An in-depth treasury of explanations from the Kitaab,

By

Hadhrat Mufti Arif Umar Daamat Barakaatuhum

Irshaadul Mulook- Online Class (4)

Lesson 3

22nd Jumaadal Ukhraa 1439 Hijri

11th March 2018

بسم هللا الرحمان الرحيم

We continue with our discussion pertaining to the introduction of Irshaadul Mulook, the introduction written by our beloved Hadhrat Maulana Zakariya

Rahmatullahi Alayh. We have reached this point where Hadhrat Rahmatullahi Alayh was talking about the members in the Iʿtikāf of the previous year and the present year in

which he was writing the introduction in.

He wrote that, in the last year, the number of people in the Iʿtikāf had

exceeded to 200.

And in this year's Ramadhan, towards the ending of Ramadhan, he had an excess of 350 people sitting for Iʿtikāf in the Masjid.

So Hadhrat Rahmatullahi Alayh continues to say that,

نکے ليے مفيد ہومجھے پار سال بھی اسکا بار بار خيال آتا رہا، کہ عصر کے بعد کوئی ايسی چيز تجويز ہو جو ا Mujhe paar saal bhi uska baar baar khyaal aata raha, ke asr ke baad koi aesi cheez tajweez ho jo unke liye mufeed ho This thought repeatedly re-occurred to me, that after Asr, since everyone

seemed free in this time, and the people were all crowding to listen to Hadhrat's Tilawat, so I thought that we should organise something after Asar which should be beneficial for those who were in the Iʿtikāf.

مگر سمجھ ميں نہيں آيئ Magar samajh me nahi ayi He says, 'but I was not able to put a finger on what to organise exactly.'

The thought was there, that we should have something, but with regards to what should we have, he said, 'I could not figure out at that time, regarding

which kitaab, what program etc.'

From this we get to know the lesson that, our Akaabireen would always be eager to grant benefit to the seekers, those who would come with that Talab,

they would always be very eager, and desirous of having something for them so that they can benefit.

This is one of the qualities of the Shaykh, and this was the quality of our Masha'ikh, that they would be very حريص Harees, very enthusiastic and eager to have or organise such things which would benefit the people in such a

way that no time is wasted. So that is why he had that Fikr.

On the other hand, his Tawaadhu, that he did not want them to come and listen to his Quran, he gave consideration and preference that something

else would be much more beneficial for them, than for them to come and listen to the Tilawat - recitation of his Quran.

ان سال يہ خيال آيا، کہ امداد السلوک اور اتمام النعم، ان مہمانوں کے ليے زيادہ مفيد ہے بل خصوص ذاکرين کے ليے In saal ye khyaal aaya, ke Imdaadus sulook aur Itmaamun Ni'am, in mehmaanon ke liye zyaadah mufeed hai bil khusoos zaakireen ke liye He said, 'finally this year I got the thought, and this was obviously from the

side of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, that for the guests who were coming to the Masjid for Iʿtikāf etc, (he calls them Mehman, he does not refer to them

as Mureeds or students, because referring to them as Mureeds or students would in a way amount to praising oneself, and putting oneself on a higher position than them.

Whereas our Akaabireen and their Tawadhu and their humility was such that they would consider everyone to be above them, even those who were

below them would be considered above.

The reason he is referring to them as guests - that is how they would consider these people, 'that they are our guests.'

And they would literally be treated as guests as well.

These were our Akaabireen! This was their Tawadhu and Ikraam.

Just the word Mehman - guests, already places the importance, the mentality, the attitude which they would have towards them.

For example if a guest comes to your house, then how is your composure going to be?

You are always going to be worried about the comfort of your guest, that no takleef should come to a guest and the guest benefits in the best possible

manner, etc.

So, in the same way, these were spiritual guests, coming to the house of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, presenting themselves for the last ten days, or for five days, or whatever it is.

Question Could it also imply, Iʿtikāf in the Masjid, as maybe guests of Allah?

Answer Both way they are guests, guests of Allah, guests of Maulana Zakariya Rahimahullah as well. In both ways they are guests, coming with the intention of Iʿtikāf in the House of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.

