Jun 2, 2018
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Brazil
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from China
“When I returned to the USA, one doctor didn't believe I would live past December of 2015 c.e. based on my state of physical being. What the doctor didn't understand is that Allah is beyond statistics and is the One Who gives life and death. My life and death are already written. He knows, but I don't know.Live graciously and die honorably. Each of us must go through trials and obstacles, so we can have an idea about our inward and outward states.Before that last breath is drawn make sure you're able to utter, "Laa ilaha ill Allah" (There is none worthy of worship except Allah). This is the best advice I can give to myself or others.My time in the Holy Lands of Makkah, Madinah and Jerusalem have proven this and more."Die before you die" has become cliche for many as the taste hasn't entered the heart but has been an intellectual exercise.Be thankful for what appears good and what appears bad. Cancer has been one of the greatest gifts Allah has given me, even greater than the birth of our son. Reflect on this!P.S. Please do not inbox me. If you want to do something for me, leave disobedience, offer the Late Night Prayer (Tahajjud), offer supplications (du'a), give Charity, even if it's a smile and be generally good to all people. Thank you...smiles...” Ustadh Luqman Williams
Here’s what one of his friend and student shared on the Facebook page few hours ago.
“Verily we are for God and to Him we return.Our friend, teacher and travel companion, Luqman Williams has returned to his Lord.He was recently diagnosed with cancer and told he was only expected to live a short time longer. A couple of months ago he blessed our house with a visit and told me:"When some people see me now they say "We feel so sorry for you" I say to them "Don't. I feel sorry for you, you have no idea when you're going to die, or where, or in what state. This is a gift and a blessing from God for me.".Sidi Luqman was a serious, yet friendly and loveable man. He travelled from the USA to many blessed places and met many great people. When he was living in Taif he would visit Makkah and perform the Umrah at least twice per week and the regulars in al-Masjid al-Haram (known as ahl al-Ka'aba) loved him and accepted him as one of their own. He was balanced and loved the truth and the people of truth.He emphasised not wasting time, avoiding unnecessary drama and doing good things. I advise all to visit his Facebook page and read his entries for much wisdom and learning.May Allah forgive all his mistakes, cover him in mercy and accept him into the ranks of the righteous.”
The Need for Correction
Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned to some of his close associates:
Hazrat Umar (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) would say to Hazrat Abu Ubaidah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) and Hazrat Mu’aaz (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), “Though I am the Khalifah, I am not independent of you. I am still in need of your advising me and guiding me if I err.”
Hazrat Moulana Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) thereafter mentioned, “Similarly, I am also requesting you to continue advising me and correcting me wherever you see me err.” (Malfoozaat Hazrat Moulana Muhammad Ilyaas (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) pg.114)
Exercising Caution when Dealing with Public Wealth
Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:
Hazrat Raipuri (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) would say, “Managing a Deeni institute causes me more fear and concern than any other responsibility. The reason for my fear is that if a person is employed by someone and is negligent and dishonest to his employer, he may easily be forgiven through seeking forgiveness from his employer. However, when it comes to the wealth and funds of Deeni institutes (or Deeni organizations), then we are not the owners of this wealth. Rather, we are only appointed as trustees of this wealth and are responsible to ensure that it is being managed correctly. Hence, even if we forgive a person for abusing the wealth of a Deeni organization, he will not be forgiven, and nor do we have the right to forgive him. We do not have the right to forgive him as the wealth does not belong to us. Instead, the wealth is the wealth of the general public which has been donated for the cause of Deen. Therefore, I urge you all to exercise utmost caution in regard to the wealth of Deeni institutes (or Deeni organizations).”
Hazrat Shaikh (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) then mentioned, “Once I went to Pakistan. On that occasion, Mufti Shafee Saheb (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) said to me, “There is one section in your kitaab, Aap Beeti, regarding the practices of our seniors which highlight the extreme caution they exercised when dealing with the wealth of Deeni institutes. I have placed great importance on this being read to all the Ustaads and employees of the madrasah and it has had a great effect on them. May Allah Ta’ala make it a means of benefit to all.” (Malfoozaate Hazrat Shaikh 2/124)
Winning the Heart of an Enemy
One person became extremely jealous against Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi Saheb (rahmatullahi ‘alaih). Eventually he began to openly display his enmity for Hazrat Mufti Saheb (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) and left no stone in displaying his resentment for the latter. He then even went to the extent of poisoning the minds of some gangster type people by feeding them false information and convinced them to help him assassinate Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih). He also announced the night on which this heinous deed will be carried out.
Normally Hazrat’s (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) door would be closed at night, but on this particular night Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) left it open. An attendant wished to close the door but Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) said, “Tonight is the night to leave it open.” What great tawakkul and reliance he had on Allah Ta‘ala that there was not even a shadow of fear. Some students who were aware of the situation volunteered to stand guard, but Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) did not allow them to do so. The students were furious with the person who had made the threat, but Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) strongly stopped them from taking revenge or saying anything harsh to him. Through Allah Ta‘ala’s grace and help, the person who made the threats did not get the courage to even make his way to Hazrat’s (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) room to carry out his evil intention.
