Sunday 28 February 2010

Jawratul Kamal

A link to a page that helps you learn Salatul Fathi and Jawratul Kamal, sallutations upon the beloved messenger of Allah.

http://www.tidjaniya.com/en/apprentissages.php


Sunday 14 February 2010

Surah Al Kaaf The First 10 verses/ Protection against the Anti Christ


There is a counter to everything, from a left hook to a thumb lock, the same is for the Anti Christ the Dajaal, there is a counter to him and the counter is told to us by The Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him, and that counter is the reciting the first 10 verses over him. So it is essential that we learn this counter, and like any counter the timing has to be correct in order for it to work, so now is the time to learn these 10 verses. InsAllah.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

http://www.quran.com/18

Saturday 13 February 2010

The Three principles of Tariqa Tijaniya


[From the Introduction of Shaykh Hassan Cisse, Shaykh al-Islam Ibrahim Niasse: Revivalist of the Sunnah (New York, 1984).]

Shaykh Hassan introduced this address by reminding the reader that the Tariqa Tijaniyya is based on the Qur’an and the Hadith, or narrations of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Shaykh then sited the famous hadith of three stations of religion: Islam (submission), Iman (faith) and Ihsan (spiritual excellence) as justification for the “intent, substance and development of the Tariqa Tijaniyya.” Since Islam, as a religion suited for the lofty spiritual aspirations of the human soul, contains within it Ihsan, the religion also includes the Sufi tariqa, or the path of self-purification: the path of contemplating God, “until you worship Him as if you see Him; and if you do not see Him, know that He is seeing you” (the Prophet’s description of Ihsan from the aforementioned hadith). Shaykh Hassan continued:

It should be obvious from this Hadith that a human being has greater needs than an animal. In the same way he needs food for his body, he also needs food for his spirit; and the best food for the spirit is the remembrance of Allah (dhikr). Dhikr provides the direct link between the servant and Allah. Surely there is wise counsel in the saying, “The remembrance of Allah is the means to acquire sainthood, to be one of the awliya‘ (saints or friends of God).”

The Tariqa Tijaniyya is based on three principles:

  1. Asking Allah for forgiveness (astaghfirullah). It is forbidden for a Muslim to stop his brother in Islam from saying astaghfirullah. None of us are infallible. The same way we do something right today, we may do it wrong tomorrow. Consequently, the Prophet has directed us by say ing, “Your sickness is the sins and the remedy of your sickness is to say astaghfirullah.” In addition, there are many verses in the Qur’an advising us to say astaghfirullah. For example, in Sura Hadid (57:21), we are told, “Be foremost (in seeking) forgiveness from your Lord…” And then there is the ex ample of our most excellent guide, the Prophet, peace be upon him. In spite of the infallibility of his station, and what Allah has stated clearly in Sura Fath (48:2), that He has forgiven all his sins - the first and the last - the Prophet asked Allah’s forgiveness more than one hundred times every day. If that is the case with him, what about those of us who live in this corrupt time of disbelief and sin?
  2. The second principle is to say la ilaha illallah, “There is nothing worthy of worship but God.” In a Hadith, the Prophet said, “The best words I have ever said together with the previous Pro phets are the words la ilaha illallah.” And, again, in Sura Baqara (2:152): “Then if you remember Me; I will remember you.” And in Surah Imran (3:191): “Men who celebrate the praises of Allah, standing, sitting, and lying down on their sides…” And, again, in Sura Jumu’a (62:10), “and celebrate the Praises of Allah often (and without stint): that ye may prosper.” Surely, when Allah, who has no limit, says to remember Him “often”, it is not to be taken lightly.
  3. And the third principle is Salat ‘ala Nabi, the offering of prayers upon the Prophet. Allah has ordered the community of the believers to offer prayers upon the Prophet just as He has himself done together with His angels, (Qur’an, 33:56). Moreover, the Prophet said in another Hadith, “Whoever offers one prayer upon me, Allah will offer ten upon him.” In another report, the Prophet said, “Whoever offers one prayer on me, Allah will offer ten on him; if he makes it ten, Allah will make it one hun dred for him; if he makes it one hundred, Allah will make it one thousand for him; if he makes it a thousand, he will enter Paradise shoulder-to-shoulder together with me.”

