Dr.Abdul Sattar Khan Naqshbandi passed away

Inna Lillahe Wa Inna Alaihe Raje,un-Dr.Abdul Sattar Khan Naqshbandi, Former Head, Arabic Dept, Osmania University,Hyderabad,India, Khalifah Hazrat Abul Hasanat Sayyid Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi Qadri (R.A),Muhaddith-e-Deccan,passed away and Janaza is today at MCC Chicago.Allah Taala grant him Jannat ul Firdos and elevate his darajats .Amin. Please remember him in your duas

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Hadhrat Abul Fida Maulana Abdul Sattar Khan Sahib passes away!



It is very distressing indeed that in the early morning hours of today i.e. of Wednesday 24th October,2012, in Chicago, USA, the great Shaykh of the Naqshbandi Order of Tasawwuf, the caliph of Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him), Abul Fida Hadhrat ‘Allama Maulana Al Haaj Professor Dr. Abdul Sattar Khan Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) passed away into the presence of Allah. He is survived by his 8 sons and 2 daughters. For more details, you may contact his son Maulana Abdul Hannan Khan Sahib (India) on 9052387583/040-24383903/9966076839

A brief life sketch of Hadhrat Abul Fida,(May Allah shower His Mercy on him)He was born in Maisaram about 18 km from Hyderabad on 28th October, 1343 Hijri, 1924 AD.

His forefather Hadhrat Bade Khan Sahab had come from Qandahar, Afghanistan, after the establishment of the Asafjahi dynasty and had settled in Maisaram..The atmosphere of the home of Hadhrat Abul Fida was completely Islamic. He acquired both religious and worldly knowledge, graduated from the university, was appointed a professor in Osmania University and eventually became the Head of the Dept. of Arabic.
He had great love for saints and specially for his master, Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).He acquired knowledge from great teachers and Shaykhs. He learnt the 10 different styles of recitation of the Holy Quran (Qira’at ‘Ashrah) from Maulana Qari Abdul Rahman Humoomi and Maulana Hafidh Qari Waliullah Sahib.His teachers:The great jurist, Hadhrat Abul Wafa Afghani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)Maulana Hafidh Syed Maqsud Ali Khairabadi, the student of ‘Allama ‘Abdul Haq Khairabadi (May Allah shower His Mercy on them).The great litterateur, Hadhrat ‘Allama Maulana Syed Ibrahim Adeeb Razawi Qadri (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)Maulana Professor Abdul Haq Sahib (May Allah shower His Mercy on him)Maulana Syed Nabi Hyderabadi Sahib, the author of Minhaaj Ul Arabiyya (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) Maulana Syed Usman Jafri Ilahabadi (May Allah shower His Mercy on im)He hadn’t yet completed his matriculation that he gave his pledge (Ba’yah) to the great Hadith-master Abul Hasanaat Hadhrat Syed Abdullah Shah Naqshbandi Mujaddidi Qadri Muhaddith-e-Deccan in 1940. He drew a lot from his blessed company and acquired high stations in spirituality.He played a very important part in the printing and publishing of “Zujaajatul Masabeeh,” the great classic of Hanafi Jurisprudence which was authored by Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him).When the Arabic edition of Zujaajatul Masabeeh was being published, he had the honor of reading the whole book twice before Hadhrat Muhaddith-e-Deccan (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) and the third time he read it before his teacher the great jurist, Hadhrat Maulana Abul Wafa Afghani (May Allah shower His Mercy on him). He had come to “Babu Manaqibi Syeduna Abu Bakr Siddiq Raziallahu Anhu” in the 5th volume that Hadhrat Abul Wafa (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) fell ill and passed away in 1975. After this, Hadhrat Abul Fida gave lessons of Zujaajatul Masabeeh in a mosque in Hyderabad and completed 3 complete readings of this great book in this manner. He led a very simple life. He was the very embodiment of good manners and humility. In the country and abroad, he would work tirelessly for the propagation of Islam and the Hanafi school of Jurisprudence.He passed away into the presence of Almighty Allah on 7th Dhul Hijjah, 1433 Hijri which corresponds to 24th October, 2012, at Chicago, America.May Allah elevate his status evermore and bless us through him. Aameen
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Hajj of our Beloved Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse (RA)-Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi al-Tijani

Hajj of our Beloved Shaikh Ibrahim Niasse (RA)
 by Shaykh Fakhruddin Owaisi al-Tijani

