About body musk and all, when my dad passed away, I had one of his shirt that he probably wore within last few days and was never washed. I kept it as it is with me because the smell reminded me of my dad. These are all human emotions which are real and emerge out of love. There is no doubt that Sahaba used to love prophet more than any wordly thing in the world, so its no wonder that they used to collect his body musk in bottles and nap cloth.
But making it part of your eeman is a very dangerous thing.
My question is very simple. If prophet had every physical aspect that we believe in (no shadow, sweat smelling as perfume, bright light emerging from face) but he was not a messenger, would we have the same love for him? The point is, we should love him for the message he brought to us cause rest could be debatable.
I think the point is that AS he was the messenger of Allah SWT, as he bought us into imaan, as he bought us the Quran, that we love him. And why should a momin not love anyone with whom Allah SWT has added HIS name. The Shahadah. If Allah SWT loved the Prophet enough to add his name to the very first article of faith, then who are we to deny the Prophet this right?
Agreed about people disturbing the peace of others with their patakhay and loudspeakers...
His (SAW) beauty and his (SAW) miraculous nature and perfect example in character and conduct is all part of him (SAW) ... He (SAW) is the conduit of how the whole ummah received Islam ... Is he not deserving of durood? Do we not send durood out of love for him?
I had spent many years in a salafied mindset and felt that something was missing from me ... Then I found "love" ...
If you get time you can read my blogs … In addition to them there is a lot I have not said … The biggest problem with our culutral rasms is NOT that we are doing things without knowledge … it is that through our devotion to our teachers we have failed to ask the questions and study Islam through systematic knowledge. Today the awaam are engrosed in practicing deep forms of sufi practice - without the basics being in place. When they are challenged they cannot answer. The Deobandis and Barelvis are two peas in a pod, but their adherents don’t realise it - or don’t admit it.
While Barelvis have continued in Sufi practices they have also continued in their ignorance, and Deobandis have studied and gained knowledge, but started to abandon the Sufi practices - because their search for knowledge has been gained more recently from secular or non-traditional sources … Looking back at both Barelvi and Deobandi accounts minus the criticisms of each both are solidly based on authentic hanafi fiqh and the Sufi practices have a basis in so much as their were passed down through a chain of scholars and traditions that were either not written down or sparsely documented.
As a person who has been brought up from a Deobandi background it was easy for me to sit and learn with Salafis. I never adopted their ways of praying, because I was firmly rooted in the Hanafi fiqh … The more softer Salafis accepted me for being a Hanafi, which was okay with me too. Later I found there to be major inconsistencies in the Wahabi/Salafi approach and learnt about the political slant of these movements.
The Muslim brotherhood groups were also appealing - i.e. but they too were not grounded in tradition and had an even greater political slant.
I found some meek looking Muslims, very clean and tidy, smelling nice, speaking softly and never wasted an opportunity to smile … on top of it all never questioned the source of their rizq - they gave and still do without holding back … Intense adab …
I knew that the prophet (SAW) came to perfect good conduct from my studies with the Salafis … I looked with interest at these people … then I felt that I had a lot of knowledge, they used to say to me that they are just lay people, with no knowledge … Later I learnt they were masters … The extent of polished knowledge in Arabic, Tawheed, Fiqh was outstanding …
Compare this to the highest domain of the Salafis - A friend of mine was studying with Al-Kauthir Institute - I was given permission to be his invigilator - I saw the exam paper … Each paper - was dotted with questions starting like this “How do you refute …”
I quickly realised that this is an organisation that defines itself by refuting others and in itself has no substance … And you will see the biggest and best of the Salafis are absorbed in “refuting” others …
I realised that although those Sufis have 10 times more knowledge they avoid argumentation … (It is a trait I am yet to master ) … It makes them appear dumb and without knowledge … However our Shuyukh have seen the effect of the Salafis and in respose they have started to empower us with the counter-arguments … And they are strong …
My friends in the tariqah said … “The modern anti-taqleed order that they call “Salafism” s a self-defeating ideology” and it is … time has given them a clergy that they refer to and revere and hence they end up doing the taqleed that they are so against.
