Respect and dignity of a Woman
Beliefs, Short Articles, Spiritual Diseases April 6th, 2010
O how sorrowful! The thing which has been accorded respect by Allâh Ta’ala and Rasulullah (salellaho alaihe wasallam) is considered to be disgraceful by the Muslims of today. Tell me, where does the respect and dignity of a woman lie? Is it in purdah or moving about naked? Does a noble and modest woman want strange men to cast evil glances at her hair and cheeks, and whistle at her?
Real respect lies in a woman offering salâh, keeping fast, serving her husband, bringing up her children, and wearing a burqa‘ when going out of the house. But today, the husband considers it respectful to walk around in the shopping centres with his fashionable wife. He feels embarrassed when his wife wears a burqa‘. What respect is there in others looking at your wife? There is a limit to shamelessness and absence of self-respect. When a person disobeys Allâh Ta’ala, his intellect is also tormented. He thus considers good things to be bad. Allâh Ta’ala refers to this as follows:
أَفَمَنْ زُيِّنَ لَهُ سُوْءُ عَمَلِهِ فَرَاٰهُ حَسَنًا
(سورة فاطر، آية: 8)
Is he to whom the evil of his deeds is made fair-seeming, so that he considers it as good… (Sûrah Fâtir, 35: 8)
In other words, Satan beautifies evil and makes it appealing. Consequently, people start considering evils to be good. For example, women consider non-purdah to be good. As for the women who are pious, who adopt purdah, wear the burqa‘, fear Allâh, perform salâh, and keep fast, it is our duty to respect them and we ask them to supplicate for us. As for the women who walk about without purdah, who display their hair and cheeks, and thereby steal the îmân of the men, we will never respect such women. This is the theme of most of our talks: the hair and cheeks of women who are not in purdah must not destroy the îmân of our young boys.
Do read more @ The Destructive Consequences Of Not Observing Purdah
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Hamari Pahchaan
Archive, Headlines, Short Articles, Site Updates, What's New May 18th, 2009
Special Guidelines for Hajj and Umrah
Short Articles, Site Updates November 7th, 2008
From the noble utterances of our Shaikh and Mentor, Arif Billah Hazrat-e-Aqdas Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahab (
)
1. One should safe guard one’s gaze. In other words do not look at any man or woman with lustful gazes. People from all around the world are present at the Holy Sanctuaries of the Harmain Sharifain. Therefore, one should always be alert and on one’s guard not to glance at any ghair-mahram even from the corner of one’s eyes.
While leaving home, one should leave with this firm intension that, “I will not cast evil glances at anyone”. Over and over again one should renew this intension in one’s heart or else the Nafs will involve one in casting evil glances.
2. One should safeguard one’s heart. Meaning one should not entertain evil thoughts in the heart. Neither should one derive unlawful pleasure from fantasizing about unlawful beauties. Similarly, one should not recall and reminisce past sins and derive pleasure there from. If, however, evil thoughts do come into the heart and mind then one should remember one important point:
IF THOUGHTS COME ON THEIR OWN, THEN THERE IS NO SIN IN THIS, HOWEVER, IF ONE INTENTIONALLY FANTACIZES AND BRING EVIL THOUGHT INTO THE HEART THEN THIS IS A SIN. OCCUPYING ONE SELF IN EVIL THOUGHTS AND FANTACIES IS A SIN.
3. Physically, one should not come close to ghair-mahram or handsome young lads (such lads who are beardless and one is sexually attracted to them).
4. One should abstain from unnecessary conversation. Bust oneself with useful and beneficial activities such as Tawaaf, Tilawat, Durood Shareef. If one feel tired them one should look at the Ka’aba Shareef. (This is also an ibaadat and means of attaining spiritual reward)
5. One should not debate over controversial issues neither should one get in unnecessary arguments.
6. During Tawaaf one should not look at the Ka’aba Shareef. When addressing the King, it is disrespectful to stare at him.
7. If one’s glances unintentionally falls upon a ghair-mahram woman and the heart becomes attracted to her the meditate upon the fact that she is a guest of Allah Ta’ala and due to this she is more worthy of respect then one’s own mother. If one’s gaze unintentionally falls upon her in Madina Munawwarah then meditate that she is the guest of Allah Ta’ala as well as the guest of Rasulullah (
). Similarly if one’s gaze unintentionally falls upon a young lad and the heart become attracted towards him then one should meditate that he is more worthy of respect than even your father. This is because in Makkah Mukarramah, those who are there are the special guests of Allah Ta’ala and in Madina Munawwarah they are the special guests of Allah Ta’ala as well as Rasulullah ().
8. If one becomes inconvenienced in any way in the Harmain Shareefain then one should never complain. Imagine that those are in Haramain are princes and royalty. All they have to do is perform one Tawaaf and ask for forgiveness from Allah Ta’ala. We are not even equal to the dust which settles upon their feet.
9. If the food is not to one’s liking then one should not complain about it. One person had complained saying, “The yogurt of Madina Munawwarah is too sour, whereas the yogurt of India is sweet”. He saw Rasulullah () in this dream telling him to immediately leave Madina. One should perceive everything of Haramain with the eye of respect, reverence and love. One should not find faults.
10. One should consider himself a servant and not one who deserves to be served. One should be a means of giving comfort to others and consider serving them one’s honor.
11. When the gaze falls upon Ka’aba Shareef for the first time, then one should ask Allah Ta’ala to grant you His Sublime being. Ask Allah Ta’ala to grant you Himself. Supplicate Allah Ta’ala saying: “O Allah Ta’ala! I am unworthy and undeserving but You are Kareem, You are One who grants even the unworthy”.
12. If anyone happens to see a dream then one should not mention it to anyone other than one’s Shaikh. If one’s Shaikh is not there then one should mention it to a caring friend who has understanding of Deen. One should not mention one’s dream to just anybody.
13. Those who are performing Hajj and Umrah should take great care that even one breath should not be taken in the disobedience of Allah Ta’ala.
May Allah Ta’ala grant us all the ability to practice upon the above-mentioned guidelines.
Source: Guidelines for those performing Hajj and Umrah by Hazrat Wala ()
Tags: Hajj, Haramain, Harmain, Leaving Sin, Madina, Nafs, Tawaaf, Umrah
The Sun of Mercy
Love of Allah, Short Articles, Tasawwuf August 5th, 2008
When the sun (which is only a creation) in the sky can convert impurities to fragrant flowers and is creating bread in the oven, then what will be the condition of Allah’s sun of grace? When the rays of Allah’s mercy shine on the evil thoughts in the heart, those thoughts are changed to the light of piety. Allah does not require capability or a certificate for giving. Maulana Rumi (
) have said;
When Allah can grant filthy impurities such garments and Noor, then what will He be able to give his pure servants. Jalalud-din Rumi () is at a loss of vocabulary to express what bounties Allah grants those salikeen and murideen and those who tread His path.
When the sun of Allah’s grace rises on people’s hearts, their evil character changes to virtuous character. The love which was being sacrificed for decaying corpses is now being sacrificed for Allah in prostration. That love is expressed now by placing the head on the ground in prostration by saying, “Subhana Rabbiyal A’la”. Honor belongs to the one who places his head at the feet of the Creator of the head. He will have no difficulties.
Source: A Life of Piety by Hazrat Maulana Shah Hakeem Muhammad Akhtar Sahab (db)
Urdu Version: Hayat-e-Taqwa
Tags: evil thoughts, Grace of Allah, Jalaludeen Rumi, mercy, piety
