In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon His Beloved Messenger, his companions and folk.

Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on him) (d.1132 Hijri) said,

‘The aim and spirit of spiritual routines (awrad) is presence with Allah.

Aim for it; you will reach it only if you travel the road that leads to it, which is performing the external activities and striving to be present with Allah during them. When you persevere in this you become immersed in the lights of Proximity, and the sciences of gnosis emanate upon you, at which your heart becomes wholly intent on God and presence becomes its nature and well-established quality.’ [The Book of Assistance]

Commentary on Imam Haddad’s Saying

A wird (plural: awrad) is any regular routine of worship, such as prayer, remembrance (dhikr), supplication (dua), fasting, and so on. One can also consider regular routines of religious study and reading to be a wird.

It is sunna to be consistent in one’s works; to take on only as much as one can sustain with excellence, without feeling overwhelmed; to focus not only on actions, but on excellence in one’s actions; and to strive for gradual, meaningful increase that is sustainable.

Prophetic Guidance on Consistency and its Consequence

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Take from actions that which you can sustain, for verily Allah doesn’t tire until you tire.” [Bukhari & Muslim, from A'isha (Allah be pleased with her)]

This means, as Imam Nawawi explains, that Allah doesn’t tire of rewarding and accepting your works until you tire of performing them; or that it is not Allah who tires (for He is exalted beyond imperfection) but it is you who tires.

And our Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily, this religion is ease, and none will make the religion difficult except that it will overwhelm them. So remain steadfastly committed; do your best; and be of glad tidings. And seek assistance in the early mornings; the late afternoons; and something of the depths of the night.” [Bukhari and Nasa'i, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him)]

Making the religion difficult is to take on more than one can manage. Remaining steadfastly committed entails seeking knowledge of who to seek Allah Most High, how to act according to the Prophetic example of excellence, and to strive to act accordingly. Doing one’s best is to take on what one can sustain; to keep consistent; and to do the best one is able to manage if one can’t do everything completely. Being of glad tidings entails celebrating the favour of Allah Most High having gifted one with the urge to seek His pleasure; the knowledge of how His pleasure is sought; and for inspiring one to act accordingly. “Say, in the bounty of Allah and His blessings, in that let them rejoice…” [Qur'an, 10.58]

The three blessed times that are particularly beneficial for spiritual striving are (1) Fajr time and after sunrise, when there are few distractions (the early mornings); (2) Asr time, or during and after one’s return from work (the late afternoons); and a little of the late night, after having slept (tahajjud time)–the time for true lovers of Allah to stand with their beloved.

The Reality of Sincerity, its Manifestation in Consistency, and its Consequence

Sincerity is to seek Allah Most High alone in one’s actions. This meaning is manifest in consistently–as it affirms that one acts for the sake of Allah whether one have the inclination to or not; and it manifests the trueness of one’s yearning for Allah.

Consistency also strengthens one’s resolve to seek Allah; makes one’s efforts add up; changes the heart, polishes it, and directs it towards Allah. And if one’s seeking becomes consistent, then one will surely find Allah–and attain unto His closeness, love, and presence.

Walking to Allah and Allah Rushing to You

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) related that Allah Most High says, “I am as My servant thinks of Me. And I am with them when they remember Me. And, by Allah, Allah rejoices more in the repentance of His servant than when one of you finds their lost property in a vast space. Whoever draws close to Me by a handspan, I draw close to them by an arm’s length; and whoever draws close to Me by an arm’s length, I draw close to them by two arm’s lengths; and whoever directs themselves to Me walking, I direct Myself to them running.” [Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him); Bukhari mentions it with similar wording]

This means that anything the one does of the good for the sake of Allah is magnified in its reward and spiritual consequence–and that when one’s directing oneself to Allah becomes consistent and true, then Allah rushes to one by granting His closeness, love, beholding, and concern. [Ayni, Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, and others]

Imam Ahmad relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Allah Most High says, “O child of Adam! Stand up for Me, and I will walk towards you. Walk towards Me, and I will rush towards you.” [Ahmad, Musnad, with a rigorously authenticated (sahih) chain of narrators according to Imam Mundhiri, in his Targhib ]

May Allah make us of the people of sincerity, consistency, trueness in turning to Allah–and of those whom Allah accepts, turns to, loves, draws close, and grants His spiritual beholding, such that we worship, submit, and live “as though we behold Him,” with every step and breath expended on the footsteps of His Beloved Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his folk).