On another occasion the same person had put up posters in many places with baseless objections and false accusations against Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih). Hazrat’s (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) attendants intended to reply but he stopped them. Despite this, Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) would personally go to his home, meet him and enquire about his well-being. He would also include him in mashuras (consultations). Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) would take him to the elders of Deoband, Saharanpur and Raipur and pay for his traveling expenses and assisted him in every way he could. When he was in financial difficulty, Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) arranged for him to open a business. To arrange this, Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) bore a great financial burden upon himself. In short, Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) treated him like a close friend. This sublime and beautiful character melted away his enmity and later created in its place such deep love and affection that he would even be ready to sacrifice his life for Hazrat (rahmatullahi ‘alaih). This incident is an example of the countless stories in Hazrat’s (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) life, wherein he had portrayed such noble attributes. (Hudood-e-Ikhtilaaf, pg. 277)
The Importance of Fulfilling People’s Rights
Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) once mentioned:
The issue of huqooqul ibaad (the rights of the servants of Allah Ta‘ala) is an extremely serious matter. One will not be forgiven by merely repenting to Allah Ta‘ala (i.e. until and unless one does not make amends by discharging the outstanding rights one owes to the servants of Allah Ta‘ala or seeking their forgiveness, one will not be forgiven). Just as you are the servant of Allah Ta‘ala, so is the person whose rights you have trampled. On the Day of Qiyaamah, in exchange of two rupees taken unjustly, seven hundred accepted salaahs of the person who had usurped the rights will be taken and given to the person whose rights were usurped. If the one who unjustly took the rights of another does not have sufficient accepted salaahs in his account, the sins of the one whose rights were usurped will be loaded onto the usurper in proportion to the injustice he had committed. (Malfoozaate Hazrat Shaikh 2/162)
Refraining from Giving Preference to One Effort of Deen Over the Other
An Aalim once wrote a letter to Hazrat Shaikh Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) in which he asked the following question: I was recently pondering over the thought that if Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had to be present in the world at this time, which work of Deen would he turn his attention to? Would he engage in the work of dawat and tabligh or would he be involved in the work of teaching and imparting the knowledge of Deen as is done by Ulama in the madrasahs? Would Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) author kitaabs and compile Deeni literature for the masses to benefit from or would he establish khanqahs and encourage people to join in its effort? After pondering over this, I felt convinced that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would undoubtedly isolate himself from all other works of Deen and turn his attention to dawat and tabligh whereby he would repair the damaged structure of Deen and reform the condition of the Muslims. He would not merely turn his attention to this work. Rather, he would sacrifice his blessed life in fulfilling this goal. The reason for this is that every person who has the true value for Islam knows the great amount of sacrifice that was given for the establishment of the structures of this Deen. When Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) would experience so much of anxiety and pain over the state of the disbelievers in his Mubaarak era, then one can well imagine the pain and concern he would feel over the degeneration of the Muslims had he been present today. Had he witnessed the decline in the Ummah today, the extent of his anguish and pain would certainly be inconceivable. At this moment in time, there is a great need to sacrifice everything for the sake of preserving the Deen of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Without sacrificing our lives, it will be practically impossible for us to revive the Deen of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). When the books of deeds of his sinful Ummah are presented to him, what pain must be overcoming his blessed heart! When this thought occurs to me, you can imagine the pain I experience and you can imagine what goes through my own heart. O Allah! Accept this sinful servant to be sacrificed in your path!
Hazrat Shaikh (rahmatullahi ‘alaih) wrote the following reply:
There is no need to waste your time entertaining such unnecessary thoughts about which effort will be given preference over others, etc. Be it the work of dawat and tabligh, the work of imparting Deeni knowledge or the work of the khanqah, they all aim towards fulfilling the mission of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). The mission of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) entailed all these Deeni khidmaat. You think for yourself that if those committed to imparting Deeni knowledge in the madrasahs had to abandon their responsibilities and duties, will the knowledge of Deen ever be preserved? When the knowledge of Deen will not be preserved, how do you expect people to correctly practice upon Deen? Allah Ta’ala himself draws our attention towards the importance of imparting the knowledge of Deen and preserving it in the following aayat of the Holy Qur’aan:
Surah Tawbah aayah 122
Nor should all the Believers set out (at once in the path of Allah Ta‘ala in jihaad): if a group (of Believers) from every community remained behind in order that they devote themselves to thoroughly studying the knowledge of Deen and admonishing the people when they return to them, that thus they may (learn to) guard themselves (against wrong).
When Allah Ta’ala himself showed the importance of imparting Deeni knowledge and preserving it, then we should never take this department of Deen lightly and consider it insignificant. Just as this is an essential, important work of Deen, similar is the case of the khanqah and all other works of Deen. Show appreciation to Allah Ta’ala for allowing you to at least be involved in one work of Deen by ensuring that you devote yourself to that work and take it seriously. To trivialize other works of Deen and consider them insignificant is actually from the ploys of Shaitaan. Hence ensure that you totally avoid this and safeguard yourself from it. Ponder over the work of the khanqah and its basis being established from the Mubaarak life of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam). Did Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) not sit in i’tikaaf for many days? Is the life he lived in i’tikaaf not the basis of the khanqah? The blessed personality of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) was so comprehensive and complete, that on account of the divine assistance and help which he received from Allah Ta’ala, he was able to attend to all the works of Deen at the same time and fulfil them with perfection. In today’s times, if certain people, on account of their limited capacity, devote themselves to certain works of Deen and are unable to involve themselves in other efforts of Deen, we should not raise objections against them, and their involvement in certain works of Deen will not mean that there is any shortcoming in them. Do not put your mind in these types of baseless thoughts as they generally lead one to pride. (Tarbiyatus Saalikeen pg. 417)