Entries related to tasawwuf can be learned
best from Ahmad al-Farűqî as-Sirhindî’s (rahmatullâhi ta’âlâ ’aleyh) Maktűbât.
’âbid: one who performs much ’ibâda.
Ahl al-Bait: immediate relatives of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm):
(according to most ’ulamâ’) ’Ali, first
cousin and son-inlaw; Fâtima, daughter; Hasan and Husain, grandsons (radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum).
a’immat al-madhâhib: pl. of imâm
al-madhhab.
’âlim: (pl. ’ulamâ’) a Muslim scholar
of Islam.
Allâhu ta’âlâ: Allah to Whom all kinds
of superiority belong.
-Ansâr: Those Medinans who embraced
Islam before the conquest of Mekka.
aqcha: a coin, unit of money.
’Arafât: open space located 24 kilometers
north of Mekka.
-’Arsh: end of matter bordering the
seven skies and the Kursî, which is outside the seventh sky and inside the
’Arsh.
-’Asr as-Sa’âda: the ‘Era of
prosperity’, time of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) and the Four Khalîfas (radiy-Allâhu ta’âlâ ’anhum).
Awliyâ: pl. of Walî.
awqâf: (pl. of waqf) pious foundations.
âyat (kerîma): a verse of al-Qur’an al-kerîm.
’azîma: difficult way of doing a
religious act or affair.
-Basmala: the Arabic phrase “Bismillâhi
’r-rahmâni ’r-rahîm” (in the Name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful.)
bâtil: invalid, wrong, vain.
dhikr: (phrase of) remembering, keeping
in mind, Allâhu ta’âlâ every
moment.
dirham: weight unit of three grams.
Effendi: title given by the Ottoman State
to statesmen and especially to religious scholars; a form of address, meaning “Your
Great Personage”.
faqîh: (pl. fuqahâ’).
Fard: (an act or thing) that is
commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ in Qur’ân al-kerîm.
Fard ’ain: fard for every Muslim.
Fard kifâya: fard that must be done at least by
one Muslim.
-Fâtiha: First of the 114 sűras of Qur’an al-kerîm, containing
fatwâ: i) ijtihâd (of a mujtahid); ii)
conclusion (of a muftî) from books of fiqh whether something not shown in them
is permitted or not; answer given to religious questions by Islamic scholars;
iii) rukhsa.
fiqh: knowledge dealing with what Muslims
should do and should not do; actions, ’ibâdât.
fitna, fasâd: widespreading of
statements and actions that harm Muslims and Islam.
fuqahâ: (pl. of faqîh).
ghaban fâhish: (being cheated much by
buying at a) price higher than the current prices; an exorbitant price.
ghazâ: battle against non-Muslims, to
convert them to Islam; jihâd.
ghâzî: Muslim engaged in ghazâ.
hadîth (sherîf): i) a saying
of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm); al-Hadîth ash-sherîf: all the hadîths as a whole; ii) ’ilm alhadîth; iii) Books of the hadîth ash-sherîf. iv) Al-hadîth alqudsî, as-sahîh, al-hasan: kinds of hadîths (for which, see Endless Bliss, II).
Hadrat: title of respect used before the
names of Islamic scholars.
hajj: fard pilgrimage to Mekka.
halâl: (act, thing) permitted in Islam.
Hanafî: (a member) of Hanafî Madhhab.
Hanbalî: (a member) of Hanbalî Madhhab.
harâm: (act, thing) forbidden in Islam.
hasan: (see hadîth)
Hegira: emigration of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) from Mekka
to Medina; al-Hijra.
-Hijâz: the region on the Arabian
Peninsula on the Red Sea coast where Mekka and Medina are situated.
hijrî: of the Hegira.
-Hujrat as-Sa’âda (al-Mu’attara): the room where the graves of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) and of his two immediate Khalîfas are.
’ibâda: (pl. -ât) worship, rite; act for which thawâb (rewards) will be given in the Hereafter.
’îyd: one of the two Islamic
festivals.
ijtihâd: (meaning or conclusion drawn by a mujtahid
through) endeavouring to understand the hidden meaning in an
’ilm: knowledge, science; ’ilm al-hâl: (books of) Islamic teachings (of one Madhhab) that every Muslim
has to learn; ’ilm al-usűl: methodologic sciences,
esp. those of fiqh and kalâm.
imâm: i) profound ’âlim; ii) leader in
jamâ’a; iii) the Caliph. (Khalîfa).
îmân: faith, beliefs of Islam; kalâm,
i’tiqad.
i’tiqâd: îmân.
