On Iman

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

I haven't had my lunch yet, so let me start off by a hungry analogy. Translating "إيمان (Iman)" as "faith or belief" is akin to translating "food" as "burgers+fries+coke". Granted that "burgers+fries+coke" can be (mis)construed as food, after all even the expression "junk food", does not deny them the much coveted status of "food", albeit of the "junk" nature.

However, the basic (and sometimes overlooked) purpose of food is to provide good, healthy, wholesome nutrition. Secondary objectives could be for food to taste good, look appetizing, be available in a fast and convenient manner and so on.

If it fails to meet its basic purpose of healthy nutrition, we go back and ask, is it really food? In the same vein, if the translation "belief" fails to propel the "believers" towards a state of success in accordance with its definition as laid down by Allah, can it really be "إيمان " ?

The root of the word "إيمان ", is ا م ن which means :

become/feel safe/secure, state of security/safety, trust, become quiet/tranquil in heart/mind, become free of expectation of evil or free of an object of dislike/hatred, promise/assurance of security/safety, become trustful/faithful/confident, to believe/acknowledge it, manifestation of humility/submission.

From the root it becomes apparent that "to believe" or "acknowledge" is just one shade of the meaning, and the greater sense of the word is to be "in an existential state" of tranquility with the object of our "إيمان", in our case Allah ( مَالِكَ الْمُلْكِ).

A مؤمن should continuously strive that Allah is pleased (راضي ) with him/her, and at the same time should live in a state of contentment or ridha (رضا ) with Allah, as highlighted in several ayat, for example, in this context Al-Mujadilah (58:22):

    لَا تَجِدُ قَوْمًا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ يُوَادُّونَ مَنْ حَادَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ وَلَوْ كَانُوا آبَاءهُمْ أَوْ أَبْنَاءهُمْ أَوْ إِخْوَانَهُمْ أَوْ عَشِيرَتَهُمْ أُوْلَئِكَ كَتَبَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَأَيَّدَهُم بِرُوحٍ مِّنْهُ وَيُدْخِلُهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي مِن تَحْتِهَا الْأَنْهَارُ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ أُوْلَئِكَ حِزْبُ اللَّهِ أَلَا إِنَّ حِزْبَ اللَّهِ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ

Thou canst not find people who [truly] believe in God and the Last Day and [at the same time] love anyone who contends against God and His Apostle - even though they be their fathers, or their sons, or their brothers, or [others of] their kindred.  [As for the true believers,] it is they in whose hearts He has inscribed faith, and whom He has strength­ened with inspiration from Himself,  and whom [in time] He will admit into gardens through which running waters flow, therein to abide. Well-pleased is God with them, and well-pleased are they with Him. They are God’s partisans: oh, verily, it is they, the partisans of God, who shall attain to a happy state!

(Some of the interpreters argue that this state of  رضا  in this particular ayat refers to the state in the Hereafter, but it could well refer to the state in this world.  This understanding is reinforced in (At-Tauba, 9:100), where it should be evident that the state of   رضا  is achievable in this world.)

So coming back to our argument that a مؤمن is always in a state of  رضا with Allah, continuously aware of His Presence, feeling secure (3:173), and in a state of tranquility,  (سكينة ) as in  (48:4),  protecting himself/herself from evil, and avoiding any wrongdoing in general, at the risk of losing this state (even if the wrong act is something apparently simple, such as labeling people derisively Sufi, Wahhabi, Shia, Nasibi, Tablighi etc (49:11) ).

It is pertinent to note that in Islam, this state of contentment does not mean that we are passive, but rather active in our endeavors, manifesting our "إيمان ", in terms of doing good deeds. As highlighted by this narration of ultimate altruism:

 لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى يحب لأخيه ما يحب لنفسه

The Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) has reportedly said:
"None of you has إيمان  until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself."
[Reported by al-Bukhari,  Muslim, Ahmad, at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Hibban ]

To look at the concept more extensively, I searched for "إيمان " in the Qur'an, for where else to look for answers, except in the Qur'an?

The term, in its noun form can be found in the following ayat of the Qur'an:

2:93, 2:108, 2:109, 2:143, 3:86, 3:90, 3:100, 3:106, 3:167, 3:173, 3:177, 3:193, 4:25, 5:5, 6:82, 6:158, 6:158, 8:2, 9:23, 9:66, 9:124, 9:124, 10:9, 10:98, 16:106, 16:106, 30:56, 32:29, 33:22, 40:10, 40:28, 40:85, 42:52, 48:4, 48:4, 49:7, 49:11, 49:14, 49:17, 52:21, 58:22, 59:9, 59:10, 60:10, 74:31


Reviewing the above ayat, it is clear that the term "إيمان " indicates not an idea, or a belief, but an attainable state.

It is relevant to point out that only through Allah's favor upon us, can we achieve the RIGHT  إيمان  .  It is Allah Who has allowed us to attain to إيمان and made it dear for us. In the right state, we find inner peace, do good deeds, abhor evil deeds, and do not get disturbed/distressed by whatever Allah decides for us, or for the world.

People can be invited to attain this state. Those who are in this state are quick to follow Allah's commandments and revelations. And every time they receive Signs of God, they become stronger in their state. However, their state is not dependent upon seeing God, or any of His Unseen Creation.

This state is very clear, different from other states, such as the  إيمان  of the كافرون  which are not beneficial (32:29).  Only إيمان in the One, Almighty God, is the RIGHT إيمان  and will bring with it blessings.

