Sufi_Path

Lower your wing to the believers, be humble before them, and do not see yourself as better than anyone. Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i

"Every path that contradicts the Qur'an and the Sunnah is false." Shaykh Ahmad al-Rifa'i

"There will come a time upon the people when the Qur'an shall become ruins and disappear from their chests; they shall find no sweetness or delight in it. If they fall short in what they've been commanded with, they say 'Allah is All-Forgiving and He is the Most Merciful' and if they do what they've been prohibited from doing, they say 'We shall be forgiven for we have not associated anything in worship with Allah.' Their entire affair is covetousness with no truth or sincerity. They wear sheep's clothing over the hearts of wolves and the best of them in his Deen ends up being the deceitful and hypocritical one.'" - Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Kitab al-Zuhd.

THE IMAM OF THE AZHAR UNIVERSITY OF EGYPT, the great Wali of Allah and Shaykh of our Shaykhs, Sayyidi Shaykh Salih al-Jafari (d.1979) wrote in his al-Burda al-Hasaniyya wa'l Husayniyya on Ashura: لَوْ كُنْتَ تَحْزَنُ يَا هَٰذَا فَقَدْ حَزِنَتْ أَهْلُ المَحَبَّةِ مِنْ عُرْبٍ وَ مِنْ عَجَمِ If you grieve O greaver, surely, they all grieve... The people of love from the Arabs & non-Arabs! أَوْ كُنْتَ تَبْكِي فَإِنَّ الأَرْضَ بَاكِيَةٌ مَعَ السَّمَاءِ وَ مَا فِيهِنَّ مِنْ أُمَمِ And if you cry, then indeed the Earth cries... With the Sky & every community dwelling in them! لَمْ تَأْتِ قِصَّتُهُمْ فِي قَتْلِ سَيِّدِهِمْ إِلَّا وَ كُلُّ الوَرَي أَنُّوا مِنْ الأَلَمِ Never is the story of the killing of our master told... Except that every creature cries out from pain!

Wisdom is the table, not bread or meat. Wisdom is the light, food for the soul. No nutriment can compare to the nourishment of light. Nothing can nourish the soul but light. Rid yourself of material needs and be set free. Taste the original victual, the dainty morsel of light. - Rumi

A young man took bay'ah at the hands of Sultan al-Masha'ikh Nizamuddin Auliya (r) and would attend the gatherings of Hazrat Khawaja daily. Each day, someone would steal the young man's shoes, and he would buy a new pair and continue attending the gatherings. When Hazrat Sultan al-Masha'ikh was informed of this, he said to the young man, "O young man! Forgive the person who has been stealing your shoes and say, 'I have forgiven the theft of all my shoes and also forgive the thief."' After the youth did so, no one stole his shoes again. People asked Hazrat Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya (r) about the wisdom behind this, and he replied, ''The rizq (sustenance) of the thief was through haram goods. Once the owner forgave him, all the stolen shoes became halal for the thief. Since halal sustenance was not written in his destiny (naseeb), the thief no longer stole the shoes.'' —Seven Mystical Branches, Al-Qutb Mir Sayyid Abdul Wahid Bilgrami (r).

No single person on Earth has been praised like the way Prophet Muhammad (salla-llahu alayhi wasalam) has been praised, And God Himself has not praised anyone or thing the way He has praised Prophet Muhammad (salla-llahu alayhi wasalam) - Sayyid Shaykh Habib Umar bin Hafiz

“The Noble Prophet ﷺ said to me in a vision giving glad tidings: ‘Know, my son, that Allah will honour you with sweet, pleasant waters.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, are these waters the waters of Islam, Faith (Īmān), and Spiritual Excellence (Iḥsān)?’ He ﷺ replied: ‘Yes.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, will I drink these waters alone, or will I and everyone who follows me drink them?’ He ﷺ replied: ‘You will drink them, and everyone from my community who follows you will drink them as well.’ Allah has indeed fulfilled for us what He promised. By Allah, we have drunk these waters, and everyone who accompanies us with sincerity will drink them in the nearest time. Therefore, praise Allah, my master, and thank Him for what your Lord has honoured you with in your time.” -al-Qutb, Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad ibn al Habib

"Sit with those who frequently repent, as they have the softest of heart." Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه [Hilyatul Awliyā |1/51]

