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July 30, 2011   Article, Chisti Silsila, English, English, Sacramento, Sacramento, Sharaaz Qadri, Tasawwuf, Translation   1 Comment

The Destruction of Cities – From the Malfuzat of Khwaja Uthman Haruni (ra)

The following is an excerpt taken from Session 3 of the Anees ul-Arwah–The Malfuzat of Khwaja Uthman Haruni (rehmatullahi alyhe)–as recorded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (rehmatullahi alayhe):

In this session the discussion was about the destruction of cities and so he said that because of the excesses of people, in the last days cities will be destroyed. I heard from the Yusuf Chishti (may God have mercy on him) who heard it from Yahya Samarqandi from Ali (may God ennoble his face) that when the following verse was revealed:

وَإِن مَّن قَرْيَةٍ إِلاَّ نَحْنُ مُهْلِكُوهَا قَبْلَ يَوْمِ الْقِيَامَةِ أَوْ مُعَذِّبُوهَا عَذَابًا شَدِيدًا كَانَ ذَلِك فِي الْكِتَابِ مَسْطُورًا

There is not a population but We shall destroy it before the Day of Judgment or punish it with a dreadful Penalty: that is written in the (eternal) Record.

Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said that there will be excessive wrong doing in the last days. The city of Makkah will be made desolate by the hands of harsh people. The city of Medinah Munawwarah will be caught up in a famine; people will die there because of hunger. Basra and Mash-had will be destroyed because of drinking and the evil deeds of women. The ruler of Syria will be destroyed because of tyranny. Rome will become desolate because of widespread homosexuality. People will die as a result of a wind from the sky. Khurasan and Balkh will meet their end due to dishonest merchants  by whose evil actions Muslims will be consumed.

The master Maudud Chishti (may God have mercy on him) said that Khawarizm and its surrounding cities will be destroyed because of its excesses in certain kinds of music and materialism and people there will murder each other. Suistan will be destroyed by calamity and earthquakes. Egyptian women will be killed because they will be labeled as adulteresses.  Their actions will bring upon them the Wrath of God and these people would be consumed by the Earth and destroyed. India and Sind would be destroyed because of pervasive fornication and drunkenness of the people. I heard from the master Sharif Zindani (may God have mercy on him) that close to the Day of Judgment, years, months, weeks and days would become short in duration. Human beings will give birth to dogs instead of their own kind. People will be very far from the teachings from the Prophet (May peace and blessings be upon him).  O Disciple! Humanity needs to prepare for the hereafter after considering that such times are very close at hand.

After this, the master engrossed himself in the remembrance of God. This humble slave also left the gathering and thanks to God for that (lesson).

Translated by Sharaaz Khan
28 Shaban 1432 Hijri

 

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July 29, 2011   Advice, Article, Chisti Silsila, Dhul Hijjah, English, English, Islamic Months, Jamadi ul-Awwal, Jamadi uth-Thani, Kalaam, Muharram, Rabi ul-Awwal, Rabi ul-Awwal, Rabi uth-Thani, Rajab, Ramadan, Sacramento, Sacramento, Shaban, Sharaaz Qadri, Shawwal, Translation   No comments

On Lunar and Solar Eclipses – From the Malfuzat of Khwaja Uthman Haruni (ra)

The following is an excerpt taken from Session 2 of the Anees ul-Arwah–The Malfuzat of Khwaja Uthman Haruni (rehmatullahi alyhe)–as recorded by Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti (rehmatullahi alayhe):

Regarding the matter of eclipse of the Sun and Moon, their reality is so that the bondsmen of God inclines to prayer and piety out of fear of their Lord taking them to task. The master (may the mercy of God be upon him) said regarding the Sun and Moon eclipse that Ibn Abbass (may the mercy of God be upon him and his father) relates that during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) there occurred a Lunar Eclipse. So, someone asked the Final Messenger a question, upon which the Prophet (pace be upon him) responded that when humanity goes beyond its boundaries in wrong actions or sin then Lunar and Solar eclipses occur. The face of the Sun and that of the Moon are darkened so that creation may take heed (from the metaphor).

The Ilm Qiyaafah mentions that if a Lunar Eclipse occurs in the month of Muharram then in that that year there will be much bloodshed and corruption. If it occurs in the month of Rabi ul-Awwal then there will be increased famine, death and floods. If it occurs in the month of Rabi ul-Aakhir then change of leadership and anarchy will occur in the nation. If it occurs during the month of Jamadi ul-Awwal then there will be overflowing rain and unexpected death. In Jamadi ul-Aakhir there will be bumper crops , affordable prices, and people will have a higher quality of life. If it occurs in the month of Rajab on a Friday  then in that year there I will be hunger, calamity, along with darkness in the sky. If it occurs in the month of Shaban, then there will be treaties between people and relative calm. If it occurs during the month of Ramadan, on the first Friday, then there will be increased events of thunder from the sky. In the month of Shawwal men-related sicknesses will be inflicted. If it occurs during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, then the rest of the year will be full of happiness and relative calm. If it occurs in the month of Muharram then the entire year will be in corruption, and humanity will find fault in others, people will destroy their hereafter and hypocritical wealthy people will be honored over others deserving of it.

After mentioning this, the master busied himself in worship and the people returned home and praise to God for that (lesson).

Translated by Sharaaz Khan
26 Shaban 1432 Hijri

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July 8, 2011   Advice, Article, Bahrain, English, English, Laylat ul-Baraa, Sacred Nights, Shaban, Shagufta Ahmed Qadri   No comments

Virtues of Sha’baan

In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful

Prayers and Peace upon His Noble Messenger

Laylat-ul-Baraa`ah / Shab-e-Baraat / Night of Absolution

(15th of Sha’baan)

Sha’baan is the 8th month of the Islamic Lunar Hijri calendar. Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in his great book, Ghunyatu Talibeen that the angels have two Nights of Festival in heaven, just as the Muslims have two Days of Festival on earth. The angels celebrate the Laylat-ul-Baraa`ah (Night of Absolution), i.e. the 15th of Sha’baan, and the Laylat-ul-Qadr (Night of Power), while the Muslims celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr (Day of Breakfast) and the Eid-ul-Adha (Day of Sacrifice).

Hazrat Abu Hurayra  (may Allah be pleased with him) reported the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) as saying:

“Jibreel came to me on the night of mid-Sha’baan and said to me: ‘O Muhammad (peace be upon him), raise your head heavenwards!’ I asked him: ’What night is this?’ and he replied: ‘This is the night when Allah opens three hundred of the gates of mercy, forgiving all who do not make anything His partner. The only exceptions are those who practice sorcery or divination, are addicted to wine, or persist in usury and illicit sex; these He does not forgive until they repent.’

At a quarter of the night, Jibreel came down and said: ‘O Muhammad (peace be upon him), raise your head!’ So I looked up, to behold the gates of Paradise wide open. At the first gate an angel was calling: ‘Good news for those who bow in worship in this night!’ At the second gate an angel was calling: ‘Good news for those who prostrate themselves in worship this night!’ At the third gate an angel was calling: ‘Good news for those who offer supplication this night!’ At the fourth gate an angel was calling: ‘Good news for those who make remembrance this night!’ At the fifth gate an angel was calling: ‘Good news for those who weep this night from fear of Allah!’ At the sixth gate an angel was calling: ’Good news for those who submit this night!’ At the seventh gate an angel was calling: ‘Will anyone ask, that his request may be granted?’ At the eighth gate an angel was calling: ‘Will anyone seek forgiveness, that he may be forgiven?’

I said: ‘O Jibreel, how long will these gates remain open?’ He replied: ‘From the beginning of the night until the break of dawn.’ Then he said: ‘O Muhammad (peace be upon him), tonight Allah has as many slaves emancipated from the Fire as the number of woolly hairs on the flocks and herds of Kalb[1].’”

Salat ul-Khayr (the Prayer of Benefits)

The ritual prayer traditional for the night of mid-Sha’baan consists of 100 cycles[2] (raka’ah), including one thousand repetitions of Qul huwa Allahu Ahad [Al-Quran: 112] (i.e., 10 recitations in each cycle). The blessings of this prayer are many and varied. Our righteous predecessors used to gather to perform it in congregation. It contains much merit and rich reward. It is reported of Iman
Hasan al-Basri, that he once said:

“Thirty of the Companions of Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) related to me that Allah will look 70 times upon one who performs this prayer on this night, and with each glance He will fulfill seventy of that person’s needs, the least of them being forgiveness.”

Excellence of the Month of Sha’baan and fasting in it

According to Hazrat Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said:

“Sha’baan is my month, Rajab is Allah’s month, and Ramadan is the month of my Community. Sha’baan is the expiator, while Ramadan is the purifier.”

The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) also said:

“Sha’baan is a month between Rajab and Ramadan. People tend to neglect it but that is when the deeds of His servants ascend to the Lord of All the Worlds, so I would rather mine rose up while I was fasting.”

Hazrat Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) is reported as having said:

“In no other month, apart from Ramadan, did Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) fast more often than in Sha’baan. And that was because each Sha’baan, all who must die in the course of that year have their names transcribed from the list of the living onto that of the dead, and a man may embark on a journey even while his name is listed among those about to die.”

According to Hazrat Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said:

“Anyone who fasts on the last Monday of Sha’baan will be granted forgiveness.”

[please note that it is forbidden to fast one or two days before Ramadan.]

Information Source: Hazrat Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani’s Al-Ghunya li-Talibi Tareeq al-Haqq (Sufficient Provision for Seekers of the Path of Truth) – Volume 3, pages 54-69

[1] Kalb was a tribe well known for it very woolly sheep.

[2] These can be performed in sets of 2 cycles (50 sets to make 100 cycles) or 4 cycles (25 sets to make 100 cycles)

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