Geometric pattern reflecting on marble floor of an ornate masjid in day time.
Ramadan is that special time of year to revive our spirits and detoxify from the cumulative effects of evil throughout the year on our hearts. Like our bodies, our souls too need nourishment, and that is precisely what Ramadan is all about. The soul hungers and Allah provides the sustenance in Ramadan. First, the devils are shackled facilitating good deeds and habits while uprooting the old, stubborn ones. Rewards are multiplied. All the holy books from the Torah to the Qur'an were revealed in this month, denoting the importance of recitation in this special month. All the centers of knowledge in Madina and Makka, Kufah and Basra closed up for Ramadan. Teachers and students, muhaddithun and fuqaha alike dedicated the whole month to recitation of Qur'an. This is how Imam Abu Hanifah completed 61 Qur'an every Ramadan while Imam Shafi' 60.
All of our predecessors and their successors followed this routine every Ramadan almost their entire lives. Even if one cannot recite fast, there is hope. Go at your own pace and set your goals accordingly. But the recitation is the important worship to bond with the Creator. May Allah bless us in this blessed month and enable us to maximize its time to achieve His eternal pleasure.
The views expressed in the columns of Insight magazine do not necessarily represent those of Darul Uloom Canada.
The articles published in this magazine may be reproduced with due
BATTLE FOR THE SOUL: MONOTHEISM VS PANTHEISM
Part 1
by Asim Ahmad
There seems to be this overall consensus in the seerah books and in our history that the Prophet was born in a polytheistic society. This is true, but only partially. More so, he was born in a pantheist society. Pantheism is the belief that ‘all is God because All is one. And All is one Anything worthy of veneration is worthy of being a deity, and anything worthy of being a deity is essentially worthy of worship.
Pantheism is not a religion or philosophy in the truest sense of the word but it ‘has been for the most part, a dimly discerned background, an esoteric significance of many or all religions, rather than a denomination by itself.”2 It ‘effaces distinctions, obscures boundary lines, and betrays the tendency to wipe out every antithesis.’3
The distinction between Creator and creation is efficiently eliminated for all things may be one or the other or both simultaneously because it is ‘both of movement and repose, of variety and harmony, of multiplicity and unity.’4
1. Holmes, Edward, All is One. Ch. III (The Ultimate Object of Speculative Thought)
But it is something much, much worse, at least for a monotheist. Pantheism will attach all the attributes of the Creator to any creation. If Allah is al-Mutakabbir then too is any such thing that manifests this attribute. Pantheism will endorse the divinity of anything that is claimed to be divine by the principle of ‘all in one and one in all’. The fact that pantheism is subtle and without distinctions, a blur without shape or form makes it all the easier for one to be a pantheist without consciously being one. It can masquerade itself in the excessive veneration that leads to deification. Most pantheists align themselves to one religion or another but their excessive veneration of creation reveal pantheist undertones. For example, Christians worship Isa e and venerate his mother, Maryam d. Islam condemned this veneration saying, “O Isa, son of Maryam, did you say to the people: take me and your mother as gods beside Allah?” (5:116). Though Maryam e is not worshipped as a Godhead in Christianity, she is likened to it due to excessive veneration of her in Christian liturgy.
Greatest threat of pantheism
But by far the most dangerous appeal of pantheism lies is in its call toward tolerance, unity, and inclusiveness. Even a monotheist can fall into pantheism if he compromises his monotheism for unorthodox beliefs.
3. Kuyper, Abraham, Pantheism’s Destruction of Boundaries. pp. 40
4. ftafPicton, Allanson J. Pantheism, its Story and Significance, pp. 7
The concept of ‘live and let live’ is a significant slogan of pantheism and a common thread in Islamic history. Waraqa bin Naufal, the first cousin of Khadija j, was a monotheist who lived in Makka Mukarrama as did many other non-pagans. The Quraysh were tolerant of his difference of belief and other minority groups in Makka Mukarrama. Never did they make any effort to proselytize him nor did they show any hostility toward him, or even to the Prophet a until he denounced their idolatry. At some point, they even agreed to cut a deal with him. They said:
O Muhammad (a), we will worship what you worship and you worship what we worship and we will make you partner in all our matter. If what you bring is better than what we have, we will become partners in your matter and will take our share in it. And if it is so that what is with us is better than what you have and you have partnered with us in our matter, then you will take your share.5
The willingness of Quraysh to come to the table and the Prophet’s a horror at such a thought personifies the contrary attitudes of pantheism and monotheism. We would say that in any other case, the proposal was fair, since the outcome was peace for all, but this was a matter of tauheed. The response was clear, firm, and most im- portantly, uncompromis- ing: Say, o disbelievers, I do not worship what you worship. Nor are you worshippers of what I worship. Nor will I be a worshipper of what you worship. Nor will you be worshippers of what I worship. For you is your
pantheist spirit as all other religions and philosophies have not, it is Islam. He says, "The only religion in the world in which we should have concluded, before examination, that the pantheistic spirit was impossible, is the religion of Mahomet. Islamism is repellant of all speculation about God, and all exercise of reason in matters pertaining to faith. The Supreme God of the Arabian prophet was not a Being from whom all things emanated and whom men were to serve by contemplation, but an absolute will whom all creation was to obey."6
In the battle of Khandaq, all of Arabia from the polytheist to the People of the Book united against the believers of monotheism, a fitting demonstration of how pantheism instills peaceful coexistence amongst all types and religions, while being forever pitted against the monotheism of Islam. In comparison, we see
The Prophet s feared excessive veneration. He disliked the Sahaba l standing for him (Tirmidhi) and forewarned that the curse of Allah came upon the Yahud and Nasara for worshipping their prophets and converting their graves into temples of worship.7 He encouraged the Umma to love him because their iman depended on it, but also worried of the excessive veneration that would invite the pantheist spirit. A time may come when someone may assign divine omnipresence to him, as we observe certain groups in the Subcontinent do. A similar prophesy is made about a group that will appear before the Day of Judgment deifying Ali g. The Prophet a said to him, “In you is the example of Isa e who was hated by the Yahud until they slandered his nation and the Nasara who loved him [excessively] until they raised him to a level unworthy of him.” After narrating
which I do not possess; and the hater whose enmity toward me will force him to denounce me.”8
Veneration of Ahl Bayt
In its excessive veneration of the Ahl Bayt, Shiism assignes attributes to the imams that amounts to shirk. The Ahl bayt are represented as a pantheon with the wilayat takwini (i.e., authority over the universe and knowledge of all that is between the skies and the earth), what one orientalist author called a ‘pantheocracy’ ‘which lures men to become gods upon earth….’ One such example is the attribute of Allah being hazir (Omnipresent) and nazir (All-seeing). Shiites frequently invoke the imams in their supplications because they believe that the imams are plenipotentiaries who hear, see, and are present to hear the dua’s of their votaries. It is not unheard-of for Shiites to utter, “Ya Ali”, or “Ya Husain” to counteract the Sunni “Ya Allah” invo-
creations, and Nuh (a.s.) will be called first and Allah will ask him: Did you convey the message? He will answer: Yes. It will be asked: Have you got any witness for that? He will answer: Mohammad bin Abdullah. (al-Qatra, v 1, p 159).9
Only to disassociate the true and absolute monotheism of Sunni Islam from the pantheism of Shiism and to shed a stronger light on the reformist work of Shah Waliullah that will be brought up later, it is important to recognize the infiltration of pantheism in Shiism. The doctrine of imamate is a pillar of Shi‘a belief which holds that the imams hold a higher spiritual station than even the prophets. The vilest form of the pantheist spirit is that the imams are a manifestation of Allah.
One Shiite scholar says, "Whoever says, “What good is the imam? God without an intermediary is enough for me” plainly forgets that,
self—in the widest sense of the term— it is impossible even to speak of God. This form is the ‘face’ of God…We have been told that this form “Face of God” is the Imam." 10
Theophany is a fancy word for “A visible manifestation of a deity.” In addition, Shiism believes in two forms of tauheed. One is the theological tauheed and the other an ontological tauheed, the latter ‘being the affirmation of the transcendental unity of being (wahdat al-wujud). Ontological tauheed is presented in a fashion conforming to the metaphysics of Ibn al-‘Arabi.’ 11 The doctrine of Ibn al-‘Arabi was a universal tolerance based on the belief that all is one and one is all:
The creation holds various creeds about the God and I believe all that they believe.12 Islam condemned the concept of wahdat al-wujud because of its blasphemous attack on the oneness of Allah. Pantheist sufis like Mansur al-Hallaj, was executed for saying, “I am Haqq (Allah),”13 who was condemned by great sufis like Junayd Bahgdadi for his shath (fantastical statement). Other eminent cholars of the Ahl Sunna like Imam Dhahabi, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn Kathir declared him a kafir.14 It is precisely the pantheist Sufis who have brought disrepute to the science of tazkiya and ihsan and transformed it into a syncretic faith that promotes saint-worship, candle-burning and decorating of shrines, pilgrimages to shrines,
10. Edited and Annotated by Syed Hossein Nasr. Shi’ism, Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality, pp. 180
11. bid. pp. 170
12. Ibn al-Taymiyya, Majmu‘a al-Fatówó, 2/98
13. Al-Mausñ‘at al-al-Maysara fi al-Adyón wa al-Madhó’ib, 1/256
14. Maüra‘ al-Taüawwuf, 1/178-203
The fact that pantheism is subtle and without distinctions, a blur without shape or form makes it all the easier for one to be a pantheist without consciously being one. It can masquerade itself in the excessive veneration that leads to deification.
annual celebrations near the graves of saints and mystical incantations, rites and other forms of assimilation to Hindu culture.
Pantheism naturally was congruous with the lands whose populations admitted to pantheist faiths or which exhibited pantheist leanings. We see an especially strong presence of pantheism in Persia and the Indian Subcontinent because of the pantheist strain in Shiism and Hinduism. But even before Shiism, Persian and Indian history were wedded to the “All in one and one in all” belief from ancient times as told in the mythology of each. In pre-Islamic Persia, the kings were always vested with a God-given fortune.15 Shiism was essentially the reincarnation of the Persian faith that rose against the absolute monotheism introduced by the Arabs whom the Persians considered an uncouthed race.
15. J. Wiesehofer, Ancient Persia, pp. 30
Rib‘i bin Amir g summarized the monotheism so strange to Persian thought when he said to Rustam, “Allah sent us to so that we take out whom He wishes from the worship of people to the worship of Allah.” 16 Maulana Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi explaining the history of Shiism in al-Murtaza says, "The very delicate doctrine of Imamate whose borders brought powerful families to the borders of the Everlasting and Godhead, is an imprint of ancient Persian belief. In ancient Persia, the Medes tribe were the aristocracy, religious authority, and government. Then, this privilege was passed to the tribe of the Magis when the Zoroastrian religion prevailed over Persia. There evolved missionaries from the priestly class to the people of Iran known as the Kuhnut. The belief about them was they were ‘shadows of Allah’ and all of mankind were created
16. Hayat al-Sahaba l, Da‘wat Rib‘i, pp. 1/258
to serve these divine beings. It was also necessary for the king to be from the priestly class because God entered them and took the form of a human being…
Mr. [Reinhard Petrus] Dozy writes, “The Iranians saw a parity between their kings and God, and viewed the family of the king in the same way. They believed that to follow the imam was compulsory, and obedience to him was obedience to God.”17
Shiism perpetuated the pantheist legacy of Persia and as one secular Shiite puts it, “Iranians, whether pious Muslims or not, take great pride in their Aryan ancestry and revile the ancient Arabs who invaded their land, bringing to them Islam, an Islam that they then molded to their Zoroastrian character.”18
The Zoroastrian character of Shiism is the superhuman status it bestowed to the imams and even to the debauched kings of the Shiite Safavid dynasty.
likened them to the hidden imam. Ali B writes,
There is nothing like unto Him.
The notion that Persian rulers possess some sort of Divine attribute is probably as ancient as Persian history… after Persia became Muslim, the pre-Islamic notion of kings possessing a God-given fortune (farnah or farr) underwent a subtle transformation in form but not in content. The kings’ God-given fortune takes the much more descriptive form and image of the shadow of God on earth (zellollah). This royal title retained the superhuman and sacred characteristics of the kings. Mohammed Baqer Majlesi refers to the Shah Soltan Hoseyn, the Safavi (Safavid) king, as the “Shah of Shahs (Shahanshah) of an army of angels”, the “Embodiment of all Divine graces” and “the shadow of God on earth.” The notion of king as shadow of God on earth and the embodiment of all Divine graves sought to convince the people that kings possessed divine attributes and Divine missions.”19
Mulla Baqir Majlisi a 16th century Shiite predecessor of modern-day Iran was also the appointed court mullah of the last Safavid king. Sycophancy aside, he drew up a doctrine which he proclaimed essential to Shiism and promoted in his tafsir work, Bihar al-Anwar, that glorified the Safavid kings and in some ways
17. Nadwī, Abul ûasan ‘Alī. Al-Murtaza, pp. 418 18 . Majd, Hooman. The Ayatollah Begs to Differ, pp. 151
It is interesting to know that the Safavid descended from a line of pantheist mystics known as the Safawiyyahs, the eponym for the Safavid dynasty. Mountstuart Elphinstone describes them as dervishes in his brief account of the second of the Safavid kings, Tahmasp. His father, he says, “was descended from a family of dervishes, which had derived importance and influence from its sanc-
19. Rahnema, Ali. Superstition as Ideology in Iranian Politics, pp. 15
tity, and was still principally supported by the enthusiasm of the nation for the Shia religion.”20
The common thread between the Shiite faith, the Safawiyyah mysticism, and ancient Persian character of lending divine attributes to human gods is hard pantheist doctrine. In Sunni Islam, the title Shahanshah is strictly forbidden in the hadith. The Prophet a said, “The most treacherous of names to Allah on the Day of Judgment is the name of a man, Malik al-Amlak (King of all kings). To this Sufyan, added [the Persian translation], Shahanshah.”21 The offensiveness here is in the panthe- ism.
In his struggles to revive monotheism in the Subcontinent, Shah Waliullah would frequently clash with Shiism which espoused the creation-centric creed through hyperbole of the Ahl Bayt. It is for this reason that I have prolonged this seemingly irrelevant stream to the topic of Shah Waliullah for this long.
Indian Subcontinent and Pantheism
But nowhere was pantheism, which promoted the most heinous forms of paganism by removing all distinction between Creator
20. Elphinstone, Mounstuart. History of India, v. ii, pp. 169
21. Tirmidhi, Mó Yukrahu min alAsmó’
and creation and transforming anything that fascinated the heart into a deity, more prevalent and deep-rooted than in India. Hinduism was born out of fascination toward the sun, the moon, the elephant, and millions of other articles of nature that invoked the imagination to form a pantheon22 what one orientalist author called a ‘pantheocracy’ ‘which lures men to become gods upon earth…it was a creed welcome to such as the self-sufficiency and homely monotony of the Sunni ritual had chilled and to moody, fantastic and passionate souls.’23
India was the macrocosm of pantheism, and it was here in the land of the ancients that pantheism first expressed itself in its most brazen form. Pierre Leroux said, “All religions and all philosophies have their root in India, and that had pantheism not been found in India that would have been a strong argument against its truth, for then humanity would have erred in its beginning.”
Hindus have never been troubled by venerating deities of other religions. They are as much in their element worshipping the one Lord as they are idols, and even standing side by side with Muslims and Sikhs holding vigils at shrines of Muslim saints and prostrating at their gravesites. The verbal contradictions that lie in the Hindu scripture are so plain and yet so perplexing that it is believable and yet so unbelievable at the same time. Here is pantheism at its very best in the Vedas. First the mono- theism in the Yagur Vedas. No- tice that the tone is so fresh and so beautiful in its message that it seems to be the
22. Al-Shófī, Kitób al-ûujja, Ch.14-15, Nódirun Jómi‘un fī Faðl al-Imóm wa ýifótihī, pp. 58, 60-63 [translation of Uüñl al-Kófī]
23. Augustus, Frederick. The Emperor Akbar, pp. 146
predecessor of the Qur’an itself: He is neither great nor small, large nor long. He is without color, shadow, smell, or taste; without youth or age, beginning or end, limit or bounds. Before Him there was no one; after Him comes no one. He unspeakably pure, living in eternal repose, and in eternal joy, stable amid all change—in His grandeur free. He sees without eyes, and hears without
Thou art evening, night, and day; earth, sky, air, water, and fire; mind, intellect, and individuality. Thou art the agent of creation, duration, and dissolution; the master over the agent, in Thy forms which are called Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. Thou art Gods, men, animals, deer, elephants, reptiles, trees, shrubs, creepers, climbers, and
India was the macrocosm of pantheism, and it was here in the land of the ancients that pantheism first expressed itself in its most brazen form.
ears. He sees all, hears all, understands all; pre-eminent Being; but lest that term should seem to exhaust His infinitude, He is also said to be Non-Being—not, however, in the sense that material forms are non-being, not because He is less than being, but greater than all being. Our thoughts of existence are too mean to be applied to Him. We must declare their insufficiency so as it may be understood that when we, the finite, affirm anything of God, it is but our finite effort to express Him and therefore imperfect, for no number of finites can make up the Infinite; no accumulations of being can express Him who is the source of all being, therefore it is said that Brahm is both Being and Non-Being.
This monotheism quickly dissolves into a polytheism as Creuzer says, “The polytheism of the Vedas is dissolved into monotheism,” and the tone changes into a monotheism encased in a polytheism that is irreconcilable to the absolute monotheism of Islam. This is the polytheism that is abetted by the same pantheist spirit that promotes monotheism in the earlier passage. The Vedas says,
grasses; all things large, middling, and small, immense or minute.
My own experience
I saw the level of tolerance pantheism promotes at a shrine during my student days in India. It was 1997 and I had just finished my exams. Wanting a break from studies, I took advantage of the two week break and headed off for Delhi, the birthplace of the Urdu language. After a week of exploring the ancient city, I purchased a ticket for Deoband to visit my spiritual hometown at the Nizamuddin railway station, but realized I had few hours to wander to my heart’s delight before the train arrived. I asked a few locals of anything of historical interest that could be visited in the vicinity of the Nizamuddin station and was told that the grave of the great shaykh of the Naqshbandiyya, Khawaja Baqi Billah, was only walking distance from the station. Less than half an hour later, I arrived at an open shrine located near the center of an old, unkempt cemetery. The shrine was a gazebo decorated with religious motifs
and decked with Christmas lights. I could have easily mistaken it for a temple and shrine. But what struck me the most was the amity between the throngs of visitors of every religious background. It was rare in a country that claimed one of the largest heterogeneous populations fractured along many lines. It had experienced the tremors of riots and conflicts that caused major social unrest and plunged all into uncertain despair about the future of the country just a few years back in the razing of the Ayodhya Masjid in 1992. For all that fuzzy feeling of togetherness I witnessed at the shrine and for all the camaraderie it evoked among its visitors, I know Khawaja Baqi Billah, an absolute monotheist who converted many to Islam, would be horrified by the pantheism that this patchwork of votaries represented. In the winding, long queue of devotees, almost every single one fell into solemn prostration to his grave, made offerings, and many were clearly invoking his name to relieve their hardships and seeking guidance from his blessings. In this, there was no telling who was a Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Parsee, or Muslim because they were all in on the pantheist theme of veneration. The irony of how these pilgrims could venerate one so opposed to this flagrant violation of monotheism shows how pantheism is dangerous in being able to integrate its very antithesis into itself. It is like a glob of slime that swallows everything, and the more it is resisted, the mightier it becomes.
To speak of boundaries like the hadith, “The halal is clear, and the haram is clear and between them are the doubtful (Bukhari),” in a pantheist society is taboo
because no one understands what boundaries mean and their purpose. This is because the nature of pantheism is built on the disappearance of Allah into His creation. Revelation and authority and laws and boundaries are all removed. The supreme being is now the one left to his devices to decide his own course of who is God, who he will worship, and how he will worship it/them, if he worships anyone at all. It is the egocentricism of the human that creates laws and reveals his own revelations from the breast, a power that arrogates to man all godliness. As one author puts it,
In its thought man is both alpha and omega—an anthropotheism, as some have named it; a worship first of the ideal human, and then of self, however cynically deep this brutal self may have sunk below the human; an Ego-theism which extends to its most repulsive consequence. In the intoxication of his passionate self-esteem man cast himself with his exceeding power upon defenseless nature, and he has put it under foot, and ever since has led it about behind the triumphal ear of his science and of his materiality. And these three motives taken together, that feeling of infinite power, that sense of self-esteem, and that alliance into which the spirit of man has entered with the spirit of nature, even without the mention of more satanic or lower motives, entirely explain the pantheistic keynote of our age.24
In other words, the pantheist does not
24. Kuyper, Abraham. Pantheism’s Destruction of Boundaries, pp. 4
transcend all laws and boundaries that bind him to moral obligations and the confines of religious doctrine because he supposes that God is one in all but because pantheism intoxicates him with infinite power, an extraordinary sense of self-esteem, and an alliance with all things in nature in and around him to make him the designer, the creator, and destine-maker of the dynamics of his life. It is a hidden ‘Ego-theism’ which empowers itself and grows all more vicious in its cycle of self-exaltedness by generating a pervasive tolerance and permissiveness toward all belief systems and all ideas, a flattery of kinds that masks the evil of ego-worship; the same place where Satan fell from Allah’s grace.
As a side note, a hint of this permissiveness permeates all religions, philosophies, and ideologies today by nature of the absence of monotheism in them. Muslims are often seen to be too rigid regarding any defamation of their Prophet a, criticism of their faith, a verdict that is juxtaposed to, for example, a Christian who can joke about Jesus Christ without any qualms. Adherents outside of Islam are generally more indifferent to any critique of their beliefs and tenets. I remember a Hindu boy with me on a train ride once sharing a joke about the multitude of gods in his religion. The joke was that a man took his matter to one of the gods who told him he was busy and waved him on to go to Shiva who would certainly assist him. Shiva handed him over to Ram and Ram passed him onto another. And there it went on until he figured he was better off solving his
case himself. The boy chuckled, but I was shocked. I could never be so flippant as to crack a joke about the tenets of my faith. This is the differ ent attitude that is born out of the permissiveness that pervades pantheism thought and the uncompromising nature of monotheism.
Hindus were not only open to the idea of other faiths even while they held fast to their own creed but also venerated the saints of other religions to the point of worship. It is because of this permissive attitude that one mission ary said, “The difference, then between the Polytheist and the Pantheist is simply that of culture. The Brahman priest is a Pantheist, while the ignorant devotee is a Polytheist.” Shaykh Ahmed Sirhindi wrote to a Hindu by the
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Khatama means the conclusion to or termination of something; or, its finality.The verb form similarily means to finalize, complete, or to seal and settle something.
Khitam;
Khatama al-Nabiyyin Muhammad is not the father of [any], but [he is] the Mes- senger of Allah and seal [i.e., last] of all Prophets. And, ever is Allah, of all things, Knowing [33:40].
Khatima the end of something; khatimat al-sura [the end of a chapter]
khaytamkhaataam; An article of jewelery; and to stamp letter. Prophet s prohibited except for an official/king. drink, the end of the in Qur'an, 'khitamuhu leaves with the fragrance is drunk.
khatma; khitma
A recitation of the whole Qur'an
Takhattum 'an
takhattum from something means to stay quiet or ignorant of it.
Takhattum bi' al-dhahab khaataam; jewelery; first used as a seal In one hadith, the prohibited wearing a ring official/king. khitam of a the drink, its smell; as 'khitamuhu misk' because one fragrance of musk after it
takhattum, in general, means to wear a ring; bi al-dhahab means to put on a gold ring.
Takhattum 'an
Khatama zar'ahu
He irrigated his fields. It is called khatam because after the field is irrigated, the seal of hope is stamped to it [that it will grow].
Khatam Allah 'ala qulubihim Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing, and over their vision is a veil. And for them is a great punish- ment [2:7].
Know and be aware that the Sustainer of all things be it the sky or the earth, angels or terrestrials, is One and Only, and He is Unique and unlike His creation.
name of Harde Ram who venerated the saints of Islam and wrote a letter of his adoration for them. The Shaykh writes, Know and be aware that the Sustainer of all things be it the sky or the earth, angels or terrestrials, is One and Only, and He is Unique and unlike His creation. He is free of any likeness or form to anyone or anything. It is impossible to attribute to Him a father or son. There is no resemblance or equivalence to Him and to impute to Him Unity of Being and incarnation is a defect… He is not of time because time is His creation and He does not occupy space because
Lives of the Companions
Author: Maulan Yusuf Kandhelawi
Lives of the Companions [Book one] is the first encyclopaedic book in the Sahaba genre that organizes the inspiring stories of the Sahaba according to relevant topics. Initially written for the Jama'at work that was spearheaded by his father, Maulana Ilyas Kandhelawi, to revive the kindred Islamic spirit, Maulana Yusuf Kandhelawi collected these stories from numerous native sources to inspire believers and reignite their connection with Allah. Narrating the lives of the Sahaba, indeed, was the most effective way to inspire the Umma as they embodied all the good that the Prophet s came with and imbued in his beloved disciples. In reality, the Sahaba were like Maulana Anwar Shah Kashmiri once said, the dwellers of Paradise who came to our world for a short time to show us how to live Islam and to prove that to live as true servants of Allah despite our human frailties is an achievable goal. We can relate to them much better since they were fallible like us and yet the most perfect anyone can ever strive to be. Like us, they resisted the same human urges, faced the same set of challenges and were weighed down by the same worries as us. For all their fallibilities, they were forgiven
by their Creator as attested to in numerous ayahs because they stopped at nothing to achieve His pleasure. They surrendered their lives where they had to and separated from their families when required. They abandoned
their fields and businesses to attend to the call of Allah and His Prophet s and risked their lives without seeking worldly gain and striving for nothing but the pleasure of Allah.
This book was a game-changer for myself and thousands of others in this Umma as it proved that it is possible to
Book review
by Asim Ahmad
please Allah despite the decadence times and the distractions and inclinations toward evil that constantly obstruct our path to Allah. All that we need to do is to look to the practice of the Sahaba, mirror the sincerity of their hearts, the magnanimity of their being, their brilliant character, and their devout worship to Allah. Looking to them doesn't promise that we will ever reach their illustrious status, nor achieve their spiritual and worldly successes, but it does urge us to aspire to be like them, or any one of them, since they were the irridescent pearls strung on the same necklace of the Final Prophet s who said, "My Sahaba are like stars, whichever you follow you will guided."
This book is the first of the three volume masterpiece. The translation includes a brief commentary to help readers extract lessons and note down subtler meanings from the stories. The book is estimated to be available from Darul Hikmah bookstore and Firdaus books on March 1, 2025.
Publisher: Islam Today Publishing
“A time will come when voices will be raised in the masjid.. [i.e., worldly talk and forgetfulness of Allah” Tirmidhi
Q:If someone purchases a house either for rental income or primary residence, but then makes the intention to sell it, will he pay zakat on it (before selling it)?
And, likewise, if someone purchases a car intending to use it as a primary or a secondary vehicle and then plans to sell it, will he have to pay zakat on it?
A: In principle, goods for sale are only required for zakat if they were bought with the intention of resale.
Therefore, if someone purchases a house with the intention of living in it as their primary residence or renting it out for income, they are not required to pay zakat on the property, even if they decide to sell it later on.
Similarly, if someone buys a car for personal use, whether as a primary or secondary vehicle, zakat is not payable on the vehicle, even if they plan to sell it in the future.
In both cases, the intention behind the purchase and usage of the asset determines its zakat eligibility. Since the house and car are not acquired with the primary intention of resale or trade, they are exempt from zakat.
Q: Does applying really strong perfume like oud etc. invalidate the fast?
A: The application of perfume does not have any effect on the validity of fasting. Therefore, it is permissible to use such perfumes, regardless of their intensity.
Q: What should one do if they mistakenly eat or drink during the fast?
A: If a fasting person eats or drinks out of forgetfulness, their fast
remains valid. The Prophet s said:
“Whoever forgets while fasting and eats or drinks should complete their fast, for it was Allah who provided him with food and drink (Bukhari).”
Q:
Is it permissible to delay paying sadaqat al-fitr until after the day of Eid? And if a person does not pay on time, would he be exonerated from sadaqatul fitr?
A: Sadaqa al-fitr should be paid prior to the Eid prayer. Delaying payment until after the prayer does not relieve one of this obligation. Once sadaqa al-fitr becomes mandatory for an individual, the obligation remains until the payment is made. Ideally, it should be given early enough before Eid to ensure that those in need can benefit from it in time.
Consider the following hadith:
Abdullah ibn Abbas g narrates that the Messenger of Allah s prescribed sadaqatul fitr as a purification of the fasting from idle and obscene talk and as food for the poor. If anyone pays it before the prayer (of Eid),
it will be accepted as zakat. If anyone pays it after the prayer, it will be a sadaqah like other sadaqah (Abu Dawud).
Q: I currently live in Buffalo, New York and was planning a trip to Pakistan for the month of Ramadan. The day of my departure was the 1st of Ramadan in Buffalo and not in Pakistan. Therefore, neither me nor my family observed fasting that day. Should we observe our fasts according to Buffalo or Pakistan?
A: A person traveling during the beginning days of Ramadan is required to base the start and end of their fasting on the moon sightings observed in the country they are currently residing in. This practice remains important irrespective of any travel plans to other countries they may have. The moon sighting in the area he is currently residing in determines the proper timing for fasting and breaking the fast.
However, once he has reached his destination, he is to adhere to the rulings of that country/ city. Accordingly, it was obligatory upon you to fast in Buffalo since it was the first day of
Ramadan before you had left. Therefore, you must make up for the fast that was missed.
How should a person deal with his fasts while traveling overseas? How should one calculate his suhur and iftar?
;When travelling by air, you should consider the time zone of the area you are flying over. The subah sadiq (break of dawn when Fajr commences) and sunset can be determined by looking outsid the aircraft. Nowadays, there are many Islamic mobile apps through which one can easily determine the correct salah and fasting timings of any time zone around the world.
It should be noted that it is not compulsory for a person to fast in Ramadan while travelling a distance of 78 km or more. However, if you have the ability to fast while travelling, one should do so to benefit from the reward in Ramadan.
Q:Is itikaaf of last ten days permissible for females? Where would they perform itikaf?
A: Itikaf, during the last ten days of Ramadan, is a sunnah for both men and women. Women should complete their itikaf in the area of their homes that they usually reserve for salah. If they do not have any such designated area, they may designate any area of their home as their itikaf area.
Q:If you take in oxygen or use an oxygen mask for medical reasons while fasting, will the fast be valid?
A: An oxygen mask is a medical device that provides a reservoir of oxygen to the patient. When the wearer inhales, the openings allow room air to entrain or mix with the delivered oxygen. During exhalation, carbon dioxide escapes through the openings, minimizing CO2 rebreathing risk and flow-related sentinel events. Oxygen masks are also used for anesthesia purposes. Therefore, to take in oxygen or use an oxygen mask while fasting will be permissible on the condition that the intake is only oxygen and not any other medication or gas.
Q: My wife is pregnant and cannot fast in the month of Ramadan due to doctor’s recommendation and how far she is in her pregnancy. Can she give fidya for not fasting or will she have to do qada? What is the difference between the two?
A: In principle, a pregnant woman is excused from fasting during the month of Ramadan. However, she is required to make up the missed fasts (qadha) of the month of Ramadan. Fidya will not suffice in this scenario. Qadha refers to making up for missed obligations in the same manner that it was obligated. Fidya refers to payment made to the poor in compensation for a missed obligation (usually salah or fasting) due to an illness/ medical condition that prevents them from fasting without any hope of recovery. If one is expected to make a recovery from their illness/medical condition, they will not be permitted to give fidya and will perform qada after they recover.
Q:My teeth have been aching and my dentist says that it is due to a mass amount of plaque build-up. Can I have my teeth cleaned in Ramadan while fasting?
A: One should postpone or reschedule their dentist appointment until after Ramadan if possible. If the procedure or cleaning cannot be rescheduled, then one should cancel the appointment. However, if the dentist advises that the appointment should not be delayed due to medical reasons, then one may get their teeth cleaned while fasting. One should try not to swallow any fluids during the cleaning. If water does go down one’s throat, their fast will break and they will have to do qada for their fast.
Q: During the last ten days of Ramadan last year, I was observing sunnah itikaf at my local masjid. However, on the 23rd of Ramadan, I unintentionally stepped outside the masjid boundaries. I’m unsure if this accident would necessitate qada. If qada is required, could you please clarify how many days I would need to make up for?
A: In the aforementioned scenario, itikaf is necessary to make up for the 23rd of Ramadan, as that is the day the sunnah itikaf was inadvertently broken. Furthermore, the qada can be performed either during Ramadan or at any time after Ramadan.
Itikaf will commence at sunset and conclude at sunset the following day, with fasting being a necessary condition for its qada.
Rewarded for keeping one wife
A mas'ala raised in the Hanafi works of fiqh:
The man who does not seek to marry for the second time in order to keep his wife happy will be rewarded (Kitab al-BahrRaa'iq 3/113)
The most disliked of permissible deeds
Our Prophet s shut the door for those who intend to divorce their wives with the intention to build a better Muslim environment in the home. To guide toward a better and more wholesome family unit, the Prophet s said, "The most disliked of all permissible deeds in the eyes of Allah is divorce." Imam San'ani in his commentary of this hadith, states, "This hadith proves that some permissible deeds too are disliked by Allah. Of such deeds, the most disliked is divorce, which indicates that though the deed is permissible, there is no reward in it nor is it a means of gaining closeness to Allah. Another such deed the scholars state of this kind of deed is praying obligatory salat at home without good reason. The hadith also proves that divorce should be avoided as much as possible.
Disobedience to the Lord manifested Imam Sha'rani said, "One of the traits of the Auliya of Allah is their patience with their wives when they put them through hardship and distress. They believed that whatever they faced from their wives was due to some act of disobedience to their Lord. Due to their disobedience to their Lord, Allah subjected them by putting
them into hardship through their wives.
Foolish is the man who orders his wife to be obedient and submissive to him when he himself is disobedient to his Lord and makes no effort to rectify his own condition. Such methods only backfire. The wife becomes more defiant until the situation spirals out of control and the case goes to court. The final outcome is divorce.
Loving the wife is an asset
It is never a bad thing or harmful in any way to love your wife as long as it does not interfere with your doing good deeds and fulfilling your religious obligations. That, fortunately, is something completely at your discretion [i.e., to allow or disallow your love for her interfering in your deen]. As far as consciousness of Allah is concerned, this is outside of your control [i.e., talking and cavorting with wife may seem to make one forgetful of Allah, but in reality, consciousness of Allah is not a permanent state, and it fluctuates according to environments). Do you not recall Hanzala's g doubt and the Prophet's s response?
Memory of beloved wife
The following is Hazrat's Thanawi's response to a man whose wife had died. Her memories plagued him all the time and he assumed that this only proved that his love for Allah was less, since he thought more about her and less about Allah: Immersion in permissible, involuntary love which does not interfere with your religious obligations is not harmful, nor does it hurt your love for Allah. The reason for this is that your love for the wife was natural while your love for Allah intellectual
both of which can combine in one heart. If you did not possess love for Allah, you would never be so grieved and worried about your present state [as to write me a letter about it].
Turmoil between husband and wife
Turmoil in a relationship between husband and wife is the cause of too many problems.
Allah intercedes on behalf of the wife
Men should contemplate this ayah carefully and see how Allah has intereceded on behalf of the wives in the following ayah: And live with them in kindness. For if you dislike them-perhaps you dislike a thing and Allah makes herein much good [4:19]. For example, patience with her abuses reaps many rewards or, that Allah may bless him with a child through her who may be of help for him in the Akhirah.
Respect for women
Men should respect their women no matter what for two reasons:
1. They are after all their wives, which means that they are like prisoners in their husband's homes. It is dishonorable for a man to abuse his power to hurt or abuse her in any way.
2. They too are Muslim like you and hold the same faith as you. The way you fulfill the obligations of deen, she does too.
Now, no one knows who is closer to Allah, and there is no such rule in place that a woman is lesser than a man in her closeness to Allah. She may possibly be more beloved to Allah than her husband.
--Malfuzat of Hazrat Thanwi
Ramadan
A SPIRITUAL RESET
by Dr. Kamran Karatela
Allah says in the Quran: “We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape...” (15:26). And, “He began the creation of man from clay, and made his progeny from a quintessence of fluid” (32:7-8).
And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.”
The human being is comprised of body and soul-a physical being and a spiritual being. Being created from mud, human beings have a fundamental connection to the earth.
The body is nurtured through nutrients that are derived from the earthly food that we eat. If a person maintains healthy nutrition, the body flourishes while
a bad diet and unhealthy lifestyle results in metabolic dysfunction and disease. The modern day dietary patterns, influenced by the food industry, have resulted in new strains of disease. The notion that you are what you eat has never been truer than in the modern era. Evidence reveals that highly refined, genetically modified , modern synthetic diet not only impacts metabolic health but also affects genetic biomes through epigenetics. Thus the detrimental effects of an unhealthy lifestyle can be passed on to generations.
In order to counter the accumulated effects of an unhealthy lifestyle, programs to reset metabolic health are being proposed and implemented where the body goes through vigorous lifestyle changes or body detox programs in order to return it to its 'natural' state.
Similarly, our soul is nourished by the fulfilment of divine commands and worship and is injured when those acts are lacking and sins prevail. A hadith states to the effect that when a person commits a sin a black spot appears on his heart. If he repents the dot disappears
but if he continues to commit sins without repenting, his whole heart waxes black. We all experience this spiritual malaise.
Just like our physical being suffers damage and deconditioning from environmental insults and an unhealthy lifestyle, our spiritual being is negatively impacted by sins and disobedience to Allah.
Ramadan provides us a great opportunity to reclaim that connection with Allah, thus calling for a spiritual reset.
Allah has clearly defined the essential aim of Ramadan is to attain taqwa.
“O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous" (2:183).
We often make excuses for not being able to follow the deen of Allah due to societal pressures and prevailing social norms, expectations, and social dynamics that encourage us to engage in behaviors that distance us from Allah.
Allah's Mercy has no boundaries. He does not want us to fail. If sins are rampant in the modern age, resulting in toxicity to our souls,
Allah has also provided us with the tools to detox ourselves. One of those tools, is Ramadan, the perfect detox strategy if we make the most out of it.
For eleven months, we engage in worldly affairs, engrossed in work, enjoy our family and friends, eat and drink, and as a result, we tend to become heedless.
Allah placed the month of Ramadan to remind people of their purpose of life, the purpose for which they have been created and sent to the earth. In this detox month, we have the perfect opportunity to engage and reconnect with seek forgiveness for the sins that we accumulate in the eleven months.
The first step towards the spiritual reset is to break away from our routine.
Akin to any metabolic detox strategy which requires giving up certain lifestyle pattern, spiritual detox requires breaking away from our daily routine and devoting ourselves completely to this month. Therefore, our elders including my sheikh Hazrat Dr. Ismail Memon used to emphasize devoting the entire month to itikaf, secluding oneself to the masjid. He designed a robust Ramadan program where people from all over the world would come and do itikaf in the masjid, breaking away completely from the worldly affairs, re-establishing their lost connection with Allah.
However, if for some reason we are not able to free up this month solely for the worship of Allah, then we must take out as much time as possible to devote ourselves to this month and design a personalized detox program by incorporating the following practical steps:
1.Rescheduling our daily routine: Ramadan is not just about fasting and taraweeh as is often thought. We should make a robust schedule by designating times for different forms of worship like dhikr, reciting Quran and performing nawafil. This may require taking time off from work or reducing our work hours. Men should make sure they perform five times salah in masjid with the jama’ah. Women should ensure they structure their day where most of the day is spent in acts of worship.
2. Abstaining from sins: Obviously, the most pivotal thing in a detox program is to stay away from the toxins. Allah made it easy for our souls to be inclined towards good and avoiding sins during the month of Ramadan. We should make a list of difficult-to-give up sins and practice abstinence from such sins through a conscious effort. Shaykh Ashraf ‘Ali Thanwi once stated, "When an individual spends a sin-free Ramadan, Allah will put in their heart the urge to abandon the sins completely.”
Some of the practical steps in achieving this would be:
Seclusion: Spending time in seclusion and
detaching from worldly affairs and avoiding social gatherings
Self-Reflection: Taking time to reflect on our actions and behaviors that need rectification.
Mindfulness: Pondering over the consequences of sins in this world and the Akhirah
Tackling the root cause: Taking practical steps in staying away from the avenues that lead to sin.
Seeking Allah’s help: Constantly praying to Allah to help us give up the sin.
3.Seeking Purity in Livelihood
An important aspect in overcoming sins or detoxyfying ourselves is to understand the negative effects of consuming haram food from haram sources of livelihood on our soul. No detoxification is effective if we do not abstain from haram livelihood.
We should break our fast from the wealth that is polluted by riba or having suhūr from the wealth earned through haram sources. What kind of fast would it be in which the suhūr and iftār are from harām wealth?
Therefore, preventing ourselves from harām earning and seeking help from
Allah is imperative. Mufti Taqi Usmani says, “Some people have halāl livelihood, however, because of their carelessness, some harām gets mixed with their earnings. For such individuals it is very easy to avoid harām, they just need to be extra careful in this month in how they do things at work. On the other hand, there are those whose primary mode of earning is from a harām source, for example, they might be dealing with interest. Regarding such individuals, Dr. ‘Abdul Hayy al-‘Ārifī suggested that they should take a month leave from their work and only utilize the funds from a halāl source for this month; if possible, try to find another halāl job during this time. If this is not possible, then take a (non-interest bearing) loan for this month’s expenses and have a firm conviction that they will only consume and feed their family from a halāl source.”
4. Setting personal goals: Ramadan is an ideal time to set goals for the next 11 months. Writing down these goals and tracking progress in the subsequent months would lead to maintaining the spiritual reset.
In summary, making the most of Ramadan involves a holistic approach that encompasses resetting our spiritual health, promoting spiritual growth, and personal development. By embracing the principles of taqwa, gratitude, and self-discipline, individuals can transform this sacred month into a period of profound spiritual enrichment and positive change. Ultimately, Ramadan serves as a reminder of the importance of eman and self-improvement, guiding us towards a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
The Reality of Nisbah
by Dr. Ismail Memon
translation: Maulana Dr. Mateen Khan
The terms nisbah (spiritual connection) and iúsān (spiritual excellence) are used by scholars and Sufiya (spiritual masters) to describe the relationship between a servant and Allah, the Exalted. This relationship develops when a person consistently engages in the remembrance of Allah, maintains constant focus on Him, and persistently obeys and submits to His commands. Once attained, this connection enables the servant to worship Allah, the Exalted, correctly and with complete obedience, making it effortless and second nature.
Hadīth Jibrīl (summarized) Among the (scholars of úadīth), the famous narration known as úadīth Jibrīl provides a vivid depiction of iúsān.
Sayyiduna Umar ibn alKhaøøāb g narrated that while the companions were sitting with the Prophet s, a man with exceptionally white clothes and jet-black hair, showing no signs of travel, appeared and sat before him. He asked, “What is Islam?”
The Prophet s replied, “It is to testify that there is no deity but Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger,
to establish prayer, give zakāh, fast in Ramadān, and perform úajj if able.”
The man affirmed the answer and asked, “What is imān?”
The Prophet s said, “It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree, its good and bad.”
He then asked, “What is iúsān?” The Prophet s replied, “It is to worship Allah as though you see Him, and if you do not see Him, know that He sees you.”
When asked about the Hour (Day of Judgment), the Prophet s said, “The one questioned knows no more than the questioner.” He then mentioned two signs: “A slave woman will give birth to her mistress, and barefoot shepherds will compete in building tall structures.”
After the man departed, the Prophet s told Umar g, “That was Jibrīl; he came to teach you your religion.”
In this úadīth, the Prophet s responded to the questioner by explaining five aspects of the religion: Islam, Īmān, Iúsān, an admonition regarding the Last Hour, emphasizing that its timing is known only to Allah, and some signs that will appear before the Day of Judgment. Among these five aspects,
the Prophet’s s explanation of iúsān is of particular significance. Mawlānā Muúammad Manzūr Numānī elaborates on the meaning of iúsān as follows:
The Meaning of Ihsan
Like īmān and islam, iúsān is a distinct Islamic and particularly Qur’anic term. Allah, the Exalted, says:
“Why not? Whoever submits
kindness. However, the iúsān mentioned here is a specific technical term, and its essence is as described by the Prophet s in the úadīth under discussion. That is, worshipping Allah as though He, the All-Compelling, the All-Powerful, the Possessor of Majesty and Authority, is directly in front of us, as if we are seeing Him.
To understand this further, consider a servant’s obedience to his master. One type of
Ihsān is to worship Allah as though you see Him. Even though you do not see Him, He sees you.
himself to Allah and is a muúsin (one who practices iúsān), for him his reward is with his Lord.” (2:112)
Similarly, in another verse, it is stated:
“And who can be better in religion than the one who submits his face to Allah and is a muúsin (one who practices iúsān)?” (4:125)
In our (Islamic) languages and expressions, the term iúsān is generally understood to mean treating someone with
obedience occurs when the master is present, and the servant is certain that the master is observing him closely. Another type of obedience occurs when the master is absent. Generally, the servant’s behavior differs in these two scenarios. Typically, the degree of attentiveness, effort, and perfection with which the servant performs tasks in the master’s presence is not the same as when the master is absent. The same applies to the relationship between a servant and their true Master, Allah. When a person feels that their Master is everpresent, observing every action, and watching every movement and stillness, their worship is marked by a unique sense of devotional presence and humble servitude that is absent when this awareness is lacking. Thus, iúsān is servitude to Allah in a way that one feels as if they are directly before Him, as if they can see Him and He is observing them. This is precisely the meaning of the Prophet’s s statement in the úadīth:
Translation - “Iúsān is to worship Allah as though you see Him; even though you do not see Him, [know that] He sees you.”
Another interpretation of this segment of the úadīth (and one that is more
widely known) is as follows: Worship Allah as though you are seeing Him. If this station of directly witnessing the Divine (mushāhadah) is not attained, then worship Him with the awareness that He is observing you.
According to those who interpret the úadīth in this way, it points to two levels of worship:
• Worship accompanied by direct witnessing of the Divine (mushāhadah), a station belonging to the highest knowers of Allah (ārifīn kāmilīn).
• Worship performed with the awareness that one is in Allah’s presence and being observed by Him (murāqabah), a station for those at the second level of spiritual devotion and knowledge (‘ābidīn and ‘ārifīn).
Although some of the most prominent and well-known commentators of úadīth have
Nisbah is an ingrained psychological state. It gives the ‘ārif (knower of Allah) a strong bond with Allah, the Exalted.
offered this explanation, in my humble opinion, the words of the úadīth do not support that interpretation. The closer meaning is the one adopted in my humble translation and supported by Imam Nawawī in his commentary on Muslim, as well as by Allāmah Sindī in his annotations on al-Bukhārī.
According to this explanation, the essence of the Prophet’s s statement is as follows: Iúsān is to worship Allah as though you see Him. Even though you do not see Him, He sees you. Therefore, worship
and servitude should be conducted as if one were directly in the presence of the Master, because a servant performs tasks with greater care and diligence when in the presence of their master, knowing that they are being observed. Ultimately, the key factor that ensures the perfection of worship is the realization that the Master is watching the servant, which is always true. And Allah knows best.
[N.B: The difference lies in whether iúsān refers to multiple levels of spiritual
awareness (well-known opinion) or a single, comprehensive state of mindfulness (author’s opinion). The author prioritizes the practical and achievable aspect of the úadīth, making it accessible to all worshippers]
A Common Misunderstanding
Many people explain this segment of the úadīth in a way that seems to limit its relevance to üalāh (prayer). They assume that the Prophet’s s statement pertains exclusively to offering prayer with full humility (khuðū‘) and devotion (khushū‘). However, there is no indication in the wording of the úadīth to suggest this specificity. The úadīth uses the word ta‘bbud (to worship), which implies servitude and worship in a general sense. Therefore, there is no basis for confining the meaning of the Prophet’s s statement to üalāh alone. Moreover, in other narrations of this same incident, the wording is as “Iúsān is to fear Allah as though you see Him” and “Iúsān is to act for Allah as though you see Him.”
These alternative wordings further clarify that the concept of iúsān is not limited to prayer but encompasses a person’s entire life. Its essence is that every act of worship, servitude, and obedience to Allah’s commands, as well as every instance of fearing His accountability, should be conducted as though He is directly in front of us, observing every movement and stillness. The quality of iúsān described in the úadīth is referred to by the Sūfiyā as nisbah. Shah Walī Allāh writes in his Tafhīmāt Ilāhiyyah:
Three Major Aspects of Religion
Among the teachings of the Prophet s, the most significant can be categorized into three essential aspects: the correction
of beliefs, which was undertaken by the scholars of principles (uüūl); the proper performance of actions, a discipline adopted by the jurists of the ummah; and iúsān, which embodies the essence of sincerity and excellence in worship and serves as the foundation of the religion that Allah has chosen for His servants. After quoting verses and úadīths related to sincerity, Shah Walī Allāh writes:
“By the One in whose Hand is my life, this third aspect is the most significant in fulfilling the objectives of Sharī‘ah. It is far deeper than all the other branches of Sharī‘ah. In relation to the body, it is akin to the soul. This discipline was developed by the Sūfiyā, who achieved divine guidance themselves and led others to it. They succeeded with ultimate felicity and success.”
The spiritual luminary and axis of the world (quøb al-‘ālam), Imam Rabbānī Mawlānā Rashīd
Aḥmad Gangohī, writes in one of his letters, “The purpose of the Prophet’s s advent as the Pride of the Messengers was to establish this nisbah. All of the Companions l were bearers of this nisbah of iúsān, each according to their respective ranks. Thereafter, the friends of Allah (awliyā Allāh) cultivated this nisbah through other methods.”
What Is Nisbah?
refers to Allah’s special connection with His servant, characterized by acceptance and pleasure, much like the relationship between an obedient lover and a dignified beloved.”
Mawlānā Thānawī defines a person possessing nisbah as someone whose
Regarding the reality of nisbah, Hakīm al-Ummah Mawlānā Ashraf ‘Alī Thānawī provides an accessible explanation: “Linguistically, nisbah means connection and attachment. Technically, it refers to the servant’s special relationship with Allah, the Exalted. This includes constant obedience with sincerity and frequent remembrance of Allah. Additionally, it
company inspires an inclination toward the Hereafter and a detachment from worldly pursuits. Moreover, the pious gravitate toward them, while those engrossed in the material world are less drawn to them. However, recognizing this characteristic—especially its first aspect— is more apparent to those on the spiritual path (ahl al-øarīqah) than to the general populace.
When the meaning of nisbah is understood, it becomes evident that a sinner or disbeliever cannot possess it.
Some mistakenly associate nisbah with specific spiritual states resulting from spiritual exercises or struggles. However, such interpretations are based on ignorance, as these states can occur in anyone undergoing rigorous training, regardless of true spiritual connection.
Thus, nisbah is the name of a special kind of connection. The stronger the connection, the stronger the nisbah. While every Muslim has a general relationship with Allah, this nisbah arises from a unique love and special bond with Him. Without it, complete sincerity in actions cannot be achieved, and even great deeds remain devoid of essence and value due to subtle or overt influences of the ego (nafs). Just as there are levels of love and degrees of passion, the levels of nisbah also vary greatly. Its ultimate point is to drown entirely in the ocean of Divine love. The poet wrote, “Seeking the shore of the ocean of love is futile, O heart; just dive in, and salvation lies in being immersed.”
Similarly, the manifestations and types of nisbah differ. Some experience a predominance of love and longing, while others fear, tranquility, servitude, or spiritual witnessing. In short, the variations are numerous as another wrote, “Every street has its own fragrance and hue.”
Shah ‘Abd al-Qādir Rā’e-pūrī states in one of his discourses, “The special connection with Allah is called nisbah. The Sūfiyā refer to this as love and sometimes as tranquility (sakīnah) or light (nūr). This term is also found in the Qur’an and the úadīths.”
Imam Shihab al-Din Yahya alSuhrawardi wrote in poetry: They sought not to stand at His door Until summoned, and the key they bore. They delight in naught but their
Beloved’s name, Each moment of theirs is joy aflame. They came, their egos vanished away, Exposed, they saw Him and cried in dismay. So imitate them, if you are not the same,
For in emulating the noble is gain and fame.
He then explained that nisbah is an ingrained psychological state. It gives the ‘ārif (knower of Allah) a strong bond with Allah, the Exalted. This bond produces extraordinary effects, such as constant awareness of Allah’s presence, love and longing, piety and purity both outward and inward, humility, submission, and complete obedience to Allah’s commands. The ego becomes so annihilated that the person perceives themselves as a lifeless body in the hands of the washer. Among the Sūfiyā, this is referred to as tranquility, light, and nisbah. Its intensity varies in strength and manifestation.”
[N.B.: We ask Allah to grant Hazrat Dr. Ismail the highest station of Jannah for his valuable explanations.]