While you are in a state of "إيمان ", your "إيمان ", could increase and decrease, could be further strengthened or weakened.  It could also be obscured by wrong-doing.

If there are people cover the truth after attaining إيمان, God condemns such actions and doing this will bring them tremendous suffering (16:106), especially to those who are lost in sin (9:66).

For Muslims, our relationship of إيمان with the Almighty, is also dependent on love of the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam), as stated in the following narration in Bukhari:

 لا يؤمن أحدكم حتى أكون أحب إليه من ولده ووالده والناس أجمعين

"None of you has إيمان  until he loves me more than he loves his children, his parents, and all people."


In another narration in Bukhari the Prophet(salallahu alayhi wasallam) has reportedly said: "None of you believes until he loves me more than he loves himself."

Those who achieve/attain this state, in the way that it should be achieved, are called "مؤمنين " or  " مؤمنات " (singular مؤمن).By accepting Islam, you automatically do not become a مؤمن as Allah deems that in order for us to be مؤمن , it is imperative that إيمان must enter our hearts.Who qualifies to be a مؤمن  and what are his/her qualities, is the subject of another blog post, Insha Allah.

Are we really "The Ummah"?

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

A few weeks back someone was arguing the case how the ummah of Rasoolullah Salallahu alayhi wasallam would go to Paradise based on this or that hadith.  Although it made for pleasant hearing for the audience, who (Muslims) obviously believed in their Divine Right to Paradise through the Shafa'at (intercession) of the Prophet Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wasallam, it made me think..... 

What qualifies us to be a member of the ummah of Rasoolullah Salallahu alayhi wasallam? I started by searching about what the Qur'an says about the concept of ummah.

The word ummah (plural ummam), in its noun form is found in the following ayat of the Qur'an:
2:128, 2:134, 2:141, 2:143, 2:213, 3:104, 3:110, 3:113, 4:41, 5:48, 5:66, 6:38, 6:42, 6:108, 7:34, 7:38, 7:38, 7:159, 7:160, 7:164, 7:168, 7:181, 10:19, 10:47, 10:49, 11:8, 11:48, 11:48, 11:118, 12:45, 13:30, 15:5, 16:36, 16:63, 16:84, 16:89, 16:92, 16:92, 16:93, 16:120, 21:92, 21:92, 22:34, 22:67, 23:43, 23:44, 23:52, 23:52, 27:83, 28:23, 28:75, 29:18, 35:24, 35:42, 40:5, 41:25, 42:8, 43:22, 43:23, 43:33, 45:28, 45:28, 46:18

The meaning of the word according to Lisan Al-Arab, and also various lexicons, such as that of Lane, ranges from one's kinsfolk, tribe, party, community, nation, group of living things having certain characteristics or circumstances in common, any grouping of human or animal, creation, generation, creatures of God etc to way/course/manner/mode of acting, faith, religion, nation, , time or period of time, righteous persons, a person who is an object of imitation and who is known for goodness/virtues;

An interesting fact about the term ummah is that it shares its root with the word umm (mother, source, principle, prototype, origin).

Moving on from the linguists, back to the Qur'an, I found out that in context of being the ummah of Prophet Muhammed Salallahu alayhi wasallam, Allah subhanaHu wa ta'ala, said a lot of nice things, but what I will talk about today is the following:

كُنتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللّهِ ........... (3:110)

You are indeed the best community that has ever been brought forth for [the good of] mankind: you enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and you believe in God.....
(Part of Aal-'Imran 3:110)

This ayah (or part of an ayah) used to be frequently quoted in the khutbah (sermon) when I was a student, and brought with it a kind of feel-good factor, a feeling of being unique or distinguished and so on.  This feeling stemmed from the mistaken notion that in this ayah Allah is addressing us...


Why mistaken you ask?

Let us be honest to ourselves.... When Allah says "you are the best community", do we really qualify? Can we really be that blind to our faults that we egoistically attribute this title to ourselves? What have we done for the good of all mankind? Yeah, I know, Muslims have contributed so much to the world, when Europe was in Dark Ages etc etc.... But quoting from to my beloved poet-philosopher Iqbal:

..   تھے تو آبا وہ تھارے ہي' مگر تم کيا ہو
...    ہاتھ پرہاتھ دھرے منتظر فردا ہو!

Surely they were but your forefathers, but what are you ?
Procrastinating idly, waiting for tomorrow are you !

And even now we have this many scientists, PhDs, doctors, engineers etc.. No doubt.

But I venture to ask again, what have we, present day Muslims (including the writer of this blog), have done for all mankind, that we would so arrogantly and shamelessly stake claim to be a member of this ummah in accordance with this ayah?

Far from enjoining what is all good, and forbidding and standing up against all that is evil, we ourselves have succumbed to worse kinds of evils. And far from standing up for the good of mankind,  we conveniently excuse ourselves to even stand up for good of our own family, society, community etc.

Not only that, we have redefined  مَعْرُوفِ from "universally accepted values" into something else, and have also redefined مُنكَرِ from "universally rejected evil" into something else as well.

And as for Belief in Allah... well, that is a failure of epic proportions, and merits a blog post by itself to begin with.....

So, rather than wallowing in our own miserable arrogance, we should take some time and introspect whether we are really fulfilling the requirements of being a member of the ummah of Rasoolullah Salallahu alayhi wasallam before moving on to the "logical" conclusion that Paradise is our birthright.