Hadhrat says that, the thought came to me about these two Kitaabs.

•one is Imdaadus Sulook, and the other is •Itmaamun Ni’am He said, that these two Kitaabs, are going to be beneficial for the guests who come for the Iʿtikāf and especially “bil khusoos zaakireen ke liye", more so for the Dhaakireen - those who were doing dhikr.

That refers to those of the people, who are Ba’iyat to Maulana Zakariya or there may be another reason and because of that, they are involved in dhikr.

Here Dhakireen does not refer to just normal people, it refers to those people

who are connected to the Silsila, to the chain, they are normally referred to as the Dhaakireen, more so for them it is going to be beneficial and the reason for that is very obvious that because they are already involved in it,

and these Kitaabs are a guidance for them in their path which they have already started to walk on.

From this we get to know, that a person who is Ba'iyat, a person who is Mureedh to someone, a person who is connected to the Silsila, his main

Sifat, the outstanding quality is Dhikr. That is why such people are referred to as the Dhaakireen.

Their outstanding Sifat and quality is the Dhikr of Allah Subhanahu Wa

Ta’ala.

Why is that?

Halake, other people also do dhikr, but only such people are specifically

called Dhaakireen. 1) Because firstly, these people are doing Dhikr on a set schedule.

2) They are doing it with regularity.

3) They are doing it with Istiqaamat, in other words, it is a daily thing that they finish their Tasbeehaat at a set time, it is a continuous, perpetual

thing. As opposed to those people who are not connected to someone.

Other people also do Dhikr.

Normal Muslims, general Muslims who are not connected, also do Dhikr. But their Dhikr is different.

How is it different? It is sporadic!

It is not perpetual, it is not focused. Sometimes it happens sometimes it doesn’t happen.

Sometimes it happens a lot, sometimes it happens less. Sometimes it doesn’t happen at all. Sometimes weeks go by, it doesn’t happen, and then suddenly it starts

happening again, it is like that. It is happening, but it is happening in a haphazard manner, which is still a

Ne’mat. It is still something.

But they will not be considered as Dhaakireen, because the Dhaakireen are those people who are doing it on a constant basis according to a set program.

So when a person is connected then he gets a set program, and the Dhikr he

is making is in accordance to that. He knows exactly how much he has to do and he has to finish this amount every day.

So for example we have the three Tasbeehaat of the morning and the evening and then the two Tasbeeh of the Jahri Dhikr - the loud dhikr for the

men.

ال إله إال هللا and هللا هللا

The Kalimah and the Name of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.

And for the women, it is the same, but silent, soft Dhikr.

That is the set program which we have.

Similarly the rest of our A'maal are also the Dhikr Of Allah. Tilawat is also Dhikr.

The highest form of Dhikr is Tilawat of the Quran e Kareem.

Similarly Munajat e Maqbool duas, that is also Dhikr, because that is also making the dhikr Of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala because we are asking Allah.

So all of these are Dhikr.

Then obviously the greatest Dhikr is staying away from sins.

So all of these are going to be found when a person is going to be connected and he has a set program, he has focus!

That is one of the benefits of being connected. It is to get that focus in your life.

There are many people who want to reach Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala, but they do not have focus!

The reason is because there is no guidance, there is no set program which they have to follow, and the focus in their lives is lacking.

It is just happening in a very haphazard manner and that is why they don’t progress, because it is not something which is constant and perpetual, and

is not a set program that they are working towards. Just like the example of how you join a company. You are employed by

people, you are working as employees in a company and you are going to work.

What do you have?

You have your set program every day, your work is cut out for you, and you know what your responsibilities are. You know what your role is.

You know what your daily workload is. Similarly, you also know what your timings are.

If it is eight to five, or nine to five whatever it is, it is a set schedule, which you have to be there for, and do the work which is assigned to you by the

boss for example, it is all set out in place.

Now what if that same person decided to go to work, but in a haphazard manner. And he goes there in such a way, that one day he does one type of

work, the next day he goes, and he does some other work, on the third day he goes, and again does some other type of work....there is no focus.

