Disrespecting the teacher
It has been narrated from the elders
that he who disrespects the
teacher is deprived of the sacred
knowledge. Understand, O people
of knowledge, and listen carefully!
The seeker of knowledge who is involved
in an uprising against a madrasa
or defames or disrespects a
teacher in any way, no matter how
great his aptitude for knowledge
is, how sharp and intelligent he is,
he will be left completely deprived
of knowledge. Even if he becomes
a political leader or some other
notable position later on, I sincerely advise you to acquire
knowledge with humility, and not just with the words, but
truly from the heart. If you want to acquire knowledge, you
should respect your teacher. The more respect you have, the
more knowledge you will gain.
Arrogance has no boundaries
I’ll say one thing: this arrogance has no limits; it is a very
dark underworld. The consequences of imperiousness, jealousy,
arrogance and other such evils is grave… the more you
humble yourself, the more elevated your status will become.
In our words and letters, we call ourselves low and wretched
and many other such epithets, but only Allah knows what we
think of ourselves in our hearts.
Someone asked, “What is the proof that we have rid ourselves
of arrogance?” I replied, “If someone criticizes you,
objects against you or defames you, look at the condition
of your heart at the time and how you feel. If it comes to
your mind that I will look into this matter and if I find it to
be true, I will work on rectifying this problem within me.
Remember, this is the yardstick for measuring how close or
distant arrogance is from us, while getting angry or losing
your temper the minute you hear criticism is symptomatic
of arrogance.”
Remembrance of death
My dears, we will also one day depart from this world. What
will happen to us then, we will never know. I wrote a booklet
called Remembrance of Death. Read it often… remember
death often. Everyone must die one day. When a funeral
procession passes by, think of it as if it is yours. Brother, as
much as you can, recite the salat and salam upon the Prophet
a… you see how conditions have deteriorated. There is no
guarantee for anyone’s life. Take my word for this that whoever
among the elders are living, turn to them otherwise you
will say later on, “Who should we turn to?” It is my sincere
advice that you establish a connection with other shuyukh..
there is no dearth of shuyukh in the world, and there is none
more useless than myself.
My friends, I’ll say this and I feel no compunction in saying
it. There is one thing you say which makes me very angry.
You often say that if we do something
this or that, the people of the
dunya will look down upon us…
when I was younger, I would say in
response to such fears, “The dogs
bark, let them bark.”
My dears, do not pay attention to
people of the dunya. They may
think you are evil or crazy. Even
the prophets were called insane
and mad. You are receiving the
same titles as your elders. Then,
why are you so shaken and disturbed.
Make the Akabir your role
models. The Prophet a was an embodiment of all good.
However, the Akabir come in different colors… their statements
and sayings are in front of you. The stronger you hold
to them, the more salvation you will achieve.1
Humility gives rise to unity
Haji Imdadullah used to say that the root of unity is humility.
Two arrogant individuals cannot unite with each other.
When a person possesses humility, then it is not difficult for
him to submit himself to the opinion of another and does
not insist upon his opinion even if he is wrong. An arrogant
person cannot do this.
Majalis Hakeem al-Umma, pg. 94
Maulana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi
Principle of Tasawwuf
The essence of tasawwuf is two things: dhikr of Allah and
obedience, i.e. submitting to the orders of the Shari‘a. The
various types of meditations that are prescribed in tasawwuf
are not a part of tasawwuf but are done out of necessity.
Majalis Hakeem al-Umma, pg. 178
Maulana Ashraf ‘Ali Thanawi
The Real Essence of Knowledge
Ilm (knowledge) should lead to aml ( deeds) and aml should
give rise to dhikr. Then only is ilm true ilm and aml true
aml. If ilm does not beget aml, then its complete darkness.
And if aml does not give rise to remembrance of Allah in
our hearts, then it is hollow. And dhikr without ilm is a fitna.
Malfoozat e Maulana Ilyas, pg. 55
Maulana Ilyas Kandhelawi
1 Malfuzat of Shaykh al-hadith Muhammad Zakariyya, compiled by
Dr. Ismael Memon
www.madania.org 9