Category Archives: Rajab

June 9, 2011   Article, English, English, Islam, Kalaam, Practice, Rajab, Sacramento, Sacramento, Sharaaz Qadri, Spirituality, Translation   No comments

The Prayer of the Aspirant

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

 

He (Khwaja Uthman Haruni rehmatullahi akyhe) once said, “O Seeker!  Call out the takbeer (Allahu Akbar) in the same manner as I have, as its place is between the two eyebrows and the chest and have certainty that God is watching you and that both my feet are on the Siraat (the bridge over which each human being must successfully cross to enter Heaven). On my right side is Heaven and on my left the fire of Hell. Then call out Allahu Akbar and with complete concentration and presence of mind, recite the the Quran al-Hakeem. Enter into the position of bowing (ruku’) with absolute submission and presence of heart. In prostration (sajud) lose yourself in (Allah)–the state of Istighraaq–then sit (in juloos) and recite the greetings (atahiyyaat).  As long as you remain in this state until you complete (with salaam), the angels will seek forgiveness for you from Allah–Most High.”
He then said, “Then eat from lawful food and lawful earnings and wear of lawful clothing. Make tauba (pleading to God for the forgiveness of past wrong and evil deeds) your second nature . And when you do so, the seven doors of Heaven will be opened for you. Your prayer will be accepted.”
Then he said, “Reciting the Qur’an oft and repeatedly is what washes sins (kaffara or expiation) and there is a veil between the Fire and the one who recites. For such a reciter, the door of Heaven is opened  and from every letter (of every word) he recites, an angel is born. When this angel recites the Quran this person will receive its reward. The closeness to God is achieved through recitation and teaching of the Holy Qur’an.
It is incumbent upon you to recite the Qur’an, so learn. The Messenger of God (upon him be peace and blessings) said, “The one who recites one verse of the Qur’an, in his book of deeds is written the reward of all deeds. The one who dies loving the recitation and teaching of the Qur’an is presented by an angel  the gift of a pear from his Lord. The fire of the grave nor the fire on the Day of Standing will touch the one who recites the Qur’an from its beginning to end. He will be the neighbor of the Prophets (upon them all be peace) in Heaven.
At this he ended his words and all the people left and all praise belongs to Allah.
Translated by Sharaaz Khan.
8 Rajab 1432 Hijri
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June 9, 2011   Rajab, Saints   No comments

Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddeen Hassan Chishti Ajmeri (Rehmatullahi Alayhe)

