I heard a few months back that someone from birmingham or bradford was translating it. Not sure who. But anyways something should be put in place to avoid duplicates.
Any updates on if this has been translated to English now, if so then a link would be very much appreciated. May Allah reward you. Ameen
does anyone on here know of any place where a 'connecting guide' imparts spiritual training to the saalikeen to make them waasileen? a brother asked that if all the true awliya have stopped revealing themselves, does it mean that none among the top-notch names we hear today are wasileen? Mufti sahib replied that we can't say this for sure. For it seems highly unlikely that none among these well-known shuyookh are wasil. What seems probable is that the wasileen among them did not get worthy salikeen whom they could take through the levels of sulook. For, alahadhrat says that for a person to qualify as a salik he should be of a certain caliber and fulfill several conditions (which are mentioned in the fatwa). The thing is that a potter doesn't start with just any type of mud for not all earth possess the capacity to get molded into pots. any inputs?
"He who has no Peer (spiritual guide) his Peer is the Devil"? [clip 4] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMf9KcKiOG4&feature=player_embedded
Imam Shatibi (ra) letter to Abi ‘Abdillah Muhammad bin ‘Ubad Al-Nafzi (ra) http://thetranslators1.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/the-superiority-of-knowledge-and-imam-al-shatibi%E2%80%99s-question-may-allah-have-mercy-upon-him/ Imam Shatabi (ra) was not anti Tasawwuf but, like ala Hazrat, he was against dodgy Pirs.
mashaAllah brother. this is very good so please go ahead. (but the actual sweetness will be felt after reading the fatwa in full imho) [a pdf will be good. if possible please add sub headings in bold it will be easier to follow the flow of reasoning as the fatwa tackles multiple issues around which the query revolves] ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Mufti sahib referred to the above guide as 'Shariah'. because alahadhrat says in the fatwa that this knowledge may be obtained through books and by questioning the ulema. so instead of all this forming multiple guides it would be preferable to term the 'Shaykh aam' as 'the sharia'. thus we have three types of 'peers/shayks/guides': 1. Shaykh Aam: Shariah 2. Shaykh Ittisal: Connected guide 3. Shaykh Iesaal: Connecting guide accordingly the question has three answers: 1. He who does not take the 'Shariah' as his guide then certainly his guide is the Devil 2. He who does not have a 'connected guide' (through bay'ah barakah) his guide is NOT the Devil. (although this type of bay'ah has immense benefits) 3. He who is a 'salik' (seeker) BUT does not have a 'connecting guide' (through bay'ah 'iradah) it is well nigh that the Devil becomes his guide. jazakAllahukhayran.
Summary of the Fatwa Question is regarding someone who does not have a guide will he attain salvation or not? And by not having a guide will his teacher and guide become Satan? Summary of the answer: The saying that 'he who does not have a guide will be unsuccessful' has been recorded by Shihab alDin Suharwardi (Allah sanctify his secret) in his work Awarif alMa'arif. In the same manner he records 'the one who does not have a teacher (ustaz) then his leader is Satan.' Success is two types: Final Salvation, even after punishment. This is guaranteed for all believers and for people who died on monotheism and Islam had not reached them. This success is guaranteed for sinners as well. Here the Imam quotes verses of the Quran and narrations on the intercession. The Messenger (sallAllahu alayhiwasallam) said "My intercession is for people of major sins of my nation." The second type of success is entry into paradise without punishment. This is from the bounty of Allah. Either the persons sins will be forgiven and he will gain entry into paradise or his good actions will outweigh his bad actions and with the bounty from Allah he will enter paradise. This second category of the second type of success is then two types also. Outward actions: but this must not be mistaken for only actions of the body but includes actions of the heart like ostentation, jealousy, pride, arrogance, love of praise, seeking the world etc (here the Imam lists over forty sicknesses of the heart). Then he mentions the rareness by which even people are successful in these outward actions. Inward success: this is the success where a person reaches the level where there is no aim for himself except with Allah. He does not witness anything only Allah. Now in order to attain success of any of