For sinners like me, Glad Tidings.......

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Following our previous discussions on Good Deeds, let us now talk about people like me, who despite the best of intentions (sometimes), end up sinning ( a lot of times). Is there any hope for us?


According to An-Nisa (4:64)

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا (4:64)

For We have never sent any apostle save that he should be heeded by God's leave. If, then, after having sinned against themselves, they would but come round to thee and ask God to forgive them - with the Apostle, too, praying that they be forgiven - they would assuredly find that God is an acceptor of repentance, a dispenser of grace.

And what about the following hadith:

As recorded by Imam Ahmed with the sanad of Sahih on the authority of Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and by Ibn Majah on the authority Hazrath Abu Musa Ash’ari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Holy Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, ‘Almighty Allah gave me the choice of either intercession or taking half my Ummah into Jannah. I took intercession for it is that which will be of more use and more needed. Do you think that my Intercession is for those who are pious Muslims? No, on the contrary it is for those who are steeped in sin and grave wrongdoing. (Ibn Majah).

Abu Dawood, Tirmizi, Ibn Habbaan, Haakim and Baihaqi narrate with Anas bin Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him), and Tirmizi, Ibn Majah, Ibn Habbaan and Haakim also narrate from Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam) said, ‘My Intercession is for those in my Ummah, who have committed major sins ’(Ibn Majah).

With hope in the intercession of our beloved Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam), I would like to share some beautiful love-struck verses from Jami (شيخ نورالدين عبدالرحمن بن أحمد جامي) :

There are poems we hear first as sound.

A voice rises.
A refrain returns.
The heart recognizes something before the mind has arranged it.

یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

O Messenger of Allah.

This Persian na‘t, commonly known by its first words “Tanam Farsūda Jān Pāra”, is one of those poems. Many of us received it through the South Asian tradition of samāʿ and qawwālī. But before it is a performance, it is a state.

A worn body.
A broken soul.
A withered heart.
A sinner asking not to be forgotten.

That is the poem.

It is traditionally attributed to Mawlānā Nūr al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī رحمه الله, the 15th-century Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi. Encyclopaedia Iranica gives his dates as 1414–1492 and describes him as a Persian poet, scholar, and Sufi of the 15th century; Britannica calls him a Persian scholar, mystic, and poet, often regarded as one of the last great mystical poets of Iran.

Sufinama places this kalām under Jāmī and gives the five-couplet text in transliteration.

A small textual note is needed.

The line is often copied incorrectly as:

نمی گویم کی من بستم سخنداں

But the better reading is:

نمی‌گویم که من هستم سخن‌دان

I do not say that I am a master of speech.

This matters.

Words matter.

A poem of adab cannot be left to a careless copying of words. UrduWeb preserves both the mistaken form and the corrected reading, and the discussion there also notes the correction of پشیمانم، پشیمانم، پشیماں.

The Origin Story

There is a famous story told about Jāmī رحمه الله and his longing for Madīnah.

It is said that after Hajj, he intended to travel to Madīnah and recite his na‘t at the blessed resting place of the Prophet ﷺ. The governor of Makkah saw the Prophet ﷺ in a dream and was told to prevent Jāmī from entering Madīnah. Jāmī’s longing was so strong that he still tried to go. The governor saw another dream and sent men to bring him back. In the third dream, the Prophet ﷺ explained that Jāmī was not a criminal; he had written some verses and wished to recite them at the blessed grave. If he did so, the blessed hand would come out for musāfaḥah, and this would become a trial for people. Jāmī was then released and honoured.  

But here care is necessary.

The more specific cited version of this story is connected to another na‘t of Jāmī, beginning:

ز مهجوری برآمد جان عالم

ترحم یا نبی الله ترحم

Ganjoor places that poem in Jāmī’s Yūsuf u Zulaykhā, from the Haft Awrang.

So the story belongs with certainty to the devotional memory around Jāmī’s love for the Prophet ﷺ. It is often retold beside Tanam Farsūda, but the stricter textual record connects it to Z Mahjūrī Bar Āmad Jān-e ʿĀlam.

This is not a small distinction.

Love should not make us careless.
Carefulness should not make us cold.

Both are needed.

The Poem

Below is a vocalized reading text. Persian is normally not written with full vowel marks, so this is a reading aid rather than a manuscript claim.

1

تَنَمْ فَرْسُودَه، جَان‌پَارَه زِ هِجْرَان، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه
دِلَمْ پَژْمُرْدَه، آوَارَه زِ عِصْیَان، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

Tanam farsūda, jān-pāra ze hijrān, yā Rasūl Allāh
Dilam pazhmurda, āvāra ze ʿiṣyān, yā Rasūl Allāh

My body is worn out; my soul is torn apart by separation, O Messenger of Allah.
My heart is withered and wandering because of sin, O Messenger of Allah.

The poem begins without decoration.

No claim.
No argument.
No display of scholarship.

Only need.

The body is tired. The soul is torn. The heart is not merely sad; it is āwāra — wandering. Sin does this. It makes the heart homeless inside its own chest.

2

چُونْ سُویِ مَنْ گُذَر آرِی، مَنِ مِسْکِین زِ نَادَارِی

فِدَایِ نَقْشِ نَعْلَیْنَت کُنَمْ جَان، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

Chūn sū-ye man guzar ārī, man-e miskīn ze nādārī
Fidā-ye naqsh-e naʿlaynat kunam jān, yā Rasūl Allāh

Should you pass toward me, poor and helpless as I am,
I would sacrifice my life for the trace of your blessed sandals, O Messenger of Allah.

