The following report was called into question by a particular brother commenting on Seekingilm. The following is the takhrij. Abu Nu’aym reports the following in his Hilyat Al-Awliyaa through Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal:
حدثنا أبو بكر بن مالك، حدثنا عبد الله بن أحمد بن حنبل، حدثني أبي، وإبراهيم بن زياد، قالا: حدثنا إسماعيل بن علية، عن خالد الحذاء، عن عكرمة. قال: قال أبو هريرة: إني لأستغفر الله وأتوب إليه كل يوم اثنى عشر ألف مرة، وذلك على قدر ديني، أو قدر دينه
From ‘Ikrimah that Abu Hurayrah said: “Verily, I turn to Allah asking forgiveness and repenting to Him 12,000 times every day.”
Our brothers at Ma’rifah, may Allah continue to bless them with His immense Mercy, have just released a well translated biography of the khalifat of Abul-Hasan Ash-Shadhili, Abul-’Abbas Al-Mursi (radhiya Allahu ‘anhumaa). He was the Shaykh of the famous Ibn ‘Ataa’illah Al-Iskandari and a qutb of his time. Have a read!
In the audio file attached (mp3, part of the Lahore Suhba of 2007), Shaykh Nuh Keller is asked by new mureeds of the Shadhili Tariqah to demonstrate how the Shadhilis do dhikr of the Supreme name:الله Allah.
If you cannot listen to the lecture for whatever reason then here is the upshot:
Abu Hurayrah (radhiya Allahu ‘Anhu) said that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) said, “If anyone lies on his side while not remembering Allah the exalted, deprivation (tirah) will descend upon him on the day of Judgement ; and whoever sits in a place without remembering Allah, the glorious and magnificent, , deprivation with descend upon him on the day of judgment.”
“The World is a Prison for the Mu’min and paradise for the Kafir.”
In Lata’if Al-Minan (subtleties of the divine gifts) Ibn Ataa’illah said Abul-‘Abbas al Mursi said, Abul Hasan Ash-Shadhili said: ‘The believer in this world is a prisoner, and there is no release for a prisoner except by one of three ways:
1) Through trick and stratagem.
2) Fidya (ransom) - ransoming the self. Allah says, “Allah has bought their own selves so that they may have paradise.” One for The One, exchanging your lowly vile self for The One for whom there is no second. The goal being the presence of the Divine.
Once again sister Amy has provided me with fodder for a blog post.
The good sister is feeling the burden of a downswing in her faith – one which I can relate to all too well - and I felt it to be an opportune time to remind myself and others of a specific form of test which Allah (swt) puts us through.
We all accept that life is a series of challenges as the oft-cited verses from the Quran state:
Do men think that they will be left alone on saying ‘We believe’, and that they will not be tested? We did test those before them, and Allah will certainly know those who are true from those who are false. (29:2-3)
Be sure we shall test you with fear and hunger, some loss in goods or lives or the fruits (of your toil), but give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. (2:155)
When contemplating these verses, I immediately think of loss of wealth or health. People often talk about being tested with death or terminal illness or the loss of a job or a home.
It begins as a discussion and quickly turns to an ‘argument’. One nafs slips and calls another a name. The untrained faqir lashes back out of anger. The volcano is steaming, lava bursting forth, rage overwhelms the nafs. I once saw two individuals get in an argument in the masjid. Both calling each other names and screaming at the top of their lungs. One brother becomes so enraged he hits the other brother in his jaw. In response the other brother attacks. He pins the brother to the ground. A blur ensues. Another brother and myself pry the two apart. “What is wrong with you two?” we ask. “Are you out of your minds? This is the Masjid! You are Muslims…”
I have been asked several times and by many individuals what the Shadhili Tariqah is about. Firstly, I am not a spokesman for this tariqah, nor do I have any legitimacy teaching it. Secondly, because I am not authorized in teaching it, I will not do so. What I will do, however, is share with you the articles of Shaykh Nuh H.M. Keller, May Allah bless and keep him upright amin. The site Shadhili Tariqa, has some very good articles that were taken from a book that is now not published, though soon will be insha’allah. Their website is horridly unorganized; it seems due to their poor numbering system being used. So I have decided to organize it a little better for those interested in this Tariqah:
Many of us, including myself, have what I call ‘Brain farts’. The moment when you know you should remember or recall something, yet no matter how much energy you throw at the complication, no success! It is a ‘but it’s on the tip of my tongue’ moment. Or maybe it is a ‘where is my keys’ moment. Maybe it is reciting a surah that you have definitely memorized, yet when you need to recall it, a miserable blank overwhelms your mind. Some, if not all, of these previously mentioned scenarios happen to me, and I know they happen to others. Being the young person I am, I am a little worried that it is happening to me. So, when worried, turn to Allah and seek aid with His friends. I asked Shaykh Nuh what I could do about my memory/concentration problem and he recommended a book that addresses the problem(s) both physiologically, as well as spiritually. The book is written by a Sikh Doctor named Dharma Khalsa, who specializes in Alzheimers/dementia, titled Brain Longevity: The Breakthrough Medical Program that Improves Mind and Memory . His approach can be summarized as follows: exercise, nutritional therapy, stress management, and pharmacology.
Compiled by Abul Layth and Reviewed by the SI Team
Introduction
I have observed that many people are searching the terms “Dancing” or “Raqs” in the site’s search engine. This phenomenon has lead me to the conclusion that SeekingIlm needs to have a single comprehensive research article for this issue. The intent of this article is to aid in the research of those students who seek clarification on the issue of the permissibility of the Hadrah in Islamic Jurisprudence. By no means do we claim that this article is the absolute proof, or that it contains all of the proofs for the Sufic form of the Hadrah, usually involving swaying or movements that are generally seen as ‘dancing’. Rather, this article is the humble research of some of the SeekingIlm team in defense of the Sufic approach to Raqs. We also do not claim that there is not ikhtilaaf, or scholarly legal disagreement, pertaining to this issue as well. We respect the opinion of those who deem raqs prohibited or disliked. However, we expect that the respect we show is also manifested by those who disagree with us as well. As Shaykhul-Islam Imam An-Nawawi stated,
“Scholars only protest against that which musters unanimous consensus; as for what does not muster unanimous consensus, then there is no permission to protest.”1 We ask Allah to make this a benefit for all Amin!
The time arrives. “I’ll make it in a few minutes,” you say to yourself. One thing after another overcomes you. At first, time is measured in moments, then moments quickly, unknowingly, turn into hours. Before you realize your state, the time for it is nearly gone. Deceived you were! As your enemy crept upon you, so heedless, unaware, was your person. He took pride in his victory over you, boasting to his cohorts, ‘how easy it was defeating this person, he was heedless of his state as it ever worsened!’
Or have we forgotten The Real’s words, “So woe unto those performers of Salat (prayers), Who delay their Salat (prayer) from their stated fixed times…” Salah did you miss just as it missed you. In wise words spoken by Al-Ghawth Abu Madyan (radhiya allāhu ‘anhu), he warns us all of procrastination. He says,