As-Salam Alaykum Wa Rahmat-Allah,
We wish a Hajj Maqbul to all Hujjaj!
May Allah accept every Muslim's pilgrimage to His Sanctuary and Ziyarah to the Neighbourhood of the Prophet (saw), and grant us all the same honor. Amin,
We share here some of Shaykh-al-Islam al-Haj Ibrahim Niasse (RA)'s amazing experiences during his first Hajj in 1937, as described in his al-Rihlah al-Hijaziyyah (Travelogue of his first Hajj) 
The Sahib al-Faydah (RA) described his inward experience of the Hajj thus:
تجردت عن ملبوسي اليوم محرما
تجرد قلبي عن سواك معظما
و إن طفت بالبيت المعظم قدره
إلهي فقلبي حول ذاتك خيما
و سعيي بين الصخرتين مشاكل
لسعي مضى لي في الصغات تكرما

I removed my clothes today to adorn the Ihram
And my Heart removed all other than You, in honor of You
*
And indeed, when I circambulate around the Noble House (the Ka'bah)
O My Lord! My Heart has encamped around your Being
*
And my running between the two Mountains (Safa and Marwah)
Is complimentary to my (inward) running between your Attributes (of Jalal and Jamal)

Upon looking at the blessed Ka'bah for the first time, Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) said:

اللهم إني نويت أن أتقرب إليك بالنظر إلى بيتك الحرام بالنية التي كان ينظر بها النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم 

"O Allah! I intend to draw closer to You by looking at Your Sacred House with the same intention by which Your Prophet (SAW) used to look at it!".

The Shaykh (RA) also used to read his Divinely-Inspired Dua the Kanz al-Awliya in front of the Sacred Door of the Ka’bah. (I had the honor of ding the same during my last Umrah)

About the holy plains of Arafah the Shaykh (RA) wrote:

لبيك تلبية من واصل عرفه
من كولخ منتهى الدنيا إلى عرفه
و الحمد في ذا و ذاك للإله فما
للعبد مدخل في الأمر إن عرفه

I pronounce the Labbayk of a one who has Known and Arrived
From Kaolack, the furthest point of the World to Arafah!

And all praise, in this and that, is for the Lord!
For the slave has no say in the matter, if he only knew!

The Shaykh (RA) would also make this Dua when shaving the Hair of his head after the Pilgrimage:

اللهم هذه ناصيتي بيدك فاجعل لي بكل شعرة نوراً يوم القيامة و بارك لي في معيشتي و اغفر لي ذنبي و 
تقبل مني عملي

O Allah! This is my forehead in your Hands! So recompense me for every hair, a light on the Day of Judgment! Bless my livelihood, forgive my sin and accept my Actions!

As for the City of the Prophet (SAW), Madinah Munawwarah or Taybah (The Purified City), the Shaykh (RA) has written thousands of couplets in praise and yearning for it. More than 50% of his Diwan is about that. Here I just translate a few couplets from the Days of his Visit to Madinah Taybah:

يا طيبة المصطفى يا طيب رياك
و الحسن أجمعه يلقى من محياك

علوت مكة ذات البيت إذ شرفت
بالبيت و البيت من طه فبشراك

مني إليك سلام كلما وردت
بحجرة المصطفى أملاك مولاك

O Taybah of the Chosen Prophet! How Sweet is your Fragrance!
Indeed, all beauty is encompassed in your Appearance!

You have surpassed Makkah, as Makkah is honored by the House (of God)
And the House was ordained by Taha (SAW), so glad-tidings to you!

So accept Greetings from me to You
As long as the Angels of God roam around the Shrine of the Prophet (SAW)