This is adab.

The lover does not say: come because I deserve.
He says: I am poor. I have nothing. Even the trace of your sandals is beyond my worth.

The image is not about leather. It is about nearness. It is about dust. It is about the humility of one who knows that love without adab becomes noise.

3

زِ کَردَهٔ خویش حَیْرَانَم، سِیَه شُد رُوزِ عِصْیَانَم
پَشِیمَانَم، پَشِیمَانَم، پَشِیمَاں، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

Ze karda-ye khwesh ḥayrānam, siyah shud rūz-e ʿiṣyānam

Pashīmānam, pashīmānam, pashīmāñ, yā Rasūl Allāh

I am bewildered by what I have done; the day of my disobedience has become dark.
I am ashamed. I am ashamed. I am ashamed, O Messenger of Allah.

Repentance repeats itself.

Pashīmānam. Pashīmānam. Pashīmāñ.

Not because Allah does not hear the first time.

But because the heart does not break open all at once.

Sometimes the tongue has to return to the same word until the heart finally enters it.

4

زِ جَامِ حُبِّ تُو مَسْتَم، بِه زَنْجِیرِ تُو دِلْ بَسْتَم

نَمِی‌گُویَم کِه مَنْ هَسْتَم سُخَنْ‌دَان، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

Ze jām-e ḥubb-e tū mastam, ba zanjīr-e tū dil bastam
Namī-gūyam ke man hastam sukhan-dān, yā Rasūl Allāh

I am intoxicated from the cup of your love; I have bound my heart to your chain.
I do not say that I am a master of speech, O Messenger of Allah.

This is the heart of the poem.

The poet speaks beautifully, but denies ownership of beauty.

He says: do not think this is skill.
It is love.

The true na‘t writer is always in danger. Praise can become self-display. Language can become a mirror in which the poet admires himself.

Jāmī closes that door.

I am not a master of speech.
I am bound.
I am drunk from love.
Whatever beauty appears here is not mine.

That is why the line matters.

نمی‌گویم که من هستم سخن‌دان

I do not claim to be the one who knows speech.

This is not false modesty. It is spiritual safety.

5

چُونْ بَازُویِ شَفَاعَت رَا کُشَایی بَر گُنَهْگَارَان

مَکُنْ مَحْرُوم جَامِی رَا دَر آن، یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

Chūn bāzū-ye shafāʿat rā kushāyī bar gunahgārān
Makun maḥrūm Jāmī rā dar ān, yā Rasūl Allāh

When you open the arm of intercession over the sinners,
Do not deprive Jāmī there, O Messenger of Allah.

The poem ends where every sinner hopes to end.

At shafāʿah.

Not at achievement.
Not at reputation.
Not at being known as a poet, scholar, reciter, teacher, or lover.

At mercy.

This is the final education of the poem. It takes the reader from longing to humility, from humility to repentance, from repentance to love, from love to hope.

The last word is not the poet’s name.

The last word is:

یَا رَسُولَ اللّٰه

What This Na‘t Teaches

It teaches that love is not a slogan.

Love wears the body down.
Love makes the tongue careful.
Love does not boast.
Love remembers sin.
Love asks for mercy.

It also teaches that language has to be purified.

A person may say beautiful religious words and still be full of himself. Jāmī’s line is a cure for that sickness:

نمی‌گویم که من هستم سخن‌دان

I do not say that I am a speaker.

This should be written over every lecture, every poem, every majlis, every post, every gathering where sacred things are spoken.

Do not use the Prophet ﷺ to decorate yourself.

Send ṣalawāt.
Learn adab.
Repent.
Ask for shafāʿah.
Become small.

That is the path.

May Allah fill our hearts with true love for His Messenger ﷺ. May He save us from empty claims. May He make our tongues truthful, our love disciplined, our repentance sincere, and our end under the shade of mercy.

اللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ وَبَارِكْ عَلَىٰ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ، وَعَلَىٰ آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ.

Good Deeds. Part 2.

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the previous post we talked about how for a Muslim, the furqan (criteria) of "good" and "bad" should be the Qur'an, and the Prophet ( ﷺ).  And we asked the question, what about deeds that are not explicitly mentioned in the furqan?

Commonly held views in Islamic sciences calls for various approaches such as  ijmā' (consensus of scholars), Qiyas (analogical reasoning) etc. However, the topic of this post does not render itself suitable for mundane jurisprudential issues. So we shall open a more metaphysical line of thought, to do with niyyah (intention).

Is blogging a good deed? Or writing a book? Eating a burger?  Is it like the great bard said : ".....for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"

There is an endless list of deeds that could be debated upon as whether being good, evil, or a third category that I call "neutral" or the appropriate Islamic term مباح mubah (permissible)......I call these kinds of deeds "neutral", which means, they are not inherently good or bad by themselves. Mubah acts are those actions that neither have any stated positive or negative consequences in the Hereafter. Performing or abandoning the mubah is the same, hence the word "neutral".

If you blog about evil things, then blogging is bad....
If you blog about good things, then blogging should be good....
If you blog about the weather, is it good or bad? I call it mubah..

If you write an evil book, then it is bad....
If you write a book about good and pious things, then it should be good..
If you write a cook book, is it good or bad? I call it mubah..

