1 I Allah The Most High has said: “[Believers,] guard yourselves and your families against the Fire.” According to Ibn Abbas’s interpretation, this means: “Instruct them and teach them [Adab] proper manners.” Al- Mi‘raj A Bi-Monthly Magazine of ISRA International Islam – Iman - Ihsan The Loss of Adab and the fall of the Ummah Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1438 - Abd ar-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412H) quotes this Hadith with a brief isnâd: According to Shaqiq, according to 'Abdallah (Ibn Mas'ud), the Messenger of Allah) Grace and Peace be upon him) said: 'Allah has instilled adab within me, and has perfected it in me, since He has commanded me to observe the noble characteristics, saying: "Show yourself forbearing, command the good and turn away from the ignorant." (Qur'an 7:199) Jâmi' âdâb al-sûfiyya
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Allah The Most High has said: “[Believers,] guard yourselves and your families against the Fire.”According to Ibn Abbas’s interpretation, this means: “Instruct them and teach them [Adab] propermanners.”
Abd ar-Rahman al-Sulami (d. 412H)quotes this Hadith with a briefisnâd:According to Shaqiq, according to'Abdallah(IbnMas'ud), theMessengerofAllah)GraceandPeacebeuponhim)said: 'Allahhas instilledadabwithinme,andhasperfecteditinme,sinceHe has commanded me to observethe noble characteristics, saying:"Show yourself forbearing,command the good and turn awayfromtheignorant."(Qur'an7:199)Jâmi'âdâbal-sûfiyya
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Editorial
TheLossofAdabandthefalloftheUmmah.By:SayyedZaynAlAbedinAllah (swt)hassaid intheHolyQur’an"Indeed,thereligion inthesightofAllah is Islam" (3:19)."AndwhoeverdesiresareligionotherthanIslam-neverwillitbeacceptedfromhim,andhe,intheHereafter,will be among the losers" (3:85). And Rasool Allah Sallal-lahu ‘alayhiWa Sallamhas explained in thefamous Hadith of Jibreel, themeaning ofDeen in detail. Deen in this explanation corresponds to thetraditionalmeaningofadiscipline.Adisciplinemeaninganorder,authority, teaching, instruction,rule,codeofbehavior, knowledgeand training.And all thesemeanings form the componentsofa religion.Adab in this sense means a discipline revealed in the Qur’an and the Sunnah to train people insurrendering their body (Islam), mind (Iman), and soul (Ihsan) to the will of Allah. Adab is thetransformation of knowledge, morals and values into the excellence of behavior and practice byrecognizingthehierarchyofthedisciplineanddoingjusticewiththemintheformofbestmanners,innerattitudesandetiquettes.Many Islamic scholars in the modern times have increasingly come to the conclusion that thecatastrophicsituationinwhichtheUmmahfindsitselftodaycanbereducedtoasinglemostvisiblecrisis,whichisintheirviewisthelossofAdab.TakingittotheleveloftheentireDeenwhattheymeanisthelossofadisciplinewhich interconnectsone’s self, societyandcommunityby integratingbody (Islam),mind(Iman)andsoul(Ihsan).By acting uponAdab theMuslim communitywas able to create a flourishing civilization continuouslyguidinga largeportionofhumanityforoverathousandyearsuptoourmoderntimes.TheintellectualandspiritualleadersofthiscivilizationwerethepeopleofIhsanorTasawwuf.TheirspecialtywastheirexpertiseinthehierarchyofthedisciplinedoingjusticewithIslam,ImanandIhsan.Theirdiscoursewasbased on interconnectedness of the needs and demands of a complete humanbeing and the humansociety.With the decline of traditional knowledge fractures started to appear in the discipline and Ihsan orTasawwufwhichwas the essence, or heart of the discipline orAdabwas rejected and as a result theummahsufferedthegreatestloss,becamehandicappedandisexperiencingatraumaticfall.ItisthelossoftheequilibriumofthecomponentsofDeenalsoknownasAdab.Onanotherlevel,whichispersonallevelAkhlaqisthepracticeofvirtueandmoralityandgoodcharacterin thedaily lifeandAdabmeans the innerattitude, respects, refinement, goodmanners,decencyandhumility.HowevertheireffectandblessingislostwhentheteachingandtrainingofthepurificationofheartisabsentorbecomesperipheralinthepracticeofDeen.Thegoodnews is thatagrowingnumberofMuslimscholarshaveawakened to this dilemmaandarecalling for the revival or restoration of Tasawwuf as a way to revive Islam and bring the Adab orequilibriumbackintothediscourseofIslam.
‘Wearemore inneedofacquiringadab thanlearningHadith’.This highlights that knowledge alone isinsufficient to build a sound and balancedIslamicpersonality.ImamZakariyaal-Anbarioncesaid:‘Knowledge without Adab is like fire withoutwood, and Adab without knowledge is like aspiritwithoutabody’.So, vast amounts of knowledge and severelack inadab, means a person is little morethan a donkey laden with books. What useare the books to that donkeywithout beingable to read? Similarly, what use isknowledgetoaMuslim,withoutthepracticalmannerismsandetiquettesthatreallydefineus as Muslims?Traditionally,adabwas not taught butacquiredandembodiedbetweeninteractionsbetween people. It has been narrated thatImam Ahmed (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) wouldhave had up to 5000 attendees at hisgatherings, maybe 500 would write and
learn; the rest (4500) would simply learnfrom his actions, hisadab. This has suchimportance that we learn by what we see,whether that is good or bad, hence it isessentialandsomewhatdetrimental thatweteach only that which is good, as the badhabits are perhaps the easier to acquire.Lookingatotherclassicalexamplesfromourpious Ulema; the mother of Imam Malik(RahmatullahiAlayhi)wouldplaceanimamaon his head and send him to his teacherRabi'ah ibn Abdurrahman(nicknamed:Rabi’ah Ar-Rai’),to learn first from hismanners, hisadaband then his knowledge.Indeed the deen of Islam is itself manners,where anyone that surpasses you inmanners, is better than you in deen (Ibn al-Qayyim).
TheImportanceofAdab
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ThebookAlAdabAlMufradwasseparatedbyImam Bukhari (Rahmatullahi ‘Alayhi)becausehewasawareofitsgreatimportancein everyday living. When we talkaboutAdabwe must first begin withourAdabwith Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’allah) in terms of akhlaaq, sincerity,actions, avoiding shirk etc.Wemust qualifyour respect for Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’allah) and His attributes, His signs, HisSymbols (the Quran, the Masãjid andeverythingconnectedtoHim).ThenwemustpurifyandqualifyourAdabwiththeProphet(Sallal-lahu’alayhiWaSallam). In quantifying, Allah (Subhanahu WaTa’allah) tells us in the Quran that in his(Sallal-lahu‘alayhiWaSallam))mannersandstyle, the Prophet (Sallal-lahu ‘Alayhi WaSallam) was a perfect example: “Truly, youhave the best of manners” (Quran Al Qalam:verse4)IthasbeennarratedbymanyUlema
that if parents give any inheritance, there isno greater inheritance thanAdab. Al-WalidibnNumayrsaidthatheheardhisfathersay:“They used to say, ‘Righteousness is (a gift)from Allah, but adab (right conduct) is fromtheparents”.In this sense however, adab holds suchimportancethattheactionsofabelieverarerenderednullandvoid if they lackmanners.In pointing out the status ofadabincomparison to actions, So much like the“perfect dough”,many goodmannerswith afewgooddeedsarebetterby far thanmanygooddeedswithafewgoodmanners.Imam al-Qarafi said:“Youshouldknowthatalittle of goodmanners is better than a lot ofgoodactions”.Ruwaymtherighteousscholartoldhisson;“Ohmyson,makeyourdeedssaltandyourmannersflour”.Courtesy: http://adabinislam.blogspot.com
AbuHuraira ,narrated(رضى هللا عنھ) that theProphet (Sallal-lahu ‘AlayhiWaSallam)said:“IhavenotbeensentasaMessenger,excepttoperfectcharacter(Akhlaaq)”Healsosaidthat:“ThenearestofyoutomeontheDayofJudgementwillbetheonewhoisbestincharacter.”(Bukhari)AllthebooksofHadithhavechaptersonAdab.Forexample:1.Muwatta’,ImamMalik:Thebookofgoodbehaviour2.Sahihal-Bukhari:Thebookofmanners3.SahihMuslim:Thebookofdutifulness,tiesofkinshipandmanners.4.SunanAbiDawud:Thebookofmanners5.SunanatTirmidhi:Thebookofmanners,andthebookofdutifulnessandtiesofkinship.6.SunanIbnMajah:ChaptersonManners.