Other than that, the Shaykh (RA) would also recite the Sirr al-Ziyarah prayer when would visit the Blessed Tomb of the Crown of Creation Sidina Rasul-Allah (SAW).
The Shaykh (RA) also writes:
"And among the signs of the acceptance of our Dua and fulfillment of all our desires was that whenever we would lift our hands for Dua, the rain would pour. This happened with the Abd al-faqir by the Ka'bah, by Arafah, and by Mina. And there were other matters which I cannot reveal".
The noble Caretaker of the Holy Ka'bah, Shaykh Abd-Allah al-Shaybi also gave Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) the rare permission to be alone inside the Holy Ka'bah with some of his special disciples!
It is also well-known that his Eminence the Emir of Kano, Sultan Abd-Allahi Bayero, who came from a Qadiriyyah family, prayed to meet the Qutb al-Ghawth of the Tijaniyyah in the precincts of the Blessed Ka'bah, and then immediately saw Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) in front of him. Thereafter, he took the Tariq al-Tijani from Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) in front of the Maqam Ibrahim and invited him to make his famed visit to Nigeria, where tens of thousands submitted to the Tariqah.
Many other important Tijanis also asked Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) to renew the Tariqah and Taqdim for them during his stay in the Holy Land. Among them were:
-Al-Sayyid Ali al-Tayyib, the great Idrisid Hassanid Sharif and Medinite Shaykh who spread the Tariqah in Indonesia and who was a descendant of the venerable Sidi al-Tayyib al-Sufyani (RA)
-Al-Sayyid Ali al-Kutbi, Host of the Tijanis in Makkah
-Al-Shaykh Abu'l-Qasim bin Ibrahim, Head of the Ulama of Sudan
-Al-Sayyid Muhammad al-Shinqiti, grandson of the great Mauritanian Tijani Master Sidi Muhammad al-Mukhtar al-Shinqiti (RA) who took from 40 of the disciples of Sayyidina Shaykh al-Tijani (RA). He also gave the Tariqah to the Sultans of Turkey, Egypt and Darfur. He died in Sudan. 
Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) also mentioned that a person in Jeddah whom he recognized as the Khidr (A.S.) informed him that he is the Qutb of the Age.
He also mentions that a Moroccan Sharif from Fez greeted him at the corner of the Holy Ka'bah and told him that he was informed by one Meccan Saint that he would meet the Ghawth of the Age at the Corner of the Ka'bah during the Hajj this year, and because of the Ghawth's presence, everyone else's Hajj would be accepted. Shaykh Ibrahim (RA) asked the Sharif, "So who did you meet at the Corner of the Ka'bah?". The Sharif replied, "You"!
The Shaykh (RA) also mentions that in the holy plains of Mina, a Wali met him and told him:
أنت رجل ورثت مقام رجل ساكن في قرية فاس

"You are a man who has inherited the Maqam of a Man from the town of Fez!"

In Makkah as well, he was also given the glad-tiding by the Moroccan Saint who migrated from Fez to Madinah, al-Sharif Ahmad al-Tibir (RA), that:

إني رأيتك تتولى جميع المشارب

"I have seen you take over all the Masharib (Methods and Understandings)."

All of this is taken from the Shaykh’s amazing Travelogue entitled al-Rihlah al-Hijaziyyah al-Ula in which he documents his first Hajj as well as his first Visit to Morocco.

It is must read for anyone who wishes to know more about the early years of the Faydah.

What we have mentioned and translated is a tip of the iceberg. The Travelogue itself contains numerous Duas, Intentions and Actions for every point of the Hajj and Ziyarah, from leaving one’s home to entering again into one's home! 

It also includes many of Shaykh Ibrahim’s experiences during this Amazing journey to Makkah, Madinah and Fas.

Of course, the Shaykh (RA) himself writes that what he did not mention in his work is far more than what he did:

و ما كتمناه مما لا أبوح به
أضعاف أضعاف ما كنا كتبناه

And what I have concealed and cannot reveal
Is multiple and multiple times more than what I wrote!

May Allah grant us all a Hajj-Mabrur and Ziyarah Maqbulah. Amen.

(See attached pictures of Shaykh-al-Islam in Ihram)

Servant of the Tijani Door

Fakhruddin Owaisi al-Tijani

Sound Inner Heart & Righteous Deeds, Maktub # 39 ,Imam Ahmad Sirhindi (r.a)

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

حضرت امام ربانی مجدِد و منوِر الف ثانی شیخ احمد فاروقی قدس الله سره العزیز میفرمایند:

ألحَمدُلِلهِ وَ سَلَامٌ عَلی عِبَادِهِ الَذِینَ اصطَفَی

مدارِ کار بر قلب است، اگر دل بغیرِ او سبحانه گرفتار است خراب و أبتر است، از مُجرد اعمالِ صوری و عباداتِ رسمی کاری نمی گشاید. سلامتیِ قلب از إلتفات به ماسوایِ او تعالی و أعمالِ صالحه که به بدن تعلق دارند و شریعت بإتیانِ آن امر فرموده هر دو درکار است. دعویِ سلامتِ قلب بی إتیانِ أعمال صالحهء بدنیه باطل است. همچنانکه در این نشأة (دنیا) روح بی بدن غیر مُتصوَر است، احوالِ قلبی بی أعمالِ صالحهء بدنی محال است. بسیاری از مُلحدانِ این وقت به این قِسم دعوی إدعاء مینمایند. نَجَانَا اللهُ سبحانهُ عَن مُعتَقَداتِهِمُ السُوء بِصَدَقَةِ حَبیبِهِ علیهِ الصَلاةُ و السَلامُ و التَحِیَة.