these two types one needs a guide. Then the guides are also of two types. A general guide. This type of guide teaches people the Quran, Sunnah, sayings of the jurists and scholars of spritual paths (tariqah). Without these type of guides a person becomes misguided as they will not learn the basic fundamentals of the religion. A specific guide (khass). This is a guide who has the conditions of an oath of allegiance (bayah). Such a person fulfills the preconditions of of specific guide who is termed a 'Shaykh'. This specific guide is then divided into two types. Firstly, the connected guide (Shaykh Ittisal). This is a guide who has a connected chain back to the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhiwasallam). This guide must fulfill four conditions: 1) He has a connected chain back to the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wasallam). Here the Imam mentions many examples of disconnected chains. 2) He must be a Sunni, correct in his beliefs. 3) He must be a scholar. 4) He must not be a transgressor. Then the second category of the specific guide is the one who connects others (Shaykh Iesaal). This type of guide not only has the previous four conditions but also is an expert in matters of the soul and Satans tricks. He fulfills the needs and resolves the problems of the student. This guide cannot be a learner and neither one intoxicant in a spiritual state (majdhub). Then oath of allegiance (bay'ah) is two types. The oath of allegiance for blessings (barakah). Most of the oaths of allegiances in this day and age are of this nature, and even then when the one giving the oath has no worldly reasons for the oath. A person will benefit from the oath of allegiance for blessing when done with the right intention. In this oath it is sufficient that the guide fulfills the four previous conditions. This is also an imitation of the pious people, and by imitating those pious people one attains blessings. The second type is the oath of the will. This is when the seeker reaches the level of cessation and has no will except the will and commands of Allah, the order of the Messenger (SallAllahu alayhi wasallam) and the orders of the guide. Further down the Imam mentions that this rank is only attained for the truthful seeker, otherwise the generality only fall into the previous category. This is summary of half the verdict, if the brothers like it I will summarise the other half with the will of Allah Ta'ala.
that's good news indeed! he's translated so many of alahadhrat's risalaas. may Allah (azzawajal) bless him. jazakAllahukhayran.
This beautiful gem is already being translated by Maulana Aftab Qassim of South Africa; insha Allah, it will be ready soon.
yes. alhamdulillah. there were two of us with photocopies of the fatwa and mufti sahib read and explained it to us in two sessions of approximately 90 minutes each. mufti sahib said that he was seeking answers regarding some issues related to peer-mureed relations and could not be satisfied by what he found in the books he looked in until he read the above fatwa.
http://sunniport.com/masabih/showthread.php?t=9553 as of now he teaches at and heads a nascent madrasah established for sunni-shafis in the state of Maharashtra.
Salaams. was listening to a mufti sahib (Hafidhahullah) explain a fatwa from the fatawa-africa of sayyidi Alahadhrat (QaddasaAllahu sirrahu) regarding the saying "He who hath no peer (spiritual guide) his peer is the devil". those who have read and understood it will know how difficult it is to find words of praise and thankfulness that will do it justice. so i will not attempt it. "Keh degi sab kuchh unke sana khwan ki khaamoshi" this fatwa is historical and in its last few sentences Alahadhrat himself acknowledges its uniqueness, and rightly so. a definite must read for anyone interested in tasawwuf. so i wish to make a humble but BIG and direct request to sidi abu Hasan and sidi Aqib Qadri that either of you please take this burden upon yourselves to translate the fatwa into english, for it's guaranteed to benefit hundreds. apart from setting so many notions aright, i'm confident it will serve as a call to many fake peers, especially in the west, to close shops. hope you will consider this request. may Allah (azzawajal) reward you and grant you what is best for you. this is what the honorable mufti sahib said about the fatwa: " after reading it i felt like a traveler who having lost his way in a desolate desert and having wandered for long suddenly chances upon an oasis with abundant shade and cool water to quench his thirst ........." jazakumullahukhayran-wa-ahsanal-jaza. Wassalamu'alaikum-wa-rahmatullahi-wa-barakatuhu.