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BismillahirRahmanirRahim.
Adabal-SulukbySheikhNajmuddinKubraAlhamdulillahI found this gem from onedistinguishedSufi,SheikhNajmuddinKubra(d.1189CE).ItiscalledAdabal-Suluk:'ATreatiseonSpiritualWayfaring:OntheInwardRulesofThis Journey'.Sheikh Najmuddin Kubra was known as the'PillaroftheAge'andoneofthegreatestSufisofalltime.HewasthefounderoftheKubrawiTariqah. His close associates includedprominent Sufis like Sheikh Saadi of Shiraz(1184-1291) and Sheikh ShahabudinSuhrawardi (1145-1235) the founder ofSuhrawardiSchool.Maqam of Hazrath Shaykh Najmuddin Al-Kubra 10principles for inner perfection (batin) withwhich a salik (wayfarer) should adorn his self(nafs) in order to be admitted into theproximity of God. Otherwise his sincerity andaspirationwillbedeemedfalse;hislovewillbemerely a false claim; though hemay considerhimselfasawayfarertowardsGod,inrealityheis plunged in the dungeons of sensuality.TheFirstPrincipleiskeepingwatchovertheself(nafs).Thatisthesalikshouldalwayskeepvigiloverhisheart.Heshould not neglect it even for a moment forotherwise he would succumb to his carnaldesires and Satanic temptations. He shouldconsiderhimselfasbeingwatchedbyGod,asHehassaid:"SurelyAllahhasbeenawatcher over you" (Quran 4:1) The Prophet
s.a.w said: 'God watches your heart and actsnot your apparent behaviour and worldlybelongings.'The SecondPrinciple is theexpression ofhumility, poverty and abasementbefore theLordoftheworld.AbuYazidBistami(mayAllahhallow his mighty soul) said that a voice(sarush)calledmefromwithinandsaid,"OAbuYazid!Therearemanyservants inOurservice.So if you seek Us, bring humility andneediness."AbuYazid further said, "You knowforcertainthatyouareinacryingneedofyourLordateveryhouronmanycounts;soyouareneedful of His guiding light as well as Hismercifulglance,guidanceandHissustenanceatevery moment. And also, you are in need ofHim at the time of death so that the light ofIslamanditsknowledgearekeptintactinyourheart. Inthegravetooyouare inneedofHimso that you successfully answer the questionsaskedbyNakirandMunkar.ItisHeWhowillbeyour friend in the terrors of the grave. Thegreatest of all of your needs is yourdependence onHim in theDay of Judgement,thedayofregretandremorsesothatGodtheExalted,maymakeyourfaceluminous,concealyour blemishes (with His mercy) and enhancetheweightandworthofyourgoodworksinHisbalance (mizan), that He may facilitate theclearanceofyouraccountandputthebookofyour deeds in your right hand, that He maykeepyoufirmonthePath(shat)andsaveyoufrom hell-fire and lead you towards paradise.
EtiquetteofSpiritualWayfaring(Journey)
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His highest generosity and the most excellentfavour is tobless youwithHisbeatific vision."These are your essential needswith regard toyourMasterinthisworldandtheotherworld.Henceyourexpressionofpovertyandhumilitybefore God should be according to your realpoverty and need.Thethirdprinciple-isrepentance (tawbah)andpenitence(inabah)beforeGod,inallconditionsofhardshipandaffluence,comfortandcalamity.Referringtothe Prophet Sulayman a.s. God said, "He was agood servant, because he was penitent." GodsaidthesamethingabouttheProphetAyyuba.s.,forSulaymansawhisBenefactor inHisbounties(ni'mah)andAyyubsawtheOnewhotriesinHistrials. Neither did the bounties enjoyed by theformer blur his vision of the Provider nor thehardship and tribulations of the latter veil hissight from seeing the hand of their Sender. Inboththecasestheyattributedallthathappenedto the Lord.Thefourthprinciple-issurrender(taslim)tothecommandofGod,theExalted.Taslimmeans to surrender toGodbothwith the heart and the body, both ofwhich areunderHisownership.Tosurrenderapropertytoits owner is an essential condition (ofsubmission). The owner has the right to controlhispropertyanddisposeitinanywayHedeemsproper. It is up to Him whether He honours ordisgraces His slave, breathes life in him or killshim, causes sickness or bestows health on him,makeshimrichorpoor.HenceitisrequiredofasaliknottoraiseanyobjectionagainstHiswill.Heshould not complain overtly or covertly, for theprotest against the real owner is absurd andviolationofallnorms.ComplaintagainsttheLord
bysomeonewhoclaimstobeHisslaveandloveris a shortcoming in one's love, servitude anddevotion.Thefifthprinciple-isrida (acquiescence)i.e. accepting Divine dis-pensations without questioning though they bebitter. The common believers take recourse inpatience (sabr)when a calamity befalls. But thestateof theelect ina similar situation is thatofrida.Thedifferencebetweensabrandridaisthatthe patient person (sabir) by virtue of his faith,facescalamitywithforbearance;hisfaithremainsunshakenandhedoesnotgetdisturbedintimesofcalamity;hewillnotdeviatefromthepathofservitude, howsoever great and unbearable thecalamity should be but his heart resents thecalamity.Buttheacquiescentperson(radi)istheone whose heart is always in the state ofacquiescence and happiness. Calamity andaffluence do not affect him, for whatever hereceives(fromGod)heconsidersitasagiftfroma friend.Heenjoyshardships inflicteduponhimbyhisBelovedandFriendwiththesamepleasureas others enjoy favours. Imam Ali in a famoussermonnamedKhutbatHammam,describingthequalitiesofthepioussays,"Theyareashappyinthefaceofcalamityasothersare inthestateofcomfort."Thesixthprinciple-ispermanent grief (huzn).The Prophet s.a.wsaid, "God loves every grieving heart."Regarding the Prophet's attributes it is saidthat he was always in the state ofcontemplation and grief. According to theurafa',everyheartwhich isdevoidofgrief isnothingbutclay.Howcanabelievermanagetobecheerfulwhilehedoesnotknowwhatwaswrittenbythepenofpre-eternityabout
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hisfate,whetheritisfelicityorwretchedness.Alsoheisunawareofhisendforhedoesnotknowwhathewillearntomorrow(inthewayofvirtueorvice).HedoesnotknowwhetherhisobediencewillbeacceptedbyGodornot,andwhetherhissinswillbepardonedornot.ShaykhAbual-Hasanal-Kharqaniwasamongthepeopleofgrief.Onedayhewasaskedthereason of the grief of the great mystics. Hereplied that the reason is that theywant toknowGod as He deserves to be known. Butthat is impossible.FornoonecanknowGodas He deserves to be known.Theseventhprinciple-is tohavegood faith (husnul zann) inGod,theExalted. And He said in a sacred tradition(hadithqudsi),'ItreatMyservantinaccordancewith his opinion of Me, so let him havewhatever opinion he has.' Therefore, it isnecessary for a servant of God to have goodfaith in God or a favourable opinion of Him.This state is reached as a result of discerningthe Attributes of Beauty of God, comprisinggenerosity,mercifulness,magnanimityand thevastnessofHis forgiveness.WhoevermistrustsGodorhasanunfavorableopinionofhis Lordand loses hope in Hismercy. He considers hisvicesandsinsbiggerthanthecapacityofGod'sgenerosity and mercy. This amounts toascribing defect and shortcoming to God.TheeighthPrinciple-is thatone should not consider oneself out ofreachofGod'sdevising(makr).AsGodhassaid,"Are they then secure from Allah's scheme?NonedeemhimselfsecurefromAllah'sschemesave the losers." (Quran 7:99) Further He hassaid, "The erudite among His bondmen onlyfearAllah."(Quran35:28).Thisfearandaweis