Support for the dhikr of the Tariqa Tijaniyya thus is solely derived from Qur’an and Hadith. We are Muslims looking for the Truth, and wherever we see the Truth, we shall follow.


http://tijani.org/sources-for-the-dhikr-of-the-tijaniyya/

Blessings derived from Salatul Fathi part 3


From a Tijaniyya Order member

The history of Salatul al-Fatih is this. A man named Sayyidi Bekri went into khalwa for 40 years, asking Allah to give him the best Salatul-ala Nabiyya. It was written on the wall in light and he was told not to give it to others until the owner of it appeared.

Another version but no arabic

Allahumma Salli'Ala Sayyidina Muhammadil Fatihi Lima Ughliqa wal Khatimi Lima Sabaqa Nasril Haqqi Bil Haqqi Wal Hadi Ila Siratikal Mustaqim wa 'Ala Alihi Haqqa Qadrihi wa Miqdarihil Azim.

From another Tijaniyya Order member

The reason why it is the best Salat Ala Nabi, Because all other Salat ala Nabi end with Wa Sallim, or Tasliman. Salim means Peace. Mankind is the only thing that needs peace. Allah and his angels don't need peace. Salatul Fatih ends with Azeem in the dua. But after finishing the prayer ends with Al Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi Aalimeen. Another reason it is the best and has all those blessings as you described is because it praises The Prophet before the creation of Time and it praises him After creation. The opener and the seal. It is also said to be equivelant to reading the Quran 6 thousand times. Why? How? Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse said any Salawat Ala Nabiy especially Salawatul Fatih is the Quran of Quran. Salawatul Fatih is different from other because it is the Prayer of Allah and His Angels.

Another main reason why Salatul Ala Nabi is so Powerful and great is because Only Allah can send prayers on the Prophet(PBUH). When you say Allahuma Sali You have nothing to do with the prayer anymore it is just Allah and the Prophet(PBUH). The Tariqa Tijaniyya is based on Salawatul Fatih it is the main difference between the tijaniyya and other turuq. For this approval has come from the Prophet to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in broad daylight.

From the Tijaniyya - abun-Nasr; an excert from:- And Muhammad Is His Messenger : The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety by Annemarie Schimmel, ISBN: 0807841285

The Salat (Durood) is considered to have merits of eight categories…. He who reads it once is guaranteed the bless of the two abodes; also reciting it once atones for all sins and is equivalent to six thousand (6000) times all prayers of glorification to God, all Dhikr and Dua'a, long and short which have occurred in the Universe. He who recites it ten (10) times acquires recompense greater than that due to a Wali (saint) who lived ten Thousand years, but did not say it. Saying it once is equivalent to the prayers of all angels, human beings, and Jinn from the beginning of their creation to the time when it was uttered, and saying is a second time is like [i.e. equivalent to the recompense of the first] plus the recompense of the first a and the second, and so on.

Blessings derived from Salatul Fathi part 2




Salatul Fatihi (Selections from the Rimah of al Haj Shaykh Umar Futi)
 

This is a translation from one of the great pillars of the Ahmadi-Muhammadi-Ibrahimi-Hanifi-Tijani tariqa. He is Shaykh Umar Futi. He is known in Africa as one of the most renowned figures in Islamic History, for he was not just a Khalifa of Shaykh Ahmad Tijani. But also a jihadist He was responsible for at least 313 different jihads in Africa during the 1800's against the British, the French, and idolators. 

The name of this book is al Rimah al Hizb al Raheem ala Nuhur al Hizb al Rajeem (The spears of the league of the Merciful thrown at the necks of the league of the accursed) This book is a defense of Ihsan, Islamic Spirituality (Tasawwuff,Sufism) the Awliya especially, and the Tariqa Tijaniya in detail. Here is one of the sections from the chapter on Salatul Fatihi. I am giving it to you to share. You may post it if you like. This is just for information so no fitnah intended. For not much is known about the Tariqa Tijaniya compared to whats known about other turuq. So enjoy. 

Please keep in mind that the only way to derive the FULL and COMPLETE blessing of this blessed durood is to be on the the Fuqara of Sidina Shaykh Ahmad Tijani, for he received it from the beloved hands of the Beloved Prophet with its rewards and its requirements. But you are welcome for we are all muslims living in the end of times. May Allah protect us and keep us in his safety. Salaam Alaikum. From sidi Muhammad Hasan. 

The invocation of the Opener of what is locked Salatul Fatihi 

As for the invocation of the Opener of what is locked (Salatul Fatihi) it has three degrees: 
1.an external degree 
2.an internal degree 
3.the degree of the inmost (batin al batin). 

I had intended to provide a complete explanation of it at this point, and to describe its marvels and its wonders. I was prevented from that, however by the fact that most people lack the maturity required for the acquisition of that kind of knowledge. I shall therefore content myself with mentioning some of what is available in Jawahir al Ma’ani, concerning the external degree only.Allah is the Source of enabling grace! 

Our Shaykh (Shaykh Ahmad Tijani) has said: 

"As for Salatul Fatihi when I asked the Prophet about it, he informed me first of all, that it is worth six hundred thousand invocation of blessing. I also asked him, ‘For each invocation of blessing does one bird fly up toward heaven-that being the bird which has seventy thousand wings, as described in the hadith-or do six hundred thousand birds of that kind fly up each time, and is the reward of their glorification assigned to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet?’ The Prophet replied: "Six hundred thousand birds of that kind fly up each time." 

As for the number of each bird’s tongues, the Shaykh said: "The total number of its tongues is 1,680,000,700,000,000,000,000.000. Each tongue glorifies Allah in seventy thousand languages in a split second, and all of is reward is assigned each time to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet. This applies to every Salatul Ala Nabi other than Salatul Fatihi. As for the latter, it gives rise, each time, to six hundred thousand birds of the kind described, as previously mentioned." 

Our master, then went on to say: "When I asked the Prophet about the authenticity of the hadith: 

The invocation of blessing upon him one time, is worth the reward of four hundred military campaigns and every campaign is worth four hundred Pilgrimages. 

--The Prophet replied: "It is indeed authentic" I then asked the Prophet about the number of these campaigns: ‘Are four hundred campaigns equivalent to a single offering of Salatul Fatihi, or are four hundred campaigns equivalent to each of the six hundred thousand invocations of blessing?’ The Prophet answered: Salatul Fatihi is worth six hundred thousand invocations of blessings(salatul ala nabi), and each of the six hundred thousand invocations of blessing is worth four hundred campaigns’. 

Then he went on to say: "If someone invokes it-Salatul Fatihi; one time, he will receive the reward he would receive if he offered every invocation of blessing ever offered in the universe, by all the jinn, human beings and angels, six hundred thousand times, from the beginning of time until the moment when he utters its invocation. 

In other words, it is as if he has offered six hundred thousand times all the invocations ever invoked by al the invokers of blessing, angels, jinn and human beings, every one of those invocations being worth a spouse among the houries, and ten good deeds, and the erasure of ten bad deeds, and promotion by ten degrees. Allah and his angels will also bless him ten times for every invocation of blessing." 

Shaykh Ahmad Tijani then said: "Once you have contemplated this with your heart, you will know that no act of worship is equal to a single offering of the Salatul ala Nabi, so how about someone who offers it many times?" What gracious favor he enjoys in the presence of Allah, and this is received EACH time the invocation is offered! 

Blessings derived from Salatul Fathi

Below is some information on the blessings that is derived from the recitation of this magnificent Salatul Fathhi, salutation, prayer on the beloved Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him.

From a Tijaniyya Order member 

The reason why it is the best Salat Ala Nabi, Because all other Salat ala Nabi end with Wa Sallim, or Tasliman. Salim means Peace. Mankind is the only thing that needs peace. Allah and his angels don't need peace. Salatul Fatih ends with Azeem in the dua. But after finishing the prayer ends with Al Hamdu Lillahi Rabbi Aalimeen. Another reason it is the best and has all those blessings as you described is because it praises The Prophet before the creation of Time and it praises him After creation. The opener and the seal. It is also said to be equivelant to reading theQuran 6 thousand times. Why? How? Shaykh Ibrahim Niasse said any Salawat Ala Nabiy especially Salawatul Fatih is the Quran of Quran. Salawatul Fatih is different from other because it is the Prayer of Allah and His Angels. 

Another main reason why Salatul Ala Nabi is so Powerful and great is because Only Allah can send prayers on the Prophet(PBUH). When you say Allahuma Sali You have nothing to do with the prayer anymore it is just Allah and the Prophet(PBUH). The Tariqa Tijaniyya is based on Salawatul Fatih it is the main difference between the tijaniyya and other turuq. For this approval has come from the Prophet to Shaykh Ahmad Tijani in broad daylight. 

From the Tijaniyya - abun-Nasr; an excert from:- And Muhammad Is His Messenger : The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety by Annemarie Schimmel, ISBN: 0807841285 

The Salat (Durood) is considered to have merits of eight categories…. He who reads it once is guaranteed the bless of the two abodes; also reciting it once atones for all sins and is equivalent to six thousand (6000) times all prayers of glorification to God, all Dhikr and Dua'a, long and short which have occurred in the Universe. He who recites it ten (10) times acquires recompense greater than that due to a Wali (saint) who lived ten Thousand years, but did not say it. Saying it once is equivalent to the prayers of all angels, human beings, and Jinn from the beginning of their creation to the time when it was uttered, and saying is a second time is like [i.e. equivalent to the recompense of the first] plus the recompense of the first a and the second, and so on. 

Thursday 11 February 2010

Salatul Fathi /Links/ Salams to the Holy Prophet Peace be upon Him



DUROOD-E-FATH
ALLAHUMMA SALLI WASALLIM WABARIK ALA SAYYIDINA MUHAMMADINIL FAATIHI LIMA UGHLIQA WAL KHAATIMI LIMA SABAKA WAN NAASIRIL HAQQA BIL HAQQI WAL HAADI ILA SIRAATIKAL MUSTAQEEMI SALLAL LAAHU ALAIHI WA ALA AALI WA ASHABIHI HAQQA QADRIHI MIQDAARIHIL AZEEM.

"O Allah! May Thy grace, peace and blessings rest on Muhammad, our Master, who opens that which is closed, and closes that which is preceded, who helps truth with truth, and who guided mankind to Thy straight path. May blessings of Allah be on him and his Family and Companions as according to his exalted position befitting his merit and his high rank".

Actually, this Durood Shareef is in the Holy Quran; but then it was kept a secret. Hazrat Abu-Bakr Siddique (radi Allahu anhu), the first Caliph of Islam, used to recite it daily without fail. Some narrations say that it is because of this Durood that he was awarded the title of "Siddique" which means "Testifier to the Truth".

Hazrat Abul Muqqarab (radi Allahu anhu) says that a man's total sins will be washed away if he recites Durood-e-Fath for forty days continuously.

Hazrat Shaikh Muhammad Bakari (radi Allahu anhu) says that the recitation of Durood-e-Fath once a day relieves the reciter from the Fire of Hell.

Hazrat Syed Ahmed Hillam (radi Allahu anhu) says that Durood-e- Fath was the most favourite routine of Hazrat Ghaus-e-Azam, Sheikh Abdul Qaadir Jilani (radi Allahu anhu) of Baghdad Shareef.

The great Saints also say that Durood-e-Fath is actual and real light.

Hazrat Sheikh Yusuf Bin Ismail (radi Allahu anhu) says that this Durood Shareef is the greatest mystery of Allah. It brings 100% success and happiness to the reciter. In fact, this Durood Shareef brings prosperity and favour and solves all the complex problems by the Grace of Allah. When a man recites this Durood Shareef, the Angels of Allah surround him, mercy covers him and peace starts descending on him.

A fascinating article about Salutations on the Holy Prophet Muhammad Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him. Check the following link below for the article.

http://www.islamicacademy.org/html/Articles/English/Excellence_in_Durood_Sharif_3.htm

Poem about FRIENDS!



Amran Ibn Zarkhan Al Shafi - Advice on Friends


A real friend wishes his companions well,
He's not one who allows them to get close to hell,

Always be careful of the friends you Choose,
So, in the end, Jannah you will not lose,


If you find your companion is not stopping your wrong,
then, be weary, his
friendship is not strong.

If you see the pattern made,
that when you are under your friend's shade,
Your Imaan (belief) begins to fade,

Leave the worthless creation,
make friends with Allah, Surely that is a high station!.
A dervish who had knowledge of our present situation,
Once told his students the following dictation,

"The meeting of people will never enrich you,
save with the gibberish of useless gossip.
So diminish your meeting with people,
except for knowledge or to improve your condition"

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Salatul Fathi / Darood Sharif / Salams to the Holy Prophet Peace be upon Him


Salatul Fathi in Arabic

Salatul Fathi in Arabic with Urdu translation



Salatul Fathi : English Translation

O God bless our Master Muhammad Sallal Laahu Ta'ala Alayhi Wa Sallam who opened what had been closed, and who is the Seal of what had gone before, he who makes the Truth Victorious by the Truth, the guide to thy straight path, and bless his household as is the due of his immense position and grandeur. 


The Benifits of Salatul Fathi ( Sallutations upon the Messenger pbuh) 

Sh Ahmed Tijani r.a said :

“Send many prayers upon the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) with Salat al-Fatih because in it is the good of this world and the Hereafter, and by Salat al-Fatih one obtains all his desires and reaches all his wishes."

On the reward of Salat al-Fatih, al-Khalifa Sidi Ali Harazem reports (in Kitab Jawahir al-Ma'ani) 

Sheikh Ahmed Tijani r.a said: 

"I have asked the Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) on the reward of Salat al-Fatih to which he (peace and blessing be upon him) responded, "it is worth six thousand (6000) recitation of the Holy Quran".

The venerated Tijani Sheikh, Sidi Abul Fadl al-Haj Omar ibn Said al-Futi Tall (d. 1279/1864) informs in the book entitled the "Rimah al Hizb al Raheem ala Nuhur al Hizb al Rajeem" 

Sh Ahmed Tijani said :

"As for Salat al-Fatih when I asked the Prophet about it, he informed me first of all, that it is worth six hundred thousand invocation of blessing (600,000). I also asked him, ‘For each invocation of blessing does one bird fly up toward heaven-that being the bird which has seventy thousand wings, as described in the Hadith, or do six hundred thousand (600,000) birds of that kind fly up each time, and is the reward of their glorification assigned to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet?’ The Prophet replied: "Six hundred thousand birds of that kind fly up each time."

As for the number of each bird’s tongues, the Sh Ahmed Tijani r.a said, 

"The total number of its tongues is 1,680,000,700,000,000,000,000.000. Each tongue glorifies Allah in seventy thousand languages in a split second, and all of is reward is assigned each time to the invoker of blessing upon the Prophet. This applies to every prayer on the Prophet than Salat al-Fatih. As for the latter, it gives rise, each time, to six hundred thousand (600,000) birds of the kind described, as previously mentioned." Sidna Sheikh then went on to say, "When I asked the Prophet about the authenticity of the Hadith, 'The invocation of showering a prayer upon him (salat 'ala Sidna Mohammad) one time, is worth the reward of four hundred (400) military campaigns (ghazwa) and every campaign is worth four hundred (400) pilgrimages ('hajja).' The Prophet replied: "It is indeed authentic". 

"I then asked the Prophet about the number of these campaigns: ‘Are four hundred (400) campaigns equivalent to a single offering of Salat al-Fatih, or are four hundred (400) campaigns equivalent to each of the six hundred thousand (600,000) invocations of blessing?’ The Prophet answered: Salat al-Fatih is worth six hundred thousand (600,000) invocations of showering a prayer upon him one, and each of the six hundred thousand (600,000) invocations of blessing is worth four hundred campaigns"   

" Then he went on to say: If someone invokes it (Salat al-Fatih); one time, he will receive the reward he would receive if he offered every invocation of salat upon the Prophet ever offered in the universe, by all the jinn, human beings and angels, six hundred thousand times (600,000), from the beginning of time until the moment when he utters its invocation. In other words, it is as if he has offered six hundred thousand times (600,000) all the invocations ever invoked by all the invokers of salat, angels, jinn and human beings, every one of those invocations being worth a spouse among the houries (al-'hur al-'in), and ten good deeds ('hasanat), and the erasure of ten bad deeds (sayyiat), and promotion by ten degrees (darajat). Allah and his angels will also bless him ten times for every invocation of blessing. Sidna Sheikh then said: Once you have contemplated this with your heart, you will know that no act of worship is equal to a single offering of the salat upon the Prophet, so how about someone who offers it many times?" What gracious favor he enjoys in the presence of Allah, and this is received each time"





 

Tuesday 9 February 2010

Tariqa Tijani Poster/ leaflet


The following piece of design work is a leaflet and a poster which i have designed for some people who have joined the Self purification school of the Tijaniya or for anyone who wants to know the simple basic knowledge on the spiritual path. It gives a simple outline on what is the Tariqa and looks at the zikr including the wird and the wazifa.


The importance of Ihsan ( Islamic spirituality) and the signs of end times

A very interesting lecture which examines the importance of Ihsan (Islamic spirituality) and analyzes the Prophetic traditions on the signs of end times. 


Salatul Fathi


The following is a poster that i designed which has the Salatul Fathi. I designed this so that i can hang it in my house as well as give it to my family so that they can hang it in their homes.


Saturday 6 February 2010

The Strategic importance of Islamic Spirituality

This Lecture is highly recommended for anyone interested or wanting to know more about Islamic spirituality ( Ihsan, Tassawuf, Sufism).

A very powerful lecture on the spiritual aspect of Islam and its strategic importance. A must see lecture conducted by Sh Imran Hosien.

It examines the essence of Tassawuf and Suffism, which are in fact Ihsan which is the term used in the Holy Quran and the authentic traditions of the Holy Prophet Muhammed Peace be Upon Him.

The Lecture looks at What is Islamic spirituality and what is the strategic importance as well as its history.