help their brothers
in Islam, not for their own nafses." Muhammad Abu Abdullah bin Hafif passed
away in 371 H. He related, "One day I had a brother in Islam of mine as a
guest in my home. (During his stay) he had a stomach disorder. With a container
(full of water) and a basin, I served him until morning. Sometime I fell asleep
(against my will). (When I woke up), he said, 'Were you asleep? My Allah curse
you!' " The people listening to him asked, "How did your heart feel
when he cursed?" He said, "I was as happy as if he had said, 'May
Allah have mercy on you!' " Abu 'Umar Zujjaji states, "If a person
implies (to have attained) a high grade which he has not actually attained, his
words will arouse fitna and prevent him from ever attaining that grade."

Try to observe the rules of adab in the sohbat [presence] of
your murshid! It is only people with adab that will benefit from him. "Adab
is the essence of tariqat." A person without adab cannot attain Allahu
ta'ala's love. My blessed father, i.e. Imam-i-Rabbani, wrote detailedly on the
adab of this path. In short, you should leave aside existence, become like
earth, and run for the service and sohbat of those great people. Otherwise,
there is no reason for being anxious to attend the sohbat of the Awliya. It may,
let alone being useful, give harm. Abu Bakr Ahmad bin Sadan states, "A
person who wishes to attend the sohbat of the Sufiyya-i-aliyya should not think
of himself, his heart or his property. If he thinks about these things, he will
not attain his goal. Do not loiter on your way towards Allahu ta'ala's marifat
[love]! Abu Bakr as-Siddiq 'radi-allahu ta'ala 'anh' stated, "Marifat of
Allahu ta'ala [to know him] means to realize that He cannot be known Imam-i-azam
Abu Hanifa's asseveratio, "I have known Thee," means, "I have
realized very well that Thou couldst not be known." Abu Bakr-i-Tamstani
states, "Tasawwuf means to suffer troubles. There cannot be tasawwuf in
ease and comfort." This means to say that the lover should always struggle
and strive to look for the darling, and should not be in a state of repose with
anyone except the darling.

A distich:

How can I see or think of anything else?

My heart Thinks of thee, my eyes see thee, none else.

The murid has to fulfill the qualifications described in the
hundred and eighteenth ayat of Tawba sura, which purports: "The earth,
which is actually vast, becomes narrow for them. Their hearts no longer feel
calm with anything. They have realized that security against Allahu ta'ala's
wrath is possible only by committing yourself to His protection." If one's
love for Allahu ta'ala reaches this perfection and the earth becomes narrow and
dark, it is hoped that the ocean of (His) Compassion will come into motion, its
drops will fall on this gharib, and thus he will be admitted into the privacy of
Wahdat.