produced in one who contemplates God'sattributesofmagnificenceandwrath.Forinthesame way as God is attributed with thequalities of generosity andmercifulness, He isattributed with wrathfulness and power aswell. God the Exalted, has said, "Surely I shallfill the hell with the firm and mankindtogether." (Quran 11:119). It is said in atradition that God, the Exalted, will say toAdama.s. "Ariseand throw them into thehellfire!" Adam will ask "How many?" The replywould be "Nine-hundred-and-ninety out ofeverythousand".Thenhowcanaslavewithhisburdenof sins avoid being fearsomeofDivinewrathandmightafterhavingbeenawareofit?Theninthprinciple-islove(mahabbah).InthisregardGodhassaid"He loves them, and they love Him." (Quran5:54). Love is the essence of all stations(maqamat) and virtues (karamat) bymeans ofwhich the slaveofGodprogresses toward theLordoftheheavenandtheearth,andbyvirtueofwhichhewillattaintothehigherdegreesofthe journey (suluk). Love is the fruit of theknowledgeof theBeautifulNamesofGod.Noonepossessesbeauty(whichishisown)intheworld except God. Whatever beauty and per-fection is seen in the creatures is in fact aparticle of the sun ofHis beauty, a drop fromthe oceans of His perfection. If you considerbeauty and perfection to be confined tomaterial forms and worldly things, know thatyou are imprisoned within the world of(corporeal)formandaredeprivedofobservingthe reality. For the real beauty and rationalperfectionare found in theessenceofabeingthat possesses power and life, has theattributesofgenerosity,benevolence, forbear-
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ance, and is devoid of any shortcoming anddefect. It is due to this reason that thegenerous,thenoble,andthewisearelovedbyall. Similarly, the warrior and the courageousare loved due to theirmight, and the learnedand the pious are respected due to theirhonestyandpurity.Youknowthateachoneofthese attributes of glory and beauty areinherentintheDivineEssence,whichpossessesthem infinitely and eternally. But beings otherthanGodpossessabeautyandperfectionthatis limited, reckonable, accidental, finite andmortal.Evensuchattributesareborrowedfromthe Divine ocean of bounty and beneficence.Hence, none exceptGoddeserves to be lovedin the real sense, for every form of beauty(jamal) is derived fromHim. So everyonewholovessomethingotherthanGod issurelyblindto the beauty of God.Thetenthprinciple-is togive up reliance on one's will (mashi'ah)and freedom (ikhtiyar)and to take up trust inthe Omnipotent Lord of the world. God hassaid, "Allah coins a similitude: (On the onehand) a slavewho has control of nothing and(on the other hand) one on whom We have
bestowed a fair provision from Us, and hespends them secretly and openly. Are theyequal?"(Quran16:75)Soaslavehasnothingtodowith freedom, for freedomsuits thosewhoare free. And the urafa' have said, if a seekerhas a single desire, it means that his vision isobstructed by veils. They have also said thatthis(desire)isthegreatestofveils.Henceeventhedesireof unionwithGod is thedarkest ofallveils.Sowheneventhedesireofproximity toGod is considered tobethe greatest veil,what is to be said about thecondition of one who is plunged in sensualdesires and mundane enticements? Thus it isessential for a seeker to be like the corpse inthe hands of the bathers (ghussal), so that hemayattaincommunionwithHaqq.Everydesiretakes one away from God._______________________________________#Source:AlTawhidIslamicJournalVolVIII,No.4,Qum,TheIslamicRepublicofIran.ThisisanEnglishtranslationbyAliBaqirshahifromaPersianversionbyHusaynMuhyial-DinQumshehi.PostedbyE.Ismail/Courtesy:http://lisanaldin.blogspot.com/
Andverily,you(OMuhammadSAWS)areonanexalted(standardof)character.(68/4)HazratImamGhazalidefinedKhulq,“Thesteadystateof Naf’s by which virtues are carried out effortlessly,andonedoesnothavetothinkthroughthem.”AllamaYousefAl-SaalhiShamiincludesthefollowingamongthebestKhulq;Generosity, truthfulness, forgiveness, polite speech,warmattitudetowardsstrangersandrelatives,comfortand convenience for others, non-disruptiverelationship,facinginflictionshappily.Thesearealldifficultaffairs;itishardtopracticethemaroundtheclock.YetAllamaShamisaid,alloftheseattributeswerepresentintheperfectformin HAZOOR RAHMAT-E-ALAM (SUL-UL-LAHO ALAY-HE WASULUM/SAWS), that’s whyALLAH(SUB-HANAWAT’ALLA/SWT)said, ق عظیم"وانك لعلى خل AccordingtoHazratJunaid,ALLAH(SWT)calledHIS(SAWS)khulqazeembecauseHE(SAW)hadnodesireinHISheartexceptthedesireofALLAH(SWT).
*****************************HAZOOR(SAW)didnotattendanyschool/college,hadnoteacher,neitherhadsittingswiththescholars nor read the previous/old books; yet HE (SAWS) exhibited the greatest traits ofcharacterandmoralthatnootherpersoncomescloseto.HE(SAWS)said,“Iwaschosentotakethenobletraitstotheirpeak.”
*****************************HazratAna’s(RUZEEALLAHOANHOO/RA)said,“IwasinHIS(SAWS)’skindservicefortenyears,serveddayandnightunderallcircumstances.HE(SAW)neverreprimanded,questionedorcriticizedanyofmywork.IfIfailedtodoachore,IwasneveraskedwhyIcouldnottodoso.He(RA)alsonarrated:HAZOOR(SAWS)wouldnotwithdrawHIS(SAWS)holyhandswhileshakingwithothers.Neverwould turn HIS (SAW)holy face away while talking to someone, and would not stretchHIS(SAWS)lowerextremitiesinagathering. *****************************HazratAyesha(RA)narrated:AgroupofJewscametoHIM(SAWS),andsaid,“Asaa-mo-alaykum/deathuponyou”.HE(SAW)didnotfrown,politelysaid,“alaykum/uponyou.”HazratAyesha(RA)overheardthosepeopleandcouldnotresist,andsaid,“Asaa-mo-alaykumandlaanato/deathandcurseuponyou.”HAZOOR(SAWS)saidtoher,“Don’tbeharsh,ALLAH(SWT)likessoftnessandpoliteness.“
*****************************HazratAbu-Huraira(RA)narrated;Apersoncametomosque,andaftersaying tonwafalsstartedpraying, “OALLAH,havemercyuponmeandHAZOOR(SAWS)andnobodyelse.” HAZOOR(SAWS)overheardhimandsaid,“Youhavetriedtolimitalimitlessblessing”.Awhile later, the personwent to a corner of themosque, and started emptying his bladder.Peoplerushedtostophim,HAZOOR(SAWS)forbade,andaskedthemtolethimfinish.Lateronwhen that person was relieved,HE (SAWS) advised Sahaba (RA), “Educate people, work fortheirconvenience,anddon’tbeharshtothem.”ThenHE(SAWS)askedtocleantheareawithwater.HE(SAWS)thentoldtheperson.“Masjidisnotaplaceforsuchanact, it’sbeenestablishedtoworshipandpraytoALLAH(SWT).”
*****************************Thepurpose toadaptKhulq is toreplaceourownpersonality traitsby theKhulqofHAZOOR(SAWS),whosemannershavealreadybeenfashionedtotheAkhlaqofALLAH(SWT).Indoingso,ourownnaf’s isbeingtransformedfromAmaratoLuva’mmaandfinallytoMutmaa’inna,astatuswithwhichitbecomespossibletohaveALLAH(SWT)bepleasedwithus.
When I first becameassociatedwith theshuyukh in the early days of being withthe Murabitun and exposed to theshuyukh of Shaykh Abdal Qadir, I wasintriguedbythisnotionofadab,courtesy.This was an angle on things that i hadnever thoughtofprior to this.Therewasan insight into life verbalized in a waywhichwascompletelyforeigntome–thisidea of courtesy. Shaykh Abdal Qadir,remember,quotedtheRasulonanumberof occasions when I heard him speak,sayingthathe(SallAllahualaihiwasalam)only came to perfect good character.Events over the last week have broughtthis issue of courtesy to the fore for meagain. Adab. So I’d like to take theopportunity this evening to explore alittleaboutwhatthismeansforus. If one uses the metaphor of a soccergame, because this is now where thiscourtesy is heading – soccer madness –then adab or courtesy suggests that it isfar more important how you play thegamethanwinningthegame.Thismeansthatwhen you are courteous you arewillingtoforegotheoutcomethatyouwant, the outcome that’s beneficial toyou, in the interest of giving attention tothe process itself, in other words,in theinterestofdoingthethingwell.Everythinghasanadab.