Similar to these are the modern secular Muslims who reject and accept things based on their own ideas of right and wrong / good and bad …
I knew the only place for me to be is here in tariqah …
Will definitely read your blogs Sidi.
And I know exactly what you mean by adab!
And you know the joke about how our stricter brethren will give you Salam after assessing the length of your shalwar. :)
The greatest challenge I am facing is to become better towards RasoolAllah (SAW) ... I have learnt that my way to become closer to Allah (SWT) is by becoming a lover of RasoolAllah (SAW) ... I naturally found that odd ... I was brought up in a sea of bombardment - making me feel that the prophet "was just a man" ... and was being dictated that to love him "we need to obey him" and by proxy "don't praise him or show affection for him" ...
The biggest challenge for lapsed Salafis who are now coming towards tassuwwuf is learning how to abandon their coldness towards RasoolAllah (SAW) ... It is as though the agents of evil knows that the way to break us apart is to diminish our attachment to the prophet Muhammad (SAW) ...
I thought what I am doing is "shirk" ... but when I learnt about shirk properly from the sources - I realised that the oldest books on the subject are quite precise about what shirk really is ...
With a Salafi mind I used to believe that the human form was deserving of worship by the angels that is why they prostrated to us ... I realised later that this was the mistake made by Shaitan ... "shirk" is not in the act ... it is in the "intent" ... Their prostration was a symbol of their subordinance by command of Allah (SWT) ... by prostrating to the form of Adam ... they were worshipping and obeying Allah (SWT) ...
It meant that many things we "blame" others for doing as shirk is itself nothing but us blaming others without knowledge ... It opened up many doors for me - allowing me to "love" RasoolAllah (SAW) without inhibition - My mind knows this, but my whole person is still working on it.
If you get time you can read my blogs … In addition to them there is a lot I have not said … The biggest problem with our culutral rasms is NOT that we are doing things without knowledge … it is that through our devotion to our teachers we have failed to ask the questions and study Islam through systematic knowledge. Today the awaam are engrosed in practicing deep forms of sufi practice - without the basics being in place. When they are challenged they cannot answer. The Deobandis and Barelvis are two peas in a pod, but their adherents don’t realise it - or don’t admit it.
While Barelvis have continued in Sufi practices they have also continued in their ignorance, and Deobandis have studied and gained knowledge, but started to abandon the Sufi practices - because their search for knowledge has been gained more recently from secular or non-traditional sources … Looking back at both Barelvi and Deobandi accounts minus the criticisms of each both are solidly based on authentic hanafi fiqh and the Sufi practices have a basis in so much as their were passed down through a chain of scholars and traditions that were either not written down or sparsely documented.
As a person who has been brought up from a Deobandi background it was easy for me to sit and learn with Salafis. I never adopted their ways of praying, because I was firmly rooted in the Hanafi fiqh … The more softer Salafis accepted me for being a Hanafi, which was okay with me too. Later I found there to be major inconsistencies in the Wahabi/Salafi approach and learnt about the political slant of these movements.
The Muslim brotherhood groups were also appealing - i.e. but they too were not grounded in tradition and had an even greater political slant.
I found some meek looking Muslims, very clean and tidy, smelling nice, speaking softly and never wasted an opportunity to smile … on top of it all never questioned the source of their rizq - they gave and still do without holding back … Intense adab …
I knew that the prophet (SAW) came to perfect good conduct from my studies with the Salafis … I looked with interest at these people … then I felt that I had a lot of knowledge, they used to say to me that they are just lay people, with no knowledge … Later I learnt they were masters … The extent of polished knowledge in Arabic, Tawheed, Fiqh was outstanding …
Compare this to the highest domain of the Salafis - A friend of mine was studying with Al-Kauthir Institute - I was given permission to be his invigilator - I saw the exam paper … Each paper - was dotted with questions starting like this “How do you refute …”
I quickly realised that this is an organisation that defines itself by refuting others and in itself has no substance … And you will see the biggest and best of the Salafis are absorbed in “refuting” others …
I realised that although those Sufis have 10 times more knowledge they avoid argumentation … (It is a trait I am yet to master ) … It makes them appear dumb and without knowledge … However our Shuyukh have seen the effect of the Salafis and in respose they have started to empower us with the counter-arguments … And they are strong …
My friends in the tariqah said … “The modern anti-taqleed order that they call “Salafism” s a self-defeating ideology” and it is … time has given them a clergy that they refer to and revere and hence they end up doing the taqleed that they are so against.
Similar to these are the modern secular Muslims who reject and accept things based on their own ideas of right and wrong / good and bad …
I knew the only place for me to be is here in tariqah …
The greatest challenge I am facing is to become better towards RasoolAllah (SAW) … I have learnt that my way to become closer to Allah (SWT) is by becoming a lover of RasoolAllah (SAW) … I naturally found that odd … I was brought up in a sea of bombardment - making me feel that the prophet “was just a man” … and was being dictated that to love him “we need to obey him” and by proxy “don’t praise him or show affection for him” …
The biggest challenge for lapsed Salafis who are now coming towards tassuwwuf is learning how to abandon their coldness towards RasoolAllah (SAW) … It is as though the agents of evil knows that the way to break us apart is to diminish our attachment to the prophet Muhammad (SAW) …
I thought what I am doing is “shirk” … but when I learnt about shirk properly from the sources - I realised that the oldest books on the subject are quite precise about what shirk really is …
With a Salafi mind I used to believe that the human form was deserving of worship by the angels that is why they prostrated to us … I realised later that this was the mistake made by Shaitan … “shirk” is not in the act … it is in the “intent” … Their prostration was a symbol of their subordinance by command of Allah (SWT) … by prostrating to the form of Adam … they were worshipping anBYd obeying Allah (SWT) …
It meant that many things we “blame” others for doing as shirk is itself nothing but us blaming others without knowledge … It opened up many doors for me - allowing me to “love” RasoolAllah (SAW) without inhibition - My mind knows this, but my whole person is still working on it.
[/quote]
Alhamdullilah that you have started walking that path… the rest leave upon Him.
Will definitely read your blogs Sidi.
And I know exactly what you mean by adab!
And you know the joke about how our stricter brethren will give you Salam after assessing the length of your shalwar. :)
which tariqat you both follow brother as you call each other "Sidi"if i am not wrong its tariqat from africa..
Ninja ... By saying Africa ... You have reminded me of one of the biggest myths that is spread around ... That is about the Mawlid ...
Or Milad-un-Nabi ...
People errantly suggest that this practice is a sub-continent phenomenon ... I always ask ... Which one? I found the mawlid is practiced everywhere ... some have good practices and others have not so good practices ...
Fasting and Reading Surah Yaseen and giving food or holding an iftar feast is always a good thing ... In addition our groups sing nahseed and read the story of the life of Muhammad (SAW) from Barzanji Shareef (It is a long Arabic poem and we translate with English) ... Salat-u-Salam is a Barelvi practice, but I join in when I'm with my friends from tariqah ... We have a Shafi (from another Shadhili chain), a Maliki, a Hanafi Deobandi (me), and the rest are Hanafi Barelvis ... who sit together doing mawlid gatherings ... If there is ever a way to unite people of different fiqh groups it is by sharing commonality in the tariqahs ...
Unlike the fiqh groups - the tariqah groups acknowledge and accept each other ... :)
It is because we are all connected - somewhere in our chains we share the same people ... it defeats the purpose of separation ... The same should apply with Fiqh ... but because there is less focus on the spiritual chain - there is bound to be difference.
) … It makes them appear dumb and without knowledge … However our Shuyukh have seen the effect of the Salafis and in respose they have started to empower us with the counter-arguments … And they are strong …
the rest leave upon Him.