And Allah alone gives success.

Faraz Rabbani

[Quote of Imam Haddad itself from: Ashrafiyya, with thanks.]

by Ayaz Siddiqui

Recently, I’ve been taking an interest in learning about manners that every person, Muslim or Non-Muslim should adopt. Islam has a lot to offer in this area, through the examples of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) as well as his Companions. The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said “The only reason I have been sent is to perfect good manners”. What piqued my interest in this area was my interest in the topic of Tazkiyyah, which I have been interested in for a number of years.

In pursuit of learning more about Tazkiyyah, I bought “Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart.” In this book, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf provides commentary on Imam al-Mawlud’s Matharat al-Qalb. In this book, Shaykh Hamza provides commentary on the following verses from Imam Mawlud’s work:

“I begin by starting with the heart of beginnings,

For it the highest and noblest of beginnings.”

Commenting on these two lines, Shaykh Hamza informs us that, as is often the case, we have lost some intricacies of these two verses due to translation. Focusing in on “heart of beginnings”, the word for beginning in Arabic is ba’du and the word for heart in Arabic is qalb. Another meaning of qalb in Arabic is to reverse, so in Arabic this phrase can also be read as “qalb ba’du” or “reverse beginning”. If we take this literally, what happens if we reverse the word ba’du? In Arabic, we get the word adaab, which means to be courteous, but also to have good manners, morals, etiquettes, etc.

- Ayaz Siddiqui -

In order to learn more about the topic of manners, I recently registered for the Prophetic Conduct: Islamic Manners in Everyday Life. Before the course started, we received a lecture describing the Ten Adab of Seekers of Knowledge given by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani (hafidhahullah). My notes on this lecture are below. If I left anything out, mistyped anything, or misunderstood anything, it is from my own shortcomings.

In this lecture Shaykh Faraz expounds upon five outward manners seekers of knowledge must adopt as well as five inner manners.

The Five Outward Manners of Seeking Knowledge

1. Repeat and Review

• Commenting on this advice, Shaykh Faraz tells us that by repetition, even donkeys learn so there is no reason why we humans cannot learn through repetition.
• What do you have to review?
  • Key Concepts, conditions, and integrals because if you understand these clearly, you understand what you are studying
  • Definitions (e.g. What is ghusl? What is wudu? What is wiping?)
    
    • Shaykh Adib Kallas (rahimahullah) said that matters are known by their definitions.
    • So, it is of utmost importance that one learns the definitions of what is being studying.
    • Definitions bring out the meanings of things

2. Take Notes

• Take notes while listening, but also make your own notes on readings that are prescribed or supplemental material described in the lecture
• Have pen and paper to jot down the most important things described or items to be researched at a later time
  • Diagram what you are studying because diagramming helps to visual concepts
  • Diagramming helps you actively engage in what you are learning.
• A seeker of knowledge is called a seeker because they are an active participant in learning. The term “seeker” means that you are the one who is searching and acquiring knowledge. You are not being sought for knowledge.
  • Example: Seekers ask “What else can and should we be reading?” when studying a topic with a teacher.

3. Ask!

• The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “The cure for confusion is but to ask”.
• We shouldn’t be scared to ask questions from our teachers because if we don’t ask, it may lead to confusion and misunderstanding. Questions should, however, be asked with the proper etiquette and manners.
• Asking is half of knowledge
  • Part of why it is half of knowledge is to know how to ask a question, and the right way of asking questions
  • Ask also to confirm what you do understand because Ilm is decisive knowledge so it is imperative to make sure your understanding is correct.

4. Extra Readings

• You must do extra readings in a guided way, not randomly.
• The strong student of knowledge is one who learns the core of their knowledge through teachers but at the same time they continue reading to gain breadth of knowledge.
• You can potentially read many things, but you would be foolish to read books above your current level Ilm. So, ask what is appropriate
• Anytime you are studying one book, try to read a similar book on the same level
  • This will deepen your understanding of any topic
  • Read actively

5. Prepare for class

• The best way to prepare for a class is to prepare so much that you know the subject better than the teacher
• It is important to prepare for class, just as you prepare to go to school or work.
• It is best to read and understand the text of the section being discussed, however, if nothing else, read over the text of the section.
  • When reading, you may encounter questions which you can then ask when given the opportunity
  • Many Ulema say that one should prepare for five hours for each one hour of class, however, others have recommended less time for preparation.

The Five Inward Manners of Seeking Knowledge

1. Intention

• Have a high intention of why you are seeking knowledge. Is it to seek the pleasure of Allah (may He be exalted), or are you seeking knowledge to show off?

2. Clear & Defined Goals

• Have a clear sense of what you are seeking, and define what your goals are for seeking knowledge. What are you trying to achieve? How are you going to go about seeking knowledge? Do you want to be able to teach others?

3. Veneration

• Have a deep, unshakeable respect for scholars (even when we disagree), writings of scholars, books (which are the vessels containing the water of guidance), and even knowledge itself
  • Scholars are inheritors of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
  • Disrespect of Ulema is sickness of our times
• Have wudu when studying

4. Adab (Manners)

• Have proper adab (manners) - you can only have adab if you learn about it

5. Consistency

• Learn something every day and review every day. Our lives are busy, but at the same time we should set aside some time every day to learn
• Seeking knowledge should become intrinsic for the true seeker
  • Part of consistency is to have a routine

BONUS: Always act upon knowledge learned

Ayaz Siddiqui is an IT professional working in the DC Metropolitan area and an avid seeker of knowledge.

A powerful clip from the weekly mawlid of Habib Munzir al-Musawwa of Jakarta (Indonesia). Faraz Rabbani of SeekersGuidance (http://www.SeekersGuidance.org) was in attendance as part of the January 2010 Arus Damai tour. See: http://www.majelisrasulullah.org/ and http://www.arusdamai.com)

Habib Munzir al-Musawwa (http://www.majelisrasulullah.org/) focusses his call (da`wah) towards youth–particularly those in dire poverty, and those stuck in crime, drugs, and distance from the ways of deen.

Click on the screenshot below and scroll down:

1. Prayers.

2. Prescribed Alms-giving.

3. Fasting.

4. Haji or pilgrimage to Makkah.

5. Reciting the Holy Qur’an.

6. Remembrance of Allah in all possible situations.

7. Earning one’s livelihood in accordance with the regulations of the Shari’ah

8. Fulfilling one’s obligations towards one’s companions and neighbors.

9. Persuading people to act righteously and dissuading them fromwhat is reprehensible and forbidden.

10. To follow the Sunnah, or the practice of the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him an grant him peace)”

[p. 71 of Volume I of “Ma'ariful Qur'an” by Mufti Shafi Usmani]

by Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown

(The National, Abu Dhabi)

Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown is director of research at the Tabah Foundation. He delivers the Friday sermon at the Maryam bint Sultan Mosque in Abu Dhabi

Eleven-year-old Anna St Louis was going to be a lawyer. For three days she lay trapped beneath the rubble of a building in Haiti, her right leg crushed by a steel beam. “Lord God save me. I don’t want to die,” she cried out. Far from the capital Port-au-Prince, far from assistance, neighbours tried desperately to cut the beam with a hacksaw, while others gave her water. Her final rescue was covered by international news agencies, the town celebrated, Anna was grateful. With nothing more than painkillers to give her, the Cuban doctor volunteering in that area advised that she must be taken three hours away where more sufficient medical care could be given. Anna was brave enough to suggest her readiness to have her leg amputated. “I may lose my feet, but I will always have my life,” she has seen saying. But within 24 hours of being rescued, Anna had expired due to severe internal bleeding.

The first statement of the Prophet Mohammed to be taught to every student of Sacred Knowledge is: “Those who show compassion to others, compassion will be shown to them by the All Compassionate; show compassion to those in the Earth and those in the heavens will show compassion to you.”

Some will inevitably say that this does not apply to the non-Muslim. “We should only give our assistance to Muslims,” they will say. But an analysis of the above mentioned narration does not bear this out.

Another tradition of the Prophet Mohammed says: “God does not cease to assist his slave, so long as His slave does not cease to assist his brother.”

The premiere jurist of the 1950s Al Azhar, Muhammad Abu Zahra, says this is not limited to one’s brother in Islam alone, but in humanity in general. The Prophet Mohammed warned that whoever stands by and watches while the safety and dignity of another is being violated – while he has the wherewithal to help – God will leave him at the moment when his dignity and safety is threatened and he most wishes for rescue. Man is famously the caliph of God on Earth, and the believer is the caliph of the Prophet. But the “stewardship” through which we understand this caliphate is a concept of wide and expansive meaning. When we think – through history books – of Medieval international relations, we think of black and white stand-offs, of well-defined boundaries of “us-against-thems”.

We forget about how Islam was lived in actual communities – beyond the pages of cut-and-dry jurisprudential theory – where neighbours shared and cared across faith boundaries, and where they still do today, contrary to the pictures painted through grainy web videos, or their counterparts on 24-hour cable news channels. The world is no longer a place of regionally isolated towns and provinces; it is an expansive and vast community where the concept of stewardship and leadership needs to be bigger.

“Fear the prayer of those wrongly treated,” the Prophet said, “because there is no veil between them and Allah.” More often than not we think of this in terms of those who victimise us. Muslims should not forget to fear the prayer of those who suffer while they can alleviate it.
Much praise for the North American Muslim leaders who rallied and joined Shaykh Faraz Rabbani, the crew at Seekers’ Guidance, and Islamic Relief to alleviate the suffering of their beleaguered neighbours in Haiti this week; even more appreciation for all those who gave the US$105,000 (Dh386,000) in the first two hours online. Here is what it means to drink from the teachings of Mohammed.

The following excerpt is from the book “Islamic Manners” by Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him). Although the book is short and concise, one can nonetheless acquire very deep meanings by reflecting upon its structure and themes. It is unlike other works of adab (etiquette) which often go into the particular details of the Sunnah.

Rather, “Islamic Manners” focuses on key principles and practices of the Sunnah and gives special attention to those that are often neglected by believers in the modern era. If each us were to live up to the lessons contained in this short work, we would witness remarkable transformations in ourselves, our families, our communities, and within broader society. This following section explains the spiritual importance of keeping appointments and the etiquette of dealing with delays and cancellations.

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Keeping Appointments, Delays, and Cancellation

By Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah

In the first verse of Surat Al-Mai’da, Allah called upon the believers “O you the Believers, fulfill your promises.” In Surat Maryam Allah also praised Prophet Ismail (may peace be upon him) “He was true to his promise. He was a Messenger and a Prophet.”

To keep an appointment is vital to our lives, since time is the most precious commodity, once wasted it could not be replaced. If you made an appointment, whether to a friend, colleague or for business you should do your utmost to keep this appointment. This is the right of the other person who gave you part of their time and may have declined other appointments. Not only have you disrupted their schedule but you have marred your image and personality.

If your punctuality becomes lousy you will lose people’s respect. You should keep all your appointments whether it was with an important person,a close friend or someone else. You will be responding to the call of Allah in Surat Al-Issra’ “and keep your promises. The promise is a responsibility.”

It is enough to know that our kind Prophet gave an appointment to one of his companions. The companion came three days later. The Prophet gently reprimanded him ‘You have caused me some trouble. I have been waiting expecting you since three days.’ The companion probably had an excuse for this delay. Then, he had no means to inform the Prophet about his inability to meet the appointment.

Today, fast and reliable communication means are available everywhere. As soon as you realize you will not be able to keep an appointment, you should inform the other parties to enable them to utilize their time. Do not be careless or irresponsible. Do not think that the appointment is so unimportant that it does not merit a notice or an apology. This is totally irrelevant. Regardless of its importance an appointment is a commitment. It must be kept or canceled properly in advance.

Never make a promise while you do not intend to keep it or fulfill it. This is forbidden as it falls within lying and hypocrisy. Al-Bukhari and Muslim narrated that the Prophet said:

‘Three traits single out hypocrites, even if he prayed and/or fast and claimed to be Muslim: If he talks, he lies. If he promises, he does not keep it. If he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.’ Imam Ghazali in Al-Ihya said that this Hadith fits those who promise while intending not to fulfill it, or those who, without excuse, decide later not to fulfill a promise. Those who promise but could not fulfill, their promise due to a proper excuse are not hypocrites. But we should be careful not to create excuses that are not valid. Allah knows our inner thoughts and intentions.”

(p 12 of “Islamic Manners” by Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda)

Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda (1917-1997) was one of the giants of Islamic scholarship in the 20th century. He was born and raised in Aleppo, Syria to a family that descended from Khalid ibn Walid (may Allah shower him with mercy). He studied under some of the leading scholars of the Ummah, including the prolific Ottoman scholar Shaykh Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari.  A leading scholar in his own right, Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghudda has left his mark in the field of hadeeth and jurisprudence.

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Don’t forget to check out our course: Prophetic Conduct: Islamic Manners in Everyday Life

Registration closes February 15, 2010.

Prophetic Conduct: Islamic manners in everyday life

Sh. Faraz Rabbani · 12 downloadable lessons · 3 live sessions

“What would the Prophet do?” That is a question we often ask ourselves, but sometimes the answer is not clear to us. This course provides important and insightful glimpses into the Prophet’s inspirational personality and manners, empowering students to build their own Islamic conduct by attempting to emulate that of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). The course is an explanation and contextualization of Shaykh `Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s influential and celebrated book Islamic Manners.

This following excerpt is from the forthcoming book “Being Muslim”. It is suitable for those who are simply curious about Islam, newly practicing, or lifelong Muslims who would like a refresher. It assumes no background knowledge in Islam and systematically covers some of the most essentials aspects needed to begin studying the faith.

(Note: all material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or printed without written permission by the author)

© Asad Tarsin 2010 Work In Progress – Do Not Copy or Distribute Without Permission

He was a companion of Hasan of Basra. Dinar was a slave, and Malik was born before his father’s emancipation. His conversion began as follows. One evening he had been enjoying himself with a party of friends. When they were all asleep a voice came from a lute which they had been playing: “O Malik! why dost thou not repent?” Malik abandoned his evil ways and went to Hasan of Basra, and showed himself steadfast in repentance.

He attained to such a high degree that once when he was in a ship, and was suspected of stealing a jewel, he no sooner lifted his eyes to heaven than all the fishes in the sea came to the surface, every one carrying a jewel in its mouth. Malik took one of the jewels, and gave it to the man whose jewel was missing; then he set foot on the sea and walked until he reached the shore.

It is related that he said: “The deed that I love best is sincerity in doing,” because an action only becomes an action in virtue of its sincerity. Sincerity bears the same relation to an action as the spirit to the body: as the body without the spirit is a lifeless thing, so an action without sincerity is utterly unsubstantial. Sincerity belongs to the class of internal actions, whereas acts of devotion belong to the class of external actions: the latter are completed by the former, while the former derive their value from the latter. Although a man should keep his heart sincere for a thousand years, it is not sincerity until his sincerity is combined with action; and although he should perform external actions for a thousand years, his actions do not become acts of devotion until they are combined with sincerity.

(Excerpt from Chapter XI of “Kashf al-Mahjub” by the Gnostic Ali Hujwiri)