With every breath, my restlessness increases; Why does the bud of my heart not blossom? Grant you my wishes, for the sake of Ali (radiallahu anhu). Salutations to you, O Khwaja, the saint of Hind! May this devotee’s aspirations be fulfilled.
The small town of Ajmer, 400 kilometres south and west of Delhi, is unremarkable to the eye at first glance. However, on closer inspection, one beholds the reason that it stands out; pilgrims. In thousands upon thousands they come, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, of all nationalities; raising their voices in celebration and prayer, in praise and remembrance of one of the greatest saints ever produced in the long and illustrious history of Islam. The deservedly titled Sultan of India, the Qutb or spiritual axis of the eastern Islamic world; he is the fountain from whose spiritual light have sprung all the beautiful, mighty saints of the Chishtiyya silsila: Hazrat Khwaja Moinudeen Hassan Chishti Gharibun-Nawaaz Ajmeri (rahmtullahi alaihi).
The chieftain and founder of the Chishtiyya silsila, one of the four great orders that radiate throughout the world, Khwaja Gharibun-Nawaaz (radiallahu anhu) is one of the most respected and universally recognised figures in Sufism and Islam. He stands tall as a great spiritual leader; a reformer and purifier of hearts at the most turbulent of times. Most of the saints before his time had been concentrated around the lands of the Middle East, but he was a pioneer, a missionary who was responsible for spreading the Sufi and Islamic sphere of influence to the remotest regions of polytheistic India. His pious character was a true picture of Islam; his practice exactly in accordance with the dictates of the Holy Qur’an and Sunnah, and his teachings beautiful lessons in godliness, truthfulness, and equality which enlightened the hearts of multitudes. Authentic estimates place the number of people he guided to the path of Islam at nine million. It is a historical fact that his Chishtiyya silsila wielded a direct and crucial influence on the course of Indian history, the development of the embryonic Bhakti Consciousness Movement of Hinduism, and modern (pantheistic) Buddhism.
Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) was born in the year 536 AH in Sijistan, the son of Khwaja Ghyasuddin Chishti, a pious and influential man of what is now Iran. He was a direct descendant through both his parents of Hazrat Ali (radiallahu anhu). It was a time of chaos and great upheavals in both India and the Muslim Empire as a whole. In the year of his birth, Sultan Sanjari was finally defeated before the implacable advance of the Mughals, spelling the beginning of the end of the Sultanate; and in Khurasan, where he was brought up, religious sects and barbarism had lain waste a once civilised country. He was orphaned at the tender age of fourteen, and was thus raised in the same condition as Rasulallah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam).
But social evils, moral degradations and personal tragedy stirred something deep within the young man, and he began to turn towards the spiritual life. Once when watering his father’s garden, he came across a dervish, Hazrat Ibrahim Qanduzi (radiallahu anhu). He was deeply affected by the saint’s holy manner, and Hazrat Ibrahim (radiallahu anhu) for his part transformed Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu)’s inner being. His eyes became opened to the ultimate realities of the spiritual world. Renouncing all material things, he sold his father’s garden, all his possessions and distributed the money among the poor.
Still at a young age, he arrived at the great centres of learning in Samarkand and Bokhara, where he swiftly became a hafiz and distinguished alim, fully conversant in all aspects of Islamic thought. Unsatisfied with this, he began a strict regime of prayers, meditations, fasting and self-renunciation which continued for years and grew more intense and vigorous until Allah granted him the exalted rank of sainthood. He used to fast for seven days and nights, breaking fast on the eighth with a small crust of bread soaked in water. At this point, he felt the need for a shaykh, or spiritual guide, feeling the truth of the Qur’anic injunction,
O ye who believe! Be mindful of your duty towards Allah, and seek a means of approach unto Him, and strive in his way in order that ye may succeed. (5:35)
He himself used to state, “success is not possible without a guide.” He travelled extensively throughout the near East, finally finding a spiritual guide in Hazrat Khwaja Uthman Haruni (radiallahu anhu). In twenty years he spent under his murshid’s guidance, he attained perfection in tasawwuf and was awarded the khilafat-e-azam by Khwaja Uthman (radiallahu anhu). He offered many pilgrimages both with his murshid and alone. It was during one of these, while in Madinah Sharif, that he was directed spiritually by Rasulallah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) to go to India and spread Islam there. He left immediately with 40 of his disciples, on the long and arduous journey.
Along the way, he stopped in several places including Baghdad, Isfahan and Balkh. In Baghdad Sharif, he was the guest of Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (radiallahu anhu), the greatest of saints and founder of the Qadriyya silsila. Hazrat Ghaus-ul Azam (radiallahu anhu) organised a qawwali in his own house for the visitors, and he himself stood outside that night, with eyes closed and his staff tightly held against the ground. When asked the reason for his actions, he replied, “I needed to stop the ground shaking, such was the power of Khawja’s wajd.”
In Sabzwar, he came across a ruler of such corruption that he would not even hesitate to denigrate the holy sahaabi of the Holy Prophet (sallalahu alaihi wasallam). Yet one glance from the great saint sufficed to render the man unconscious. When he awoke, his personality had changed completely; he gave up his kingdom, renounced all his possessions and became a mureed of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu).
Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) and his disciples were in a cave in the mountains of the Hindu Kush when one of the most famous events in sufi history occurred. Hundreds of miles away, in Baghdad Sharif, Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani (radiallahu anhu) pronounced his chieftainship of all auliya-allah by saying, “My foot is on the neck of all walis.” Spiritually hearing the great saint’s statement, Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) immediately threw himself down and stretched his neck against the floor, signifying his submission to that truth.