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مکتوب سی و نهم، جلد اول حصهء اول
به شیخ محمد چتری صدور یافته در بیان آنکه مدار کار بر قلب است، از مجردِ اعمالِ صوری و عباداتِ رسمی کاری نمی گشاید.

God be praised and God give peace to the servants whom God has chosen

Quality of deeds is dependent on the inner state of heart. If it is in a bad & corrupted state and occupied with “other than God” then it will lead to corrupt inner state. Outward righteous deeds and worship are not sufficient. The requirement is to keep the heart safe & sound from “other than God” and to   do the virtuous good deeds prescribed by shariah. The inner state of heart without shariah prescribed actions is like a body without a soul. Claiming a sound inner heart without righteous deeds is false as claimed by apostates and infidels of today. May God Almighty save us for the sake of His beloved Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, from such a false claim and belief.

Maktub # 39, Letter written to Shaykh Muhammad Chatri about the importance of sound inner heart and righteous deeds. (Rough English translation  from Urdu by Ahmed Mirza Servant NFIE)

LOVE LIKE THE PROPHET saws - QUICK STEPS TO A BETTER MARRIAGE

LOVE LIKE THE PROPHET  saws - QUICK STEPS TO A BETTER MARRIAGE

We often get swept up in the routine of life that we take our marriages for granted.  Luckily Allah has given us a perfect portrait in the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him and his family) to help break that routine.  Here are five practical, yet powerful, lessons from the Messenger to help rekindle our relationships.

1. Smile Often

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him and his Family) used to smile often.  So much so that his companions would say they never saw anyone smile more than him (1).  It's easy to forget how powerful a simple smile can be.  Husband or Wife; we all have long and strenuous days.  Instead of bombarding your spouse with complaints on first sight, engage them with a smiling face.  The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him and his Family)even told us that simple smile is an act of charity (2).  To learn more about the power behind smiling, checkout this amazing TED talk by Ron Gutman on the Hidden Power of Smiling.

2. Say Sweet Something’s

Our beloved Messenger (Peace be upon him and his family) would say “Whomever believes in Allah and the day of Judgment let them have positive speech, or keep quiet" (3). It’s very easy to nitpick at our spouses.  We are around each other all the time.  Instead of searching out faults, point out qualities. Try making it a new daily habit of complimenting your spouse.

3. Don’t Get Angry

When Ali (May Allah Ennoble his Countenance) married Fatimah (Peace be Upon Her), the Messenger (Peace be Upon Him and his Family) gave him amazing words of advice.  Advice so important that the Prophet repeated it three times “Don’t get Angry" (4). He didn't tell him control you anger, but rather don't get angry in the first place.  We get angry at our spouses for the silliest things, from how they squeeze the toothpaste bottle to how they wash the dishes. Chill out.  Instead smile and say something sweet.

4. Go Out Together

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him and his Family) would spend quality time with his spouse. He didn't live a separate life under the same roof. He would go on walks with his wife, travel with his wife, and seek her advice. He would engage in stimulating conversation. When was the last time you took spouse out for a nice dinner (not talking about curry in a hurry) or went out for a cup of coffee? If you live in the NJ area I heard a Muslim couple just opened a nice coffee shop. Start there this weekend:www.roastingpostcoffee.com

5. Say "I Love You "

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be Upon Him and his Family) was not afraid to profess his love.  Our religion is built on it as God states, “My love is guaranteed for two who love one another for My sake” (5).  He would often speak of the great affection he had for his wife Khadija (Peace be upon her).  ”Her love was given to me as Rizq" he was quoted as saying (6). Many of us are probably unable to recall the last time we said it to our spouse.  That’s not prophetic.

So there you have it: Smile, Say Something Sweet, Don’t Get Angry, Go Out and Say “ I Love you”.  To learn more about the perfected model in the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) join us on November 3rd at : A Portrait of the Prophet

Moutasem Atiya, Al-Madinah Institute

WHAT’S WRONG WITH US?