Similarly, he does not abide by timings. Whenever he wants to go, he goes, sometimes he spends from eight to eight at the workplace, sometimes he spends eight to eight in the bed sleeping, there is no Istiqaamat, there is no

set program.

What is going to happen? We all know, that the company will not benefit from such a person.

And especially if a person is an entrepreneur, if a person is running a

business, running a company, he will understand better, that such a person, or such an employee will not benefit the company in any way.

Why? Because there is no focus in any aspect of this person’s life!

So just like the way, haphazardness cannot work out in Dunya, for example,

a person who has a business, or a shop, if he does a haphazard job of opening the shop, then he is never going to get any customers.

If he is not going to have set timings, and is not going to put the effort in his shop, or into his business on a daily basis, then what is going to happen?

He will eventually have to close the business, and it will go into a loss. He will not make anything from it.

So when this is the case for Dunya, and Dunya in comparison to Deen, has zero value.

It has no value.

The reason is, Dunya is limited to this world and this world is “Murdaar” - it is a carcass, it is a dead body.

If that is the case for the dead body of this Dunya, that it can’t work out without this effort, then how are we going to progress in such a great thing like Deen without a set program?

This is the big question....

The biggest lesson to be learnt here, is by those people who despite being connected, but they still do not follow the set program and they still do not have focus.

This is even a bigger question for such people....

It is a big sign here, that Dhaakiree only means, that a person is connected, his Sifat is supposed to be the Dhikr of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala on a set

program. Now we question ourselves, and especially for those who are connected, 'are

we doing that or not?' Are we following that set program or not?

Are we doing it every day with pabandi? Is Dhikr our salient feature?

Has it become the quality which we can be known by, that this person is from amongst the Dhaakireen? 'That this person is amongst those whose main quality is the Dhikr of Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.... '

Are we from amongst those or not?

This is the big question that each one of us needs to ask ourselves.

It is a very big lesson for us, including myself!! So Hadhrat says, the people who are connected are called Dhaakireen, and

the people who are not connected, are not normally referred to as Dhaakireen.

Hadhrat says that especially more so beneficial for the Dhaakireen because they are already in the field, they are already trying, and already working

towards it, this is like a guidance for them. So Hadhrat mentions the name of these two Kitaabs, one of them is the

kitaab that we are doing, and there is another kitaab which Inshallah which we want to do, after we complete this Kitaab.

So he himself is mentioning more about these two Kitaabs. We will just read what Maulana Zakariya Rahimahullah has to say about

them.

He says, د السلوک شيخ المشائخ قطب االقطاب حضرت اقدس گنگوہی رحمت هللا عليہ کی تعريف ہےامدا

Imdaadus sulook Sheikhul Mashaikh Qutbul Aqtaab Hadhrat e Aqdas Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alayh ki ta'reef hai.

Imdaadus Sulook, as we already know is the writing and work of Shaykhul

Masha'ikh Qutbul Aqtaab (the leader of all the Awliyaa), Hadhrat e Aqdas

Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih.

Maulana Zakariya Rahmatullahi Alaih as a small child, used to be in the

company of Hadhrat Gangohi. He used to play in the laps of Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih, when

he was very little. The reason being was, his father was the Khadime Khaas of Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih. Maulana Yahya made such Khidmat of Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi

Alaih, that Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih used to refer to him as .(Andhe ki Lat’hi, (the stick of the blind man - اندھے کی الٹھی

Just like a blind man has a stick to feel around and direct him to where he is going, he gets so dependent on the stick that he cannot do without it.

The stick becomes his eyes. So he says, 'in the same way, Maulana Yahya is my Andhe ki Lat’hi, it is like I am blind and he is my stick. I am so dependent on him just like how a blind man is dependent on his stick.

That was the Khidmat he made of his Sheikh continuously and was always there with Hadhrat Rahmatullahi Alaih at his side.

ميں ہے جو تاليف کے زمانے ميں ہندوستان کے متوسل طبقے کی گويا مادری زبان تھی ليکن فارسی زبان

Lekin farsi zubaan me hai jo taaleef ke zamane me Hindustan ke mutawassil tabqe ki goya maadri zubaan thi

However the problem is that, it is written in the Farsi language. Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih wrote this Kitaab, Imdaadus Sulook which he named after his Sheikh in the Persian language, Farsi.

Why?

That was because, in the time when this Kitaab was written, in the Indian Subcontinent, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was one Desh. The three

countries are a creation of yesterday otherwise they were all one Indian Subcontinent. It was one united force which unfortunately was broken up by the British and separated into three countries so that they could keep

fighting and killing each other. That was the whole Maqsad of the creation of Pakistan and Bangladesh.

In the Indian subcontinent, in those days when the Kitaab was written, Farsi was like the mother tongue in the middle class of the Indian

subcontinent. It was so commonly used. That is why many of the Kitaabs written in those times were more so in

Farsi language than in Urdu. There is a lot if Ilm in Farsi (Persian language) which is an extremely

beautiful language. Unfortunately, it is dying out as a language in many parts of the world especially in the Indian Subcontinent. It is no longer a

mother tongue, only a few people know it now.

عاشق االہی صاحب ميرٹھی نور هللا مرقدہ نے اسکا ترجمہ جب فارسی زبان عام فہم نہيں رہی، تو حضرت موالنا ارشاد الملوک کے نام سے اردو ميں کيا Jab Farsi zubaan aam faham na rahi, to Hadhrat Maulana Aashiq Ilahi Sahib mirt’hi nawwarallahu marqadahu ne uska tarjuma Irshadul Mulook ke naam se Urdu me kiya.

But when we went into the era where the Persian language was no more and

not understood by everyone, then Hadhrat Maulana Aashiq Ilahi Mirt’hi

Rahmatullahi Alayh, who was the Khalifa of Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alayh, wrote the Urdu translation of Imdaadus Sulook and called it

Irshaadul Mulook.

اور جيسہ کہ حضرت اقدس گنگوہی نور هللا مرقدہ نے اپنے مرشد حضرت الحاج امداد هللا صاحب مہاجرے مکی نور هللا مرقدہ کے نامے نامی سے استبراق کرتے ہوئے امداد السلوک نام رکھا، اسی طرح حضرت ميرٹھی رحمت

وہی قدس سرہ کے نامے نامی سے استبراق کرتے ہوئے ارشاد الملوک نام رکھاهللا عليہ نے حضرت گنگ

Aur jaisa ke Hadhrat e Aqdas Gangohi nawwarallahu marqadahu ne apne murshid Hadhrat Al-hajj Imdaadullah Saab Muhajire Makki nawwarallahu marqadahu ke naame naami se istibraaq karte huwe Imdaadus Sulook naam rakha, isi tarah Hadhrat Mirt’hi Rahmatullahi Alaih ne Hadhrat Gangohi Quduse Sirrahu ke naame naami se Istibraq karte huwe Irshaadul Mulook naam rakha. In the same way Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih taking Barkat from

the name of his Sheikh, Hadhrat Haaji Imdaadullah Muhaajire Makki Rahmatullahi Alaih kept the name of his Kitaab Imdaadus Sulook, Hadhrat Maulana Aashiq Ilahi Mirt’hi Rahmatullahi Alaih also did the same, and

kept the name of his translation upon the name of his Sheikh, Hadhrat Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alaih and named it Irshaadul Mulook because his

Sheikh’s name was Hadhrat Maulana Rashid Ahmad Gangohi. So that is regarding the Kitaab which we are going to doing, Inshallah.

The second Kitaab, which he mentioned and started reading it out after Asr, we will Inshaallah begin once we complete Irshaadul Mulook.

So he says,

اور اتمام النعم تبويب الحکم کا اردو ترجمہ ہے، جسکا حضرت اقدس مرشدی موالنا خليل احمد صاحب نور هللا

ت هللا عليہ کے تاميلے حکم ميں ترجمہ فرمايا تھامرقدہ نے حضرت شيخ المشائخ حاجی امداد هللا صاحب رحم Aur Itmamun Ni'am Tabweebul hikam ka urdu tarjuma hai, jiska Hadhrat e Aqdas Murshidi Maulana Khaleel Ahmad Sahib nawwarallahu marqadahu ne Hadhrat Sheikul Mashaaikh Haji Imdaadullah Sahib Rahmatullahi Alaih ke ta'ameele Hukm me tarjuma farmaya tha

Itmamun Ni'am is actually the Urdu Tarjuma (translation) of a Kitaab called Tabweebul Hikam. Itmamun Ni'am has been written by the Sheikh of

Maulana Zakariya Rahmatullahi Alaih himself.

He says, 'my Sheikh Hadhrat Maulana Khaleel Ahmad Saharanpuri

Rahmatullahi Alayh wrote the Urdu translation upon the Hukm of Hadhrat Haji Imdaadullah Muhaajire Makki Rahmatullahi Alaih.'

Hadhrat Haji Imdaadullah Muhaajire Makki Rahmatullahi Alaih

commanded him and told him to write the Urdu Tarjumah of the Kitaab, Tabweebul Hikm.

He then wrote it and called it Itmamun Ni'am.

رحمتاہلل عليہ کے اس تقريس کے اندر آرہا ہے، جو جيسہ کہ حضرت اقدس حکيم االمت موالنا اشرف علی ثانوی اتمام النعم کے شروع ميں ہے، اور عنقريب ہديہ ناظرين ہوگے

Jaisa ke Hadhrat Aqdas Hakeemul Ummat Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Rahmatullahi Alaih ke is taqris ke andar aaraha hai jo Itmaamun Ni'am ke shuru me hai, aur anqareeb hadya naazireen hoge The same exact is what is written in the foreword of Itmaamun Ni'am Kitaab

which has been written by Hadhrat Thanwi Rahmatullahi Alaih and in it he has explained all of this.

He said, 'it is coming in the beginning of this Kitaab Itmaamun Ni’am, and very soon, this Kitaab is also going to be printed, published and gifted to those who wish to read it.'

Today, however we do not have the Kitaab as Itmaamun Ni'am, the name is

different, so Hadhrat goes on to explain....

چونکہ اتمام النعم مختصر تھی، اسی ليے موالنا الحاج خليل احمد صاحب کی تعميلے حکم ميں حضرت کے مريد رت موالنا عبد هللا صاحب گنگوہی رحمت هللا عليہ نے اسکی شرح فرمايی جو اکمال الشيام کے اور خليفہ مجاز حض

نام سے تبا ہويی

Chuunke Itmaamun Ni'am mukhtasar thi isi liye Maulana Al Haaj Khaleel Ahmad Sahib ki ta'meele Hukm me Hadhrat ke mureed aur Khalifah mujaaz Hadhrat Maulana Abdullah Sahib Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alayh ne uski sharah farma'i jo Ikmaalush Shiam ke naam se taba huwi

Because Itmaamun Ni'am was the tarjumah of Tabweebul Hikam and was very brief written by Hadhrat Saharanpuri Rahmatullahi Alayh, he then commanded his Mureed, and Khalifah e Mujaaz - Hadhrat Maulana

Abdullah Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alayh to write a commentary of Itmaamun Ni'am to explain it better and in more detail, and that has been published by

the name of Ikmaalush Shiam. Ikmaalush Shiam is readily available, and that is the Kitaab we would

Inshallah like to do after completing Irshaadul Mulook, provided we get the

Tarteeb from Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala and if we are still alive. However, if we are not alive up to then, we will continuously make Dua to

Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala to give us the opportunity to study it in Jannah Inshallah.

May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grant us all Jannat, and also give us the opportunity to sit together and study there.

The reason we started with Irshaadul Mulook, is because it is much easier for beginners to understand. Ikmaalush Shiam requires a much more in-depth explanation than

Irshaadul Mulook.

A question then arises, 'do we need this Kitaab in Jannat?' The answer is, 'yes. We won't need it in Jannat, but in Jannat, we can do whatever we desire, and whatever will give a person happiness. And for us, there is nothing more enjoyable and pleasing, there is no greater Lazzat than sitting and studying the Kitaabs of our Akaabireen. Therefore in Jannat, it will not be out of need, however it will be for the sake of enjoyment, and that will be a different thing altogether. That is provided Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala grants this weak one Jannat,

and that is now all of your responsibility to make sure that you get together and intercede for this weak one, so that he can also be granted it, and we can then all be together, otherwise I will be left alone.'

Coming across a very good point, 'it is quite amazing how they wrote commentaries on books written by others, they could understand each other's hearts and minds without the need for technology, in comparison to today. We have so much ease of communication and technology, but there is so much misunderstanding with each other.'

The reason was because their hearts were connected. When the hearts are connected with each other, then it is very easy to

understand one another. But if the hearts are not one, then we can have all the technology, but we will not have the same results.

Technology cannot connect a person's heart to the other. Wifi cannot connect one heart to another. It can only connect one phone to another.

That connection is a different one that we have to work on, and create that network between the hearts so that the same Maahol can be created which

was present during the time of our Akaabireen.

Hadhrat goes on, he says, کہ جيسا کہ خود موالنا عبد هللا صاحب رحمت هللا عليہ نے اپنے رسالے کے شروع ميں تحرير فرمايا

Ke jaesa ke khud Maulana Abdullah Sahib Rahmatullahi Alayh ne apne risaale ke shuruu me tahreer farmaya

Hadhrat Maulana Gangohi Rahmatullahi Alayh has said the same thing before beginning his book.

He says,

کو يہ ناکارہ اپنے دوستوں ميں سے جو ذاکر ہو، انکو وصيت اور تاکيد کرتا ہے، کہ امداد السلوک اور اتمام النعم خاص طور سے اپنے مطالعہ ميں رکھے، اور کثرت سے ديکھتے رہا کرے Yeh naakaara apne doston me se, jo Dhaakir ho, unko wasiyyat aur taakeed karta hai, ke Imdaadus sulook aur Itmaamun Ni'am ko khaas taur se apne Mutala'ah me rakhe aur kathrat se dekhte raha kare

This is a very important point as it is the emphasised advice of Hadhrat Maulana Zakariyya Rahmatullahi Alayh.

From my friends who are Dhaakir, i.e. those who are Ba'iyat to him, or have an Islaahi Ta'alluq with him, 'I am advising, giving Naseehat, and

emphasising upon them, that they should keep their focus and attention on these two Kitaabs, they should in abundance read them regularly and frequently.'

He is talking about the extremely beneficial Kitaabs, Imdaadus Sulook and

Itmaamun Ni'am, in our times referring to Irshaadul Mulook and Ikmaalush Shiam.

When Hadhrat Maulana Zakariyya Rahmatullahi Alayh is making such an emphasised advice, then definitely it holds a lot of weight.

There truly is a lot of benefit in these two Kitaabs, and that is the whole reason why we have chosen to do them in this class.

Instead of all of us just reading them individually, it is better that it is something which should be taught in accordance to the programme Hadhrat

Maulana Zakariyya Rahmatullahi Alayh initiated as well.

This way, everything can be understood in depth which is most important. He says,

اور ارشاد الملوک اور اکمال الشيام انہی دونوں کا ترجمہ اور شرح ہے، اور انہی کے حکم ميں ہے Aur Irshaadul Mulook aur Ikmaalush Shiam unhi donon ka tarjumah aur sharah hai aur unhi ke Hukm me hai

Irshaadul Mulook and Ikmaalush Shiam are both the translation and commentaries of these very same Kitaabs, therefore the same Hukm of

Imdaadus Sulook and Itmaamun Ni'am will apply.

This should provide an encouragement and an incentive for us to pay special attention to the lessons of this Kitaab that Hadhrat Maulana Zakariyya Rahmatullahi Alayh has advised us about.

May Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala give us the Tawfiq to understand and appreciate the works of our Akaabireen and to also understand the deep

lessons which are found in their Kitaabs, Inshallah.

Q&A 1) Can one listen to Quran recited by any Qaari or do they have to be from

Ahle Sunnah Wal Jama'ah?

It is preferable that they should be from the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah.