The Chishti Nizami Habibi Soofie

Sufi Order

Pietermaritzburg

Kwa Zulu Natal

South Africa

786/92  

TAUHID AND RISALAT

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 49^th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 1

Ishq And A<da>b Or Love And Respect

The aim (Maqsad) of faith (Iman) is to establish oneness (Tauhid). Within the Science of the Pursuit of Spirituality  (Tasawwuf) all existence is one (tauhid- i- wujudi). The Sufis and the Verifiers (muhaqqiqun) have realised Allah’s Unity within themselves. They, the ahl al-kashf wa’l wujud or ‘The People of Unveiling and Finding’, have taught us that the key to unlock the treasures of Tauhid is Risalat or the Messenger of Allah. The aim (Maqsad) of Risalat is Iteba or ‘Following with Love’. The key to open the treasures of Iteba or ‘Following with Love’ is Ishq and A<da>b or love and respect. Hazrath Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilaani (may Allah be well pleased with him) says[1] that it is important that every believer observe a>da>b under all circumstances.  Hazrath Shaykh Abd al-Qaadir al-Jilaani (may Allah be well pleased with him) quotes Hazrath Umar ibn al-Khattab  (may Allah be well pleased with him) as having said,

Respect Of Rasulullah Is Respect For Allah

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 49^th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 1

This noble Sura begins with the refined manner (a>da>b) that Allah has taught the believers to conduct themselves, with respect to the Sacred Law (Shariah) of Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) and the authority of His Beloved Messenger. Some of the traditional Commentators, soaked in ishq and a>da>b have called it the ‘Sura of Ethical and Moral Standards’ (Su>rat al-Akhla>q).

Amongst many reasons given for this revelation, the one given by al-Tabrani who cites Hazrath Hassan Basri (May Allah be well pleased with him), that this was revealed on the occasion of ‘The Festival of Sacrifice’ (Id al-Adha) when some Companions of the Holy Prophet (Sahaba) performed their sacrifice (Qurbani) before the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) had made his sacrifice and Allah revealed this verse.

Two points should be noted here

1. The Sacred law (Shariah) declares that the sacrificial animal be cut after the Festive Prayer (s{ala>t-al-‘I<d) but respect (a>da>b) says cut after the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) or the Sacrifice (Qurbani)  is not accepted. Any act of Servitude to Allah (Ibaadat) has to be offered with A<da>be Rasul (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) This is a condition of acceptance that proper conduct (a>da>b)  demands

2. Another point is that the Companions (Sahaba) performed Sacrifice (Qurbani)  before the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  but the Verse says before Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions). Therefore the Qur’aan  is informing us that disrespect of the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is disrespect to Allah. Hence, loyalty to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is loyalty to Allah.

The rule that these points teach us is that we should realize and recognize the status of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions). There should be a balance between the teaching of Allah’s Unity (Tauhid) and the Concept of the Messenger of Allah  (Risaalat). One should not try and belittle the Holy Prophet’s status in the name of one’s own narrow understanding of Tauhid.

Salaah And Love For The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)

There are numerous Hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari, reported by Hazrath Anas bin Maalik [1:649] [2:297A] (Radiallahu anhu) and Sahl bin Sad as-Saidi [9:300] (Radiallahu anhu) on the event on the Day of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) 's leaving this world and veiling himself to be ushered into the realm of Divine Beauty. Taking all the reports into consideration I relate the incident which was was as follows:

 While Hazrath Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be well pleased with him) was leading the Companions (Sahaba) in the Morning Prayer on a Monday, during the Holy Prophet’s (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) illness. The Prophet wanted to see them praying and lifted the curtain of Hazrath Aisha's house, which adjoined the Prophet’s Mosque, and looked at them as they were standing in rows and smiled.   The house was situated to the left of the ‘prayer leaders carpet’ (Musalla-e-Imam). The attention of those engaged in worshipping God (the Musalis) was diverted from the prayer because they were delighted to see the Prophet. They report that when the curtain was lifted it was as if a light had shone into the Masjid. They had not seen the Prophet, for three days and their eyes desired a glimpse of his beautiful countenance. The law states that if you move your face and chest away from Qiblah your Salaah is invalidated, but their love told them:

Thinking that Allah's Apostle wanted to come out for the prayer the Companions (Sahaba) clapped their hands to attract Hazrath Abu Bakr's attention. Some were so emotional after seeing the Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) that they became ecstatic, whilst others lost consciousness.  Hazrath Abu Bakr Siddique (may Allah be well pleased with him) tried to come back to allow the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) to come forward and lead the prayer. The Prophet waved his hand to them to complete their prayer from where they had stopped, saying, "you have passed your test". Then he went back into the room and let down the curtain. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) passed into the realm of Divine Beauty on that very day.

 Points to be noted from this incident are:

The Sahaba had overflowing love for the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) and they regarded his love and reverence as a necessary pre-requisite to worship (Ibaadat), including Salaah. They would rather leave their Salaah than being denied an opportunity to see him.

He told them to complete their Salaah from where they had left it, and not to restart it, although they moved away from facing the Kaaba. This showed that their Salaah did not become invalidated as long as they fixed their attention on him. Attention to Rasulullah (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) is attention to Allah. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had stated, "O Abu Bakr he who has seen me has seen Allah". This again is extreme love and reverence or ishq. Thus we are not only ahle sunnah [people of sunnah] but ahle muhabbah [people of love]. There is a difference between tazeem (intense respect and love) and Ibaadah (worship). Those who confuse these are guilty of branding pious, loving Muslims as Mushrik. Trees, stones, mountains and animals revered the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)

He told them to complete their Salaah although they moved away from facing the Kaaba. This showed that their Salaah did not become invalidated as long as they fixed their attention on him. Attention to the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is attention to Allah

Recognizing The Holy Status

Sufi's stayed away from debates and arguments because they have Recognition of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  (Marifat e Rasul). So-called Scholars of Religion (ulama) who have made disputes their profession have no recognition (marifat) therefore debate on basis of limited Personal Knowledge (Ilm) and Ego (Nafs).

 To clarify what I am saying I present to you the Qur’aanic narration of Yusuf and Zulaikah:

When the ladies of Egypt had not seen the beauty of Yusuf (may Allah bless him with peace) they spoke about him as they pleased with derogatory terms and mocked Zulaikah for falling in love with a servant. She persuaded Hazrath Yusuf (may Allah bless him with peace), to pass by a banquet that she had prepared for these ladies, displaying his beauty to the full. Yusuf did as she requested and when they saw him, whilst they were busy chatting and cutting fruit, they cut their fingers in amazement, and they exclaimed, as mentioned in the Holy Qur'aan in the  12^th Sura, Yusuf, Verse 31

                 Allah save us!  no human being is he (Bashar). This is none other than an Angel                

They said he is“ not a human being” (bashar). Allah did not rectify them in the Qur’aan because Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) knows when you look beyond the human status you see much more. Therefore the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) has a ‘human status’ (bashar), which was seen by the general population whilst the nur or light status was seen by "some" whose love had opened their internal eye or Basirah. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said to Abu Bakr (Radiallahu anhu) as reported in Hadith,

Thus the Reality of his status or haqiqat (truth), only Allah knows. All saw the ‘Human Status’; some saw the ‘Nur Status’, whilst Allah alone knows ‘the Reality’. In the narration of Yusuf and Zulaikah there is no Legal Lesson (Shari masalaa) being conveyed by Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He), but a Lesson of Love is being conveyed in this narration or Bayaaneh Muhabbat.

Seeing made all the difference:

He is human but, belief in the human status is not for repetition and to be made a topic for scrutiny. Keep one’s eyes fixed on his Excellence (Fazilat) not Similarity (Misliat). Disrespect has its roots with the incident of the topic of Human with Satan, the accursed, since his eyes were fixed on the Human Status (Bashariat)

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 15^th Sura, al-Hijr: Verses 31 to33

Angels accepted the Human Status (Bashariat) but focused on the Light Status- (Nuraaniat). Satan emphasized the Human Status (Bashariat) hence he became ‘The Rejected’ (Rajeem). The Companions (Sahaba) focused on ‘excellence’ (fazilat) but the unbelievers like Abu Jahl focused on ‘likeness’  (misliat). e.g.

v     When the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) was walking the streets, Abu Jahl said, ‘He is like us.’ But the Sahaba could get the aroma of his blessed, perfumed perspiration and knew he is not like them. .

v     The non - believers with their eyesight saw him eating food and thought that he was like them, but the believers with their insight (firaasa) saw the food making thanking Allah that it was going to enter the blessed body of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions).

v     During the battle of the Trench, stones were tied on his tummy to quell the hunger and the disbeliever's said, "he is like us". On the other hand, during the same battle, when Hazrath Jabir bin Abdullah  (may Allah be well pleased with him) invited him for food, 1500 ate from a small pot and the food remained intact.

The Creator And The Created

There is no difference between Allah and His Messenger (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) in respect of, Love, Obedience Respect etc. Only one difference exists i.e. one is the creator and the other is the created.

Ibn Taimiyyah one of the founding fathers and leading scholar of the deviant Wahabbi School has elaborated this concept.[2] He says:

Understanding the basic concept and legislative status of Prophet hood in Islam, one can properly appreciate the reason, why, in Qur’aan single indicative has been used for two nouns one signifying the name of Allah and second that of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  in the  9^th Sura, at-Tauba  Verse 62,

Here ‘hu’ is the indicative, signifying the sense of one, but has been used to indicate both Allah and His Beloved messenger (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions). Qurb or closeness of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is closeness to Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He).

The Holy Qur’aan states and reinforces this at many places, e.g.

To attain Allah’s Forgiveness the Holy Qur’aan says in the 4^th Sura, al Nisaa: Verse 64

To pledge allegiance to Allah, the Holy Qur’aan says in the 48^th Sura, al-Fath: Verse 10

 The Holy Qur’aan says regarding obedience in 4^th Sura, an-Nisaa:  Verse 80

The Holy Qur’aan says in the 3^rd Sura, al-i-Imraan:  Verse 31 how to obtain Allah’s love.

Allah has made The Holy Prophets action His action the 8^th Sura, al-Anfaal:  Verse 17

The Holy Qur'aan has made it clear in 4^th Sura, an-Nisaa: Verse 150

 The Inner Dimension Of The Sunnah

The inner dimension of the Sunnah, of transforming the heart, on the basis of the human values that reached their perfection in the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) has to be built up first; then the external manifestation of these great values will automatically come. The inner dimensions of the Sunnah are ultimately linked with Science of the Pursuit of Spirituality  (Tasawwuf). Our institutions of theology today teach nothing about Ishq and A<da>b or Love and Respect. They teach theology to anybody and only emphasize the external. It is putting the cart before the horse. Sunnah does not start with external adornment; it should start with the heart. Islam came to change the heart. Thus you will find Muslims dressed the part but devoid of Islam. Allah speaks of them in the Holy Qur'aan, the 2^nd Sura al-Baqarah: Verse 8:

They verbally Testify the Faith (Kalimah) but reject the Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  ‘s status at heart.  . According to [a tafsir of Holy Qur’aan] the Holy Prophet  (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  once said:

The Hypocrites laughed at this statement, mocking, that how can he know who has Iman and who does not. They believed, as people do today,that Iman was to love Allah exclusively and in order to protect their devilish tauhid, they should reduce the status of the Holy Prophet  (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  to an ordinary mortal. When this state of affairs was reported to the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) he sat on the pulpit (mimbar) in the mosque and after praising Allah he said:

When he posed this challenge, one Hypocrite got up and asked as to whom his father was. The Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) immediately replied, ‘Huzafa! Your father is Huzafa’. The Hypocrite thought that he could have heard someone call me by my fathers name, so let me pose such a question that he may not be able to answer. He then asked, O Messenger of Allah! Where will I be in the hereafter, heaven or hell? The Holy Prophet replied, ‘The fire of hell’. This Hadith teaches us that to preach the excellence of the Holy Prophet’s (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) knowledge is a ‘practice of the Prophet’ (sunnatte rasul) whilst to doubt and mock at the Holy Prophet’s (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) knowledge is a sign of Hypocrisy. Also to defend the Holy Prophet’s (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) knowledge is a  ‘practice of the Prophet’ (sunnatte rasul). So a stage was reached when Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) decided that the pure and the filth should be separated. Here I will relate a Sahih Hadith to you that the Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was now instructed that the ‘stay of exposure’ was over and the hypocrites had to be weeded out. The Holy Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) got onto the Pulpit (mimbar) of ‘The Mosque of the Prophet’ (Masjide Nabawi) on a Friday and personally removed from the Masjid[3] those that whole-heartedly did not believe in him and doubted his extra-ordinary qualities.

He used the words

At one time 34 were taken out prior to Jumua'h salaah. This is reported in Fath al-Bari Sharha Sahih al-Bukhari- Allama ibn Hajar al-Asqalani and a detailed commentary (tafsir) in ‘umdat ul-Qari Share Sahih al-Bukhari by Allama Badruddin Ayni. Here it goes into details about how the   hypocrites will be ‘punished twice’ as revealed in the 9^Th, Sura, at-Tauba Verse 101

When the 34 hypocrites were leaving the Masjid, Hazrath Umar, who was late for salaah, arrived and saw the crowd leaving the mosque. Hazrath Umar (Radiallahu anhu), felt ashamed since he thought he was late and missed his Jumua'h. The hypocrites were also ashamed since they thought that at least Umar (radiallahu anhu) did not see their expulsion but now he too had seen them.

Allah says in the Holy Qur'aan, the 2^nd Sura al-Baqarah: Verse 9

   They think they deceive Allah and the believers? They only deceive themselves but don’t realize it.  

Deceit of the Messenger of Allah  (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  is deceit of Allah. Beings are two but respect is one and love is one.

E.g. at the Battle of Uhud, there was a call for War (Jihad) by the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) and the Qur’aan says in the 3^rd Sura, Al-i- Imran: Verse 172

Therefore the calling of Allah and the Holy Prophet  is one. Here there is a Legal status (Masla) that proclaims that there are two beings but One Order (Huqmi Wahdat)-

He who gets close to the Holy Prophet is close to Allah and he who gets far from the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) distances himself from Allah.

Allah Commands Respect Of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 49^th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 2

It is reported inSahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 6.368 and narrated by Ibn Abi Mulaika (may Allah be well pleased with him) that two righteous persons were about to be ruined. They were Hazrath Abu Bakr and Hazrath Umar (may Allah be well pleased with them) who raised their voices in the presence of the Prophet when a mission from Bani Tamim came to him. One of the two recommended Al-Aqra' bin Habis, the brother of Bani Mujashi (to be their governor) while the other recommended somebody else. (Nafi', the sub-narrator said, I do not remember his name). Abu Bakr said to Umar, "You wanted nothing but to oppose me!" 'Umar said, "I did not intend to oppose you." Their voices grew loud in that argument, so Allah revealed the 49^th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 2. Ibn Az-Zubair said, "Since the revelation of this Verse, 'Umar used to speak in such a low tone that the Prophet had to ask him to repeat his statements."

When Allah warns the likes of Abu Bakr (Radiallahu anhu) and Umar (Radiallahu anhu) with such stern words, and this warning is for all time, how much more should we not fear that punishment? In another Hadith it is said that Umar (Radiallahu anhu) became so affected by this that thereafter he lowered his voice so much that whenever he spoke he had to be asked to repeat his words. Abu Bakr (Radiallahu anhu) said, "O' Messenger of Allah! from now on I shall address you as if I am talking to you about something secret."

It is reported that Thabit bin Qais (may Allah be well pleased with him) used to have a naturally loud voice. Since the above verse was revealed he became immensely sad and distressed saying, "I shall enter Jahannam for I always speak loudly." Thereafter he confined himself to his house, not setting foot from there. A few days later the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) on missing him, inquired about him and was informed about what happened. The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) consoled him and gave him the glad tidings of him being one of the inmates of Heaven (Jannah). He still continued crying and said, " your Reverence and respect (Tazeem-o-Adab) is greater than Heaven (Jannah).”

 What Is Piety

Allah (Almighty and Glorious is He) says in the Holy Qur'aan, in the 49^th Sura, al-Hujeraat, Verse 3

Those who lower voices or show extreme love and respect for the Beloved of Allah, - Allah gives them Piety (Taqwa). Respect and Reverence (Adab-o-Tazeem) of the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) is Piety (Taqwa).

What Was The Respect And Reverence Shown By Sahaba?

Hazrath Kurwa bin Masood (may Allah be well pleased with him) was sent to spy on the Muslims camped at Hudaibiya. He observed the1400 Sahaba who were encircling the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)  like moths around the candle. They sat in his presence with bowed heads, that a bird could sit on their head without being disturbed. They did not allow a single drop of his ablution water to drop on the ground. They grabbed it in their palms and rubbed it on their bodies. Those that could not reach the water rubbed palms with the one that did. It is reported in Sahih Bukhari 1:187  by Abu Juhaifa (may  that:

 Sahih Muslim Hadith 5750   Narrated by Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be well pleased with him)

Love to the extreme is the practice of Sahaba and from a legal stance it is a Consensus of the Companions i.e. Ijmae Sahaba.

Devilish Tauhid

We must not practice the Devilish Tauhid of Dhul Khawaisira, who in protection of Tauhid questioned the Holy Prophet ‘s (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) justice and fear of Allah. Follow the love of the truthful companions and all those that followed.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith8.184, Narrated by Abu Said Al Khudri (may Allah be well pleased with him)

Hazrath Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) Orders 5,000 Hypocrites To Be Killed

One may ask if the 'Wahabbi' sect existed at the time of the Righly Guided Caliphs (Khulafaa-e-Rashideen). Here one must remember that this was the sect about which Hazrath Abdullah Ibn Abbas (may Allah be well pleased with him)  asked Hazrath AIi's (may Allah be well pleased with him) permission to confront. After obtaining permission, Hazrath Ibn Abbas went to these people and asked them: "What was it about the Leader of the Faithful (Amir-ul-Mu'mineen) that you greatly disagree with?" They replied, "Why did the Ameer appoint Hazrath Abu Moosa Ashari (may Allah be well pleased with him) as a Hakam (Judge or Arbitrator) in the event of Siffeen? This is Attributing Partners to Allah (shirk) because Allah states in the Qur’aan: That ‘judgement is from none but Allah' . Hazrath Ibn Abbas replied, "Is it not stated in the very Qur’aan that, 'If there arises a dispute between husband and wife then get one Hakam from both sides; and if the couple require a reconciliation then Almighty Allah will put them together?"

Hazrath Ibn Abbas then asked them as to what type of beliefs do they hold that they claim Iman with all the Verses of Negation (Nafi), and disbelief  (Kufr) with the Verses of Affirmation (Ithbat). On hearing this scholastic statement of Hazrath Ibn Abbas, half of the group (5,000) repented (taubah) and joined the Leader of the Faithful (Amir-ul-Mu'mineen). The remainder of the group (5,000) remained stubborn. After this dialogue, the Noble Amir-ul-Mu'mineen issued the order that the remainder be killed. Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain and other eminent scholars hesitated because this group had spent entire nights in Tahajjud and spent entire days in the recitation of the Holy Qur’aan. They said, "How could we raise our swords on such people?"

The Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions) had informed Hazrath Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) about this sect that would revolt against Islam that they will be very staunch in their external duties, i.e. of salaah fasting, etc. They will leave the Deen as an arrow leaves the bow for its target; they will recite the Holy Qur’aan but it will not go below their throats.

Eventually the Muslim army was compelled to execute the command of Amir-ulMu'mineen. Hence the battle commenced. In the course of Jihad, Hazrath Ali was informed that the enemy had reached the river in retreat. On hearing this, Imam Ali (may Allah be well pleased with him) said, "By Allah! Not even 10 of them will cross the river. All will be killed on this side. " And so it happened, as predicted. None of the 5,000 escaped, and all of them were killed. Since the army of Amir was impressed by the piety of the enemy, he had to clear their minds and hearts. He issued an order to his army: "Search the bodies of the enemy. If you find Dhul Khawaisira, amongst them, then you will have verily killed the most evil men on earth, and if you do not find him amongst them, then you have killed the best men on earth."

The search began and all the corpses were inspected. Below a pile of the slain lay the body of the cursed person. His one hand was shaped like the breast of a woman. When Amir-ul-Mu'mineen saw him, he loudly shouted the takbeer - "Allahu Akbar" and praised the Almighty Allah. Likewise, the entire Muslim army was convinced and satisfied by the Knowledge of the Unseen (Ilm-e-Ghaib) of the Amir, praised him and thanked Him for cleansing this filth from the earth.

Then the illustrious Amir again addressed the army and said: "You think that this cursed Sect is totally exterminated? Absolutely not! Some of them are still in the womb of their mothers and others are in the sperm of their fathers. When one of these people will be exterminated the others will rise with the mischief (fitna) and this will continue until the last group will emerge with the accursed DajjaI!"

This is the very sect that has been prophesied to emerge under different names and disguises. One of these cults emerging, as "reformers of Deen" are the Wahabbis, the rulers of Saudi Arabia, whilst other groups, like Tablighi Jamaat,  have the same beliefs but all profess to be followers of Ahl- as-Sunna wal Jama'at.

I pray Allah save us from this Islam, and raise us as the dust under the feet of the lovers of Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him, his family and his companions)

Irshad Soofi

inspired by an Urdu lecture by Prof. Dr. Allama Tahir al-Qadri

6 Rabbi ul-Awwal 1421

June 10, 2000

Revised 10 Rabbi ul-Awwal 1425

April 29, 2004

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