Given the current world affairs, I recently walked into a local prayer hall expecting to hear words filled with advice on loving the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and living the Prophetic example.  Instead, a young, overzealous fellow, feeling the need to "correct the aqeedah" of the Muslims, came up after the prayer, telling us that it was a "blatant innovation to travel to Madinah with the intention to visit the Messenger of Allah" and how we should not do so.  I was in shock and insulted. Many thoughts ran through my mind. Did he really just say that? Why is everyone sitting silent? How did this fool get the microphone? What's wrong with the Muslims?

I tried to walk out and keep quiet. I got as far as the threshold of the door before I could not help myself. I stopped his speech and begged the crowd not to let this man rob them of their love of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The Prophet prayed for us. He lived for us, was spat on for us, was ridiculed for us. And we cannot visit him to say thank you? To say I love you, to say I need you, Yaa Rasulallah. It is one thing that his enemies attack him. It is another when his own followers do not appreciate him.

We have a cancer in our midst. One that has been festering for some time and permeating our community. We have allowed the discourse in our mosques to be overrun by narrow-minded literalists that threaten us with hell-fire should we dare to disagree with them. The longer we keep silent in the face of their ignorance, the stronger the disease becomes. Their ignorance breeds intolerance and intolerance breed’s hate. Our Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was none of those things. That is not what he wanted for us. This barbaric and ant-prophetic thought has lead to intellectual and spiritual terrorism in mosques across America.  It is time to reclaim the discourse in our mosques based on Love of Allah, His Messenger and a breadth of tolerance before it's too late.

Moutasem Atiya, Al-Madinah Institute  Moutasem Atiya has been actively involved in the Metropolitan DC communities through classes, speaking engagements, and Friday khutbahs on a regular basis for the past 10 years. He has studied the Islamic sciences from three of the luminaries of our time, Shaykh Mohsen An-Najjar, Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui, and Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya Al-Ninowy.

Letter 184,Maktubat Imam Rabbani

حضرت امام ربانی مجدِد و منوِر الف ثانی شیخ احمد فاروقی قدس الله سره العزیز میفرمایند:

ای فرزند آنچه فردا بکار خواهد آمد متابعتِ صاحبِ شریعت است علیه الصلاة و السلام و التحیة. احوال و مواجید و علوم و معارف و اشارات و رُمُوز اگر بآن متابعت جمع شوند فَبِها و نَعِمَت و إلا جز خرابی و استدراج هیچ نیست. 

سید الطایفه جنید را بعد از فوت شخصی بخواب دید و از حالش پرسید و جنید علیه الرحمة در جواب او گفت: "طاحَتِ العبارات و فُنِیَت الإشارات و ما نَفَعَنَا إلا رُکَیعَاتٌ رَکَعناها فِی جَوفِ اللَیل" فعلیکم بمتابعته و متابعة خلفائه الراشدین علیه و علیهم الصلاة و السلام و إیاکم و مخالفة شریعته قولاً و عملاً و اعتقاداً فإن الأولی یُمنٌ و بَرَکةٌ و الثانیة شُومٌ و هَلَکَةٌ.

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مکتوب 184 دفتر اول حصهء سوم
به قلیج الله صدور یافته در ترغیب بر متابعت سید المرسلین علیه و علی آله و علیهم الصلاة و السلام و التحیة (Posted by Idris Mojaddidi----Rough English Translation from Urdu- Maktub 184--" Oh! Son,what will benefit you tomorrow is iteba'a (following) of Sahib e Shariah, the beloved Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam. Make sure your Ahwaal wa Mawajid (states & raptures), Ulum o Maarif (Outer & inner Knowledge) & Isharat o Ramuz (unveiling & secrets) are according to this iteba'a (following) and if they are not,that will lead you astray & towards destruction.Some one saw Sayyid al-Lataifa Hazrat Junaid al-Baghdadi in a dream and asked him about his state. Hazrat Junaid replied " All the writings about Haqaiq o Maarif (Realities & Inner knowledge) became fruitless and all isharat (unveiling) vanished and only deed which benefited me was my Rakaats( Prayers) during midnight". It is incumbent upon you to follow Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam and khulafa e Rashidin (Rightly Guided Caliphs),may Allah be pleased with them.Abstain from disobeying Shariah in words,actions and belief because Prophetic Iteba'a (following) is the permanent source of baraka (blessing) and disobeying it is the source of misery and devastation .bAhmed Mirza