What can we do at this time if we are unable to go on Hajj? We should focus on the objectives of Hajj and seek to realise them. For example, we should seek to attain humility before Allah and servitude to Him. On Hajj we leave behind some of the things we are accustomed to. Those who are not performing Hajj should try to do the same by, for example, performing different types of worship. We should try to strengthen love and brotherhood between ourselves. We should try to assist the poor and perform the sacrifice (udhiyah/qurbani). We should take advantage of the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah by fasting as many days as possible and standing in prayer during its nights. We should encourage our family members to do the same. We should try to assist and support those going on Hajj and their families who are left behind. The Prophet ﷺ said that the one who assists someone going out for the sake of Allah has the same reward as that person. We should pray for those performing Hajj and thereby receive a portion of the reward that they are receiving. We should try to gather together when everyone is gathered together at Arafat to pray to Allah and seek to receive the mercy that is descending there. We should gather together on that day even if it is not the Day of Arafat (9th Dhu’l-Hijjah) where we are. Answered by Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

A man who defined scholarship, patience (sabr), and good character (husnul khuluq). His very presence filled the room, and he was as rare as they come; like a blazing light of wisdom (hikma) that passes by once in a lifetime. Shaykh Seraj Hendricks.

"Loftiness is attained in accordance to one's struggles, and whoever seeks nobility, remains vigilant by night". —Imam Shafi’i (r) "بِقَدْرِ الكدِّ تُكتَسَبُ المَعَالي ومَنْ طَلبَ العُلا سَهِرَ اللّيالي,"

The erudite Azharī scholar, our master Ṣāliḥ al-Ja‘farī (may Allah be pleased with him), said: When you hold your prayer beads (subḥah), let your concern be for divine support (madad), not the count. Let your concern be intimacy (uns) with Allah, not the desires of the النفس (ego). Let your concern be contentment (riḍā), not the lifting of what the Divine decree has brought down. For if you are content, you will see trials as gifts. And beware of saying, “I am one who remembers (a dhākir),” even within yourself. Rather say: “All praise is due to Allah who has set my tongue free with His remembrance.” And if you stop remembering (Allah) for a period of days, then know that it is due to your sins—so repent and seek forgiveness. He will accept you once again and make you among those who remember Him. Then the calls of the Truth will call out to you: “And indeed, We conferred a favor upon you another time.” (Qur’an 20:37)

"And to those who have stirred up fear, evil and calamities in Yemen and Syria: Fear for yourselves! It won't be long until Syria and Yemen are among the best and safest of God's lands! And to those who extended their tentacles of evil to Syria and Yemen: Your lands will soon be in trouble. Yemen will be safe! Syria will be safe!" - al-Habib Umar bin Hafiz

Al-Junayd was once asked, "What is the benefit for seekers in engaging with stories?" He replied, "Stories are among the forces of Allah—a divine force by which He strengthens the hearts of the seekers." When he was asked, "Do you have proof for this?" he replied: "Yes, the words of the Almighty: 'And We relate to you of the stories of the messengers by which you make your heart firm.'" Risala Qushayriya

A discussion began regarding the spiritual attainments and virtues of Hazrat Ibrahim ibn Adham (may Allah have mercy on him). It was related that for nine years, he lived in seclusion within a cave. A spring flowed through that cave; he stayed by its waters and devoted himself entirely to the worship of God. One night, the cold became so severe and freezing that Ibrahim (r) felt he was on the verge of death. In the thick of that darkness, his hand happened to be upon a fur coat—a leather garment. He pulled it over his shoulders, and through it, he became warm. When the day broke and the new light dawned, he took off the garment. Behold! He looked and saw it was a serpent—a dragon! As his vision cleared, he saw it open its eyes and begin to move with its hood raised. Ibrahim (r) was struck with astonishment and began to tremble with fright. It was in this state of awe that he heard a Divine voice: "We have saved you from a destroyer through a destroyer." That is to say: from the destruction of the fierce cold, We rescued you through a creature that is itself a source of destruction. —Amir Hasan Ala Sijzi (r), Fawa’id al-Fu’ad

"He, (Imam al-Ghazali) said, if you are in a good situation, God will send the people of tribulation to you. And if you reject them and close the door on them, He will make you the people of tribulation. He will take away your blessings because your blessings are to serve the people in tribulation. These are the awakenings that he, Imam al-Ghazali, is trying to instill and inculcate in us." Shaykh Hamza Yusuf

The Mufti of Makkah, Sayyid Habib Umar al-Jilani passed away today whilst travelling, Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un