Jâhiliyya: era of nescience, that
is, pre-Islamic Arabia.
jamâ’a: community; body of Muslims
(except the imâm) in a mosque; companions; union.
jâriya: non-Muslim female slave
captivated in war.
jihâd: war against non-Muslims (or the
nafs) to convert them (it) to Islam.
Jum’a: (salât of) Friday
-Ka’ba(t al-mu’azzama): the big room
in the great mosque in Mekka.
kalâm: knowledge of îmân; ’ilm
al-kalâm.
kalimat ash-shahâda: the phrase
beginning with “Ashhadu...” The first of the five fundamentals of Islam;
declaring one’s belief in Islam.
karâma: (pl. -ât).
khalîfa: (pl. khulafâ’) the Caliph.
Khârijî: (of) those heretical Muslims
hostile to Ahl al-Bayt and to their posterity.
Khutba: the homily delivered at the
pulpit by the imâm at Jum’a and ’Iyd prayers, which must be read in Arabic all
over the world (sinful if made in another language).
madhhab: (pl. madhâhib) all of what an
imâm of (especially) fiqh or i’tiqâd communicated.
-Madînat al-munawwara: the
illuminated city of Medina.
-Mahshar: the Last Judgement.
-Makkat al-mukarrama: the honoured
city of Mekka.
makrűh: (act, thing) improper, disliked
and abstained by the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm); makruh tahrîma: prohibited with much stress.
Mâlikî: (a member) of the Mâlikî
Madhhab.
Ma’rifa: knowledge about Allâhu ta’âlâ’s Dhât (Essence, Person) and
Sifât (Attributes), inspired to the hearts of Awliyâ’.
-Marva (Marwa): one of the two hills
near the Masjid al-Harâm.
masjid: mosque; al-Masjid al-Harâm: the great mosque in Mekka; al-Masjid ash-sherîf (as-Sa’âda, an-Nabî): the mosque in Medina, built in the time of
the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) and
later enlarged several times, in which his grave is.
mawdű’: (kind of hadîth) lacking one of
the conditions (for a hadîth to be sahîh) laid down by an ’alim of hadîth.
Mîlâdî: of the Christian era; of the
Gregorian calendar.
Minâ: a village six kilometers north
of Mekka.
Mubâh: (act, thing) neither ordered nor
prohibited; permitted.
mufsid: act, thing that nullifies
(especially, salât).
muftî: great ’âlim authorized to issue
fatwâ.
-Muhâjirűn: Those Mekkan people who
embraced Islam before the conquest of Mekka.
mujaddid: strengthener, renewer,
of Islam.
mu’jiza: miracle peculiar to prophets,
alone, and worked by Allâhu ta’âlâ.
muqallid: Muslim who practices
taqlîd; a follower of an imâm al-madhhab.
mustahab: (act, thing) deserving
thawâb if done but no sin if omitted, nor disbelief if disliked.
-Mu’tazila: one of the 72 heretical
groups in Islam.
-Muwâjahat as-Sa’âda: the space in
front of the qibla wall [to which the Prophet’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) blessed head corresponds] of his shrine,
where the visitor stands facing the shrine.
Muzdalifa: the area between the
city of Mekka and ’Arafât.
nafs: a force in man which wants him
to harm himself religiously.
najâsa: religiously impure thing.
nâ-mahram: (a relative of the
opposite sex) not within forbidden (harâm) degrees of relationship for
marriage.
nikâh: (act of engagement for) marriage
in Islam.
Pâsha: title given by the Ottoman State
to statesmen, governors and especially officers of high rank (now general or
admiral).
qâdî: Muslim judge; qadi.
qibla: the direction turned towards
during worshipping (in Islam, toward the Ka’bat al-mu’azzama).
Qouraish: Arab community of
Qouraish, an ancestor of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm).
-Qur’an al-kerîm: the Holy
Koran.
rak’a: the series of reciting and the
acts of standing, bowing and prostration (and sitting) in salât, which consists
of at least two and at most (for fard salâts) four rak’as.
Ramadân: the Sacred Month in Muslim
Calendar.
Rasűlullah (Rasűl-Allah): Muhammad
(’alaihi ’s-salâm), the ‘Prophet of Allâhu ta’âlâ’; the Messenger of Allah.
-Rawdat al-Mutahhara: the space
between the Prophet’s (’alaihi ’s-salâm) shrine and the pulpit of the Masjid
ash-Sherîf.
rukhsa: to permit; easy way of doing a
religious act or affair.
-Safâ: one of the two hills near the
Masjîd al-Harâm.
Sahâbî: (pl. as-Sahâbat al-kirâm) Muslim
who saw the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) at least once; the Companion(s).
sahîh: i) religiously lawful, valid;
congruous to Islam; ii) (of a hadîth) soundly transmitted, authentic according
to the conditions laid by the scholars of hadîth.
salât: i) prayer; (with salâm)=
salawât; ii) ritual prayer of at least two rak’as; namâz, in Persian; salât janâza: funeral prayer.
salawât: (pl. of salât) special prayers
in which blessings and high ranks are invoked on the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm).
sâlih: (pl. sulahâ’) one who is pious
and abstains from sins, (opposite: fâsiq); see Walî.
Shafi’î: (a member) of Shâfi’î Madhhab.
Shaikh al-Islam: Head of the
Religious Affairs Office in an Islamic State.
Shî’ites: one of the 72 non-Sunnî
groups in Islam.
shirk: (statement, action, causing)
polytheism; ascribing a partner to Allâhu ta’âlâ.
sulahâ: pl. of sâlih.
sunna: (act, thing) that was, though
not commanded by Allâhu ta’âlâ, done and liked by the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) as an ’ibâda (there is thawâb if done, but no
sin if omitted, yet it causes sin if continually omitted and disbelief if
disliked; the Sunna; i) (with fard) all the sunnas
as a whole; ii) (with the Book or Qur’an
al-kerîm) the Hadîth
ash-sherîf; iii) (alone) fiqh, Islam.
sűra: a chapter of Qur’ân al-kerîm.
Taba’ at-Tâbi’în: those ’âlims
who had seen neither the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) nor a Sahâbî but saw (one of) the Tâbi’űn; so
their successors.
tâ’a: those acts that are liked by Allâhu ta’âlâ but might be
done
without the need of knowing that they are liked by Him.
-Tâbi’űn (al-i’zâm): most of
those Muslims who had not seen the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) but saw (one of) as-Sahabat al-kirâm; so their
successors.
ta’dîl al-arkân: keeping the
body motionless for a while after becoming calm during and between the various
acts in salât (see Endless Bliss, III, Chapters 14-16).
tafsîr: i) book of, ii) science of (’ilm
at-tafsîr), iii) interpretation of Qur’ân
al-kerîm.
taqlîd: living up to, following, being a
member of one of the four Madhhabs.
taqwâ: fearing Allâhu ta’âlâ; abstention from harâms;
practising ’azimas (See wara’ and zuhd).
Tasawwuf: (Islamic sufism as
defined by Islam) knowledge and (after adapting oneself to fiqh) practice of
the manners of the Prophet (’alaihi ’s-salâm) which strengthens îmân, makes the practice of
fiqh easy and provides one to attain ma’rifa; ’ilm at-tasawwuf.
tawâf: the ’ibâda of going round the
Ka’bat al-mu’azzama during hajj.
tawakkul: trusting in, expecting
everything from Allâhu ta’âlâ exclusively; expecting from Allâhu ta’âlâ the effectiveness of the cause after working or holding on to the
cause – before which tawakkul is unadvised. See Endless Bliss III, 35.
tawhîd: (belief in) the Oneness, Unity
of Allâhu ta’âlâ.
ta’zîr: a kind of penalty as described
in Islam; chastisement.
thawâb: (unit of) reward promised and
will be given in the Hereafter by Allâhu ta’âlâ as a recompense for doing and saying what He likes.
’ulamâ: pl. of ’âlim.
Umma: the community, body of Believers,
of a prophet; the Umma(t
al-Muhammadiyya): the Muslim Umma.
usűl: i) methodology or fundamentals
of an Islamic science; ii) methodologies of basic Islamic sciences, ’ilm
al-usűl; iii) îmân, kalâm.
wâjib: (act or thing) never omitted by
the Prophet (’alaihi ’ssalâm), so
almost as compulsory as fard and not to be omitted.
Walî: (pl. Awliyâ’) one who is loved
and protected by Allâhu ta’âlâ; a sâlih who has also corrected his nafs.
wara’: (after avoiding harâms)
abstention from doubtful things (mushtabihât).
zâhid: a man of zuhd; ascetic.
zakât: (fard duty of giving annually)
certain amount of certain kinds of property to certain kinds of people, by
which the remaining property becomes purified and blessed and the Muslim who
gives it protects himself against being (called) a miser. See chapter 1 in Endless Bliss V.
zuhd: not setting one’s heart on
worldly things; abstention (even) from mubâhs.
c/o Alhaji Umar Waisu
Zaria,
Kaduna State Polytechnic,
P.M.B 1061 Zaria,
Koduna State, NIGERIA.
Friday 23rd October 1992.
Bismillahir rahmanir raheem!
Assalamu alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh dear Brothers and Sisters in Islam,
the true and the only Universal religion of Allahu Subhanahu Wata’âlâ. May
Allah’s peace, blessings and mercy be upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alaihi Wa
alihi Wasallam.
My sincere gratitude and thanks
to the Almighty Allah for granting me the will to write you this letter and may
it reach you in very high Islamic spirit and good health as well as your families
and all Muslim Brothers and sisters throughout the world.
Let me first of all acknowledge the receipt
of your third parcel to me since we started having contact with each other two
years ago. I am very thankful and prayerful for your success in spreading
Islam, the world over. May Allah continue to bless your noble endeavours, may
you be rewarded with the best of
As you have requested to know
the titles of the books I have so far received is as follows -Answer To An
Enemy Of Islam, The Religion Reformers in Islam, Belief And Islam, The Sunni
Path and Endless Bliss (first and third fascicles), totalling six in all. I
have already read four by now, two of which twice and I have started reading
Answer To An Enemy of Islam which is one of two recently received books from
you. That means I am looking forward to receiving the following books: -Endless
Bliss (second, fourth, fifth and sixth fascicles), The Proof of Prophethood,
Advice For The Muslim, Islam And Christianity and Could Not Answer.
I am looking forward to
receiving any of the above mentioned books in due course, and I have introduced
Waqf Ikhlas to two of my Friends, one of them was a newly convert to Islam,
very soon they will write you and inquire for books, meanwhile they have
borrowed two books from me.
Kindly accept my warmest wishes
and best regards. May Allah guide us to his right path ameen. Looking ahead to
hearing from you. Ma’assallam.
Yours Brotherly In Islam
Aliyu Umar Waisu Zaria
Aliyu Umar Waisu, C/O Alhajý Umar
Waisu, Kaduna State Polytechnic,
P.M.B 1061 Zaria, Kaduna State,
Nigeria, West Africa
A’űdhu
billah-imin-esh-shaytân-ir-rajîm
Bi-s-mi-llâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm
Rasűlullah ‘sallallâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated, “When mischief becomes widespread among my Ummat (Muslims), a person who abides by my Sunnat will acquire blessings equal to the amount deserved by a hundred martyrs.” At a time when concocted tafsîrs (explanations of the Qur’an al-kerîm) and heretical religious books written by irreligious people are on the increase, and when Muslims are misguided, people who follow the true religious books written by scholars of the right path called Ahl as-Sunnat will be given the same blessings as those which would be given to a hundred martyrs. The scholars of any of the four madhhabs are called Scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat. The leader of the scholars of Ahl as-Sunnat is Imâm-i-A’zâm Abű Hanîfa. These scholars recorded what they had heard from the As-hâb-i-kirâm, who, in their turn, had told them whatever they had heard from the Messenger of Allah ‘sallallâhu alaihi’ wasallam’.
Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’
stated,
“A person whom Allâhu ta’âlâ lovesvery much is one who learns his religion
and teaches it to others. Learn your religion from the mouths of Islamic
scholars!”
A person who cannot find a true
scholar must learn by reading books written by the scholars of Ahl as-sunna,
and try hard to spread these books. A Muslim who has ’ilm (knowledge), ’amal
(practising what one knows; obeying Islam’s commandments and prohibitions), and
ikhlâs (doing everything only to please Allâhu ta’âlâ) is called an Islamic scholar. A person
who represents himself as an Islamic scholar though he lacks any one of these
qualifications is called an ‘evil religious scholar’, or an ‘impostor’. The
Islamic scholar will guide you to causes which in turn will open the gates to
happiness; he is the protector of faith. The impostor will mislead you into
such causes as will make you end up in perdition; he is the Satan’s accomplice.[1] (There is a certain) prayer (called) Istighfâr (which), whenever
you say, (recite or read) it, will make you attain causes which will shield you
against afflictions and troubles.
---------------------------------
[1] Knowledge that is acquired not for the purpose of practising it with ikhlâs, will not be beneficial. Please see the 366 th and 367 th pages of the first volume of Hadîqa, and also the 36th and the 40 th and the 59 th letters in the first volume of Maktűbât. (The English versions of these letters exist in the 16 th and the 25 th and the 28 th chapters, respectively, of the second fascicle of Endless Bliss).