Category Archives: IECRC Chapters

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

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)

The Purest of Lineage (Part 2)

June 27, 2004

Jamad-ul-Awwal 1425

Issue 5

I returned from the wedding with heaviness in my heart. Asif started his work again and the kids were busy in their studies. Sana was becoming very spiritual. She spent most of her time reading the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Asif lost his business and had a heart attack which left him bed-ridden, and I fell in the bathroom and broke my foot. Financially, things couldn’t have been worse. One day, Sana asked for permission to get a job. At first, Asif didn’t agree but he couldn’t bear the expenses anymore and permitted her to do so.

Sana started teaching in an elementary school. She would wake early and tend to her father and me, get her brothers ready for school, then go to the school fully covered. Back from school, she would feed us, do the laundry, clean the house and do her homework. As if this wasn’t enough, the day my cast was removed I started cleaning the kitchen and fell again breaking my hip-bone. The doctors put a rod in my pelvis and diagnosed me with osteoporosis. Sana handled the house all by herself. Looking at all of this, I could only feel awful because she should be happily married by now. Rather she was burdened with supporting the entire family. Only a miracle could have taken us out of this misery.

By now, Asif was in a deep state of depression. One day he broke down in tears in front of his brother, Alamdaar, asking him to take care of his affairs after his death.  Alamdaar embraced him and responded, “My dear brother! Why do you grief about her? When Sana will be my daughter then there will be nothing for you to worry about.”  “What do you mean?” asked Asif. “Dear brother, allow Sana to be my daughter-in-law” said Alamdaar. Turning to me, he said, “Bhabi, a true believer stays true to his word. Don’t you trust me? Sana is now mine.” These words were sweeter to me than honey. Alamdaar and his son were both in the army. I always liked their family. They were open-minded people, but I was not sure what reaction his wife and son, Bahaadur, would have to this decision.

As soon as the rest of the family heard about Sana and Bahadar the phone began to ring. I thought everyone would be happy with this union, but all we heard were complaints. Sana became depressed by the family’s opposition.  I felt like going back to my own people and country.  Then Asif surprised me by saying that we were going back so we can earn enough to celebrate Sana’s wedding in style. This was a delicate time in the lives of my children and it worried me how they would be able to handle the stresses of Western culture. I started getting very sick. The doctors said that I needed inner peace, but where was this inner peace? What was the purpose of my life? And why was Sana the biggest part of all this?  She was getting deeper into Islam, spending her nights in prayer, fasting, and making dhikr all the time. Was this  the reason I couldn’t leave Pakistan?  Does Allah want her eyes to remain protected from all that was wrong? The world outside our home was so incredibly different. What was I to do? How could I hide her from the world and the world from her? Perhaps, Allah had decreed my forgiveness through her. How was this all possible? Darkness engulfed me.  It was so dark that I was unable to see or think. I tried hard to find a ray of light. Suddenly, there it was, shining in the dark. I began to tremble with fear. Within the light I saw a shadow. The light appeared from behind the shadow. This great saintly woman wearing long black clothes appeared. Her face was covered but her beauty… I couldn’t dare look at. My eyes were as if pulled to the ground in awe. I began trembling with the awe of her beauty. “Maryam” said this beautiful sweet voice, “you are yet to reach your goal. It will happen soon…that which you are here for.” I lifted my eyes but the blessed personality was there no more.  I cried out to her in despair. “Mama, what happened!” said Sana worriedly. Asif also awoke. I was trembling with fever. I passed out. After two days I awoke in a hospital. Later, I was told that I had a nervous breakdown. But that dream! Was it a dream or reality? I saw a dream while I was awake? No, that was no dream! It was reality. I was awake. I swear that that blessed personality was Syeda Fatima Az-Zahra (may Allah be pleased with her).

Here was I, a convert full of sin, and there, such an honorable and sacred personality! Whatever happened to me was reality beyond the spoken word. Who was I to experience such an awesome connection! When He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) showers his mercy on dirt, then it too is blessed with flowers.  I am not even the dust of their feet and I sacrifice my honor for them (peace and blessing be upon the Prophet Muhammad and his family) from who the impoverished are given above and beyond their needs. That is the house of al-Qasim where princes and paupers receive equal share. I sacrifice my life for his honor (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his family)!

Sana got married back in Pakistan and left us. On the tenth day of her wedding we heard that Bahadur was called back to the border leaving his newly-wed bride behind. I tried calling Sana and asked her to come and stay with us, but she refused. This upset me, but shortly I received a letter from her promising me that she would visit us as soon as Bahadur gets back. Shortly thereafter, the phone rang, and it was an army man. He asked me if I was Mrs. Asif. He said “I regret to inform you that Mrs. Sana Ahmed had an accident. We want you to come as soon as possible. Whose accident with what? How? Many questions swirled through my mind. It was like the Day of Judgment. When we arrived in Rawal Pindi, no one was in the house except for army men pitching tents. All I heard was the ambulance siren. I was not sure if I was alive or not. All I could see was Sana smiling everywhere. What happened? How? I was beyond these questions. I cried out “Sana….Sana….Sana!!!” When I awoke from this state all I had with me was my two empty arms. I cried out and fainted again. When I awoke again, Bahadur walked into the room. What was this? Bahadur is here! Then where is Sana? It was then that my sister-in-law explained me the entire event as it occurred.

It was Sana’s birthday and Bahadur gave her some beautiful gifts. In the same box were pieces of a bomb souvenir which the army gives to brave servicemen. Bahadur put those in the trash so they could be thrown away. When Sana started packing for the trip, she closed the door. There was an explosion like that of a gas cylinder. The neighbors came over and broke the door down. Sana lay on the ground deeply wounded. She was rushed to the hospital. Fighting for her life, Sana died. They couldn’t find anyone responsible for the bomb.

This was the life story of my little doll. I remember how she used to say “Mama, what will happen to me after Bahadur? I wish that Allah gives me his death.” I always told her not to say such things, but she kept on praying that Allah would listen to her. I had realized the goal of my life. The meaning of my vision was true without a doubt. My goal in life was to protect a pure soul from a wretched and impure world. There was no way that I could have taken pure clay away from its origin and its end; clay that was to remain part of the beautiful garden of eternity. It was in my fate that Allah had decreed me to be the mother of a  Shaheedah.

Yes, that was my fate!

The preceding story, authored by Ms. Farida Abbass, was extracted from Paakeezah magazine (Pakistan) and translated from Urdu into English by Fatima Sharaaz Qadri.  Ms. Fatima is a founding member of the IECRC Sacramento Chapter and mother of three your children.