I hold the view that barring explicitly evil deeds, all deeds are either good, or mubah (that may be classified as good under certain circumstances).

The circumstance that is most compelling, is preceding the act with the right niyyah (intention). With the right niyyah, Mubah may become a Mandub (preferred act or an act with certain reward). 

There is a famous and oft-quoted statement narrated by Sayyidina Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) in context of the emigration, states that he reportedly heard Allah's Messenger (sallallau alayhi wasallam) say: "Actions are but by intentions and every one will have only what they intended. So whoever emigrated for Allah and His Messenger, then his emigration was for Allah and His Messenger. And whoever emigrated to attain something of this world or to marry a woman, then his emigration was for whatever reason he emigrated." [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]

 عن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "إنما الأعمال بالنيات. وإنما لكل امرئ ما نوى فمن كانت هجرته إلى الله ورسوله فهجرته إلى الله ورسوله. ومن كانت هجرته لدنيا يصيبها أو امرأة ينكحها. فهجرته إلى ما هاجر إليه"     
متفق عليه

This statement is often generalized (not without reason) to a whole array of deeds, which I would classify as mubah. If the deed is apparently neutral, then the right intention will make it good. And if a deed is apparently good, intention is still extremely important, in order to let it remain good, otherwise a good deed with a polluted intention is still a big no no.... As for evil deeds, right intentions cannot make them good.

What constitutes a good intention? In my opinion the right intention should only be rida (satisfaction/pleasure?) of Allah.


In this present day and age, the amount of time we spend in sinning is significant, and the amount in doing good deeds proportionately insignificant.  And most of our time we spend in pursuit of mubah or neutral activities. Most of our lives are spent in school, university and then later in the workplace. By the time we are done with school and workplace, we have retired, and left with pretty much the fag end of our lives, and our healths. Not much to do good deeds with.


I would like to postulate, albeit controversially, that both schooling and working comes under mubah. Although many would argue that schooling is about gaining knowledge, and Islam encourages/asks us to strive in the pursuit of knowledge as a good action, I would counter by saying that spending 15-20 years of your lives institutionalized in the pursuit of this or that degree or career is not the pursuit of knowledge, unless it is preceded with the right intention. After all, how many of us thought that going to our classes regularly is a Divinely Ordained command...?

In the same way some would argue that working is essential in the pursuit of sustenance for us and our families, which again is encouraged by Islam. I would also counter that by saying how many of us work for the right intentions? I mean is getting a good salary, or a good career really the right intention?

I would like to conclude by saying that we should spend our time on earth wisely. Minimize or eradicate evil deeds, maximize good deeds, and try to convert all our mubah deeds into good, by choosing the right intention, which is "rida" of Allah.

After all, we don't want to be the ones on the Day of Judgement saying:

يَقُولُ يَا لَيْتَنِي قَدَّمْتُ لِحَيَاتِي

He will say: "Ah! Would that I had sent forth (good deeds) for (this) my (Future) Life!"  (Al Fajr, 89:24)

May Allah bless us with His rida in whatever we do, and help us to prepare for the Certainty that will come upon us, unannounced, and instead of meeting it in a state of "good-deed penury", we should strive to send some good deeds forward that will meet us when we are there. At the very least, we should convert our "neutral" deeds, by precluding them with the right intentions, so that they may be accepted.......

Wallahu a3lam.

On loving the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه و سلم)

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

According to a narration in Bukhari, the Prophet Muhammadﷺhas reportedly said:

 لا يُؤْمِنُ أحدُكم حتى أكونَ أحبَّ إليه من ولدِهِ ، ووالدِهِ ، والناسِ أجمعينَ

Ya’qoob Ibn Ibrahim said, from Ibn ‘Ulayya from Abd Ul-Azeez Ibn Suhayb from Anas from the Prophet ﷺ and also Adam from Shu’ba from Qatadah from Anas that the Prophet ﷺsaid,

“None of you will believe until I am more beloved to him than his father, his children and all people.”


According to Ibn Hajar, the above was also narrated by Abu Hurairah also Abd Ul-‘Azeez Ibn Suhayb’s narration, which was also recorded by Ibn Khuzaimah in his sahih from Ya’qoob (the shaykh of Imam Bukhari) has the wording “…more beloved to him than his family and his wealth”, rather than “his father, his children, and all people”, as was also recorded by Muslim from Ibn ‘Ulayya.

For those who want to achieve this love, there are words of advice from Amir Khusro (RA) :

ख़ुसरो दरिया प्रेम का, उलटी वा की धार,
जो उभरा सो डूब गया, जो डूबा सो पार.

Khusro dariya prem ka, ulṭī vā kī dhār,
Jo ubhrā so ḍūb gayā, jo ḍūbā so pār.

Khusro! the river of love has an opposite (unusual) flow
He who floats up will drown (will be lost), and he who drowns will get across (be successful).

In other words, it is necessary to fully immerse oneself in this love, in order to succeed....

(There is an alternate rendering of this couplet)

ख़ुसरो दरिया प्रेम का, उलटी वा की धार,
जो उतरा  सो डूब गया, जो डूबा सो पार.

Khusro dariya prem ka, ulṭī vā kī dhār,
Jo utrā so ḍūb gayā, jo ḍūbā so pār.

Khusro! the river of love has a reverse flow
He who descends in it will drown (will be lost), and he who drowns will get across.

Hope for those of us who want to descend in this river, apparently, if we do, we will drown.... 

Seeking God...

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Sometimes Sufism is associated with going into the wilderness in search of God, something which defies logic, since God Himself mentions the following:

Al-Baqara (2:186)

    وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُواْ لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُواْ بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

AND IF My servants ask you about Me - behold, I am near; I respond to the call of him who calls, whenever he calls unto Me: let them, then, respond unto Me, and believe in Me, so that they might follow the right way.

Qaf (50:16)

    وَلَقَدْ خَلَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ وَنَعْلَمُ مَا تُوَسْوِسُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ وَنَحْنُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ  

NOW, VERILY, it is We who have created man, and We know what his innermost self whispers within him: for We are closer to him than his jugular vein.

In words of a famous Indian Mystic, Kabir:
Where do you seek me? I am nigh.
Not in pilgrimage, nor in statues, Neither in solitude
Not in temples, nor in mosques Neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash
I am nigh, o man, I am nigh.
Not in incantations, nor in meditations, Neither in fasting
Not in yoga, Neither in renunciation to the wilderness
Neither in the soul nor in the body, Not even in the ethereal space
Neither in the depths of Natures caves, Not in the breath of the breath
Those who earnestly seek me, find me without a moments lapse
Says Kabir, Listen with care, "I am in your faith"

मोको  कहां  ढूँढे रे बन्दे  मैं तो  तेरे  पास  में
न  तीरथ  में , न  मूरत  में  न  एकान्त  निवास  में
न  मंदिर  में , न  मस्जिद  में  न  काबे  कैलास  में
मैं  तो  तेरे  पास  में  बन्दे  मैं   तो  तेरे  पास  में
न  मैं  जप  में , न  में  ताप  में  न  मैं  बरत  उपास  में
न  मैं  किरिया  करम  में  रहता  नहीं  जोग  सन्यास  में
नहीं  प्राण  में  नहीं  पिंड  में  न  ब्रह्माण्ड  आकाश में
न  मैं  प्रकुति  परवार  गुफा  में  नहीं स्वांसों  की  स्वांस  में
खोजि  होए  तुरत  मिल  जाऊं  इक  पल  की  तलास  में
कहेत  कबीर  सुनो  भई  साधो  मैं  तो  हूँ विश्वास में

Moko Kahan Dhoonde re Bandey Main To Tere Paas Mein
Na Teerath Mein, Na Moorat Mein Na Ekant Niwas Mein
Na Mandir Mein, Na Masjid Mein Na Kaabe Kailas Mein
Main To Tere Paas Mein Bande Main To Tere Paas Mein
Na Main Jap Mein, Na Main Tap Mein Na Main Barat Upaas Mein
Na Main Kiriya Karm Mein Rehta Nahin Jog Sanyas Mein
Nahin Pran Mein Nahin Pind Mein Na Brahmand Akas Mein
Na Main Prakuti Prawar Gufa Mein Nahin Swansan Ki Swans Mein
Khoji Hoye Turat Mil Jaoon Ik Pal Ki Talas Mein
Kahet Kabir Suno Bhai Sadho Main To Hun Viswas Mein

On the Union:When Awe Hides You, Longing Brings You Near

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

A quatrain transmitted in early Sufi literature; attributed in some sources to al-Junayd and in others to al-Ḥallāj:

وَتَحَقَّقْتُكَ فِي سِرِّي فَنَاجَاكَ لِسَانِي
فَاجْتَمَعْنَا لِمَعَانِي وَافْتَرَقْنَا لِمَعَانِي
إِنْ يَكُنْ غَيَّبَكَ التَّعْظِيمُ عَنْ لَحْظِ عِيَانِي
فَقَدْ صَيَّرَكَ الْوَجْدُ مِنَ الْأَحْشَاءِ دَانِي 

 

I found your reality in my innermost secret, and my tongue whispered to you in intimate confidence.
So we came together for certain meanings, and we separated for certain meanings.
If reverence has kept you hidden from the glance of my outward, visible sight,
still longing—ecstatic love—has drawn you near from the very depths within me.
 

In  al-Khaṭīb’s Tārīkh Baghdād, which states al-Ḥallāj recited it as his own.
But because al-Qushayrī quotes it as al-Junayd’s, it remains a known attribution split in the received tradition.

Al-Qushayrī’s al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya (in the discussion of al-jamʿ wa’l-farq / “gathering and separation”): it’s introduced explicitly as “recited for al-Junayd” (للجنيد رحمه الله).

Ibn Kathīr’s al-Bidāya wa’l-Nihāya (biography of al-Ḥallāj, year 309 AH): Ibn Kathīr includes these lines among al-Ḥallāj’s poetry (“وله أيضًا …”)

Al-Khaṭīb al-Baghdādī’s Tārīkh Baghdād: he transmits it with an explicit report stating it was recited by al-Ḥusayn b. Manṣūr al-Ḥallāj “for himself” in Basra (أنشدني … لنفسه بالبصرة), i.e., a direct attribution in the biographical isnād style.

Al-Sulamī’s Ḥaqāʾiq al-Tafsīr (under Q 56:85): the verses are quoted anonymously (“كما قال بعضهم”), without naming an author.

 

 

In the words of Bu Ali Shah Qalandar Panipati (R.A):

 مَنَم مَحْوِ خَیالِ او نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم

شُدَم غَرْقِ وِصالِ او نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم   

I am lost in my beloved’s thought—I do not know where I have gone.
I am drowned in the ecstasy of union—I do not know where I have gone.

