Clothing for Salaah

Make Salaah wearing such clothes, that if a person were to visit you, you would not feel ashamed to talk and entertain your guest, wearing those clothes.^[1]

Many have the habit of performing Fajr Salaah in their pyjamas – but will not entertain family and friends dressed in the same manner. They will not enter the court of any judge or king dressed in such clothing. How then can a person enter the Court of the King of Kings, Allah Ta’ala, dressed in pyjamas or undignified clothing?

Allah Ta’ala in fact guides us to the same :

 “O Children of Aadam, wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer…’

[Surah Al-A`raaf 7 : 31]

Whilst the demand is to cover appropriately, encouragement is given to present oneself by wearing neat, clean, beautiful clothing within one’s means.

  

Many men perform Salaah in shirt and pants. If the pants is tight, this kind of dressing is showing disrespect to Salaah and is Makrooh (extremely disliked). A person wearing such clothing should rather replace the shirt with a kurta or wear a jubba over the shirt. This, at least, would indicate to some respect and modesty. Ideally the person should be wearing the Sunnah libaas (dressing) of the kurta. This dressing has noor.

Women too should take care to cover themselves appropriately – more especially for Salaah. Many women read Salaah with semi-transparent clothing or scarves, which invalidate the Salaah.

There is a need for all to learn the masaa`il (rules) pertaining to Salaah, Taharah (cleanliness) and other Ibaadah. Otherwise, the person is carrying out his duties but they are not valid, due to his or her ignorance.

By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh)

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[1] It is Makrooh (disliked) to offer the Salaah in an undignified dress, as well as wearing garments that have animate pictures. Even though the Salaah will be valid, it will be defective.

You are in Youth

By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh)

Bismillahir Rahmaanir Raheem

On one occasion, when I was addressing a group of young boys, I said to them: “The word “you” is in “youth”. And you are presently in youth. Your youth is in your hands. Now it is left to YOU to safeguard the ‘you’ in your youth or destroy the ‘you’ in your youth.

If you safeguard that youth, Allah Ta’ala will give you respect and dignity. You will enjoy good health – both physical and spiritual. And Allah Ta’ala also promises the noble and enviable position of being under the Shade of His Throne on the Day of Qiyamah. There will be success in both worlds. 

However, if you say that you are not interested in safeguarding that youth and want to enjoy this worldly life, by engaging in those actions which please the nafs, and which displease Allah Ta’ala. …Then ask yourself: What is enjoyment in life? Who is the One that gives enjoyment in life? True enjoyment and happiness will only come from the One who Created the heart and controls the heart – Allah Ta’ala.

Sins bring temporary satisfaction, gratification and enjoyment of the nafs …a little while of pleasure that so many amongst our youth engage in, and thereafter, dealing with the consequences life-long. As my respected Shaykh (Rahmatullahi 'Alayh) would say:

“Agreed, there is a little stolen pleasure in sin

But what great rebellion is this against the Sustainer

(Allah Ta’ala)

(That you use His bounties to disobey Him).

A little while of pleasure and everlasting regret;

What stupidity it is to bury

the janaza of respect and honour.”

We deal with so many cases of young boys diagnosed with AIDS, with pregnancies and abortions by school girls. …What did that temporary enjoyment bring them? …Short term gratification and long term, misery, disgrace, humiliation.

No doubt, the environment that we live in is very vicious: In the name of Education, so much of Haraam is read, so much of Haraam is heard, and so much of Haraam is seen. When there is so much of exposure to Haraam, promotion of sin, invitation to sin, temptation to sin, the net result is that the youth are easily caught.

And there is also no doubt that, “Youth is a kind of madness.”  It is a stage or period in life, where the young person does not want to listen to parents or to anyone. He believes and even says that he is free and can do whatever he wants. He does not want to be bound by restrictions.

However, as Muslims, we should know better. True freedom is only obtained when we are released from the prison of this world and return home to Jannah. So long as we are in this world, there will be restrictions, there will be rules and regulations. This is part of our test. If we pass, we secure freedom forever and ever, where our every desire and wish is immediately fulfilled.

No one remains in youth. A few years and it’s all over. How many regret having lost their youth and the wonderful opportunities of obeying Allah Ta’ala, whilst hale and healthy?

…When Allah Ta’ala gives enjoyment, then that enjoyment is true enjoyment, which is related to the heart. Happiness and peace are not related to money, music, illicit love, drugs, etc. True pleasure is not outside the heart. The true enjoyment is that which Allah Ta’ala gives in the heart of a Mu`min – but conditional that the Mu`min is obedient to Him and His Rasul (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam)."

Together with the effort to stay away from sin, and spend the time of youth constructively - in good, we should continuously make Dua for Allah Ta’ala’s special protection. …In the words of my Shaykh:

‘(O Allah) wherever I am – whether on earth or in the skies – my Taqwa must always remain safe.’

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Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:

“Seven persons are those who will be sheltered under the shade [of the Arsh (throne)] of Allah on the Day of Judgment when there will be no other shade, besides His shade. They are : 

A just ruler;

A young man who passed his youth in the worship and service of Allah – The Lord of Honour and Glory;

One whose heart is perpetually attached with the Masjid (mosque);

Two persons who love each other for the sake of Allah - they joined together for His sake and parted for His sake;

A man who is invited for sin by a charming and beautiful woman but he declines, saying: ‘I fear Allah!’;

One who spends in charity in a secret way without making a show, so that his left hand may not know what his right hand spent;

And

One who remembers Allah in solitude so that his eyes overflow.”

Hearts of Gold

My respected Shaykh, Hazrat Maulana Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Saheb (Daamat Barakaatuhum) says in poetry:

“O Allah, we will choose the company of those who please You;                     

We will not keep company with those hearts that don’t have You.”

No one can deny the effect of company. Good company offers good influence and the opposite proves true, in that bad company offers bad influence. Companionship and friendship pave the way to either success or failure. Therefore Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam) said: “A person is on the Deen of his friend.”

We are living in a time where there is mass production of “imitation” and “artificial” products. They appear genuine, but in the test of their quality, they prove to be just cheap imitation or artificial.

In the same way, we find the condition of hearts. The majority walk around with artificial or imitation hearts. Their worth is made known sooner or later, when we find infidelity, dishonesty, greed, double-standards, etc. Who we thought to be a friend, turns out to be an enemy.

Then we have the Auliya Allah – the friends of Allah Ta’ala. Their hearts are genuine “metal”; genuine gold. Their hearts have undergone various tests which make known their value.

When gold is mined from the earth, it is first pulverized and crushed and thereafter placed in a furnace. Despite its value, it has to be purified.

Thus we find that that gold is purified by the means of smelting, which requires pressure, high heat and chemicals to remove the impurities contained in it. It is after this intense process or ‘mujahadah’, that the gold is then in its purest form.

It is melted and poured into moulds to form bars or nuggets. This is now the precious pure gold that demands a high price in the markets, is utilized in making jewellery, etc.

In a similar vein, we find the hearts of Auliya Allah undergoing a purification process as well:  Their hearts experience the pulverizing and crushing of evil desires and going against the demands of the nafs. Together with this are the efforts in striving to earn the Pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, through His Obedience. These are the means which make up the purification process, until they reach that stage, that level where their hearts are like the pure gold.

We hear the cliché: “He / She has a heart of gold.” This generally indicates to a good heart, a generous heart – but a heart of genuine “gold” is the heart that belongs to a Wali of Allah Ta’ala.

Just as we have genuine gold stamped with its carat : 18 ct, 22 ct, 24 ct., these Ahlullah have their hearts stamped by Allah Ta’ala, of His Friendship, because they proved “genuine” in their faithfulness and obedience to Him and His Rasul  (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam). Their hearts have the stamp of the ‘gold’ of Nisbat-ma-Allah (Connection with Allah Ta’ala). May Allah Ta’ala make our hearts pure gold and stamp them with His Pleasure.

A Mu`min (Believer) looks for people with such hearts. If a person is faithful to Allah Ta’ala and Rasulullah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam), we can expect him to be faithful to the creation. If the person is unfaithful to Allah Ta’ala and His Rasul (Sallallaahu ‘alayhi wasallam)), this is a sure indication, that he will be unfaithful – in some way or the other – to others.

We should not only keeps company with such people; we should work to acquire that heart of gold too.

Allah Ta’ala gives us direction in respect to who we will find to be genuine friends:

“Your (real) friends are (no less than) Allah, His Apostle, and the (Fellowship of) Believers, - those who establish regular prayers, and regular charity, and they bow down humbly (in worship).”

[Surah Maa`idah 5 : 58]

And further :

“The believers, men and women, are Auliya (helpers/ friends/ supporters/ protectors) of one another, they enjoin (on the people) Al-Ma’ruf (that which Islam orders one to do), and forbid (people) from Al-Munkar 

(that which Islam has forbidden)…”

[Surah Taubah]

 By Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel (Rahmatullahi ‘Alayh)

Gems 26 - 30

Bismihi Ta’ala

Selected and concise advices / sayings 

of Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel (Rahmatullahi ‘alayh)

26.

Happiness lies in restraining oneself from Haraam.

27.

Do not become relaxed when the nafs becomes obedient.

28.

In nasihah (advice), do not look at who is giving the advice; rather look at the advice. Sometimes the one who is advising is a child or a person with no standing in society, but the advice is to be appreciated because it offers benefit.

29.

When we see “qaamat”, we forget our istiqaamat and we forget Qiyaamat.

‘qaamat’ : physical appearance
‘istiqaamat’ : steadfastness
‘Qiyaamat’ : Day of Resurrection and accountability

30.

The Beauty of Islam is that the rich person does not have to become poor to become a Wali of Allah Ta’ala, and the poor person does not have to become rich to become a Wali.

Integrity and Honesty

by Hazrat Maulana Yunus Patel Saheb (Rahmatullahi 'alayh)

It has been mentioned in a Hadeeth that a pious person from the Bani Israel took a loan of one thousand gold coins, and fixing a date, promised to pay back at that time. The person giving the loan required witnesses.

The pious person said : ‘Allah is sufficient as a witness.’

He was then asked : ‘Who stands surety on your behalf?’

The person replied : ‘Allah is sufficient as a surety.’

The person, giving the loan, accepted this, saying : ‘You have spoken the truth.’ And without further consideration, handed over one thousand gold coins.

On the due date, due to flood, the pious person could not find a boat to take him across the river, to his creditor, to make the payment. This both perplexed him and hurt his conscience.

…The people of the past had integrity and honesty. They stood by their word. The thought of deliberately breaking their promises or going against their word did not even pass through their minds. They were averse to hypocrisy and did not allow it to taint their hearts. They stayed clear of those qualities which Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam) described as qualities of the hypocrites.

Rasululullah (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam) said: "Four are the qualities which, when found in a person, make him a complete hypocrite, and one who possesses one of them, possesses one characteristic of hypocrisy until he abandons it. These are: When he is entrusted with something, he betrays trust; when he speaks, he lies; when he promises, he acts treacherously; and when he argues, he becomes vulgar.

…However, such was this pious person’s predicament.

Having found some wood, he made a hollow in that piece of wood, and in a state of desperation, placed one thousand gold coins and a note therein, that it be given to such and such a person and then sealed it.

Since this person’s Niyyah (intention) was correct, he became recipient to Allah Ta’ala’s assistance.

Taking the piece of wood to the river, he said: ‘O Allah! You know well that I took a loan of one thousand Dinaars from so and so. He demanded a surety from me but I told him that Allah’s guarantee was sufficient and he accepted Your guarantee. He then asked for a witness and I told him that Allah was sufficient as a witness, and he accepted You as a witness. No doubt, I have tried hard to find a conveyance so that I could pay him his money but could not find one, so I hand over this money to You.’ So saying, he threw the piece of wood into the river and placed his trust in Allah Ta’ala.

On the other side, the creditor was waiting for the arrival of the boat that was to bring his money. He went to the riverbank and as he paced about, losing hope in his debtor returning, he noticed the log (wherein his money was deposited). He picked it up and took it home to use as firewood.

When he struck the axe against the log and it split open, he found the one thousand gold coins with the note, wherein his debtor had written, that since he could not get a boat in due time, he had opted to mete out payment in this manner, trusting solely in Allah Ta’ala. 

On return, the pious person was anxious to find out if his creditor had received the money or not. Taking with him another one thousand gold coins, he went to the creditor’s home with the intention of making a late payment, had the creditor not received his money.

After having explained his plight and offering the thousand gold coins, the creditor truthfully told him that Allah Ta’ala had already delivered the money which he had sent in the piece of wood, and the pious person was told to keep the one thousand gold coins which he had brought with him.

…That was their level of honesty and trustworthiness and for that, Allah Ta’ala gave them plenty of Barakah (blessings)… A far cry from present day experiences with even Muslim businessmen and traders.

Because of the temptations faced by traders^[1], Rasulullah (Sallallaahu 'alayhi wasallam) enumerated many great rewards for the honest trader. It is mentioned in a Hadeeth that an honest and trustworthy merchant shall be with the Ambiyaa^[2] (عَليْهِمُ السَّلام)^[3], the Martyrs and the pious.

Allah Ta’ala opens the doors of Rizq (sustenance) and Barakah (blessings) for the honest and truthful ones.

Allah Ta’ala has presented various ordinances on loans, which we are instructed to implement in our transactions. This is especially necessary in these times of hypocrisy, cheating and deception, when we cannot even trust some of those who have adopted the garb of the pious and have a connection with the Masjid (mosque) and with Deen. Due to fraudulent deals, even family members and friends are not being trusted anymore.

In Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah Ta’ala states :

يٰٓأَيُّهَا الَّذِيْنَ اٰمَنُوْٓا إِذَا تَدَايَنْتُمْ بِدَيْنٍ إِلٰٓى أَجَلٍ مُّسَمًّى فَاكْتُبُوْهُ ^ط

‘O those who believe, when you transact a debt payable at a specified time, put it in writing. …’

  

ذٰلِكُمْ أَقْسَطُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ وَأَقْوَمُ لِلشَّهَادَةِ وَأَدْنٰٓى أَلَّا تَرْتَابُوْٓا

    …that is more equitable with Allah and more establishing for the evidence and nearer to  that you fall not in doubt…’

[surah baqarah 2 : 282]

Allah Ta’ala clearly outlines and establishes various directives to a loan in this Ayah (verse), which has more details of importance.

The gist of which, directs towards a written document to be drafted for such transactions, wherein the names of all parties, the analysis, exact due date of payment and fine points of the transaction are distinctly and unambiguously stated. The wisdom behind written agreements is precaution against breach, oversight, misunderstanding or dispute and conflict at a later stage.

Allah Ta’ala also calls for witnesses to such transactions, since they would verify and resolve any dispute that may arise in future.

May Allah Ta’ala grant us the noble qualities of honesty, truthfulness, trustworthiness and sincerity in our dealings with people.

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[1] Mu’aamalaat is a branch of Shari'ah, dealing with business and trade. It is compulsory (Fardh) upon a person involved in business and trade to learn the relevant Masaa`il (rules).

[2]  Ambiyaa : Messengers of Allah Ta'ala

[3] (عَليْهِمُ السَّلام): ‘May peace be upon them’.