It was because of this type of humble obedience that Allah granted him the title, “Sultan-e-Hind”, for he is the leader and spiritual head to all the hundreds of walis that have blessed India in after-times. So it was that Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) arrived in India at a time of tremendous upheaval and moral decay. The Ghaznavi dynasty was in its death throes, and the Rajput kings were gaining power. Tyrannical rulers were making life unbearable for common people, especially the muslims whose numbers were diminishing day by day.
Yet India is not named for no reason, “the land of saints and sufis”; its people had inherited a wealth of spirituality that yearned for expression. It was into such an arena that Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) stepped, a torch to India’s tinder. First he went to Lahore, a centre of learning where resided a great number of Muslim theologians, philosophers and sufis. Yet he soon left this place, for his divinely guided mission was not to men such as these, but rather to those who were deprived of the light of Islam.
Thus he arrived in Delhi, which was to become the seat of his most famous successors. At the time, the city was a place of much fear and mutual hatred between Hindus and Muslims, but Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) began delivering his sermons in a soft tongue, dipped in honey. As a result of this kindness and forbearance, both Hindus and Muslims were turned towards the path of truth. The great wali was revered and loved by those of both religions, a trend which, was to be the hallmark of Sufism in India.
Soon, however, he left Delhi too, heading instead for the remote city of Ajmer, deep within the kingdom of the most powerful Rajput prince in Northern India, Raj Prithviraj.
This city was completely alien to Islam; no muslims at all lived within its bounds. It was in this hostile environment that Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) and his forty disciples settled and began the bulk of his teaching. Very soon, however, he changed the entire civic atmosphere, gathering people of all races, castes and stations to the shining truth of Islam. His high morals and frugal lifestyle deeply impressed the Hindus and all the while, the beautiful messages of the Qur’an and Sunnah entered deep into their hearts. Soon they started to convert, in multitudes upon multitudes, and the raja became alarmed as even his courtiers and high-ranking servants took up Islam.
It is interesting here to note that the raja’s mother had predicted the arrival of Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu), and had warned her son not to interfere with him lest he suffer total destruction. Whether Raj Prithviraj forgot this prophecy or ignored it is unknown, but he began to harass the shaykh and trouble his followers. But Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu), holding firm to the Islamic doctrine that, “Allah is with those who patiently persevere,” steadfastly carried on his peaceful mission. One day, however, he said, “The raja will be captured alive, and his kingdom snatched away.” This prophecy was proven true not months later. The raja, was defeated by Sultan Shahabuddin, was captured alive and brought into the presence of the sultan, who ordered him executed. The power of the Rajputs was thus broken for more than three hundred years.
Khwaja Moinudeen Chishti (radiallahu anhu) carried on his work in Ajmer for 45 years, and millions entered Islam through his spiritual light and endeavours. Besides this great service, he also established permanent sufi centres which were run by such mighty disciples as Khwaja Qutbudeen Khaki, Hazrat Nizamudeen Auliya, Hazrat Baba Farid Ganj Shakar and Khwaja Nasiruddeen Chiragh Delhawi (rahmatullahi ta’aala ajmaeen).
On the 29th Jamaad-us-Saani, before entering his bare cell for his usual meditations, he advised his attendants that he should not be disturbed until his khalifa-e-azam, Khwaja Qutbuddeen Khaki (radiallahu anhu), arrived from Delhi. On the 6th Rajab, 633 AH, his khalifa arrived and, receiving no answer to his polite knocking, the mureeds broke down the door. There they found that their beloved murshid had already left the world, at the ripe old age of ninety-six. To the wonder and amazement of all, upon his forehead was inscribed in letters of light: He was a lover of Allah, and he died in the love of Allah.
Such was the passing of one of the greatest saints in Islamic history. Undoubtedly, if not for him and his enormous sacrifices, many of those who read this would not have been born into the mercy of this beautiful religion. One can only imagine the hardship he endured in his early years in Ajmer, in the kingdom of a hostile king, surrounded by a nation of polytheists, a people even whose native tongue – Sanskrit – was foreign to him.
How similar was his situation, and his conduct under adversity, to the Holy Prophet (saw) himself! How he managed to convert so many Hindus to Islam, working from the heart of their own kingdom, at a time when the only words that the two religions could address each other with were hatred and war, is a miracle in itself. He not only moulded the character of a people, but also led them to a more prosperous, nobler way of living, and cultivated in them the qualities of humanity and truth. Through him and his immediate successors, the entire culture and civilisation of India underwent a profound change.
As alluded to before, apart from the millions of converts to Islam, the Bhakti Consciousness movement, modern Buddhism and Sikhism, all monotheistic or pantheistic in outlook emerged from the ancient religions of Hinduism and Buddhism due in great part to the Chishtiyya silsila’s efforts in the path of Islam. As is stated in Sura al-Nasr, When Allah’s succour and triumph cometh, and thou seest mankind entering the religion of Allah in troops, then hymn the praises of thy Lord, and seek. forgiveness of Him Lo! He is ever ready to show mercy.
Courtesy of Chishti-Habibi Tariqa Webpage.
© 2007 Islamic Studies and Research Association (ISRA)
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August 23, 2010   Belief, Practice, Rajab, Ramadan, Women   1 Comment

Blessings of Ramadan Al-Mubarak

By the blessings of Allah, the month of Ramadan is upon us. Rajab marks the beginning of the spiritual season of every believer ending with the end of the fasting month of Ramadan with the Eid Al Fitr. These three months in order Rajab, Shaban, and Ramadan are unmatched in their importance.  

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has said: “Rajab is a great month of Allah Almighty, unmatched by any other month in respect and significance; war with the infidels during this month is prohibited. Verily, Rajab is Allah’s month, Sha’ban my month and Ramadan the month of my Ummah; whosoever fasts a day in the month of Rajab will be granted the great reward of Ridwan (an angel in heaven);  the wrath of Allah Almighty shall be distanced and a door of Hell shall be closed.” 

Fasting is one of the most recommended acts during this spiritual season. It becomes Wajib (obligatory) during the month of Ramadan, but is highly recommended during the months of Rajab and Sha’ban. As will be noted from the Hadith above, fasting, be it for only one day during these months, is rewarded with untold bounties. 

The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) used to supplicate upon the sighting of the moon of Rajab: “O Allah, make the months of Rajab and Sha’ban blessed for us, and let us reach the month of Ramadan (i.e. prolong our life up to Ramadan, so that we may benefit from its merits and blessings).”

[At-Tabarani and Ahmad]

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) said:

“When a believer (Mu`min) sleeps in the night of Ramadan, an angel says unto him, “Awaken!! as Allah Almighty wants to shower His blessings on you. Thus, the believer awakens. It is at this time that the (1) linen of the bed sheet that he was sleeping on prays for him and then when this person puts on his garbs to perform the prayer, (2) the clothes supplicate for him, ‘O Allah! Clothe this person from the garbs of Paradise.’ And when he puts his shoes on, (3) the shoes pray for him, ‘O Allah! Make this person’s feet steadfast on the Pul Siraat.’ and when he (or she) uses the vessel for wudu, (4) the vessel prays for him, ’O Allah! let him/her be one from the people who drink from the vessels of Paradise.’ When the person starts to make wudu, (5) the water prays for him, ’O Allah! Expiate his major and minor sins.’ Finally when he (or she) stands on the prayer mat facing in the direction of the Ka’ba, at that time the House of Allah prays for him, ’O Allah! Expand and illuminate this person’s grave.’ Ultimately, when Allah Almighty looks down, He says, ‘O My servant, there are supplications made for you, there is acceptance from Me.’” 

This goes to show that Allah Almighty  always answers the prayers of those who plead from Him in Ramadan. 

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) has also said that a fasting person is in a state of worship, even when he (or she) is asleep, the breath he (or she) takes is Tasbih (glorification of Allah), his supplications are honored, sins are forgiven and good deeds multiplied. Subhan Allah! Alhumdulillah! 

My dear brothers and sisters, shouldn’t we be thankful to Allah Almighty for his Mercy and Graciousness upon us? When Allah Almighty considers a regular, fasting individual’s inhalation and exhalation a tasbih, can you imagine the value of the breath of the “Zakireen” in the eyes of Allah?? “Zakireen” are people who are always involved in the remembrance of Allah. They are the ones: 

“Who remember Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides …”

[The Holy Quran, Chapter Aale-Imran, 3:191] 

Allah Almighty also says:  

“And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient.”

[The Holy Quran, Chapter Al-Baqarah, 2:155]

“…Only those who are patient shall receive their reward in full, without reckoning.”

[The Holy Quran, Chapter Az-Zumar, 39:10] 

It has been narrated by Hazrat Abu Salman (may Allah have mercy on him) that “Hunger is from one of the treasures of Allah, and He bestows it upon the ones that He loves.”  

May Allah Almighty make our fasting in Ramadan easy for us and accept our fast. We ask You Allah Almighty, to accept our worship by the Wasilah (Rank) our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) who never himself slept on a full stomach throughout his life. Aameen. 

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam, it is time to GET UP and GET READY for there is now a SALE on good deeds. The rewards for good deeds done in Ramadan are multiplied by a thousand. Who knows what tomorrow brings for us?? Who knows if we will be able to get another Ramadan?? Which fasting person knows if he/she will fast another Ramadan? Which person in “qiyaam” knows if he/she will be getting this opportunity again? It is time to rethink and use our time wisely. Do not let yourself get involved in futile things as death nears us on every breath we take. 

Allah has made the Deen very easy on us. Read the following Hadith that is related by Hazrat Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): 

A man from the dwellers of the desert came (to the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him and his family) and said: Muhammad, your representative came to us and told us that you claim that Allah had sent you (as a Prophet). The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) remarked: He told the truth. The bedouin asked: Who created the Heaven? The Holy Prophet replied: Allah. The bedouin asked again: Who created the earth? The Holy Prophet replied: Allah. The bedouin asked again: Who raised these mountains and who created in them whatever is created there? The Holy Prophet replied: Allah. Upon this the bedouin remarked: By Him Who created the Heaven and the earth and raised mountains thereupon; has Allah in fact sent you? The Holy Prophet said: Yes. The bedouin said: Your representative also told us that five Prayers (have been made) obligatory for us. The Holy Prophet remarked: He told you the truth. The bedouin said: By Him Who sent you, is it Allah Who ordered you about this (i.e. Prayers)? The Holy Prophet said: Yes. The bedouin continued: Your representative told us that Zakah had been made obligatory in our riches. The Holy Prophet said: He told the truth. The bedouin questioned: By Him Who sent you (as a Prophet), is it Allah Who ordered you about it (Zakah)? The Holy Prophet replied: Yes. The bedouin said: Your representative told us that it has been made obligatory for us to fast every year during the month of Ramadan. The Holy Prophet said: He told the truth. The bedouin asked again: By Him Who sent you (as a Prophet), is it Allah Who ordered you about it (the Fasting of Ramadan)? The Holy Prophet said: Yes. Once again the bedouin questioned: Your messenger also told us that Hajj has been made obligatory for whoever is able to undertake the journey. The Holy Prophet replied: He told the truth. At the conclusion of this answer the bedouin set off, and at the time of his departure remarked: By Him Who sent you with the Truth, I would neither make any addition to them nor would I diminish anything out of them. Upon this the Holy Prophet remarked: If he were truthful (to what he said) he must enter Paradise.

[Sahih Muslim] 

So dear brothers and sisters, Allah Almighty has made the Deen very easy on us. He is not looking for a huge quantity of prayers, or vast amounts of fasting from us but for the piety and purity in our worship. May Allah bless us with the blessings of this month and accept whatever little we can do. Peace to you O Ramadan! For you are a savior for us sinners. O Allah Almighty, please forgive us on accord of the people whose worship you have accepted. O Allah! Forgive me and the people I love, whether they are family or friends. O Allah! Allow us to continue loving each other for the sake of Allah, whether it is our parents, our children, our elders, our pious predecessors, or our friends. O Allah! We seek Your Mercy and Your Forgiveness. Aameen. 

As–salaatu was-Salaamu ‘alaa RasooliLlaah.

Sister Najma Khatoon

Kingdom of Bahrain

Sister Najma Khatoon is a spiritual mentor, teacher and author. She writes articles for Tazkiya Nufoos, a quarterly Urdu journal of the Idara Kashful Asrar of India. The following is an excerpt translation for an article on Ramadan. Translation by Mrs. Noor of Houston, Texas.

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