 

غُلامِ رُوئے او بودَم اَسیرِ مُوئے او بودَم

غُبارِ کُوئے او بودَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم 

I was the servant of that radiant face, the captive of those tresses;
I was the dust of that lane—I do not know where I have gone.

بِہ عام آشنا گَشْتَم زِ جان و دِل فِدا گَشْتَم

فَنا گَشْتَم فَنا گَشْتَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم   

Known everywhere among people, I offered up my heart and soul;
I became annihilated—annihilated—I do not know where I have gone.

 قَلَنْدَر بُو عَلِی ہَسْتَم بِنامِ دُوست سَرمَسْتَم

دِل اَنْدَر عِشْقِ او بَسْتَم نَمی‌دانَم کُجا رَفْتَم 

I am Bu ʿAlī the qalandar; by the Friend’s name I am intoxicated;
My heart is bound in His love—I do not know where I have gone.

Shaykh Sharaf Ad Din Bu Ali Shah Qalandar Panipati

شَیخ شَرَفُ الدِّین بُو عَلِی شَاہ قَلَنْدَر پانی پَتی 

Na Man Behooda

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

This short poem is often attributed to Mawlānā Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال‌الدین محمّد رومی)(30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273), widely known as Mevlānā (مولانا) and in the West as Rumi (رومی). He was a 13th‑century poet, jurist, theologian, and Sufi mystic. The poem’s provenance, however, is uncertain.

In my view, the poem seems to echo a well-known description of taṣawwuf attributed to Junayd al-Baghdādī (may Allah be pleased with him), where the path is summed up through prophetic qualities—among them the ghurbat (the condition of being a “stranger,” an exile) associated with Prophet Yaḥyā (peace and blessings be upon him):

نَه مَن بِیهُوده گِردِ کُوچه و بازار مِی‌گَردَم

Na man bīhūde gird-e kūche o bāzār mī-gardam
I do not wander in vain through alley and bazaar—I roam.

مَذاقِ عاشِقی دارَم پِیِ دیدار مِی‌گَردَم

Mazāq-e ʿāshiqī dāram, pey-e dīdār mī-gardam
I carry the taste of love; in search of a glimpse, I roam.

خُدایا رَحم کُن بَر مَن پَریشان‌وار مِی‌گَردَم

Khudāyā, raḥm kon bar man—parīshān-vār mī-gardam
O God, have mercy on me—distraught and scattered, I roam.

خَطاکارَم گُناهکارَم بِه حالِ زار مِی‌گَردَم

Khatā-kāram, gonāh-kāram; be hāl-e zār mī-gardam
I am at fault, I am sinful; in this wretched state, I roam.

شَرابِ شُوق مِی‌نوشَم بِه گِردِ یار مِی‌گَردَم

Sharāb-e showq mī-nūsham; be gird-e yār mī-gardam
I drink the wine of longing; around the Friend, I roam.

سُخَن مَستانه مِی‌گویم وَلِی هُوشیار مِی‌گَردَم

Sokhan mastāne mī-gūyam, valī hushyār mī-gardam
I speak with drunken rapture, yet clear‑minded, I roam.

گَهی خَندَم گَهی گِریَم گَهی اُفتَم گَهی خیزَم 

Gahī khandam, gahī geryam; gahī oftam, gahī khīzam
At times I laugh, at times I weep; at times I fall, at times I rise.

مَسیحا دَر دِلَم پَیدا و مَن بِیمار مِی‌گَردَم

Masīhā dar delam peydā, o man bīmār mī-gardam
The Messiah appears within my heart—and still, like the sick, I roam.

بِیا جانا عِنایت کُن تو مولانایِ رومی را

Biyā jānā, ʿināyat kon to Mevlānā-ye Rūmī rā
Come, beloved—show your grace to Maulana Rumi.

غُلامِ شَمسِ تَبریزَم قَلَندَروار مِی‌گَردَم

Gholām-e Shams-e Tabrīzam; qalandar-vār mī-gardam
I am a servant of Shams of Tabriz; like a qalandar (a wandering dervish), I roam.

Junaid's Take on Tasawwuf

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

Hazrat Junaid ibn Muhammad Abu al-Qasim al-Khazzaz al-Baghdadi (May Allah Be Pleased with Him) (830-910 AD) was one of the great early Persian Muslim Sufis and is a central figure in the golden chain of many Sufi orders. He laid the groundwork for sober mysticism in contrast to that of God-intoxicated Sufis like al-Hallaj, Bayazid Bastami and Abusaeid Abolkheir. The following statement of his is recorded in the "Kashf Al Mahjub", by Abul Hassan Ali Ibn Usman al-Jullabi al-Hajvery al-Ghaznawi (May Allah Be Pleased with Him):

 

ٱلتَّصَوُّفُ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى ثَمَانِيِ خِصَالٍ:
ٱلسَّخَاءِ، وَٱلرِّضَاءِ، وَٱلصَّبْرِ، وَالإِشَارَةِ، وَٱلْغُرْبَةِ، وَلُبْسِ ٱلصُّوفِ، وَٱلسِّيَاحَةِ، وَٱلْفَقْرِ.
أَمَّا ٱلسَّخَاءُ فَلِإِبْرَاهِيمَ،
وَأَمَّا ٱلرِّضَاءُ فَلِإِسْحَاقَ،
وَأَمَّا ٱلصَّبْرُ فَلِأَيُّوبَ،
وَأَمَّا الإِشَارَةُ فَلِزَكَرِيَّا،
وَأَمَّا ٱلْغُرْبَةُ فَلِيَحْيَى،
وَأَمَّا لُبْسُ ٱلصُّوفِ فَلِمُوسَى،
وَأَمَّا ٱلسِّيَاحَةُ فَلِعِيسَى،
وَأَمَّا ٱلْفَقْرُ فَلِمُحَمَّدٍ.
صَلَوَاتُ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ.