Sotheadabforexampleofatransactionisnot that you try and get asmuchmoneyby giving thepersonas little aspossible,theadabofa transaction is thatyouwillnot sell something or buy somethingunless the price is fair. The adab of ajourneyisthatyouwon’tbreakthespeedlimits and you won’t put other people’slives indanger just soyoucanget to theoutcomequickly.Everythinghasanadab.Everything has a courtesy to it and youcandefine thecourtesyastherulesthatareconcernedwiththequalityofwhatyouaredoingratherthantheoutcomeofwhatyouaretryingtoachieve.Soit’stherulewherebyyougiveattentiontotheprocess rather than the outcome, whatyouaredoingratherthantheresult.
Adab
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You do your salah to do your salahwell.Everythinghasacourtesy,everythinghasa rulewhichdefines thedoing of itwell.So, salah has a courtesy. If you’re doingyour salah in order to earn browniepoints in akhira this is a cheap way ofdoing your salah and it’s a discourteouswayofdoingyoursalah.That’snottosaythatthereisn’tanakhiraandtheremightbe brownie points butthis is quitebesidethepoint.Youdoyoursalahtodoyoursalahwell.Youdoyoursalahtoofferup to your Rabb an act of submissionwhich is so profound that the only thingthat can be more profound than that isdeath itself.Completehanding-over.Thatis the courtesy of the salah. All theposturesof thesalahconfirmthis.AllahuAkbar. Handing-over. Completesubmission. Like a deadman.I’mamanwho has disappeared.I’m no longer ofthisworld.Inolongerstandout.The purpose of courtesy in the firstinstance is in a sense negative. You canunderstand it as a negation because itpulls your attention from the thing youwant from the outcome andit demandsthat you give attention to the processitself.So never mind whether you aregoing to win or lose the game. Are youplaying the game well? Are you playingthegamefairly?Areyouplayingthegamehonourably? So you might want to winthegamebutyouwillbewillingtoforegothewinningofthegameinordertoplayagood,cleangame.Andthatisametaphorforeverythingthatyoudo.So there’s in the first instance theexperience, the demands of adab as
negating,as loss,give-upsomething.Thisloss,thisgiving-uphasonitsundersideablessing that is hidden. Every momentthat you are in,everything that Allahgivesyouisameaningdisguisedasanimage.We can say that the moment islikeanorange.Theoutsideoftheorange,I don’t know if you’ve ever eaten orangepeelbutit’sbitterandunpleasanttotaste,butifyousqueezetheorange,ifyoucrackopen the orange then what’s inside isabsolutenectar,absolutedelight.Everything that Allah gives you is ameaningdisguisedasanimage.So if you give attention to the momentlikeanorangeandyougiveitthekindofattention that basically splits it open,revealsitssecret,yougetasweetnessoutof that which far exceeds the outcomethat you were trying to get for yourself.Thejoyofknowingthatyou’veplayedthebestgamethatyoucan,byalltherulesofgood sportsmanshipfar outweighs thesweetness or the joy of beating theopposition.Ifyou’veplayedtheverybestgamethatyoucouldhaveplayedandyouknowthis,itdoesn’tmatterwhethertheybeat you or not. If you play a really badgame and you beat them, all that you’vedemonstrated is that you are no betterthanananimal,thatyouaren’tabletobehuman with the human beings.Humanbeingsarethosewhopeculiarlycandowhat’s right rather than do what’scomfortable, rather than do what’sexpedienttothem.So the rules of adab, or the rules thatdefine correctness as opposed toexpediency, and everything has an adabassociatedwith it,every single action a
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human being can take as a template,has a sense of what is the courteouswayofdoingit.There’sacourteouswayof receiving praise. You might havenoticedthesedayspeopleseemto find itvery difficult to accept praise. You saysomethingnice to somebody andhe actsasifyou’veinsultedhim.Hedoesn’tknowhowtodealwiththis.Hesays,“No,no,no!Youmustbemistaken”orhesays,“You’revery kind” in a way as to say I knowbetter than you about this matter and IknowI’mreallyarat.Nowthisisnotthecourtesybecauseit’snotrecognizingthatwhen someone praises you they areofferingyouagift.AndwhenIofferyouagift what do you say? “Alhamdulillah,thankyouverymuch”andifyoudon’tsaythat you’ve been very badly brought up.It’sjustdiscourteous.Imean,Ididn’thaveto say something nice. I could have saidsomething awful. And we do say awfulthingstoeachotherallthetime,sowhensomeonesayssomethingnicetoyou,youknowtheadabofthematteristhankyouverymuch,thatisverykindofyou,thankyou. Not, “that’s very kind of you” in acynicalway–(Iknowyou’rejusttryingtobe nice to me!), but I recognize thatyou’ve done me a kindness. You couldhave doneme an injury if you’d wantedto.So everything has a courtesy to it andwhenyoudothat,whenyou indicate thecorrect courtesy, you’reopening thestring of blessing, because you changethe nature of what’s happening fromtakingsomething toreceivingsomething.Ifyouviewgratitudeasametaphorforallcourtesy, because in a sense all courtesy
isbeingcorrect,it’sindicatingtheproperform, it’s like the proper form whensomeone gives you something is to begrateful. Now Chaharane gives mesomethingandIjusttakeitandIdon’tsaysomething and I just walk away.Chaharane is furious. He says, “Thisbastard,howdidhegrowup?I’llnevergivehimanythingeveragain!” In otherwordswhen the self acts in an ungrateful way,the self disables the generosity of theother. But fortunately,mymotherwas agoodDutchwomanwhousedtobeatmewithawoodenstickandshetaughtme,begrateful. That’s the courtesy whensomeone gives you something.Thecourtesy is gratitude.Thank you verymuch, very kind of you. Andwhen I saythattoChaharaneitgiveshimpleasureogivemesomething...everythinghasacourtesytoit..Sowith your adab you either cultivate aworld which is resisting you or youcultivate a world which is on your side.Your lackof adab cultivates aworld thatresistsyoubecauseyoucultivateaworldthat just experiences that you are tryingtotaketheoutcomethatyouwant,you’renotwilling to pay the price of doing theright thing. When you just try and takethe outcome that you want, when youdon’t pay the price of doing the rightthing, the world says, “You know what?We’re not going to give you what youwant.” And understand, they are manyandyouareone.Theworldisbigandyouaresmall.Whenyouresisttheworld,theworldwins.Youdon’twin.Therearetoomanyofthem.
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Sothisissueofcourtesyandtherearesomanyangleonwhat thePathmeansandwhatthePathentails,oneoftheanglesinthat the Path isnothing other thanlearningcourtesyandifyouunderstandwhatcourtesymeanstheyouunderstandit is actually about foregoing outcomesand results completely in the interest ofdoingwhat’sright.Andwhenyoudothat,the floodgates of blessing of your lifeopen-upforyou.MayAllahGrant us success on this Path.May Allah Grant us nearness to Him.May Allah Grant us annihilation in Him.MayAllahGrantusdeathbeforewedie
This discourse was given by ShaykhEbrahim after a dhikr session at ZawiyaEbrahim:
TranscribedbyShaykhaAmatullah
About the author: Shaykh EbrahimSchuitema is a Sufi Shaykh from theDarqawi-Shadhiliya Tariqa and currentlylives in Gauteng, South Africa. ShaykhEbrahim received his chain oftransmission in the Tariqa from the lateShaykhMustafa Bassir ofMorrocco,mayAllah bless his soul. Courtesy:http://zawiaebrahim.com/
*Bahz ibn Hakim's grandfather said, "Iasked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whomshould I be dutiful?' 'Your mother,' hereplied. I asked, 'Then whom?' 'Yourmother,' he replied. I asked, 'Thenwhom?''Yourmother,'hereplied.Iasked,'Thenwhom?''Yourmother,'hereplied.I
asked,'ThentowhomshouldIbedutiful?''Your father,' he replied, 'and then thenextclosestrelativeandthenthenext.'"
*'Ata' ibn Yasar said that aman came toIbn'Abbasandsaid,"Iaskedawomantomarryme and she refused tomarryme.
TheAdabofParentsandChildren
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Anothermanaskedherandsheagreedtomarry him. I became jealous and killedher. Is there anyway forme to repent?"Heasked,"Isyourmotheralive?""No,"hereplied.Hesaid,"repenttoAllahAlmightyandtrytodrawnearHimasmuchasyoucan."
'Ata'said,"IwenttoIbn'Abbasandaskedhim, 'Why did you ask him whether hismother was alive?' He replied, 'I do notknow of any action better for bringing aperson near to Allah than dutifulness tohismother.'"
DutifulnesstoOne'sFather
*Abu Hurayra said, "The Prophet wasasked, 'Messenger of Allah, to whomshould I be dutiful?' 'Your mother,' hereplied. He was asked, 'Then whom?''Yourmother,' he replied. Hewas asked,'Then whom?' 'Your mother,' he replied.He was asked, 'Then whom?' 'Yourmother,' he replied.Hewas asked, 'Thenwhom?'Hereplied,'Yourfather.'"
*AbuHurayra reported: "Aman came totheProphetofAllah,mayAllahblesshim
andgranthimpeace,andasked,'Whatdoyou commandme to do?'He replied, 'Bedutiful towards your mother.' Then heaskedhimthesamequestionagainandhereplied,'Bedutifultowardsyourmother.'Herepeated ityetagainand theProphetreplied,'Bedutifultowardsyourmother.'He repeated the question a fourth timeand the reply was, 'Be dutiful towardsyourmother.'ThenheputthequestionafifthtimeandtheProphetsaid,'Bedutifultowardsyourfather.'"
DutifulnesstoParents,eveniftheyareunjust
*Ibn 'Abbas said, "If any Muslim obeysAllah regarding his parents, Allah willopen two gates of the Garden for him. Ifthere is only one parent, then one gatewill be opened. If one of them is angry,
then Allah will not be pleased with himuntilthatparentispleasedwithhim."Hewas asked, "Even if they wrong him?""Even if they wrong him" he replied.
DutifulnesstowardsParentsaftertheirDeath
*Abu Usayd said, "We were with theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himandgranthimpeace,whenamanasked,'Messenger of Allah, is there any act ofdutifulnesswhichIcandoformyparentsafter theirdeath?'Hereplied, 'Yes.Thereare four things: Supplication for them,
asking forgiveness for them, fulfillingtheir pledges, and being generous tofriends of theirs. You only have ties ofkinshipthroughyourparents."
*Abu Hurayra reported that theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "When aperson dies, all action is cut off for himwith the exception of threethings:sadaqawhich continues,
*Ibn 'Abbas reported that a man said,"Messenger of Allah, my mother diedwithout a will. Will it help her if Igivesadaqaon her behalf?" "Yes," hereplied.
Lookingaftergirls
Someonewholooksafterthreeortwodaughters
*'Uqba ibn 'Amir reported that he heardthe Messenger of Allah, may Allah blesshimandgranthimpeace,say,"Ifsomeonehas three daughters and is patient withthem and clothes them from his wealth,theywill be a shield against the Fire forhim."
*Ibn 'Abbas reported that he heard theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himand grant him peace, say, "There is noMuslimwhohastwodaughtersandtakes
good care of them but that hewill entertheGarden."
*Jabir ibn 'Abdullah reported that theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "Anyonewhohas three daughters and provides forthem, clothes them and shows mercy tothemwill definitely enter theGarden."Aman from the people said, "And twodaughters,Messenger of Allah?" He said,"Andtwo."
Someonewholooksafterthreesisters
*Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said that theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himand grant him peace, said, "No one has
three daughters or three sisters and isgood to them but that he will enter theGarden."
*Musa ibn 'Ali reported that theProphet,mayAllahblesshimandgranthimpeace,said, "Shall I show you thegreatestsadaqa(or one of the greatestforms ofsadaqa)?" He replied, "Yes,indeed,MessengerofAllah!"Hewenton,"To provide for your daughterwhen she
is returned to you and you are her solesourceofprovision."
*Al-Miqdam ibn Ma'dikarib heard theMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless himandgranthimpeace,say,"Whatyoufeedyourself issadaqaforyou.Whatyoufeed
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your child issadaqafor you. What youfeed yourwife issadaqais for you.What
youfeedyourservantissadaqaforyou."
Lookingafterchildren
Carryingachildonone'sshoulders
*Al-Bara' said, "I saw the Prophet, mayAllah bless him and grant him peace,when al-Hasan was on his shoulder. He
was saying, 'O Allah, I love him, so lovehim.'"
Mothersaremerciful
*Anas ibnMalik said, "Awoman came to'A'isha and 'A'isha gave her three dates.Shegaveeachofher twochildrenadateand kept one date for herself. Thechildren ate the two dates and thenlookedattheirmother.Shetookherdateandsplitinittwoandgaveeachchildhalf
of it. The Prophet, may Allah bless himand grant him peace, came and 'A'ishatold him about it. He said, 'Are yousurprised at that? Allah will show hermercybecauseofhermercy towardsherchild.'"
KissingChildren
*'A'isha said, "A Bedouin came to theProphet, may Allah bless him and granthimpeace, and asked, "Do you kiss yourchildren? We do not kiss them.' TheProphet, may Allah bless him and granthimpeace,said, 'Can Iputmercy inyourhearts after Allah has removed it fromthem?'" *Abu Hurayra said, "TheMessenger of Allah,may Allah bless him
andgranthimpeace,kissedHasanibn'Aliwhile al-Aqra' ibn Habis at-Tamimi wassitting with him. Al-Aqra' observed, 'Ihave ten children and I have not kissedanyofthem.'TheMessengerofAllah,mayAllah bless him and grant him peace,looked at him and said, 'Whoever doesnotshowmercywillnotbeshownmercy.'
Follwing is an excerpt from a talkdeliveredbyShaykhMendesattheSacredPathofLovegatheringinSingapore.AfterHamd-O-Salatandinitialremarks,ShaykhMendes began his propertawsiyahtitled'Restoringadabin freedom of speech.Safeguarding of tongues and hearts.'Quoting ahadithwhere the Prophet said"I leave youwith amanhaj..." the Shaykhsaid it isa road that iswideandradiant,wecan'tmissit.ItisthepathofIslamleftby Prophet Muhammad (saws). No onedeviatesitexceptonewhoisdestroyed.There are three major paths.UlamaTazkiyyahor scholars of the heart said,thenumberofpathsequalsthenumberofbreaths of creatures. Each has its ownpath,talent,purposeandgift.Imam
Husayn said in summary those whoworshipAllahoutof fear, theirworshipsare worships of the slave. Those whoworship Allah out of expectation forreward, their worship are like of themerchant. Those who worship Allah outof love and because He deserves to beworshiped,thosearepeoplewhoarefree.Theyareliberated.Imam Ghazali talked about fear (khawf)andhope (raja'). The fear of aMuslim isnot the same as the fear of aMuhsin(orawali).ThelatterfearofnotbeingneartoAllah,of losingcloseness toAllah.Prayerof a business man/woman is aboutcounting thehasanah, about Jannah,thinking how many good deeds I'mgetting. They are trapped by reward.
RestoringAdabinFreedomofSpeech
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Imam Husayn said there's somethinghigherthanthat.This event is called Sacred Path of Love.The Prophet loves Allah more thananything. His worship of Allah wasmotivated by love and gratitude. Weknowthehadith/storyaboutAishaaskingthe Prophet why he would pray a greatdealandtheProphetanswered:'ShouldInotbethankful?'Allah says in theQuran: "Say, if you loveAllah, followme. Allahwill love you andforgive your sins." We always come outshort.Thatiswhatitmeanstobehumanand yet Allah forgives our sins. He isloving. Ibn Arabi says inTarjuman ul-Ashwaq: 'Mydeenis thedeenof love.'Rabiatul Adawiyahwas an imamof love.Rumi embodied the path of love. ButRumi's teachingshave suffered frombadtranslations. It is our responsibility totake back Rumi. People in America readmore about Rumi than they doShakespeare.WelearnfromtheProphetthatweshouldloveAllah forHisblessings forusand tolove the Prophet because of our love forAllah;andtolovetheProphet'sfamilyonaccountofourloveforhim.ThisisIslam.Thisisfreedom.Knowthat ifyou leavedunya,peoplewilllove you. The purpose ofzuhudis to getyou to love. What happens when Allahloves us? "Whoever harms the peoplelovedbyAllah,Allahwill declarewar on
thatperson."Youcannotsimplyrunoverpeople.The Prophet [saws] treated hiscompanions in a very specialmanner somuch so that each one of them thoughthe'sthemostspecial.Weareallone.Allahcreatesuswithonenafs.Allah says: When I love him, I am thehearingthroughwhichhehears.Iamthevision through which he sees. I am thehand through which he grasps. And thefeet throughwhich hewalk. If he asks, Igive. When he seeks refuge in Me, Iprotecthim.This iswhat thepathof love isallabout.You ask, Allah gives. This is the path ofIslam.Lovecomeswithapriceormahar.Thepriceof loveaccording toRumi is toloseyourselffromattachmentofyourself,of your ego i.e. self-centeredness. Gaincloseness to Allah through obligations ofworship, throughnawafil. It is aboutservice/khidmahto humanity. This is thepathoflove.Adabis a means of expressing love. Itcomes from the wordma’dubameaningbanquetorwalimah.Theideaiswhenyouattend a banquet there isadabso thateveryone gets to have a fair experience.Islam isadabwith Allah and withcreatures of Allah. But there is ahierarchy. First is the Prophet (saws),then the angels, thejinn, human being,animals,plants,rocks-allunseenandtheseen.
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I learned from Shaykh Ninowy that weshould haveadabbefore making arequest as in the Surah Fatihah, wesayiyyaka na’budu wa iyyakanasta'in(UntoYouweworship,untoYouweaskforhelp).Ibadahmeansmakrifah. Everyexperience, bitter or sweet, everycircumstance is a means to knowAllah.Adabisthemeanstopurifyoneself,tobuildarelationshipbeforeaskingAllahof the thingswe seek in this life and thenext.IntheQuranAllahsays:"Didwenotgivepeople two eyes, tongue, limbs,heart..." The heart is the seat of ouressence and reality. Theheart is not justan organ. There are both physical andmetaphysical aspects to it knownaslubborfuad.Poets say, the tongue is the translator oftheheartexpressingwhatishiddenintheheart. Freedom of speech is valued withlimits. The more you protect the tonguefrom hurting others, the more the heartwill come to life. If you want to change
your heart, change your tongue. Thetongue prevents us from seeing thesecrets of the unseen. Guard the heartfromfivethings:arrogance,conceit,envy,anger and showing off. Speak truthfully,andthenAllahwillrectifyyouraffairandforgiveyoursins.Posted by E. Ismail /Courtesy: Lisan AlDinBlogAbout the Speaker:ShaykhMuhammadAdeyinka Mendes is an Islamic scholarand teacher focusing on the subjects ofTazkiyyahandspirituality.Hehasstudiedfor several years at prestigious Islamicuniversities and institutions across theMiddle East and West Africa, and hasattained ijazas from eminent Islamicscholars in thoseregions.Afterreturningto the United States, Shaykh Mendesestablished the Annual Rawdah, agrassroots Islamic educational initiative,and focused on translating and teachingrare Arabic manuscripts concerningtheology, jurisprudence, ethics, andspirituality authored by some of WestAfrica’sgreatest spiritualand intellectualgiants.CurrenrlyheandhisfamilyresideinAtlantawhereheservesasanimamatMasjd al Mo'mineen. He has beenassociatedwith ISRA fora long timeandhas served as a teacher and speaker inISRA's popular Jewels of Mercyeducationalcourseandintensive.
WhatisAdab?The wordAdabis not fully translatablefromArabictoEnglish.Itencompassesallthe good things a Muslim must
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do.Adablinguistically means to invitepeople for food. The ArabicwordMa’dubaisawordderivedfromthewordAdab, and means to invite all ormany people for all types of food, or agathering around a table.Adabhenceincludes all that is good; every noblecharacteristic, habit, or trait that isincluded within the scope ofadab.Adabis natural, it isn’t really taught, orlearnt, but it is naturally developed.Childrenacquireadabfromtheirparents,students from their teachers, the youngfrom the elders. We may have much
knowledge but lackadaband we mayhavemuchadabbut lack knowledge; butitisadabthatholdsthegreatervalueandimportance. In today’s society, whereparents, teachers, and elders are nolongergiventheircorrecthonors,respector rights; basicmannershave made aswift exit, whilst we compete for glory,knowledge,orworldlygain.
Sahl at-Tustari and Ibn Kathir narrated in their Qur’anic commentaries that the Prophet sallaAllahualayhiwaAlihiwasallamsaidtohiscompanionMu’adhibnJabal,radiAllahu‘anhuaboutthebeliever:“TheQur’anishisguide…theSalaatishiscave,andfastingishisshield.”AndtheProphet,sallaAllahualayhiwaAlihiwasallam,usedtosaytosayyidnaBilal,radiAllahu‘anhu:“RiseohBilal, andbringus raaha (peace/rest/comfort) by the Salaat.” (NarratedbyAbuDawud,AhmadibnHanbalandothers.)AndwearetoldbytheCompanionsthat“ifanythingbighappenedtotheMessengerofAllah,sallaAllahualayhiwaAlihiwasallam,oranythingconcernedhim,hewouldseekrefugeintheSalaat.”NarratedbyAbuDawudandAhmadibnHanbal).ThustheSalaatisourcave,ourplaceofrefugefromtheworld,wherewearestandingbeforeourLordandCreator,ourProtector,inHispresence,andweriseabovealltheworriesofthedunya,knowingthatwehavecometothedooroftheMostGenerousandMercifulKing,whoonlysaysforathing“Be!”anditis.CourtesyISRAnexus:www.IsraInternational.com
By:MohamedBokreta
TheMaqamofMawlanaRumiinKonya,Turkey
JalaluddinMohamed Balkhi (September30.1207–December17.1273)wasoneofthe greatest Muslim saints and mystics.
He has also been hailed by Westernscholars as the greatestmystical poet ofall timeafter aperiodofover700years,
RememberingMawlanaJalaluddinRumi
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duringwhichhisfamehasenduredintheMiddleEast, CentralAsia, and the Indiansubcontinent.The popularity of his poetry has spreadin the West because of its heart-feltthemes of lover-beloved mysticism, andits spiritual joywhich seems to emanateeven fromthemostdistortedversions inEnglish. However, the popularization ofhis poetry has also been attained by anumberofsacrifices:alackofaccuracyofthemeaningsofhiswordsandteachings;and a deliberate minimization andevasionofversesinhispoetrythatrevealthathewasapiousMuslimallhislife,anda very devoted follower of the prayerfuldaily life exemplified by the ProphetMohamed(PBUH).He was born in what is presentAfghanistan in the town of Wakhsh ,where his father worked as a Muslimpreacherandscholar.Wahkshwaspartofthe cultural area of the ancient city ofBalkhwhich had been amajor centre ofIslamic learning for five hundred yearsbefore Rumiwas born. His father, also agreatmysticorSufiaster,wasfromBalkh.He named his son Mohamed, but latercalledhimbytheadditionalnameofJalalUddin (the Glory of the Faith).SohisfullnamewasJalaluddinMohamedIbn Al Hussain Al Balkhi, later, when hemoved to Anatolia (present-day Turkey)with his family, he became known asJalaluddin Mohamed Al Rumi, this isbecause Anatolia had been called forcenturies “Rum” (a form of “Rome”)
which meant “the land of the Greeks”(who had long ruled the area fromConstantinople, thecapitaloftheEasternRoman Empire and later the ByzantineEmpire).IntheEast,hehasalwaysbeenknownas“Mawlana” in Iran , India , and PakistanandinTurkey,thetermmeansinArabic“OurMaster”andwastraditionallyatitlegiventoMuslimScholars,however,duetohis great fame, the respectful title of“Mawlana” quickly came to referprimarily to JalaluddinRumi.Only in theWesthashehasbeencalled“Rumi.”
MausoleumofMawlanaRumiJalaluddin Rumi must have memorizedmuch or all of the Holy Quran when hewasyoung,becausetheMathnawiandhisotherpoetryare filledwithdirectquotesin Arabic, Persian paraphrases, andreferencestoQuranicverses,furthermorehe belonged to the Hanafi school ofIslamiclaw,assuchitmeansthathisdailyreligious behaviour and worship wasfaithful to themanydetails of theHanafitraditionofhowtofollowtheexampleofthe Beloved Prophet Mohamed (PBUH).
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Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s first Sufimaster, Sayyid Burhanuddin Attermidhiwashis father's leadingSufidisciplewhocame to Anatolia after hearing of thedeath of Rumi's father, Jalaluddin RumiwashisSufidisciplefortenyears,duringpart of which he was sent to Syria toobtain a traditional Islamic education.Sayyid Burhanuddin was also aprofoundmysticwhoinstilledinRumialove of Persian Sufi poetry and orderedhim to do a number of lengthy solitaryprayerretreats.ThetombofMawlanaRumiJalaluddinRumiwas37yearsofagewhenhe met his second Sufi master,Shamsuddin Mohamed Al Tabrizi,traditionallybelieved tohavebeenabout60yearsold,itisnowknownthatShamswas not an illiterate andwild dervish aspreviously thought by Western scholars
and other Orientalists, but had a solidIslamic education and was literate andfluentinArabicaswellasPersian.
Shamsuddin Al Tabrizi belonged toanothermajor school of thought “Shafi’i”Islamiclaw,inthe“DiscoursesofShams”,a collection of notes recorded by hisdisciples (amongwhomwas Rumi’s son,SultanWalad),Shamsrevealshimselfnotonly to be a profound mystic, but veryknowledgeable about traditional andmystical interpretations of verses fromthe Quran and sayings of the ProphetMohamed(PBUH).In a biography of Rumi, written by adiscipleofRumi'sgrandson,Aflaki,alongwithmanymiraclestories,aremanyaccounts of how Rumi prayed the fivedailyritualIslamicprayers, fastedduringthe month of Ramadan, and did manyextended voluntary fasts. And there aremany accounts in which he voicedtraditionalIslamicbeliefsonmanytopics;butitisinthemasterpieceofhislaterlife,theMathnawi yeMa’nawi a six –volumepoem (literally, “Rhymed Couplets ofDeep SpiritualMeaning”) that he revealshimselfasbothaprofoundmysticandanextremelydevoutMuslim.The general theme of his thoughts, likethatof theothermysticandSufipoetsofthePersianliterature,isessentiallyaboutthe conceptofTawhid (Unity)andunionwith his beloved (the primal root) fromwhom he has been cut and fallen aloof,andhislonginganddesireforre-unity
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The anniversary of his death wascommemoratedforcenturiesaccordingtothe Islamic lunar calendar, but has beencelebrated in Konya, Turkey for the past50 years according to the Western orGregoriancalendaronDecemberthe17th,
on the night of this date, “Mevlevis” allovertheworldwhirlinremembranceandglorification of God, and many kinds ofgroups read Rumi's poetry in their ownlanguages.
*Mohammed Bokreta is a contributing Editor of Al-Mi’raj Magazine based in Algeria.
ShaykhHamzaAl-QadiriAl-Boutshisi TheMuslimworldmournsthelossofagreatLuminaryTheglobalMuslimUmmahmournsthepassingofagreatSufiluminaryofourtimesandadedicated spiritual leader of theQadiri Boutshishi Tariqa ofMorocco, ShaykhHamzaAl-QadiriBoutshishionJanuary18,2017inOujdaattheageof95.InacondolencestatementISRApaidtributetohimbysaying“ThisisasaddayandSidiHamzawillalwaysbealiveinourheartsforhisgreatcontributiontotherevivalofIslamicspiritualityalsoknownasAl-Ihsaan or Tasawwuf. He directed hundreds of thousands of people towards the divine
path”. MayAllah showerhimwithHis InfiniteMercy andgranthim the loftiest of stations. SidiHamzaal-Qadirial-BoutshishiwastheGrandShaykhoftheQadirriyyaBoutshishiaTariqawhichhastensofthousandsoffollowersinMoroccoandabroad.HiseldestsonSidiJamalwillsucceedhimastheShaykhoftheTariqa.ShaykhHamzaBoutshishiwasadescendentofProphetMuhammad(saws).VisitorsfromacrosstheworldinhundredsofthousandsusedtocomeeveryyeartohearhimteachontheoccasionofMawlid-un-Nabi(saws).
Due to technical difficulties the launching of the “Journal of ISRA”, the online internationalacademicjournalhasbeendelayed.ISRAwillannounceitspublicationinformationassoonasitbecomesavailable.Forinquiriespleasecontactat:[email protected]
The teachings of theQur'an; theSunnah, which is theexample of Nabi Karim Muhammad (SAWS); and theexampleof all of theotherProphets, form thebasis fortraditional Sufiadab— beautiful action, the form ofbehavior which creates the conditions in which theattributesofGodmaybeclearlyreflected.
http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/gallery_goblet.html : Ibn 'Arabi stated thatSufism is"toassumeGod'scharacter traitsasone'sown,"and ithasbeensaid thatallofSufismis,infact,adab.TheprimarymeaningoftheArabicrootofadabis"toinvite,"or"togather together for a banquet."Hospitality is regarded as sacred duty in Islam, and thislinguisticconnectionilluminatesthesignificancewithwhichtherelationshipofguestandhost, and the sharing of sustenance, are regarded. Accordingly, early treatisesonAdabaddresssuchmattersingreatdetail,asdothecustomsofmanycontemporarySufiorders.
The10th century traveler Ibnal-Husaynal-Sulami set forthmanydetails of theAdaboftable manners and hospitality in hisFutuwah.He advised, "Give elaborate feasts, begraciouswhenentertaining,andbegeneroustoyourguests."Ahostisinstructedtoserveallthefoodhehastohisbrother,evenifthismeansonlyadropofwater.Sulamisuggeststhat if a guest's gift of food in turn is offered to the guest by the host, one "must beextremelycarefulofyourmanners,"andcitesProphetMuhammad'sadvice,"Don'tcountyourfriend'smouthfuls."
mustdeemthathehascomefromGodandisgoingtoGodandthathisnameis"servantofGod." [...They should not eat alone, but should unselfishly share their food with oneanother;andwhenseatedat table theyshouldnotbesilent,andshouldbeginbysaying"Bismillah";andtheyshouldnotputanythingdownorliftanythingupinsuchawayastooffendtheircomrades,andtheyshoulddipthefirstmouthfulinsalt,andshoulddealfairlyby their friend. Sahl ibnAbdallah al-Tustariwas asked about themeaning of the verse,"Verily God enjoins justice and beneficence" (16:92). He replied, "Justice consists indealingfairlywithone'sfriendinregardtoamorseloffood,andbeneficenceconsistsindeeminghimtohaveabetterclaimtothatmorselthanyourself."Furthermore, the Sufi should eat with his right hand and should look only at his ownmorsel, and while eating he should not drink unless he is extremely thirsty, and if hedrinks he should drink only asmuch aswillmoisten his liver. He should not eat largemouthfuls,andshouldchewhisfoodwellandnotmakehaste;otherwisehewillbeactingcontrarytothecustomoftheApostle(peaceandblessingsuponhim),andwillprobablysuffer from indigestion.When he has finished eating, he should give praise to God andwashhishands.Courtesy:http://www.superluminal.com/cookbook/
Dua’sbeforeandaftertheMeals:
وعلى بركة هللا بسم هللاInthenameofAllahandwiththeblessingofAllahIbegin(eating)
GINGER• (Zingiberofficinale)• Ginger isa culinary herb and isrelated to Turmeric. Ithas been used inAyurvedaandtraditionalChinesemedicineforthousandsofyears.Overa hundred compounds in ginger have beenisolated and studied. Ginger supports thecardiovascular system. It has been used as aremedy for morning sickness in pregnant
women, for motion sickness, nausea,gastrointestinaldisorders,andstomachulcers;andisshowntoimprovemetabolism.Gingerisbeneficial for respiratory ailments. It is anantibacterial and antifungal, and is a naturaland powerful antihistamine and pain killer.Ginger also enjoys a great reputation as anaphrodisiac. Its intense scent combined withits ability to promote circulation is used bymanytoincreasesexualprowess.
AllShifaholisticherbalteasarehandcraftedfromthebestqualityorganicingredients,usingturmericatthecoreofeach,amulti-spectrumherbandatrueblessingtohumanity.Inessence,weareretracingthestepsofsages, reclaiming their wisdom and realigning ourselves with nature in all its splendor and serenity. Wehandpickouringredients,sliceand/ordehydratethemourselves,andcarefullyblendtheminsmallbatches
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based on the centuries-old knowledge of their restorative properties. See the Tea Product Details page for moreinformationabouteachtea:http://www.shifanaturals.com/our-teas/
BookReview:Agreatbookforourtimes,by—SidiSyedZainAlAbedin.HowtobeaMuslimInsha’Allah:RiseAboveYourProblemsandChooseInnerPeaceandJoywith Ideas from the Quran, Sunnah, Counseling and Health Fields is a book by trainedcounselorSheimaSalamSumer,which intends toguideyou inachieving innerpeaceandjoyby combining Islamic teachingswithmental andphysicalhealth concepts. Insha’Allahthisbookwillempoweryoutofeelcontentandincontrolofyouremotionsnomatterwhatishappeninginyourlife.
Translated and, most importantly, transliterated by Shaykh Nooruddeen, this publication of theQur’anisprobablythemostuser-friendlyforthosewhoareunabletoreadArabic.Itmakesavailablenotonlythemeaninginaccurate,respectfulcontemporaryEnglish,butthesoundandflow,withallthemarkingsandspacings ineasily learnable formso that,with study, the reader can reproduceaprecise duplication of the sound of the Arabic. The punctuation, stops, continuity, breathing, andrulesoftajwidarethoroughlyexplainedwithexamplesintheintroductionandclearlymarkedinthetext. The Arabic calligraphy itself is very clear in black and white and is directly opposite thetransliterationandtranslationonthefacingpage,ayatbyayat,sothatthereadercaneasilyreferencebothlanguages.TheArabichasbeenapprovedbytheulemaofbothEgyptandPakistan,andisveryreadable.
An exact duplicate of the Tajwidi Qur’an, this app is a boon for students, commuters, and thosemillionsofpeoplewhousetheiPhoneoriPadandprefernottocarrythebigbookaroundwiththemas they travel.Youcanchoose toview theEnglish transliteration& translationalone,or theArabicalone, or the two directly opposite each other. Both the Arabic and English characters are largeenoughtoreadeasily,evenonaniPhone.Whetheryouareanon-Arabicreaderorastudentoftajwid,3TQwill help you to learn and pronounce the sounds of theWords of Allah withmore grace andconfidence.
Orisons:Volume1oftheSchooloftheShadhdhuliyyahThis beautiful and profusely illustrated essential book contains all the major ‘Ahzab (Litanies orOrisons)transmittedbyShaykhAbu-l-Hasan,Allahpreservehissecret,renderedintheoriginalArabicandtranslatedintoclearEnglishaswellastransliteratedfortheliturgicaluseofnon-Arabicspeakingreaders. It also contains a 99-page introduction by Sh. Nooruddeen about the origins of theShadhdhuliyya,Sufism,historyandpractice,withcharts,diagramsandsilsilah(chainoftransmission).Amongitstreasuresareachapteronmarakaba(Islamicmeditation)andacoloredpageofcalligraphyforconcentration.
Origins:Volume2of theSchooloftheShadhdhuliyyahVolume2of theSchooloftheShadhdhuliyyahThoroughlydetailsthe lifeand teachingsofthefirst four masters of the Shadhdhuli School, including practices, dhikrs, and ahzab. IncorporatestranslationsoftwoworksbythelateShaykhofAzhar,Dr.‘Abu-l-HalimMamud,andonebytheShayku-l-Mashaykh of the Sufi Turuq in Egypt, Dr Abu-l-Wafa Taftazani, and an essay on Yaqut al ‘Arsh by DrIbrahim Hakim ash-Shagouri. It has the first complete listing of the works of Ibn ‘Ata’l’llah, extensiveproofsandexplanationsof themeaningsofTasawwuf,anda convincingargument comparing theSuficapproachtorealitywiththerationalism,andorromanticism,ofmanyWesternscholarsandpundits.
Hizbu-l-Bahr21[TheLitanyoftheSea]
ShaykhShadhdhuli saidabout theHizbu-l-Bahr: “ByAllah, Ididnotutter itexceptas it came fromtheProphetofAllah,peace&blessingsbeuponhim&hisfamily,fromwhoseinstructionIlearnedit.Guardit,”hesaidtome,“foritcontainsal-’Ismu-l-‘A’dham-theGreatestnameofAllah...Itisnotrecitedinanyplacewithoutsecurityreigningthere.IfithadbeenwiththeinhabitantsofBaghdad,theTatarswouldnothavetakenthecity.”Atthetimeofhisdeath,ShaykhShadhdhuligaveNaseeha-counsel - torecitehisHizbu-l-Bahroften,saying,“Teachittoyourchildren,fortheal-’Ismu-l-‘A’dhamisinit.”MostShadhdhulisreadthishizbeverydayandithasspreadthroughouttheMuslimworld.
...andotherahzabwhichwepublishinsmallerbookletform.TheMessenger,peace&blessingsbeuponhim&hisfamily,said,“Supplicationsaretheverybrainsofworship.”ThesesupplicationsaretrueworshipofAllah. In them is the pleasure of confiding inHimand the pleasure of being nearHim. There is thepleasureofcontentmentfromAllahandwhatHefulfillsbyansweringandbymerciesgivenforourbelief.They may be assigned by a Shaykh or read freely, with the exception of Hizbu-l- Nasr, which is toopowerfultobereadwithoutinstructionandpermission.
Salatu-l-Mashish: Sidi ‘Ibn Mashish, Allah preserve his secret, received this prayer from the Prophet,blessingsofAllahandpeacebeuponhimandhisfamily.Itisabeautifulpaeanofpraisefromtheheart,which has inspired many commentaries and additions throughout the centuries, and is read byShadhdhuliseverywhere.
Ourwebsite(www.greenmountainschool.org)containsalltheinformationonthesetextsandmanyotherbooks and booklets pertaining to the Shadhdhuliyya, the Qur’an, and contemporary issues vital toMuslims,andteachingtexts,alongwithdescriptions,pricesandhowtoorderbyPaypal.Youwillfindover15yearsofweeklykhutbasbytheShaykh,over70ofhisbooks,andannouncements,essaysandreportsonallsortsofinterestingsubjectsfrom“RecitingtheQur’anasaSpiritualPractice”toexercisesforseeingtheProphet,peace&blessingsbeuponhimandhis family, toessaysoneachofthemajorprophetsofIslam,peacebeonthemall,todiscussionsontheriseofthewahabisalafijihadists:what,when,whereandwhy.
QuestionsandComments: If youhavequestionsorcommentsonaparticulararticle,wesuggestyoutosendthemviae-mail.Theintentofyourletter,commentorquestionshouldbebetterunderstanding,dialogueanddiscussion.Besuretoincludeasimple,subjectlineforproperprocessing.
Disclaimer:The information contained in this publicationdoes not necessarily reflect the opinions,beliefsorpointofviewofAl-Mi’rajMagazine.Al-Mi’rajMagazinenoresponsibilityfortheinformationsubmittedbyauthors.Thecopyrightforeacharticle includingphotosbelongstotherespectiveauthor.CopyrightfortheNewsletterasawholebelongstoISRA.Ifyoure-use the material in other publications (except for news feeds), please cite Al-Mi’rajMagazineastheoriginalsourceofpublication.Theinformationcontainedinsomeofthearticleshasbeenpartiallycollectedandadaptedby theMagazine staff with courtesy of thewebsitesmentioned as source of the article.Copyright2016:Al-Mi’rajMagazineSpiritualBoutique:IfyouliketopublishaboutyourTariqa,Spiritualevents,Zawiyas,Zikrgatherings,KhanqahspleasesendbriefinformationtothefollowingE-mail:Israinternational@yahoo.comOrifyouwishtocontinuereceivingtheMagazinepleasesendyourE-Mailaddressto:[email protected]
