The etiquette for a layman when seated in the majlis (company) of his shaikh
A layman should close his eyes and engage himself in tasbeeh when seated in the presence of his shaikh. It should not be such that due to his ignorance he begins entertaining evil thoughts of his shaikh on account of a certain action of the shaikh and is thus deprived of the blessings of his shaikh.
Malfoozaat of Faqeeh-ul-Ummat
Sprinkling left over Wudhu Water
Hazrat Sheikh Ml Ibrahim Mia Rahamatullah alyah used to advise us to stand and drink the left over wudhu water. Thereafter he advised us to sprinkle some of the left over wudhu water on our lower garment. This is a Sunnat practice. Sheikh used to explain that it will help in controlling the the tongue and private parts from misuse.
In our country, South Africa, this is not a common practice and sometimes people used to object to the above.
Hazrat Justice Mufti Taqi Usmani DB, writes in his book, "The Great Scholars of the Deoband Islamic Seminary," the view of Sheikhul Hind Ml Mahmud al Hasan Rahmatullah. The excerpt appears below:
It is reported in almost all of the hadith collections that after completing wudu, the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhi Wasalam used to drink the leftover water from the container3. It has also been reported that he used to sprinkle some of the water on his tahband (lower garment)4. The ‘ulama' have offered a variety of interpretations concerning the wisdom of these two practices. However, Mufti Muhammad Shafi‘ maintained that Shaykh al-Hind’s explanation for these was the most insightful one.
According to his view, wudu is an action for ensuring the cleanliness and purity of the bodily parts. Yet, while it is important to purify the outward, it is even more important to purify the inward. So, after completing wudu, the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhi Wasalam performed these particular actions, both of which are connected to the matter of inner purity. The connection is that the two body parts involved here, the tongue and the private parts, go to the very foundations of humanity’s most negative traits and wrongdoings. Therefore, the Prophet Sallalahu Alayhi Wasalam is recorded as having said:
"He who guarantees that he will protect the following two: that which lies between his jaws (i.e. his tongue) and that which lies between his legs (i.e. his private parts), I will assure him of entry into Paradise.5"
Hence, the purpose of drinking the water left over from wudu, and sprinkling some of it on one’s lower garment, is to focus attention on the importance of protecting against these two major sources of human deficiency.
3 Tirmidhi, Nasai, Tabaran'i’s al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir and Ahmad.
4 Abu Dawud, Ahmad and al Hakim
5 Al Bukhari
Giving preference to zikr-e-jahri (audible zikr) over zikr-e-Sirri (silent zikr)
Someone had written to Moulana Thanwi Rahmatullah Alay:
I make zikr silently. I do this for two reasons: (1) I fear that if I make zikr audibly I will disturb those who are asleep. (2) People will begin to think of me as a buzurg and this will create pride within me.
Hadhrat Thanwi Rahmatullah Alay replied: Continue making zikr aloud. The solution to the first problem is that you should make zikr in a place where there isn’t anybody sleeping e.g. the Musjid. However, do not make zikr so loudly that the people of the area will be disturbed.
As far as the second problem, then ponder over the fact that when you will begin to sway your head whilst making zikr people will not think you to be a buzurg but an insane person. Your nafs has advised you that people should not think you to be a buzurg. However, it has in fact devised a plan whereby people would begin to think of you as a buzurg. The reason for this is that when you will lower your head and engage in zikr-e-Sirri people will think that you have now reached the level of the angels. The nuktah (subtle point) in this is that it is difficult to remain punctual and constant on a devotional practice.
If you will make zikr-e-jahri a few people will come to know that you wake up in the latter portion of the night to make zikr, such as the muazzin of the musjid. At times you will be overcome by sleep and laziness and perhaps miss out making zikr on that day. The muazzin will come to know that today Mr so and so did not wake up. However, if you make zikr-e-Sirri nobody will know whether you got up or not and in this way your laziness and weakness will remain concealed.
The Preservation of One’s Deen Depends on Remaining in the Company of the Ahlullah
Hazrat Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi Rahmatullah alayh once mentioned:
This era is one of great corruption and vice. One is faced with trials and tribulations from all sides and one‟s Imaan is being constantly attacked. Therefore I regard it compulsory for the preservation of one‟s Deen that one aligns himself with the pious and righteous servants of Allah Ta‟ala and remains in their company.
I even issue the fatwa of it being fardh to remain in the company of the Ahlullah in these trying times. What doubt can there be in this? When the preservation of one‟s Imaan depends on the protection of one‟s Deen and with experience it is proven that one‟s Deen will only be safeguarded and protected through remaining in the company of the Ahlullah, then what doubt can one have in it being fardh? (Malfoozaat of Hakeemul Ummah The Preservation of One’s Deen Depends on Remaining in the Company of the Ahlullah 7/107)