 

 

Tasawwuf is founded on eight qualities, generosity, acquiescence, patience, symbolism, traveling(strange hood), woolen dress, pilgrimage hood and faqr (poverty).

• the generosity of Abraham (may blessings of Allah be on him), who offered his son for sacrifice;
• the acquiescence of Ishaq (may blessings of Allah be on him), who submitted to the command of Allah to give up his life
• the patience of Ayub (may blessings of Allah be on him),who patiently endured the affliction of worms and the jealousy of the Merciful;
• the symbolism of Zakarriya (may blessings of Allah beon him), to whom Allah said,“thou shalt speak to no man for three days but with signal.” (Q3:41) and again to the same effect, “Behold! He cried to his Lord in secret.” (Q 19:3):
• the traveling (strange hood) of Yahya (may blessings of Allah be on him), who was a stranger in his own country and an alien to his own kin;
• the wearing of wool by Moses (may blessings of Allah be on him), who wore woolen garment throughout;
• the pilgrimage hood of Jesus (may blessings of Allah be on him), who was so detached therein from worldly things that he kept only a cup and a comb. He threw away his cup when he saw a man drinking water through use of palms of his hands, and the comb likewise when he saw another man using his fingers to dress his hair;
• the poverty of Muhammad (peace be upon him), to whom Allah Almighty had given the keys of all the worldly treasures saying: “Lay no trouble on you, but procure every luxury by means of these treasures;” and he answered: “Lord, I desire them not, keep me one day full-fed and one day hungry.”
• 
  

Acronym : Tasawwuf

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

 

لَفْظُ كَلِمَةِ التَّصَوُّفِ أَرْبَعَةُ أَحْرُفٍ:

فَالتَّاءُ: مِنَ التَّوْبَةِ

وَالصَّادُ: مِنَ الصَّفَاءِ

وَالْوَاوُ: مِنَ الْوَلَايَةِ

وَالْفَاءُ: مِنَ الْفَنَاءِ.

The very utterance of the word taṣawwuf (Sufism) is made up of four letters:
The tāʾ: from tawbah, repentance
The ṣād: from safa, purity of heart
The wāw: from wilayah, spiritual guardianship—nearness to God and His care. The sanctity of the lovers and friends of Allah
The fāʾ: from fana, self-effacement, the annihilation of ego into the nothingness.

from 'The Secret of Secrets' by Hadhrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (May Allah be pleased with him).

A word of caution about Tasawwuf (Sufism).

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

 

 

أبي الحسن البوشنجي علي بن أحمد

 

ٱلتَّصَوُّفُ ٱلْيَوْمَ
ٱسْمٌ بِلَا حَقِيقَةٍ
وَقَدْ كَانَ مِنْ قَبْلُ
حَقِيقَةً بِلَا ٱسْمٍ

More than a thousand years ago, a teacher called Abu 'l-Hasan 'Ali b. Ahmad b. Sahl al-Bushanji (died in 348 H), who hailed from the town of Bushanj in eastern Persia, complained that few people had any idea of what "Sufism" was all about. "Today," he said, "Sufism is a name without a reality, but it used to be a reality without a name." A profound quote,reflecting the unfortunate situation even to this day.

Sufism was never a separate sect of Islam. It was mainstream Islam, without any labels associated with it. However due to the prevalent political (and hence religious) situation of the time, Sufism started to become a distinct approach towards Islam in "spirit", as opposed to "form".

In most original and authentic Islamic sources, the concept of Tasawwuf is connected with an extensive range of methodologies aiming to achieve human perfection by closely following the model of the prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasallam).

Keeping this in mind, it is imperative to understand that Sufism cannot contravene principles of the Qur'an, and way of the Beloved Prophet (salallahu alayhi wasallam). Any Sufi practices that deviate from the essence of Islam, no matter how well intentioned, can and do lead to misguidance.

This is a screen capture from one of my presentations:

Sarmaya e Iman

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The name "Sarmaya e Iman" (سرمایه ایمان ) is a Persian phrase which roughly translates as "Capital/Investment of Iman (Faith)".


In a poem by Maulana (Mevlana) Rumi, the expression goes like this:

يادِ‌ اُو سرمايۀ ايمان‌ بود 

 

هر گدا از يادِ‌ اُو سلطان بود

His Remembrance is the foundation/capital of faith.
Beggars are transformed into kings due to His remembrance.

Profile Picture

بِسْمِ اللّهِ الرَّحْمـَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

The profile picture is a calligraphic rendering of a the quote:

 أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

 which means,

"Verily, (only) in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace"

which is part of the following verse of Al-Qur'an (Ar-R'ad, 13:28):

 

  الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُم بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ أَلاَ بِذِكْرِ اللّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ
 

 "those who believe, and whose hearts find their peace in the remembrance of God - for, verily, in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace"